June 22nd, 2011 by hafford
Bob McCandlish
After our first introduction I learned very quickly that Bob McCandlish is an amazing person. His generous and positive personality emits good energy whenever he is near. I then learned that he is an amazing massage therapist and I am very lucky to have Bob offering his massage services exclusively at the Scranton Seahorse Inn. Our guests and all of Madison and the shoreline is fortunate to have access to Bob’s services in such an accessible & peaceful location.
Congratulations to Bob McCandlish and hands on expressions for winning 2nd place for “Best Massage” on The E-List’s Best of Shoreline readers poll. Call Bob directly today @ 203.779.9215 to book 1 hour massage.
Check out The E-List to see all of the winners of The Best of the Shoreline Reader’s Poll.
It’s good to be In Good Company….
Tags: Massage, McCandlish, The E-List
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June 22nd, 2011 by hafford
I’ve started a new blog category entitled “In Good Company”. It’s here that I’ll post about the businesses, people, and places that we have relationship with either by partnering with them on specific initiatives or that we’re just lucky enough to be neighbors.
Tags: Madison
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June 21st, 2011 by hafford
We had a very exciting weekend at the inn. Not only was it a beautiful spring weekend but it was our first weekend when we cooked with the fruits and vegetables from our CSA share from Bishops Orchards. Connecticut has had a wet & cold spring so we’ve been anxiously waiting for our local & sustainable produce to be ripe for picking. Let’s back up a bit…
What’s a CSA or Community Supported Agriculture? As far as food propositions go it’s about as simple as it gets. You find a local farm and buy a share and every week during the growing season you pick up a box of whatever goodies are being pulled from the fields right now. It also lets you enjoy the best parts of sustainably grown fruits and vegetables without the responsibility for the weeding and watering. In our case, our CSA share from Bishop’s supplements our own gardens and what we buy at the farmers markets.
In our first box we were very excited to find multiple varieties of lettuce, sugar snap peas, spinach, basil, and strawberries! And, in turn our guests enjoyed fresh strawberry scones and strawberry lemon muffins. I also made a delicous spinach frittata, a guest favorite.
I’m looking forward to creating some magnificent menus this growing season and providing fresh & healthy meals to our guests.
Posted in In Good Company, Madison, Connecticut | Comments Off
June 14th, 2011 by hafford
As I mentioned at our last Business With A Twist Chamber Meeting it’s an honor to be associated with so many varieties of special businesses in our small community. The Scranton Seahorse Inn and hands on expressions has a great deal from June 15th – July 15th for all Madison Chamber Members. For the next 30 days the Scranton Seahorse Inn is offering 50% off room rates and h.o.e. is offering 1 hour massages for just $50 (a 30% discount).
Word of mouth goes a long way and we want you, our fellow business owners, to experience our first class services yourselves and then spread the word! Please, in the spirit of this offer our special is available only to the business owner or representative and is not tranferrable to family or friends.
Call the inn at 203.245.0550 to book your room and a massage. Or, call Bob directly at 203.779.9215 if you wish to book a massage only.
All policies apply and cannot be combined with other packages or offers.
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April 25th, 2011 by hafford
We try to keep the cookie jar in the coffee bar stocked. There’s a lot of midnight cookie monsters out there so this is a difficult task at times! We had a group of guests from Germany recently that begged me for my molasses cookie recipe. I wish I could say it was mine! This was passed on to me from my friend Liza who in turn got it from Jillifer’s Emporium, Great Barrington, MA. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1 pound butter
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 3 cups brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup dark molasses
- 1/4 cup water
- 6 1/2 cups unsifted flour
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground cloves
- 2 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
- Cream butter, molasses, water, salt and brown sugar together.
- Beat in eggs
- Sift dry ingredients together and then add to creamed mixture.
- Mix well
- Refigerate for 24 hours.
- Roll into balls (1″ diameter), then roll in granulated sugar
Bake for 15 – 18 minutes at 350 degrees – adjust time for convection ovens.
Yields approximately 3 1/2 dozen
Tags: cookies, hermits, molasses, recipes
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April 18th, 2011 by hafford
I was delighted to see how great the rhubarb in our garden was looking this morning. When I see these big bright green leafy stalks it means two things – spring time & great tart breakfast treats. Some of the favorites at the inn are rhubarb upside down muffins, rhubarb crisp and my personal favorite – rhubarb sour cream coffee cake. I make this one with a combination of all purpose flour and wheat flour.
Here’s the recipe:
- 3 1/2 cups finely chopped rhubarb (about 1 pound)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temp
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- zest of one medium orange
- 2 teaspoons good quality vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Streusel:
- 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/4 cup toasted & chopped walnuts
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. To prepare cake, combine rhubarb and 2 tablespoons flour in a medium bowl; toss well to coat.
3. Place brown sugar and 5 tablespoons butter in the bowl of a mixer; beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream, rind, and vanilla; beat until well combined.
4. Lightly spoon 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Fold in rhubarb mixture. Spread batter into a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray.
5. To prepare streusel, combine turbinado sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in 2 tablespoons butter with a pastry blender or 2 forks until mixture is crumbly; stir in nuts. Sprinkle streusel evenly over batter. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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April 17th, 2011 by hafford
There’s a great spring time festival happening right down the road in Guilford at the fair grounds location and it starts Easter Sunday with an Easter egg hunt. The Connecticut Renaissance Faire is happening over multiple weekends in April and May. Here you can escape to the past and experience a romantic age lost to time as you wander the streets of an 11th century springtime faire. Thrill to a full day of musicians, acrobats, fire eaters, knights, jousting, comedy and magic on nine stages featuring the best variety entertainment at any festival in New England – all included with your admission! New acts and old favorites return from around the world to chase thy cares away with smiles and laughter.
Shop ‘til ye drop at New England’s largest Medieval Marketplace featuring hand crafted and unique items you can’t find anywhere else! Dine like a King on succulent turkey legs, exotic foods, traditional festival fare, tasty treats and scrumptious desserts at our food stalls! Whatever strikes your fancy, you and your family will find it at The Connecticut Renaissance Faire.
Book a room at the Scranton Seahorse Inn and when you bring back your admission ticket you’ll receive 15% off your room rate.
Posted in Events, Madison, Connecticut | Comments Off
October 25th, 2010 by michael
Experts say that active adults and parents need set aside one night a month to get away. They call it a “date night”. Household chores, kids sporting events, birthday parties, and endless other activites keep that from happening on most weekends. The Scranton Seahorse Inn has put together an all inclusive package for just $300 that will allow friends and lovers to escape in the middle of the week without the hassle of planes, trains, or security check points.
A one hour massage for each of you by our Licensed Massage Therapist Bob McCandlish is just one of the highlights of your getaway. Also included is an early noon time check in into a standard queen room, a bottle of wine, and a full breakfast in the morning.
You’ll love our guest rooms. All include a private bath, fluffy comfy robes, deluxe bath amenities, free WiFi and a TV with DVD player (and hundreds of movies in our DVD library for you to borrow!). We can arrange for dinner reservations or you can stay in, enjoy your wine, order a cheese plate and simply escape from the daily hustle and bustle and relax…..
Sit down with your calendars, find a good night for a date and call Scranton Seahorse Inn to schedule your peaceful getaway package.
Tags: couples, getaway, spa
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August 27th, 2010 by michael
Scranton Seahorse Inn is pleased to announce the launch of our new website and blog, developed in WordPress by InsideOut Solutions, our website host.
Posted in Madison, Connecticut | 1 Comment »
August 23rd, 2010 by michael
The Scranton Seahorse Inn is located in the heart of the village of Madison on the Connecticut shoreline. This wonderful inn, opened January 2006, is close to spectacular beaches, charming boutiques, elegant restaurants and outlet shopping. Housed in the 1833 Greek revival home of Sereno Scranton, the Scranton Seahorse Inn offers its guests the convenience of luxurious newly appointed accommodations along with the charm and ambiance of a historic New England homestead. Whether you are in town for a relaxing getaway, business trip, or a fun-filled adventure, let us become your home away from home. Discover our seven guest rooms, each with private bath, cable TV, state of the art heat and air conditioning and internet access. Enjoy a Jacuzzi bath in three of our guest rooms. Our deluxe first floor suite includes a charming fireplace in addition to a rain shower Jacuzzi. Come see for yourself why we were selected as a winner in the 2007 Shoreline Newspaper Comfiest Bed and Breakfast category and Best Bed & Breakfast by the New Haven Advocate 2008 Readers Poll. We graciously anticipate hosting your stay.
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In O’Scents of Madison
Spring Time has Arrived! Celebrate with $100 rooms this weekend.
Kale Smoothie