Easy as Pie

 Kirk and I do have a "real" home even though we are never there. It is in Parkdale Oregon - famous for it's apples. SO we are always trying to find ways to serve apples at Breakfast and here are two of our faves.....

This first one is Upside Down Apple Pie: always a hit with the guests. Because you are my favorite readers, I will give you the recipe and then you will wonder why I get paid to do this - It is SOOO easy.

First spray a pie plate and melt 2 TBL butter in it
Arrange apple slices and sprinkle with pecans
Pour 3 TBL maple syrup over the apples and
Sprinkle with cinnamon
Pour 2C pancake batter over apples
Bake at 350 for 40 min
Invert to serve and VOILA!

Now one of Kirk's specialties is his Apple Compote but he will not give out the recipe which just means that he doesn't have one and it comes out different every time he makes it. Hey, it's always delicious and that's all that matters!

So after he creates his secret compote, we put it on top of our Apple Baked Oatmeal. And since two of our recent guests: Veronica and Theresa asked for it..... here is that recipe-

Spray a 9/13 pan
Mix:
4C Oats, 1C Br Sugar, 4t Cinnamon, 4t B Powder, Salt
Add:
1C Melted Butter, 2C Cream, 4 Eggs, 4t Vanilla
       and a bunch of Craisins

Bake at 350 for 40 min

Now serve with Apple Compote [or maybe applesauce since I can not give you the compote recipe]!

 

  OK, Veronica and Theresa - there you have it.


 Now let me know your favorite Apple Recipe so I can try it!

Springtime in the Rockies

Well it's back to work for us - we are innsitting in Golden Colorado again and it is our favorite time of year here - SPRINGTIME!  So lovely!  One of our favorite things to do is go hiking in the Rockies.

There are so many beautiful trails near Golden that it is hard to choose but one of the most popular is Lair O' the Bear . Although it is usually pretty crowded, you can get away if you hike far enough up Bear Creek and into the hills above. The flowers are stunning in the springtime and it is hard to decide which is prettier. Kirk votes for "Indian paintbrush" but I like the old fashioned lilacs you can find around old homesteads. There are old homesteads scattered all through the Rockies and it always tugs at my heartstrings to think of the pioneer women who would try to make their cabin more beautiful with flowers.

Anyhow, after a hike it's nice to come "home" and look who waits for us in our garden.......AWWWWW

Pineapple Pot

  I bet you can guess what a "pineapple pot" is - yup, it's a pot made from a pineapple. In Thailand they use pineapple for EVERYTHING: they blend it for juice, the carve it for garnish, they shred it for salad, they chop it for rice, and then they hollow it out and use it as a serving dish! Here are some of my favorite things to eat out of a pineapple ...........

         

 

This dish is rice with crab, shrimp and of course, pineapple!

 

 

This is my personal favorite- chilled shrimp salad.

 

 

And Kirk's favorite - ICE CREAM - YUMMMM!

 

 

Well now that we are back and we are innkeepers again we sort of miss our pineapple fix. Of course we do serve it for breakfast but I wanted to try something more imaginative so I made pineapple/butterscotch cookies! Really better than they sound. Check out allrecipes.com for the recipe.

 

                                        

 

Try them and let me know what you think!

 

Bungalow & Breakfast

            OK, this is VACATION!!  When my hubby and I travel we always try to stay in B&Bs. I mean that is our life, right? But in Asia the B&Bs were often Bungalow and Breakfast. And SO charming - this one is in Thailand with a beautiful palm lined pool and stunning white sand/aqua water beach. I just love B&Bs!

 

 

Now this bungalow is in Bali and they brought breakfast every morning to our veranda surrounded by flowering trees. We were served fresh blended fruit juice, an elaborate fresh fruit plate and then my favorite: pineapple pancakes with fresh coconut. WOW! It's such a treat for us to have someone else do breakfast and we can just stay in our pjs.

 

 

 

This was my favorite little bungalow. The interior was all carved teak and at night they would draw the mosquito netting around the bed and sprinkle flower petals over the sheets. So Romantic! Also this B&B won best bathroom: totally outside in a private garden courtyard. But I can't show you that picture hummm....

 

                                

 

 

This bungalow on the remote Gili Islands won best veranda. It had a large sofa/bed surrounded by netting where we would recline to read or play games and a lovely teak table with a view of the beach where we would sit for breakfast and afternoon tea.

 

 

Well, now we are back to work but all rested and we have some new ideas for breakfasts.  It was a really great trip!

 

Have you ever stayed in a Bungalow?

 

 

 

Amazing Asia

 

OK, the reason I have been so lazy about blogging is that we have been on the road!! Not on the road for work, but for VACATION. Yes, even innsitters get vacations and this year we went to Asia and it was truly amazing. So much of it was exotic to us: the food, the people, the music, the weather, the scenery, the markets, the modes of transport... I could go on and on but one of the most exotic aspects of Asia was the architecture. From temples to palaces everything we saw was colorful and bizarre to our eyes - just AMAZING! So now that we are back in the USA everything looks just a little blahhhh to us.



 

 

                                       

 

 

So what about my favorite little monster, huh?

Why don't you comment and let me know what your favorite vacation spot in Asia is - we just loved BALI!

 

Road Trip

                                                      

OK, when I say "road trip" I do not mean a family vacation with five people crammed into a station wagon. I mean that feeling of freedom you got when you left home in your first car or the relaxed joy of bare feet up on the dash while sipping a bottle of warm coke and watching the world go by with the one you love beside you. That's a Road Trip! As professional innsitters,  Kirk and I take more road trips than most people - last year we logged over 20,000 miles - and we love it. But there are key tips to a successful Road Trip and I will share them with you.
 

                                                

First off - it is not about the destination, it is about the journey - DUH! Now of course there are times when we are in a hurry and have to stick to the freeways but as much as possible we pick the blue highways or smaller roads [as long as they are paved]. We have been to the Catfish Festival in Huntington Oregon where I got to hold a 40 pound catfish and we have been to the Mountain Home Rodeo where I got to sit next to Miss Rodeo Idaho. Now those are things you just stumble on to if you are off the main roads. Who knows what you will find.

The two key ingredients to a successful Road Trip are music and food. We have our IPOD filled with road trip play lists - mellow for early morning or late evening, rocking for mid afternoon when you need a pick-me-up and then current hits when you want variety.

As far as food goes, I have one word for you: PIC-NIC. Even in really cold weather we try to have at least one pic-nic each day. It gets you out of the car and you can enjoy the scenery of wherever you have found yourself. Doesn't have to be fancy but pack that cooler with cheese and crackers and enjoy the countryside.

Last but not least a Road Trip is about companionship and enjoyment.

Kirk and I have enjoyed road trips together for over 35 years and we have a tradition of kissing each other when we cross a state or country line. Some days going to our next job, that's THREE kisses in one day!

 

                              

 

So get out there, hop in your car, crank up the tunes and HIT THE ROAD!

 

And tell me what your favorite drive is.

 

Tea Time

 It's not often I get to go out with a girlfriend while I am working but here I am with my friend Elizabeth having High Tea at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver Colorado while Kirk stayed back at the B&B to be the Innsitter .This is the most luxurious and historic hotel in Denver. It has a beautiful interior atrium with cast iron balconies and wall decor made from Mexican onyx. It also features brass griffins over the front desk and entry ways. WOW! Built in 1892 -the age of elegance, you really feel special when you have High Tea there and that's good because we were celebrating our mutual birthdays.

As you can see the food was beautifully presented. What you can't see is how great it tasted - this little birthday cake was soooo yummy - coconut cake with a butterscotch frosting and tiny little butterscotch candies on top. My wish was for a year of happiness and peace for my friend. She wished for a year of fun travel for me. May both our wishes come true!                            

So if you are ever in Denver and want to step back in time,  go to the Brown Palace for High Tea  - So Elegant!