Blog Surfing

I'm not sure if I would call this breakfast or dessert, but this Baked Hawaiian Oatmeal looks amazingly good. From The Ungourmet blog.

This recipe caught my eye. Potato salad has been my families summer picnic staple for many years, but after I saw this recipe of Martha Stewarts on The Bitten Word for Warm Potato Salad with Goat Cheese, I might change my mind.

One Perfect Bite has an interesting way to grill and serve eggplant. Try this Grilled Asian Eggplant with Soy Ginger Glaze for a flavorful change.

It's been a long time since I made something like this, but Bakerella has some Pudding Cups that look great. She shows you step by step how to make these pudding cups with balloons, melted chocolate and pudding.

The Roasted Vegetable Pasta looks really good. You can find it at The Hungry Housewife Blog.

These Triple Fruit Scones look really good and they have been lightened up thanks to Cooking Light.

I think this wins the prize for the easiest and quickest strawberry dessert found at A Spoonful of Thyme. Check out this Seafood Mold. It looks unusual even though I'm sure it is very tasty. I'm just not sure if it looks or sounds appetizing.

Allrecipes.com featured a recipe for Crunchy Romaine Strawberry Salad. I enjoy trying different salads, especially when they have strawberries and a little crunch. Add sliced chicken breast and you have a meal. 

These Compost Cookie Bars look outrageously decadent. Thanks to Alpineberry.

Joy the Baker shows you  How to Make Butter.

Eating Well magazine has a recipe for Spiced Eggplant-Lentil Salad with Mango and I read a review that raved on how good it was. Their reader poll gave it a 4.7 rating.

My Carolina Kitchen has a recipe for French Lentil Salad with Goat Cheese which is very low fat. The goat cheese would give it a very creamy texture.

This Summer Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Vinaigrette looks like another good salad to add to the summer recipe file. Thanks to Annie's Eats.

Are you familiar with Chowhound Boards? It is a worldwide message board where you can find information about restaurants in larger metropolitan areas around the world. You select the area that you are in or the area where you plan on visiting and type in the name of a restaurant or a type of cuisine you are interested in. Diners write their reviews and comments and it helps you decide if you are interested. We have used this for years here for Los Angeles and Orange County and have found it a very valuable resource.

One last thing, have you checked out the Owlets lately? The four of them have gotten so big. They are all looking so grown up. If it wasn't for their fuzzy baby feathers, you would think they were adults. Once they realize that they have wings, I'm guessing they will start fighting for their own space like normal siblings. They could be leaving their nest with in the month.

Wake up and Smell the Coffee

Today I have more recipes from "Wake up and Smell the Coffee" by Laura Zahn. The recipes are from Bed and Breakfast Inn's in the Pacific Northwest. It is great to see that 20 years later they are still in business.

This first recipe comes from Chelsea Station Inn,  located in Seattle, Washington.  It is for Banana French Toast and it is very easy to make. This recipe makes 2 to 3 servings, so you might need to double the recipe. They serve it with their own unusual syrup (recipe included) and topped with sliced bananas and toasted coconut.

This recipe is from Amy's Manor Inn, located in Pateros, Washington. The owner's grandfather built this house in 1928 and it looks like a beautiful estate, located about 195 miles east of Seattle. They also offer weddings and catering. Their recipe is for Apple Oatmeal Spice Pancakes and they use their own apples out of their 25-acre apple orchard. This recipe serves three, so you might need to make a double batch.

This recipe is from Ahlf House Bed and Breakfast in Grant's Pass, Oregon. It is the largest Queen Anne Victorian House in town. They don't have a website but there info can be found here in the Grant's Pass Bed and Breakfast directory. Their recipe is for Fluffy Fingers French Toast with Orange Syrup.These are light and delicious and kids love them.

This recipe is from Hersey House located in Ashland, Oregon, home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Their recipe is for Homemade Hot Mulled Cider and this is an great recipe. Not only does it taste really good, it fills your home with the most amazing aroma. Typically mulled cider is a fall and winter beverage but I'm guessing it would be really tasty served in the warmer months.

This recipe is from Willowbrook Inn located in Gold Hill, Oregon. I posted another recipe of theirs yesterday and they do not have a website that I could find. Their recipe is for Hot Vanilla which is also a lovely drink for a cold day, but I'm posting it anyway because you could always pour it over ice and enjoy it cold on a warm day!

Last but not least, this recipe is for 60 Minute Cinnamon Rolls, yes, from start to finish. You place your covered bowl of dough in a pan of warm water and let it rise for 15 minutes. These cinnamon rolls can be sliced and placed in the baking pan and held in the refrigerator overnight. Bake them in the morning and your home will be filled with the wonderful smell of cinnamon and baking bread. This recipe comes from Stange Manor in LaGrande, Oregon. 

Enjoy!

Wake up and Smell the Coffee

Today I have more recipes from a favorite cookbook that I cooked and baked from many times during the 90's. I find that there is a simplicity that comes with most of these older recipes. The following recipes are especially good for breakfast or brunch, and even dinner! We love having breakfast for dinner at our house every once in a while.

This first recipe is from Willowbrook Inn located in Gold Hill, Oregon. They don't appears to have a website, but they are listed here in Jackson County Bed and Breakfast Directory. This recipe is for Herb Garden Frittata and it uses fresh herbs from your herb garden, or of course, store bought works just fine too. It calls for basil and oregano, but you could use any combination of your favorite herbs.

This recipe for South of the Border Quiche is from the Salisbury House in Seattle, Washington. Green Chilies are added for the "hot" factor, so you can adjust how many you use according to taste. To make it extra spicy and fresh, serve salsa on the side with a dollop of sour cream. I remember making this for my Dad because he loves spicy food, and he loved it. I used the whole can of green chilies. The Inn suggests serving it with tropical fruit and a corn muffins. 

This recipe is from Turtleback Farm Inn on Orcas Island, Washington. Their recipe is for a Souffle Roll. The egg mixture is made baked on a cookie sheet like you would make a jelly roll, and it is filled with a spinach, mushroom and cream cheese filling. This recipe can be made the day before and reheated when you are ready to serve it. You slice it just like a jelly roll and it makes an elegant presentation with fresh fruit and a tasty muffin. 

This recipe is from Sonka's Sheep Station Inn in Myrtle Creek, Oregon. This is a unique "farmstay" Bed and Breakfast where they raise purebred sheep. It is a working sheep ranch and they invite their guests to share in lambing, shearing, haying or helping with chores. You can also just watch the border collies doing their job! Their recipe is for Fancy Egg Scramble.  You scramble the eggs with Canadian bacon and mushrooms and they are folded into a simple cheese sauce and covered with buttered bread crumbs. Very simple but delicious! This dish can be made the day before and reheated just before serving.

The last recipe is from the  Inn at Swifts Bay on Lopez Island, Washington in the San Juan Islands. I was in the San Juan Island once and have always wanted to go back because they are absolutely beautiful. The chef that created this recipe for Inn at Swifts Bay Potatoes, was a brunch chef in Napa, California. These potatoes are great as a side dish with any of these egg dishes. The sugar and vinegar give them a sweet/sour flavor which takes about 30 to 40 minutes to get the flavors to meld just right.

I'm adding an extra recipe that came to me through email from Bed and Breakfast Inn's Online. This recipe is from Federal Crest Inn Bed and Breakfast
located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The recipe is for Perfect Fruit Compote and it sounds really good and would go well with all of these breakfast and brunch recipes.

Enjoy!
PS More recipes tomorrow from this cookbook

Wake up and Smell the Coffee

This week I will be featuring my favorite recipes from the cookbook "Wake up and Smell the Coffee,  Favorite Breakfast and Brunch Recipes from the Pacific Northwest's Best Bed and Breakfast Inns." I bought it at Allegory Books and Music at The Shops at Salishan in Gleneden Beach on the Oregon coast. This cookbook was published in 1990 and I did most of my cooking from this cookbook in the 90's, so these recipes fit the "older" recipe category. I remember taking it to the Oregon Coast on vacation several times, so that I could cook from it, I used it that much!

The following recipe was the first recipe that I used from this book. It is from The White Swan Guest House in Mount Vernon, Washington. I made this Strawberry Bread with Strawberry Cream Cheese and took it to a baby shower and several people asked me for the recipe. I have not made this in at least 10 years, but it is worth mentioning.

The following is another recipe for Cherry Scones is also from The White Swan Guest House. These scones are very easy to make and using a heart shaped cookie cutter makes them extra special.

This recipe for Peach Kuchen is from The Gilbert Inn  located in Seaside, Oregon. This is especially good served warm with breakfast or brunch.

This recipe for Maryellen's Magic Muffins is from Maryellen's Guest House in Eugene, Oregon.  I couldn't find a website, but I believe it is still in business. These muffins have a lot of fiber and are low fat.

This recipe for Blackberry Cobbler is from Westwinds Bed and Breakfast in Friday Harbor, Washington. They are still in business, but I could not find a website for them. They serve their guests this dessert after a full breakfast! You can also serve it for dessert after dinner!

This recipe for Wild Blackberry Crisp is from Miller Tree Inn, in Forks, Washington.

Enjoy!

PS Tomorrow I will post recipes for Egg dishes

Mother's Day

I'm one of those weird wives that tells my dear hubby every year at Mother's day, don't get me anything because I'm not your mom! But he does anyway! Always has! He says it's because I'm the mother of his children. It is interesting that most mom's end up with more work than usual to celebrate "Mother's" day. What's so special about that?

This year I thought we should mix it up for Mother's Day. I was ready for a mom's day where no one had to clean their house for company, no one had to cook and bake for days, no one had to spend Monday cleaning up and putting everything away, and not recovering until Tuesday. There's always a risk when you suggest something new, because if it doesn't turn out well and no one has fun, it's all on you! Actually, I'm being a little dramatic because our family group is really cool and laid back. Still, I did want everyone to have fun together. So, I suggested that we all go to Tom's Farm.

We have enjoyed going to Tom's Farm for many years and thought it would be so much fun to take grandchildren there (before we had any hope of getting some)! So, we were really happy when everyone was up for a change and we put Tom's Farm on our calenders. When we all talked about it ahead of time, we all agreed that Saturday would be a better day to go so that we could beat the Mother's Day crowd.

On Saturday morning, both sets of grandparents and Wiley and Ivan and their parents set out for Tom's Farm. It was such a beautiful day! The temperatures were in the 80's, but the breezes were blowing. We all met there and ended up spending about five hours there. The first things Wiley saw were the animals in the petting zoo, and they were great little animals!

 

There were several newborn piglets, baby goats, hens and ducks. The kids can enter for two dollars (plus an adult) and they are given a cup of food that all of the animals can eat. This picture only shows one part of the area.

Grandpa Mike helping Wiley on his pony, Dexter

 

Wiley loves horses and loved every minute of his ride.

The boys enjoyed sitting on this wagon while Wiley took the reins.

Oops! Good thing we saw this sign before we helped Wiley climb on the horse!

  

 

Wiley getting his first lesson in target shooting.

 Gramma Barb and Ivan sharing a moment

Ivan enjoying a little down time!

During the majority of our time at Tom's Farm, my camera was off so that I could enjoy our time together in person, not through the lens. We also enjoyed an amazing magic show. I was sitting on the front row with Wiley and one of the little doves must have gotten confused and it flew toward me and was ready to land on my shoulder. Those that know me well, know that I don't enjoy birds flying near or around me! I'm glad it didn't stop the show when I let out a shriek!

 Some of the bad guys that tried to rob us during our train ride. 

They ended up being good guys!

This nice lady handed out golden chocolate coins to the kids. Let's see, chocolate, kids, temperatures in the upper 80's, you're right, a mess!

 Ivan found a dog he loved!

And a cute little baby

Gramma Barb and Grandpa Mike had a good time. We found a nice shady spot to eat our lunch. We enjoyed the live music playing across the pond, and the food was really good too! 

Ivan taking his first pony ride

Not too sure if he liked it or not

Wiley enjoying his second ride, waving to his fans!

He started enjoying it the second time around

Now he's loving it!

Wiley would have been happy spending the rest of the day on his pony!

I wish I would have at least taken a picture of the train and the carousel, but I was wrapped up in the moment! Even though we spent five hours at Tom's, we didn't explore everything they had to offer. We will have to plan another trip! 

The best part was the next day, Mother's day. Christy slept for a much needed 14 hours while Daddy watched the boys! And her husband fixed her a yummy dinner. Gramma Barb said in an email that she didn't get dressed until dinner! My dear hubby made me breakfast, and a beautiful tenderloin steak dinner. I talked to my daughter twice on the phone and my son called twice and we enjoyed some great conversation. It doesn't get any better than that for me! All three of us mom's were able to enjoy the day and spent it doing what we wanted, instead of cooking and entertaining!

I have a feeling that we just started a new family tradition! I think I'll start looking for another destination for next year.

A trip to Knott's Berry Farm with Wiley

In case you haven't been to Knott's Berry Farm in a while, or have never been there, here are a few snapshots of Knott's today. It is America's first theme park! While it still has kept it's Old West nostalgic charm, it has also become a twenty-first century Mega Thrill Ride amusement park. To make room for more thrill rides, they have packed every possible square inch of space with towering support beams crisscrossing over the old traditional park areas.

 Wiley's favorite theme park attractions are the water features

The water is a Wiley magnet

Wiley + Water = Smiles

The water tower is dripping

More water and new friends

Varmint No. 304: The Ghost Town Jail never saw such a cute prisoner

Old Meets New -- Traditional Indian dance mingled with the latest mega-thrill ride support beam

Wiley loves trains! Knott's boasts three of the oldest, continuously in-service, former Denver and Rio Grande Railroad steam engines, in the West

After getting up the nerve to get on board the "Big Train," Wiley is waiting for his fist ride. The train made it about 20 feet down the tracks before it broke down, backed up and we all had to get out...Oh well...next time

Knott's Turn-of-the-century Carousel. Complete with 48 hand-carved animals, a 4" wide, 16' long leather drive belt and antique drive mechanisms -- zebras, ostriches, pigs, tigers and of course horses (with real horse-hair tails) is a must-do ride on our visits.

Wiley loves the Carousel

The Old West is still alive with the first Knott's Berry Farm attraction -- the antique stage coach ride

Ending our 2-hour visit waiting in line at the Knott's Bakery for a kid's-size sprinkle cookie

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

To my Daughter, Christy

To my Mom, Pat

To my Mother-in-law, Dorothy

To my Sisters, Kathleen, Debra, Cheryl and Lori

To my Sister-in-laws, Deanna, Michelle and Molly

To all my Sister/Friends

And to all the Mom's that make this world a better place!