2016 Heres to Great times and great food with great guests!

Happy first Monday of the year.  Here at The Colonial B&B "Your Home Away from Home" we  want to make  sure your stay is one where you want to run to every free moment you can get away from the hustle of everyday life.  So please call ahead of time to make sure we prepare for your arrival with any special request....whether you are planning a romantic weekend and need special floral arrangements and chocolates waiting in your room or just have some strict dietary need and want to make sure our cupboard is ready to meet your need.
Your stay is about you...in the spirit of service to you....we want to dedicate the first blog of every 1st Monday to hearing from our past and future guest.  What would make your stay at The Colonial B&B memorable for you?  What would you like the breakfast options to be?

We look forward to 2016 with you.
Flerida and Michael

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....

Rejuvenate at The Colonial B&B at Stamford NY

RESERVE TODAY AT:  www.TheQueenofTheCatskills.com  or call:  518-482-4102

Motorcyclist's Heaven...Come enjoy nature's best and get recharged at The Colonial B&B at Stamford NY..

Burgundy room to become the Plum room...pt 1

We are at it again...Mr. Michael "Patience of a Saint" Johnas is putting up with another of my zany decorating ideas...though we are well into the project, we have much further to go.  Feel free to chime in and follow this blog...as we go through another creative episode of Designs by S&J of the Colonial B&B at Stamford NY

Whoever chimes in with the best suggestions that we implement into this project, wins the first night stay in this room!

 

 

 

Chef Johnas is at it again.........

The Mad Food Scientest is at it again folks!!!  His creative genius exudes confidence (ok cockiness, I call it sexiness...woohoo) he is up to his old antics again creating a masterful dessert called none other than.....Galaktoboureko...do not ask me to pronounce this...all I know is it looks gooooooooooooooodddd.  A few will get to taste this masterpiece tomorrow at my place of work...hint hint and at Master Dominick's school.  I will take a picture of it and look forward to your comments tomorrow!!!  Hasta pronto!

Suppose to look like this once its done:

https://www.facebook.com/TheColonialBedandBreakfastAtStamfordNY

Chef Johnas was singing and dancing to this video while he prepared his masterpiece!!!

\

 

Here's a picture of his masterpiece, please comment!!!

Dedicated to St Mary J.....Chef Johnas strikes again

Chef Johnas strikes again...Chicken LaRissa was a hit...he has mastered this dish...he has also mastered his Seafood bisque....one of the greatest sense we take for granted is our ability to taste.  But when Chef Johnas cooks these two dishes...they wake up your tastebuds like no other food. We had the honor of sharing the chicken with St Mary and Sister C...I observed their proud and pleasantly surprised expressions while they indulged in this fine dish...and Chef Johnas just beemed as he got the approval from his most favorite person in the world, his mom (St Mary).  So much of his personality goes into the Chicken LaRissa...one thing that certainly stands out is the amazingly unforgetable flavor...he and this dish are certainly memorable and like nothing you have ever encountered.  Cheers to Chef Johnas!!!  I am looking forward to having him share this dish here at The Colonial B&B at Stamford NY....come join us....won't you?

Vicky and Glen Joshpe were our dinner guests here at the Colonial B&B at Stamford NY, last evening. As former owners of the Colonial,  with their vast knowledge of the history of the home and surrounding area, this made for one intriguing and entertaining dinner. The menu started out with the seafood bisque, followed by a  house salad, then onto the main course, Chicken Larissa, the Colonials signature dish. The meal was finished with the Carribean favorite, flan, for dessert. It was a joy to cook this menu for the Joshpes, they were astonished by the cuisine they were witnessing first hand, which was very evident from the onset of the meal till the last course was served, by their ohh's and ahh's. Looking forward, we would love to recreate this atmosphere for our guests and be able to share some of the history that we have learned of the Colonial, thanks to The Joshpe's.

Fall is in the air

Coming home from work the other night I had noticed some trees had already started to change their color, subtly, but enough to notice at 40 mph. Climbing back up these mountains each night I notice the sun sitting lower in the sky, and just like clockwork the end of the 8th month of the year brings with it the cooler nights. We've had our long days of humidity and drought-like conditions, and like it or not we are heading towards the cooler seasons. I think its safe to say most people enjoy this transition season called autumn. Apple pie, the first fire in the fireplace, carving pumpkins and a nice piping hot bowl of someones version of chili. Fall is in the air, here at the Colonial B&B at Stamford NY, and we are welcoming it in like a close friend we haven't seen in a while. And why not, the autumn season brings with it a warm feeling of memories of the past the happenings of the present and the good fortunes to come. Take hold of this beautiful season and enjoy what it has to offer.

Tonight...poor man's pasta red sauce with Chicken francese

Feel a little on the lazy side today, so making a simple yet yummy meal for my guys (Michael and Dominick).  This time I will take a photo and post it and will let the men put their two cents as to whether its good or not....(they better say it is...;)

TPs Cafe (in Stamford, NY) block party...what a weekend...

TPs block party...what a weekend...

This has been the annual event to attend...great food from TPs...great ambiance, musicians from all over come perform live from the early afternoon thru to the late evening...live music, good food and a lot of happy people...whats icing to this day...all lodging was booked solid!!!  Nice all around for everyone.  We had a great group of families stay at our B&B...what an experience!!  Hopeful they liked their accommodations, food and hospitality....definitely a learning experience for Michael and I as new Innkeepers....we could not have pulled it together had it not been for.....
Dominick Parker - (thanks kiddo for all your hard work and patience)
Luke Johnas - ( Gracias Senor Lavanjero....really appreciate your patience and hard work...miss you already..)
Penny DeVita - (thank you for the extra cot...OMG!)
Elliot Wentworth -  Your handiwork and timeliness...wow!  Thank you, you rock buddy.
Emily Wentworth - the Cleaning diva!!!!  You are so hired!!!!  Quick and thorough...got to love it!!! Awesome kiddo!!!!
Nicholas DeVita - my other son from another mother...thank you for your diligent work at installing the air conditioning unit....Thank you...You and Elliott interior decorators????? ;)

Here's a pic of our guest this weekend....looks like they enjoyed their breakfast...hopefully they enjoyed some of the other food available at the Colonial B&B at Stamford NY

Cooking with Michael and Flerida: Filet Mignon Pt 1

Cooking with Michael and Flerida: Filet Mignon Pt 1: We are so excited over all the possibilities our business presents.  Lots of decisions to make $$$, but we will tackle them one at a time.  ...

Filet Mignon Pt 1

We are so excited over all the possibilities our business presents.  Lots of decisions to make $$$, but we will tackle them one at a time.  Bed sheets, food, food allergies, fun snacks for guests with children... all while trying to keep balance in life...our families, our boys, us...never met a man who can multi task...but Johnas is doing a pretty good job!  We stay up thinking about signature dishes for The Colonial B&B at Stamford, NY....every at home meal is an adventure to find what we can wow our guest with....we better fit in some daily exercise soon...tomorrow's journey...Filet Mignon in Cabernet sauce over pasta with our secret sauce (girl's got to have a few secrets...) if I wow Mr. Johnas tomorrow with this dinner, I will take a photo of it and post it on tomorrow's blog and maybe include this dish at a Colonial B&B at Stamford, NY brunch.

Hasta pronto!
Santana

Starting a new Bed and Breakfast

Bienvenido, Michael and I are so excited that you have joined us on our Bed and Breakfast journey, thank you.  We will use this blog to give you an inside look of what it is to run a bed and breakfast, recipes we will be sharing with our guests, and keeping you abreast of the current events happening in the surrounding area.  Please join us.  Feel free to recommend a recipe, you never know, we might incorporate it in our menu and have people vote on it.
www.TheQueenofTheCatskills.com