The Garden Gables Inn

Spring is Glorious in the Berkshires

2010-04-29T11:16:00.005-04:00

Spring is in full bloom in the Berkshires! What a colorful and aromatic treat for the senses! The tulips, daffs, forsynthia, azaleas and magnolias are putting on a spectacular show!

The warm weather bounty has caused early blossoms on the apple trees at Hilltop Orchards. Keep your fingers crossed for continued warm weather and no frost!

We are in the process of planning our organic herb and vegetable garden at Garden Gables. We’ll be cultivating the soil soon and planting our first crop.
We’ll be picking fresh edible flowers and herbs/vegetables for your breakfast and dinners.

All the area venues and restaurants are holding open houses and receptions. We’ll attend as many as we can so we can keep you better informed on all the Berkshire County offerings this season.

We’ll also look forward to telling you all about the lecture and artist reception series we began this winter. Tanglewood expert Andrew Pincus was our first lecturer, and J.D. Logan, our first artist. Just last week we had a fabulous weekend featuring a Cooking Demo followed by a four-course Dinner by Chef Michael Garnero, esteemed instructor from the Culinary Institute of America.

You’ll also find some pleasant surprises at the Inn on your return, so

Till then,
Warmest regards,
Peggy

First Snowfall at Garden Gables Inn - Dec. 5, 2009

2009-12-08T16:03:00.004-05:00

Its a Winter Wonderland!

All our best wishes to one and all for a wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy and Healthy New Year!

It doesn’t get any better than this, Fall in the Berkshires!!

2009-10-06T12:48:00.000-04:00

But before I go on about the wonders of this season and our enthusiasm for all we have planned for the winter, my husband John and I want to first extend a heart-felt thank you to all the repeat and new guests of Garden Gables Inn who made us feel so welcome. We feel we have made some wonderful friends this summer and look forward to all of you returning.

There was definitely music in the air this summer! The Inn was filled with tales of lovely evenings at Tanglewood, Shakespeare Theatre, and all our other exciting area venues. Our chef, Bob Luhmann, outdid himself with dinners, even causing one former Washingtonian Magazine food critic to note, “This is the best meal I have had in the Berkshires in over twenty-five years!!”

Truth be told, we didn’t have the best weather this summer, but our guests were not to be deterred…they hiked, picnicked, shopped and dined, and even went swimming in our outdoor pool!

The Fall season is starting off beautifully with sunny days and cool evenings. The crimson, red and yellow leaves shimmer in the sunlight. John Vittori and family are experiencing their busiest season ever. The apples are crisp and delicious, and guests are enjoying the hiking trails, apple picking, hay rides and, of course, the complimentary wine tasting. Did I forget to mention the cider donuts and delectable pies? Thank goodness for the hiking trails to work off some of those calories!

Trails are being worked on now for the winter cross-country skiing. Snow-shoeing will also be available. John and I can’t wait!

And, last but not least, we hope you will consider joining us for our New Year’s Weekend Gala Celebration! It promises to be our best one ever. Settle in with us for a weekend filled with all the warmth and ambience that our lovely Inn can provide. Surround yourself with laughter and good cheer, close friends, amazingly good food, and the warmth and gratitude of the Roethel and Vittori families!

Till then, be well, and please drop us a line!

Warmest Regards,
Peggy and John

Welcome our new innkeepers...

2009-07-09T12:35:00.004-04:00

Readers of this blog know that Brande and Dan Neyhard were our innkeepers over the slower winter/spring months. They made some nice contributions while they were here (we'll miss Brande's biscotti and her enthusiasm for continuing with our green initiatives).

We are thrilled to announce that Peggy & John Roethel have recently joined us as resident innkeepers and are in full swing with the influx of summer guests. They have impressive credentials in the hospitality industry, having provided high levels of service and accommodation to renowned chefs, authors, award-winning musicians, stage and film stars and members of the Royal Family of Monaco. They are excellent cooks, wine enthusiasts and experts in planning extraordinary weddings and receptions. They were most recently managers at the Lighthouse Bay Resort in Barbuda and prior to that at Ivivi Lake & Mountain Lodge in Lake Lure, N.C. and Sweetwater Farm Bed & Breakfast in Glen Mills, Pa. From 1991-1998, the couple owned and managed The Spooner House Bed and Breakfast, a historic 18th century property in Fredericksburg, Va.

I have enjoyed introducing Peggy and John to our wonderful summer guests. You can contact them by phone at 888-243-0193 or by email at innkeepers@gardengablesinn.com. Look for future posts from them...

Warm regards,
John Vittori & family

Adieu, Adieu, Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow!

2009-06-09T09:19:00.000-04:00

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Dan and I will soon be leaving our position as the Innkeepers here at The Garden Gables Inn. While we wish we could stay here forever, immersed in the magic of The Berkshires and this beautiful Inn, we have decided to move back home and spend more time with our families.

Thank you so much to everyone who took a moment out of their day to read my silly ramblings and stories. Thank you everyone who stayed here and helped make it such a great place. Thank you to everyone who had such kind words about Dan and I and the Inn, and voiced them either in person, or on Trip Advisor, or in emails. Thank you so much for making this the experience that it has been!

While I'm sad to leave my little blog, I'm very pleased with all the positive comments that I have received from you, my readers, and that there are plans for the Innkeepers Blog to continue. There will be a whole new set of ramblings and discoveries and recommendations that I think you're going to love.

Again, thank you so much readers, guests, and friends. It's been a great ride!

With Much, Much Love,
~Brande N.

Let's Get Crackin'

2009-06-07T09:10:00.001-04:00

I've mentioned before that Dan and I were on the quest for local and organic meats and animal products like eggs, cheese and yogurt. While we've struck out so far on meats and cheeses, but hit gold with Sidehill Farm's yogurt. Now, we've struck gold again with Pete & Gerry's organic eggs.

I am thrilled to pieces to eat these eggs. In fact, I've eaten perhaps a few too many for my own good! They taste great, they're versatile, they're affordable, and they're good for people and the environment. What's not to love? What's else could possibly make them better?

Toast!

With (hungry) Love,
~Brande N.

Delicious looking soft-boiled egg photo credit goes to: Askliu via Flickr.

It's Full at Last!

2009-06-05T13:05:00.001-04:00

Finally the pool is sandblasted, mended, painted, dried, and full! We're in the process of filtering and chlorinating it now. In just a few short days it will be ready for swimmers. Whew!

I can't wait to be able to take advantage of it!

With Love,
~Brande N.

Thank You!

2009-06-03T08:02:00.003-04:00

Lately both my laptop and my camera have been incredibly cantankerous and uncooperative, which explains the lack of posts. However, I would like to take a moment to announce the following:

We're #1 on TripAdvisor!

Woo-hoo! What a great way to start the morning!

With very excited love, especially to everyone who is kind enough to take the time to review us,
~Brande N.

PS: If you'd like to see the rating live (and not squished into a screenshot) click here.

Swelter, Shiver, Smile

2009-05-28T10:47:00.000-04:00

Do you remember awhile back when I wrote a post about the snow in my hometown? Well, I was browsing Flickr today, looking at pictures of said hometown, when I stumbled on this:

And this:
And this:

(just for clarity's sake: that's a Jeep under there...)

You might ask me why am I showing you a picture of snow today? Why am I showing you a picture of snow on on this lovely day in May? Why would I bring up cold, wet, windy, yucky winter on such a beautiful spring day?

The answer is because it's hot out, and looking at snow makes me shiver. It's like mental air conditioning.

Really, give it a try! Take a look at one of the pictures, close your eyes, and picture standing where the photographer is.

...Brrrrrrr!

There, don't you feel better?

With Love,
~Brande N.

PS: My apologies to any readers who may be visiting from Siberia, Alaska, Iceland, or anywhere that is currently experiencing a cold front. Look away, look away!

Spring in the Berkshires

2009-05-25T08:28:00.000-04:00

I know I've been gabbing a lot about summer coming up, but truthfully I'm getting way ahead of myself. It's still spring! Why jump ahead when there are all kinds of lovely springy things around me to enjoy?

While pondering on this fact, I was browsing the Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary website and I noticed that they're hosting the sanctuary's 80th Anniversary celebration on June 6th. My first thought was, "Holy Tulips! That sanctuary has been around for 80 years!?" Then I continued reading and realized what a great event it is.

The celebration (which is FREE!) will feature musicians, food, native plants for sale (Scarlet Bee Balm, anyone?), live birds of prey, and guided walks. The 1,314 acre sanctuary also offers picnicing, which makes me start dreaming of fancy cheeses, fresh baked breads, wine, and picnic blankets. Mmmm!

That same weekend Hilltop Orchards is hosting their 7th Annual Apple Blossom Bash. There will be hors d'oeuvres, live music, hiking, wine tastings, and as the name implies, the apple trees will be in full bloom.

Very much like this.

Forgive me for being a silly romantic, but how sweet would it be to have a wedding proposal on a sunny spring day in the middle of an apple orchard in full bloom? It's no wonder so many people get married in June, Mother Nature sets the romance up for them!

If you'd like more information on Pleasant Valley's 80th Anniversary bash, give them a call at (413) 637-0320. And for more information on the Apple Blossom Bash, feel free to call us at the Inn [(413)637-0193] or at Hilltop Orchards at (800)833-6274.

Hope to see you this spring!

With Love,
~Brande N.

No Pain, No Cane

2009-05-23T09:36:00.001-04:00

Dan and I were recently given the assignment to recane a few of our chairs. You have no idea what I'm talking about, huh? That's ok, when we were given the assignment we didn't know what it meant either.

In short, that lattice-like wooden screen that you often see on chairs is called "cane" or "caning". It's actually not wood at all, but the skin of the nonporous rattan vine. Its impermeability makes it ideal for furniture because it won't stain or react to humidity.

Behold the odd and strangely useful things you learn as an innkeeper...

We have a few chairs that feature a lovely woven cane backing. They had unfortunately taken a bit of a beating over the years though, and two out of three chairs had holes ripped through the cane. Rather than replace the whole chair, John opted for Dan and I to re-cane it ourselves. One benefit being that it's significantly less expensive, but another being that it's the greener decision because fixing an old chair instead of buying a brand new one means less resources are used. It's a win-win!

Anyway, this is how the process looks currently:
Kind of a mess. You'd think that throwing a screen into a panel would be easy, right? Not so much... First off, the directions are really vague and don't have any pictures.

Through process of elimination [and some pieces being kind of obvious] we determined that these two pieces are the spline and the cane.

See how they fit into the finished product? (By the way, that's an old, unbroken chair, not one that we've finished.)

Aside from the spline and cane, the wedge, chisel, and hammer were pretty easy to identify...

One line in the directions mentions using "4 wedges to hold the spline in place, and the fifth to pound it into the groove". How do I hold 4 wedges in one place, a fifth in another, AND somehow manage to hammer at the same time? And why in the world do I need 4 wedges to do what two of my fingers are doing in the photo above?? What kind of crazy person invented this process???

As much of a pain as this is, it's going to be neat to be able to proudly say when it's done, "Hey Bob. I caned a chair once. Did you know that?" And he'll be confused and have no idea what I'm talking about. Then I'll be able to rant on about rattan vines and permeability and spline chisels and prewoven cane and...

...I'm doing that right now, aren't I?

With Love,
~Brande N.

Regarding my love for Technology

2009-05-21T12:37:00.002-04:00

Please, dear readers, forgive me for my unexcused absence. It's been a whirlwind of craziness here at the Inn. Summer preparation is in full swing and BOY is there a lot to do! In addition to all the usual summer prep, miscellaneous this-and-thats [broken lamps, clogged showerheads, order placements and pick-ups, new bed deliveries and set-ups, power outages, and the pool situation, just to name a few] keep coming up here and there that need to be attended to. So unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot of time for blogging in between all the chaos!

But I haven't forgot about you, I promise. In fact, for the last week or so, I've been working on a neat little slideshow about the aforementioned pool. As we've been repairing and painting it, we've also been setting out the pool furniture and putting in an entirely brand new fence. In short, we're getting it prepped for the big opening this weekend. Each day there's a bit more paint, a few more chairs, and a couple feet more fence. It's fun to watch the transformation. The pool is still on schedule to open this weekend (knock on wood!), so as of this morning I was almost done with my photo set and it was going to be a great post.

Also on the camera with the pool pictures were photos of the aforementioned dining guide, and photos of my birthday and the day that Dan and I spent with friends and family who visited us from NY. I wanted to upload the pictures of the dining guide so that I could [finally] blog about it, so I put the memory card in my computer and get ready to start the post. Then I realized that I had only taken pictures of the construction of the book and not the final product. So I took the memory card out of my computer (being very certain to use the "Safely Remove Hardware" feature), and put it back in my camera. I went out to the Guest Pantry, took a few pictures of the Dining Guide and a few more of the pool, and went back to my computer.

When I put the memory card in, however, all of the photos had somehow been corrupted. Everything was lost. The pool photos, the making-of-the-dining-guide photos, all of the pictures from my birthday, everything. It was all gone. Ugh.

I'll still do a post about both the pool and the dining guide, but unfortunately they won't be as complete.

Isn't Technology just grand?

With Love,
~Brande N.

Local Intelligence

2009-05-17T08:56:00.004-04:00

I'm a chronic Google-er. I'll admit it.

"I can't get this jar open!"...Google it!

"I need new shoes." ...Google it!

"What does 'eidetic' mean?" ...Google it!*

From my habit of over-Googling I've found that the answers I'm looking for often come from the same source again and again and again.

Example?

Rural Intelligence.

Time and again as I'm researching events and attractions in the Berkshires, Rural Intelligence ends up on my Google Radar, providing me with the answers I need. For example, when I was looking up photos and additional info on Rubiner's Cheesemongers in Great Barrington, I found this article, which talks about Rubiner's "Oysters and Champagne Fridays". Another time I was doing a bit of research on The Mount, and found this article which, in addition to offering a spectacularly beautiful photo of the estate in winter, highlights an interesting event happening on-location. Oh, and this article too, which speculates on The Mount's reputation for being haunted, and mentions its recent filming for the Sci-Fi Channel's show Ghost Hunters. Spooky!

Why exactly does Rural Intelligence keep coming up on my radar? The answer is simple: it's a website focused on only 4 counties in the New England area, one of which is Berkshire county. That means that of all the articles on the website, there is a 1 in 4 chance of an attraction relevent to me being featured.

Needless to say, I've become more and more convinced that this is an excellent local resource. I've even bookmarked it, and now browse it periodically looking for updates and insights. (I won't lie, it helps that Rural Intelligence hosts 3 different blogs, too. We all remember my blog addiction, right?)

Anyway, I think that you [as a reader of my blog and apparent lover of the Berkshires] should head over to Rural Intelligence and do some poking around. Whether your coming to the Berkshires for a special event, food, nature, culture, or even just to visit family, I'm sure you'll find something helpful. Have fun!

With Love,
~Brande N.

*Ok, so "Let Me Google That For You" might be a little harsh, but I can't help but find it hilarious that someone actually created that website. An odd and cranky form of genius, I think.

Prepping for Summer

2009-05-15T14:38:00.002-04:00

The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, the grass is green and lush, and the air is warm. What does that all mean? It means summer is coming up on our heels and we're working on a million little projects to get ready for it.

The biggest project right now is our pool. It didn't start out as a big project, though. It needed to be repainted and have a bit of masonry work done, but nothing too major.

Wrong! It turns out that the three layers of paint on it right now are all different varieties; two layers are epoxy, one layer is water-based, and the paint we bought is low VOC rubber-based! In an effort to prevent the paint from chipping (which would mean draining, repainting, refilling, and retreating all the water), we're in the process of sandblasting off all of the paint so we can start with a blank slate.

Therefore, our pool, which looked like this last summer:

Currently looks like this:

"AHHHH!!!"

That's what you were thinking, right? Have no fear, however, because regardless of how scary the pool looks now, we're still on schedule to be up and running by Memorial Weekend.

Whew!

With Love,
~Brande N.

PS: Since I'm a history nerd and I like sharing these things, I think you should check out our History page if you're curious to know more about our pool. For example, did you know that it's almost 100 years old?

Robin's and Rubiner's

2009-05-13T07:52:00.000-04:00

[Technically, this post was intended to go up yesterday. But somewhere between the power being turned off for half the day to replace a transformer and Blogger refusing to download these pictures for who-knows-what-reason while the power was on, I had some trouble making that happen. Better late than never, right?]

Last week, while Dan's mom was visiting for Mother's Day (Hi, Mom!) we took a little trek to Great Barrington, about 15 minutes away. Even though we had heard a lot baout it, Dan and I had yet to really explore that nook of the Berkshires. We figured the warm spring day, heavy with the scent of blossoming fruit trees, was perfect for taking a walk through town.

We discovered quickly that Main Street is, in fact, the main street. It's lined with unique shops, ranging from artsy clothing stores to trendy cafes to a handmade furniture store to a natural foods co-op and more. We'll definitely be back to do a bit more intensive exploring, but for now I'd like to tell you about two of the most memorable places we went.

First is Rubiner's Cheesemongers, located in the old bank building on Main Street.

This gourmet foods store is just plain brimming with imported candies, artisanal cured meats. fancy mustards and chutneys...

and as the name implies--cheese. Oodles and oodles of beautiful, wonderful, heavenly cheese...

Not only do they have an incredible selection of cheeses (runny and hard and stinky and blue and aged and fresh and sheep and goat and cow, oh my!) but the staff is knowledgeable and helpful. Not that you'd really need a helpful staff member when you can help yourelf to one of the seven or eight varieties of cheese set out to sample each day. That's right seven or eight different cheese samples. While there I tried a young asiago, an aged piave, a waxy jack, parmigiano reggiano, and....

...this odd and intriguing cheese whose name I didn't catch. It was something like an aged cheddar, to say the least. Its scent was of a robust beer, which turned into a sweet, caramelly, cheddar-like taste when it hit the tongue. As the sweetness faded, the saltiness came, followed by a bit of tart sharpness reminiscent of a swiss. Complex doesn't even begin to cover it.

If I were going to Tanglewood and needed a some fancy cheeses, fresh breads, and high quality meats for my picnic on the lawn, I'd go to Rubiner's.

And walk out with 17 kinds of cheese and an empty wallet.

Is that such a bad thing?

After going to Rubiner's we took a few steps down the street and stumbled on this:

Robin's Candy Shop has struck the perfect balance between nostalgia, whimsy, and fun. How can you not love a store with a warning sign that says, "unattended children will be given espresso and a free kitten"? How could you not love a store that sells imported licorice, cotton candy scented perfume, Zagnut bars, and lolipops with real crickets inside?

There's something magical about walking into this place. You can't help but feel a little bit like Charlie walking into the Chocolate Factory. Or maybe it's more like Augustus Gloop when he first sees the chocolate river. I fear that I might be more Augustus than Charlie.

No matter how you feel (awed, nostalgic, gluttonous) there's bound to be something here for you. A box of cupcake shaped bandaids? A pair of cartoonishly large cat-eye glasses? Maybe a gumball shaped like Frankenstein?

At the very least, you're sure to find dessert for your Tanglewood picnic. Let's just hope your empty wallet from Rubiner's has a credit card in it on which you can charge all this candy.

Also, You might want to pack some insulin too. Just to cover the sugar rush.

With Love,
~Brande N.

April Showers Bring....

2009-05-10T09:57:00.005-04:00

Last week we had a beautiful heat wave, and this week has been primarily rainy. What does that mean? Flowers!

Enjoy!

Much Love,
~Brande N.

Busy Bees Don't Blog

2009-05-08T13:10:00.000-04:00

Hello Readers,
Forgive me for neglecting to update today! I'm up to my elbows in scrapbooking paper, double stick tape, and paper trimmings as I update and expand our dining guide. You never realize how many incredible restaurants there are in the Berkshires until you have all of their menus in front of you! Dan thinks I should post a slide show of the book's progress, so hopefully I'll have it up tomorrow. I also revisited Baba Louie's Pizza in Great Barrington recently and I'll be doing a dining review of them as well. I'll be back up to speed soon, I promise.

I hope your enjoying this lovely spring day!

With Love,
~Brande N.

Memorial Weekend!

2009-05-06T09:42:00.001-04:00

Have you seen our Special Offers page yet?

We just posted a fantastic deal for Memorial Weekend, and it highlights an event called the Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival. I'm very excited about it. According to the event's website, it's the largest environmental film festival in the country. It also happens to be a touring festival, and on May 24th, it's coming to Lenox. The three hour presentation will feature literally dozens of films ranging in length from 2 minutes to just under an hour and covering various topics from the American Grasslands to Foraging to Climate Change and White Water Kayaking. Certainly an eclectic mix! There's even a list of all the movies that will be coming on tour available here. You can also watch trailers of all the movies on this page.

The Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival happens to be coming to town during Memorial Weekend, which is great news for anyone visiting the Berkshires. Why? Because there are a ton of events going on that weekend. For example:

Romeo & Juliet at Shakespeare & Company
Dickey Betts at The Colonial Theatre
The Berkshire Extreme Green Festival at the Lenox Town Hall
Poolside at the Hotel Bel Air at the Barrington Stage Company
Gather Up the Fragments: The Andrews Shaker Collection at Hancock Shaker Village (free admission on Tuesday!)
Project Sprout Fundraiser and Four-Course Meal at Route 7 Grill
The Berkshire International Fiml Festival at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center

Gourmet food, theatre, history, music, ecology, film, and community. Sounds like a great weekend! If you haven't made a reservation yet, feel free to give us a call and we'd be happy to help you plan your trip. It's what we're here for!

With Love,
~Brande N.

The Holy Grail of Yogurt

2009-05-03T09:28:00.005-04:00

What could possibly be better than yogurt that is:

-Delicious and...
-Locally made...
-By hand...
-With no artificial sweeteners, flavorings, or additives...
-Using milk from ethically and humanely raised cows...
-Who are 100% grass-fed...
-On certified organic pastures?

The answer?

Nothing. Nothing could possibly be better! This is the holy grail of yogurt.

Introducing:

Sidehill Farms yogurt! I can't even tell you how good this stuff is. So good, in fact, that John ate two bowls of it over the course of a 4 hour meeting. So good that we went through almost 2 quarts over the last two days.

And it's good for you too! Pasture-raised cows produce milk that is higher in essential fatty acids such as Omega-3 and CLA. These fatty acids are linked to everything from healthy skin and nails to a decreased ricks of stroke and cancer to reduced depression. Super foods, indeed.

We're making great progress on converting our foods to local and/or organic varieties. Our coffee is locally roasted, fair trade and sustainably grown; our teas are all organic and/or fair trade; our honey is local; most of our produce is organic (soon to be local, come summertime!); our bread is local and organic; our apples are locally grown and residue free; our preserves are all locally made; even our instant oatmeal is organic!

The next and most difficult step is sourcing local and organic meats. We tried this winter and struck out, but we're hoping for better luck this time. I'll keep you posted, but in the meantime; wish us luck!

With Love,
~Brande N.

Grid Locked

2009-05-01T14:32:00.005-04:00

My fifth grade teacher was a very meticulous man. His bookshelves were alphabetized, his chalk sorted by color, and his shoes always perfectly shined. Each of his students had his or her own desk that we were assigned to for the whole year. The desk would over time become a catch-all for outdated study guides, candy wrappers, broken pencils, and the like. But our teacher, being as orderly as he was, couldn't stand any sort of clutter. If he spotted you taking a moment too long to unearth a text book he would promptly come to your desk, ask you to step away, and would proceed to dump the entire contents on the floor at your feet. The rest of the class would cheer and holler at your misfortune, and you'd be forced to clean up the mess while attempting to simultaneously take notes on the French and Indian War. I was by far his most frequent victim.

To call me "organized" is to call a porcupine cuddly. Even my handwriting is chicken-scratch. I've gotten better over the years (my socks are now washed in pairs!), but I'm certainly not perfect (the pairs of socks are often mismatched). The few organizational skills I have mastered, though, have become invaluable to me.

My favorite newfound hyper-organized habit is this one:

Making a spreadsheet of destinations and attractions? Yeah, it doesn't get too much more meticulous than that. But I can't even express to you how helpful this was to us when we were on vacation. If we were running behind schedule and needed to know a restaurant's hours, I had their phone number. If we changed plans and decided to go to Rao's before the Farmer's Market instead of after, I had an address to navigate us to.

Dan and I have a bad habit, too, of planning our trips almost solely around food (mmm.... food!). While it's all well and good to explore the local food scene, it is not good to go from sandwich shop to cafe to candy store to bakery with nothing in between. That causes what Dan and I call "vacation belly". Ugh.

I categorized our stops into Food, Brande-things (like pottery), Dan-things (like hiking), Cafes, Shopping, and Grocery (we're odd and love getting groceries. It's at least as much fun as dinner and a movie to us). Seeing those little coded bullets next to each place name helped me make sure that we had a balanced trip planned.

Making the grid was super easy too. I just made a table in Microsoft Word, titled each column, and threw in the information. Easy peasy.

I hope you'll give this a try the next time you're out and about. Be sure to create one for each of the little townships around your destination as well! The one above is for Amherst, MA, but we had spreadsheets made for Turner's Falls, Deerfield, Northampton, Greenfield, and Shelburne Falls, too. We never ran out of stuff to do (or food to eat) and the whole trip was mishap free.

With Love,
~Brande N.

Haut Couture, Eggs, and Whimsy

2009-04-28T09:43:00.001-04:00

It's a documented and confessed fact that I love reading blogs. When my blog addiction began, it was with blogs focused on environmental awareness. I would read each of these 10 or so blogs every day. And while the messages were inspiring and enlightening, the fact of the matter is that the truth in those messages was heavy, startling, and often depressing.

I went through a burn-out for a month or so when, after realizing that everything I do has an impact on the world around me, I just gave up. I bought useless plastic gadgets, I quit recycling, I ate Mcdonald's, and I couldn't care less if my carrots were organic. I was exhausted. Dan recommended that I take a break from reading all those blogs in an effort to let my brain recuperate, and read something else instead. "What else could be worth reading?" I thought.

So I spent sometime skimming various blogs and eventually started bookmarking some about cooking, photography, fashion, comedy, and even parenting. Of these, the topic that became most absorbing was fashion. I, the t-shirt-and-jeans-girl who asks for the wash-and-wear hair cut, was reading fashion blogs. Over time, I realized that I like fashion because it is expressive, artistic, and dramatic. Very much like Theatre which has always been my first love.

One of the blogs I read covers everything from reality-TV shows about fashion (Like Project Runway) to critiques of celebrity red carpet ensembles, to reviews of the latest collections being debuted by various designers.

Today's post on said blog covered the Fall 2009 collection by Agatha de la Ruiz Prada, who is known for her whimsical and dramatic (though not exactly wearable) designs. This particular collection made me laugh and I knew I had to share it with you.

I would have called this the Bed and Breakfast Collection.

Although, I'm still trying to figure out that last one. The first is a picnic blanket or tablecloth, the second an entire egg, but what is she? An oddly shaped raspberry? A strawberry?

As I said, these dresses are certainly not wearable. But if I did procure one, I'd style it with a charm bracelet. Not just any charm bracelet...

...but this one. Which I actually own.

And now I'm hungry.

With Love,
~Brande N.

Critters in the Garden

2009-04-26T09:09:00.003-04:00

I'm sorry these photos aren't better quality! I was having so much fun watching the animals that I decided to take the pictures through the glass rather than opening the door and scaring them away. Unfortunately, I eventually did open the door and did scare both the bunny and the squirrel away. The bunny was nibbling on what appeared to be an ornamental plant, though, so I suppose it's not entirely a bad thing that they haven't been back in that part of the garden since.

It's getting to be the perfect time of year to lounge on our grounds, have a picnic, read a book, and watch the adorable and highly animated critters go about their lives. Though I personally would have a hard time reading much of anything if there was a squirrel nearby. Those bushy, hyperactive little things steal my heart every time I see them.

Hope you're all enjoying the good weather as much as I am!

With Love,
~Brande N.

Regarding the Grandeur of French Toast

2009-04-24T09:45:00.011-04:00

Breakfast has always been my favorite meal. On the rare occasions that my family went out to eat, it was well known that if breakfast was available, that's what I was getting. To heck with chicken tenders--I want a waffle! During high school, one of my first jobs was even as a the "Sunday Morning Waffle Girl" at a local restaurant. My younger brother loves breakfast just as much. From the time he was two until seven, it's not an exaggeration to say that about a quarter of his calories came from pancakes and frozen french toast sticks.

"Yolk-Eggs" (what we called eggs over-easy before we knew their name), was a quick, tasty, and easy meal that I'd make about once a week. Scrambles were even easier. Once I learned how to make omelets, they too became central to my diet. Though, the omelets of my youth were very different from those I eat today, as my family didn't exactly partake in "vegetables", which I now love.

One of the "bad" foods that has been the hardest for me to give up as an adult is the joyous, glorious, artery-clogging Pillsbury Toaster Strudel. The strawberry one with the nuclear blue frosting was a dietary staple for about two years... until the trans fat craze swept the nation and I realized that not all foods are created equal. Since then I haven't been able to justify buying a box.

Despite my almost genetic love for breakfast foods, it wasn't until recently that I made the acquaintance of French Toast. I attribute this delayed fondness to the fact that my mother only ever bought Wonder bread. How many ways can you jazz up Wonder bread? Fake syrup today, maple tomorrow! Cinnamon today, plain the next! The options are rather limited.

As I grew older (and found my inner foodie) I discovered that Pepperidge Farm Whole Wheat, SunMaid Cinnamon Swirl, and WonderBread are not the only choices available in the bread world. Suddenly, French Toast had the credentials to become a part of my life. Ciabatta, challah, brioche, baguette, croissant! Apple-Cardamom Swirl, Honey-Almond, Spiced Pumpkin, Blueberry Strudel, Ginger-Molasses! Oh, the possibilities! And beyond the bread you can even jazz up the egg batter: a dash of vanilla, a splash of buttermilk, a bit of nutmeg, a shot of espresso, the zest of an orange... Factor in toppings (simmered raspberries and fresh ginger... shaved chocolate and caramel sauce... fresh apples and maple-sweetened yogurt...) and you've got an endless world of options.

Sadly, a pancake will always be a pancake, whether you add a sweet, a nut, or a fruit to the batter. But French toast is like people. Every recipe, every variety is an individual. Unique.

With that in mind, I'd like to share with you a recipe that Dan and I concocted in San Francisco. The town we stayed in had a beautiful market just brimming with locally made and grown goodies and our cottage had a full kitchen. We saw it as a calling to make breakfast.

Espresso-Cinnamon French Toast (a.k.a. Mill Valley French Toast)
Ingredients:
3 eggs
1/4 cup cream, half and half, or whole milk
1 shot of espresso (or scant 1/4 cup very strong black coffee, or 1 tsp instant coffee dissolved in 6 tbs water)
2 tbs butter
4 slices soft cinnamon swirl bread, cut about 3/4" thick*

Crack eggs into shallow dish, and whisk until uniform in color. Add coffee first to the milk (to cool it) and then add the milk and espresso (if you can resist drinking it) to the eggs . Whisk to combine. Set aside.

Heat a frying pan or griddle on medium heat and add the butter. When butter starts to froth slightly, the pan is hot enough.

Dip bread in batter, pressing gently with fingertips to help it absorb the goodness and be optimally delicious. Place egg soaked bread on hot pan and cook until surface is a bit darker than "golden"

NOTES:
-It is better to cook a thick-cut french toast at a lower heat for longer period than it is to flash fry it. This is because the mixture of egg and cream in the bread needs time to "set" very much like a custard. If the temperature is too high the egg cooks too quickly and will impart a very strong "egg" taste instead of the delicate "custardy" flavor we're looking for.
-It's better to slightly overcook french toast than to slightly undercook it, as undercooking can result in a mouthful of soggy, raw, eggy mush. Bleh.
-Lastly, The bread Dan and I bought at Mill Valley Market had a slight glaze on it, so we served it with nothing more than a bit of whipped cream. If yours need a bit of sweetness, I recommend maple syrup.

Enjoy!
~Brande N.

*Brownie points (and better flavor) if you use a locally baked variety!

(photo source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/asstrogirl/3013387404/)

Ashes to Ashes, Eggshells to Dust

2009-04-22T08:46:00.001-04:00

How serendipitous and grand that we should start composting on Earth Day! A local woman recently responded to our Craigslist ad advertising free compost, and let us know that she'll be picking her first batch up during the first week of May. That makes today the perfect day to start separating our eggshells and coffee grounds from saran wrap and burnt bacon bits. Even the ashes from our fireplaces can be composted.

It's so encouraging to see what a difference these changes are making! When Dan and I started only 6 months ago every bit of waste went to the dumpster. All of our food scraps; every can, bottle, carton, box, and wrapper; all of these ash and soot from the fireplaces; everything. Now it's ALL getting a second life through either recycling or composting. Really, I wouldn't feel I was exaggerating if I said we've reduced our waste by 60% or more.

I love, too, that these changes we're so easy to make. To begin recycling we just gave our waste management company a call, found out which days are recycling days, and signed up (at a slight extra cost). To compost, I spent about 5 minutes making a Craigslist ad and then waited for a call. Add a few separating bins to the mix and that's it!

I think the biggest challenge that hindered me from composting was the fact that I have no idea how to make compost. There's turning and mulching and carbon and nitrogen and this-is-good and this-is-bad--it's overwhelming! Collecting it is easy. Once I realized that I could find someone else to take it and use their expertise to turn it into rich fertilizer, there were no more hindrances.

So If you're thinking about composting but are too scared, or your yard is too small, or your green thumb turns things black; try Craigslist or even Freecycle. You know what they say: "One person's trash is another's treasure!"

Good luck and Happy Earth Day!
~Brande N.

Celebrating Earth Day

2009-04-19T10:44:00.004-04:00

Did you know that Earth Day is coming up? Yeah, I didn't either. Unlike Easter, Christmas, or even Columbus Day, Earth Day isn't a holiday that's etched into our culture in such a way that our lives revolve around it. Thus, it's easy to forget. Honestly, I've never even celebrated it. I'm a bad tree hugger.

This year, I decided to change that. I won't be throwing an Earth Day Extravaganza, organizing a protest, or even just turning off the lights; but I will be going outside.

Gasp!

I'll admit it, I spend about 85% of my life indoors. Growing up in Upstate NY, you learn rapidly that "spring" is synonymous with "punkie season" and "summer" is synonymous with "deerfly and mosquito season". (the other seasons are "everything dies" and "it's too cold to move") Now, I'm all for holding ladybugs, watching butterflies, and even feeding ants, but I am not so fond of the bugs that bite, thankyouverymuch. I'll just stay inside and read a book. Or read blogs. Or bake. Or scrub the toilet. Anything but be chased and bothered and bitten by an insect. Yuckola, man.

As I've gotten older though, I've become a bit more tolerant of the parts of nature that, well, aren't exactly ideal in my book. The truth is, everything in nature is ideal. I might see a blood-sucking malaria machine, but the daisy next to me sees a pollinator. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right?

I don't think I'll ever see a punkie with eyes that deem it beautiful, but I do see it's place in the world, and I've come to appreciate it.

So, to celebrate the spirit of appreciating nature I'll be spending Wednesday outside. All day hopefully. Maybe I'll be reading, maybe having a little picnic, who knows. It's true that the buggies will probably find me*, but it's a risk I'm willing to take. I feel like the most profound thing I can do on the day that we honor the Earth is spend some time enjoying it. Even if I end up all itchy because of it.

With Love,
~Brande N.

*DISCLAIMER: This personal goal was made significantly easier by the fact that the biting insect population in The Berkshires is practically nonexistent compared to that of Upstate. Seriously, if you were to walk outside in my hometown right now, you'd be swarmed in minutes. I have yet to see any biting-bugs this year. (knock on wood!)

WHOA! Not even kidding, I just typed "knock on wood" and a mosquito flew into the computer screen and then flew away. Maybe I should have actually knocked on a piece of wood?

Because It Was Built in 1780

2009-04-17T09:30:00.003-04:00

Recently I've been having some fun poking around the web, doing research on the Inn's history. My most recent focus has been on Miss Caroline Katherine Carey, who purchased the Inn (then called The Butternut Cottage) in 1905.

While I wouldn't go so far as to call Ms. Carey famous, she certainly wasn't obscure. In fact, if you search the New York Times Archives she is mentioned several times, often in conjunction with horse shows or social events. Kate Carey was very well known for her passion for horses expertise in all things equestrian. After reading through a few articles, it's easy to see that there was even a bit of equestrian rivalry between Ms. Carey and Mr. William Sloane (I'm proud to say that it looks like Ms. Carey had the upper hand).

Interestingly, Kate Carey never married. In fact, one NYT article mentions how (aside from her brother) she had never even had a man on the leading seat of her four-in-hand. She and her mother were in the real estate business together and the two earned their fortune that way.

I assume it was because of her love and devotion to her mother (and perhaps a bit of a feminist streak) that she helped establish the Old Ladies' Home in Lenox and the Berkshire County Home for Aged Women in Pittsfield. During her lifetime, Ms. Carey donated $500,000 to the Berkshire County Home for Aged Women. Adjusted for inflation, that's over 10 million dollars! Talk about philanthropy! Amazingly, the Berkshire County Home for Aged Women is still in operation today and is one of the longest-running nursing homes in American history.

As a nerdy history buff (who considered careers in dramaturge and history education), I absolutely love how saturated this house is with history. The next step in my nerdy quest for information is to visit the Lenox Public Library where I hope to find something incredible like a record of Ms. Carey's building permits (were they needed back then?), or maybe even some newspaper clippings from the time. So, [unless you're terribly bored by this sort of thing] stick around for updates!

With Love,
~Brande N.

Lessons Learned

2009-04-15T14:55:00.003-04:00

1) When visiting a new city (especially a large one) get to know the different "neighborhoods" and their reputations. Heaven knows you don't want to be lost in The Tenderloin after dark.

1a) On that note, when you find a street that has a good reputation: walk it! Some of the cutest shops and best dining don't come up on any Google search.

2) If you are renting a car, be sure to coincide the drop-off time with the time of your flight. Dan and I overlooked this fact and had over 5 hours between drop off and take off. Because we didn't want to spend most of our last day at the airport, we ended up paying an unspeakable cost for two cabs to take us back into San Fran after we dropped off the car and then to the airport later on.

3) When using a cellular navigation program like VZ Navigator (which I highly recommend) be sure to take it off "Pedestrian" mode when you begin driving again. Pedestrian mode does not honor one way roads which San Francisco has A LOT of.

4) Don't feed a pigeon just to see it up close.* In reality there is no such thing as "a pigeon" and once you feed "a pigeon" you will be swarmed by dozens of his buddies that were hiding on a nearby statue, waiting for a careless country girl to toss a piece of bread. Because pigeons know there is no such thing as "a piece" of bread.

5) Never pass up a bakery. Even if it's on the wrong side of the road. While on vacation, an indefinite number of cupcakes, cookies, and miscellaneous pastries are permitted. Did you know that calories become irrelevant once you cross times zones?

Other than these few minor mishaps, our trip was great! We had loads of fun, ate far too many cupcakes, and made some great memories. But I must say, its good to be back at the Inn and back to my blog. Pictures and more Berkshire-related posts coming soon!

With Love,
~Brande N.

*I know this one might be dead obvious to some of you, but I grew up in the country. Pigeons are still a novelty to me. Well, they were until we got attacked by a dozen hungry ones in Union Square.

Note Self: Flowers in Hair

2009-04-06T00:12:00.000-04:00

We're off to San Francisco! How exciting!

Our flight leaves at about 5am, but we have to get there early because we're first-time fliers (eek!) which means we'll arrive at about 3am. BUT to get all the way to Albany in time we have to leave Lenox at about 2am. To remedy this freakishly bizarre schedule, Dan and I slept most of the day Sunday and woke up around 9 or 10pm to finish packing.

I'm anticipating some serious jet lag.

Unfortunately, I'll only have sporadic internet access while I'm out there so I won't be posting again until Tuesday the 14th.

Thanks for sticking around while I'm gone, I'll be back soon!

With Love,
~Brande N.

Discovery!

2009-04-03T12:56:00.008-04:00

Have you ever had a photo that is years and years old? Maybe it hangs on the wall or is in a frame on your desk. You look at it almost everyday and after a time you almost don't see it anymore, it just fades into the background.

That's kind of how I feel about our website. I've used it so much that I practically have most of it memorized. There have been times when Dan and I have been out to lunch and a guest will call (we forward the calls to our cell) and without having a computer in front of me I'm able to navigate them to almost any page.

Going back to the photo analogy: Have you ever one day glanced at one of those photos and suddenly noticed something you had never seen before? An untied shoelace, a lizard on a tree, a hilariously posed person in the background? Sometimes finding that new something reminds you of a moment you had forgotten. Maybe your shoelaces were untied because you had just tripped in the middle of Times Square (so much for repressing that memory!).

Well, today I found something new and nifty and useful on our website. It takes a few clicks to get to, but check this out:

(Location, Click to Enlarge)

How neat is that! If you're planning in coming to visit us, this is a great way to determine what attractions, events, and restaurants are within a reasonable driving distance. It's certainly faster than Mapquest!

Other than that today has been delightfully uneventful. I just though I'd share that little tidbit with the world. Now go look at your favorite photos and try to find something silly!

With Love,
~Brande N.

Flying Greener

2009-04-02T16:17:00.010-04:00

I've never flown before. Never ever. And I'll admit that our upcoming flight to San Francisco might terrify me a bit. Alright, I'm lying. It terrifies me a lot.

Because of my fear of flying I really wanted to take a train or drive or hang-glide or be transported by UFO to California. However, for entirely logical reasons (takes too long, don't know how to hang-glide, the aliens didn't return our phone calls) Dan shot down all of those ideas. So we booked the flight.

As soon as the confirmation arrived in our inbox I felt a stab of terror in my gut and a jab of guilt in my heart. Flying is not good for the environment. Oftentimes it's inevitable (as in this case) but shouldn't we still do something to offset our impact?

Yes! We found the following resources:

TerraPass

Carbonfund

Sustainable Travel International

All of these offer a small "quiz" of sorts that details either your personal or your business's carbon footprint [Carbon Footprint: a measure of the amount of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide is produced by a person, organization, or location at a given time].

Once you know your footprint, you pay a monetary "offset" that is donated to various green organizations and environmental projects that work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from other sources.

For example (via TerraPass):

(Click to enlarge)

You can see here that our flight emits almost 5,000lbs of CO2. Bleh.

That's equivalent to driving a 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid 10,000 miles. In other words, in the 12 or so hours we spend on a plane, we'll create as much atmosphere warming gas as a hybrid car might in a year.

The good news is that this is very easy to remedy. Just click the "skip to results" button and you'll see something like this:

For only $30 we can feel better about flying and know that our offset is going towards helpful projects like these.

It's that easy! And it's such an affordable thing that Dan and I are even considering adding the miles we put on our rental car to the tally.

For now, though, I'm off to do some more trip research. I just found out from my handy-dandy Time Out*** guide that parking is something of an art in San Francisco. I guess on-street parking is quite rare, so it looks like we'll be relying on parking garages on most days. I'd hate to be without one when we're running late for a show, so my next project is to plot them all on a map. Believe it or not, I'm excited to do this. I am weird.

With Love,
~Brande N.

***Side Note: I am slowly but surely falling in love with my Time Out guide. Maps, events, attractions, prices, address, phone numbers, hours, and some very frank reviews make for fun an informative reading. I'd absolutely recommend it if you're looking for a great pocket-sized guide to any city!

So, about that new post...

2009-04-01T12:36:00.000-04:00

Dan and I have spent the last two days visiting family and friends back in NY (where we still are). I had every intention of blogging, I promise!

But here's a little mathemtical formula that explains why I haven't.

1) Dan x the square root of (zeal to get to NY as early as possible) plus Brande's [insomnia] = going to bed at 1:30am and waking up at 5:15am.

2) Brande finishing her packing at 5:20am x brain fog (+ fatigue) = this conversation with self:

"Hmm... should I bring my laptop?
Nah, it's really heavy.
But I might need it.
You won't need it.
Are you sure?
Yeah! Afterall, this trip is about spending time with family. If you bring that you'll just end up sitting at the kitchen table surfing the web and ignoring your family. You don't want to do that, do you?
No.
Exactly. Besides, it's really heavy."

So I left the laptop at home. Not a good decision. All of my photos and settings and bookmarks and everything useful for life is on it. Ugh! I even brought my camera with me thinking I might take a few pictures to share. Then I realized that I left the uploading cable at home. And it's been nothing but rainy and dreary since we got here.

So I hope you'll forgive me for neglecting you! I'll be back to posting very soon and I believe it's about time that I give you another edition of Traveler's Resources, no?

With (neglectful) Love,
~Brande N.

A Spring in My Step!

2009-03-29T15:22:00.003-04:00

Alright, I'll admit it. I am SICK of winter. I know, I know. I should be ashamed. I posted awhile back about how I could possibly even come to love snow, but truth be told I don't think I'll ever love it.

It's sort of like spinach. You detest it as a child and then as you grow older it becomes bearable. Maybe not likable, but should it find its way into your sandwich or soup it's not entirely unpleasant. And you eat it because it's good for you. Builds character. That's how I feel about winter. Unpleasant, but bearable and it builds character (just ask anyone from Arizona who has tried to drive in a snowstorm).

Spring on the otherhand... Oh sweet spring! I love the first chirping of the chickadees; the smell of soggy, muddy, rain-soaked earth; the way the sun makes it feel so warm even when it's only 50 degrees; the way the trees look when the buds very first come out; I love spring.

You can imagine my utter elation when I went outside yesterday (a beautiful, warm and sunny day) and found little pokes of green here and there, sticking out of the gray-brown soil.

The joy! I grabbed my camera and went utterly shutter-happy. I had over 30 photos that I wanted to share, but I knew I had to cut down. So here are a few of my absolute favorites:

Want to know the best part? It rained today! Which means that by Tuesday (another sunny day!) the buds will have become flowers, the sprouts will have become leaves, and even more green things will have popped up.

I'm so excited!

With Love,
~Brande N.

What VOCs?

2009-03-28T08:27:00.005-04:00

Approximately three weeks ago, this is what our Sherry Room looked like:

(Please forgive the terrible photography. The lighting was bad! I couldn't find the right angle! My batteries were almost dead! I hadn't slept in a month! ...Alright, I have no excuse.)

It's a little tough to see in this photograph, but the wallpaper had a very fine, pink floral print on it. (click to enlarge, if you please)

Here is the Sherry Room now:

(Yup, photography is still bad. Told you I didn't have an excuse.)

What a difference! The red is striking, vibrant, lively, and absolutely gorgeous. And you know what else?

That's right, it's totally VOC*** free. In fact, after the paint was applied I asked our painting crew how they liked it. You can't even imagine how excited I was when they said that not only did it go on well, but it dried quickly and it didn't make them loopy at all. Hooray!

The funniest and most memorable thing about this paint (in my opinion) was how instead of the room having that "paint" smell for days afterward, it only had the slightest scent of vinegar for about 24 hours. Vinegar! How odd is that?

So because the paint is good for the environment, worked well, looks great, and didn't stink up the Inn for a month, we'll be using No-VOC paints for all of our paint projects from now on. Hooray!

With Love,
~Brande N.

***As much as I hate to use Wikipedia as a source, in this case it's the best choice because it's the most concise and it's references are pretty reputable. Here are a few more useful links:

About VOCs and Indoor Air Quality - Via Treehugger

About Indoor Air Quality - Via the Environmental Protection Agency

Where to find affordable low or no VOC paint - Via Treehugger

Feel free to Google "Volatile Organic Compounds" if you want to know more.

On Loving Love

2009-03-25T10:11:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was spent in a flurry of romance. We hosted two small weddings here at the Inn, and while they were completely exhausting, they were also so much fun.

This is the table I mentioned that we [meaning myself and our excellent housekeeper, Za] decorated using only swirly silvery things and streamers. See the cute little white carnations? Nothing but streamers. No tape, no glue, just paper. Pretty neat, huh?

The wedding cake. This was for the larger of the two ceremonies (only 11 people, the other was just the bride and groom). They were kind enough to share a bit of this cake with Dan and I and it was so very, very good. Wedding cake has a reputation for being dense and flavorless. This was exactly the opposite--fluffy, moist, flavorful. I tried my hardest, but I couldn't stop eating it. I had two pieces. Forgive me, dieting gods, for I have sinned!

Romance! Possibly my favorite thing about being an innkeeper is that I get to be a part of weddings, engagements, elopements, anniversaries, Valentine's Day, and all of those other occasions that involve love. It makes my heart go all a-flutter...

These weddings rings are from the second couple (the elopement). I love how atypical and unique they are. Is that hematite? I'm not sure exactly, but whatever metal it is, it's lovely.

My favorite element of the second ceremony was that the bride performed a song at the end. What could be more romantic than singing for your sweetie? I wish I had been that brave at my wedding!

This weekend was, as I said: exhausting. More than that, though, it was fulfilling and fun. And you know, if you're thinking about doing something special for your beloved, don't hesitate to give us a call! I'd be more than happy--ecstatic even-- to help you plan!

I'm like cupid without the wings or arrows...

With Love,
~Brande N.

This is Why I Make the Pancakes

2009-03-23T13:19:00.005-04:00

I am not athletic. Or coordinated. I never have been. In fact, when I was 10 years old, my two-year old little brother could whoop my butt at Super Mario. That's how bad my hand-eye coordination is.

While many of my high-school friends were twirling and tossing banners in Winterguard, teaching the cast of the musical how to tap dance, or playing marimba in state-level band competitions I was reading Shakespeare, doing research papers, and performing in non-musical plays.

(Notice how these are activities that have minimal risk of tripping.)

In the grand scheme of things, I'm perfectly happy so long as I'm coordinated enough to pick up a book, turn a page and type a sentence. I might not be able to kick a soccer ball [without falling] but I can speak in Elizabethan dialect. And for me, that's far more fun that scoring a goal (yup, I'm weird).

On that note: When Dan and I started here it was sort of an accepted fact that I was going to be the cook. After all, I've always been the one to cook during our marriage and I've whipped up some pretty mean recipes, so it only makes sense, right?

It did, until I found out that this is how we make omelets:

If I had done that, the omelet would have landed about two-and-a-half feet to the left of the pan instead of inside it.

That's why he's the egg guy and I'm the pancake girl. We're a great team.

With Love,
~Brande N.

Something Old, Something New

2009-03-21T11:35:00.001-04:00

Wow! What a day it's been and it's only 11:30!

Already we've:

-Served a complete breakfast (and might I say that the maple granola recipe Dan and I whipped up is VERY good. I think I'll even post it sometime.)

-Done all the post breakfast clean-up.

-Set a dessert table for 12 (for which we had NO decorations and had to improvise--I'll post pictures tomorrow because it turned out absolutely lovely in spite of our being limited to streamers and silver spiral-twig-things.)

-Taken some candid pictures for the wedding

-And managed to fit eating my own breakfast in there somewhere, too!

There's still a lot left to do today, so I must, go, but I though I'd give the blog-reading world a taste of my day. I'll be back to regular posting soon, I promise.

Have a good one, all!
~Brande N.

PS:How do you like the new layout? I'm still adding a few more things, so keep your eyes open over the next few days!

Please Excuse the Interruption...

2009-03-19T12:39:00.000-04:00

Recently I've noticed that the template for this here blog is pretty stinkin' common. In an effort to remedy this situation, I'll be spending the next few days manipulating the images, layout, code, and content to hopefully inject a bit more personality.
So if you come back and everything is upside down, black and white, gaudy, green and written in Greek-- do not fret! 'Tis only temporary, and I'll be back very soon with a spiffy (or at least spiffier) new layout to show off.

Until then, have a great weekend!

With Love,
~Brande N.

Esselon Coffee

2009-03-17T08:10:00.000-04:00

After three months of searching and researching and brewing and tasting and testing and stressing we have finally made a decision on coffee. WHEW!

Readers, meet Esselon Cafe. In addition to their homemade hot chocolate, exceptional sandwiches, delicious salads (one of the best house dressings I've ever had), and crazy good desserts, they serve and sell incredible house-roasted coffees. Richard, the owner, is a man with a deep passion for coffee and all of the intricacies of growing, buying, and roasting. In fact, Richard only buys from small (4 hectares or less) family farms and co-ops, and roasts all of his coffees to order.

Before we settled on Esselon, I did some intensive research and practically questioned poor Richard to death. I was so happy when he had all the right answers! The coffee is purchased either directly from the farms or through a community co-op for a price that is at least at but usually above the standard for fair-trade pricing. All of his coffees are locally roasted in the cafe, which is in Hadley, MA--about an hour away. This means less fuel gets used transporting it from roastery to us and therefore this coffee has a pretty itty-bitty carbon footprint.

And did I mention that it's delicious? Really, really delicious. One of my New Years Resolutions is to drink more tea, but it's definitely harder with this coffee hanging around! By summer we hope to have 1-pound bags available in our gift shop as well. I'm a huge fan of edible souvenirs (Dan and I will be grabbing some California Almond Blossom Honey while we're in San Francisco, mmm!) so I thought that would be a good way for our guests to take home a taste of the Inn. Hooray for edible memories!

With Love,
~Brande N.

How to Avoid Travel-Planning Induced Headaches

2009-03-14T15:24:00.000-04:00

Last night, while planning more of our trip to San Francisco, I realized that I have not properly prepared you, readers. I've told you about several resources that I swear by, love, and adore. Yet I haven't told you about those that I hate. Abhor even. I've even got one resource that I have a long-standing love-hate relationship with. It's complicated.

So here is a list of resources that I DO NOT recommend. They are headache inducing liars that will build up your hopes and let you down. Or just get you lost on a major highway. More on that in a bit.

1) Yellow/White Pages online
A year or so ago, Dan and I were thinking about visiting the Florida Keys. I started doing research and realized that looking in the phone book for restaurants was a genius idea--why didn't I think of it sooner! I found one restaurant I had never heard of called Buca Di Beppo. Great menu with interesting Italian food, funky/fun atmosphere. Sounded great! So I wrote it down, excited. I later discovered that the Yellow/White Pages have "Sponsored Listings" that come up no matter what city you look up. Even if there isn't one of those restaurants anywhere near your destination. The nearest Buca was actually in Mississippi. Additionally, they don't update their listings to reflect that businesses are closed. In other words, no good.

2) Menuism.com, Allmenus.com
Often out-of-date, inaccurate, and incomplete. If the place you're interested in doesn't have a website, give them a call! This is also a great way to get an idea of the quality of service you'll get at that establishment.

3) CitySearch.com
I've given myself one too many headaches trying to navigate this website. My biggest gripe is that it is so poorly organized. For example:
Pittsfield Clothing Stores - Via Citysearch.com
Notice that an automotive shop in Pittsfield is located next to an independant clothing store in Lenox which is next to a tuxedo shop in Lee. The unfortunate part is that I am aware of this because I know the area. If I was from San Diego or Des Moines I'd be absolutely lost and confused. I'd also like to note that the "Sponsored Lisiting" is coming up under the "Clothing" category, even though it's an auto parts store!

4) Websites with Outdated © Dates
Like this one:
Museums in the Berkshires
If you scroll to the bottom, you'll see that the © is from 2000-2005. Four years is a long time if we're talking small businesses, especially in difficult economic times. Granted, a museum is something that you can usually count on to still be there. But it's good to notice this because it means that the website is not being maintained and, once again, the info might be outdated and/or inaccurate.

5) Google Maps
This is my love/hate relationship. I love you Google Maps. I hate you! I love you. I hate you!
But I've noticed I only hate it when I don't do all the work.
Like on Wednesday night. See, Dan and I went to Albany. We were shopping at Colonie Center and right around dinner time I decided that I would settle for nothing but Ruby Tuesday's.
(Which, FYI, is a secret obsession of mine. I could sing the praises of Ruby Tuesday's all day. I have no idea why I love it so much. I just do. Don't judge me...)
Anyway! The problem was that we were at the wrong mall. We had to drive 3.5 miles away to Crossgates Mall to get there. So I got out my cellphone, and Goog-411'ed the address. It looked super easy; basically just a left out of the mall, hop on Route 5, and then take the exit for the mall a half mile up.
The problem? Route 5 runs east and west. And Google didn't specify which way to go. I tried really hard to visialize the mall in my mind and told Dan to go west. Wrong. We completely missed our exit and literally watched Crossgates Mall pass us as we drove along I-87, heading away from Albany, now 20 miles from the nearest turnaround point, and over 40 miles from home. Ugh! We ended up just going home (we were headed that way anyway, right?) and instead of having a delicious Strawberry Iced-Tea and a Killer Fish Burger for dinner I had leftover pizza.
The lesson? Look at the map!! Have it sent to your phone!! Print it!! Use GPS!! Google is a great resource, but at the end of the day it's still just software and not the all-knowing mythical being that I wish it was.

I hope this helps you out or at least saves you a few headaches. And if you've got any bad resources/horror stories to share, please do! Heaven knows that I love a good horror story!

With Love,
~Brande n.

Innkeeperitis - UPDATED

2009-03-12T17:25:00.000-04:00

Over the last few months, as I've progressed through Innkeeping 101, I've learned a lot. Most recently, I had the realization that there are a few things Innkeepers do that I believe very few other people do. At least not normal people.

Examples? Innkeepers find their pockets stuffed with miscellaneous this-and-that at the end of the day. Lint pulled off curtains, a loose thread from a pillowcase, a twig fragment and tiny pebble kicked in from outside. All of it in my pocket. Right now. As we speak.

Why, you ask? Because when we're doing room inspections and there is a lovely, perfectly empty trashcan with a clean liner in it, you better believe I'm not soiling it. I will put a squashed crust of raisin bread in my pocket before I soil a clean wastebasket. And I have.

Worst of all, [with no prior diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or any military training] We demand that all things be at a 90 degree angle. The tissue box in relation to the soap dish in relation to the sink in relation to the edge of the counter; all 90 degrees. It's terrible. I find myself straightening Sherry bottles when giving tours. I tell guests that I have "Innkeeper Syndrome".

Yes, it does!

It also bothers me that the pencils are sharpened to different lengths. And the pens are kicked ever so lightly to the right. Ahh!

I really do have Innkeeper Syndrome, don't I?

With [crazy] Love,
~Brande N.

UPDATE:
Today I found myself on my hands and knees, a sparkly pink hair comb in hand, combing the tassels on our rugs into neat, perfectly straight lines. I am officially insane...

Maple-y Breakfast Goodies

2009-03-10T12:54:00.000-04:00

Dan and I spent the last few days brainstorming breakfast ideas for Maple Syrup Weekend. We came up with (and taste tested--yum!) the following recipes:

On our Buffet:
-Homemade Maple-Walnut Granola with Dried Apple and Nutmeg
-Maple Pecan Cream Cheese

To Order:
-Buttermilk Pancake with Almonds and Vanilla-Orange Maple Syrup
-Maple-Sweetened Organic Yogurt Parfait with Fresh Apple and Granola (in a wine glass)

In our Guest Pantry:
-Hot Mulled Apple Cider with a touch of Maple

And we will, of course, be serving our full breakfast menu as well. If maple syrup isn't your thing, fear not! We've got plenty of other delicious entrees for you.

There are also some neat events going on in The Berkshires that weekend.

-The Clark Museum in Williamstown, MA will be hosting a space-themed dance party, complete with professional hula-hooping lessons.

-The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield is hosting a multi-instrumental Celtic music and dance show.

-The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington will be showing the Met Opera's Madame Butterfly in HD.

-And none other than The Harlem Globetrotters will be at the Boys' and Girls' Club in Pittsfield.

You know why I keep falling in love with The Berkshires? Because it's just so darn eclectic! Short of going to a big city, where else would I find all of this with a 40-minute drive? Especially in March!

I must say, this is a good place to be.

With Love,
~Brande N.

I Feel Your Pain, Little Guy...

2009-03-08T09:11:00.001-04:00

This is the mug Dan got me for Christmas. When I gave him my Chiristmas list, my demands were as follows:
-Must be handmade
-Prefferably from Etsy
-Must be unique or quirky in some way
-Must be able to hold at least 14oz of liquid
-Must have a lid

All things considered, Dan got me a pretty a awesome mug. But I do need a lid. You see, one of the very first things I learned about being an innkeeper is that you should never expect to have a hot meal or drink between 1pm and 7pm. At least not if you're me. I have the absolute worst luck. I'll make soup and a sandwich or pour a cup of coffee or even just microwave a burrito and invariably, the second I sit down to eat, I'll get a check-in, a walk-in, a complicated 20 minute phone call, or some other crisis. Cold coffee and a a soggy, room-temperature grilled cheese do not a good meal make. Bleh.

So I set out to find a lid. I contacted the potter that made my mug, and she said that it would cost $10 plus shipping to make it and she couldn't guarantee it would fit. Bleh. I contacted another potter to see if he had a better price. Nope. He blatantly refused to do it, stating that it was too difficult.

So I decided to look for a universal lid. Something that I could just throw over my mug to give the coffee another 10 or 15 minutes of life, even if it didn't fit perfectly or match the mug.

And I found it! This fantastic, affordable, quirky website had a silicone (which I believe is a biodegradable material, but am currently researching) lid that was made to fit all mug sizes, was air tight, and was only $4! Yay! After finding that, I decided I might as well grab something else to offset the $6 shipping. I found this great little travel size metal spoon/fork/chopstick set. What a great way to avoid plastic utensils when dining on the road! And it was only $6! What a deal!

I submitted the transaction and waited for my beautiful, ecological, awesome, earth-friendly goodies to come. And I waited. And waited. And waited. Two and a half weeks later, I started to worry that I had been scammed. So I went to the website and hit the FAQ.

Ugh. Turns out that my wonderfully inexpensive, quirky online store was in Hong Kong. And my "beautiful, ecological, awesome, earth-friendly goodies" were being flown to the United States via air mail. I may as well have just poked a hole in the ozone layer myself! Ahh!

A week later, my package arrived:
And of course, it was in a plastic bubble envelope and not a cardboard box. *Sigh*

But there was good news! First of all, the utensil set was/is amazing and has already gotten used several times. And the lid? Fits like a glove. Totally air-tight and keeps my coffee toasty. Best of all, it perfectly reflects the way I felt about this whole messy transaction:
(Yes, that's right, there is a tiny, angry little man on my lid. He's actually the handle. Awesome.)

With Love,
~Brande N.

Maple Syrup Weekend

2009-03-06T17:51:00.000-05:00

After growing up, moving out of my parents' house, and living in several different places, I've learned that there are a few things I took for granted growing up in a small, rural town in the northeast. Autumn is a good example. Living next to Lake Ontario, too. And cheap, easy, abundant Maple Syrup, is a big number three.

My uncle, who lived just a couple miles down the road from us, made maple syrup in his garage. Just for fun. And we got it for free. Gallons and gallons of sweet, buttery, delicious syrup. That's how plentiful it was growing up.

It wasn't until I got older that I realized the sweet stuff isn't so abundant or inexpensive in other parts of the world. I stumbled on this webpage recently and was flabbergasted by some of the numbers.

In the spirit of appreciating that which was once unappreciated, I'm going to make known the nifty new package we just finished putting on our website. It's called "Maple Syrup Weekend" and we're going to be doing all kinds of fun things to celebrate this delicious local resource. I'm really excited about that maple candy making demonstration. ...and free samples. I love free samples.

Dan and I are also working on a special breakfast menu for that weekend that highlights maple syrup. Of course there will be yummy buttermilk pancakes and waffles, but we want to get creative. Maybe I'll whip up come pumpkin spice cookies with maple cream cheese frosting for the guest pantry. Maybe some homemade maple granola? I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!

I'll be sure to post the menu when we get it all sorted out. Until then, I have an assignment for you:

-Go grab an eggo waffle (or homemade or all-natural equivalent) out of your freezer.

-And the maple syrup out of your fridge.

-Toast the eggo.

-Now grab a jar of peanut butter out of your pantry.

-Schmear a happy helping of it on your waffle.

-Drizzle (or drench) it with maple syrup. Yes, on top of the PB.

-Enjoy!

True story: When I was in third grade I stayed overnight at my best friend McKenzie's house and her mom made us these waffles for breakfast the next morning. I remember being equal parts appalled, confused, and stunned as I watched her and her brothers gleefully mar those beautiful waffles. After much persuasion I finally (reluctantly) gave them a try. And to this day, it's one of my favorite ways to top waffles.

With Love,
~Brande N.

Silly Goose

2009-03-05T18:47:00.004-05:00

Today, I witness something horrific. Tragic. Horrible.

You see, we have a guest coming to the Inn in a few weeks who is eloping (how romantic!). She emailed me asking about locations on site to have her small ceremony, and I instantly though of the balcony in her room, Room 14. I decided to send her an email with a few pictures of the different venues, so I grabbed my camera and started clicking.

After taking all of the pictures downstairs I climbed the staircase, entered Room 14, and immediately felt something was amiss. A steps further into the room, I discovered this:

Death by 60lb antique mirror. Oh, the humanity!

I feel as though I've lost a good friend. RIP.... um... Nameless Goose. You will be missed.

With Love (and silliness[...it's one of those weeks]),
~Brande N.

On Brain Fog

2009-03-03T17:30:00.000-05:00

Do you ever have one of those days when your brain goes on strike? Today is one of those days. Earlier I tried to write the number "7" and somehow I managed to write the letter "V". I tried to make a cup of tea and I threw the tea bag in the trash and dropped the paper wrapping in my cup. When ordering my food at Haven (I'm officially an addict) I got all the way up to the counter and completely forgot what I was going to order. Dan had to remind me.

Maybe it's the way the planets are aligned? Perhaps the way I slept? Maybe it's what I had for breakfast?

I'm not sure what it is exactly, but it has utterly zapped my blogger-juice. So today, in place of an refined, inspired, eloquent (Who am I kidding?), post, I will leave you with a very good Berkshire resource and a very bad joke.

First, the resource:

The Berkshire Visitor Bureau
Full of activities, itineraries, events, recommendations, and even nifty things like webisodes and photos. Very handy indeed.

And now for the joke:
Q.) What goes, "Haha! Bonk."?
A.) A man laughing his head off.

With Love,
~Brande N.

And What Do You Suggest?

2009-03-01T18:45:00.000-05:00

What is your favorite thing to do on vacation? Visit Museums? Eat Food? Hike? Golf? Watch Theatre? Go Antiquing?

Here is an incredibly simple, but oft overlooked Traveler's Resource:

1) Find one place in the city/town/area you'll be visiting that falls under the category of "Favorite Things to do on Vacation". For example, if you were coming to Lenox and you love museums, the Norman Rockwell Museum would be a perfect example.

2) Call that place.

3) Ask the attendant who answers the phone if he or she has a second. (Sometimes it's hard to guess when the busy hour is.)

4) If they do, explain to them that you are visiting the area on vacation.

5) Ask them what they personally would recommend.

Who knows the area better than a person who lives there? And who is more likely to have similar tastes to you than someone who has chosen to be employed by an attraction of your choosing?

The first time I did this I called a cafe and the barista I spoke with gave me six pages of answers. Six pages! From him we discovered everything from a local monument with a beautiful scenic overlook, to an independent film theatre with free popcorn, to a local Kombucha making facility where we got a free tour and free samples.

In this age of emails and text messages and Blackberrys and Google, it's easy to forget that people are a resource too. Unlike Google, people tell jokes, have opinions, stutter, laugh, and do all of those other endearing things that make people so much cooler than machines. Oh yeah, and the person might actually be there to say "Hi" when you arrive. Can you say the same for Google?

With Love,
~Brande N.

It'll Put Hair on Your Arms

2009-02-27T10:12:00.000-05:00

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

2009-02-25T12:28:00.000-05:00

(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

2009-02-23T13:08:00.000-05:00

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...

2009-02-21T03:00:00.000-05:00

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!

2009-02-19T09:31:00.000-05:00

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

2009-02-16T10:50:00.000-05:00

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

2009-02-14T17:25:00.000-05:00

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

2009-02-13T12:36:00.000-05:00

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

2009-02-10T11:17:00.001-05:00

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

2009-02-07T14:58:00.000-05:00

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!

2009-02-05T15:31:00.000-05:00

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

2009-02-03T15:22:00.000-05:00

[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

2009-02-01T14:41:00.000-05:00

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.

Regarding Large Pancakes and Bad Diners

2009-01-30T16:16:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Dan and I went out to breakfast. If we aren't cooking it ourselves or eating at Haven, we're every bit in love with Sylvester's in Northampton. Did you happen to click that link? You should, because no one can fully understand the glory that is Sylvester's without at least looking at their menu. Huevos rancheros, eggs benedict, ham-apple-chevre omelet, banana bread french toast, homemade corned beef hash... it's too much! And that's just breakfast. They do lunch, too!

But we eat at Sylvester's A LOT. And my greatest fear is eating there so much that we grow to hate it. How sad would that be? So Dan and I decided to go to a new place, about 20 minutes past Northampton, for breakfast. It offered locally sourced and organic ingredients, had an interesting menu (French meat pie, anyone?) and seemed quirky and fun.

It wasn't. Ugh! This place was in the middle of nowhere, we got lost, had to turn around twice, it was humid and musty in the dining room, and the food ended up being pretty much bad. What a disappointment.

I have always been an optimist, however. So out of the pile of burnt homefries, microwaved turkey sausage, and cold pancakes I found something precious. A blog topic. I give you:

The World's Most Atrociously Large Pancakes:

Now at first glance, they might not seem that big. But that's a butter knife on the left there. This pancake was at least one-and-a-half butter knives in diameter and almost an inch thick. And there were two of them. You can barely see the second one peeking out from the monstrosity on top of it.

When Dan ordered "two blueberry pancakes, please", the waitress asked him if he'd like one instead, "They're plate sized, you know".
"Nah, I'll take two." he says. Because he had been craving pancakes. Really craving them.
"Alright," says the waitress, "But I rarely see any man finish two."
And then, the eavesdropping gentleman across the room joins in and says, "That sounds like a challenge!"

What man can stand up to that kind of pressure? Dan couldn't. The sleeping gladiator in him awoke and attacked those pancakes with fire and zeal. He suffered and perservered but, after eating about two-thirds of he mess, he was beaten. And a little bloated and kind of drowsy.

That was breakfast. you know where we went to dinner? Roberto's. A sister restaurant to Sylvester's. And it was delicious.

The lesson of the day? Sometimes it's a good idea to just stick with what works!

With Love,
~Brande N.

On Slow Days...

2009-01-26T11:48:00.000-05:00

Have you ever taken the time to really look at a freshly zested citrus fruit? Sometimes it is really quite lovely. Other times it is the funniest looking thing.

Case in point:
(Image - You Can Count On Me via Flickr)
An incredibly beautiful zested lime. It makes me want Key Lime Pie. Mmmm. Key Lime Pie!

Versus:
(Image - Hyperbolation via Flickr)
Hilariously Naked Lemon. Remember those horrible dreams you had in High School where you would get on the bus naked? This lemon is living that dream. The only thing this makes me want is a sweater!

As Opposed To:
(Image - Jocelyn via Flickr)
Luscious Blood Orange. This photo has awakened in me memories of its incredible raspberry-citrus flavor. And after seeing the intense red color of its zest, I find myself deeply longing for a Blood Orange. (I am now making a note on next week's grocery list)

OR:
A sad, sad little orange that I zested to make biscotti. He looks so very naked. Like a sheep. A freshly sheared sheep.

Hmmm...I wonder if....

...And now you know what [some] innkeepers do on the slow days.

With Love,
~Brande N.

Because They Never Ask for Directions...

2009-01-24T13:06:00.000-05:00

During our last installment of Traveler's Resources I left you hanging with this:

"But it gets better.
If you're a traveler, presumably, you're unfamiliar with the Village of Lenox. So when you choose "Lenox Coffee" on "52 Main St" you probably don't know how to get there. Google comes to the rescue again!

..But you'll have to wait until my next installment of Traveler's Resources to find out how."

It was terribly unkind of me to leave you hanging like that. I mean, what if you had actually been in Lenox, reading my blog on your BlackBerry, desperate for coffee, and I just left you lost and decaffeinated? That makes me a bad person. And heaven knows I don't want to be a bad person, so here's the next installement of Traveler's Resources!

Google SMS (Text)
In my last post, I mentioned how GOOG 411 can send you a text message with the name, address, and phone number of the business you inquire about. Well, they can also give you directions to get there. So lets say you're in the parking lot of the Inn, ready to get to Lenox Coffee. 52 Main St reads like Japanese to you because, well, you're not from around here. But you do know that the Inn is located at 135 Main St.

This is what you do:
1) Create a new text message to 466453 (GOOGLE)
2) Enter the words "Directions 135 main st lenox ma to 52 main st lenox ma"
3) Press send

Done.

Google sends you a series of text messages giving you step by step directions on how to get there. I've used this for trips of hundreds of miles "Directions Syracuse, NY to Greenfield, MA" and it works just as for trips of a few blocks, like the one above.

The only critical elements here are the words "Directions" and "to". You can also use zip codes to get from city to city. And from what I'v heard, Google can actually send you a map of the directions if you have a web enabled phone. I don't unfortunately, but I'd love to hear how this works for one of you that tries it!

This service is also useful for finding movie times, local weather, definitions of words, even currency conversions and stock prices. Google has a great tutorial if you click here that details all of the awesome features of this texting service.

Next time, I'll tell you about my favorite resource for finding local events and happenings in the city you're visiting. Until then, happy travels!

With Love,
~Brande N.

These Anti-Fatigue Mats Make Me Tire-d

2009-01-22T15:12:00.000-05:00

On the left, you see our old kitchen mats. On the right is our new one. what's the difference, you ask? The new one is made from recycled tractor trailer tires. How cool is that?

The gentleman that runs the company makes these by hand, custom sized to his customers' specifications. By recycling these old tires, he diverts 15,000lbs of waste from entering the landfill. Wow!

And the best part? They're significantly less expensive than traditional kitchen mats. Another great example of how going green doesn't mean spending green. Sometimes you actually save some.

With Love,
~Brande N.

Kindness

2009-01-20T15:25:00.000-05:00

Today, at check-out, a guest gave Dan and I this gift "for taking good care" of them. You know what guest? THANK YOU for taking care of Dan and I! I don't think you could ever know how much such a small gesture means to us...

With Love,
~Brande N.

My Favorite French Toast

2009-01-18T13:53:00.000-05:00

THIS is my favorite new French Toast recipe. I wish I had a name for it. Right now it's just "Coconut and Walnut Crusted French Toast" and that's just not very exciting. And "Coconut Walnut" really doesn't even sound good, but this recipe is more than just good. Served with cream cheese, i might even go as far as to call it divine. Yet a name eludes me. Divine French Toast? Heavenly? Coco-Nut? Ugh! This is the French toast that needs not, and has not, a name.
But it does need a recipe, so here it is for you, my lovely readers. Enjoy!

Nameless French Toast
1/2 C raw walnuts, processed into a fine meal (use a food processor, blender, or just a good old fashioned sharp knife)
1/2 C shredded coconut
4 slices bread
2 eggs
Pinch of cinnamon
Splash of cream or half and half

Mix coconut and walnut on a plate, set aside. Whisk eggs, cinnamon, and cream until well combined. Dip bread in egg mixture, then coat each side in coconut and walnut mixture, pressing to adhere. Fry in skillet until golden on each side.

Serve with any number of toppings, but I found cream cheese and maple syrup to be my favorite.

And now, a few more pictures for your enjoyment:

With Love,
~Brande N.

PS: Have you seen our Valentine's Day package? It's now available on our Specials page, and I'm really excited about it. As a sonnet-reading, red rose loving, chocolate eating, die-hard romantic, I had so much fun putting this together. I hope you (and your sweetheart) like it!

Hilltop Orchards on MSNBC

2009-01-15T16:48:00.000-05:00

Last year, Hilltop Orchards was featured on an MSNBC segment about fall mini-vacations. Due to the lack of speakers on my computer, I hadn't had a chance to watch the video until just now. There's some really beautiful photography and it does a great job of detailing some of the activities available at the orchard. And while there are no apples to pick this time of year there is cross-country skiing and showshoeing with rentals available on site.

Check it out!

On a side note: The segment didn't mention it but Furnace Brook Winery is also a part of Hilltop Orchards and is located in the same building. A few of the wines are gold medal winners at the Big E Regional competition so it's certainly worth heading up there to check it out. (I personally recommend the Johnny Mash, delicious!) And if you're an inn guest the wine-tasting and skiing/snowshoeing is free!

What better way to kill winter ennui than with wine?

With Love,
~Brande N.

Forgive me Blog Readers...

2009-01-13T14:41:00.000-05:00

...for I have sinned. When I should have been updating last night, I confess: I was playing Donkey Kong.

I know, "For shame!" I should be tar and feathered, drawn and quartered, or worse, made to eat fresh gooseberries. But I believe I have a valuable gift that I want to give to you in exchange for your forgiveness.

You see, before becoming an innkeeper I fancied myself a pretty wise traveler. When Dan and I first vacationed to Massachusetts, we left NY with 6 pages of places to visit, food to eat, and events to attend. I had a page for each city, and each establishment was categorized and itemized to provide a name, description, address, phone number, and rating system. We were ready to attack anything those cities could throw at us!

Of course, I didn't come up with these lists telepathically. I had a bouquet of resources that I scoured for days in advance so that I could find easy to overlook events and local haunts. Very few places we hit were misses, and we experienced the true joy of a great vacation: five days feels like three months when you're having a great time.

And so, to make recompense for my sins against you I've decided to start a series of my favorite traveler's resources. Today's lesson is a quick one so that I'm not confining you to your chair, forcing you to read my words for another day and a half (I'm full of wind today!). So, without further adieu:

Brande's Favorite Traveler's Resource #1:
-GOOG 411-

When I first got my cell phone I hated that it cost $1.25 to use 411. I mean really. It's an automated service. Is such a steep charge really necessary?? Then one day, I discovered this incredibly useful marvel of Google engineering. Let's say you're in Lenox, Ma and you're dying for a good cup of coffee.

Here's what you do:
-Dial 1-800-466-4411 (1-800-GOOG-411).
-An automated voice will ask you for the business** and city and state that you're inquiring about. Say "coffee, Lenox Massachusetts"
-The voice will speak back to you what it heard (which is occasionally something hilarious like, "hair cut, Hartford, Connecticut". If it's wrong say, "Go back" and this time say just the City and State.
(Personal Tip: I usually just say the City and State at the beginning and it tends to work better that way. If you do this, you'll be prompted to say the business afterwards.)

After this point, GOOG 411 is so easy that I will make it seem terribly complicated if I further explain. In short, just follow the prompts to either be connected to your destination. Or you can say the number of the listing (i.e. "Number 1") and then say "text message" to automatically receive a test message with the name, phone, number, and address of the business.

And it's FREE! How great is that?

But it gets better.
If you're a traveler, presumably, you're unfamiliar with the Village of Lenox. So when you choose "Lenox Coffee" on "52 Main St" you probably don't know how to get there. Google comes to the rescue again!

..But you'll have to wait until my next installment of Traveler's Resources to find out how.

Until then have fun GOOG-ing!
~Brande N.

**If you know the name of the specific business you're looking for, you can say that instead of a category. For example, saying "Fin Sushi, Lenox Massachusetts" is just as effective if not more effective than "Sushi, Lenox Massachusetts" Also, if you'd like to watch a handy-dandy video of how to operate GOOG 411, click here.

Eco Update!

2009-01-09T17:10:00.000-05:00

It's time to announce yet another easy green change for us here at the Inn.

What do you notice about this picture that is AWESOME?

That's right, almost every tea is Organic and/or Fair Trade Certified! It's a little bit more of an investment to offer these options, but we believe that they're completely worth it due to the wealth of ecological and social benefits that come with growing organically and trading fairly.

And I wish I had more to expound on for this post, but I really don't! Change doesn't get much easier than this!

With Love,
~Brande N.

Goosberries

2009-01-07T13:05:00.000-05:00

Dan has always been much braver than me when it comes to trying new/strange/ethnic/uncommon foods. First to try sushi? Dan. Curry? Dan. Kombucha? Dan. Hemp anything? Dan. He's just not afraid of having his palette assaulted like I am.

Well, last night at the grocery store we saw a reasonably priced package of fresh Cape Gooseberries. Were they in season? I haven't the foggiest. But it was weird, it was inexpensive, and we were feeling adventurous. So we got it.

Back at home, Dan was of course the one anxious to open the package and tear into one of these odd little fruits. Tradition dictates that when ever we try a new food, Dan takes the first bite while I observe the odd and scrunchy faces he makes, which determines whether I will be following suit.

He peels open the husk revealing what looks like a tiny yellow tomato and pops the whole thing in his mouth, chewing slowly. A hilarious series of grimaces, twitches, and nose scrunching followed the first crunch noise. After chewing the whole thing (with more crunching noises) and successfully swallowing it, Dan looks at me and says: "It's like a raspberry that tastes like flower petals. And it's aftertaste is like cucumber and celery..."

Needless to say, I didn't follow suit.

With Love,
~Brande N.

New Years Eve Part II

2009-01-05T18:44:00.000-05:00

Thank you for tuning into our second installment of "New Year's Eve at The Garden Gables Inn"! Please turn off all cell phones, beepers, and baby monitors. Enjoy the show!

Oven Roasted Tomatoes and Asparagus. Yum!

Surf 'n' Turf anyone? Oh wait, Dan has brought to my attention that HE cut the lemon crown, and would like everyone to be aware of that. Way to go, honey! I'm proud of you. (Prior to innkeeping, Dan's cooking skills were limited to microwaves and protein bars, so this is a big step!)

A lovely piece of freshly seared Filet Mignon.

Grilled Salmon with Beurre Blanc and roasted potatoes.

This decanter has a great story behind it. There is this very nice couple that comes up every summer and stays with us for about a week. They decided to stay during our New Year's Package this year, and they brought some friends along as well. One of their friends had given this couple a bottle of 1963 Port 20 years prior and they had kept it. So they welcomed the new year by opening this 45 year old bottle and sharing it with friends. How neat is that?

This is only moments before the ball dropped, all of us flocked into the Guest Pantry to watch the ceremony. In the rush of congregating around the TV, trying to remain unobtrusive, and trying to still get pictures, I got this one which I find amusing because, yes, that is Dan's chin. The picture is even better if you click and see the full-sized version.

There are only seconds left in 2008!

And here are the first embraces of 2009! (and a kiss too, how sweet!)

And what better way to recover from a night of champagne, staying up late, and laughing until your stomach hurts than with a big, hearty breakfast? Oven roasted potatoes, anyone?

How about some steak and eggs with those potatoes? And maybe a mimosa, too?

And if steak and eggs isn't your thing, how about an omelet with a rainbow of fillings? And the best part: omelets aren't just for New Years, you can get them anytime!

With Love and Sudden Hunger,
~Brande N.

DISCLAIMER:
Brande N. and The Garden Gables Inn are not responsible for any broken New Year's resolutions including but not limited to: no more meat, no more red meat, no more junk food, dining out less, or losing weight. Thank you.

New Years Eve Part I

2009-01-03T21:09:00.000-05:00

So I've told you a little bit about our New Years Package, and you probably read about it on our website, but I'm sure you're just dying to actually see it, huh? Well lucky for you I took A LOT of pictures. Thursday's post was just an appetizer, this will be your first course, and I'll post the entree on Monday. So, without further adieu: the photos!

Tart Cherry and Pistachio Tea Cookies. I actually made some of these for John and his family for Christmas and he asked me to make them again for New Years. They're incredibly easy and look impressive. Definitely one of my favorite recipes. You want to know the best part? You can swap any fruit and nut combo for the cherries and pistachioes. I'm thinking about mango and macadamia for my next batch...

This picture is only mildly relevant to New Years. You see, when we decorated the tables, we had all of these leftover fresh flowers that were jut going to get thrown out. And these roses were so pretty that I just couldn't stand to see them go into the wastebasket. So I cut the stems short, added a few pieces of stray greenery, and threw them in a crystal wineglass. In no way am I a florist, but I think this turned out pretty nice.

A picture of one of our tables once it was all decorated. Kelly, our head waitstaffer, designed and decorated each table herself and did an excellent job. Thanks, Kelly!

A bit of our decor in the dining room.

Champagne glasses, poised and ready for the midnight toast!

A fully set, fully decorated table. Seriously Kelly, you rock!

This is Dan chopping some fresh parsley for garnish. Aren't fresh herbs lovely?

One of our two Salad options for the big dinner: Caprese. This picture was taken before it was drizzled with EVOO (can you tell I watch 30-Minute Meals?), but I think its deliciousness is still quite evident.

Our second Salad option. Organic Field Greens with Apple, Toasted Walnut, Bleu Cheese, and Cider Vinegrette. (Meals like this make it abundantly obvious that John owns an apple orchard.)

Does this look familiar? It's one of the Mole Hollow Candles I wrote about! They burned really well and looked great. Three cheers for an easy positive impact!

My favorite photo of the night. The way the light hit the table was eerie, mysterious, intruguing and beautiful. And yet it's just a plate. One of the any reasons why I do so love photography.

More to come on Monday! And many of those are more food, ooooh!

Until then, best wishes!
~Brande N.

Using the Green Light

2009-01-01T19:07:00.000-05:00

Bye bye 2008! It was nice knowing you!

I'm so glad Dan and I got to usher 2009 in with our New Year's Eve package. We met so many wonderful, interesting, fun, lovely people; ate more good food than should be legally allowed; listened to beautiful music by Alexandra and her husband, Tsuyoshi: and generally had a great time. With the exception of the whole sleep deprivation aspect, I can't wait to do it again next year!

And I get really excited when I think about how green next year could potentially be! Imagine a locally farmed, grass-fed filet mignon. Mmmmm!

I think we did pretty well this year, ecologically speaking, especially considering the time restraints. We used primarily paper favors (i.e. hats, noisemakers, decorations), served locally produced wine and coffee, and organic teas. Plus our salad greens were organic! All in all, not too bad.

But my favorite green change for New Years was a small one.

This:

Mole Hollow Candles.

Locally produced and hand-dipped in Shelburne Falls, Ma. Dan and I discovered this company (and their beautiful gift shop) when we were vacationing in Massachusetts a few months ago. When we decided to use a greener candle for our table décor, we knew Mole Hollow was the best choice.

This is what we were using last year:

There are a few less-than ideal things about these candles.

Firstly, that they are produced in Vietnam. That's almost 8,000 miles away. According to one source, that's up to 160,000 pounds of jet fuel to transport them to the USA. I don't even want to know how much atmospheric CO2 that generates. But I do know that the distance between Shelburne Falls and the Whole Foods these were purchased at is 28 miles. And even in a big ol’ transport van that might get 10mpg, that's still not even 3 gallons of gasoline. WOW! Talk about an easy and effective change!

Additionally, these candles are scented. Anything that is fragranced synthetically could be hiding phthalates, and I think it's best to stay far, far away from them.

Plus, these candles are packaged in plastic. Sadly, as useful and versatile as plastic is, it is completely non-biodegradable and is home to any number of scary and potentially hazardous chemicals. For everything you'd ever want to know about plastic, check out one of my favorite blogs, Fake Plastic Fish.

And lastly, these candles came from Target. Much to Dan's dismay, I am a BIG Target fan. Bright colors, an abundance of accessories, shoes, trendy clothes, music, food, and kitchen supplies all in one place? Heaven! But when given the chance, I always feel better if I try to put my dollars in the pocket of a person rather than a faceless, nameless corporation. And knowing that our purchasing these candles helps the nice folks at Mole Hollow make a living feels really good.

Well, I know I pretty much just snowpiled you with links to this and that, and quite frankly, I am pooped! So I’m off to bed! I wish you all the best of luck in the New Year and may all of your resolutions involve more chocolate!

With Love,
~Brande N.

Apologies!

2008-12-29T21:38:00.000-05:00

Dan and I got back from New York on Sunday afternoon and before I even took off my coat, it was back to work! There's been a flurry of decorating, prepping, planning, calling, and brainstorming for our big New Year's Eve Package and I'm having trouble finding time to drop a line here on the blog. So rather than give you a half-dazed late night groggy post or a rushed, gotta-get-done-because-the-cookies-are-baking-and-if-they-bake-any-longer-than-6-and-a-half-minutes-they-turn-into-frisbees post, I decided to take a little break until Thursday, and leave you with the following thoughts:

---A person checks into a hotel for the first time in his life, and goes up to his room. Five minutes later he calls the desk and say, "You've given me a room with no exit. How do I leave?"

The desk clerk says, "Sir, that's absurd. Have you looked for the door?"

The person says, " Well, there's one door that leads to the bathroom. There's a second door that goes into the closet. And there's a door I haven't tried, but it has a 'do not disturb' sign on it."---

Until Thursday, Have a great New Years everyone!

With Love,
~Brande N.

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-21T18:02:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone!
The Inn will be closed for the holidays this week, and Dan and I are headed back to NY to visit with family. I'll be back and blogging on the 28th, hopefully with some fun new stories to share. Happy holidays, travel safely, and make some memories!

With Love,
~Brande N.

Biscotti Ponderings

2008-12-19T23:48:00.000-05:00

I love biscotti. Love them. Mmmm, Biscotti. And the next best thing to eating biscotti is making them. Biscotti are nearly fool-proof and unbelievably versatile. Cranberry-Pistachio? Delicious. Peanut Butter Cup? Amazing. Apricot-Almond. yum! I'm sure even something as crazy as Maple-Bacon could be great. It's so much fun to sit and stare blankly off into space pondering on what would be the next great biscotti. Some ideas I have pondered on include:

-Spiced Pumpkin with Nutmeg Cream Cheese Glaze

-Vanilla Chai Spice with Crystallized Ginger

-Peanut Butter and Jelly (PB biscotti with Jelly Filling inside)

-Carrot Cake

-Dark Chocolate with White Chocolate Mint Center

-Raspberry-Lemon Swirl

-Apple-Walnut with Cinnamon-Caramel Glaze

-Just Honey

-Chocolate Dipped Sweet Cherry

-Maple-Fig

-S'more-style (Chocolate with Fluff filling and Crushed Graham Crackers on top)

-Gingerbread Dipped in Ginger-White Chocolate Ganache

And it just so happens that tomorrow is a big baking day for me. I'm making 5 different kinds of cookies to give to friends and family for the Holidays. I've decided on 4 varieties of cookies which thus far include: Cinnamon Bun Sugar Cookies, Chocolate Turtle Shortbreads, Raspberry-Lemon Cutout Sandwiches, and Tart Cherry Pistachio Tea Cookies. But I have not yet decided on a biscotti.

Any suggestions, oh lovely readers of mine?

(...Drat! All this talk of cookies has made me hungry now!)

The Garden Gables Inn Presents:

2008-12-17T22:54:00.001-05:00

A Compliment of the Highest Regard

A True Story, Adapted for the Stage:

Cast:

-WAITRESS

-YOUNG MAN

-YOUNG WOMAN

-HUSBAND

The Scene:

A cozy New England Bed & Breakfast. Early morning. A nice young couple sits at one table, sipping coffee and nibbling at goodies from the buffet. Their WAITRESS approaches, order pad in hand.

WAITRESS: Good morning! Would you folks like a few more minutes or are you all set to order?

YOUNG MAN: I think we’re ready.

WAITRESS: (names off litany of breakfast options, which includes waffles, eggs cooked any way, omelettes, blueberry or chocolate chip pancakes, and apple strudel french toast)

YOUNG MAN: (with awe) Can I have one of everything? (laughs)

YOUNG WOMAN: (in a motherly, gently reprimanding voice) No, Honey. We’ll each get one thing and split it, okay?

YOUNG MAN: Alright... Well I want the Apple Strudel French Toast then.

YOUNG WOMAN: I’ll have an omelette with goat cheese and tomato.

WAITRESS: Sounds great! I’ll have that out for you in a few.

(A few minutes pass while the WAITRESS and her HUSBAND cook their order. She returns with French Toast that looks a lot like this:

..and an omlette that looks a lot like this:

...and presents it to the COUPLE.) (The YOUNG MAN stares at the plate of French Toast in front of him, nearly mesmerized. The WAITRESS is amused.)

WAITRESS: Can I get you guys anything else?

YOUNG MAN: (in an entranced voice, still staring at his plate) No... absolutely nothing.

Eco Update #2

2008-12-15T20:21:00.000-05:00

Alright, I want to prepare you for this. We at the Garden Gables Inn have made a revolutionary and unprecedented ecological decision. It took a lot of hard work and dedication to make this happen. Months of planning, debating, conference calling, consulting, and editing have finally come to fruition. Are you ready?

We started recycling.

Boring, I know. I’m sorry! Big, awesome, exciting things will come, I promise. But how else was I supposed to get excited about recycling? Its... recycling. But it’s something that we weren’t doing, was easy to incorporate, and has a big impact. I didn’t even know how big until I started this post. How big you say? I’m so glad you asked...

-Recycling aluminum saves 95% of the energy used to make the material from scratch. Energy savings from recycling aluminum in 1993 alone were enough to light a city the size of Pittsburgh for six years.

-Recycling 1 ton of paper saves 17 mature trees, 7,000 gallons of water, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 2 barrels of oil, and 4,100 kilowatt-hours of electricity — enough energy to power the average American home for five months.

-Glass never wears out -- it can be recycled forever. We save over a ton of resources for every ton of glass recycled: 1,330 pounds of sand, 433 pounds of soda ash, 433 pounds of limestone, and 151 pounds of feldspar.

-26 recycled PET bottles equals a polyester suit. 5 recycled PET bottles make enough fiberfill to stuff a ski jacket.

-If every American household recycled just one out of every ten HDPE bottles they used, we’d keep 200 million pounds of the plastic out of landfills every year.

Holy carrots!

I know that when I’m at home and I open up a can of soup, it sometimes seems like way too much work to rinse it out and walk it over to the recycling bin. But statistics like this help me realize that every little bit actually means something.

So even though recycling seems like a silly, insignificant, and common change to make, it’s worth posting about. Because it really isn’t silly or insignificant. And if it seems common, that’s great! I’m all for good things being common.

With Love,
~Brande N.

My feet must be tasty...

2008-12-13T12:18:00.000-05:00

...because I seem to stick them in my mouth A LOT. Remember our previous conversation about all the mistakes I'll inevitably make while I learn the nuts and bolts of innkeeping? Well this morning was a perfect example of that.

This is the story:
A very nice couple ordered their meal, Dan and I made it, and then I brought it out to them. Whenever I bring out an order, I always check to see if the guests need anything else: syrup for their pancakes, butter for the toast, tabasco for the eggs, etc.. Speaking of tabasco on eggs, that is one thing I have just never seen the appeal of. It's just weird to me! But then again, I love beets and tuna fish with green olives and maple syrup in milk, so I guess I don't have much room to critique the preferences of others.

Anyway, the order in question was 2 eggs over easy with goat cheese and fresh tomato and basil on the side. In my head I thought, "Okay, they've got eggs, so they don't need syrup, and they've already got the side of goat cheese, tomato and basil, so they’re probably alright. But I might as well check, just to be sure.”

Me: “Could I get you guys anything else? More coffee? Ketchup or hot sauce for your eggs or anything weird like that?”

Guest: “Uh, yeah, hot sauce would be great.”

...and I just called it weird. Ugh! Boy my foot is tasty!

Snow, Finally!

2008-12-10T17:51:00.000-05:00

I'll admit it, I was a little bit happy when it started snowing on Sunday. All this week, as Dan and I were decorating the tree and hanging wreaths and putting little candles in the windows, I couldn't help but wish that there was some snow on the ground. Everything just feels so much more Christmasy when it's covered in that blanket of white, you know? Christmastime at night is the best. I love seeing all of the lights reflect on the snow and cast pretty multicolored shadows.

So when I started seeing those flakes float down, my first reaction was (of course) to grab my camera and see what it can do!

This was the first picture I took, nothing too special, just a view of our driveway and the snow as it was starting to coat things.

If you click the picture you can see a few of the snowflakes up close. So pretty!

You can see the little snowflakes even better in this one.

The last remnant of summer's greenery falls prey to winter's cold.

This is probably my favorite. It's a view looking down the branch of a little ornamental tree in our garden. You can see some of the little snowflakes in this one too, and I love the touch of green.

And while the above photo is my favorite, this lovely little set shows my least favorites. The photography lesson I learned that day was:

It doesn't matter how hard you try, what setting you put the camera on, or where you focus; it is darn near impossible to take a picture of a single snowflake on your coat sleeve without it melting first.

...not to mention the fact that I must have looked really silly standing on our porch taking about a thousand pictures of my sleeve. Who would have known that I was taking pictures of snowflakes? But the good news is it's only December 10th. There's plenty of wintertime left to get more pictures.

With Love,
~Brande N.

Our First Experience with the Smoke Detector

2008-12-08T22:25:00.000-05:00

Today I am standing in the kitchen, just about to pour out last night's coffee. Just as I tip the carafe this ear shattering screech rips through the silence of my Monday morning. "Oh my..." I think, "The fire alarm!"

I run over to the security panel, panicked, and try to see which sector the alarm was set off in. They're ALL blinking! AHHHH! Lights are flashing, sirens ringing, I'm trying to figure out why, if the panel says the alarm was set off in the sitting room, I'm not on fire.

And then. Silence. *sigh of relief*

I go back to the panel, and it now shows that the alarm was set off in Room 10, the bottom level of our Eladesor cottages. Za, our housekeeper, and I run to the cottage and intercept a very frazzled looking Dan on the way. I tell him where we're going and the three of us head off to see what happened.

We open the door to Room 10 and an impenetrable wall of smoke faces us. Thick, grey, odorless smoke rises and falls in waves. "Odorless? Is it carbon monoxide?"

Dan (being the silly, slightly foolish, and sometimes too-brave soldier that he is) decides he's going to go in an see where it's coming from. I, of course, am panicking and reminding him not to breathe while I wait for the fire engine to come screaming into our driveway.

And long, seemingly exciting story short. A pipe burst. It was steam. The plummer came. All is well.

It's funny, because when people ask if Dan and I own the Inn, I always jokingly tell them, "Nah, John owns it, we're just here to make sure it doesn't burn down." And boy am I glad that today wasn't the day Dan and I stood outside and watched this 228 year old Inn burn. Whew!

With love and RELIEF,
~Brande N.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

2008-12-06T18:01:00.000-05:00

We just finished a crazy round of mad-dash decorating here at the Inn. Halls were decked, wreaths were hung, trees assembled, candles lit, and, of course, pictures were taken. I hope these pictures kick start your holiday spirit like they did mine, enjoy!

Here's our "Red" tree in the Sitting Room. If you could just pretend you don't notice that the top of the tree isn't lit, I'd feel much better about my decorating skills...

My favorite ornament on this tree is this cute little "Letters to Santa" tube. It really opens too!

We also have this beautiful menorah on the piano in the Sitting Room.

The Sherry Room features this red-berry garland that I adore. I think they're supposed to be cranberries; which makes the cranberry-mandarin candles very appropriate.

And did you notice this guy next to the fireplace? We've designated him our "Keeper of the Sherry". It's a difficult position, but we think he's up to the task.

The Dining Room features our "Blue" tree, which (unsurprisingly) is decorated in shades of blue and silver. It's so frosty and delicate looking.

My favorite ornament on this tree is this beautiful blue bird. Did you ever notice that blue crayon in the box called "cerulean"? I never knew what that word was or how to pronounce it but it was always my favorite crayon. This bird is that same exact color. So pretty!

And the newest addition to the Garden Gables Family are these silly little penguins that we found in the basement. They have a little twisty thing on their backs that makes them waddle across the table. Too cute! We've designated them "The Keepers of the Desk". That too is a difficult position, and as much as I'd like to say they're up to the task, those googly little eyes are terribly unconvincing.

We'll be adding more Deco in the coming days, so I'll be sure to post more pictures. Perhaps I'll give you an update on the performance of our Guard Penguins too. :-P

With Love and Holiday Silliness,
~Brande N.

Eco Update Number One

2008-12-04T21:58:00.000-05:00

Going green is all about baby steps. Changing light bulbs, keeping your tires inflated, turning the heat down a degree or two, all that stuff. Oftentimes it feels like these things just plain don't matter, but every little bit helps! In fact, according to Carbonrally.com, merely keeping your tires properly inflated will save up to 29lbs of carbon in one month. How cool is that!

Therefore, in the interest of starting with small, maintainable changes here at the Inn, our first step was to replace our no-calorie sweetener. This change is great because not only will it positively affect human health, but it will also reduce the use of various industrial chemicals. You see, when things like Splenda and Equal are made, chemicals (of varying degrees of toxicity, and environmental impact) are utilized. By not purchasing the product that uses these chemicals, we're avoiding the use of them altogether. It's a win-win because we get to provide a delicious and more healthful alternative to you and we get to feel good about minimizing our ultimate environmental impact.

I've compiled a whole bunch of information on the various sweeteners available on the market. Hopefully this gives you an idea of why we decided to make the switch:

Saccarin – Sweet ‘n’ Low

-Definitely causes cancer in rats and mice.

-Has not conclusively been found to cause cancer in humans, but Center for Science in the Public Interest suggests erring on the side caution due to unknown risk level for fetuses and children.

-Also belongs to class of chemicals called sulfonamides which can cause allergic reactions in those allergic to sulfa drugs. The product is not mandated to carry an allergy warning on its label.

Aspartame – Nutra Sweet, Equal

-Definitively amplifies the effects of depression. One study was cut short due to the severity of Aspartame’s effects on depressed patients.

-Some people are susceptible to headaches as a result of aspartame consumption

-May be a mild carcinogen. Studies performed worldwide have found conflicting results, so no definitive answer is currently available.Center for Science in the Public Interest lists this as a food "to be avoided, not worth any risk"

Sucralose – Splenda

-Is the newest nonnutritive sweetener on the market, was only approved for common use in 1999. Therefore, no long-term human studies on its affect on humans have been done.

-“According to the book Sweet Deception, sucralose is made when sugar is treated with trityl chloride, acetic anhydride, hydrogen chlorine, thionyl chloride, and methanol in the presence of dimethylformamide, 4-methylmorpholine, toluene, methyl isobutyl ketone, acetic acid, benzyltriethlyammonium chloride, and sodium methoxide, making it unlike anything found in nature.” Uses and heath and environmental impacts of each of these chemicals can be found online, but some uses include: creation of nerve gases, creation of photo film, vinyl production, and automotive fuel. Trityl Chloride is listed as an environmentally hazardous material.

-Chlorine is present in sucralose. Ingestion of chlorine causes “corrosive tissue damage of the gastrointestinal tract.” It is thought that this may lead to various digestive cancers.

Acesulfame K – Food additive (common in chewing gum and candy)

-Contains methylene chloride (known human carcinogen)

-Long-term effect studies have not been conducted

On the other hand, here is some information on our new sweetener:

Erythritol – Z-Sweet

-60%-80% as sweet as table sugar

-Unlike other sugar alcohols (sorbitol, manitol, xylitol) erythritol is absorbed by the body, so it will not cause any of the gastrointestinal affects sugar alcohols are known for.

-Does not affect blood-sugar levels

-Produced by fermenting glucose with a specific strain of yeast.

-Erythritol cannot be digested by oral bacteria so it does not contribute to tooth decay.

I tried finding dangers, side effects, or long-term health concerns for Erythritol, but happily, nothing came up! This is why we’ve chosen to provide our guests with Z-sweet. It is naturally produced, has no side effects, tastes great, and is safe for diabetics, dieters, children, adults, and even those who just want to avoid tooth decay. If you've never tried Z-sweet before, I hope you'll give it a try the next time you're at the Inn. It's great in tea. I just finished my cup, in fact.

Safe Eating and Happy Greening Everyone!

~Brande N.

Primary sources:

http://www.medicinenet.com/artificial_sweeteners/article.htm (all pages)

http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm

http://www.health.state.ny.us/environmental/emergency/chemical_terrorism/chlorine_tech.htm

as well as various Google searches.

-When researching environmental topics I am always conscious to check my sources. I will never use a source that comes from the industry in question (i.e. using a statistic on the Exxon-Mobile website that talks about carbon emissions related to gasoline). If possible I try to use consumer advocacy groups such as the CSPI and EWG.

-I always ensure that I have several sources for anything that I post.

-I always start my research from an unbiased stance, then continue being first negatively biased and then positively. For example, when researching Saccharin I will search "Saccharin" first and take note of various statistics and studies. Then I will do a second and third search of "Saccharin hazards/side effects/dangers" and one of "Saccharin good/safe/conspiracy". This ensures that I am getting as much information as possible from each side. This also allows me to look for biases in research from both sides.

Ten Reasons Why I'm in Haven!

2008-12-01T18:13:00.000-05:00

When Dan and I first interviewed for the position of Inn Manager, we were completely unfamiliar with this area. We had driven from Oswego, NY to Pittsfield, MA a night early for that historic interview and had only made dinner plans for the night of our arrival. Checkout was at 10:00am at the little hotel we stayed at, but our interview wasn't until Noon. What were two completely clueless, unbelievably nervous, and very hungry interviewees supposed to do for two hours? The simple answer was eat. The difficult question was where.

So Dan and I headed south from Pittsfield to Lenox, searching for food. We parked on Church street and ambled about, seeking food. Church Street Cafe? Closed. Bistro Zinc? Closed. Firefly? Closed. Cafe Lucia? Closed. Alta? Closed. We had arrived at in Lenox at what I now know to be exactly the wrong time for finding food, which, for future reference, is 10:30am on a weekday. After walking to all of these places and finding not a single morsel we pessimistically turned a corner and spotted the sign for Haven Cafe & Bakery. And they were open.

"Cafe food?" I thought, "My Favorite!"

And let me tell you, to this day, two months and many restaurants after that first experience, Haven is still my favorite place in Lenox. Dan and I went there for lunch today and I decided to bring along the new camera and give you a peek into why I am nearly addicted to this beautiful, wonderful, delicious gem of a café.

Reason #1: They source locally. What was such a rarity for me in Oswego (local cuisine is impossible to find there) is much more common here in The Berkshires; but it will always earn any business buckets of brownie points in my book.

Reason #2: Their menu is simultaneously unique, well-done, simple, gourmet, and completely affordable. How is this possible!

Reason #3: Every last employee is delightful. We’ve had friendly, helpful, courteous service every time we’ve gone. (Figures 1 & 2 depict prime examples of employees with impeccable customer service)

Reason #4: The food NEVER disappoints. Just look at these sandwiches!

And do you see those perfect, luscious slices of pear on my Croque Monsieur?

And the sweet, caramelized onion on Dan’s Steak sandwich!

Not to mention these oven-roasted potatoes, which are TO DIE FOR.

Reason #5: Their 100% made in-house bakery items. They’re… I could just…. I wanna… It’s like they’re… You know what, I’ll just let the pictures do the talking, I can’t even find adequate adjectives for this kind of deliciosity.

Reason #6: This dessert.

It’s called a Cappuccino Cake. I call it Pure Chocolate Love with Cream Cheese Coffee Frosting that happens to be topped with a Chocolate Covered, Cocoa Dusted Hazelnut. If you want to make me very happy this Christmas, buy me one of these. I’m not even kidding. This dessert is rapidly becoming yet another addiction of mine.

Reason #7: Free samples of Cappuccino Cake!!!!!!!!!

Reason #8: Stevia and Z-Sweet (erythritol) on the tables and Agave Nectar and Honey on the coffee bar. Was this place made for me???

Reason #9: When they say that they care about the environment, they mean it. Even their shirts are 100% Organic Cotton!

Reason #10: With all of these reasons to love Haven, it actually affects your mood to be there. Dan and I get really happy and giddy. Sometimes a little silly too. Here’s a quote from today’s visit:

In a silly, batty old woman voice Dan says, “Now you see, with the second cup of tea, you gotta squeeze the bejeezus out of the teabag." He squeezes it. "See that? That’s the bejeezus coming out” (Moments like these are also one of the reasons that I love Dan so much, FYI)

And those, dear friends, are 10 reasons why I love Haven. I would (and do) recommend this place to any of our guests. Even if you’re not a guest, please go there! I promise you’ll love it!

And I was thinking, if you happen to go there… Tell them Brande from The Garden Gables sent you… and maybe I’ll get a free cappuccino cake…

It’s just a thought.

With Much Love,
~Brande N.

(PS: By popular demand, they just started serving dinner on Friday and Saturday nights as well! Yay!)