Dinner
When we travel to visit our daughter Amanda, her husband Steve and the twins we stop in Herkimer NY and spend a night or 2 there doing some “diamond” mining at the Herkimer Diamond Mine. But when we were there last year we heard about Beardslee Castle that was built in 1860 and has an interesting history including tales of ghosts and spirits. Beardslee Castle is located just ten minutes from where we stay at 123 old state road in Little Falls NY.
This castle is just stunning inside and out. There are 5 Intimate dining rooms one with a 6-foot fireplace. There is a “dungeon” located downstairs with a cozy bar and grill featuring a casual menu, also downstairs is the “wine” room with a gated “cell” with a hand-painted vine mural on the ceiling.
We sat upstairs near the large fireplace. We were seated with menus and had warm bread with hummus and an olive tapenade to start.
Next, we all had a seasonal salad with greens, pumpkin seeds, and red onion. The one thing about Beardslee Castle Restaurant is that they source much of the products local and not only does the menu change seasonally but also weekly depending on what is fresh, available and in the season so although I’m showing you our dinner it’s likely they may not have these items on any given night. We went in late August.
My Mom, Lydia ordered a mushroom ravioli dish. If you like mushrooms this is the dish to get. I mean really….look at all those mushrooms! Needless to say, my mom was very happy with her dinner.
My Dad, Howard and my husband Jim, both had the seafood pasta dish with scallops, shrimp and vegetables. All I can say is the table was very quiet when we were all taking our first bites as they too were very pleased with their dishes.
I had an Asian scallops dish with a side slaw. I love scallops and this dish did not disappoint. I was a little worried as some Asian flavors can take over a dish especially a dish with scallops but this was not the case. Everything balanced just right. The sweet scallops with a tangy-sweet with a hint of salty worked very well together. The crunchy slaw on the side was a nice compliment.
I mentioned earlier about the history of the castle and that it may be even haunted. Well, let’s talk some more and you can tell me what you think! 2 ghost hunting societies believe Beardslee Castle is in fact haunted. The castle has even been featured on the history channel in a segment about “Haunted History”
It is believed that there are at least two spirits. Some of the incidents that make people believe it is haunted include pictures, including one we took. Bright lights that appear to be floating, sounds, doors opening or closing, objects moving, including flying utensils, loud noises and this one would have certainly made me wonder…the sink in the ladies’ room just turns on. Glad that did not happen while I was in the restroom!
There are a couple of theories as to why they think the castle is haunted. One reason is that one of the prior owners hung himself in the castle after a long illness. Another was the death of a bride who died in the castle the night before her wedding. The third reason has to do with the location of the castle. Back in the 1700s during the French and Indian war, a fortified homestead stood on the property where the castle is now located.
No matter if you believe in the haunting or spirits this restaurant is rich in history with delicious food, excellent service in a beautiful location. They recommend reservations and be sure to check them out of their website or Facebook to find out when they are open as they have different hours for summer and winter. http://beardsleecastle.com/
Enjoy!
As you know if you follow along even a little bit is that my family loves a good burger and sometimes it’s hard to change them up a little bit but if you are looking for something a different this just might be it! This was a great change of pace for us and dinner we all enjoyed.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup finely crushed corn chips
- 1 envelope taco seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon dried minced onion
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 6 slices of cheddar cheese
- sandwich buns
- lettuce leaves
- tomato slices
- salsa
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine the corn chips, taco seasoning, onion, and egg. Crumble the beef over the mixture and mix well. Shape into six patties. Grill covered over medium heat or broil four inches from the heat for 7 – 8 minutes on each side or until thermometer reads 160 degrees and juices run clear. Top each burger with a cheese slice, heat just until the cheese begins to melt. Serve on buns with lettuce, tomato, and salsa if desired.
Enjoy!
The picture does not do this dinner justice. This was delicious and with it being gluten-free, Robby could enjoy it as well. I loved the flavor in the rice, garlic, butter, wine, and cheese. Who would not love that combination! This is going to be in our dinner rotation from now on. It does take a little bit of time, but it’s time well spent.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb. chicken tenders
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 stick of butter- I used Earth’s Balance
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 1/2 cups dry white rice
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
DIRECTIONS
Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large non-stick skillet. Sauté chicken tenderloins until nicely browned and just cooked through. Remove chicken from the skillet. Cover chicken and set aside.
Add butter, garlic, pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon of salt into the skillet and sauté garlic for three minutes, don’t let the garlic get too brown.
Increase the skillet temperature to medium-high heat then add the white wine. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon to emulsify the wine into the butter. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes or until mixture is reduced by half.
Add rice to the skillet then stir and cook for 3-4 minutes. It will absorb the butter mixture. Add the chicken broth and remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring the mixture to a low boil then reduce heat to medium-low, cover the skillet and cook for 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir once or twice in the first 15 minutes.
Sprinkle the Parmesan over the rice and arrange the chicken tenders into the pan. Cover for 5 minutes to heat the chicken through. Remove from heat and serve warm.
Enjoy!
I found this recipe at www.southyourmouth.com
Roost is Dover, NH’s newest restaurant so we knew we had to check it out. Roost is owned by the same family that own’s Blue Latitudes on Central Ave. We arrived for an early dinner and were seated at a cute table by the window.
I ordered the seared scallops (26.00). Seared fresh dry scallops with a pork belly fried rice cake with wilted arugula along with a Frangelico Buerre Blanc and a fig balsamic drizzle. The scallops were beautifully seared, creamy and delicious. I really enjoyed the balsamic drizzle with the scallops. The pork belly fried rice was different although I liked it, it was not my favorite part of the dish. Jim tried the rice and really enjoyed it.
Jim had the fried chicken and country gravy (19.50). Buttermilk fried chicken cutlet with country pan gravy. Whipped russet potatoes and cinnamon sugar carrots on the side. The chicken was crisp on the outside and tender on the inside just as you would want. The gravy was well seasoned and complemented the chicken and potatoes beautifully. Can’t forget about those carrots. Tender with a little crisp and sweet from the cinnamon sugar.
Our dinners were very good overall, although a little pricey but we were not done just yet. They had a grilled peach shortcake as a dessert special so we decided to split one. This had a biscuit, grilled peaches, ice cream, whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce. Although we liked this dish we would have loved it had they grilled the biscuit and if the peaches were warm. That would have put it over the top for us.
Roost is located at 50 Pointe Place in Dover, N.H. and is open 1130 am Monday through Saturday and 10 am on Sundays for brunch. Roost has a full bar service and will take reservations for parties of 6 or more. Find them online and on Facebook.
Enjoy!
These pork chops were delicious! They took extra time, but it’s well worth it. I brined these for 6 hours and made the rub mixture in the morning making dinner time a breeze. These pork chops have a ton of flavor with a little bit of a kick. I hope you give these a try, you will not be disappointed.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 cups of water
- 2 cups ice
- 4 one-inch thick bone-in pork chops
RUB
- 3 Tablespoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
DIRECTIONS
In a large pan combine salt, sugar, and water. Cook over medium heat until the salt and sugar dissolve. Remove from heat and add in the ice to cool the brine to room temperature.
Place pork chops in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag. Add cooled brine and seal bag and refrigerate for no longer than 12 hours.
Remove pork from the brine, rinse and pat dry.
Combine all of the ingredients for the rub. Sprinkle both sides of the pork with the rub.
Prepare the grill and grill the chops over medium heat about 7 minutes per side or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Serve warm.
Enjoy!
This recipe can be found at www.plainchicken.com
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