Posts Tagged ‘Hodgdon Island Inn’

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“TWO-BITE” TRIFLE, A QUICK AND EASY HOLIDAY DESSERT RECIPE FROM HODGDON ISLAND INN, A COASTAL MAINE BED AND BREAKFAST

December 16th, 2011 by richard-pamela-riley

Quick and easy holiday dessert recipe: two-bite raspberry trifles!

A recipe from Pamela
Byrne Riley, Innkeeper

Photographed by
Richard B. Riley, Innkeeper

 

TWO-BITE TRIFLE

Makes 8 servings

 

Ingredients:

3TBS seedless raspberry preserves

1 TBS La Belle Orange (cognac & orange liqueur)

1 (3-oz) pkg cream cheese, softened

¼ cup sugar

½ cup heavy cream

8 Ladyfingers, halved crosswise*

8 fresh raspberries

Garnish: fresh mint sprigs

Directions:

1)
Microwave raspberry
preserves in a small microwave-safe bowl at HIGH for 20 seconds.

2)
Stir in the La
Belle Orange.

3)
Beat cream cheese
and sugar at until creamy (about 1 minute).

4)
Beat heavy cream
until soft peaks form.  Fold into cream
cheese mixture.  Spoon into a zip-top
plastic bag (do not seal).  Cut one
corner of bag with scissors to make a hole about ½ inch in diameter.

5)
Press one
ladyfinger half into bottom of a shot glass (about 1 ½ -oz).  Repeat procedure with 7 more glasses.  Drizzle about ½ tsp. raspberry mixture into
each glass.  Pipe small amounts of cream
cheese mixture into each glass.  Repeat
with remaining ladyfingers, raspberry mixture and cream cheese mixture.  Top each glass with 1 fresh raspberry.

6)
Cover and chill 2
hours.  Garnish with mint, if desired.

*There are crisp Italian cookies also called
ladyfingers, but be sure to use the soft ones in this recipe.  Look for them in the bakery or produce
section of your supermarket.

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Posted in B&B Boothbay Harbor, Bed & Breakfast near Boothbay Harbor, Boothbay B&B, Boothbay Bed and Breakfast, Boothbay Maine B&B, Recipes | Comments Off

PACO’S TACOS, DAMARISCOTTA, A FAVORITE EATERY OFTHE INNKEEPERS AT BOOTHBAY B&B HODGDON ISLAND INN

June 17th, 2011 by richard-pamela-riley

PACO’S TACOS Damariscotta, Maine

By now if you’ve read any of our blogs, you know that Richard and I, in addition to spending time in Boothbay Harbor, like to hang out in
Damariscotta.  Damariscotta is a great little riverfront town on the Pemaquid Peninsula located about twenty minutes from Hodgdon Island Inn www.boothbaybb.com, Boothbay.  The town has a wonderful array of shops, fun things to do and some great eateries.

One such eatery is Paco’s Tacos www.pacostacos.info.  Paco’s is located at 1 Tacos Alley. The alley is just off Main Street, between Sheepscot River Pottery and Puffin’s Nest (really neat shops by the way, but I won’t digress). Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.  Free WiFi is available (and it works better than a lot of public accessible WiFi we have encountered throughout our travels). Their telephone number is 207-563-5355.

Paco’s is in the basement of the Sheepscott River Pottery Building

Their menu www.pacosme.com/menu2.html
offers a wide range of tasty dishes that not only please the palate, but are very easy on the wallet (everything is priced under $10)! We plan on working our way through the menu, but our favorites to date include in no particular order:  the Loaded Veggie Burrito with choice of beans (red or black), cheeses, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, rice, onions, olives and sour cream; Nacho Grande – a large plate full of yummy salsa chips topped with your choice of meat or beans, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, salsa, guacamole and sour cream; and the Taco Pescado (aka Fish Taco) which features a fried redfish fillet wrapped in a soft tortilla seasoned with a mildly spiced tartar sauce and topped with lettuce and tomato, served with a side of chips and salsa. Most days we prefer the Medium Salsa, but our best friend really likes the Hot Salsa.

Paco’s is in the basement of Sheepscot River Pottery building.  We love
opening the door and inhaling the air thickly permeated with the smell of fresh chili peppers, cilantro and all of your other favorite Mexican spices.  The décor is
very pleasant – fun colored tables, chairs, and benches with lots of striped
pillows and exposed brick walls painted white and all spotlessly clean.  Owner Mike Frame and his crew are very pleasant and take excellent care of all their patrons.  As you can probably tell, Richard and I give Paco’s Tacos in Damariscotta a “thumb’s up”, but don’t take our word for it, stop by and try it for yourself.  To
visit them on Facebook, go to www.facebook.com/pages/Pacos-Tacos/225673352787

Innkeepers’ Note:  Unfortunately Paco’s Tacos closed their doors this past season. We miss them.  :-(

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Hodgdon Island Innkeepers spot sign of spring in Freeport: “18 Days and counting till Ice Cream Season starts”

March 26th, 2011 by richard-pamela-riley

LL Bean Store Window Freeport, Maine

Today, Richard and I made a trip into Freeport with some very dear friends from “back home” (Kentucky & Ohio).  Freeport is only 45minutes away from our nine room inn on our tiny island here in Boothbay, Maine .  Our day started off with grey skies and about an inch of snow giving our friends a taste of winter 2011 in Maine, but by noon it was all gone and Mother Nature had decided to smile.  The sun was shining and Freeport was hopping.  The huge parking lots behind L.L. Bean were pretty full.  It felt like everything and everyone was waking up after a long winter’s nap.  As we came around the front of the L.L. Bean home wares building, we were stopped dead in our tracks!  People of all shapes, sizes, genders and ages were learning how to cast fly fishing rods. 

One of Pamela's favorite haunts - Bridgham And Cook LTD.

It was mesmerizing to watch, but we eventually tore ourselves away and headed for Main Street and some of our other favorite haunts like Jones of New York, Mangy Moose, Cool-as-a-Moose, Brooks Brothers, Clark’s of England, Bridgham & Cook British Importers, Sherman’s Bookstore and of course, all of the L.L. Bean stores.

In the course of all this “exercise” we got thirsty and were in the process of trying to decide how we would quench our thirst when we spotted the sign that read “18 days till ice cream season begins!”  Just think – tonight the moon will be the fullest it’s been in 21 years; tomorrow is the first official day of spring and in just two weeks and 4 days (April 1st) ice cream season will be here!  How cool is that?!

To celebrate we tried out the new coffee shop/café located on the lower level of the L.L. Bean Flagship store.  It was fun and it was good.  The coffee shop showcases Coffee by Design from Portland. This was our first time to try their products and I have to say we enjoyed our Cappuccino (Richard) and Mocha (Pamela) Frappes respectively and our friends enjoyed their Roasted Red Pepper Quiche and hot teas.

Then it was down the street to the Georgetown Pottery and Edgecomb Pottery.  I’m afraid I could spend hours in each and still not see all the beautiful shapes, glazes, art and giftware there.

We finished our Freeport adventure off with dinner at the Muddy Rudder.  There was a brand new menu to choose from and between us we sampled Panko Baked Haddock, Hanger Steak, Baked Haddock and sirloin tips accompanied by creamy mashed potatoes with a side of crisply steamed julienned beets.  It was all very good and our waitress was cheerful and attentive.  It was, as they say, the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Directions to Freeport from Hodgdon Island Inn:  turn RIGHT out of driveway onto Barter’s Island Road; make a slight LEFT onto Corey lane; turn LEFT onto ME-27 to US-1 South; turn LEFT onto US-1 South through Brunswick; take I-295 South to Freeport Exit 20.  Follow signs to Freeport and parking lots.

P.S. At the time of this posting the number of days left til ice cream season is now six!

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IRISH SODA BREAD

March 15th, 2011 by richard-pamela-riley

 

Ingredients:

4 c unsifted regular all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

¼ c sugar (optional)

1/8 tsp cardamom or coriander (optional)

¼ c butter or margarine

1 egg

1¾ c buttermilk

Directions:

Combine in a large bowl the flour, salt, baking powder, soda, sugar and spice (if used).

Add butter or margarine, and cut in with a pastry blender or two knives until crumbly.

Beat egg slightly and mix with buttermilk; add to dry ingredients and stir until well blended.  Turn out on a floured board and knead until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.

Divide dough in half, and shape each into a round loaf; place each loaf in an 8-inch cake or pie pan.  Press down until dough fills pans.  With floured knife, cut crosses on tops of loaves, about ½ inch deep in the middle.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.  Makes two loaves.  Bread is done when bottom of bread sounds hollow when tapped.  Turn the bread out into a basket lined with a towel. Irish soda bread tastes best on the day it is made; it tends to become stale if stored too long. You may be able to revive day old bread with a sprinkling of water and a quick toasting. While butter is a common topping, you can also use clotted cream or preserves.

Currant or Raisin Soda Bread:

Follow basic recipe above, including the sugar; omit cardamom or coriander.  Add 2 cups currants or raisins to the flour mixture with 1¼ teaspoons caraway seed (optional).  Blend with egg and buttermilk and proceed as directed in above recipe.

Whole Wheat Soda Bread:

Substitute 2 cups whole wheat flour for 2 cups of regular all-purpose flour in the basic recipe above.  You might add 1 to 2 cups raisins or chopped dates, if you wish; mix in with the dry ingredients before adding the liquid.

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INNKEEPERS AT HODGDON ISLAND INN, BOOTHBAY, MAINE SEND ANNIVERSARY WISHES BACK HOME TO MOM & DAD

March 2nd, 2011 by richard-pamela-riley

The Four Popovers: Pamela, Dad, Mom & Richard

On March 5, 1949, a young couple in Kentucky got married.  That was the year that the New York Yankees would beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in the World Series.  It was the year that a horse named Ponder would win the 75th running of the Kentucky Derby.  The average price of a new home cost $7,450.00 and the minimum hourly wage rate was 70 cents an hour.  Harry S. Truman was President of the United States; Margaret Chase Smith was the Senator from Maine; NATO was established; Newfoundland joined Canada; soap operas debuted on television; the first VW Beetle was sold in the US; the very first automatic street lights were installed in New Milford, CT; the first Polaroid Camera sold for $89.95 and to celebrate the company’s 80th birthday, the first Pillsbury Bake-Off was held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.  Movies that year included Adam’s Rib, Twelve O’clock High, On the Town, and Roger’s and Hammerstein’s South Pacific debuted.  Folks were listening to Hank Williams “Lovesick Blues”, Vaughan Moore’s “Ghost Riders in the Sky” and Gene Autry’s   “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”.  William Faulkner received the Nobel Prize for Literature and Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” opened.  And some very talented people were born that year:  Vera Wang, Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Lionel Ritchie and Bruce Springsteen to name a few.

Ben & Pat Riley married on March 5, 1949 - fast forward 62 years

Fast forward 62 years and we know that some things have changed a lot and some hardly at all, but one thing remains steadfastly the same:  that young couple is still married and going strong!  As the parents of two sons (the eldest of which happens to be my beloved husband, Richard) and one daughter; the grandparents of two; and the favorite companions of a Maine Coon Cat named Bro, they are kept pretty busy.  In addition, Dad loves to read and star gaze, Mom loves to cook and bake, they care for all sorts of birds and animals, and they love everything Maine:  Maine lobstah, Maine chowdah, Maine blueberries (preferably in the form of yogurt or a crisp), fresh hot popovers, the jagged mountains, the rugged coastline and everything in between from Kittery to Bar Harbor. 

They love everything Maine!

Richard and I thank them for their love and support and for their company on all the Maine adventures through all the years.  We hope you will join with us in wishing them all the very best on this their 62nd wedding anniversary! 

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM & DAD WITH LOVE!

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HODGDON ISLAND INN BOOTHBAY HALF HOUR’S DRIVE TO BATH AND MAINE MARITIME MUSEUM

February 24th, 2011 by richard-pamela-riley

Bath, Maine - a New England City

If you have ever driven along Route 1 headed towards the Boothbay Region from the southern part of the state you have passed through Bath, Maine.  You would remember it – It has a very unique profile.  Bath, built along the shores of the Kennebec River and unlike the towns of Boothbay Harbor or Damariscotta for instance, is a city. On one side of Route 1, the view is that of a very typical New England city – tall white church spires, domed public buildings and preserved remnants of impressive 18th and 19th century mansions and storefronts.  On the other side of Route 1 is one of the city’s crown jewels: the Bath Iron Works (BIW). 

Massive cranes tower above Bath Iron Works where state-of-the-art military vessels are still built

This center of shipbuilding is outlined by the massive cranes which tower above the facility where state-of-the-art military vessels are still built.  And just beyond BIW is the other of the crown jewels in the City of Bath: the Maine Maritime Museum.

Now several times this winter, Richard and I have set off to explore any number of sites within a half hour’s drive of Hodgdon Island Inn and Boothbay, and somehow we have found ourselves back at this, and I quote, “mecca for boat lovers” and history buffs.

Maine Maritime Museum: the state's premier marine museum!

It is no wonder that the Maine Maritime Museum is the state’s premier marine museum!  The setting, on 20 acres along the Kennebec River, includes the award-winning Maritime History Building and Welcome Center (where the permanent and temporary displays are housed along with the gift shop), the restored original buildings from the Percy & Small Shipyard where wooden schooners were built in the 19th century; a late Victorian home; and the boat shop where volunteer craftsman build and restore small boats.  The displays and artifacts are amazing!  The staff welcoming and the volunteers enthusiastic and knowledgeable!

You definitely don't want to miss this!

 On February 19th, a new exhibit opened in the John G. Morse, Jr. Gallery.  It is called “Cold Waters, Cold War:  The 21st Century Navy in Maine”.  It is an amazing story about the part Maine played in naval and defense operations during the Cold War.  If you’re a Tom Clancy fan, you definitely don’t want to miss this!  If you consider yourself a patriot, you definitely don’t want to miss this either!  The exhibit runs through August 7, 2011.

To get to the museum (www.MaineMaritimeMuseum.org) from Hodgdon Island Inn, Boothbay:  take Barter’s Island Road, making a slight left on to Corey Lane which becomes ME-27.  Take ME-27 to US-1 South.  Take US 1 South to exit for ME-209/DOWNTOWN HISTORIC BATH/PHIPPSBURG (you’ll be on Vine Street). Turn LEFT under bridge on to Washington Street.  Go past BIW and MMM will be on the LEFT.

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MAINE COAST BOOK SHOP AND CAFÉ SHORT DRIVE FROM HODGDON ISLAND INN AND BOOTHBAY HARBOR

February 16th, 2011 by richard-pamela-riley

A town in Maine called Damariscotta

In a town in Maine called Damariscotta (pronounced dam-uh-riss-COT-ta) on the Pemaquid Peninsula, about 15.5 miles from Boothbay Harbor, there is an incredible local book shop and café right on Maine Street.

The Maine Coast Book Shop and Café  is probably Number Two on Richard’s and my list of favorite places to escape to.  It’s about a 20 minute drive from the inn along River Road just off Route 27.  (An easy way to find the turn off for River Road is to remember that River’s End Farm is located just across the street from it).  River Road meanders (a quintessential Maine descriptor) along the Damariscotta River, past beautiful 18th and 19th century Federal and colonial-style homes and several impressive brick structures (Damariscotta’s sister town, Newcastle, was not only a thriving shipbuilding town in the 1800’s, but a brick making center as well) and the Glidden Point Oyster Sea farm.  The topography of the land is such that the drive is anything, but monotonous.  You go up and down and around bends, through stretches thick with trees and then along open fields until the harbor at Damariscotta pops into view.  I find myself momentarily reverting to that childhood habit of eagerly watching for that first glimpse of the town and its buildings reflected in the river and being the first one to shout out “there it is”!

Maine Coast Book Shop short drive from Hodgdon Island Inn

Richard and I are book lovers and avid readers.  I’m afraid we have yet to make use of a Kindle or a Nook, and it’s not because we are against the concept as we read the NYT daily on our iPhones, it’s more because there is something comforting to us when we hold that tome in our hands.  I also feel connected to my now deceased parents and grandparents as I turn pages – I can hear the shushed reminders to turn the pages quietly and be careful not to break the book’s spine … SIGH.

The book shop in Damariscotta has something for everyone.  They seem to have a sixth sense about what they stock and it’s very hard not to come out without making a purchase.  The staff is also very obliging and very knowledgeable.

Richard and I are proud members of the Cafe's "Coffee Club"

The café is an amazing place as well.  Richard and I are proud members of the “Coffee Club” (purchase ten coffee-related drinks and the next one’s free!).  There are many wonderful coffees to choose from as well as fine teas and fruit drinks, but it’s their cappuccino smoothies topped (translation: the space between the top of the liquid and the top of the domed cover is filled, and I mean filled), with real cow-made thick, rich sweet cream that do it for us.  They also offer an array of fresh baked goods, sandwiches, soups and chowders.

You can literally unwind and watch the world go by ...

Sitting in the café, looking out at Main Street, you can literally unwind and watch the world pass by.  The cars whizz by; drivers with their tongues between their teeth, attempt to parallel park; people glide in and out of any one of the very cute, very different and/or very eclectic shops, galleries or restaurants; run into the ReXall Drug Store complete with a 1940’s soda fountain; or just pop into the Post Office. Invariably they end up in the book shop or the café.

People glide in and out of any one of the shops, restaurants, galleries, etc.

“They” are mothers and daughters in the middle of a shopping spree, friends meeting to catch up, young people socializing after school, business folks checking in (free Wi-Fi), and oh yes, did I mention innkeepers catching their breaths?

If you’re in our area, this is definitely a must-see/do!

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“SWEETHEART OF A DEAL” SPECIAL FROM HODGDON ISLAND INNKEEPERS, PAMELA BYRNE RILEY AND RICHARD B. RILEY

February 15th, 2011 by richard-pamela-riley

Easy- to-make Raspberry Bavarian Souffle

Richard and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a world of happiness, not just on Valentine’s Day, but always!

 Check out our “Sweetheart of A Deal” special:  reserve a two night minimum stay on or before March 31st and save 10% (2011 rates go into effect April 1st).  Offer based on double occupancy and availability.  7% Maine state lodging tax is extra.

 To find this recipe and other Hodgdon Island Inn recipes, go to www.boothbaybb.com/recipes

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COASTAL MAINE INNKEEPER’S WINTERTIME REMINISCENCES, RESOLUTIONS, RECIPES AND WRITING BLOGS – PART ONE

February 15th, 2011 by richard-pamela-riley

Our "Old Kentucky Home", the Piatt-Fowler House, circa 1817

It’s Friday, February 11, 2011, the sun is shining, the sky is bright blue, the water is deep, dark blue, the temperature has warmed up to 14 degrees (Fahrenheit, that is) and I find myself sitting at my desk looking out at the receding snow piles that once stood 10 feet high and looked liked lookout posts for our fortress.  It’s beautiful!  But life does go at a slower pace here in the winter than where we came from (the bluegrass state) and it gives one more time to reflect …

This morning over breakfast (which by the way was Oatmeal Brule with blueberries, walnuts and bananas), Richard and I were reminiscing about where we were and what we were doing this time last year?  Now, we do have to admit that parts of last year went by in a bit of a blur, but this particular week we can recall with perfect clarity!

Moving Day! Of course, Mother Nature does not always cooperate ...

We were back in Kentucky, packing up the last of our belongings while our moving crew was simultaneously beginning to load said belongings.  Of course, Mother Nature does not always cooperate, and while this move was underway, we had some serious snow.  So serious in fact that they couldn’t get the moving truck up our old driveway to the Piatt-Fowler House and the movers had to resort to using a small rent-a-truck to shuttle loads out, but of course it didn’t stop snowing in between loads and every time, Richard and the guys had to dig the shuttle out.  We hoped it wasn’t an omen … at the end of the second day; everything was onboard except for our second car (which we had packed with everything from Richard’s paintings to the large antique family portraits).  As we stood in the cold, pitch black of night being whipped with blinding snow watching our car being crept up two narrow planks into the dark cavern of the moving van, I finally understood the expression: “my heart was in my throat”.  It all seemed so unreal, surreal and not to mention scary!

Unloading the car was a different story ... going into the truck my heart was in my throat!

The next couple of days were indeed unreal as we said good-bye to family and friends and began the 1,060 mile trek, with our beloved feline companion, Charlie Darlie, to our new home in Mid Coast Maine.

Thankfully we, our belongings and the fantastic North American Van Lines crew arrived safely in Boothbay and on Saturday, February 13th.  Richard went up to meet the truck and guide them to Hodgdon Island Inn.  He said then, and again this morning, that the sight which greeted him is one that he would never forget: 

It caused quite a commotion in Boothbay!

there was this huge moving van straddling the side of Route 27 as close as was possible to the Civil War monument right in the middle of Boothbay Common!  As you can imagine, it caused quite a commotion, especially as they made their way down Barter’s Island Road past the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens (www.mainegardens.org), over the bridge and onto our tiny little island, but I’ll save that story for another day …

The perfect end to the 1,060 mile trek from the bluegrass state to the pine tree state.

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CLOSE TO BOOTHBAY HARBOR,HODGDON ISLAND INN, MID COAST BED AND BREAKFAST IS PERFECTLY MAINE!

February 6th, 2011 by richard-pamela-riley

Boats, boats and more boats

The 2011 Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce (BBHRCC) Visitor & Resource Guides are now available.  Richard and I, as innkeepers of Hodgdon Island Inn, are members of this fun and resourceful organization.  This past Friday, feeling the need to get out and about after our glorious blizzard on Groundhog Day, we stopped by to pick up some up.  This year’s theme is “Boothbay Harbor 2011:  perfectly Maine!”I like that and I am in total agreement!  Call me prejudiced, but the Boothbay Region (Boothbay Harbor, Boothbay, East Boothbay, West Boothbay and Southport Island) is “perfectly Maine!” We have rocky coastlines, quaint villages, lobster wharves, art galleries, sassy shops, Mom & Pop restaurants, looming lighthouses, boats and more boats and pink sunsets.

A heated-to-perfection in-ground pool!

Of course, I have to say that Hodgdon Island Inn’s own spectacular Boothbay location plays its part and provides the picture-perfect Maine getaway:  slightly-worn Adirondack chairs perfectly situated at the end of the lawn overlooking our deepwater frontage and providing front row seats for our pink-of-perfection sunsets; a quaint general store directly across the street known for their near-perfect lobster rolls; a heated-to-perfection in-ground pool; and nine uniquely appointed guestrooms, all with private baths and water views making them the perfect haven to come home to away from home.  But then, I might be slightly prejudiced on that score too.

Come see for yourself!

Another one of our pink-of-perfection sunsets

Perfectly situated Adirondack chairs

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