The Time When a Young Man's Fancy Turns to Love

Hi everyone,

Happy Spring to you all. Isn't it beautiful to see all the trees and flowers starting to bloom? The Inn is showing signs of rebirth with everything in bloom and turning green. And the chicks are getting so big. They don't look like chicks anymore. They look like real chickens. Can't wait to taste those fresh eggs.

Warwick and the surrounding towns are also getting ready with all sorts of events and happenings to celebrate the season. On May 1st, Warwick is hosting it's first ever Bridal Trail. Vendors from all over the area will line the village streets to welcome brides-to-be and offer all kinds of products and services to make their special day even more special.

On April 25th, visit Vernon Earth Fest 2010 in Vernon, New Jersey at Mountain Creek South. The Earthfest committee has been working hard to make this years celebration the best ever and the most meaningful to our environment

In May, come participate in the Warwick Annual Duck Derby. Thousands of plastic yellow ducks are released into the Waywayanda Creek in Warwick. Each duck is numbered with a corresponding ticket sold to the public. The winner gets $1000 and the proceeds go to the Winslow Therapeutic Center. The center provides a full range of medically and educationallly approved riding therapies for riders with disabilities.

For more information on whats going on in the area visit http://www.warwickinfo.net/.

Now I would like to share with you a great recipe that Bill and I stumbled upon. Great to serve with a nice cup of tea to our guests and your kids will love them. And boy are they easy to make.

Coconut Macaroons

10 egg whites

2 1/2 cups of sugar

4 lbs. of sweetened coconut

1 tblsp. vanilla extract

pinch of salt.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment.

Place egg whites, salt, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of your elec. mixer.

Mix well for 1 minute. Add coconut and mix until well blended.

Keeping your hands wet, form into golf sized mounds and pinch slightly so the macaroon holds.

Bake at 350 degrees until outside of macaroon in golden brown.

When totally cooled, peel from parchment and dip bottoms of macaroon in melted chocolate and place back on parchment or waxed paper to harden.

We hope you are all enjoying the beautiful weather and we'd love it if you came up to see us sometime. Lots to see and do in the area so hope to see you soon. Remember, Warwick is just a tank of gas away and with everyone watching their budgets, The Inn at Stony Creek is the perfect affordable getaway.

Joe and Bill

Top O' the Day to You

March came in like a lamb this year with balmy 40 degree days and mostly sunny skies. After the last week of horrendous snowstorms of upwards of 30 inches, these days are a welcome respite from the gray wintry weather. The Inn was buried under those 30 inches of snow but that didn't stop our guests from braving the icy roads and the huge snow drifts to get to us to spend a cozy night at theirfavorite B and B.

As I mentioned in previous posts, March is going to be an exciting time for Bill and I at the Inn. Our chickens are going to be delivered on March 8th and our friend Mark is going to begin work on the hen house. We are hoping by late summer to start serving fresh eggs at breakfast. We are going to begin by acclimating the chicks to human touch by handling them everyday and getting them used to us. This way they won't give us a hard time when we go down to collect the eggs.

March is also a month of wonderful holidays. On March 17th of course we have St. Patricks Day and I am going to share a great recipe for Irish Soda Bread with you later on in this post. On March 19th, we Italians celebrate St. Josephs Day which celebrates the saint's name day. All us Joes get delicious pastries called Sfingi and Zeppole. '(I guess I will have to share some with Bill). Very delicous and very fattening. And then of course on March 20th we have the first day of Spring. Ahhhhh. Can't wait. On the 28th is Palm Sunday which is the beginning of our Holy Week and the countdown to Easter. But the two days this month I am looking forward to are March 7th when we baptize my new little grandson, Joseph and March 14th when we move the clocks ahead.

Then it won't be long before we can start working on the gardens (both rose and veggie) and start getting the Inn ready for the warm weather. We have lots of plans for our guests and I will tell you about them in upcoming posts.

Now for that recipe. This is a great recipe that I got from a good friend of mine. Cindy, who is a wonderful baker and an even better cook shared this with me and I will tell you, it is the best Irish Soda Bread you have ever had. Just follow the directions carefully and if at first you don't succeed, try..........well you know the rest.

Irish Soda Bread

2 cups flour

3 tblsp shortening or margarine

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup buttermilk (or sour milk..add 1 tblsp vinegar to 1 cup milk)

3/4 tsp baking soda

2/3 cup raisins (reg or golden)

1 tsp salt

1 tblsp melted butter

4 tblsp sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp caraway seeds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 8 or 9 inch round pan.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and 3 tblsp of the sugar.

Add shortening and cut into flour until mixture is in fine pieces.

Make a well in center of flour mixture. Pour in milk and raisins.

Mix until combined.

Turn onto a floured board and knead 3 to 4 times.

Shape into a ball and place into the greased pan.

Cut a slit in the top of the dough crosswise.

Brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle with remaining sugar and cinnamon.

Bake 35 to 45 min. until golden brown.

Delicious warm.

Well folks I guess thats it for now. Look for the next posts when I will tell you whats coming up at the Inn and how well we fare with our new feathered friends.

Hope to see you soon from Joe and Bill at the Inn at Stony Creek.

Happy Valentine's Day

Hi everyone. Things are getting back to normal around here. Bill is back from Florida and I am recovering from my surgery. And we are getting ready for a whole new season here at the Inn.

As Bill mentioned in his last post, we had a little down time in January and part of February but the coming spring is shaping up to be a very successful season for us. And do we have lots planned for our guests in the upcoming year.

We are getting very excited that our baby chicks will be delivered on March 7th. Bill and I are going to be new dads. And as with human children, raising chickens is a lot of work. But all the hard work will certainly pay off. Our guests will have fresh eggs in the morning and we may even ask them if they would like to pick their own. We will have 3 different kinds of eggs. Even though the tastes are not different, their appearance sure is. There will be white eggs, brown eggs and even blue eggs. And there is nothing like fresh eggs in the morning.

Bill and I also learned a lot from having our first ever veggie garden last year. The biggest lesson we learned is NOT to plant so much zucchini. OMG. We had zucchini coming out of our ears last year. I don't think one of our neighbors didn't get a zucchini bread or two from us. And they still kept coming. I think we are going to concentrate on peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, and beans this year. Oh and maybe a FEW zucchini.

We also talked about different events we would like to have at the Inn this year. We are planning a tea or two and possibly offering some of our homemade baked goods for sale as well as dozens of fresh eggs. Another possibility is offering painter's weekends, where we will supply the guests with paint supplies and have an artist from the hudson valley come and give a lesson.

We will also offer up packed picnic lunches for guests going out on biking or hiking excursions for the day. But these are just a few of the ideas we have for the upcoming season.

Well, its nice to be back and we hope that you continue to read our blog and find out whats going on at the Inn.

Have a wonderful, romantic, Valentine's Day and Bill and I hope all your lovely wishes come true.

See you soon.

January "The Quiet Time"

Hi to all of our valued guests and friends! In January a quiet calm comes over the Inn at Stony Creek as people recoup from the Holidays and lay low because of the cold weather and over-partying during the Holidays. It is our time to rest alittle too, visit family and start indoor maintenance projects that we are too busy to do in-season. However, we have our few guests that come and go and tell us they enjoy the quiet season and having the Inn to themselves!
These two weeks I am in Florida visiting my folks and soaking up the sun, while Joe, unfortuneatly is recovering from a needed rotatorcuff surgery. Don't worry, he's in good hands at home with his kids taking care of him. He will be all ready and raring to go for our coming Spring season. Some of our rooms will be freshly painted, and some updated keeping the period look that you tell us you love! In April we will be planting shrubery around our new Pergola and Patio with comfy furniture for guests to put their feet up and relax in around the new firepit and watch the sunset. We will be completing stone work to make the Inn even more charming. Our baby chicks are due to arrive March 7th and we hope to be gathering fresh eggs by August! Our new check-in office should be ready, complete with a guest computer area for those needing access or to print off boarding passes. Remember to bring your bikes and we will give you several route maps to choose from.

Joe and I are already planning some new breakfast specials to compliment our existing menu which include Eggs Benedict, Irish Benedict, Tempura Zuchinni Blossoms w/ maple syrup and a variety of breakfast Crepes and homemade scones.

We want to take this opportunity to thank you for your patronage and referrals and hope to see you all in the near future!

All the best,
Bill and Joe

Deck the Halls With Boughs of Holly Falalalalalalala

Seasons Greetings everyone. Hope your shopping and baking and decorating are in full swing. Bill and I have decorated the Inn and are planning our holiday party. We have been baking goodies for almost a week now and hope to surprise our friends and family with delicious desserts this Christmas season.

We have just gotten back from visiting my daughter and son-in-law, Rachel and Mario and my beautiful new grandson Joseph Michael. Christmas sure does take on a whole new meaning when there are young children in the family. One sees the holiday in a whole fresh new light when seen through the eyes of a child. And it makes the season all the more magical.

We have been busy at the Inn making our guests feel at home and full of the holiday spirit. Its nice to see guests sitting around the fireplace and having a glass of wine or a hot cup of cider and admiring the tree. Many of our guests are here to shop at the Woodbury Commons so they are eager to talk about the great deals they made and who they are shopping for. All in all it makes for great fireside chat and friendly banter. These are the little things that make being an innkeeper such a rewarding experience.

I had promised in a previous post to give you some of my cookie recipes. Well today I would like to give you my most popular cookie, the Snickerdoodle. Very easy to make and very quick to be eaten. This is a very popular cookie at the Inn and especially a favorite of Innkeeper Bill.

Snickerdoodles

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup of shortening (crisco)
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tblsp. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Start by creaming the 1 1/2 cups of sugar and shortening with electric beater.

Next add eggs to the shortening and sugar mix. Beat until well incorporated.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the egg, shortening and sugar mixture. Mix all
ingredients thoroughly.

In a shallow dish mix 2 tbls. sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon.

Form dough into small 1 inch balls. Roll the balls in the sugar/cinnamon mix
and place on on ungreased cookie sheet. For better results, use parchment paper lined cookie sheets.

Bake cookies in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake.

Makes about 2 to 3 doz. cookies.


I like to call these my magic cookies because before you know it, they
disappear before your eyes. (smile)


Well folks, must get back to baking. I am making 17 different kinds of cookies this year and I am only up to #8. But I will be back next week with another great cookie recipe and news of whats going on at the Inn at Stony Creek. Have a wonderful week and hope to see you soon.

Time to give thanks........

Hi everyone. This Thursday, all across the U.S. we will be celebrating Thanksgiving. It is a day to give thanks for all the bounty and blessings that God has given us and to share our table with those we love the most.

Here at the Inn at Stony Creek we have much to be grateful for. We have been blessed with loving families and good health and we are forever grateful for the wonderful guests that come through our door each and every week of the year. This year has especially been a banner year for us at the Inn. The addition is up, we created our first ever vegetable garden and our beautiful rose serenity garden. We have made plans to complete the new guest rooms in the addition in the near future. Bill and I have talked about new "events" that we want to initiate in the next year. (More information will follow on these at the beginning of 2010.) So, we have had a lot going on this past year and next year will be even busier.

If you are still planning your Thanksgiving feast, I would like to share with you my recipe for coconut custard pie. It is a favorite in our house and I hope it will be in yours. It is wonderful with a dollop of whipped cream and a great addition to that pumpkin pie.

Coconut Custard Pie

4 slightly beaten eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups milk, scalded
1/2 cup flaked coconut (you can use 1/4 cup more, if you like coconut)
1 9-inch unbaked pastry shell

Blend eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Gradually stir in scaled milk.
Pour into pastry shell. Sprinkle with coconut.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes (until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean. Cool on rack and then chill.


Well folks,I guess thats all for now. I will be posting some great cookie recipes for the Christmas holidays in the next few blogs and hope you will share some with us. We will also be telling you about some of our plans for 2010 and hopefully getting some feedback from you.

Bill and I want to wish you all a very Happy, Healthy Thanksgiving and we hope you will come visit us soon at the Inn at Stony Creek.

A Haunting We Will Go

Hi Everyone,
Well, its that time again when we wait in excited anticipation for scary ghosts and goblins to start roaming the chilled, October night skies. The darkness comes earlier and earlier each day. And before you know it, its the witching hour, Halloween.

Bill and I love Halloween. The pumpkins get carved into smiling (or scary) jack-o-lanterns. The bowls get filled with treats for the kiddies and we hope we won't be tricked. Our neighbor down the street decorates his house with dozens of witches and pumpkins and all sorts of lights to celebrate this spooky season. Its just an exciting and fun filled time of year.

And of course, it wouldn't be Halloween without the traditional ghost story. Now in my last blog I said I would have a scary story to tell you. I searched and searched the web for great Hudson Valley stories to tell you and then said to myself, "Hey Joe. How about the true story that you and Bill experienced 6 Halloween's ago"?
So I have decided to tell you about this memorable night.

On the night before Halloween, Bill and I had decided to take my sons Zack and Ben out to dinner and to the haunted hayride at Pennings farm. The boys were so excited to be spending the night at the Inn. We finished our dinner and then went on the hayride. It was very scary and well worth the wait to get in. Afterwards, we returned to the Inn for some snacks and cider. Two of our favorite guests were staying with us. Rick and Carol just happened to be civil war reenactors and were regaling us with scary stories. Then Bill started telling us all the history of the house which is now the Inn at Stony Creek. It was built in 1840 and then added onto in 1860 by the two Sams, Gardiner and Houston. We were certain that one of these two men was still occupying the house.....in spirit that is. But we were never quite sure which one. And then the lights went out. We had a power failure.

We quickly lit some candles and made sure everyone was alright. Well, this certainly added to the suspense of our stories. Bill continued with his tale. He told us that there was a small family cemetery about a quarter mile from the Inn that he had always wanted to visit but just either never got the chance or could never get anyone to go with him. We all jumped at the chance, well almost all of us. Our guest Carol was the one who convinced us that this would be a great time to go. It was pitch black and chilly, but we got in Bill's car and off we went. We got there in about 10 minutes. The cemetery was off the road about 50 feet in a small patch of woods. It was so dark but we had brought flashlights with us. We went in to the first row of headstones and saw dates from back in the 18th and 19th centuries. Very old stuff. Well, we had seen enough. We were ready to go back to the car. But all of a sudden, Bill started walking to the back of the cemetery. We called for him to stop but he kept on walking shining his flashlight straight ahead. Suddenly, he stopped and called us to come to him. He said "look" and the beam of light was shining on a tombstone. The name on the tombstone was Sam Gardner. We turned around and ran out of the graveyard. We were convinced that Sam Gardiner had caused the power failure at the Inn and guided us to his grave site. When we got back to the Inn, Bill said he had felt compelled to walk to the headstone, almost being drawn to it. Needless to say, none of us slept very well that night. But at least we know which Sam decided to stay at the Inn. Oh, don't get me wrong. He doesn't hurt or scare anyone. He just wants to make sure his house is in good hands.

Well, I hope that I haven't spooked you too much. After all its just a story....or is it? So, get ready to carve your pumpkins and set out the treats for all the little kiddies who come knocking at your door. Just be sure that it IS a little kiddie under that mask........BOO.

Happy Halloween everyone.