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.

May 28th – National Hamburger Day

Not that we need an excuse to eat another hamburger but Thursday May 28th is National Hamburger Day so it’s really an obligation for today. Besides eating a hamburger I thought I should share with you some of our favorite places to enjoy a hamburger. They are all a short drive from the inn so if you come spend a weekend with us you have choices.

1. Augur’s Irish Pub is our favorite hangout located near the green in Guilford. This is truly local favorite where great people gather and great people work. The burgers are big juicy and hand formed and cooked to perfection. This is a no frills burger that a traditionalist will love! It’s served on a hard roll with lettuce and tomato and a side of chips. Plenty of local brews available on tap and in bottle. This is our favorite place to watch the Red Sox and the Patriots. The owner is a Jets fan but we lover her none the less.

2. If size matters you won’t be disappointed with the burgers at Christy’s right here near the beach in Madison. These monsters are served with a steak knife and fries. My favorite is the chili burger topped with homemade chili, cheddar, and onion. I never think I’ll ever be able to finish it but I always do.

3. We love heading out to Old Saybrook and trying one of the dozens of burgers (and dogs) off the menu at The Rabbit Hole. I don’t think I’ve tried them all yet but I am working on it. The beer list is absolutely endless too so be prepared to make multiple visits so you can try every burger and every beer. There are multiple TV’s so you’ll find favorite team on one of them.

4. Moxie is a fabulous gastropub here in Madison and a short 2 minute walk from the Scranton Seahorse Inn. The burger and fries have become a local favorite. I can’t get enough of the Cowboy Up Burger with jalepeno poppers and BBQ melted onions. Lot’s of outdoor seating with great wines and a list of ever changing craft beers. You’ll be happy you can walk there and back.

If you try out any of our favorites please let us know what you think. Follow this link to another handy resource to great burgers and brews.

It’s great to be in good company!

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.

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.

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!

Cooking Class – Pumpkin!

Our CSA from Bishops Orchard’s provided us with a bounty of local squash and pumpkin this season. This leaves us no choice but to invite you into the Scranton Seahorse Inn kitchen to help cook up some of our favorite perfectly sweet fall flavors. In this class we’ll start off by discussing the local varieties of squash and roasting techniques before we get started with a hands on class creating:

Pumpkin Ice Cream
Pumpkin Cheese Cake
Pumpkin Harvest Bread
Pumpkin Cannoli

Details:

Wednesday November 12th
5:30 – 8:30 (approximately
Maximum 8 students
$50 class only or
$160 class & over night accommodations (single occupancy, $210 – double)

Call me at 203.245.0550 today to reserve your spot. See you at the inn!

Halloween Weekend – Last Minute Special

We have rooms at such great prices this weekend it’ll scare you! Any of our standard rooms with a queen bed and private bath are just $150 and our deluxe rooms are $200. No minimum night requirement. Of course breakfast is included in the morning and don’t forget that on Sunday you get to sleep in an extra hour! Come explore the shoreline and take advantage of the great fall weather while it lasts.

Call the inn at 203.245.0550 to reserve your room for Friday or Saturday.