White Oak Inn Musings

Christmas Jam Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:08:00 +0000

This is a wonderful concoction, full of warm spices like cinnamon and ginger. If you're looking for an unusual home-made gift for friends, a batch of this can be made in less than an hour. Gives 6 to 7 half-pint jars.

Christmas Jam

1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
2 pears, peeled, cored and diced into small pieces
1 large can crushed pineapple, with juice
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
one pouch of liquid Certo or other pectin
6 1/2 cups sugar

Prepare preserving jars by sanitizing in a dishwasher or immersing in a pot of boiling water.

Mix everything except the Certo and sugar in a large pot. Bring to a simmer. Keep at a low simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, or until pears are soft, stirring frequently. Add more water as necessary. Mix in Certo and sugar and bring to a full rolling boil. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and pour into prepared jars. Screw on lids with bands. Cool and refrigerate for up to a month OR process in hot water bath for longer storage.

Yvonne Martin
Innkeeper White Oak Inn

New Year's Packages and menu

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 20:35:00 +0000

Just thought we'd give you a sneak peak at our New Years' packages and menus.
Both our one and two night packages include a New Year's Eve clebration of pre-dinner appetizer party, dinner, midnight celebration followed by a dessert buffet, and brunch on January 1. Our two night package also includes a light buffet dinner on Dec. 30 and breakfast Saturday morning.

The New Year's dinner menu will be:
Crab Bisque
Spring mix and Arugula salad with roasted beets, candied pecans, goat cheese and pears and a lemon oregano dressing
Choice of:
Beef tenderloin with Bearnaise sauce
or
Atlantic Salmon filet with Mango Ginger Salsa
both accompanied by Duchesse potatoes, and a Rosemary Roast winter vegetable medley

Dessert will be chocolate of course!

Yvonne Martin
Innkeeper White Oak Inn

Never a dull moment in Ohio's Amish Country

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 01:51:00 +0000

Working out of your home can be stressful. Combine that with working with your spouse and you have a real challenge. Ian and I are now in our 20th year as innkeeper partners. I wish I could say it gets easier, but it doesn't. My fiery Scottish temper doesn't make it any easier. And unfortunately in such a close working environment, our staff are often witnesses to our differences of opinion.

A few weeks ago we had arranged to have the parking lot surface sealed. Since nobody was to drive on it for 48 hours, the paving company blocked the driveways with empty buckets and yellow caution tape. Two of our staff were arriving for work the day after the job was done. As usual, they parked in the staff parking lot, across the road from the inn. As they crossed the road, one of them noticed the yellow tape, looked at the other and said, "Oh my, do you think she finally killed him?"

I think they were relieved to walk into the kitchen and find Ian alive and well.

Innkeeper White Oak Inn

Morel season in Central Ohio

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 18:11:00 +0000

Mushroom hunting is a favorite pastime for many local residents.   The elusive morel mushroom starts appearing in the woods around here mid-April, depending on weather conditions.   Apparently weather conditions right now must be very good because we've been hearing about a lot of big finds.   Of course we're also hearing stories about "the ones that got away" and mushroom hunters who have come up empty-handed.

What special little treasures these mushrooms are.   They are only available for a few weeks each spring, and allegedly cannot be cultivated.   Which explains why they can fetch up to $100 a pound at the local produce auctions.    Our favorite way to enjoy them is simply dredged in seasoned flour and fried in butter until crisp on the outside.   (Although we have a theory that even an old sneaker sole dredged in seasoned flour and fried in butter until crisp would be tasty).

The inn's Spring Nature weekend, usually held the last weekend of April, generally coincides with mushroom season, and while they're out in the woods birdwatching and doing other pursuits, our guests also keep an eye out for mushrooms.  Any of their finds are carefully prepared and cooked as an appetizer at dinner on Saturday evening.

It was with great surprise and delight that innkeeper Yvonne stepped outside early this morning to take the inn dog Dougal for his walk and noticed something unusual in the grass beside the driveway.   Stepping carefully, she bent down for a closer look and realized, yes, indeed, there were a handful of morels growing no more than 25 feet from the inn.    Closer inspection of the area revealed a total of 17 of the tasty little darlings.   Which is going to make Easter Dinner very enjoyable indeed.

Yvonne Martin
Innkeeper White Oak Inn

Photo shoot at Amish country bed and breakfast

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 23:27:00 +0000

A few weeks ago we had Mark and Matthew from Jumping Rocks Photography come to the inn to photograph some of our rooms and take more food photographs. We were just delighted with the results and hope to have them back again later this summer to do more of the rooms and get some outdoor shots when the gardens are looking their best. I think our two favorite pictures were a lovely sunset picture of the exterior of one of the log cabin cottages,

and a great closeup of a piece of Orange Marmalade Cake.

Many of the new photographs are now sprinkled throughout our website. To see more of them take a look around, particularly at the White Oak, Walnut and Pinecone Cottage room pictures.

On a slightly sad note, the very old gnarly Redbud tree pictured in a photograph on our wedding page fell victim to the last ice storm. We have lots of memories involving that tree, including teaching our pet Robin to fly from its low branches. We'll miss it, particularly in the spring.

Yvonne Martin
Innkeeper White Oak Inn

Great Barbecue in Knox County Ohio

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 19:16:00 +0000

We've been meaning to write about this for a while now, but time just seemed to slip away recently.   We had a very busy holiday season at the inn and have been hard at work at the inn refreshing our guest house rooms.    But a visit yesterday to this restaurant for a birthday party reminded us we hadn't shared this gem with our guests.   So we're about to remedy that oversight.

Grillers Restaurant opened early last fall in the small town of Howard, Ohio, less than ten minutes drive from The White Oak Inn.    I know when you think of barbecue, you don't usually think of central Ohio, but this is the real deal.   Owner Sean uses a wood-fired smoker to produce tender, moist and delicious cuts of meat.    He's out there in the cold and snow five days a week keeping things going.  He offers pulled pork, pulled chicken, beef or brisket sandwiches and 1/4 chicken dinners.   French fries are made fresh for each order - and they're just the way I like them - plain and unadulterated.   There's a good selection of side dishes including pasta salad, green beans and a great coleslaw.     Sean's wife Natalie is in charge of side dishes and desserts. Her home-made desserts - a coconut cream cake and a Ho Ho Cake are simply delicious.

Portions of everything are generous in size and you can't beat the price. Grillers also has a limited offering of hard liquor drinks and a good selection of beers.   But be aware - right now they don't take credit cards, so bring along cash.   Open Wednesday to Sundays for lunch and dinner. Closed Monday.

Yvonne Martin
Innkeeper White Oak Inn

Ohio Amish Country Meal

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 21:10:00 +0000

There are many Amish families living in the area around the inn. Most of our guests are very interested in learning about their lifestyle, and understanding why they live the way they do. And some of the local Amish families are willing to share a glimpse into their daily lives with our guests on a one-on-one basis. Recently we took our inn staff to one of those farm homes to meet with the owners and sample some of her wonderful cooking. Located about a 20 minute drive from the inn, along very scenic backroads, we were greeted by a very friendly dog and a smiling cook. Verna Troyer welcomed us into her home, where 12 of us were seated around a large kitchen table. Verna and her daughter had prepared a feast for us. When I made the appointment I had told Verna to go ahead and prepare her favorite foods for us. I knew whatever it was it would be delicious. Verna asked if we'd like to say a prayer or engage in silent reflection for a few moments before the meal began. Our salads were on the table, and everything else was passed family style in bowls or on platters. The mixed vegetable salad was served with Verna's home-made sweet and sour dressing. Big baskets of home-made bread were accompanied by peanut butter spread. I have to say it ranks among the most delicious breads I've ever tasted. Verna had chosen to make oven-baked chicken cutlets and barbeque pork chops for our two meats. Twice-baked potatoes with cheddar cheese and bacon topping, home-made noodles, and green beans from her garden accompanied the meal. Groans of contentment issued out of everyone as we tasted each item. Just when we thought we'd done justice to the meal, Verna and her daughter appeared with additional platters of everything. I had requested pies for dessert and we were given the choice of fresh strawberry or peanut butter cream pie. I don't know how she had managed to choose my two favorites! Fortunately she did offer to do half portions of each so I didn't have to choose between them. After dinner Verna sat at the table with us and shared her family's history and some interesting stories of life in the Amish community.

It was a delicious meal and a lovely evening. In another two weeks we're planning to visit the home of another Amish cook for a similar event. We'll be offering this same experience to guests of the White Oak Inn as a package, that will include a self-guided tour around some of the local genuine Amish stores and services. We think it beats the pants off eating in one of the big factory-style restaurants.

Innkeeper White Oak Inn

Local farmers market offers local produce, fresh fruits, baked goods, oh my!

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:24:00 +0000

I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Emily, and I am Ian and Yvonne’s assistant. I am their “do whatever needs to be done” person. I’ve been at The White Oak Inn for 3 1/2 years and have loved every minute of it. I thoroughly enjoy my job, whether it’s helping out in the kitchen, walking the Inn mascot, Dougal, conversing with the guests, or working on the computer in the Bat Cave (H.Q. in the basement).

During the summer time in and around Amish county, it seems as though a person is never far away from a farmers market. There are farm markets, which are essentially roadside produce stands, and then there are farmers markets, which are on public property and feature a variety of vendors and products. In a nearby village called Fredericktown, the farmers market is held every Thursday from 3-6, starting at the end of May and running until the middle of October.

The Fredericktown village square, with it’s community-built gazebo, antique cannon, and surrounding historic downtown, is the perfect stage for the weekly performance that is as American as apple pie, baseball, and hot dogs. On average in Fredericktown, there are 6-10 vendors who set up and proceed to sell their best goods. This weeks’ offerings were tantalizing to any palate. There were fresh red skinned potatoes, naturally grown blueberries, baby beets, fresh baked breads, fruit pies, cakes, and cookies.

I have to boast a tad. Our daughter is the baker behind Katy’s Kakes. She’s an 11 year old girl with her eye on the prize. She has been baking with me (Emily) since she was 6. When she turned 8, she asked if she could make something on her own. We found a recipe for an Oatmeal Cake that has become her trademark cake. It’s a very moist cake that is the right blend of spice and sweet. When she tops it with her coconut pecan topping, it’s out of this world. Yes, it’s all from scratch. And yes, she’s got the recipe memorized!

She’s not the only entrepreneur in our family. Our son, Christopher, is a 10 year old boy who is slightly more cautious, but driven to do things his way, just the same. He created a stand out recipe for lemonade that is earning him rave reviews from his customers. With a little more confidence, he’ll be hard to beat!

The heartland of America is a wonderful place to get reconnected with the old-fashioned values and traditions of the past. A farmers market brings it all full circle from past to present. Fresh produce, fresh fruit, homemade baked goods, neighborly conversation, and a knowledge that your food didn’t travel more than 15 miles to get into your hands is a great way to spend an afternoon. When you visit The White Oak Inn, check out our local farmers markets and farm stands. The difference in taste and quality will have you coming back for more!

The sign says it all!

No matter what day of the week you stay at The White Oak Inn, chances are there is a Farmers Market being held. We’d love to point you in the right direction to help you get back in touch with a time-honored tradition.

Innkeeper White Oak Inn

Spa services at Ohio Bed and Breakfast

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 00:21:00 +0000

As many of our guests have experienced, we offer in-room massage services at The White Oak Inn. These services have been provided by the excellent and professsional ladies from Soothing Touch Massage in Mount Vernon, Ohio. Recently the business was purchased by one of its long-time employees, our very dear friend Kim Dean. Kim has been coming to the inn to provide massages for our guests for a number of years. She has relocated the business to a larger facility to allow more services and additional therapists. All of Kim’s massage therapists are licenced and insured.

Although most of our guests prefer to enjoy a massage in the comfort and privacy of their own room at The White Oak Inn, some of them enjoy it so much they decide to continue enjoying the services of Soothing Touch when they aren’t staying at the inn.    Ian and I recently went for a visit to see the new office.    Kim and her talented husband Greg have renovated and decorated the Victorian style building to reflect a calm and tranquil atmosphere, and provide comfort and privacy for their clients.   Soft music plays in the background.   Small water fountains trickle gently.   Live plants and flowers abound.     An eclectic collection of art graces the walls.     It’s soothing, comfortable and relaxing – exactly what the whole massage experience should be.

In addition to standard massage, Soothing Touch will be offering hot stone massages and body wraps.    A small gift area sells massage oils, lotions and essential oils.   Gift certificates are available.

For those guests who book a massage at the inn, the therapist will arrive shortly before your appointment time and set up her table in your room.    She’ll start soft music, perhaps light a scented candle.   The tables are heated in the winter time.     You will undress to the degree of your own comfort and slide under the sheet on the table.     And then the bliss begins….

We love to see the faces of our guests after a session with Kim or one of the other therapists.   The best description would be that they ooze into the room.    Totally relaxed.   All stress gone.     Guests who have never experienced a professional massage before will rave about the experience.

I think I’ve just talked myself into booking a massage with Kim right now!

Innkeeper White Oak Inn

Velvet Ice Cream Festival on Memorial Day weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Thu, 27 May 2010 00:20:00 +0000

Even though it’s technically still spring, Memorial Day weekend just seems to be the launch of summer. And what better way to celebrate than with ice cream? Velvet Ice Cream in Utica (just 30 minutes away from the inn) has a great ice cream festival on the long weekend every year. It features fun activities for all ages, with entertainment on the stages, a motorcycle show, music, magic, and what else but ICE CREAM. Admission is free. For more information and to see a schedule of events go to the festival website.

Guests enjoying the ice cream festival at Velvet Ice Cream

Velvet Ice Cream is open May to October, with an old-fashioned ice cream parlor, a viewing window to the factory where you can watch them make ice cream, and a milling and ice cream museum on the premises.

There are lots of other fun activities to enjoy near to the inn on the long weekend and we still have a few rooms open, so give us a call if you’d like to make a mini-vacation out of your trip. 740-599-6107

And if your path takes you to the ice cream festival this weekend, be sure to enjoy a Raspberry Fudge Cordial cone for me!

Innkeeper White Oak Inn

Spring is in the air at The White Oak Inn

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 00:18:00 +0000

After a snowy February, March has been lovely here in Knox County.   Our brave little snowdrops were the first to poke their heads above ground, followed quickly by purple and white crocuses.   The first daffodils have just opened up, and we should have quite a show right in time for Easter.

Wedding fever struck early this year.    We had three elopements and one vow renewal at the inn in March, and for each one the day was bright, sunny and warm, so the couples were able to use the gazebo for their ceremonies.

Our rhubarb is already a few inches high, our chives are greening up and tiny little lemon balm and mint leaves are bravely poking up in the herb garden. We can’t wait to start planting the rest of the more tender culinary herbs.   I’m dreaming of salads with fresh basil….mmmm.

Innkeeper White Oak Inn

White Oak Inn has a New Web Site Coming

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:39:00 +0000

I know I haven’t posted in a while. I feel like I just hibernated for the last couple of months. But don’t worry, I’ve been a busy little bee while I’ve been in hiding. I’ve been experimenting with some new breakfast and dinner recipes. Would it be boasting to say the fresh tomato pie and chocolate raspberry truffle cheesecake are to die for? We’ve also been working on a new updated inn website that we hope to roll out in about 2 months time. We had some great new photographs taken by our friend Ken Love, of Ken Love Photography and got a few nice pictures ourselves after the recent snow storms. Attached is a montage of some of Ken’s pictures taken in and around the inn. Hope you enjoy them.

Innkeeper
White Oak Inn

Bald Eagle Sighting on Kokosing River

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:38:00 +0000

As some of you know we have a bald eagle nest close to the inn, alongside the Kokosing River. This particular nest replaced one about three miles upriver. The two nests have been active for the last ten years or more, with one or two chicks surviving each year, so now we have quite the population of bald eagles in the area.

We were out with friends last week, driving home around 4 p.m. and I saw a large black bird with a white head and tail rise up from the ditch, not more than 30 feet from us. I immediately knew what it was and stopped the car so we could get a better look. The bird circled and landed again, about 75 feet away from the road. He waited patiently for us to move on. Apparently he was feasting on a dead deer in the ditch and we had interrupted dinner. In the meantime an immature eagle also circled around us .

We often see the eagles flying over the inn or along the river. They are simply majestic. Every year during our Spring Nature weekend at the inn, local eagle expert Brad Perkins comes and shares his latest slides of the eagles, and stories about activities he and other volunteers have undertaken to ensure the survival of this magnificent species. Then he takes all our guests to a spot where they can observe the nest and the parents feeding the young eaglets through a telescope.

The photograph at the top of this post was actually snapped by one of our guests. He and his wife were driving along our road, and as the came close to the river spotted a mature eagle perched on a rock in the river. They were able to take several photographs before the bird flew off.

For more information about the Spring Nature Weekend, give us a call or visit our website. The date for 2010 is April 30 to May 2.

Innkeeper
White Oak Inn

Meet Dougal, White Oak Inn’s new mascot

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 00:37:00 +0000

Santa came a little early and delivered a 15 lb. bouncing baby boy to The White Oak Inn.
He’s 12 weeks old. Lab and we-don’t-know-what (and couldn’t care less).
He is going to be a GREAT inn dog. He is the calmest 3-month-old puppy we’ve ever met. He greets people with a wagging tail, doesn’t jump up on them and doesn’t bark at them.
Last night was our staff Christmas party. He had to meet 20 strangers and he took it all in stride. Didn’t get hyper. Sat or laid calmly at someone’s feet all night long. Didn’t mooch food. Opened his gifts carefully and gave thank-you kisses to everyone.
He has been here for less than 48 hours and he already knows his name, has learned to walk on a leash, understands “no” and is close to housebroken.
He has even tried to make friends with the inn cats, although the response was less than warm. Still, we’re sure they’ll come around.
Thank you to the Richland County Dog Shelter and Adoption Center for taking good care of him until he got to his forever home.

Innkeeper
White Oak Inn

Dickens Christmas at The White Oak Inn

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:36:00 +0000

This coming Friday and Saturday, Dec. 11 & 12 will be the only dates this year we are offering the Dickens Christmas Carol package. Our very talented actor Brent has been signed to a contract with a theater in Cincinnati, and this could be the last year he’s available to perform at The White Oak Inn.

We still have a few seats available for each performance. The package includes a traditional afternoon tea and Mandy and Yvonne spent Tuesday afternoon making sweet treats for the tea. They’ve made lemon curd, fruit and nut loaf, almond macaroons, mint brownies, raspberry almond tassies, chocolate apricot bars, Scottish shortbread, walnut crescents, turtle squares, lemon creme bars, and peanut honey crisps.

Tickets are available for the play and tea for $45 a person or overnight packages including the play, tea, light buffet supper, overnight stay and breakfast start at $259 a couple.

Here’s one of the recipes from yesterday’s bake-fest:

Almond Macaroons

1 – 14 oz. package sweetened shredded coconut

1 cup sliced almonds

3/4 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

1/4 teaspoon of salt

4 egg whites

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix all the ingredients in a medium size bowl. Drop mounds (1 or 2 tablespoons in size, depending on how large you want your macaroons to be) onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing an inch apart. Bake about 20 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool slightly, then remove from parchment and finish cooling on wire racks. (Do not allow to completely cool on parchment, as they will stick).

Innkeeper
White Oak Inn

The Ashery Country Store

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:34:00 +0000

The holiday season is on its way. And for us at the inn, that means a lot of extra baking. So last week Ian and I took a short drive to pick up supplies from our favorite bulk food store in Holmes County, Ohio’s Amish area. Along the way we also popped in to the Holmes County Flea Market just outside of Berlin.

To sum up the experience in one sentence: It certainly lives up to the adage that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

We did come out of there with a pair of work gloves for Ian and some fudge for me, so it wasn’t a complete waste of time. And from there we enjoyed the scenic drive up country road 77 throught Mount Hope and on to the Ashery.

Bulk food stores abound throughout the Amish area. They are the equivalent of convenience stores for the Amish people themselves. Keep in mind that the Amish a) don’t generally have refrigerators and freezers, b) Have large families to feed and c)are thrifty and don’t use many convenience foods. So these stores sell all the basics needed for cooking from scratch, including flour, sugar, nuts and dried fruit, herbs and spices and much more. And the prices are considerably more reasonable than the same products from a supermarket.

We like the Ashery because it has a large selection, is clean and well organized, and is always very busy, meaning the inventory turns over quickly. Obviously other people agree with us – the store recently expanded and they had to build a larger parking lot across the road.

So with our treasure of fruits, nuts, baking chips and other goodies put away it’s time to start planning the menus for our holiday events.

Here’s a sneak preview of one of the recipes we’ll be making for our Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol event in December:

Raspberry Coconut Squares

1 1/4 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 cup raspberry preserves

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups shredded coconut

Combine 1 1/4 cups flour with 1/4 cup of sugar. Cut in the butter and press into the bottom of a 9 inch square pan. Spread the preserves over this base. Beat the eggs with the sugar, 1 tablespoon of butter and the vanilla. Mix in the coconut. Spread this over the preserves. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until light gold. Cool and cut into 36 squares.

Innkeeper
White Oak Inn

Satellite Kitty

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:33:00 +0000

Our poor little kitty, Josie, at the ripe old age of 4 1/2 months was found to have a tumor. Fortunately our wonderful vet, Dr. Geoff Gregg, removed it and deemed it to be benign. Unfortunately convincing a kitten to leave a big boo-boo on their belly alone is not the easiest thing in the world, so for the last two weeks Josie has been known as the Satellite Kitty. Stitches came out today. The dish has to stay on for another week to make sure the incision is well healed. In the meantime Ian claims to be getting two new TV stations.

Innkeeper
White Oak Inn

Fall means pumpkin recipes!

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:32:00 +0000

There’s no doubt it’s Fall now. Swirls of golden leaves are fluttering down to the driveway as fast as we can rake them. It’s such a bittersweet time of year. On the one hand it’s so beautiful outside. And Fall means apples, squash and pumpkins are in season. The kitchen becomes comfortably cool again and we enjoy making soups and baking sweet items redolent with cinnamon and other warm spices. On crisp cold nights we light the inn fireplaces. But the downside is that Fall signals an end to the tomatoes, basil and other warm-weather fruits and vegetables. And all that color is a precursor to bare tree limbs and having to bundle up to do outdoor chores.

This past weekend proved to be unusually cool for this time of year. So to warm the hearts and tummies of our guests, I made one of my favorite quick breads – a pumpkin orange and date loaf.

This recipe gives two 9 x 5 loaves. Enought to eat one now, freeze one for later, or share with friends.

Pumpkin, Date and Orange Bread

1/2 cup butter or margarine

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 – 14 oz. can of pumpkin

1/2 cup of milk

1 or 2 oranges (depends on how much orange flavor you like!)

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1 cup of chopped dates

optional: 1 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans

Put flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ginger in a bowl and mix together well.

Cream butter and sugar together. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add pumpkin and milk.

Take unpeeled orange(s), cut into 8 pieces and process in a food processor or blender until ground up fine. Add this to the batter.

Gently fold the flour mixture into the batter. Stir in dates and nuts.

Divide mixture between two greased 9 x 5 loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I’d share a photograph, but the guests ate it all before I got a chance to take one!

Innkeeper
White Oak Inn

Holmes County Pottery visit

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:29:00 +0000

Last week was kiln-opening time at Holmes County Pottery. Ian and I just love pottery. And at the workshop and store of local potter Cary Hulin we always find plenty of pieces we can’t live without.

Cary is a true artisan. He built his large wood-fired kiln himself. It took 10,000 bricks to complete that job. He mixes his own clay and glazes, forms and decorates the pots, then supervises the firings.

The huge kiln needs 2 to 3 cords of hardwood slabs for one firing, and it takes Cary about 3 months to make enough pieces to fill it. So the thrice-yearly kiln opening sales are much anticipated by his fans.

We had visited Cary a few weeks before the firing and he showed us a new design he was calling a Cobbler dish. As soon as I saw them I knew I had to have at least one. He took a round pot and pulled it to make a square-topped deep dish – perfect for a fruit cobbler or other baked dessert. I was so glad we got up there early on the first day of the kiln-opening sale – Cary told us the cobbler dishes were selling like, well, to use another food analogy, hotcakes. No wonder, they’re both beautiful to look at, and practical to use.

I brought home my new treasure and put it to almost immediate use, baking a berry crisp for dessert that weekend. Sorry, the guests ate it all before I could get a photograph, but here’s a picture of the clean and empty dish.

Innkeeper
White Oak Inn

The Newcastle GAR Bean Bake

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 23:24:00 +0000

Last Sunday we went to the 142nd annual GAR Bean Bake in Newcastle. Newcastle is a tiny little town about 6 miles from the inn. The annual GAR dinner (named for the Grand Army of the Republic) was originally started to raise funds for local widows and orphans from the Civil War. 142 years later, with all of the widows and orphans long deceased, the tradition continues, with the funds going to maintain the delightful little local park.

What a slice of local color. It’s Newcastle’s social event of the season. Everywhere you looked people were greeting old friends, and hugs and handshakes were the order of the day. Many of the locals are the third and fourth generation of their families to live in the area. All the food is donated and volunteers cook the beans in the original iron kettles from the Civil War, over woodburning fires. All I can say is I felt very sorry for them slaving over hot coals when the temperature that day went well over 90 degrees. We were more than content to sit in the shade and eat home-made ice cream and fry pies, while enjoying the musical entertainment provided by two local groups.

First on the program was Chestnut Ridge, playing bluegrass and gospel. They’re very popular performers at local events. They were followed by the Walhonding Rube Band, although there’s nothing “rube-like” about their musical abilities. Although they have a lot of fun during the performances, they take their music seriously, and it shows. The band has been around since the 1930’s and again some of the members are the third generation of their family to play in the band.

And what’s a local festival without the crowning of a queen, or in this case, a king, since the band started running out of ladies to crown!

Almost every summer or fall weekend you’ll find little local festivals and events like this one in rural Ohio. There’s always home-made food, local entertainment, and a feeling of coming home. Come see for yourself.

Innkeeper
White Oak Inn

Corn, sweet sweet corn

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:22:00 +0000

The early corn crop is coming in and we’ve been enjoying some of the sweetest tastiest corn I can ever remember having. We had a cookout last night for a family reunion, so we served fresh local corn. They loved it.

I was worried we might not get good corn this year because we’ve had an unusually cool and dry summer, but apparently that isn’t the case.

I just love this time of year. Drive down any road in this area and you’ll find little stands where farmers or individuals are selling whatever excess they have from their gardens. It’s all so fresh and tasty. Ian thinks I need to wear blinders because I want to stop and buy from them all.

This reminds me of the story I heard from a neighbour a few years ago. He had planted too many zucchini plants and they had way more than they could eat or give to friends. So he put an old chair out at the side of the road, put a box of zucchini on it and a large sign that read, “Free. Help yourself”. He heard a car stop so he went to see how much they had taken. The chair was gone, the zucchini was still there.

Update on the tomato plants I bought at the auction: I planted two behind the barn and kept three in pots near the inn. The ones behind the barn have been given a little boost with sheep manure. One of them is taller than I am right now and has hundreds of green cherry tomatoes. The ones in pots aren’t growing as tall, but I’m getting a couple of ripe cherry tomatoes off each one daily. Not bad for $1 a plant!

Innkeeper
White Oak Inn

White Oak Inn Ohio announces new murder mystery schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 23:20:00 +0000

We’re delighted to announce our schedule of murder mysteries for the 2009/2010 season. If you’ve never attended one of these you don’t know what you’re missing. Our incredibly irreverent, hysterically funny group of improvisional actors keep everyone rolling in laughter all night long.

The most frequently asked question about our mysteries is, “do I have to dress up?” Nope. You can come stark naked for all we care, but you’re going to have a lot more fun if you create a costume for your character. Everyone else is going to be dressed up, so you’ll feel left out if you don’t. We aren’t going to make anyone learn lines or do anything difficult. Except that maybe we’ll kill you. But it’s painless. Honestly.

Some other questions:

Are they serious? Are you kidding? Not in the slightest. We go for the cheap laughs every time.

Are they hard to figure out? Nope. If you’re paying any attention at all you’ll get it. Although it’s hard to concentrate when you’re busy watching Jeff perform his magic, or savoring your delicious dinner. (Yes, that’s a shameless plug for the food here.)

Anyway in case you hadn’t figured it out, our mysteries are a little bit of music, a little bit of magic and a whole lot of fun.

We’re offering 6 different dates and plots for individual couples and small groups this season. For groups of 12 or more people we can schedule other dates, subject to the inn and actors being available. Regular rates start at $279 per room including dinner, the mystery, overnight stay and a hearty country breakfast. Group rates can be as low as $239 a couple. For full details of schedule, plots and pricing, visit our murder mystery page.

Give us a call if you’re interested in booking a mystery for a group. We even have a special mystery written for Red Hat Clubs.

The new season’s dates and plots:

Friday November 20/09 The Class of 1969 Reunion

Saturday November 21 /09 The Games People Play

Saturday January 23 /10 The 2010 Hiney Awards

Saturday February 27 /10 Bigfoot

Saturday March 20/10 The Lounge Singers Convention

Saturday April 20 /10 The Unemployed Superheroes

Innkeeper
White Oak Inn

Today’s recipe Goat Cheese and Blueberry Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:19:00 +0000

Local blueberries are ready. One of the local pick-your-own farms has a one-for-one offer. You pick all you want. Keep half. Give the other half to the farmer. The farmer doesn’t have to pay to get his berries picked. You don’t have to pay for the berries you keep. Best of all, blueberry bushes don’t have thorns. They’ll have various varieties of berries available all the way to September, so come on down and get some for yourself.

In honor of the season, here’s a great way to use some of those delicious berries.

Goat Cheese and Blueberry Salad

Salad greens or fresh spinach – enough for 8 salads

1 cup fresh blueberries

1/2 cup or more of crumbled goat cheese

1 small can of mandarin oranges

1/2 cup of toasted walnuts or pine nuts

Dressing:

1/4 cup of orange juice

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1 tablespoon of honey

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup canola oil

Combine all the dressing ingredients except the oil in a blender jar. With the motor running slowly pour the canola oil in the top.

Put greens on a plate. Drizzle dressing over top. Divide the blueberries, nuts, goat cheese and mandarin oranges between the plates.

Innkeeper
White Oak Inn

Two adorable kittens need new home!

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:17:00 +0000

We’re looking for a very special home for two little sweethearts. Two of our barn cats surprised us in early May with litters of kittens. The moms are now spayed so it can’t happen again. We’ve found homes for all of the kittens except these special two. Josey got a serious eye infection at 5 weeks of age, so we brought her indoors and on antibiotics. She has made a complete recovery. Then a couple of weeks later, Bonnie, the little runt of the litter managed to get into the sheep pen and get stepped on. She ended up with two broken back legs. The vet said with rest and good nutrition she should make a complete recovery, although the legs would always be a bit crooked. That was three weeks ago and she has proved him right. Due to the fact she now has a gait resembling that of John Wayne, Ian decided to re-name her Duke. And it has stuck.

The two are inseparable. Although we love them very much, we don’t really want to have three adult cats in the inn. So we’re hoping somebody has room in their heart and home for two little sweethearts. We have the grandmother and mother of these kittens and both have wonderful dispositions. So if anyone has room in their heart and home for two special creatures, give us a call. 740-599-6107.

Innkeeper
White Oak Inn

Amish Country Furniture

noreply@blogger.com (Innkeeper Yvonne) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:13:00 +0000

We recently dropped by the Amish Country Furniture store, just outside Danville. It’s only about a 15 minute drive from the inn, and we ordered all the furniture for our cottages from there. Well, all we can say is that we always thought the furniture was great quality and value before, but now it’s over the top. The store is now under new owner Raymond Weaver. Raymond is justifiably proud of the workmanship and design that goes into all of his pieces. From his nearby workshop his Amish workers make heirloom-quality furniture that is sold and shipped all over the country. We were particularly impressed with one bedroom suite, made out of solid white oak, (no particle board or veneer in any of Raymond’s work) and with a design that is so special there’s a patent pending. The smaller of the two dressers in the set weighs 350 lbs! This is furniture that will last for generations.

I was kicking myself for not remembering to bring my camera along so I could take some pictures to show everyone on here. Next time, I promise.

In addition to furniture, the store also sells beautiful Polish Pottery pieces like the one pictured below.
In the same location as the furniture store is the Gateway To Amish Country travel and tourism information center. Visitors to the area will be able to pick up maps and brochures of many local points of interest.

The store is located right on highway 62, between Danville and Brinkhaven. And before we end up in a “who’s on first?” type routine, and you start asking, “But Yvonne, what’s the name of the Amish Country Furniture store?”, the name really is Amish Country Furniture.

Innkeeper
White Oak Inn