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.
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.
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.
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:
Bake for 15 – 18 minutes at 350 degrees – adjust time for convection ovens.
Yields approximately 3 1/2 dozen
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:
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.
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.
Scranton Seahorse Inn is pleased to announce the launch of our new website and blog, developed in WordPress by InsideOut Solutions, our website host.
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.
Join us on Friday May 13th for a special Beer and Cheese pairing. This month we explore some of New England’s tasty microbrews paired with our favorite Connecticut made cheese’s.
From young to old and mild to bold we’ve got some great cheeses paired up with very special Microbrews from all over New England. These happen to be two of the innkeeper’s favorite things so this is sure to be a great event.
All inclusive package including a comfy guest room and reserved seating for event starts at $270.00. Please call the inn to reserve a space today. This is a great gift for the beer and cheese lover in your life!
This is a great recipe for those with dairy or soy allergies and tastes so much better than anything you buy in a store. And because almonds are a high energy food this is a terrific start to anyone’s day!
Ingredients:
Steps:
1. Soak almonds in water in a blender overnight
2. Blend on high speed until almonds are completely ground. The water will become white and frothy. Strain through a fine mesh strainer pressing on almonds to extract the excess milk. Reserve the liquid and discard the almonds.
3. Rinse your blender and pour in the reserved milk.
4. Add the dates, and scrape the beans of ½ a vanilla bean or use ½ teaspoon good vanilla extract
5. Blend until smooth and then taste. If you think the milk needs to be sweetened and a small amount (1/2 teaspoon) of agave nectar being careful not to over sweeten.
Serve this with cereal, granola, or enjoy straight out of the glass!