InnSane

I decided to make Cinnamon Ice Cream with two, well, maybe three, different types of cinnamon. Ceylon “true” Cinnamon and Indonesian Cinnamon. I also put in the standard, I don’t really know where this is from, cinnamon. I also put in fresh vanilla. Fun!

If you have not gotten your brochure, please call us. We have sent them out. So far, about 5 people have called, who are on our mailing list and who we have mailed brochures to, to say that they did not get a brochure.

I’m thinking the US Postal Service might be at fault. Or it could be our bulk mailer. That’d be my second guess.

So, please call and we’ll be more than happy to send you one.

Thanks.

Winter Art Workshop: Teachers

Flash!

Good Evening Mr. and Mrs. America and All The Ships at Sea,

What beautiful small town inn is having fabulous Winter Art Workshops? What spicy art students were seen having fun in the snow painting beautiful landscapes in Pastel? Next up Watercolors, Oil and Acrylic.

Oooh, that brings back some memories.

It’s snowing again. So, we gots the snow! Now, all you have to do is come to the workshops. They’re all a go and we still have some room. Yeehaaw!

Roads are still clear! No snow on them thar roads!

InnSane Winter Painting Workshops

Hello Hotel Moserhof!

It snowed a couple of inches and it is beautiful. Beyond beautiful. Seefeld bei Mosern eat your heart out. Sigh. However, because of this tricky weather that we are having in this microclimate of Greenville, the snow may not be lasting.

It’s already off the roads and we are clear for traffic but I am afraid that the snow wont last for pictures for Elizabeth Apgar-Smith’s Winter Art Workshop.

It’s already melting. Sigh. But I think most will stay. Enough for a few good pictures. That’s what I was doing this morning. Actually, I think that close by, in Rensselaerville, the snow will stay for a while. It’s always colder and snowier there.

Well, here at the Hudson River Valley Art and Quilt Art Workshops, with the judicious, judicious, mind you, use of two Viennese-esque (dessert) carts or trolleys, I have redistributed the space, rescued two of my counters and created a better kitchen flow. The kitchen itself is pretty big, though not as big as the kitchen at the Moserhof, in Mosern bei Seefeld, Austria, which was about 3-4 times bigger and therefore better arranged, but the long narrow layout is a bit of a challenge at times.

I think I have solved some of the space crunching issues with the two rolling carts. One is a standard industrial kitchen cart and the other is a wire frame kitchen cart, not really commercially designed but good enough and 1/4 the price of the commercial cart, which has the heavier tasks and equipment.

So, I have not a rolling prep cart that doubles as a blender and small mixer station and a french toast and pancake station. I also have a rolling tools and equipment cart. Yea!

All this for the painting and quilting art workshops, not to mention the lodging guests. Come on down. The Winter, yes, I said, Winter Art Workshops are filling up. Not to mention the Quilt Art Workshops! They’re filling up too. We have one that is almost full and it is in December. Come on down and don’t miss the opportunity of a lifetime.

InnSane

Light flurries is all we have right now. We do have snow and the workshops are filling up. I’d suggest you hurry up and sign up for one of our Winter Art Workshops and don’t forget to look at our website for links to art supplies.

We still have watercolor, oil and acrylic painting classes left for the Winter. Sorry, our pastel painting course is over with. You missed a good one.

Now that I have put Cheap Joe’s as a link on this page, I’m taking out the key word post.

We have lots of people signing up for the Winter Workshops. Why not you?

See you at the art workshops.

InnSane

Well, not too bad. Just about 3 inches or maybe less. It’ll be melted by the next, sigh, workshop. I just hope it snows again.

Let me tell you, you’re missing it. This is grand. You should call and sign up for a Winter Workshop, or any workshop, for that matter. We’re having a ball.

InnSane

And the crowd is on its feet.

InnSane

I did a Colombian Chicken, lightly breaded, with a pea sauce and a blackberry sauce, 1/2 and 1/2 with brussel sprouts and olives and blackberries. The salad was baby spinach with multiply colored peppers and a blackberry vinaigrette. The vinaigrette was two different vinegars and white wine and plenty of fresh blackberries.

We wish you weren’t missing this! It’s raining today but the snow is holding up.

The group here is going out for 10K walks before breakfast. Too cold? No way. They’re loving these Winter Workshops. The classes are small and intimate with plenty of attention from our Chef and staff.

Too bad for those who did not sign up for a Winter Workshop. It just doesn’t get any better but we’ll try. There’s still time available to sign up for a couple of these Winter Workshops.

We had Ribeye, as promised, with the potato and bernaise and I made asparagus that I but under the steak with those shallot rings on top. Nice.

I also made a special dessert for one of the students. Poached pears pouched with the left over gluhwein. They all loved that so much, and thinking that it was low calorie, hahahaha, would like it for tomorrow. I’ll make it for dessert tomorrow. I made a great gluhwein reduction.

Tomorrow will be a baked chicken dish with two sauces. One a blackberry sauce and the other a pea and cilantro sauce. Yum!!!

Well, the pastel painting class continues. They are having a great time and the winter landscape is beautiful. The class went out today to photograph the barn that Stanley painted and we bought. Beautiful painting. They all have digital cameras.

Well, we had the Maple Salmon, which is a favorite of everyone’s. We had that with fresh baby carrots, very fancy, and snap peas. Get it, peas and carrots. And we also had saffron rice. Over the veggies and rice I put a tarragon based butter sauce, basically a bernaise without the egg. I used rice wine vinegar and sherry. Just to let you in on a flavorful secret.

We had salad. This whole week will be salad. Tonight will be gorgonzola, no my famous, gorgonzola walnut salad. With that will be a ribeye. Yes you heard me! Over that will be a touch of gorgonzola and some shallot rings. Yum. I’m frying those in olive oil. Very light and fresh.

I’m also having a baked potato with bernaise, there it is again, sauce. Yum. I have enough ribeye for the Winter workshops and one or maybe two Spring and when that is gone, it’s gone.

So far, everyone is happy with the pastel workshop. Stanley is great and he has Suzy, his daughter helping. They are out sketching plein air right now. You heard me. And they are having a ball.

InnSane

Got a light dusting of snow. Maybe 1/2 inch. So, everything looks great and snowy right now. Probably have an inch or two. Enough for a nice landscape but not too much to make the roads a problem.

Oh, Kim and I tried out my new Ribeye steak smothered in shallot rings, like onion rings but with shallots. Add a baked potato and Bernaise sauce and string beans with roasted peppers. A real winner. Yummy in my tummy. And remewmber shallots are not onions.

Well, soon you’ll be hear for the start of Stanley’s Pastel Workshop. Yea!

Come on up. It’s hot here. We still have snow here in Greenville and the various ski places are still open so there’s plenty of snow landscape but it’s very warm. No problem traveling up here. No problem with no or ice on the roads. It just doesn’t exist.

It’s beautiful and misty and peaceful.

InnSane

For this year’s fabulous art workshops, painting, drawing, pastel, oil and watercolor, the desserts will be…

Oh, look, I understand that this is the absolutely most important part of the meal. Salads come and salads go. Apps? Starters? Main dish? All important in their small way but the star of the meal is the sweet stuff! Right?

Last years menu included:

1. Chocolate Mousse
2. Waffles with Ice Cream and Chocolate sauce.
3. Fruit Cup with honey and yogurt
4. Cheese Cake and Strawberry Sauce
5. Lemon Meringue Pie
6. Brownie Pie
7. Banana Bread Pudding with hard sauce
8. French Apple Pie
9. Butternut Squash Pie
10. Sabayon

This year will be, the drum roll please…

1. Lemon Meringue Pie
2. French Apple Pie
3. Butternut Squash Pie
4. Fruit cup
5. Banana’s Foster-esque-like nod to the 60’s/70’s
6. Kaiserschmarren (We did go to Austria after all.)
9. Sabayon
10. White and Dark Chocolate Mousse Swirl (I have lots of fine raspberry liquor.)

I went a little pie crazy but don’t worry. That’s 10 desserts and I am known to change my menu, often.

Enjoy and we can’t wait for you all to come. So many have already signed up for classes. See you next week.

InnSane

Thanks so much for all your cards, letters and paintings. We appreciate it. You’re all on our minds and, though we didn’t send out Christmas cards this year because we were in Austria, next year will be a stay at home year and you’re on our list.

Thanks to all the students, teachers, friends and family who made last year great. Thanks for everything.

InnSane

It’s embarrassing but it’s above freezing right now. I’ve laid down salt etc. on the walkways and we’re ready for our first workshop with Stanley Maltzman, Pastel Painting and Drawing Workshop. We’re going to be having Austrian, naturally, and Russian food as well as some of the favorites, Maple Salmon, for instance. Yum! Plus the Gluhwein and the hot chocolate. Come on, people, how could an art workshop get any better?

The Winter here is beautiful. I hope you come up to see. We are enjoying the season already. The Art Workshops will be very good. Next year we’re also having Winter Art Workshops. I’ll be putting those workshops up in the Spring. So, look for them on the website at the same address.

And don’t forget our fiber art workshops. They’ll follow hot on the heals of our Winter Art Workshops.

Oh, yes, we’re back and blogging.

Yes indeed. Hot coco and Austrian Gluhwein. How cool is that?

InnSane

So, almost over the cold. Another day. Plenty of time before we open. The winter art workshops are slowly making their minimum. Yea! This is going to be great.

We did so much in Austria and I’m trying to figure out what to say next. We have loads of pictures which I’ll put up before the workshops begin.

My German came back. Well most of it. People kept on complimenting me on how well I spoke German. I def. understood more than I could speak. Passive language skills always outstrip active language skills. Just look at any child.

How would I do this vacation differently if given the change? Glad you asked. First I would immediately head off for 4 days of skiing, just to get my body used to it. Then I’d go for a long massage and a soak. Next I’d spend 2 weeks site seeing and then I’d go for a good 6 day skiing holiday. Much better. I’d also rent an apartment rather than stay at all these hotels. Though I’d def. stay at the hotels we stayed at again, I think it’d be cheaper to cook our own food. Those cafes were expensive. 40 E every time we stepped into one. That’s $60 USD. It didn’t matter if it were lunch or dinner. Plus, I think I’d eat more at the Christ Kindl Marts.

We are ready for the art workshops. This is going to be a good year. We already have tons of people signed up for the Quilt and Winter Workshops, not to mention the Spring, Summer and Fall ones.

Well, more later.

InnSane

Well, I have a cold and I hurt my tail bone skiing in sticky conditions. I fell down on my tail. Unheard of. Well, almost never. Hardly ever. 😉

Skiing was great and I cannot wait to go back to skiing even if it wont be in the Tyrol. Austria was just fantastic. We loved it. Kim didn’t get enough shopping time in and next vacation, in about 10 years when we’ve paid this one off, she’ll get on extra shopping day, by herself, per city.

The flight back was murder with this tail bone bruise, fracture?, and my cold. However, let’s not talk about that. We started out, NY time, at 3:00 AM and didn’t finish, NY Time, until 11:00 PM. Boy oh boy.

The last two night we spent in Baden bei Wien, which as the name suggests, is a spa town. We stayed in a castle, schloss, or perhaps you’d translate that as palace? So, we had major treatments. Just the thing after skiing. We had fun but we were ready to come home and start our workshop season.

Yes indeed, we are opening Jan 15th with our first workshop. Things are going well, people are signing up and by now, fingers crossed, you should have received your art workshops brochures.

It’s good to be back. Greenville Arms, 1889 Inn, what a treat.