Family favorites
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!
Although I made these for Robby as they are gluten-free even the gluten eaters in the family enjoyed these muffins tops! These were easy to make with everything I already had in my pantry. I will be making these often!
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups gluten-free flour ( I used Bob’s 1 for 1)
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum if your flour does not have it in there already
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup of milk, I used Fair Life
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips. I used Enjoy Life
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking sheets with non-stick spray and set aside.
Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and xanthan gum( if using} in a large bowl. In another medium bowl add the milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla and beat them all together. When mixed well, add the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Scoop out about 1/4 cup of the batter and place on your prepared baking sheets leaving some room as the batter will spread slightly. Bake for 13 – 18 minutes depending on the size of your muffin tops. They will be a light golden brown and slightly puffed up when they are done. Allow to sit in the pan for a couple of minutes then transfer muffin tops to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
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
When I was thinking about making this dish it was just going to be a grilled pound cake with strawberries BUT the weather was insanely hot and humid so I had no choice but to add ice cream. What goes perfect with ice cream? You guessed it…hot fudge sauce! We did not have any hot fudge as we were in our motorhome BUT the place we were staying had an ice cream shop so we asked them for a small cup of hot fudge and they were happy to give us some. This dish has it all. Warm pound cake, cold ice cream, creamy whipped topping, fresh-picked strawberry from a farm stand down the road and sweet creamy hot fudge sauce. Jim highly recommend’s this dish on a hot summer day.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 store-bought pound cake, sliced
- store-bought whipped cream
- strawberries, I used about 1/4 cup per serving
- Klondike bars or your favorite ice cream
- warm hot fudge sauce, 1/4 cup per serving
DIRECTIONS
Heat your grill to medium heat. Grill pound cake slices for about 2 minutes per side or u til golden grill marks form on both sides. Transfer to a plate and assemble with the other ingredients. Start with the pound cake on the bottom. Add 1/2 of a Klondike bar or ice cream, add the whipped cream then the strawberries and top with the warm hot fudge. Serve Immediately.
Enjoy!
I cook with garlic almost daily. We LOVE roasted garlic and using my air fryer is so fast and does not heat up your kitchen on a hot summer day. This is the only way I will roast my garlic from now on. Super simple and roasting the garlic adds a huge amount of flavor to any dish.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 head of garlic
- pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper
- 1/2 Tablespoon of olive oil
DIRECTIONS
Slice the top portion of the garlic off to expose the garlic cloves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the garlic in a piece of tin foil that is wrapped around the garlic, but leaving the top open. Drizzle the top of the garlic with the olive oil.
Place the tin foil wrapped garlic into your air fryer. Air fry at 390 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the garlic is soft. Remove from the air fryer, take out of the tin foil and gently squeeze all of the garlic out of the papery skin. Use as you would in any recipe.
Enjoy!
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