The Color of Autumn in the Hudson Valley

Hi folks. We are back to Fall and the Hudson Valley is hopping. We are sooooo busy these days at the Inn that we barely have time to take a deep breath. But this is a good thing. We are occupied with raising our brood of poultry, finishing up the addition and of course tending to the needs of our guests. And everyone in town is gearing up for next week's big Apple Fest. But more about that later.

As I just mentioned, we are finishing up the main floor of the addition. We have had the electricity and plumbling installed and we just had the guys put in the insulation. Next week we start putting up walls. Then we can go ahead with floors and trim and painting. Our first floor will be living quarters for Bill and I and most importantly an office to conduct business for the Inn. The office will also be a resource center for our guests. It will have a computer and books and magazines. We will also have an extensive DVD library for the guests to use while staying here. There will also be directions to all there is to do in the Hudson Valley. Then the second phase will be the lower level which will house two guest rooms that will both have jacuzzi bathrooms. Phase 1 will hopefully be done by the end of November and Phase 2 by next summer. We have lots to do folks so wish us luck.

We are all getting excited about Apple Fest which takes place annually in the Town of Warwick on the first Sunday of every October. Last year, over 35,000 people attended the one day event. There is every kind of exhibit you can imagine and the food is as incredible as it is varied. You can get anything from a hot dog to fried dough to falafel to everything the Hudson Valley has to offer. And there are all kinds of crafts and games to play and great fun for the kids. Oh and there is a different band playing all throughout the festival. So come spend the day and have a ball.

And when you are done with Apple Fest, there is a plethera of wineries and orchards to satisfy your wine tasting and apple picking pleasure. Some of the wineries such as Warwick Valley Winery also serve a delcious lunch that can be eaten in their indoor restaurant or right outside in a beautiful umbrella'd area. Try their Margherita pizza. It is crazy delicious.

Then on October 10th, Pine Island will celebrate their Pumpkin Festival from 8am to 2pm at the Pine Island Park. There all kinds of pumpkin events such as pumpkin tossing, decorating, and even a pumpkin cookie bake off. Check http://www.warwickinfo.net/ for more information.

I will be doing a special Halloween edition of the blog mid-October to let you know what all the Halloween goings-on are. So check back.

Now for my favorite fall recipe. What better dessert to have during Apple Fest and apple picking season than Apple Crisp. Just made this particular dessert and served it with vanilla ice cream. Well, the guests loved it. So here it is for your pleasure.

Apple Crisp

1/2 cup cold butter (1 stick)

1 cup sugar

1/8 tsp of salt

3/4 cup flour

4 cups of apples sliced

2 tblsp sugar

1 tblsp water

1 tblsp cinnamon (or more if you like)

Peel, core and slice apples.

Cut cold butter into chunks.

Using a pastry blender cut butter into the 1 cup of sugar, salt and flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Place the apples into an oiled 8x8 pyrex baking dish. Mix in the 2 tblsp of sugar, water and cinnamon.

Cover with the flour mixture.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven until apples are tender and bubbling (about an hour).

Hint: I double the recipe and use a 9x13 pyrex pan.

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and viola you have a delicious fall dessert (or any other time).

Well folks, time to go. Hope you enjoyed the blog and don't forget to check back by around the 15th of October for more Warwick Valley news.

Bye for now.

August in Warwick; A great place to visit.

Is it really August already? Seems like the summer is just flying by. Bill and I are having a busy summer, meeting lots of new guests and making lots of new friends. Our garden is in full bloom and the chickens are providing us with many a great egg dish. The temperature has finally gotten to a comfortable level and our guests are enjoying all that the Warwick outdoors has to offer.

In August, our neighboring town of Florida, will host their 11th annual Family Fun Fest. There is a host of vendors, food, music and amusements for all. Take it from me. It is a great fun day and not to be missed. Call (845) 651-6000 for more information.

Then on August 14th, Greenwood Lake will have their Decorated Boat Parade on the lake. There will be spectacular examples of floating crafts that will be sure to inspire your laughter, amazement and bewilderment. Don't forget your cameras.

Warwick will be presenting their first ever Annual Jazz Festival from August 26-29. Various venues in the village, such as Dautaj Restaurant, The Tuscan Cafe and Conquito are just some of the places you can view jazz musicians at their finest. Call the town for more information and times.

Oh and don't forget the farmer's market every Sunday from 9am to 1pm in town. You can find everything fresh and delicious grown right here in the Hudson Valley.

We will be hosting our 2nd wedding of the season this month. It will be an outdoor affair for friends of ours and I will be the officiant for the ceremony. Our outdoor events are usually limited to 60 guests but always turn out wonderfully for everyone involved.

I have promised a few of our guests that I would repeat a recipe that I had posted some time ago. It is for our Stony Creek Egg Souffle w/cheddar dill sauce. So here goes.

Stony Creek Egg Souffle w/cheddar dill sauce

10 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter melted
1 cup cottage cheese
2 cups grated Jack cheese
sauteed vegetables (peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, etc.)

In a small fry pan saute sliced vegetables of your choice in a small amount of butter. Set aside.

Beat the eggs well. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt into the melted butter; add to the eggs. Add the cheeses and mix well. Pour into a greased glass pan. Top gently with the sauteed vegetables. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 min to 1 hour or until center is firm. Cut into 8 pieces and served with cheddar dill sauce.

To make cheddar dill sauce:

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 pinch salt
2 tsp dried dill or fresh if you have it

Melt butter in a saucepan. Blend in the flour until smooth. Add milk gradually. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in cheddar cheese, salt and dill. Cover until served over the eggs.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoy making it for you.

Just wanted to remind you all that the annual Warwick Apple Fest is quickly approaching on Sunday, October 3rd. So if you are going to be staying over that weekend please make your lodging reservations as soon as possible.

Well I guess thats all for now. Bill and I want to wish you a great rest of the summer. I will have some great information in my September blog. Lots going on in the area this fall. Hope to see you then.

Until next time, this is Joe signing out and wishing you the best that life has to offer.

Hi everyone. Last weekend Bill and I and some family and friends went to Apple Fest here in Warwick. What a day. The weather could not have been more beautiful and the food couldn't have been better.

After serving our guests a breakfast of homemade cranberry scones, apple walnut cinnamon muffins and of course our now famous zucchini bread, we headed out to Apple Fest about 9am. When we got there, we were surprised at how not crowded it was. Well, that was short lived. As you can tell by the picture, by 11am it was wall to wall people. It seems to get bigger and better every year.

There were all kinds of foods and crafts and music. We walked around the whole festival and ogled at all the wares. Bill bought a birdhouse to add to the vast collection of birdhouses we already have. Now this is not any birdhouse. It is made from an antique tool with a claw and barbed wire. Go figure. But it makes him happy and that is all that counts.

My favorite part was the food. I was very good though, and didn't get too crazy sampling everything. But I did get some apple fritters. And they were delicious. We all went for lunch at Le Petite Cuisine. They always have great food and great sides. There were nine of us for lunch, but they managed to accomodate us and we sat down to a great meal. I had the Apple Fest pannini. It was an open faced sandwich on a toasted piece of french bread with turkey applewood sausage, apples and gruyere cheese melted all over it. Yummmmmmm. And on the side, a great chick pea salad.
Very satisfying and very Apple Festive.

All in all it was a very good day. You all must come next year if you missed it this time. In the next few blogs I will tell you whats going on for Halloween and I'll have some spooky recipes and some great history about the Inn.

Happy October everyone from Bill and I and check back soon.

Apple Fest is Coming!

October 1st, can you believe it? We have been so busy at the Inn that we have had hardly any time for anything else. Guests have been coming in and out the whole of September and October is set to be one of our busiest months ever. I hope that means we are doing something right. (smile)

This coming Sunday, October 4th, is Apple Fest in Warwick. It is the single biggest event of the year. I have talked about it before in my previous blogs, but it is definitely worth reminding everyone of this great celebration. The streets of the town are lined with vendors, selling just about anything you could be looking for. From food to crafts to clothes or anything else you could imagine, you will find it here. But come early because it gets crowded by mid-day. The town is expecting upwards of 30,000 visitors. Hope to see you there.

Like I said before, October is a very busy month for Bill and I at the Inn. Guests come from all over to see the beautiful, breath-taking foliage that the Warwick and Hudson Valley areas have to offer. We are anticipating that the foliage will peak around October 15th. So take a ride and enjoy the spectacular colors.

In my last blog I promised that I would share some great fall recipes with you and I happened to mention my zucchini bread. I thought that this would be a great recipe to share with you to serve on these rapidly cooling mornings. I hope you enjoy it.

Zucchini Bread

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs beaten
1 3/4 cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini (don't drain)
2 cups all purpose flour
11 11/4 tsps baking soda
2 1/2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
chopped walnuts and golden raisins (optional but recommended))

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray 2 9x5 inch loaf pans with
cooking spray and dust with flour.

Combine oil, sugar, eggs and zucchini in a large bowl. Combine remaining dry
ingredients in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients gradually to the zucchini
mixture. Beat 3 minutes with mixer on medium speed. Add walnuts and raisins.

Scrape batter into pans evenly. Bake 50 min. to 1 hour or until inserted knife
comes out clean.

Serve with cream cheese spread.


As the holidays approach, I will share with you some great cookie recipes as well as some quick breakfast recipes that are easy and festive.

Next week I will tell you how Apple Fest was and what to expect next in our area.

Bill and I wish you a great, colorful, happy, Autumn and will keep you in our thoughts and prayers. Bye for now.

OMG is that Autumn that I see?????

Hi all. Joe here with the latest at the Inn at Stony Creek. Bill has just returned from a trip to see his parents in Florida. It was great to have him back. Running an Inn is hard work and each of us can do it on our own. But when we do it together, magic seems to happen. Work has continued on the addition. We just had a beautiful patio and pergola added. Can't wait to start the landscaping around it.

Can you believe that it's August 24th already? The summer, albeit not a great summer, seems to have flown by in a flash. Autumn is right around the corner and the bounty of Warwick and Orange County will be in full display at the Farmer's Market every Sunday in the village. Our bounty was pretty plentiful this year also. Our garden at the Inn yielded a great harvest. We had zucchini, yellow squash, italian flat beans, tomatoes, peppers and herbs. Needless to say we have been having great meals with these fresh veggies.

With the onset of Fall, the local farms will be hosting apple picking. You can go online and google "apple picking in Warwick NY" and it will bring up all the places to go to and any info you would need. And don't forget the wineries. Warwick Valley Winery will not only provide you with apple and pear picking, you can also enjoy a delicious lunch as well as a wine tasting if you like.

You remember that in previous posts I told you that Bill and I liked to experiment with new recipes for breakfast at the Inn. Well, I would like to share this one with you. It is Stuffed French Toast with blueberry compote. Hope you like it.

Stuffed French Toast w/ blueberry compote

Prepare a 9 x 13 glass or aluminum pan with cooking spray

Dice up 1 loaf of country white bread
Place a layer of bread loosely in the pan
Dice up 1/2 of an 8 oz. brick of cream cheese
Place it on the bread layer.
Add balance of bread over this and then add balance of cream cheese.
Sprinkle with cinnamon.

In a bowl, scramble 12 eggs.
Add 1 1/2 cups of milk and 1/4 cup of 1/2 and 1/2.
Add just over a 1/3 cup of real maple syrup.
Mix well and spread over the bread.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake for about 50 min. or until french toast puffs up and is slightly crisp.


While the french toast is baking, put a pint or more of fresh or frozen blueberries in a small saucepan. Add 1 tsp. water and 4 tsp of sugar. Cook over a low heat until boiling, stirring occasionally. If you have them, add 2 tbls of blueberry preserves. Serve warm over the french toast.

Makes 8-10 servings, depending how hungry you are. :)

Well, I hope you enjoyed the post. I will have lots to tell you the upcoming blogs. Fall is our busiest time of year and I will keep you posted on all that is going on around the area.

Hey, don't forget Apple Fest, Sunday, October 4th. More info to follow.

See you soon.