There seems to be an increasing use of bacon in sweet dessert items like chocolate brownies. The combination of smokey, salty bacon with sweet, rich chocolate is better than it may sound at first. So, we thought it would be fun to try this pairing as part of our in room dinner . Pretty easy…
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Year-Round Seasonal Adventures
Top Things to do in West Michigan
Sourdough Bread
We make sourdough bread multiple times per week here at Castle in the Country from a starter that began life on April 15, 2005. It is used here for french toast, croutons, picnic baskets, dinners, breadcrumbs…very little goes to waste. I like the simplicity of ingredients: Flour, water, salt. I like the complexity of the…
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
We take our cues from the local seasonality for this excellent dessert. Here in our corner of West Michigan we are in that special time when the rhubarb is winding down and the strawberries are just beginning. The combination of rhubarb’s tart, almost astringent, flavor with the natural sweetness of strawberries is magical. Especially when…
Steak and Guinness Pub Pie
This hearty pub pie is made with beef tenderloin, enhanced with Guinness stout and thickened with sharp white cheddar cheese. The vegetables included are optional and can be varied based on seasonal availability: for example, I use frozen peas instead of beans in the winter/spring months. Just take the amount of cooking time each vegetable…
Chicken and White Wine Pub Pie
The addition of white wine adds a nice dimension of flavor to the sauce, use whatever you like:sweet, dry, sherry, whatever. The parsley and green beans can be substituted with what is available and in season. Ingredients: 1C Chicken Broth 2.5 lbs Chicken, cubed (Or 6-7 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves) 4T Butter 1 Onion,…
Stress Free Romantic Getaway
No matter what the economic news, couples who want to invest in their future know they need to take time to celebrate all the important events in their lives. Anniversaries, birthdays, babymoons and honeymoons are obvious reasons to treat yourselves to time away, but who has the time to research all the details necessary to…
Apple-Filled Croissants
The trick with croissants is keeping the butter from melting while working the dough. In this “quick” recipe, we cut a massive amount of butter into dry flour instead of softening it and spreading it over the rolled out flour. This allows us to immediately roll and fold instead of chilling the dough first. We…
Cranberry-Orange Muffins
Cranberry-Orange Muffins Fresh cranberries are available in late fall through the winter months. This recipe uses their tart flavor against what would be a typical sweet muffin. The combination of spices adds a holiday touch, the allspice/ginger combination being more traditional. Serves: 12 Ingredients: Dry: 2C All Purpose Flour 1T Baking Powder ½ t salt…