It'll Put Hair on Your Arms

Cast of Characters:

MAN – Middle aged, athletic

WIFE – Middle aged, delicate

WAITRESS – (Me)

The Scene:

MAN and WIFE sit at breakfast table. He’s reading the sports section while she nibbles on her egg-white omelet and reads “Berkshire Living”. The WAITRESS comes by, pours coffee the WIFE, and then proceeds to pour the MAN a cup.

MAN: Thanks! This coffee is great! It’s nice and manly.

WAITRESS: I’m glad you like it! It’s a manly coffee for a manly guy! (laughs)

WIFE: (having just taken a sip) Well, what does that say about the women who drink it?

WAITRESS fails to find an adequate response and proceeds to eat foot.

The Order That Will Live in Infamy

(If you're a dork like me and like to analyze handwriting, click to enlarge)

Believe it or not, this is an order for one table. A table of four, I give you, but still! It was so big and complicated that I had to separate it into two courses and bring them out separately.

You'll notice on the last ticket (which is the entrees, the middle one is the "fruit and sides" course) that my handwriting was suddenly not all that horrendous. That's because it's poor Dan's ticket and he has to read it, so I always transcribe my scribbles for him. If I didn't do that, I'm sure a "tomato, basil, bacon, and manchego" omelet would come out something like "Onion, walnut, berries, and mushroom" Which is significantly less delicious...

...unless you're pregnant, in which case it might be exactly what you wanted.

With Love,
~Brande N.

Summer Sunset Fruit Salad

Today I gift you with a recipe for my all-time favorite fruit salad. I call it "Summer Sunset Fruit Salad" because the colors just scream fiery summer sunset: luscious kiss-red strawberries, bright orange clementine segments, and blushing pieces of ripe peach. Oh, and cream. Heavy cream. I'll say that's the clouds. In the sunset. You can't have a sunset without clouds...or cream.


Summer Sunset Fruit Salad:
(Sufficient for two as a side dish or snack, but easily edible by one)


Ingredients:
-1 large ripe peach
-5-8 ripe strawberries (depending on size)
-1 clementine, tangerine, or orange
-1 tbs agave nectar, honey, maple syrup, or sugar. (I recommend a liquid sweetener both for ease of mixing and for health reasons.)

We interrupt this recipe for an important announcement:

If you've never had agave nectar you have to try it! It's a minimally refined, all natural sweetener that has a low glycemic index, so it's safe for diabetics and dieters. I use it in everything from coffee to pumpkin pie. I'd almost say it's a miracle food; it's that good. Sorry, tangent over!

We now return you to your regularly scheduled recipe:

Lastly,
-2 tbs heavy cream (Or half and half if you have some self control [I don't])

Directions:
1) De-stem the strawberries and irregularly chop them into bite-sized pieces. Place them in a bowl.

2) De-pit the peach and chop into bite-size, irregular pieces. Add them to the bowl too.

3)Here's the fun part. Cut the clementine/tangerine/orange like this:



...and add the pretty little skinless slices to the bowl.

(Why did I make you skin the citrus you might ask? Because citrus fruits have a lot of tough skin on them, silly! If we had left that on your salad would require significantly more chewing. Plus this makes the juice more accessible, YUM! But you can leave them on if you want, I won't be mad.)

4)Reserve the membrane with all the orange bits on it.

5) Now mix your favorite sweetener with the half and half or cream.

6) Squish the juice out of the membrane and into the sweetened cream. (see Fig. 5, above)

7) Pour the orange-infused sweet cream over the salad.

8) Grab a spoon and toss it all together.

9) Devour!!*


Now go forth and make fruit salad!


*If you can resist devouring this for about 5 minutes, let it sit and the flavors infuse and the juices start to come out and it becomes amazing. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Which makes me sad because there are no peaches in the house...

A Picture is Worth...

You know the old saying "A picture is worth 1,000 words?" Well, 1,000 is a lot of words. And a lot of time. And while I might be able to pull 1,000 words out of these Valentine's Weekend photos if I really wanted to, I'm going to try 10. Because sometimes it's more fun to limit yourself, no?

Here we go:

Bubble Bath Kit. Himalayan Salt. Smells of Lavender. Fun project.


Heart-shaped pancake. Does a hyphen count as one word?


Dark chocolate. Organic Strawberries. Yum! Shouldn't have eaten so many...


Manchego. Cheddar. Gouda. Olives. Pita. Chocolate. Fruits. I am hungry.


Cheese plate and wine? I wish I was a guest!

This was actually surprisingly fun! I think next time I'll try photo-inspired haiku...

With Love,
~Brande N.

My bread is Green!

I can't believe I haven't written about this yet! This green change is practically eons old, but only last night when I was counting loaves of bread did I suddenly realize it.

This is our delicious "new" bread from Berkshire Mountain Bakery. From left to right you are looking at San Francisco Sourdough, Multigrain, and Raisin. We've had it since about early December (the type of bread, not these particular slices), and let me tell you, this bread is good!

I've always dreamed of living off the classic European diet: freshly baked breads, cheeses, wine, butter, fresh veggies... And my own personal twist: fish. No chicken, no red meat. Just fish. And crustaceans. Mmmm. I'm going off on a tangent now, aren't I?

Anyway, this bread is so very, very good that it makes me feel like living that dream is not only possible, but good for me. As in healthy and encourageable in spite of the carb fever that occasionally strikes the nation.


Why do I think it's so healthy?

Firstly: Berkshire Mountain Bakery uses organic flours. Good for me and good for the environment. And considering that their bread is only comprised of flour, water, and a sourdough culture that is made of flour and water, I might as well just say that the whole bread is organic!

Secondly: They use a traditional fermentation process when making the bread. Now, I'm no food scientist, but Richard, the owner, appears to be and there's a breakdown of the process and health benefits on their website that makes for some pretty interesting reading. In short, the process renders the bread more easily digestible, which means that you absorb more of its nutrients. Oh yeah, and that process makes it tastier. Don't you just love when something is good for you but doesn't taste like cardboard?

Thirdly: They mill all of their grain fresh. Essentially, the vitamins and nutrients in any fresh food oxidize and break down when exposed to oxygen. By milling fresh, there is less time for nutrients to break down and therefore more goodness in the bread. When I describe the bread to guests here, I usually tell them that Berkshire Mountain Bakery has pretty much mastered the science of bread making.

Lastly: It's locally baked in Housatonic, Ma. And I know that anything that's good for the environment is also good for me in the long run.

If you happen to be visiting us, they have a store front as well where you can purchase any of their breads, and let me tell you, they have some incredible bread varieties.

Until next time, I'm off to go have lunch. Which will probably involve a grilled cheese on San Francisco sourdough. Mmmm!

With Love,
~Brande N.

The Grind in Lee Ma, Part I

Earlier this week, Dan and I had made big plans to: go to Northampton, have an obscenely large and very delicious breakfast at Sylvester's, shop around at Holyoke Mall, go to a movie, get groceries, and then eat a slightly less large but equally delicious dinner at Rendezvous in Turner's Falls.

And then a pipe burst. Water, water, everywhere, all coming from the sink. So while we had originally planned to be out of the house by 8:30am, we ended up walking out the door at 11. I was in a bad mood. It felt like our beautiful, wonderful, perfectly planned and scripted day had been ruined. Worst of all, I hadn't eaten breakfast yet. I try not to eat dinner after 8pm, either, so I was at about 15 hours without food. (I imagine low blood sugar contributed to the bad mood.) Being 11 o'clock, none of the places Dan and I frequent were still serving breakfast. Drat!

So we decided to settle, miserably, for lunch and began driving down Rte 20 in Lee, towards the thruway. Then we saw the sign for The Grind. We'd passed by it many times, but had never stopped in for I don't know what reason. That particular morning Dan and I wanted cafe food. Nothing else would suffice. So we stopped. And might I say what a pleasant surprise The Grind was? This place had been hiding not even 10 minutes from us this whole time!


Bill, the owner, was incredibly kind and helpful. Remember my low blood sugar? Physically it translates into me being involuntarily snippy. I have the patience of a toddler, my head hurts, my body is devoid of energy, and I want food NOW. But he saw right past my insulin level and, at the mention that we were seeking breakfast, offered to make me a egg, cheese, bacon, and tomato breakfast sandwich even though they only serve breakfast on the weekends. It was a Wednesday.

This was my sandwich.

See how lean and crisp that bacon was? How perfectly melty the cheese was? The crisp, lovely bread? This was exactly what I needed.

Dan on the other hand, was convinced by their menu that lunch was exactly what he needed.

This was his sandwich. Er... wrap, rather. It's like a sandwich. Except cylindrical and with less bread.

Anyway! This was a turkey and bruschetta wrap with a lightly dressed Italian pasta salad on the side. The turkey, we found out, is roasted and sliced in house, and the bruschetta is also homemade with just a touch of balsamic vinegar. This wrap (I stole a bite) was juicy, flavorful, and perfectly balanced.

Unfortunately, his coffee machine had broken the day before we came in, so we weren't able to try a latte or any other fun drinks with our meal. But Bill assured us that a whole new system that will be able to make frozen drinks, espresso drinks, and Italian sodas was on order. How exciting! He also let us know that in the summer they have a patio, beautiful and spacious lawn, and live entertainment. They cater, too!

So, in response to the fact that our food was great, service was beyond exceptional, and Italian sodas (my favorite) are on the way, I'll be doing an updated post this spring that highlights the new updates at The Grind. In the meantime, if you happen to be in the area and are in the mood for some good ol' Italian cafe food, check them out at 62 W Center St in Lee, MA!

With Love,
~ Brande N.

The Best Resource

In our last edition of Traveler's Resources I talked about how you can use the local newspaper to find hidden gems and local events in the city you're visiting. Because everyone knows that anytime you watch the Travel Channel or read any travel magazines, they always talk about finding "places the locals haunt" and "local favorites".

Today we will again be utilizing the Google to do exactly that.

For the record; I really, truly, honestly admire any human who ever planned a trip before Google was invented. How exactly do you find a hotel (or Bed & Breakfast, wink wink), three meals a day, entertainment, and activities with nothing but a phone book, a AAA guide, and some maps? Eek! It's like the pioneer's version of trip planning...

But I digress. Sorry.


The "Best" Resource:
Head to Google and type in this:

(inserting the name of your destination in place of San Francisco)

(By the way, if anyone has any tips for making my screenshots a little clearer, I'd be forever indebted if you would pass those on to me. These are just an awful, terrible, blurry mess...)

I'm digressing again!

Notice that I said "Best of ___ 2008" instead of 2009. This is because these lists are, for the most part, locally conducted surveys, and they usually aren't published until mid-year. So "Best of San Francisco 2009" would be less likely than 2008 to return results because we're only 2 months into the year.

So I'll click the first link, and show you what comes up.
This happens to be an excellent "Best of" list. Sometimes (especially with smaller cities and more rural regions) you don't get so lucky! You can see that it's categorized for easy navigating, has a search feature, a map feature, and a listing of the "Best of" previous years. Jackpot!

From here I usually click and poke around, seeing what's available. In larger cities, like San Francisco, it's great because the lists get very specific. Best Kimchee, Best Men's Haircut, Best Flamenco Show...

Seriously. Best Flamenco. How cool is that!

Once you find some places and things that strike your fancy you can Google them to get more information and also view reviews on other resources like Trip Advisor, City Search, and Yelp. I also recommend skimming a few years of lists if you can, because sometimes you'll see that a place has had something like "Best Huevos Rancheros" for 6 years running. That's how you find the real gems.

Until next time, happy planning!
~Brande N.

L'Amour

So, Valentine's Day prep pretty much eliminated any time I had for blogging yesterday. And today I'm even more busy. But I wanted to post something for my lovely readers.

You may have noticed that today is Friday the 13th which is my all-time favorite holiday... Well, it's a holiday to me. You see, when I was in high school, my friends and I always referred to Friday the 13th as "Freaky Friday" and celebrated it by doing things like wearing mismatched socks and dying our hair purple (Yeah, we were all the "weirdos", and were proud of it!). In honor of that, and for your entertainment, I was going to post some of those strange and "freaky" photos that people alter in photoshop. The one's that, for example, make Albert Einstein's head shaped like an egg. Get it? Egg head? Yeah, I know. Bad joke. It's a good thing I didn't make that post, huh?

Especially since just before I was about to start it, I got this email. And knew that I had to share it with you. It's much too funny to not share with the world. So, without further adieu:

(Click to Enlarge)

And if you really want to translate it and enjoy it's true hilarity, click here.

Happy Freaky-Valentine's-Friday-Eve!
~Brande N.

Salt and Bubbles and Cookies

One of my absolute favorite things about innkeeping is that, for the first time, I have the opportunity to exercise my creative muscles.

Okay, the second time, actually. I used to work at a small bakery in NY and I was allowed to try out new recipe ideas I had formulated. My favorite creation was this:


Yes, that's right, those are broken hearted gingerbread people. They were our special Valentine's Day cookie and I remember being SO proud of these little guys because they sold out. Twice. I felt spiffy. And talented. And cool.

But even though that job allowed me to be creative, it was a terrible work atmosphere. As in, bad enough that our head baker was deported for not having a green card and I (as in Ms. Just Out of High School with ZERO Professional Baking Experience) had to come on as the full time pastry chef. I was working 7 days, 50+ hours per week, but I was only paid about $3 and hour. It was bad.

Being at the Inn is exactly the opposite. I'm appreciated, encouraged, and the work atmosphere is great. And that makes me oh-so-happy. I make funky biscotti, develop our special event menus, design signs and notes and things that go around the Inn... Almost everyday involves doing something creative.

Today is the day that I immerse myself in a flurry of crafty packaging, prepping, and Valentine's Day preparations. Last night I made these:
And today I'll be making these:
The bubble bath will look essentially just like the salts when I'm all set. We have a really cool idea for how we're going to present the "rose" part of our "Rose Petal Bubble Bath Kit" but I can't show you that until we're done.

So, I'm off to go cut fabric and trim ribbon and do other creative, artsy things that classify as work but are SO much fun. It's a good life.

With Love,
~Brande N.

Romance in The Berkshires

Looking for something fun to do this Valentine's Day? Maybe even something a little romantic? Here's a few links to some Valentine's Weekend events. I know I'm rather notorious for being a little last minute (Did I order Dan's gift yet? Nope.) so hopefully these recommendations save you from being in the same boat as me come this weekend. Good luck!

(Note: Applicable dates for each event can be found on the event's webpage)


First off, Bad Dates. A spectacular one woman play being held only 1 mile from the Inn at Shakespeare and Company. Dan and I saw this play about a month ago and were very impressed. Shakespeare and Company says, "Theresa Rebeck writes some of the funniest and most authentic language heard in American theatre today. We're pleased to present her sharp-toothed, comic take on surviving single motherhood, the working life, and finding romance in today's world." Special bonus, they're offering tickets at the Berkshire County Resident price of 40% off to everyone! A great play for a great price.






Next is Kiss This Cabaret at the Barrington Stage Company, only about 10 minutes from the Inn, in downtown Pittsfield. The event page says: "Join some of our hottest Musical Theatre Lab writers as they share their version of the perfect Valentine Day's song: funny, serious, loving, not-so-loving and outrageous!" I'm going to put this out there: If any of my guests go to this, I'll be a little jealous. Seriously.






If you're feeling a bit French on the 15th, perhaps you can woo your chérie with a bit of Shakespeare en français at the Colonial Theatre, also located in downtown Pittsfield. The Colonial is presenting Roméo et Juliette (an opera on film) for one night only. All the thrill of an opera without the mini-binoculars! On top of that, Colonial has also partnered with Patrick's Pub to offer any guest of the film 10% off at the restaurant. (I love the contrast here of French Operatic Film and Classic American Pub Food. Très amusant.)




Lastly, when I think "Valentine's Day" I think "Good Excuse to Eat Really Good Food and Call It an Occasion." Mission Tapas Bar in Pittsfield is doing a prix-fixe four course menu for Valentine's Day with live entertainment. I'd love to give you a bit more info, but this place is so quirky they don't even have a phone! But you can email them for more info, by visiting this link. I've never been here, but one look at the menu has convinced me that I might need to make it a priority.




So there you go! A small sampling of the goings-on this weekend. If you happen to read this and would like a little more information on the events, or if you're a guest and would like to purchase tickets, give us a call at the Inn and we'd love to help.

With (Valentine) Love,
~Brande N.

Extra, Extra!

In my last edition of "Traveler's Resources" I said that I'd tell you about my favorite way to find local events in the city or town you'll be visiting. The answer? The local newspaper.

This April, Dan and I are going to California for the first time (hello sunshine and sandy beaches!). The B&B we're staying at is near the town of Mill Valley. So I do this:

And lo and behold I got a result. The Marin Independent Journal.

And there, under the "Lifestyles" tab we find Entertainment, Dining, and an Events Calendar. Now I love finding obscure festivals, odd art exhibits, open mic nights, and the like, so I'm going to click the Events Calendar.

Now see that? That's an easy way to get confused and lose A LOT of time. Make sure those location bars are filled in with the area you want.
Much better. And you can see that I also narrowed the search radius to 5 miles. I like to get an idea of what's closest first and then expand beyond that. I neglected to change the dates, drat! But I'm sure you get the idea, right?


And you can see above that there are a great many small cities and towns (as well as a very large city: San Francisco!) around Mill Valley. This means that, depending on how much Dan and I want to travel outside of the area, we can search events in each of these cities. Come to think of it, I'm sure San Francisco has it's own newspaper (or two) that I could check out as well as each of these towns.

My favorite thing about this resource is that it will never let you down. Well... Unless the place you're going to doesn't have much to offer...

But in the case of Mill Valley and Marin County:

Fusion music, twisted theatre and all-you-can-eat-crab? This is my kinda city! And I found it all on one place.

Now go forth and find local events! Have fun!

With Love,
~Brande N.

A is for Affectionate

[To preserve the anonymity of the guests that this post will allude to, I'm not going to tell you when it happened. So there.]

With that said, onto the story...

I'm sitting at the front desk, probably answering emails or doing research when a couple walks in, ready to check in. I check them in, grab their key, and begin their tour, showing them first our piano. Upon seeing it the woman shrieks with glee and begs her husband to play while smothering him loudly with kisses. Their arms are wrapped around each other, faces smushed together, and I am standing awkwardly on the wings of this romantic exchange, completely forgotten about by the couple. Waiting.

As this is happening another couple who had checked in earlier that day comes down and wants to make a dinner reservation at a local restaurant. We will call the new check in Couple A and the reservation-making couple Couple B.

Now, usually, I'd quickly jot down Couple B's reservation information and then carry on with the tour. But, as I was trying to ask Couple B what restaurant they'd like to go to, the silence between words was being punctuated by giggles, sighs, and the sounds of lips smacking in the next room. (If it's not clear yet, I have named them Couple A for "affectionate")

Couple B is quite amused by this spectacle (and the fact that I cannot keep a straight face) and starts trying desperately not to laugh. Which makes me laugh. I feel like a bad person. But this is just so... awkward! And hilarious! This is the sort of scene that would happen in a sitcom if one about innkeeping existed. I mean, Couple B and I were at the front desk for probably three solid minutes and there was not a moment that there were no giggles, kisses, or amorous shrieks to be heard.

Then, when I honestly think that this situation cannot get any funnier, the Boyfriend in Couple B looks at me and jokes, "I hope they aren't next to us tonight!"

But they are. They share a wall. I can't take it. I burst out laughing, losing every bit of dignity I had, and let him know this fact. His girlfriend laughs. I am so glad they have a sense of humor!

After getting the remainder of their reservation information, I wish them a good lunch, and continue Couple A's tour. When I walk in the Sitting Room, I find her sitting on his lap, arms around his neck, immersed in a passionate kiss.

Let's just say the tour was everything you would expect it to be. Memorable for sure.


With Love, (but not too much)
~Brande N.

Guestbook

Wayyyy back in October our guest book filled up. It had lasted almost two years and finally the last page was signed and it was time for it to go into retirement. This meant it was time to get a newer, spiffier, more ecologically sound model, in accords with our Green Commitment.

We knew we wanted it to be:
-Refillable
-Handmade
-Plastic free
-Filled with recycled paper
-Interesting

Here is what we got:

An artist from Etsy made it for us, and did an excellent job if-I-do-say-so-myself! She and her husband harvested the pine from their own backyard and then designed and crafted this according to our specifications. And that beautiful wood-burning? We gave her a photo of the Inn, she converted it to a line drawing, and then burnt it by hand.

Just look at that detail!

Amazing. If I had that kind of talent, well... I'd be really talented.

On top of the fact that it's beautiful, functional and refillable, it's also filled with 100% recycled paper!
I love the texture. It's lovely and gives the book so much personality.

And while I know the the clear (and probably petroleum based) stain on the surface of the book isn't green by any means, I do feel that we made the right decision in selecting this option. As I've said before, I'd much rather our money go toward an individual over a faceless, nameless corporation. And considering the state of the economy, the fact that this was made domestically seems like a big plus. The fact that the bulk of the materials were also domestically sourced means that the carbon footprint of this book has been significantly reduced. Oh, and did I mention that even though this was handmade and custom designed it was less expensive than the imported alternative? How great is that!

Yet another example of being green and saving green!

With Love,
~Brande N.