An interview with the Innkeepers of The 1806 Inn at Mount Sunapee

When asked what their favorite thing about owning a B&B, Bill replies, "Creating a business on our property where none previously existed and having it grow each year." He comments, “Now I know what it means to give birth.”  To which Karen, mother of twin boys, responds, “No you don’t”!  Bill says, "The icing on the cake with running a successful B&B is the opportunity to meet interesting people from all over the world.  We have had guests from France, Italy, Holland, Israel, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Austria, England, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, Russia, Ukraine, Japan, China, India, and South Korea."

Bill and Karen started their B&B from scratch nearly 5 years ago because they wanted to do something together in their retirement. Before owning a B&B, Bill worked for an insurance company for 29 years and Karen was retired from teaching.  In their first retirement, they ran a successful bookstore for 7 years.  This is their second retirement.  "And, we are still having fun!" comments Karen.

Karen says, "In the summer, the most challenging thing about running our B&B is keeping the lavish gardens weeded and watered.  In the winter, being located directly beside Mount Sunapee, finding a place to put all the snow." But it's not all work and no play. They both enjoy reading the books from the Inn’s extensive library when it's quiet and they often travel to visit family in Europe.

Karen mentions that their B&B has a great advantage locally in it that makes the area a great place to visit because of their proximity to Mount Sunapee and the State Beach on Lake Sunapee.  Guests come to the 1806 Inn because of the location and reasonable rates.   Many guests return because of their positive experience the first time.

Bill says, "We welcome our guests by name and assure them that we are close enough to attend to their needs, but far enough away to insure their privacy." He continues, "All kinds of people come to stay with us, e.g. newlyweds, business travelers, those attending family reunions, international guests, skiers, hikers, and wedding party members and guests."

At the 1806 Inn at Mount Sunapee, Bill is the chef.  Karen says she happily relinquishes that duty to Bill because too many cooks in the kitchen is not a good idea.   The other duties of running a full time bed and breakfast are shared equally by Bill and Karen.

Some of the nicer features of the 1806 Inn are the library, spacious great room, two gas fireplaces, and garden patio.  Karen says, "Often the reason the Inn has so many repeat guests, we are told, is because of the innkeepers themselves." And she continues, "We serve a complete breakfast everyday, not just on weekends.  We have a hot country breakfast, including eggs prepared to order, French toast, pancakes, sausage, and bacon.  Also, we provide a buffet table of breakfast item choices that are only limited by the size of the table.  After frequent visits to the Netherlands, we are looking forward to introducing a new recipe, Poffertjes, for breakfast."

Bill comments, "We would say to people who have never stayed in a B&B before, “Give it a try.  It is a unique experience because staying in a B&B affords the guests a more personal experience than a hotel.  It is an opportunity for guests to meet new people and make new friends.  We often see some of our guests, after a few days visit, swapping email addresses, telephone numbers, and business cards for continued contact."

http://www.1806inn.com

Now is the perfect time to visit NH, 77th Annual NH League of Craftsmen’s Fair

The 77th Annual NH League of Craftsmen’s Fair is coming up August 7-15, 2010 and the NH Country Inns group offers the perfect selection of B&Bs from which to base your stay from. 

To see our inns, please visit: http://www.nhcountryinns.com/id19.htm

The League of NH Craftsmen's Fair is one of the finest, most prestigious craft events in the country today. This annual nine-day event features both traditional and contemporary fine craft work by juried members of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen.

Shop more than 200 individual craft booths featuring jewelry, wood accessories, decorative glass, pottery, fiber arts, metalwork, furniture, prints, and more.

Enjoy a variety of daily Performing Arts by some of New England's finest musicians, storytellers and theater groups.

See the Print Exhibition featuring a selection of the finest prints in a variety of techniques.

Scooter Rentals will be available at the Fair. Beginning July 20th, you may reserve a scooter in advance by calling the Fair Office at 603-763-2416. 

For more information visit: http://www.nhcrafts.org/craftsmens_fair/fair_home.html

Sunapee View Bed and Breakfast Stuffed French Toast

An original recipe from Sunapee View Bed and Breakfast
I have always loved the sounds of stuffed French toast, but tasting this has always left me wanting for a little different texture or a more exciting flavor. After sampling many varieties of baked, grilled and soaked overnight dishes, I decided to come up with my own.

Sunapee View Bed and Breakfast Stuffed French Toast

Fruit:

• 2-3 sliced strawberries per person
• 2-3 sliced bananas per person
• 4-5 slices of above for garnishing
• Cream filling:
• 1-8 ounce block of 1/3 less fat cream cheese
• ½ cup greek (or other thick) vanilla yogurt

Optional: A little extra vanilla, ½ tsp. nutmeg, zest of orange or lemon, 1 T. honey
Whip together and refrigerate until ready to use

Egg dip:

• 2 eggs per person
• About ½ cup half and half (or milk) per person
• Cinnamon to taste
• Vanilla

Whip together and refrigerate until ready to use
Bread: 2 slices per person
Store bought soft Italian bread works fine, but use whatever is your preference when making standard French toast. Slice the bread no more than an inch as you will be doubling it in the end.

Directions:

• Put a generous piece of butter on the hot griddle and let it melt.
• Dip both sides of bread in the egg mix, letting it sit a minute to soak up the liquid.
• Lay out 2 pieces of drenched French toast for each person and flip ½ of them when they are golden.
• Spread a heaping tablespoon of cream cheese mix on the toasted side of each piece of bread, spread it and sprinkle fruit on top of this.
• Place remaining toast, grilled side down over the fruit.
• When the bottom is golden, flip over the "sandwich" as you would a grilled cheese.
• Serve garnished with some fruit, sprinkled with some confectioner's sugar and offer warm maple syrup on the side (NH Maple of course!)

This looks as beautiful as it tastes!

Sunapee View Bed and Breakfast

http://www.sunapeeviewinn.com

Dutch Apple Pancakes from the Follansbee Inn

Note: This recipe is for one 12" pancake, which makes 8 slices.  Use a non-stick ovenable fry pan. (Available at specialty kitchen or restaurant supply stores).

4 Tablespoons butter

2 Large Granny Smith Apples,

cored, peeled and cut into 1/4" slices

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 Tablespoons Sugar

5 Tablespoons butter, melted

5 Eggs

1 1/4 cup milk

1 1/4 cup Flour

1 1/4 teaspoon Salt

Confectioner's sugar for presentation

 

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  

Spray an ovenproof 12" fry pan that has non-stick coating with vegetable spray (or grease pan lightly). In another fry pan over medium heat, melt 4 Tablespoons of butter.  Add apple slices, cinnamon & sugar, stirring occasionally until apples begin to soften & brown, 5-6 minutes.  Set aside.

In a bowl, beat eggs with a whisk.  Add milk and whisk mixture until blended.  Sift flour and salt into egg mixture & whisk just until blended.  Melt remaining 5 Tablespoons butter.  Add to flour-egg mixture and whisk briskly until smooth.  

Pour batter into prepared pan and arrange apples evenly over batter (it looks very nice if you spiral the apple slices in a circle).  

Bake until pancake is browned and puffed up, about 30 - 35 minutes.  

To Present:  Remove from oven, dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately with maple syrup.  

Note:  DO NOT PEEK 25 minutes.  These pancakes "deflate" immediately upon hitting the colder air, forming the bowl shaped effect.  It is what they are supposed to do.  They also do not rise until the last 10 or 15 minutes.  

Variations:  

German Pancake.  Make the batter only, omitting the apple-cinnamon mixture.  After the pancake is finished baking, serve with fresh lemon slices or lemon juice on the side, and heavily sprinkled with confectioner's sugar.

Bavarian Pancake.  Add dried fruit, such as raisins, currants or cranberries to the apple-cinnamon mixture.

Summer Pancake.  Make the batter only, omitting the apple-cinnamon mixture.  After the pancake is finished baking and has cooled slightly to its "bowl shape" add mixed berries, such as strawberries, blueberries and raspberries into the "bowl" of the pancake and then sprinkle with confectioner's sugar or top with whipped cream.

 

Follansbee Inn on Kezar Lake 

Website: http://www.follansbeeinn.com

An interview with the Innkeepers of Shaker Hill Bed and Breakfast, Enfield, NH

Nancy and Allen  Smith own the Shaker Hill B&B, they are members of The Country Inns of the Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee Region, http://www.nhcountryinns.com and the New Hampshire Bed and Breakfast Association,  http://www.nhbba.com, two B&B associations I work with located in New Hampshire.

Nancy and Allen both originally worked for the federal government, Allen spent 36 years with the US Forest Service, and Nancy worked at the Environmental Protection Agency for the last 11 years of her career. They both thought that they would like to own a B&B and started keeping an eye out for one toward the end of their careers. They found a property in the winter of 1996, under a mound of snow, and decided to take the plunge. They did major renovations while still living in Virginia and have been working on building gardens and “finishing” (Says Nancy,”An oxymoron if anyone has ever heard one!“) the B&B ever since.

Allen says, “When guests ask us how we came to settle in Enfield New Hampshire, we often reply, “We were looking in Pennsylvania and turned left one day….and have never looked back.” This is closer to the truth than you would believe; we had both been working in the DC area and often vacationed in PA but 12 years ago found our way to the Upper Connecticut River Valley and found home.”

The B&B is a 1793 traditional colonial home, which is in very good condition considering its age. They have tried to be true to its history in anything they have done. The house is built on the site of an earlier home – one that burned in the 1780′s and which had served as the meeting house for the Enfield Shakers prior to their moving to the other side of Mascoma Lake. The current structure was changed over the years as ownership changed hands – an ell was added in the 1850′s to accommodate a growing family. Over the years it was converted into apartments. Nancy and Allen have re-opened the lower part of the house and have renovated the small apartment, which they rent out, usually short term.

When Allen and Nancy first arrived in May 1998, they started decorating and furnishing and were able to open for business with a full house on October 1of that year; it was Dartmouth Homecoming. Nancy says, “Talk about baptism by fire! We have learned a lot over the years and have met such wonderful people that we have absolutely no regrets about our decision – in fact, it is hard to think of ever not greeting and meeting folks as we think of the future. If there is one downside to this business it has to be that you can’t “go home after a bad day at work.” This is a 24 hr. job and you have to like it.”

One source of relief for the innkeepers are their two Vizsla dogs – Willie and Ben. “They are a constant source of delight – for us and for our guests. I often think that they should have their own web site!”
Nancy mentions, “We have learned how to balance our time, we actually do get in an occasional round of golf together and manage to take advantage of other offerings in the Upper Valley. We have added a little golf green which means that we can practice a bit even when we can’t get out to play. I’m an avid gardener, we have built extensive gardens and actually have plans for another.” She exclaims, “Time does get to be the enemy where gardening is concerned, those weeds are much more persistent than I would have thought!”

She says “There are so many things to do in the area: farmers’ markets to theater and opera, to numerous historic sites – that we are never at a loss for things to do. We try to get out and see some of the lesser known spots so that we can direct our guests to these hidden treasures.”

Nancy and Allen have five children – all located somewhere else (Nancy says, “Its a good reason to travel every now and then“). Their oldest three, and all of their five grandkids, are well settled in Albuqerque, NM; their “baby” is trying to make her mark in the “triangle” area of North Carolina, and their special daughter lives in Virginia. They usually try to travel to see most of them, but welcome them “home” any time they can get here.

Allen says, “We try to make each guests stay a special one – whether it is a birthday, anniversary, parent visit or just a get-away. That personal touch is what sets us apart. We love to share our experiences with guests. We really love being inn keepers – it offers a wonderful chance to meet interesting people and keeps us young – I think. “

Shaker Hill Bed and Breakfast http://www.shakerhill.com

Cruising Lake Sunapee

Romance on the Lake package is from June thru Labor Day Weekend--Tuesday thru Sunday. Before you travel over to Sunapee Harbor for your dinner cruise, enjoy a leisurely stroll through the gardens and house of the John Hay Estate. Continuing down the road, it's over to Sunapee Harbor as you set sail on the MV Kearsarge for a scrumptious buffet. The captain will talk of the history, folklore and points of interest of this beautiful mountain lake as you cruise Lake Sunapee. As the evening starts to settle in, on shore comes the twinkling of lights as the lake owners start settling in for the night. For more information on this package or other packages, call or email the Candlelite Inn.

 

Marilyn Gordon
Candlelite Inn
5 Greenhouse Lane
Bradford NH 03221
888-812-5571
www.candleliteinn.com
Elegant, yet warm & friendly

4th of July at the Candlelite Inn

Celebrate the 4th this year here at the Inn. I've been told by the Independence Day Committee that it's going to be better than last year. There's something for everyone--chicken BBQ, craft fair, roast beef dinner, band concert--and that is just a sampling. Grab a chair or sit on the curb as you did when you were a kid and enjoy the parade. When evening settles in, enjoy a fantastic display of fireworks--popcorn included. Back in the Inn waiting is an array of delectable desserts. Festivities will be held July 2nd & 3rd. Call for more information. Rooms still available.

 

Marilyn Gordon
Candlelite Inn
5 Greenhouse Lane
Bradford NH 03221
888-812-5571
www.candleliteinn.com
Elegant, yet warm & friendly