Chesterfield Inn

Stroll with the Heifers in Brattleboro, Vermont! 30 May 2012, 11:42 am

This weekend is the annual parade that has become a 4-day extravaganza in Brattleboro, Vermont, just 10 minutes from our New Hampshire Bed and Breakfast, in West Chesterfield. The Strolling of the Heifers started 11 years ago as a parade focused on local farms and farming and has grown every year. It starts with the Slow Living Summit on Wednesday through Friday and continues with the Gallery Walk on Friday, with a street festival, a fashion show highlighting the collection at Twice Upon a Time, one of our fabulous second hand stores, and free music and street entertainment. The winners of the New England Bread Baking Competition will be announced that evening as well.

Saturday brings us the parade, with over 100 heifers, as well as a few mules, goats, and alpacas. The parade is on Main Street and culminates at the Brattleboro Common and the Brattleboro Retreat campus where there will be music, cheese and yogurt tasting, and many different kinds of food to sample for lunch. There will also be an antique tractor show, goat racing, and local entertainment on 4 stages. On Sunday, the Tour de Heifer will leave from Lilac Ridge Farm in West Brattleboro. The Tour is a bike ride that can be 60, 30, or 10 miles, and passes many of our local farms along the way.

It’s a full weekend of activities, so make your reservations now at our New Hampshire Bed and Breakfast Inn.

Humble Kitchen Food Truck Comes to Brattleboro, Vermont 23 May 2012, 11:58 am

I’m very glad to be able to tell you that we now have Vietnamese street food in nearby Brattleboro, Vermont, just a short drive from our New Hampshire bed and breakfast! It comes to us in a new food truck that is parked in the Harmony Parking Lot daily for the lunch crowd, Monday through Saturday from 11:00 until 3:00. The name of the truck is Humble Kitchen and it is owned by James Smith and Amy Gallant.

The day that we went for lunch at the truck it was pouring rain out and Amy took our order while under an umbrella, while James was cooking in the cozy truck. We had delicious sandwiches, called Bahn Mi, one chicken and one pork pate, as well as a serving of Pho which was a delicious chicken soup with noodles and chili, lime, basil, cilantro and mint. We also had ginger basil limeade and mango wontons for dessert- delicious! It was an excellent lunch, and who ever thought that we would be able to enjoy Vietnamese street food just 10 minutes away from our Romantic New Hampshire getaway!

James and Amy had both worked at the Flat Street Bar and Restaurant and when it was flooded out by Hurricane Irene, it gave them a chance to make changes and think of new ways to be employed and still work in the food business. In May, they opened the Humble Kitchen, which is a great addition to Brattleboro’s food scene.

Spring Weekend at our Southern New Hampshire Inn 27 Apr 2012, 10:42 am

It seems that spring is finally here in Southern New Hampshire. The leaves are just coming out, and the azaleas are in bloom. Our blue stone terrace off of the dining room is surrounded by a wall of pink flowers on the azalea bushes and the crab apple trees. The weather is cool at night and sunny in the daytime, perfect for a walk in the Madame Sherri Forest or a walk down Main Street in Brattleboro, Vermont.

Here’s what I would do if I were coming to stay at our Southern New Hampshire inn this weekend: I’d drive up Friday night, with a dinner reservation waiting for me at the Inn, knowing that all I had to do on arrival was carry my bags to my room and order a glass of wine to sip by the fire before dinner. I’d unwind over dinner, sampling the new Spring Menu, maybe trying Chef Bob’s newest item: the Panko Encrusted Gloucester Day Boat Cod with Miso Butter Sauce, and sampling one of the Spring wine specials. I’d opt for the Handcraft Chardonnay from Manteca, California or the Edmeades Zinfandel from Mendocino, California.

After a great night’s sleep in I’d have breakfast delivered to our room, and laze around until I felt ready to dress for a hike and explore around the Madame Sherri forest in West Chesterfield. After the hike, we would head in to Brattleboro, grab a pulled pork sandwich at the Top of the Hill Grill, take the rest of the afternoon wandering Main Street, visiting my favorite shops, such as Verde, The Shoe Tree, Sam’s, Twice Upon a Time, and Amy’s Bakery.

We’d head back to Chesterfield inn with time for a cup of tea and a nap before dinner. Then, if the night was balmy, we’d have dinner on the terrace, sipping Prosecco as the sun set, and enjoying more of the Spring Menu. Sunday morning, we might opt to have breakfast in the dining room or out on our private terrace before we traveled back to the real world at home.

Asparagus Soup: The Taste of Spring at Chesterfield Inn 19 Apr 2012, 4:08 pm

With these intoxicating spring days finally upon us, I couldn’t resist picking up some asparagus and making my first batch of asparagus soup for our New Hampshire Inn! The recipe is simple, and is made without chicken stock for our vegetarian friends. Here’s how it’s made:

2 bunches asparagus (about 2 pounds)
4 tablespoons butter
1 leek, chopped
1 cup shallots, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 small potatoes, boiled in a separate pot

salt and pepper to taste
minced chives

1/4 cup heavy cream

Cut the woody, tough sections of the asparagus from the bottom of the stalks and boil for 30 minutes in about 6 cups of water. Reserve water, throw away stalks. Cut tips off asparagus for garnish, cut remaining stalks into 1/2 inch pieces. Reuse water to blanch asparagus tips. Reserve. Boil potatoes until soft. Saute leeks and shallots in butter for 3 minutes, until soft. Add garlic, saute  1 minute. Do not brown. Add asparagus pieces. Saute for 2 minutes, stirring. Put the reserved water back into the pot and cook the vegetables for 8 minutes, until asparagus is soft. Add potatoes to the mixture, salt and pepper to taste. Puree with a blender until smooth. Add water if it’s too thick, then finish with cream. Mix in chives and asparagus tips. Serve hot or cold. Bon Appetit!

“Stay Was Beyond Perfect!” at our New Hampshire Luxury Inn 20 Mar 2012, 1:56 pm

“From the first call to make the reservation, to the accommodation of a breakfast table for nine family members, our stay was beyond perfect!”

Consider our New Hampshire luxury inn as a relaxing destination for a family reunion or get together, a place without the distraction of daily life, where you and your family can enjoy each others company and have a little fun! We have 15 beautiful guest rooms that can accommodate family members, from suites with pullout couches in the living rooms, to rooms with two beds, and we also have rollaway beds and porta-cribs.

Or consider taking the entire Johanna Wetherby building, which has 4 rooms with queen beds, fireplaces and private terraces, as well as a wraparound porch with wicker chairs to curl up in for long conversations. When was the last time you had coffee in the morning sitting on the porch with your brother or sister?

After breakfast, there are plenty of things to do in New Hampshire, from hiking to shopping, and our New Hampshire inn has a small porch dining room that would be perfect for a group of 10 or 12 people for dinner.

Call and reserve now for your family get together!

Keene Ice and Snow Festival 16 Feb 2012, 4:36 am

The Keene Ice and Snow Festival is one of the highlights of the year in Keene, New Hampshire, just a short drive from our romantic New Hampshire bed and breakfast. It’s this Saturday, February 18 from 10:00 until 4:00 in downtown Keene and it’s free!

Featured activities are: professional and student ice carving, snow sculpting, and a snowboard rail jam. There are craft activities for the kids, a craft fair with lots of vendors, snowman making, horse drawn wagon rides, a bonfire and s’mores, a fire truck display and musical performances. If you want to really embrace winter, try tubing or snow boarding at Granite Gorge, located just outside of Keene on Route 9. Nothing like hurtling down an icy hill at breakneck speed to get your heart pumping!

Part of living in northern New England is getting outside and enjoying the cold weather. The Keene Snow and Ice Festival gives you so much to do that you’ll forget that it’s cold!

Let it Snow! 13 Jan 2012, 2:33 pm

It seems that winter has finally arrived in Southern New Hampshire and Vermont! Yesterday’s snowstorm dropped 6 inches of fluffy snow on our barren landscape, making everything look better. Now we have more options for outdoor play this weekend! Previously we were able to hike in the woods around our New Hampshire Bed and Breakfast, just like it was still November, or go ice-skating on ice that had never had snow on it. That was pretty great!

This weekend, we can snowshoe in Pisgah Park, Friedsam Forest or the Madame Sherri Forest in Chesterfield, and have the woods all to ourselves. The snow has covered the trees and made the forest into a winter wonderland that sparkles all around in the sunshine.

For cross-country skiing, I would suggest the ski center at Grafton Ponds in Grafton, Vermont. Grafton Ponds has been making snow on its lower loop all season and has been a popular place for all of the local racers to go to train. Now they have snow in the woods and plenty of trails open. They also have a ski shop for rentals and a lodge where you can enjoy a cup of hot cocoa. You can check their Facebook page for info on the ski conditions.

Downhill skiers have of course also benefited from the new snow. The downhill ski areas have been making snow and this new snow will only improve conditions. The ski areas closest to our New Hampshire Luxury Inn are Mount Snow, Stratton, Bromley and Killington, all about an hour’s drive.

New Holiday Dessert at the Chesterfield Inn 17 Dec 2011, 1:12 pm

I’m so excited about this new dessert that I want to share the recipe so that others can try it! It’s delicious, easy to make and beautiful to look at! It’s called a Pavlova, and I discovered it when I was invited to a holiday party that was focused on international food and wine. My assignment was to bring a bottle of wine and a dessert from New Zealand. The wine was easy because I love New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, so I picked up a bottle of my favorite Sauvignon Blanc from the Kim Crawford Vineyard. The dessert was a bit more challenging; I had no idea what New Zealanders enjoy for dessert.

I did a little research and discovered the Pavlova. A Pavlova is a dessert made with a meringue base, covered with about an inch of whipped cream and topped with the fresh fruit of your choice. I chose strawberries, raspberries, and kiwi in keeping with the season. It has to be made just before serving so I made the meringue and whipped the cream, cut up the strawberries and kiwi ahead of time and packed it up to take to the party to assemble at dessert time. It was easy to put together, and looked great! Everyone loved it!

Here’s my recipe for Pavlova, which serves 8-10 people.

1/2 cup egg whites at room temperature (from about 4 eggs)

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons brown sugar

12 strawberries, trimmed and sliced

2 kiwi fruit, peeled, cored and sliced

1 cup fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in a mixer until foamy. Add sugar, cornstarch, vinegar and vanilla and whip until stiff and glossy, about 6-8 minutes more. On a sheet pan, trace a 9-inch circle on a piece of parchment paper. Flip paper so that you can see the circle and pile the meringue in to the circle. Smooth top, without losing the loft of the meringue. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 300 degrees. Bake 45 minutes more. Turn off the oven, prop the door open and leave in the oven until it is cool.

Whip the cream with the brown sugar and slather it on top of the meringue. Top with fresh fruit and serve. Bon Appetit! If you’re at our Chesterfield NH Inn on New Year’s Eve, we’re going to make individual Pavlovas for our special New Year’s Eve dessert. I bet they’ll be great with champagne!

Visit Kringle Candle While You’re Staying at the Chesterfield Inn 19 Nov 2011, 11:52 am

We’ve got a new place to send you when you’re looking for things to do in the area. Kringle Candle Company opened in 2009 in Bernardston, Massachusetts, a short 20 minute drive from our New Hampshire bed and breakfast.

Kringle Candle is owned by Mick Kittredge III, the son of the Mike Kittredge who founded the famous Yankee Candle in Deerfield, Massachusetts.  The candle shop specializes in scented candles, with 36 scents, such as peppermint twist, Nantucket rose, gingerbread, and frosted cake. The candles are all white, for the purest light, in beautiful glass containers that can be re-purposed for many things once the candle been finished. They also have votives, tea lights, fire starters, and home decor items.

Kringle owns 200 acres of property in Bernardston, and on the property you’ll find the Kringle store, bulit in 2010, and the newly opened Christmas Barn and The Farm Table restaurant, opened in late October 2011. The Christmas Barn is a two story former dairy barn filled with Christmas decorations, Christmas trees, toys, gifts, and more candles. The Farm Table restaurant is in a 200 year old house, beautifully renovated and decorated, where you can enjoy brunch, lunch daily and dinner as well. They have a full bar and wine list and feature local fare. Enjoy a visit during your stay at our New Hampshire luxury inn!

Innkeeper’s Foliage Getaway 12 Oct 2011, 12:50 pm

Yesterday, I escaped for a quick foliage getaway between breakfast and lunch. It was sunny and crisp, with morning fog from the river burning off quickly. My friends picked me up, with dogs in tow, for a hike up Putney Mountain. We drove up Route 5, enjoying the beautiful colors of the leaves along the roadside, into the village of Putney, and then out to the Putney School and to the Putney Mountain Trail Head.

There was just one car in the parking lot, a great sign for a quiet walk in the woods. We hiked up the well-marked trail, about a mile, to the lookout area at the top of the Mountain. There were 2 women sitting in chairs, using binoculars to look for birds. They were up there for the day, basking in the sunshine, counting birds for the Putney Mountain bird count. We spent a few minutes at the top, figuring out which mountains were which to the East and West. We could see Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire, and in Vermont we had a clear view of Mount Snow, Haystack, Stratton, and Bromley. The hills were gorgeous shades of red, yellow and orange mixed with the dark green of the evergreens.

After the quick downhill hike, we retired to Green Mountain Orchard just past the Putney School, for homemade cinnamon and sugar donuts and apple cider. If we had wanted to, we could have walked into the orchard and picked several varieties of apples to take home. It was tempting, especially when I saw the 6 apple pies that they had just taken out of the oven! I love making apple pies in October! It was just great to be out in the fresh air on a beautiful warm autumn day, enjoying the scenery with friends before heading back to Chesterfield Inn.