A Fun Way to Scoot Around Lancaster

If you want to see the back roads of Lancaster County, but you think riding on the train is too fast,  traveling by buggy is too slow, and parking the car can be too much trouble ...

then a scooter may be just the right speed and size!

You can stop anywhere you want - to get a close-up of the cows, shop in town, or grab an ice cream cone. 

First you need to pick a color you like.

Marc will explain everything you need to know.

 Then you need to grab some friends and head for the back roads of Lancaster County.

We tried it and sure had fun!   Guests of The Artist's Inn enjoy a special discount with Strasburg Scooters.  We think you'll like it!

The Secret Behind Innkeepers' Great Breakfasts….

Part of why the food tastes so good at bed and breakfasts is because it looks so nice.  Most innkeepers know how to create wonderful food with fresh local ingredients.  They dress it up, serve it in a beautiful atmosphere….and voila - guests feel pampered!

Certainly garnishing plays an important role – as does an accessible herb garden.  But most innkeepers  I know have great stuff.  From beautiful linens to quirky serving dishes, B&Bs set a table that matches their excellence in the kitchen.

So….what do two innkeepers from Lancaster County do when they get a rare day off?  Well, go shopping for more stuff, of course.  That’s just what Lynne Griffin (of the Australian Walkabout) and I did.  I discovered Marlyand China years ago.  They used to sell only wholesale, but have now opened up their showroom and website so that you, too, can enjoy all that great china you find at The Artist's Inn.

This is the overstock room - a treasure trove of vases, dishes, cups and platters.

I don't often use them for breakfast, but I have the covered casseroles,

several of the pitchers, and the platters on the bottom shelf.

Although the showroom is small, we managed to fill several bags full of great "stuff". My friends are usually more organized than I am; Lynne's the one that marked the boxes so that we could get everything back to the right inn.

The folks at Marylnad China are very helpful trying to wedge fragile packages into a small car.

Whether you need platters for your muffins,

berry bowls for fresh fruit,

serving dishes for jam,

or a tea set for your Babymoon package, you can fine all that and more at one of my favorite "secret" shopping places, Maryland China.

Just in time for Easter – Cheesecake with Warm Spiced Plums

Last night we invited friends over for dinner.  I made an Indian dish that we love, Tikka Masala and, because it has a bit of a bite to it, I wanted a creamy but not-too-sweet dessert.  I decided on a cheesecake – and combined several recipes to come up with this one.  I hope you like it.  It would be a perfect ending to an Easter dinner……and you just might find it at our Easter celebration this weekend.

Crust:

1 ¾ cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 stick melted butter

Combine dry ingredients, add butter, and press down in a 9-inch pie pan.

Filling:

1 egg
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup sour cream
8 oz. cream cheese
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Put first four ingredients in blender and liquefy for 30 seconds.  With the blender running, slowly add cream cheese in chunks.  Stop now and then to scrape blender.  Add melted butter. 

Pour into crust and refrigerate for about an hour.

Bake at 325 for about 35 minutes.

Chill until set.

Warm Spiced Plums:

Just before serving, clean and slice four plums.  Sauté in a small pan with 3 tablespoons of sugar, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ cup water.  Stir until the plums are soft and the sugar makes a nice sauce.

Spoon over cheesecake.

Serves 8 – 10.

Enjoy!

That's a Whole Lot of Bananas!

Just three miles from the inn lies a food lover’s dream. 

Shady Maple. 

It’s the largest smorgasbord in Lancaster County.  In a county that has quite a few PA Dutch restaurants, that’s saying something!  Here are the numbers:  40 items on the salad bar, 7 meats, 14 vegetables and over 25 desserts.

Each day of the week features a different highlight.  Tuesday is seafood night – a favorite of our guests. 

Our advice is to go hungry and get the roast beef, broasted chicken and dried corn.  We can’t get enough of these!  A smorgasbord is also an opportunity to try some Pennsylvania Dutch foods that you might be curious about – like chow-chow, chicken-corn chowder, pepper cabbage, and shoofly pie.

Though it’s big – I recently learned that it’s the largest one on the east coast, (last year they fed 1,345,000 people), they do a great job of keeping it very clean.  And you’ll never feel rushed.

Shady recently earned a plaque from Sight and Sound Theaters announcing that they are the dining choice of their customers.  Speaking of numbers, that’s a lot of folks as well!

Our guests not only enjoy the enormous buffet, but the gift shop and farm market too. 

And what a farm market it is.  Shady makes its own sausages - we serve the sundried tomato and basil chicken sausage at breakfast.  It has a large bakery section (try the gourmet peach bread) and even carry gluten-free whoopie pies.  Shady buys fresh local produce from our local farmers auction (just outside of Terre Hill).   

And, best of all, Shady Maple is very good to the community, supporting a lot of local charities.  So the money stays locally rather than benefiting some huge company out in Arkansas. 

I was at a luncheon recently and learned that Shady’s two biggest sellers are donuts (they sold one million last year) and bananas -  over 600,000 lbs. - that’s more than the 30,000 in Harry Chapin’s song!

So the next time you find yourself in Lancaster County and craving either a banana or donut, you now know where to go!

Inn with the Old!

Most folks love new things and I am no exception, especially if it’s a gadget for the kitchen or pair of shoes.  But what really makes my heart beat fast is something old.  Something that has stood the test of time, been loved and cared for and has a well-worn patina.

Bruce was brought up in a household that always loved antiques.  But I didn't have much exposure to them until I met him.  And so a whole new world opened up when we started dating.  And my love affair with all things old is still going strong.

Friends were visiting last weekend.  They started out as guests in 2002, and after spending many weekends antique shopping, we have become friends.  These are dangerous folks because they have elevated the art of buying antiques to a level of incredible taste and style.  They asked us to go to the VillageBarn Antique Shop in nearby Churchtown.  While we had been there before, they said that the quality of the antiques was remarkable.  And so we innocently set out for a quick visit.

And there it was.  Across the room.  It was love at first sight.

Bruce and I have always wanted a grandfather clock, and we could kick ourselves for passing one up at auction several years ago.  They seem such a distant relative from the modern high-tech digital clock. And to have one that is beautiful, functional and patiently ticks - a piece of furniture instead of an accessory.

And so we talked....well, not for long.  But we did try to learn what we could.  

It was made in 1820 in Philadelphia by Thomas F. Joyce. This is the year that:

- Maine is admitted as the 23^rd state,
- Tomatoes are proven to be non-poisonous,
- Missouri imposes a $1 bachelor tax on unmarried men between 21 and 50, and
- 67 Philadelpians die of yellow fever in September.

A different time indeed.  You can't help but wonder who it was that first wound this clock.  And so it was decided, we'd take it home.  Now began the process of taking it apart,

inluding the pendulum

the weights

and the face.  We learned how to set it, wind it,

and level it. 

We finally welcomed it to The Artist's Inn!

with plenty of ceiling space

Not in the market for a clock?  No problem.  The Village Barn is only ten minutes from the inn, is open every day but Tuesday and Wednesday and has so many wonderful items.   It's located in a restored century old tobacco warehouse in Lancaster County.

We’ve bought several antiques before, but on my list right now are:

An adorable French lunchbox - the green one on the left

This antique tray

This really neat apple butter bucket (not sure what I'd do with it as it is REALLY big!)

and I loved these boots as well.  But our friends bought those, so I'll get to see them whenever we visit. Here are some more items that you might like!

But you are warned.  Visiting this shop may result in falling in love with something irresistable, something you may have never seen.....something old.

A Visit to The Mid-Atlantic Air Museum

It was a cold and windy day – a day when you’d prefer to stay inside.  Although sunny, the temperature was in the teens and the wind was unrelentless.  But we ventured out anyway and were so glad we did.
We drove north about half an hour from the inn....to the Mid-Atlatnic Air Musuem at Reading Regional Airport.  Part of their collection of planes is housed in a hangar that once served as the home of the 148^th Fighter Squadron.  WACs would fly the planes to Reading from all over the US. At least 24,000 bombers were built during the war years.  Other planes are parked on what they call the Ramp.  As we walked around the planes, our eyes teared from the wind and we rushed to move into the hangar.

There’s an assortment of planes, spanning eight decades, from small colorful ones hanging on the walls to airliners in the 50’s that are displayed outside.  Several planes are in various stages of restoration, including the Black Widow, which was recovered in New Guinea.

Most surprising to me was the silk material that covered the wings and body of several planes.  And the fact that you can look in and walk around the aircraft.

This was a look underneath!

Our guide was knowledgable and able to answer just about any question that our group threw his way. There was a huge TBM Avenger - it was designed so that the wings folded back to fit into tight spots.  This is the plane that President George H. W. Bush flew during WWII.

Our group couldn't help but be fascinated by the WWII planes - including the B-25J Mitchell, 'Briefing Time'.  There are bookcases full of memorabilia, pictures, and even bombs!

But the biggest event of the year occurs June 1, 2 and 3, 2012 with "A Gathering of Warbirds" as over 3,000 reenactors celebrate the 21st annual World War II Weekend. For more information, visit the website....and turn up the volume to enjoy the music!

As we went back into the museum to warm up, I couldn’t help but think of the thousands of people who flew and fought in the freezing cold during WWII...on days just as cold and windy as the one we experienced.  But unlike us, that great generation often didn't have the choice to warm up.

Greens at The Inn

Maybe it’s all the Christmases of past that were spent in Williamsburg.  Or the two trips to Germany and Austria when I fell in love with overstuffed window boxes.  Maybe it’s the fact that we live in an old house with original shutters and window boxes that my Dad made.  Whatever the reason, I have an overwhelming desire to hunt, gather and stuff this time of year…in a natural, green way.  I feel that we owe the window boxes some companionship through the cold winter months when they miss their summer flowers. 

As luck would have it, my neighbor cut down a large evergreen about a week ago.  Don't worry - it wasn't this magnificent tree.  We just borrowed a few branches from him.  My friend Karen and I made several runs with the wheelbarrow down Main Street…and she magically transported empty concrete urns into works of art in front of the inn.

 

 

 If you look around your yard, you may find the same – boxwoods that need to be thinned, scotch broom that should be cut closer to the ground so that it can withstand the harsh winter wind, holly trees that need shaping.  It doesn’t take the best or biggest branches to make fat overstuffed window boxes and they are simple to do.  Every scrawny twig finds its place to fill in the gaps.  Just be sure to push the branches in securely so that they won’t blow away. 

Boxwoods look great closer to the bottom and hollies are strong enough to stand proudly in the back.  The shapes provide enough contrast to make it interesting.  Water the dirt and your greens will stay fresh longer. 

The window boxes seem to dress the house for winter and, once snow nestles between the branches, I think they help insulate and keep the draft down.   A few beads, an occasional bird or decorative spray, wrapped by a ribbon and your house is decorated not only for Christmas, but will be looking good for several months to come.

In the summer, I love to throw open the windows and catch the breeze, but in winter, I feel comforted when I look out and the house is embraced by the branches in my window boxes!