Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe from our Bed & Breakfast

They taste as good as they look. Chocolate chip cookies have always been my favorite cookie. Ever since I was a child baking with my Mother, we always used Nestle's toll house cookie recipe and finished by licking out the bowl with the spatula. Those warm memories have always stayed with me. Now I'm baking cookies with my beautiful 3 year old grand daughter, Hailey. And she now licks out the bowl.

The only thing that's changed is the recipe. This past year my son, Jeff, sent me 'Martha Stewart's Cookies' book. The book really has great cookie recipes as I have tried several of them. One day I thought I would give her chocolate chip cookies a test run. I have been baking these ever since. To me they are a couple steps above the toll house cookie. Even though I have changed a couple of things I will give full credit to Martha and her delicious cookies.

I know they're good because our guests always ask for seconds. Come visit Whispering Pines for a little taste of sweetness.

Let me know what you think after you make your first batch.

Martha's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 3/4 sticks butter, room temperature
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. packed light brown sugar
2 tsp. pure vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Combine together flour, baking soda and salt and set aside. Beat together butter and both sugars until pale and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; mix until combined.
Add flour mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto baking sheets and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes. Let cool of baking sheets for 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

I love them warm right from the oven. I'll make up a double or triple batch and freeze them so I always have these cookies available.


Hope to see you soon,
Linda
Whispering Pines Bed & Breakfast
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Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe from our Bed & Breakfast

Carroll County Ohio Animal Protection League

A few years ago a group of concerned and determined people from Carroll County, Ohio formed an organization called Carroll County Animal Protection League - CCAPL. Their goal is to build an animal shelter for animals of Carroll County. In its short existence, it has raised around $85,000 through numerous fund-raising activities and donations. They have an ongoing "Pennies for Paws" campaign by placing donation cans in various businesses throughout the county. Recently the group announced the purchase of land and grants and an endowment gift that was received. They need to raise $300,000. to build the animal shelter.

The shelter will include cat and dog exam and clinic areas, a grooming area, office and storage space, food preparation, laundry, isolation areas for new arrivals and a euthanasia area. CCAPL members said they will not euthanize for space, but only when humanely necessary and recommended by a licensed vet. The animal shelter will provide loving and caring temporary homes to those who will come under their care until they find a permanant home.

Membership in the CCAPL is $15. More information can be found on their web site.

Bill and I wish them much success. They have come a long way from dreaming it, believing it and now actually making it happen.



Hope to see you soon,
Linda
Whispering Pines Bed & Breakfast
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Carroll County Ohio Animal Protection League

Carroll County Arts Center, Ohio

The Carroll County Arts Center is a wonderful center for local artists to display and sell their art work. The center is housed in an old barn that has lovingly been restored. Once again a good example of what a small town of local people can accomplish when focused. This was built by donations and fund raisers.

The center offers many activities for adults as well as children of all ages. Some of the classes include sand casting, mosaic tiles, painting, drawing, art appreciation, music and clay masks to name a few.

One of the recent events was a show entitled Carroll County Collage. Artworks had to include scenes depicting life in Carroll County, its people and places. Each artist could submit three works for judging and all pieces would be for sale. Ribbons were given for first, second, third place, and a people's choice award.

The winners of the People's choice awards were Randy Hull, second place, and Jim Goings, first place, for their photographs of Carroll County scenes.

There were many outstanding works of art and I selected a couple to show. My personal favorite was done by Cheri Bell with a scene she painted looking out the window of Whispering Pines to the prominent barn gracing the landscape.

Congratulations to all the very talented people of Carroll County.

Hope to see you soon,
Linda
Whispering Pines Bed & Breakfast
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Carroll County Arts Center, Ohio

Vineyard

One of the joy's of being innkeepers is meeting people with unique and unusual jobs. Cindy and John Moorhead along with their son, Mike, fall right in that category.
The Moorhead's own a vineyard in Erie, Pa. They do not make the wine, they grow the grapes that get sold to winery's mainly in Pa. and N.Y. The Moorhead Farms actually grow twenty-two separate varieties of wine grapes: Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Vidal Blanc, Cayuga, Pinot Gris, Traminette, Pinot Blanc, Dornfelder, Valvin Muscat, Corot Noir, Noiret, Baccus, Merlot, Chardonnay, Viognier, Chambourcin, Vignoles, Niagara, Steuben, Carmine and Concords. Some of them are white and some are dark blue and they all taste divine. We were spoiled to the point that it will now be difficult to buy grapes from the market.

We know the grapes are wonderful because we were invited to see their operation during harvest. We toured their acres of grapes and did a complete "grape tasting". Each and every variety had a distinct and aromatic flavor. We found this so much more fun than a wine tasting, and we knew we were being treated very special. Even though the day we chose to visit was cold and raining grape harvesting continued. Both Bill and I enjoyed riding the harvester. This huge machine traverses the vines, shakes the grapes loose allowing them to move up the conveyor belt where someone hand picks out the larger stems and branches. They are then dumped into a cart traveling right beside the harvester. It's amazing how smoothly the operation runs.

After a few hours Cindy served us a wonderful hot meal with a bottle of wine (their grapes) and an absolutely delicious grape pie made from their more than a dozen table varieties of grapes. Her pie could without a doubt win a blue ribbon. John and Mike were still harvesting into the night because a truck was ready to drive the grapes to a New York Winery.

We had a great day and wonderful memories of our time spent with friends we met at our bed and breakfast. We left with several baskets of grapes and when we arrived home Bill made several jars of grape preserves.

We arrived later in the evening at The Bootby Inn, fellow Select Registry innkeepers. I highly recommend their Inn when traveling through Erie, Pa. The night before we stayed at the Buhl Mansion, another Select Registry Inn located in Sharon, Pa. Another Inn I would highly recommend. We had a good night's sleep, nice conversation and a lovely breakfast served to us at both places.

Well after all this wine talk I think I'll open a bottle of 'Traminette' wine from Mazza Vineyards in North East, Pa. Yes, grapes from the Moorhead farm. Do you think I can get Bill to take a break? For sure if I add some cheese and crackers.

Have you had the opportunity to go on a private tour of a vineyard? Would love to hear about your experience. Send me a comment to share with my readers.


Hope to see you soon,
Linda
Whispering Pines Bed & Breakfast
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Vineyard