Philanthropist Treats the Struggling Like Royalty at the Queen of the Catskills Bed & Breakfast.

Philanthropist Treats the Struggling Like Royalty at the Queen of the Catskills Bed & Breakfast.

Foodie Contest - Part 2

Was  having a brainstorming session...How about we have a monthly theme...I feel it might be easier to judge..Someone suggested the idea of a secret ingredient.....

Maybe less dramatic...ok...you must admit this guy is just way too funny!

Really want your feedback as to what would make this contest challenging yet  fun, so please comment and let the battle begin...

 

Some theme music you say...

Hasta manana!
Flerida

I love cooking ........do you love cooking...how about some fun?

I enjoy cooking for our clients...but though challenging...ok nerve wracking...I love cooking for foodies...you know..food aficionados!! Wowing a foodie who can break down almost every ingredient in your dish is so much fun!!!

Decision made!  Once per month..Starting September 2013 we will make it a foodie day.  I suggest Sunday.  All you cooks/chef/Bobby Flay wanna be...this is your opportunity to share a dish and its recipe so strut your stuff..we will make it a contest and whomever wins that month, wins a cash prize and we will look to include the winning dish in our menu.  We will set it up where we will open it to the public by invitation only (sorry, we can only accommodate so much) they would pay a  predetermined fee and they get to taste everyone's dish.  Invitees get to vote their favorite and whomever wins gets to keep the cash collected for the night..and yes the house must get a little something for hosting the event (but it will be minimal...we promise...)

So....who's in?


Will it be like this.....

Bring it on....The Colonial B&B's own Chef Johnas will be here to judge your masterpiece!!!

We are still in the beginning stages of planning this...so Chime in Folks!!!!!

Until then, I leave you with some mood music..

Way to start the week...

Happy Monday everyone!  As always, we had wonderful guest stay at The Colonial B&B at Stamford NY this past week.  The B&B crowd are just great, friendly people...seems like the family members you like having to come for a visit...well you know what I mean...haha...No seriously, we are thankful that those who visit us are generous, kind and engaging.  We do look forward to their return visit.  So to our new found family members from this past week (Mas, Edward, Maggie, Stephanie, Nancy and her beautiful grand daughter "Blueberry Muffin", Suzanna and Michael) thank you for your visit and we look forward to many more visits with you. 

Ok friends, we have more family members coming this weekend!  Looking forward to seeing how much the kids have grown since last year...so yes...we do love kiddies visiting us (though it makes me feel like a grandparent and I am only 45...) ...so with that being said...we have to have fun snacks for them as well...

I was thinking of making the kiddies one or two of the following:




Toonie Moonie™ Crispy Treats

Andrew and Lauren enjoy some more Toonie Moonie snacks!

 

Some corn and blueberry muffins

 

 

Michael prefers the ice cream cake we make here...he says the kiddies really want that...I just think he wants it and is using the kids as an excuse...hmmmmmm

 

Please share your thoughts...what should we have for our younger family members?

 

As our usual, some theme music to get the creative juices for the week going!!!

 

 

Hasta Pronto,
Flerida y Michael

Catskills New York...the secret is out!!!!!

Something magical about The Catskills...if you want your dream wedding...look no further than the Catskills...one particular venue is The Roxbury Barn. 

Tastefully done settings....

Want to hold the reception outdoors...

It will be memorable not only for you but your guest!

 Road to the afterparty...your own personal bon fire...

Hell of a good time...

Magical wedding ceremony..elegance to God's creation...

 

We have many clients stay here who attend weddings at The Roxbury Barn, and they are simply amazed at the beauty and the feeling of celebration they got from attending a wedding there..."definitely memorable" and "event of a lifetime" they say!  If you are planning your wedding, this is what you want to take away with you, the knowledge that your magical day was magical for your guest as well...

If you are interested in booking The Roxbury Barn, contact :

Casper de Boer

The Roxbury Barn

667 County Highway 41

Roxbury NY 12474

www.TheRoxburyBarn.com

 

 

 

Creative Juices flowing....

If you have ever eaten at The Colonial B&B at Stamford NY...you know we love to mix things up a bit...a splash of love, fun, kindness and a whole lot of herbs and spices...but rarely too spicey!!!  But when we have Caribbean customers who are used to a little more UMPH...you know a little more KABOOM.. then we step it up a notch and make sure to have plenty of BONNET PEPPERS and Fresh Ginger on hand...cause nothing says Caribbean cuisine than those two ingredients...ok..many more ingredients but these two are a must!!!!  Before I share one of our favorite Caribbean dishes...allow me to share my heart this morning, as I looked out my back yard

came to mind a book I read and convinced I must read again called Just One Thing by Dr. Rick Hanson which then triggered something my pastor shared once....you see the book essentially is about doing simple little things consistently...one thing daily...creates a habit..repetition the mother of skill.  One act of kindness, love,  taking the time to listen... its like a seed that you plant which you water daily and as it grows, you prune a little so that it can grow straighter and healthier.  As you care for it on a daily basis, it grows strong deep roots..so that when the storms of life come..and we know storms always come...like a tree...it may lose a couple of leafs (in my case gain more gray hairs) but so firmly planted that it will stand tall and weather many more storms.  My pastor shared, depositing into the emotional account of your mate, your children, your family...so that when the occasional withdrawals occur, just because we are fallible and will make mistakes, there are sufficient reserves to handle it.  So..I will set out to thank two people on this blog today.. my Chef Johnas...I never thought I would meet someone who can outwork me...and Chef Johnas certainly can put my work ethic to the test.  I appreciate him.  And he has believed in me, encouraged me, supports my vision and helps me meet my goals...I love you Pa.  And to my son Dominick.  Dominick is growing up to be an amazing young man.  He is a teenager figuring life out...but one of my strongest and loyal cheerleader...he has stepped up to help us at the Bed and Breakfast many times...he is slowly learning the level of service we offer our clients by cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming rugs and making beds...he is an amazing young man and I am so proud that he is my son...

Ok back to you...thank you for allowing me to indulge in sharing my love and appreciation for my Chef Johnas and my Dominator (my son Dominick).    One of my most favorite Caribbean dishes is Jerk Chicken...now...my version is good (just saying...) but no one does it like Mr. Keith Lorren...so here is his instructional video of how to make this mouth watering delish spicy dish... Keith Lorren Rocks...(maybe when we perfect our version of Jerk Chicken..Mr. Lorren and us can have a live cookoff...what do you think?)

Happy Cooking...

YIKES!!!  I almost forgot..theme music for the day!!! 
Nothing puts you in the mood for Jerk Chicken other than.....
Stir it up!!!!

Siempre, Chef Johnas's Dominican Chica,
Flerida

Taking The Colonial B&B at Stamford NY to the next Level in 90 days!!!! - Day 1

Hola Chicas y Chicos!

We are so excited!!!!  We are growing our business, looking to expand our offerings to our clients to make their stay memorable, comfortable and one where they want to repeat as often as possible...we have also expanded our family (more on that in a little bit....)  You will be hearing from us A WHOLE LOT MORE as we move onto the NEXT LEVEL !!  We have some aggressive goals within the next 90days and will need all your help/support and encouragement to make it come to fruition! You Are part of our success, so thank you ahead of time for helping us make it happen!!!!!

Day 1:

Woke up this morning, noticing the cloudy sky as I gaze out the kitchen window towards my backyard...prepping the backyard for Pilates and Yoga classes before the summer ends and wedding ceremonies next year...that's right WEDDINGS...girl's got to have a vision!!!

Not only was it cloudy this morning, it was quite chilly...so I figured breakfast in front of the fireplace for our clients would be quite appropriate.

By the looks of the empty plates...looks like breakfast success to me!!!  Something about those pumpkin pancakes.....  Clients said they slept well too...not a bad combo a place where you sleep well and eat well...they said they could not get reservations in Oneonta or Cooperstown, they found us in lil ole Stamford...woohoo!!!!  They were told to book last year for this year in Oneonta and they could not believe they had to book that far in advance.  Its a combination of Cooperstown Baseball Camp end of 2nd week and parents are coming up to pick up their kids and New York Safety Track, they just opened this year and have approximately 200 participants there every weekend.  We are only 30 minutes away from Oneonta and 40 minutes from Cooperstown.  More importantly, we are only 12 minutes away from the Track.   If you or you know of someone who is visiting any of these places, please share with them our place, The Colonial B&B at Stamford NY - The Queen of The Catskills....

 

As a matter of fact, if you would be so kind to simply share our blog with your friends on Facebook and Twitter...that would be awesome!!!!!

 

As a token of our appreciation for following us and sharing our blog, here is our corn muffin recipe:

 

1/8 tsp of nutmeg (optional)

1 cp yellow cornmeal

1 cp all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tsp salt

1 cp whole milk

2 large eggs

4 tbsp. of butter

1/4 cp honey

 

I mix all these ingredients together.  Heat oven to 400.  Grease muffin pan well.  Bake for 13 mins and check for doneness (toothpick)

 

Addition to the family...you thought I forgot huh!!!! 

Nellie Johnas!!!  Isn't she just precious!!!!

 

Hasta Pronto!!!!

 

Cannot sign off without some theme music for the day....