March 7, 2019
Beating the Winter Blues
The long, cold, snowy winter this year has created more cabin fever than I recall from years past. This prompted me to think about what I could share with our blog readers. The following is a couple of things we have done to beat the winter blues this year.
READING
When it’s cold outside all I want to do is stay inside and cuddle up with a blanket, hot chocolate and a good book. Recently I read Origins by Dan Brown (author of The DaVinci Code). It was great, I stayed up way too late a few nights while reading it. One of my favorite places to read is sitting in the window seat of the front parlor. It’s also a pleasure for me to see Kodi, our dog, curled up on his pillow in front of me by our fireplace in the innkeeper’s quarters while I read.
Keith has also been reading a lot more during these cold winter days. He appeared captivated with The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (winner of the 2016 Hugo Award), which was a birthday gift from our son. Currently he is enjoying Personal, a Jack Reacher thriller by Lee Child. He commented that it is a real page-turner and he will likely get a couple more Jack Reacher novels from the library.
A good and easy read allows me to relax. Reading also occasionally spurs some time for thoughtful reflection, something I don’t always get to do during the busy-ness of most days.
FINGER KNITTING
During this cold weather I also kept myself entertained by trying a new craft, finger knitting. It was pretty fun and an easy way to knit a winter scarf. I recently learned about this “knitting without needles” and, although it does take special yarn, it was a fun craft to try (especially for this gal who cannot get the hang of knitting with needles).
DEVELOPING NEW RECIPES
Keith and I also like to take this slower time of the year to try new recipes for breakfast. Of course the perks of this activity is we get to eat them too! As we try out new recipes we love to try twists on our old favorites as well. We’d like to share one of the “twists” with you based off a guest favorite, Havarti Dill Eggs. Keith has served this new twist to a few guests already with very favorable reviews.
Greek Shirred Eggs
This recipe is for a single serving. 5 minutes prep time, 15 minute bake time.
Ingredients:
1 T butter
1 T Half-n-Half
2 eggs
Greek seasoning- to taste
2 T Feta Cheese or more-or-less to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Melt the butter in an oval ramekin dish (16oz). Add half-n-half. Carefully add 2 eggs (do not break the yolk). Sprinkle Greek seasoning and feta cheese crumbles over the top. Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until yolk is no longer runny (10-12 minutes if you prefer runny yolks).
Serve with toasted pita bread (or your favorite toasted bread), Bacon or ham, and fruit of choice for a wonderful, protein-filled complete meal. Enjoy!
SERVING OUR GUESTS
Of course we also enjoy just assisting our guests and helping them relax. We are especially proud when our guests tell us how much they enjoyed just relaxing a day or two at the Inn. With some of the cold and snow this winter, we found more guests staying at the Inn and reading, playing games, and watching movies or favorite shows via the wifi. Our favorite time is when we can converse with the guests as they linger over breakfast and have an extra cup of coffee or tea. These happen most often on days when none of us are in a hurry to go out into the cold. So if you need a break, or just want to get out of the house for a day or two, we’d love to have you stay with us here at the Franklin Street Inn Bed and Breakfast.