Hello Everyone,

It is that quiet time right before spring explodes.  One minute you are looking at the end of winter and the next time you look up green is everywhere.  I love the changes that come with the seasons.  It’s time to lovingly put away the hot buttered rum until next winter and bring out some light spring drinks.  Speaking of which….. I have a mojito that we make with iced mint tea. Yum!!

Just a heads up….we will be taking our annual spring break from April 3rd and reopening on Tuesday, May 3rd.  We are going to recharge, spring clean and relax.  We want to come back with new ideas and loads of energy.  Mark always has a surprise or two up his sleeve.  We aren’t even gone yet and we can’t wait to get back.

Enjoy your Spring,  don’t blink!

Melody

Hello Everyone!

I hope you had a wonderful and fun New Year’s Eve and a warm and cozy New Year’s Day.

So….the beginning of a new year, like a bright, shiny penny….a new calendar….a brand new journal….a new pair of shoes.  You get the idea.  Always exciting and always fun.  (Ok….shoes are always the most fun….who am I kidding?)  I wish for all of you a fresh new year with hopes realized and love returned.

Now…let’s all cheer with a Ruby Sparkle.  My personal favorite of Pama (a pomegranate liquor) and Prosecco.   Warms up my toes, spirit and mood.

We all have fallen in love with a fun drink….a Vermont spice.  This is a combination of Spiced Rum and pumpkin ale on ice.  Seriously!  When the pumpkin ale is gone…..so is this delicious cocktail.  We’ll try not to drink it all up.

Happy New Year,

Melody

Hello Everyone!

I can’t believe it’s December.  Yesterday we had our first flurry.  I looked up and there it was, just out the window….big, fluffy flakes swirling around.  It didn’t last long but it made me smile for most of the day.  That’s all it takes to put me in the Holiday spirit.   I never get tired of this time of year.  I’m afraid that I am one of those annoying people who starts with that warm, fuzzy holiday feeling early and is loathe to let it go.  My family is used to me.  I met a man once who told me that his wife had never put up a Christmas tree…..she always put up a Thanksgiving tree.  If I thought Mark wouldn’t laugh at me…….

Mark gets into December his own way by adding some plates to the menu that know how to warm you up.  He has added his own version of Beef Stroganoff.  He uses tenderloin and tops it with sautéed pickle and onion.  For pity!!!    He has also added Osso Bucco!   Osso Bucco!    I have no words.  

You know what’s next…..yes…..wine!  I love our delicious wine flight.  We always offer three different wines served together with a description.  It is always changing but at the moment I have three California blends, blended in the Bordeaux style.  So much fun!  

I am always reminding you to take a moment each day to enjoy life and today is no different.  Just take time to look up…perhaps out your window and find something that makes you smile all day.  

Now….I have to run….time to get my wreath.   

Hope to see you soon,

Melody

Hello Everyone!

It’s just starting.  Autumn in Vermont…..that glorious season of crisp days, leaves and apples.  Mark and I went for our morning hike and the trees are hinting at a blush and the cool air fills me with energy. We heard acorns falling and then the sound of the squirrels scrambling to get them. I am in such a good autumn mood that I have visions of apple picking, pumpkins and warm apple cider. I love the anticipation almost as much as the real thing.  I can’t wait to pull out my sweaters. Perhaps even go boot shopping.  Well…… I might have stopped at a couple of shops already.

My personal nod to Autumn in Vermont……. Autumn sangrias. That’s right…..I said Autumn Sangrias!!!  The red is made with Grenache & pomegranate apple cider and the white is made with Gewürztraminer and spiced apple cider.  Both are laced with spiced rum and topped with chopped apple.  Crazy good.

Throw on a pair of jeans and your favorite sweater and drive to Vermont.  We would love to see you.

Happy Autumn,

Melody

Hello Everyone!

Who remembers Ella Fitzgerald’s version of that song?  So beautiful….as is the view out my office window.  Lazy, lovely summer days with tall green trees being swayed by a slight breeze and big, fluffy white clouds in a blue, blue sky.  Don’t mind my drifting daydreams or my humming as I stare out my window.

Oh….speaking of summer…Mark was able to get the most amazing heirloom tomatoes from the local farm: Earth, Sky, Time.  From green & yellow to garnet red they are the best thing ever!  Of course he is making a Caprese Salad with them and they smell, look and taste….like summer.

To go with that you ask?  I have the most delicious wine flight that I highly recommend.  Three wines; Rose Sancerre, Sauvignon Blanc & Sancerre. All from Domaine Fournier Vineyard in France.    We serve all of them at the same time with a description and they equal two of our normal glasses of wine.  They are crisp and lovely and I swear you can taste the sunshine in them.

For those of you coming our way….it is blueberry picking time.  Mark is almost ready to start making cobbler.  YUM!

Get out in the sun or at least…open your window and enjoy the breeze,

Melody

Summer in Vermont is so great!