Wine and Swine Event at Long Trout Winery

Long Trout Winery, Auburn, Pennsylvania

Long Trout Winery is having their 2010 Wine & Swine event in memory of Christian Moses Weikel.  This is a pig roast and wine sampling event, and the party proceeds go to the Berks County Animal Rescue League.

Long Trout Winery is located at 84 Fork Mountain Road, in Auburn PA.  This bohemian winery has a real laid back atmosphere, as you can hear with their motto:  "Where the wine is cool and the hippie chicks rule!"

The event is going to be on Saturday, September 18th, 2010, and there is a limited number of available tickets at $15.00 per person.  This includes the pig roast, 2 sides, rolls, drinks, dessert, and of course, free wine sampling.  There will be plenty to do and see, and also a Chinese auction.  Any donations of nonperishable food items for both humans and animals are always appreciated!

Have a great time while helping the animals!! Enjoy an earthy trip back to the 60s with some primo munchies and far out wines!!

Contact us for more info, or if you would like to make a reservation/get tickets.  Below is the link if you want to check them out!!

http://www.longtroutwinery.com/

Lunch at Madeline's

Madeline's Restaurant in Orwigsburg, PA

Yesterday, Mark and I ate at a wonderful restaurant in Orwigsburg, basically a stone's throw from Hawk Mountain.  It was Madeline's, and we were very impressed from the country setting, spacious and elegant accommodations, and mostly, their food was wonderful!

We had a party of 6, and we were meeting in central Orwigsburg, and sadly, although we drive through Orwigsburg quite a bit, we never stopped and dined there.  So, as the "locals" (our party was coming from Philadelphia), it was up to us to pick the meeting place.  There were quite a few restaurants, and not wanting to pick a "dud" I went and read some reviews (yes friends, they really are important!), and the good reviews, coupled with what I had heard about the place, plus it's location, brought us over there.

The outside is spacious with a lovely wrap around porch that is large enough to handle quite a number of people, and with it's awnings, and umbrellas, you won't be roasted while you are eating.  They even had fans set up to combat the humidity!

Since we were dressed and going on to another location, and my daughter was concerned about her hair "frizzing" due to the high humidity, we opted to eat inside in the air conditioning.  We were shown to their four season room by a pleasant hostess, which was elegantly appointed, and gave us the experience to that of eating on a cool and pleasant porch, yet still enclosed and refreshed,  with all of the views.

We started our lunch with unsweetened iced tea with lemon, and lots of ice water.  Our party arrived, and the waitresses were discreet in giving us time to chat, yet not be intrusive, nor just forget about us completely.  They would pop in occasionally to fill our glasses, and then, after we had all sufficiently settled in, they took our order.

I had an absolutely wonderful lunch which consisted of a bowl of turkey and rice soup, in a nice, flavorful, light base of fresh tomato, and a delicious fresh spinach salad, garnished with croutons, hardboiled egg, and bacon, with a side of balsamic vinaigrette.  It was perfect for a light lunch, for a hot day.  Mark had a grilled chicken breast sandwich topped with provolone, lettuce and tomato, with a dijonaise sauce on the side, and an order of large, beer battered onion rings.  Noelle had a cheeseburger, with the onion rings, and all in all, the lunch was A+. 

The food was all fresh and made to order, with generous servings, friendly, competent staff, and clean, elegant accommodations.  If you are ever in Orwigsburg, or are planning a day of birding at Hawk Mountain, be sure to stop in at Madeline's...you will definitely enjoy the fine country food after a day of fine country air!

Dinner at Bake Oven Inn

The Bake Oven Inn, Germansville, Pennsylvania

We feel really blessed to live in such a beautiful area that is just stocked with wonderful things to do, and terrific places to eat, and trust me, we definitely take advantage of that.

We decided to go to one of our local favorites, The Bake Oven Inn. This restaurant is always a surprise and a delight, no matter how many times we go back. The staff and owners are so welcoming, and the ambiance is that of sitting in a quaint yet somehow sophisticated livingroom, minus any stuffiness!

Mark and I started off our dinner with the cornmeal dusted calamari and chili dipping sauce, which was cooked to absolute perfection, and the appetizer special of fresh mozzarella, tomato and arugula salad with a balsamic drizzle. Bake Oven Inn gets all of their produce and meats locally, as well as some of the local wines, so you can really taste how fresh and delicious everything is.

For our entrees, Mark chose the Roasted sesame thyme dusted Brazilian tiger fish, with herb coucous, roasted carrots and pineapple chutney, which was absolutely amazing (we always share!), and I chose one of the several dinner specials, which was a rootbeer marinated pork loin chop with roasted plantains and garlic spinach, also, amazing. I went for the chop since I was curious to see how a rootbeer marinated pork chop would taste (and it was surprisingly delicious and juicy), and since I trust master chef Mark Muszynski, I knew it could only be a culinary masterpiece, which his food always is.

For dessert, we had a warm chocolate cake with homemade chocolate raspberry ice cream, and fresh raspberry garnish. It was the "icing" on the cake, and absolutely mouthwatering.

So, if you come by for a weekend visit, be sure to put the Bake Oven Inn on your list of places to visit, for a truly unique, romantic and delicious experience.

You can view their information and menus at:

http://www.eatcuriousgoods.com/

Hope to see you soon!!

Bake Oven Knob

Top of the trail, Bake Oven Knob, Lehigh Furnace, Pennsylvania

Hello friends!  As avid hikers, Mark and I are grateful to have the Appalachian trail literally right down the street from our inn.  We took an early morning hike up to Bake Oven Knob, where the views are absolutely stunning.  If you love hiking, this is a trail you can't miss. 

To find out about the most scenic route, we suggest checking out: http://www.trails.com/    This website can give you some really good information about the topography, the length of the trail, historic landmarks along the way, and some interesting tidbits and advice from folks who have already hiked through.

I am looking forward to doing the entire trail to the Lehigh Gap...I understand it is a little bit of a challenge, at 9.5 miles, and this we enjoy very much. 

See you on the trail!!