Happy Spring, and a few words

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!" ~Robin Williams

I've been making Meyer Lemon Marmalade

The deer are out every day now that Spring is here.

Around here we've been working on the vegetable garden, getting it ready to plant. I've also been learning about making cheese, I've made cottage cheese, mascarpone cheese and ricotta. I've talked about them on my radio program on Beyond The Ordinary Internet Radio. I gave the instructions on my baking and cooking blog, so if you click on each cheese, it will take you to the recipe.

By the way, if you haven't already listened to BTO, I recommend it highly. I learn so much by listening to their programming. You can listen live for free, or if you become a member you can have access to the archives. Something I believe is really worth it. I don't get anything for saying this, it's what's true for me. I've listened to them and been a member even before I moved here, and it really helped me learn a lot. I enjoy listening to RSE teachers, Greg Simmons, and Dr. Karriem Ali. It's almost like being at an event, hearing their great knowledge on different subjects.

The best thing of all about BTO is they play Ramtha teachings every Wednesday. So if you live far from the school with little access to DVD's and CD's, like I did, it's a tremendous resource. They play a different teaching each week. So no matter where you are, near or far, it's a great thing.

See a list of all of their many and varied guests here at their meet our guests page.





Beautiful organic carrots I turned into this
carrot cake breakfast rice.

Strawberry Cheesecake Mousse

Pink Cupcakes and

Orange Mascarpone Tart

If you are looking for a place to stay for an upcoming event, please see the details in the sidebar. We would love to have you! It's never too early to make reservations. We have just a few rooms, so we fill up fast.

Japan, My Perspective

Last night Saturday March 26th, I watched the streaming event with JZ, from the Primary event. She started it off by speaking about the elegance of the Japanese culture. This is something that has been on my mind lately, even before last night. I watched a news program of an American man who previously lived in Japan, speak about the culture and how that comes in to play during events like these. He happened to be there during another devastating event, and that in the area where he lived, there were 2 reported robberies. The police investigated. The first crime, a bicycle was missing. Oh, but by the time they got there it had been returned, turns out someone needed to borrow it to rescue somebody. Now for robbery number 2. The police investigated, a shop owner had some items stolen. His words were, "oh, but you don't understand, the person who took these items was a foreigner."

The American's children went to school in Japan. There are no substitute teachers there. If a teacher is sick, the students take care of themselves by doing their lesson plan unsupervised.

My husband saw on the news, an electronics shop owner taking the inventory out of his store after the earthquake. He placed TV's, computers, cameras, and other various electronics on the sidewalk outside of his store.The items just sitting there on the street so they wouldn't get damaged. No one paid any attention. Like a no thing, all of these valuables on the street.

Here's to you, the people of Japan. You are beautiful. You have been a lesson to me.

I focus for your well being.

With Love,

Melissa

The Imagine Inn Has Re-Opened!

a beautiful February day

Greetings! It is my great pleasure to announce that we have re-opened our doors as a bed and breakfast!

We took a break for about a year, but now we're back in full swing.

During the break I focused on cooking and creating recipes for my food blog, The Alchemist. Which is good news for our guests, because the food here is better than ever!

homemade cinnamon rolls






we always have a great selection at breakfast, today we had  bacon, homemade blueberry muffins, homemade cinnamon rolls, fruit and whipped cream, spinach cheese quiche, and potatoes. We have different choices every day, and we cater to our guests dietary needs


So if you are attending an upcoming event, we'd love to have you stay with us!

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Email us at imagineinn@aol.com

I look forward to seeing you!

Melissa

We have Chickens!

We are happy to announce that we are the proud owners of 10 laying hens! Having the fresh eggs every morning is a real treat. I love watching them. They really have distinct personalities, just like any pet would. I am really enjoying having them.

I look forward to raising other farm animals, perhaps a cow or two, I'd love a horse, and maybe even turkeys! One of our next projects is to build a big barn to house them all.

Where we retrieve the eggs

On the right is the hen house

Inside their new home

Outside foraging for food

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

We want to sincerely wish everyone a wonder-filled joyous Christmas spent with those you love.

Sincerely,

Melissa and Frederick

Happy Harvest Time!

It's that time of year! Our fall weather has started here in the Pacific Northwest. The air is cool and crisp and it's harvest time. It's a great time of year.
I'm fortunate to have received an abundance of grapes from a friend. I've been making lots of jelly! I've also been making many yummy goodies with apples. I even picked some apples from a wild tree on the road, ah, the pleasures of living in the country.

I've made about 15 jars of grape jelly in the past few days!

We're still offering a complimentary jar of your choice of the many jams and jellies we've made here when you stay with us (through the end of 2008).

We still have availability for the November all group Follow Up. Reserve your room soon, we'd love to hear from you!

Breadmaking for beginners

Irish Soda Bread

“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.” -James Beard

I love bread, and I love baking breads of all kinds. Of course, I love eating delicious bread, that goes without saying, but baking bread is a whole experience. It's getting your hands dirty, and being a part of the bread when you knead it, and the smell it imparts on your kitchen, is nothing short of heaven.

Unfortunately, many good cooks find bread making elusive. While it is an art, it is also an exact science. If you add too much or too little of this or that, it may result in disaster. Whereas with cooking a stew, you add what suits you, or what you think it needs. A luxury not afforded to the baker.

Well, I'm here to say give it a try! Once you get good at it and find a recipe you like, you may be like a friend of mine who bakes 6 loaves of Italian bread at once and freezes what she won't use within a few days.

Irish soda bread is a good bread to try if you've never baked bread. The recipe is simple and straightforward, even a child could manage it. It has no yeast, and unlike most breads, once you get the ingredients together, you bake it right away, there's no waiting.
The breads crust is coarse and firm, the inside is dense and moist. It lends itself particularly well

to mopping up soup or stew, or simply toasted with butter.

Here's a recipe I use. (Most recipes call for buttermilk, I prefer using yogurt)
Irish Soda Bread
This recipe makes 1 loaf a little over a pound and a half
1 cup all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons cold butter, cut in small pieces
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup oats, old fashioned, or quick, (not instant)
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
Milk if needed
1. Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl mix all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until fine crumbs form. Stir in whole wheat and oats.
2. Add yogurt, stir gently. If mixture is too dry to hold together, stir in milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, just until dough holds together. It should not be sticky.
3. Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead gently 5 times to make a ball. Set onto lightly greased baking sheet, or baking sheet lined with a Silpat liner, or parchment paper.
Pat dough into a 7 inch circle. With a knife cut a large x on top of loaf.
4. Bake in 375 degree oven until well browned, about 45 minutes.
Cool on a rack.

"[Breadbaking is] one of those almost hypnotic businesses, like a dance from some ancient ceremony. It leaves you filled with one of the world's sweetest smells...there is no chiropractic treatment, no Yoga exercise, no hour of meditation in a music-throbbing chapel. that will leave you emptier of bad thoughts than this homely ceremony of making bread.

"M. F. K. Fisher, The Art of Eating

mixing in the butter

Step 2, the dough was dry, I needed to add exactly 2 teaspoons of milk here

before going in the oven

Dig in!

So you want to try your hand at bread making of all kinds? If you are going to bake, you need a good recipe. So here are some reliable sources for bread making.

For recipes

Bob's Red Mill. This is a good site for all types of bread, including ones made with different grains, they also have gluten free recipes.

King Arthur flour. There is also a lot of reliable recipes on this site.

How To

Baking 911 is a wonderful source of information.

Troubleshooting for homemade bread baking

Troubleshooting for bread machine bread making

We're Jammin!

Rose petal jelly

It's that time of year again, when fruit is falling off trees, and zucchini is growing to be the size of torpedoes, of course this could only mean one thing: it's time for canning! If you are under 30, you might have seen your mother or grandmother do it, either to preserve garden grown vegetables for eating in Winter, or making jams and jellies from fruit grown on overflowing fruit trees. I plan on canning all types of food, but for now, it's lots of jams, jellies, preserves and butters of all kinds. I started when peaches, nectarines and plums were on sale at the local market I decided to make jam. After I tasted the fresh, delicious flavor that homemade jam offers, I vowed never to eat store bought again. As I searched for recipes for common jams for the fruit I purchased, I came across a whole lot of unusual jam and jelly recipes I just had to try.

Here are a few.

Rose Petal Jelly

There was the rose petal jelly, I have a wonderful rose garden, so I figured I already have the ingredients, so I made jelly. I like the taste of rosewater in desserts, so I think it's a winner.

our rose garden

chunky nectarine jam and peach jam

homemade bread... Yum

With all of this jam making of course we had to have fresh homemade bread to eat with it. I just love homemade bread. It makes the house smell wonderful.

apple pie jam

I was gifted with a whole lot of apples from a woman that has a 100 year old apple tree! Wow, does that tree produce tons of apples. I was fortunate enough to take home four bags of them.

kiwi daiquiri jam

I made kiwi daiquiri jam. This was surprisingly super delicious. It's tart, with a hint of lime. I think it's divine.

carrot cake jam

The carrot cake jam I made from home grown carrots. It has carrots, pineapple, pear and spices in it. Frederick really likes this. Which is not surprising because he loves carrot cake.

chamomile lavender jelly

I have lavender growing in our rose garden so I made this chamomile lavender jelly. This is delicate and yummy. The chamomile pairs very nicely with the lavender. This with the rose jelly would be nice with a scone at an afternoon tea party.

I have about 10 different types of jams and jellies in my refrigerator right now! I had a guest recently try all of them on her toast with breakfast. I let her take home her favorite. Now you can too!

From now until the end of the year 2008 I will be giving each guest one jar of their favorite jam or jelly with our compliments!

If you are attending one of the fall follow ups, make your reservations soon, while we still have some availability.