March Maple Madness - Buttonwood Delectable Ice Cream Treat & Recipe!

Come join us and stay at The Buttonwood Inn March 25-27, 2011 for March Maple Madness touring various inns sampling maple-inspired treats.  We will make homemade ice cream this year for participants who will also have a chance to win a stay at any one of these inns as just one of the prizes.

Please check out our March Maple Madness package and book on-line or call us at 1-800-258-2625 to reserve.

Here's our recipe for Maple Pecan Ginger Ice Cream--enjoy!

MAPLE PECAN GINGER ICE CREAM

Yield: About 4 cups


3/4 cup pure maple syrup


2 cups half and half


5 egg yolks


3 tablespoons granulated sugar


1/2 cup heavy cream


1 cup pecans, lightly toasted and chopped


½ cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped


In a saucepan, heat the maple syrup and half-and-half until scalding. Whip the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture is starting to foam, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the scalded cream mixture while whipping rapidly. Place the combined mixture back into the saucepan and continue to cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and immediately stir in heavy cream. Let the custard cool, stirring every 5 minutes, to prevent a skin from forming. After slightly cooled, cover with plastic wrap setting it directly on the custard and up the sides of the bowl to prevent the skin from forming. Allow the custard to chill in the refrigerator for several hours. Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. Towards the end of freezing, stir in the pecans and crystallized ginger. Store covered in the freezer.

New Year's Eve Celebration - 2010

For the past several years, we've had guests stay at The Buttonwood Inn on our New Year's Eve package, which includes New Hampshire made chocolates on arrival. 


On New Year's Eve, champagne (or sparkling cider) and appetizers made by Paula are served in our Living Room by the fire followed by a 5-course dinner at the Thompson House Eatery.  At breakfast the next morning, our guests raved about the 5-course dinner because they were able to order from a variety of appetizers, entrees, and desserts and the servers were friendly and attentive.  The majority also exclaimed it was possibly the best meal they've ever enjoyed!


When our guests arrived back at the inn, if they were still in the celebrating mood, they could have watched the ball drop at midnight in NYC Times Square on our big screen TV in the Mt. Surprise Room by a toasty fire.


Here's a recipe for the crab strudel appetizer that was a big hit, among the other tasty appetizers:


CRAB STRUDEL


Ingredients




12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided


3 scallions, chopped


2 garlic cloves, minced


1 teaspoon curry powder


1 pound lump crabmeat, drained and picked to remove shells


2 teaspoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped


1 lime, juiced


Kosher salt


1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


10 sheets phyllo dough (such as Pepperidge Farm)


1/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs


Directions


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.


Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saute pan, add the scallions and garlic and cook over medium-low heat until the scallions are soft, approximately 5 minutes. Add the curry powder and stir.


Shred the crabmeat into a bowl and mix with the parsley, lime juice, salt, to taste, and pepper. Add the crabmeat to the scallion mixture.


Melt 10 tablespoons of butter in a small pan and set aside.


Unfold 1 sheet of the phyllo dough. Brush the sheet with melted butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Repeat the process by laying a second sheet of phyllo dough over the first sheet, brush it with melted butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs until 5 sheets have been used. Spoon a 1-inch wide row of the crab mixture along 1 edge of the phyllo dough. Roll it up. Brush the top with butter and set aside. Repeat the entire process using the all the phyllo dough and crab filling.


Cover a sheet pan with parchment paper. Score the crab strudel diagonally into 1 1/2-inch pieces and bake for 12 minutes, or until the top is lightly brown. Slice and serve.

Polar Express Families - 2010

As I take down the Christmas tree, I'm reminded of the weekends that we had families stay at The Buttonwood Inn for the Polar Express event.  After returning from our vacation visiting our children in NYC and NJ, we quickly erected the Christmas tree and decorated the inn inside and out for the first arrival of children and their parents the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  I decorated the tree with hand-painted ceramic Christmas ornaments of mice in holiday attire, Peanuts, and Sesame Street characters that I made for our own children's tree when they were babies.  

On the first day of the family's arrival, I baked mini cupcakes decorated with light-green frosting sprinkled with shiny clear sprinkles, resembling freshly fallen snow.  After searching through my huge tin container for the Christmas cookie cutters, I made hand-rolled sugar cookies decorated with Royal icing in seasonal colors, sprinkles, and piped designs.  These cookies were served as a special treat for the children to enjoy dressed in their pajamas in the Mt. Surprise Room watching the Polar Express movie before they boarded train that evening.

Though all of the families expressed that they had a wonderful experience on the Polar Express and visiting Santa at the North Pole, there is one family that made it a complete surprise for their two young children.  Thus, the parents and grandparents were able to observe the surprise and merriment of the children when they finally met Santa Claus.

Another family on the last weekend comprised two mothers with four older children who simply wanted to experience the "magic" of riding the Polar Express, drinking hot chocolate, and singing songs on the way to meet Santa.   After the last family left The Buttonwood Inn, we read their comments in our room guest books writing that they not only felt the majic of visiting Santa at the North Pole, but also felt the majic of The Buttonwood Inn.

This is why Bill and I work very hard to make each families experience memorable and enjoyable allowing us to experience the true spirit of Christmas.                            

Ladies Shoppers Weekend - November 2010

Bill and I enjoyed hosting the fourth year of the ladies shoppers group during the second weekend last November. From the moment they arrived usually by noontime, they began their shopping excursions and girlfriend lunches catching all of the major sales before the Holidays. We reserved a group dinner (22 ladies this past year) at Vito Marcello's Italian Restaurant on Friday night where they arrived via a taxi van.



The next morning, we put out coffee early for them so they were all able to gather in the Living Room in their PJs and talk and laugh before breakfast. Afterwards while Bill cleared the Dining Room, I chatted with them about the good buys they got on clothing (to which Bill retreated to the kitchen). Then the ladies were out the door by 10 am off shopping and lunching in smaller groups.  Bill and I provided them with shopping handbags that had "survival" provisions (drinks and snacks) and the VIP coupon good at most stores.


At the end of the day on Saturday, they came back to the inn to wrap gifts and prepared for their party in the Mt. Surprise Room. They rearranged the furniture so they could all sit together to enjoy drinks, appetizers, stories, and games. Bill and I retreated to our owners quarters and saw them at breakfast the next morning.

So if you would like to reserve The Buttonwood for a shoppers weekend or any other type of group gathering any time of year, we can accommodate your needs in our spacious common rooms and idyllic location nestled in the mountains very near North Conway.

Huge Shoppers Weekend in North Conway

November 11 - 13: Bring A Friend Shopping Weekend at Settlers' Green Outlet Village Plus -
There will be plenty of giveaways, prizes, and fun activities to make shopping fun this weekend. Extended hours of shopping from 8 am to 9 pm except Sunday 9 am to 6 pm. This is the sale you wait for! Sign up early this year for access to the VIP Tent. Free shopping bags loaded with discount coupons and gifts to the first 1000 shoppers. Gift with purchase on Sunday & Monday.


Each year several women's shoppers groups return to the Buttonwood Inn on the second weekend in November to take advantage of the great sales at Settlers Green Outlet Stores.  This Friday and Saturday, we will have 22 women shoppers in the inn where they'll wrap their Holiday gifts in the Mt. Surprise Room and then have their annual Saturday night party!

Tomatoes, tomatoes, and more tomatoes!

Finally after two summers of trying to grow a vegetable garden with fresh tomatoes, we're successful this summer.  Due mainly to the dry and hot summer weather we've been experiencing, the tomatoes are thriving and continue to ripen.  I made my first batch of tomato sauce two days ago and added my homemade Italian sausage to it.  Yum!!!

We are growing plum tomatoes (in addition to heirlooms and beefsteaks) which are ideal for make tomato sauce.  But when they come off the vine and as we become busier with guests staying at our inn, I'll just wash them and throw them in freezer bags and freeze them whole until I'm ready to make sauce.  As an alternative to a laborious canning process, the defrosted tomatoes are soft but retain their flavor and juices and the skins just peel off.  Put them in the food processor, then the pot to make Italian tomato sauce.  How easy is that...

Here's a recipe for my homemade Italian sauce.  Enjoy!

Italian Sauce

2 28-oz. cans of Cento San Marzano plum tomatoes or 20-24 fresh plum tomatoes

1 6-oz. can of Cento tomato paste

10 cloves of garlic, sliced or minced

8-10 basil leaves, sliced

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Saute garlic in olive in a large pot until tender, but not browned, for a couple of minutes; then add basil.  Process plum tomatoes in a food processor until pureed and add to garlic and basil mixture and simmer for half an hour.  Add cooked meatballs and simmer for another 30 minutes.  Serve over your favorite cooked pasta.

New Adirondack Chairs and Benches at The Buttonwood

Ever since we bought our first two sets of double Adirondack chairs with a built in table for the front of our property, we've longed to purchase more for the back of our property to take in the mountain views and animal sounds from the forest.  

This summer we purchased another double Adirondack chair, a large single chair, and a bench which we placed in our back garden above the pool area.  These chairs are solid and comfortable and made from cedar, so they'll last a long time.  Robin and Rob make these chairs and seem to always be in production throughout the year, since they're so popular.  Check out their website for more info. on their product line.

Scenic Chair Lift at Bretton Woods

Yesterday, Bill and I seized the moment on a glorious late summer afternoon and drove up to Bretton Woods to ride up the mountain on the ski chair lift.  Not a cloud in the blue sky, just a nice cool breeze as we took in the beautiful expanse of the Presidentials.  You can have lunch at the top in their restaurant and linger as long as you would like just enjoying the view.

Buttonwood Cookie Recipe Featured in "Family Travel Guides Newsletter"

If you like cookies as much as "Cookie Monster" on "Sesame Street," then try our Buttonwood recipe for Maple Pecan Shortbread Cookies recently published in the "Family Travel Guides Newsletter."  Enjoy!


http://www.familytravelguides.com/newsletter/2010/aug.10.html

Homemade Italian Sausage--So Easy!

I've been using my sausage machine with wanton abandon lately, making breakfast sausage and now Italian sausage.  It's amazingly simple, but a little time-consuming because you do have to cut up the pork into small cubes to prepare it for the sausage machine.


The result is amazingly tender and flavorful sausage with just a few seasonings and fennel seeds.  Here's the recipe:


Italian Sausage


2 pounds of boneless pork butt, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1-1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 


Toast fennel seeds in pan on stove for about 3 minutes until fragrant and slightly browned.  Remove from pan and place on dish to cool.  Then pulverize them in a mortar and pestle or grind them in a spice grinder.  Combine the fennel seeds in a medium bowl with the salt, pepper, and chopped parsley; then add the diced pork and mix.  Refrigerate covered for 1 hour; remove and put through the sausage grinder.  Make patties or cook as small chunks in any recipe that incorporates Italian sausage.


Note:  I'm not partial to sausage links since I don't like the casing, so I just use the bulk sausage in pasta recipes or sauce.

Cranmore Summer Concerts

If you happen to be traveling to North Conway and plan to stay at The Buttonwood Inn, you may want to take in a concert on a Thursday or Friday evening at Cranmore Mountain Resort during their Summer Concert series in July and August.  Cranmore is located about 1 mile down Kearsarge Road from the inn.


This Friday, July 23, you can see "Assembly of Dust" with special guest "The Brew"--doors open at 5:00 pm and music is from 6:00-10:00 pm.


Tickets are $19 in advance or $25 at the door--purchase by phone at 1-800-706-0432 ext. 230 or on-line at http://www.cranmore.com/#

Wednesdays at Wildcat

From July 7 through August 25 from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon, Wildcat is hosting free, except for the cost of a gondola ride on some outdoor excursions, with a naturalist from Tin Mountain Conservation Center.  You will learn about the flora and fauna (including moose) of the alpine environment in the Presidential Range.


All you need to do is show up at the Wildcat Ski Lodge around 9:45 am to join in on this educational and fun activity.

"The inn thing was a pleasant surprise"--nashua telegraph.com

Recently, Richard Learned and his wife, Jan, stayed with us at The Buttonwood Inn.  Bill and I very much enjoyed their visit to the inn.  It's alway fascinating learning about folks from the "greatest generation" and listening to their stories.  Our parents were from this era too and it brings back fond memories of their experiences.

Richard is a writer of books and a weekly column for the Sunday Nashua Telegraph.  Surprisingly, he was interested in interviewing us for an upcoming article about in-state (NH) vacations as an alternative to more expensive lengthier vacations taken by most people pre-Great Recession.

Bird watching at the Buttonwood

Just four years ago, it was determined that in the U.S. there were 3,000,000 dedicated bird watchers.  Bill and I have been fascinated for years watching birds.  


As a result, we put out feeders with bird seed all year round and hummingbird feeders in the spring and summer.  Bill makes the sugar syrup with a ratio of 3 cups of water brought to a simmer, then stir in 1 cup of sugar until dissolved; let solution cool completely before adding to the feeder.   

On occasion the hummingbird feeders have attracted a bear, which soon learned that in trying to drink the syrup, it didn't get any "bear candy" because he drained it onto the ground when knocking off the bottom of the feeder.  Last time that happened, our guests were very amused and privileged to see a young bear on our front porch and captured the event on film.

In our New Hampshire location, we are amused by hummingbirds throughout the day from May until early September when they fly off to South America for the winter.  We've seen countless other types of birds from piliated woodpeckers to Cooper's hawks.  When you come to The Buttonwood Inn, you can view a video in the Mt. Surprise Room of our wonderous nature, both fauna and flora.

Time to harvest the rhubarb and make cake!

Time to harvest the rhubarb this weekend.  I usually get about 70-80 stalks from the two plants growing in the yard behind the inn.  It seems every other neighbor grows rhubarb up here in New Hampshire, since it's a cool season, perennial plant.


I clean it and slice it up in the food processor and freeze it in separate plastic bags to use in my Honey Rhubarb Walnut Bread.  But I wanted to try a dessert recipe for Memorial Day as we had friends over for a barbecue.  Here's a wonderful recipe for Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake that is packed with flavor due to the tart, yet sweet, flavor of the rhubarb accented with orange zest on top of a dense, buttery cake.

RHUBARB UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE              Yield:  1 10-inch Round Cake, Serves 10

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 10-inch round cake pan and dot with 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut up into small pieces.

Crumb Topping

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

½ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon Kosher salt

Mix together until moist and crumbly, and put aside.

Rhubarb

1 pound rhubarb sliced sharply on the diagonal ½-inch thick

¾ cup sugar

Toss rhubarb with sugar and let stand a few minutes, then toss again.

Cake

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

½ teaspoon finely grated orange zest

1 tablespoon of orange juice

2 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Beat remaining stick butter and cup sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in zest and juice. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream, until smooth. Spread rhubarb evenly in the baking pan over the dotted butter. Then spread cake batter over the rhubarb and crumble topping evenly over batter.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Buttonwood Memorial Weekend Events and Special Deal

Check out our Memorial Weekend Events and Special Deal in honor of our U.S. active duty Armed Forces and veterans at the Buttonwood Inn located on our home page!

http://buttonwoodinnspecials.blogspot.com/

Alliums first to bloom...

The alliums are the first to bloom among the native New Hampshire spectacular beauty, the lupine, in our backyard garden. An allium is a unique, single stalked flower that towers  3-4 feet above the other flowers with a globe-shaped spikey flower, which is still attractive after it's dried.  Alliums are deer resistant and are planted from bulbs in the Fall. 


Lupines grow among each other in home gardens and in fields across New Hampshire.  We even have a June Lupine Festival in their honor when they bloom in various shades of purple, pink, and white. 


A few years ago, when we first bought the Buttonwood Inn, we had about two to three plants--now we have more than a dozen along the pool fence in the back yard and quite a few more in the various gardens around the inn.  I've transplanted a few after they bloom where they've spread their seeds in the garden.  The suggested way to grow lupines is to harvest their seeds in the early Autumn, dry them, and plant them the next Spring.  Aside from their beautiful conical-shaped summer blooms, lupines are hardy, deer resistant, and require little care.

Going organic—planting a garden…

Now that the snow has melted and the weather is a balmy 80 degrees (Yikes!) here in North Conway, NH, it’s time to start the vegetable seedlings in the egg cartons and place them in the sunny windows in the inn. We’ll expand our NH garden to nearly twice the size this year and place some vegetable and herbs in between the flowers too.



The rhubarb is growing and I should be able to harvest it by the end of May. As usual, I will make Honey Rhubarb bread as a starter for breakfast, which is a favorite of our guests. Here’s an interesting recipe for an Upside Down Rhubarb Cake from the Martha Stewart website.

Do you know the source of the food that is on your plate?

In a recent PBS, P.O.V. broadcast of the 2010 Oscar nominated documentary entitled, Food, Inc., the filmmaker, Robert Kenner, shows that the food we eat in America is not generated on small farms any longer. Over the past few decades, small farms have been eliminated and now a few major corporations provide our food. It’s a highly mechanized process dictating how the animals are raised in the most inhumane conditions. Cattle, pigs, and chickens no longer graze in green pastures eating grass or grain, but exist in large feed lots crammed next to each other steeped in their own excrement. To control disease, the animals are given antibiotics in their corn feed, but more strains of E. coli have developed affecting 73,000 Americans annually.

You can also read the article, "Getting Real About the High Price of Food," in Time magazine by Bryan Walsh.

We do have a choice, however, to eat organically raised animals, vegetables, and fruits though a little higher in cost. In fact, here in New England, there are many small, family-owned organic farms going back to the natural way of raising animals in pastures feeding on grass and grains. Bill and I just ordered a quarter of grass-fed beef that will rotate feeding on grass in the open pasture, which turns out to be economical and ensures a safe food source.

New Buttonwood Inn outdoor experience!

Over the past month, Bill and I have been working in the inn “yard” raking leaves, cutting down trees for next winter’s firewood, and cleaning out flower gardens. Yesterday we found a treasure trove of rocks in the forest to create a fire pit ring for our Chiminea stove. This new addition to the backyard will serve two purposes: we can burn the tree branches and sticks that land on the property and, more importantly, enjoy relaxing with a beverage of choice sitting around the fire after a long day’s work.



In the summer, our guests can also enjoy this experience conversing with other guests or looking up at the constellations in our glorious New Hampshire night sky.  Big kids and little kids of all ages can toast marshmallows over the fire too. You’ll enjoy the best of both worlds, staying in the comfort of our inn while experiencing the outdoor fun of a camping evening.