the hummingbird blog

Fall Harvest

sabinac — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 14:18:41 +0000

Apple Picking Finger Lakes

Looking for a fun weekend activity this Fall? Visit us and enjoy the many local farms in the Finger Lakes that allow you to take advantage of the bountiful Fall harvest. From apples and cherries, to pumpkins and winter squash, visit this local website to get a list of the best U-Pick Farms in the Finger Lakes. I’ll be visiting many of the local farms to gather locally grown apples and cherries for my breakfast recipes!

hummingbird garden

sabinac — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 16:20:48 +0000

Our garden in bloom!

The generous rains in April and May, coupled with lovely warm weather, have helped our garden flourish in early summer. We have everything from irises, jasmine and gardenias to basil and dill. A morning walk around the grounds is always one of my favorite ways to start the day.

And I love treating my guests to fresh cut flowers throughout the Bed and Breakfast — from incorporating home-grown herbs and vegetables into breakfast to fresh arrangements in the dining room and lobby.

cranberry-rhubarb muffins

sabinac — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 10:30:00 +0000

a fresh summer favorite!

A new muffin recipe this weekend was a hit!
Bon appetit.

Cranberry-Rhubarb Muffins

(Makes 12 medium muffins)

Preheat oven to 375 F

Mix together:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Stir into flour:

1/4 cup chopped nuts, pecans or almonds are nice

1/4 cup dried, sweetened cranberries

Mix in medium bowl:

2 eggs, well beaten

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup buttermilk or 2 teaspoons vinegar & 1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

Stir into egg mixture:

1 cup finely chopped rhubarb or

1 cup finely chopped tart apples, like Granny Smith

Gently stir flour mixture into egg mixture, stirring only long enough to get dry ingredients wet. Spoon into 12 greased muffin cups. Top each muffin with a spoonful of the Brown Sugar Topping (recipe below). Bake at 375 F for 14 to 17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the muffin comes our clean. Immediately remove from pan and serve warm or cool on rack and reheat in microwave. Muffins may be stored in rigid container in freezer for up to three weeks. Thaw 3-4 hours or overnight at room temperature loosely covered (so they won’t sweat and become soggy).

Brown Sugar Topping:

Mix together:

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup chopped pecans or whatever nuts are being used in muffins

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

spring equine adventures

sabinac — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 12:06:17 +0000

Looking for a lovely way to spend a Spring afternoon near Skaneateles Lake? Visit one of many horseback riding facilities in the area, Windy Hill Acres. Take a relaxing and scentic 1 hour trail ride through our local breathtaking trails. Whether you are a beginner or advanced rider, Windy Hill Acres guided trail rides are a wonderful opportunity for you to escape the city and enjoy the country life.

For other local horseback riding, visit this map.

Skaneateles Winterfest

sabinac — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 12:12:30 +0000

Looking for fun winter activities in the Finger Lakes? Check out my past posts about all the fun winter sports in the area, or check out the Skaneateles Winterfest at the end of the month!

Skaneateles Winterfest, coordinated by the Skaneateles Sunrise Rotary Club, has become a staple of Winter in Skaneateles. This year, Winterfest 2010 takes place Saturday, January 30th, 2010 with activities throughout the village and at the Community Center.

Past Winterfests have included a Winter Carnival created by kids, for kids, snow sculptures, ice sculpture demonstrations, Taste of Skaneateles, a Winter Brewfest, coffee tasting, wine tasting, community emergency vehicle displays, Siberian Huskies dog sled demonstrations; Search & Rescue (SAR) dogs; stunt comedians, youth activities, pony rides, and many others. Stated simply, Winterfest is a great opportunity for local folks, particularly children, to enjoy a winter day in our beautiful Village.

Fall foliage in the Finger Lakes

sabinac — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:25:18 +0000

Fall Foliage in the Finger Lakes

All the rain earlier this summer is producing amazing fall foliage in the Finger Lakes Region. This weekend (week of Oct 14-20), the Finger Lakes region should see its first appearances of peak foliage.

Cayuga County foliage spotters predict up to 90 percent color change in some areas by weekend, with bright gold, red and yellow leaves predominating. Estimations of color change submitted by observers range from 50-80 percent, with red and orange leaves are really starting to show on maples, sugar maples and oak trees. Russet-colored leaves are taking hold on White Ash trees, and trees such as the Poplars, Locusts, Hickories, Ginkgo and others are showing subdued yellow coloration. For more information, visit the Foliage Report.

It’s an amazing time of year! Come stay with us and enjoy the local Autumn festivities.

our hummingbirds have arrived!

sabinac — Sun, 10 May 2009 11:43:34 +0000

hummingbird outside our kitchen window

Many cultures have rich folklore about the magical hummingbird. But strangely enough, my favorite legend about the wonderful creature I read each time I see a greeting card made by Papyrus. Have you ever come across it?

We’re excited to see our hummingbird friends return for the summer season. You can enjoy them from our kitchen window or let them join you in our backyard gazeebo!

banana coffee cake

sabinac — Sun, 10 May 2009 11:29:33 +0000

a guest's favorite

1 1/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup sour cream
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 extra-large eggs
1 tablespoon coffee extract, or 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water
1 teaspoon vanilla
Garnish: confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. and grease and flour a 10-inch (3-quart) bundt pan, knocking out excess flour.

Into a large bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl stir together bananas and sour cream. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy and add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in coffee extract (or espresso) and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture in batches alternately with banana mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, until batter is just combined.

Spoon batter into pan and bake in middle of oven 50 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean and cake pulls away from side of pan. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes and invert onto a rack to cool completely. Let cake stand, wrapped tightly, at room temperature overnight.

Dust cake with confectioners’ sugar.

Enjoy!

Mother’s Day Art Tour

sabinac — Sat, 09 May 2009 16:32:36 +0000

Are you looking for a fun activity to treat Mom to this Mother’s Day? If your Mom is an art lover, be sure to visit all the great local galleries and studios we have in the Finger Lakes Region. Just down the road in Auburn, you have a rich choice of exhibitions, music, film, folk arts, and more!

SCHWEINFURTH MEMORIAL ART CENTER

CAYUGA MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND ART

FINGER LAKES Artists

tiffany stained glass — local artwork

sabinac — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:22:05 +0000

Tiffany Glass at the Willard Chapel in Auburn NY

I finally visited the Willard Memorial Chapel this weekend. It was amazing to me that such beautiful local artistic work was just 5 miles from the Hummingbird’s Home – what a wonderful afternoon getaway.

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