The Spa at the Hotel Hershey

This year, I had the opportunity to visit the Spa at the Hotel Hershey.  From a Spa Rain Shower to a Moisturizing Body Wrap and ending with a Cocoa Massage, it made for a very relaxing morning.  Lunch in the Oasis ended that day, but it did not need to.  When you have services at the spa, you have full access to their facilities all day.  Go for a swim; take a fitness class; sit in a whirlpool, sauna or steam room; or just sit in one of the sitting areas and read a book.  It is a fully relaxing day.  I enjoyed it so much that I scheduled a couples massage as an anniversary present for Hubby and he loved it - and wants to go back.  If you choose to have lunch at the Oasis and have dietary restrictions, tell them when you make your reservation so they can have a meal made for you.  Check out their website, http://www.chocolatespa.com, find a service that you like and go for it!  Try it, you'll like it.

"No Rest for the Dead"

Do you like murder, mystery and a well written novel?  Do you like any of the 26 authors listed below?  Are you looking for a great book?  Then try No Rest for the Dead.  This book is a masterfully written tale in which each of the 26 authors wrote a chapter.  Even with varying styles, the book grabs hold of you and will not let go.  Even the introduction, written by David Baldacci to explain the project, is interesting.  What have you to lose?  You get to read a book that includes one of your favorite authors and may find some others along the way.

Authors:  David Baldacci, Andrew F. Gulli, Jonathan Santlofer, Jeff Lindsay, Alexander McCall Smith, Raymond Khoury, Sandra Brown, Faye Kellerman, Kathy Reichs, John Lescroart, T. Jefferson Parker, Lori Armstrong, Matthew Pearl, Michael Palmer, J.A. Jance, R. L. Stein, Marcia Talley, Thomas Cook, Diana Gabaldon, Peter James, Tess Gerritsen, Lisa Scottoline, Phillip Margolin, Jeffery Deaver, Jeff Abbott and Marcus Sakey

The book follows the story of Christopher and Rosemary Thomas and their investigating officer, John Nunn.  Rosemary is convicted of killing Christopher, but the officer who  investigated the case falls apart with doubt after the conviction.  Ten years after the conviction and sentencing, we find John Nunn still trying to find what, if anything he missed.  We learn about Rosemary's Brother, John's Ex-wife and her new husband and several others who have lived a lie for ten years that comes out in a a rather unexpected service.

Find out more about the book, as well as an excerpt from the Diary of John Nunn that starts the book, at Goodreads.com

Apple Cider Baked Beans

Hubby loves baked beans, and he loves cider, so I combined the two.  These are a sweet/smoky bean with a very nice flavor.  Don't be afraid to add water when cooking to prevent scorching.  Please note - on high, these will boil and may cause the lid to rock.

  3 Cups dried pinto beans                                                   6 Tbl Molasses

  3 Cups fresh apple cider                                                   1 Tbl Dry Mustard

  8 Ounce Thick Bacon, diced.                                            2 Tsp Salt

  1 Small Yellow Onion, peeled and left whole                      2 Cups Hot Water

                                                                                                 

Pick over the beans, discarding any stones and wrinkled beans. Rinse well and place in a large bowl. Add cold water to cover by 3  inches, cover, and let soak for 12 hours.

Drain the beans and transfer them to a heavy saucepan. Add the cider and slowly bring the beans to a boil over medium heat. Gently boil, uncovered, for about 30 minutes.  Pour the beans into a slow cooker.  Stir in the bacon, molasses and salt.  Bury the whole onion in the beans.  Stir the dry mustard into the water and pour over the beans.  Add additional hot water, as needed, to cover the beans.

Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours, adding boiling water as necessary about halfway through cooking.

When beans are tender, remove the onion, stir thoroughly and serve.

Pumpkin Un-Roll

I love pumpkin rolls, but I don't always want to have the roll.  With my newly acquired Wilton dessert shell pan, I made pumpkin un-rolls. If you don't have a dessert shell pan, make cupcakes or a 9 inch square cake.

  1/2 Cup Butter, softened                                                          1/4 Cup Milk

  1 1/3 Cup Sugar                                                                       1 Tsp Vanilla

  1 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder                                                         1 1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour

  1/4 Tsp Baking Soda                                                                1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

  1/2 Tsp Cinnamon                                                                   --Frosting--

  1/4 Tsp Nutmeg                                                                       1 Cup Powdered Sugar

  1/4 Tsp Salt                                                                              8 Ounce Cream Cheese

  2 Large Eggs                                                                           4 Tbl Butter, Softened

  1 Cup Pumpkin                                                                        1/2 Tsp Vanilla

  1/2 Cup Sour Cream                                                               

Grease 2 dessert shell pans, set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Beat in sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until combined. Add eggs, pumpkin, sour cream, milk, and vanilla; beat until combined. Add all-purpose and whole wheat flours; beat until combined. Divide evenly between the 12 dessert shell molds (6 per pan). Bake in a 350 degrees F oven about 25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

 Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes and then remove to cooling rack.

After placing on cooling rack, mix the frosting ingredients until smooth.  Fill the top of each dessert shell with frosting (easiest  with a piping bag).

Per Serving: 413 Cal (46% from Fat, 5% from Protein, 49% from Carb); 6 g Protein; 21 g Tot Fat; 13 g Sat Fat; 6 g Mono Fat; 51g Carb; 2 g Fiber; 33 g Sugar; 86 mg Calcium; 2 mg Iron; 297 mg Sodium

New Kitchen Pan (To me, anyway)

Recently, while browsing with Hubby at Michael's, he found a new pan that he had to have.  Have you ever seen the dessert shells that you can purchase at the grocery store, usually in the fruit section?  He found a pan, made by Wilton, that can make homemade dessert shells.

He convinced me by saying that it would be perfect for the Chocolate Bourbon Cupcakes that he made for my birthday.  That was enough to convince me, but I was also making pumpkin sour cream cakes that night and used this pan to make UnRolled Pumpkin Rolls....stay tuned for the recipe.  The pan worked famously.  The only issue I had is that I wished I had a second.  Once you moisten the ingredients of a cake, brownie or other mix that contains leavening (baking soda, baking powder, etc), that leavening is activated and starts to work.  The longer the batter sits, the less raising you will get from said batter.  if your leavening is fresh, you won't see a big difference, but it will be there.  The pan instructions said to let the shells sit for 15 minutes on a cooling rack before removing from the pan and I highly recommend doing so.  I did not take this step with my second batch and they did not come out as nicely.  User error is always a fabulous learning tool. 

Lentil Soup

I had LOTS of fall vegetables and this was my way of using them.  If you are vegetarian, substitute vegetable stock for the chicken.

  2 Cups Bok Choy                                                                    1 Cups Broccoli, Diced

  1 Head Garlic, Roasted                                                            3/4 Cup Tomatoes, Diced

  1.5 Cups Potatoes, Cubed                                                        1 Tsp Coriander

  1/3 Cup Dry Lentils                                                                 1 Tsp Hot Hungarian Paprika

  8 Cups Chicken Stock                                                             1 Tsp Cardamom

  1 Cup Bell Pepper, Diced                                                        1 1/2 Tsp Savory

  1 Cup Green Beans                                                                 1 Cup Orzo

Heat the chicken stock to boiling in a 5 quart Dutch oven.  Add the potatoes, peppers, beans and lentils, return the pot to a boil and reduce heat to medium.  Cook for 10 to 15 minutes until the potatoes are nearly done.  Add the pasta, broccoli, tomatoes and spices.  While that returns to a boil, chop the green part of the bok choy.  When boiling, stir in the bok choy and add salt and pepper to taste.  Cook for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Ham, Green Beans and Potatoes

This dish is exactly that - Ham, Green Beans and Potatoes slow  cooked together to warm goodness.   This was a staple in our house growing up and is an easy fall back dish.  Get enough ham, potatoes and canned green beans for the numbers of people you want to feed.  Cube the ham, cube the potatoes, put both in a slow cooker and pour the un-drained beans over top.  Cook on low all day.