February 2017

February is just around the corner and is "Heart Healthy" Month. Today we went through a few recipes at the Miller Tree Inn to see if we could find a good contender for eating a heart healthy breakfast at the Inn. The recipe that we came up with was: Mediterranean Scrambled Eggs in Pita Pockets.
Serves 2
1TBS vegetable oil (I use olive)
1/3 cup diced tomato
1 cup baby spinach
3 eggs (or egg whites or egg substitute)
1/8 cup feta cheese, crumbled
salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Saute tomatoes and spinach until spinach is wilted. Add eggs and mix to scramble. After cooking for 30 seconds, add the feta cheese. Continue to cook until the egg is cooked to your preference. Season with salt and pepper and spoon into a 2 warmed pita halves and serve.

Egg and Cheese Casserole

What do you feed 21 hungry guests for breakfast on a sunny Sunday?  At the Miller Tree Inn, we fed them Egg and Cheese Casserole, of course!

This is one of our favorite dishes for a busy morning.  We mix it up the night before and then pop it in the oven in the morning.  Today we served it with sides of cornbread and bacon and a garnish of avocado and tomato.  It looks beautiful and tastes great.

If you would like to try it out, you will need:

1 dozen eggs, 2 cups shredded jack cheese, 1 pint cottage cheese, a pinch of salt, 2 four ounce cans of mild diced green chilis, 1/2 cup melted butter, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 cup flour (we omit the flour if we have gluten free guests and it holds together just fine.)

Beat the eggs and mix all ingredients together.  Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35 - 45 minutes until the eggs are set and the top is lightly browned.  Today we added a dollop of sour cream on top, a pinch of chili powder and some sliced green onions.  We put salsa on the side, for those that like to spice it up a bit.  Enjoy!

Red Velvet Pancakes

We made these for Forever Twilight in Forks weekend and also for Valentine's Day 2015, so we thought we had better get the recipe up for Valentine's Day 2016, so all can enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons red liquid food coloring

Soft together the first 6 ingredients into a large bowl.  Whisk together the buttermilk and next 3 ingredients in another bowl.  Gradually stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture, just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Pour about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto a hot buttered griddle or large non-stick skillet.  Cook 3-4 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look dry and cooked.  Turn and cook 3-4 minutes or until done.  Place in a single layer on a baking sheet, and keep warm in a 200 degree oven up to 30 minutes.  Serve with Sweet Cream Cheese Butter.  No syrup necessary!  Though I do garnish with both white and dark chocolate syrup and powdered sugar.

Sweet Cream-Cheese Butter - mix the following ingredients together
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 cup softened butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To serve put one pancake on the plate and a generous dollop of the Sweet Cream Cheese Butter, then top with another pancake and garnish.  I use a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut a heart in the top pancake, just for visual interest.

Alice's Apple Walnut French Toast Sandwiches

Today is another beautiful day in Forks, and at the Miller Tree Inn, we started the day off with Alice's Apple Walnut French Toast Sandwiches.  Alice said that we could share the recipe on our blog, so here it goes!

1/4 mascarpone cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
2 Tablespoons chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon butter
1 large apple diced, with skin on
1 egg
1/3 cup 2% milk
8 slices of cinnamon raisin bread

Combine mascarpone, cinnamon, nutmeg, maple syrup and walnuts.  Mix well.  Melt butter in a small non stick skillet.  Add apples to the skillet and cook until tender.  Remove from heat.

Whisk together egg and milk.  Dip bread in egg mixture and cook in skillet or on griddle on both sides until golden brown.  Remove bread from heat.  Spread 1 Tablespoon of the mascarpone mixture on 1 side of 4 slices of bread; top with cooked apple and remaining bread slices. Put sandwiches back in pan or on griddle and heat until apple filling is thoroughly heated.

Serve with maple syrup.  ( Or use the recipe for the cider sauce from our apple pancakes.)

A Glorious Spring Day and a Favorite Recipe

We are having another glorious spring day in Forks.  We have rooms available tonight and through the weekend, which just happens to be "Rainfest".  There will be a quilt show and classes for quilters this weekend and a beach clean up on Saturday.  Come on over and join the fun!

Last week we were invited to a dinner where we needed to bring an appetizer.  (Obviously not a party for vampires...)  Anyway my sister helped me out with one or our Aunt Marge's specialties, a hot crab and artichoke dip.  It went over really well.  There wasn't much to bring home.  Give it a try!

HOT CRAB AND ARTICHOKE DIP

14 ounces artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
6 ounces crab meat
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1 1/3 cups Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Mix all the above ingredients together and bake at 400 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes.  Serve with bread or chips.  Enjoy!

Parmesan Baked Eggs

Monday, June 4, 2012

We had Parmesan Baked Eggs for breakfast the other morning and were asked for the recipe.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray individual ramekins with cooking oil.  Spray the same number of ramekins as you want eggs.  Crack one egg into each ramekin. Measure one Tablespoon of half and half and pour on top of each egg.  Measure 1 Tablespoon of Parmesan cheese and put on top of the egg with half and half.  Put ramekins in pre-heated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until the egg whites are cooked and set.  When finished baking, we scoop out and serve over hashed browns.  When cooking a number of eggs, we have also used a muffin tin instead of individual ramekins.  Whichever is used, it is important to spray the container well, so that the eggs come out easily.  Enjoy!

Easter

April 7, 2012

Happy Easter everyone!

Do you suppose these little guys will be served for Easter breakfast at the Miller Tree Inn?

To make the bunnies, hard boil some eggs, cool and peel. Thinly slice baby carrots for the ears and a few pieces for the noses. We used mustard seeds for eyes and little cauliflower pieces for the tails.

We had Orange Croissant French Toast Today!

Monday, February 20, 2012

The remodel project continues with wall texturing, but downstairs in the kitchen we had something good cooking at the Miller Tree Inn. Today's breakfast was Orange Croissant French Toast and we recently had a request for this recipe, so here it is:

Combine 2 beaten eggs with 4 Tablespoons of orange juice (fresh squeezed is best) and 1/2 teaspoon orange zest.

Cut croissants in half like you would for a sandwich. Dip in the mixture above and cook on a hot griddle until golden brown on both sides.

We serve with a spoonful of heated berries and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Then we offer our orange syrup to top it of (the recipe for the orange syrup can be found on an earlier blog entry.)

Enjoy!

Happy President's Day

February 21, 2011

We are happy to have had so many guests and visitors in Forks over the President's Day holiday. Many came by to take pictures and we had lots of great guests. The weekend was sunny and cold and didn't start to rain until this afternoon.

In honor of President's Day, Pocket Edward helped the innkeepers make an angel food cake with a cherry cream cheese glaze. This time, we purchased our cake from Forks Outfitters. Then we mixed up a glaze of about 1/4 cup softened cream cheese, 8 maraschino cherries diced, a little juice from the cherries and powdered sugar to taste. Then we put the glaze on the top of the cake and let it drizzle down. Can't wait for dessert time!

Happy Halloween from the Cullen House!

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Today, at the Cullen House, we served our Halloween favorite of Pumpkin Pancakes. Here is the recipe:

2 1/3 cups pancake mix
1/2 - 2/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup oil
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger

Mix together and cook on your favorite griddle until browned on both sides. We found that the mixture needs a little extra liquid. They smell heavenly cooking and our guests were smiling!
Oh, and we garnished with some dried cranberries and a little whipped cream.

Bella's Baked Apple French Toast

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Today we had Bella's Baked Apple French Toast served with the same Apple Syrup that we make for our Apple Pancakes. This recipe is from our friends who used to operate The Bowman Bed & Breakfast in Port Angeles. Though they are no longer in business, their recipe lives on!

Ingredients: 1/2 loaf of French bread, sliced thick
8 eggs
3 cups of milk
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1 Tablespoon vanilla
3 apples, cored, peeled and slliced
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 Tablespoons butter

Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish lightly with cooking spray. Slice bread into 1.5 inch thick slices. Place bread tightly together in one layer in the prepared baking dish. Place eggs in large bowl and beat lightly. Add milk, 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla and mix with a whisk. Pour half of the liquid over the bread in the baking dish. Peel, core and slice apples. Cut into into rings. Place rings on top of the bread to cover. Pour remaining egg mixture over the apples.

Mix the remaining 1/2 cup sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the apples. Distribute small chunks of butter over the top. Bake for 30 minutes, or wrap and refrigerate over night, baking at 400 degrees for 50 minutes the next morning. Set 10 minutes before serving. Serve with real maple syrup (or our Apple Syrup). Yield: 8 - 12 servings depending on the serving size.

Recipe can be divided in half and baked in a 9x9 inch pan for 20 - 30 minutes.

Garnish with powdered sugar, whipped cream and dried cranberries.

Gingerbread Pancakes and Lemon Sauce

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Happy Memorial Day weekend! We just had another request for our Gingerbread Pancake Recipe, so we thought we would post it today.

GINGERBREAD PANCAKES

1 1/3 cups pancake mix
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup molasses
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups water depending on how thick you like your batter

Cook on hot, greased griddle or pan until bubbly and then turn over.

LEMON SAUCE

1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
pinch of ground nutmeg
1 cup hot water
2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind, fresh or dried
2 Tablespoons lemon juice

In medium sauce pan mix sugar, cornstarch and nutmeg. Gradually add in water. Cook stirring over medium heat until mixture is thick and clear. Add butter, lemon rind and lemon juice, stirring until butter melts. Serve hot, over hot pancakes.

ENJOY!

Orange Sauce Recipe

Sunday, October 4, 2009

We have been getting lots of requests lately for the recipe for our Orange Sauce. It was a recipe given to me by my aunt, through my grandmother and another aunt. I guess that qualifies it as a family recipe! The orange sauce is good on pancakes, waffles and especially orange croissant french toast.

Orange Sauce

Mix 1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon corn starch
1 cup orange juice.
Cook, stirring until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in 3 Tablespoons of butter.
Serve warm on pancakes, waffles or french toast.

Enjoy!

Cullen House Orange Sauce Recipe

Thursday, September 3, 2009

We have been getting lots of requests lately for our Orange Sauce recipe, so here it is:

ORANGE SAUCE

Mix 1/2 cup sugar, 1 Tablespoon corn starch and 1 cup orange juice. Cook, stirring over medium heat until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in 3 Tablespoons of butter. Stir until melted.

We usually serve this over Orange French Toast, Bubbly Waffles or Pancakes.

The Twilight Breakfast Special

April 27, 2009

We get rave reviews for our Apple Pancakes and Cinnamon Apple Syrup, so here is the recipe:

2 cups pancake mix (we use Krusteaze)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg
1 1/3 cups milk
3/4 cup grated apple (we use Granny Smith apples and usually one is plenty)

Beat pancake mix, cinnamon, egg, and milk with a rotary beater until smooth. Stir in the apple. Grease griddle, if necessary. Pour batter by 1/4 cup measuring cupfuls onto hot griddle. Bake until bubbles appear. Turn, bake other side until golden brown. Serve with warm Cinnamon Apple Syrup.

Cinnamon Apple Syrup

1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups apple cider
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup butter or margarine

In a saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg; stir in apple cider and lemon juice. Cook stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in butter. Makes about 2 1/2 cups

Garnish the pancakes with little sour cream thinned out with cream and a pinch of nutmeg.

Enjoy!

Have a FORKS-tastic Weekend!

March 20, 2009

It is a BIG weekend here in Forks. Tonight, our local merchants are staying open until 10PM and most have brought in special merchandise in honor of the Twilight DVD release. Then at 10PM, the party starts at the Rainforest Arts Center. It will be decorated to look like the ballet studio in the Twilight movie. It is reported that there will be drawings, games, food, contests AND a special Forks Edition DVD to be handed out at midnight! Don't miss this party sponsored by Dazzled by Twilight.

On Saturday, Leppell's Flowers and Gifts (Twilight Central) is sponsoring a special Twilight Scavenger hunt. The sign up is Saturday morning at Leppell's. Should be really fun and sounds like great prizes, too.

Also on Saturday and Sunday are two annual Forks events. There is a memorial Basketball Tournament that is bringing 14 teams from all over to compete. This will be held at the Forks High School.

The other BIG event is our annual QVSD Scholarship Auction that will be aired live on our local radio station and will be held at the Forks Branch of Bank of America. This auction brings in thousands of dollars each year for our graduating seniors and for any Forks graduate that is continuing their education. Besides the auction, the Senior parents will be sponsoring a food booth to raise money for Senior Safe Night.

All great events, some great causes, come on out and enjoy!

In honor of the DVD release, we have made my mother, Shirley Totten's Fresh Apple Cake recipe for our overnight guests. The recipe is as follows:

FRESH APPLE CAKE

2 Cups sugar and 4 cups finely diced apples. Mix these together and add:

1/2 cup vegetable oil, 2 well beaten eggs, 1 cup finely chopped nuts, 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix these ingredients and add:

2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 2 teaspoons baking soda, and 1 teaspoon salt.

Mix altogether, pour in a greased 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Let cool and frost. I like to use cream cheese frosting, but chocolate is also good!

Enjoy!

Poppy's Bishop Bread

February 3, 2009

My grandmother, whom we called Poppy, made a fantastic coffeecake called Bishop Bread. It is a favorite of our fishermen, tourists, AND Twilight Fans. I'm sure that if Edward ate anything, he would like it too. Here is the recipe:
BISHOP BREAD

2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
Combine the above ingredients and save out 1 cup of the mixture to use as a topping.

Add to the remaining mixture:
1 beaten egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in a little bit of hot water.

Mix together and pour into a 9 x 13 greased baking pan. Sprinkle reserved topping evenly over the top of the mix and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
ENJOY!