Rhubarb Coffee Cake

You know I love my rhubarb. The only thing that I don’t like about it is that the growing season for rhubarb in Connecticut is too short. I take advantage of the local harvest, including from my own garden, as much as I can. A lot of our guests here at the Scranton Seahorse Inn have asked for this recipe – even from some that didn’t think they liked rhubarb. The small chop on the rhubarb in this recipe doesn’t overwhelm but provides tasty tart bites. The combination of the wheat and all purpose flour provide a nice nutty aroma and flavor. I hope you enjoy this Rhubarb Coffee Cake recipe.

CAKE:

1 pound finely chopped rhubarb

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

5 tablespoons butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon orange extract or 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest

2 teaspoons 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 salt

STREUSEL:

1/4 cup turbinado sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

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 a large bowl; beat with a mixer 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. This is a thick batter. Spread evenly 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. Invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely. Cut into squares and enjoy.

25% off for Paramedics in May

Every month we honor people from different professions. We try to bring them together in one place for a night or two to find new friends with common interests and to share favorite stories. In May we honor paramedics and emergency medical technicians. We know they work hard and we respect what they do and we are offering 25% off their bill throughout May. With that we hope to encourage them to take a break and relax with us here at the Scranton Seahorse Inn. If you are one of these people, or know one that you’d like to treat, this is place to be in May.

Call 203.245.0550 to check availability and make your reservation.

Mother’s Day Weekend – Last Minute Special

Cash at sunrise at the Madison town beach

We have some rooms left for the next week at reduced rates so no more excuses. Pack your overnight bag and come stay on the Connecticut coast and enjoy the sunrises, the May flowers and sunny beaches. Our rooms start at just $139 for the next week and that rate includes breakfast. And, if you’re interested, Cash and Theo will be available for petting and hugging.

Call us today and make your reservation while rooms last.

See you at the inn!

Teachers need a recess too…..

Last month we celebrated nurses and this month we celebrate teachers. If you’re a teacher and you’re lucky enough to have a bit of a break in April we hope you’ll spend a night or two at the Scranton Seahorse Inn. All month long teachers will enjoy a 20% discount off their room rates. We recognize your hard work, long hours and the pressures of your jobs during the school year (which seems to be getting longer and longer…) and want to you to know we are here to help you relax. Come stay with us and walk the beaches before the summer crowds get here, hike the trails, sip wine at Chamard, take in a live performance at The Kate, dine at Moxie, or get a massage. Or do everything. Or, maybe it’s time take a recess from everything and do nothing.

Call 203.245.0550 today for reservations and we promise not to mention parent-teacher conferences at all when you’re here.

We Celebrate Nurses in March

Calling all nurses! We recognize how hard you work and want you to know how much you mean to us and our families when we are sick or even when we are striving to remain healthy. If you’re a nurse or have a favorite nurse in your doctor’s office, or work with a nurse please let them know that for the entire month of March the Scranton Seahorse Inn in Madison, Connecticut welcomes them by offering 25% off all rooms.

Call us today to book a room for yourself or for your favorite nurse. Feel free to share a story about your favorite nurse on our blog. We’d love to hear from you.

See you at the inn!

Call 203.245.0550 to make a reservation today.

National Pancake Day is March 3

I guess there’s a reason to celebrate something every day so why not pancakes too! Throughout the year we make variations on these crowd pleasing favorites. In fall and winter we serve gingerbread, pumpkin or apple pancakes. In the spring we’ll change it up to lemon ricotta and sometimes in the summer we’re making buttermilk and sweet corn pancakes. But our tried and true hit are fluffy classic buttermilk pancakes topped with berries and local maple syrup. Here’s our recipe for our version. Enjoy! Happy Pancake Day!

Ingredients

2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 tablespoons Granulated Sugar
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Table Salt
2 cups Buttermilk
2 Large Eggs
3 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1/4 cup Sour Cream

Whisk together all dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
Melt Butter and cool slightly
Whisk buttermilk into cooled butter and then whisk in the eggs and sour cream.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients. Use a large rubber spatula and fold together until just combined. Use a minimal amount of strokes – some lumps might remain. Let stand for at least 15 minutes – this will give the sour cream and baking soda time to react.
Pour 1/4 cup for each pancake onto a hot oiled skillet or griddle. When bubbles start to uniformly appear it’s time to flip. These pancakes will rise nicely so let them cook for at least 2 minutes on the second side. Don’t forget to use quality (LOCAL if available) syrup. Enjoy.

Win A Free Night! Enter Our 2105 Oscar Contest

I’m ready! Do you have your Oscar picks ready? You still have time to get to the theater before the Oscars are handed out on Sunday February 22. If you’re feeling competitive (or lucky) you can participate in our annual Oscars contest right now by clicking the link below. The person who picks the highest correct number of winners wins a free night at The Scranton Seahorse Inn. As always, while at the inn look through our DVD library and watch any of our hundreds of movies while you relax in your guest room. We add to our collection all the time! Good luck everyone. This contest closes on 2/22 @ 4pm.

Enter The Scranton Seahorse Inn Oscar Contest

In the event of a tie – a entry will be selected at random. Results will be posted on this blog the day after the awards show. Check back to see if you’re the big winer.

It’s Oscar Season….

You know how we love our movies here at the Scranton Seahorse Inn. We just added a bunch of movies to our DVD library that include many of this years Oscar nominees. So if you haven’t seen Boyhood, Gone Girl, Grand Budapest Hotel, or Guardians of the Galaxy they are here for your viewing pleasure. We’ll be adding more as they are released to DVD.

In addition to our celebration of Oscar Season we are offering free movie tickets to the Madison Art Cinemas for all movies that are playing in that theatre that have a nomination for an Oscar in any category. Click the link above to be directed to their website for movies listings and schedules.

Within the next couple of days I’ll be creating the ballot for our 4th annual Oscar contest where you can win a free night at The Scranton Seahorse Inn, dinner at Elizabeth’s Cafe and two movie tickets.

See you at the inn!

Getting ready for a great new year….

2015 Another new year is upon us…..dare I say already..

If you are still in the planning stages of how you’ll welcome 2015 it’s not too late. There are rooms available here at the Scranton Seahorse Inn and we checked a few of our favorite great local restaurants and there are tables available too.

Don’t wait too much longer though. Call us today and we’ll be glad to book you a room and help book you a table at either Elizabeth’s Cafe, Bar Bouchee, The Wharf, or Cafe Routier.

Your room rate includes a late (10am – 11am) hot full breakfast with champagne mimosas and noon time check out. If you want to stay (or can’t get out of bed) on January 1, 2015 your room is 50% off.

Enjoy the last few days of 2014 and get yourself ready for a GREAT 2015.

See you at the inn !

An overnight stay, a cooking class, and dinner – all for 1 price!

Souper Sundays

There are many things we do here on the Connecticut shoreline in order to coexist with the cold New England weather. From skiing and skating to reading and hibernating, we each have our own ways to keep from going stir-crazy during Old Man Winter’s annual visit. One of my own favorite winter rituals is to make homemade soup. It’s healthy (well…sometimes!), satisfying and delicious, which means that in one pot I get to fulfill all of my promises to myself: live healthier, cook at home more, and eat better.

The aromas that fill the inn are second only to the reward of eating a bowl of hot homemade goodness. I enjoy it so much that I have have started sharing my ritual with our overnight Sunday guests and am calling it Souper Sundays. All guests that check in on Sunday are invited into the kitchen to help me prepare what will become the Sunday supper that we will share at dinner time. It’s a time to bring the ever-changing Scranton Seahorse Inn guest community together to do something fun, healthy and, if we do it right – utterly delicious.

Book your room with us and enjoy a perfect stay at a classic Connecticut bed and breakfast that includes a cooking class and dinner with (new) friends. Bring your own favorite wine if you wish, and we’ll provide the soup, bowls, and spoons!

December 14th: Butternut Squash with Sage and Apple & New England Style Clam Chowder
December 21st: Creamy Chicken Chowder & Spicy Red Pepper Bisque

See you at the inn!