This is the time of year that we are always looking for inspiration to tempt our palates. The holidays are over and summer’s bounty of fresh veggies is a long way off. So on these long winter days and nights, we peruse our library of cookbooks for ideas that will stave off the ennui of dinner doldrums. Lately we’ve been experimenting with the slow cooker and found two great recipes. The first was for BBQ Beef Brisket, which turned out to be our new favorite way of cooking that particularly flavorful, but tough cut of meat. Last night we tried Crockpot Barbeque Chicken (notice a trend here?) and we were rewarded with a moist, smokey, and very satisfying meal. This morning, however, with the Superbowl fast approaching and Valentine’s Day not far off, I dug out two of my favorite, and decidedly indulgent, recipes.

The first is for Curried Chicken Balls, shared by a fellow innkeeper up north where Rich and I owned our first bed and breakfast inn. Originally published in “Southern Sideboards” by the Junior League of Jackson, Mississippi, the recipe may have been tweaked a bit over the years, but the results are always a crowd pleaser.

The second is an all-time favorite that we serve as dessert for friends and family at holiday gatherings. Affectionately called Fantasy Fondue, this delicious chocolate fondue is the perfect accompaniment to fresh fruit and buttery pound cake. For Valentine’s Day, we use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut the pound cake into small, bite-size pieces and serve the fondue with fresh strawberries and bananas. For an even more festive event, serve with champagne.

Curried Chicken Balls

Yield: 3 dozen balls

Ingredients:

• ¼ lb. cream cheese, softened
• 2 Tbs. mayonnaise
• 1 cup chopped chicken
• 1 Tbs. curry powder
• 1 Tbs. chopped chutney
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 cup blanched slivered almonds
• ½ cup grated coconut

Directions:

Mash cream cheese. Add mayonnaise, chicken, curry, chutney, slat, and almonds. Mix well and roll into walnut size balls. Roll in coconut. Chill. May be prepared a day in advance; freezes well.

Fantasy Fondue

Serves 8-12

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup half-and-half
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (about 1 ½ cups)
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• ½ teaspoon rum extract

Directions:

Stir half-and-half and sugar in a medium-size saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Add chocolate; stir over low heat until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat; stir in butter until melted. Stir in extract. Makes 2 cups. Will keep up to 1 month in a tightly covered glass jar. To reheat, remove lid and place jar in a saucepan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until warm.

To serve:

Prepare chocolate fondue and pour into fondue pot, keeping the pot warm with sterno. Cut up fruit and pound cake into bite-size pieces. Arrange on a glass plate next to the fondue pot. Provide guests with dessert plates and fondue forks, allowing them to select fruit and cake to dip into the fondue using the forks provided.

Let us know if you try either of these recipes, and feel free to share your favorite “go to” recipes with us.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone and Go Pats!

This year February has 29 days rather than the usual 28 because 2012 is a leap year. Every year divisible by four is a leap year (except those years divisible by 100, which are not leap years unless they are also divisible by 400, when they are again leap years. Confused? Read on.)

The purpose of a leap year is to keep the calendar year in sync with the astronomical year. You see it actually takes the earth 365 ¼ days to revolve around its sun. When the Romans realized this they implemented the first leap year in 46 B.C. Had they not, the calendar would be out of sync 28 days in every 100 years. That could mean that summer would eventually meld into fall and then winter and pretty soon we’d be shoveling snow in July rather than January.

However, adding ¼ day every four years is actually more than required for balance. Thus the need for the qualifier of being divisible by 400. At any rate, leap years being relatively rare deserve some special attention, and leap day itself is an opportunity to break all the rules. Rare = unique and breaking rules means non-conforming. Hence the uniquely original and non-conforming High Pointe Inn on Cape Cod has mandated that every day in February will be devoted to lovers, not just the predictable Valentine’s Day.

Check your Gregorian calendar for the best days for you and your honey to pack up the love train and head on down to Cape Cod for a romantic getaway at our beautiful inn by the sea. Book our “February is for Lovers” package and we’ll make sure all the essentials are in place for an unforgettable weekend (or weekday) of romance. The package includes:

• Two nights in a spacious ocean-view room or fireplace suite.
• Bottle of chilled champagne and chocolates in your room on arrival.
• One-hour side-by-side in-room couples massage.
• A 3-course gourmet dinner for two one night.
• Breakfast by candlelight each morning.
• Afternoon sweet treats.
• Complimentary after dinner drinks at the Inn.

Rates range from $675 to $799 complete. Call today for best availability. 888-362-4441.

I am watching the snow fall this morning from the kitchen window of our Inn here on Cape Cod. This will be the first appreciable snowstorm of the season on the Cape, a season that has thus far been unseasonably warm. We have enjoyed a significant number of days well above average temperature for this time of year and abundant sunshine that left our lawn green long past its typical winter dormancy.

This past week we hosted a couple from Virgina up to visit their daughter who was camping at Sandy Neck, the 8-mile barrier beach the Inn faces on Cape Cod Bay. On break from school, she and several classmates were studying ecology alongside faculty from Wheaton and Boston Colleges. Using Sandy Neck’s research cottage (historically known as the Halfway House) as a base camp, students collected, organized, and analyzed data on resident wildlife.

On one excursion they spotted and photographed a snowy owl on the large spit know as “Little Neck“ just past trail 6. Though we have often heard the distinctive cry of the snowy owl, we have never seen one up close. Apparently, although not a typical winter visitor to these parts, every year this is a spotting of one or two of them, most typically at Sandy Neck, though others have been seen in Yarmouth and Chatham, and at South Cape Beach and Nauset this year. Known to be highly nomadic, the owls are expected to remain on Sandy Neck for several more weeks.

On this first day of winter, as we approach the magic of Christmas Day and the New Year here at our Inn on Cape Cod, I am compelled to look both forward and back. Forward to all the treasures that the slower months on Cape Cod bring to those of us who live here year round. And to the hopes and dreams I have for 2012: the promise of new beginnings, fresh starts, making new friends and meeting new guests.

The coming months are when Rich and I reflect on the year just passed, the improvements we have made to the Inn and those that remain on our “to do” lists. We hope to find new adventures, quirky little eateries, and more of the off-the-beaten-path galleries and boutiques that we know our guests will enjoy. It’s the “quiet” time to be sure, but also one of renewal, discovery, and the rekindling of our love affair with Cape Cod.

Although summer is just a distant memory and autumn’s glow has faded, we have much to look forward to as the rhythm of our life slows to the gentler pace of winter. We have time to catch up with friends, walk the beaches in relative solitude, and enjoy the local color found at village shops and galleries. We also have time to fine-tune our marketing and embrace the annual deep cleaning and touch up painting that running an Inn on Cape Cod requires. As the days grow longer and the season settles in with its wintry blasts of frigid air followed by unpredictable but welcomed bouts of more temperate weather, we find ourselves reawakening.

So for those of you who enjoy Cape Cod in the quiet season we offer a few of our favorite winter activities:

1. Lunch at Dana’s Kitchen, followed by a walk out to the Knob at Quisett Harbor.
2. Strolling along the Cape Cod Canal.
3. A trip to the Salt Pond Visitor’s Center at the National Seashore.
4. Driving scenic Route 6A and stopping at the Brewster General Store.
5. Climbing Scargo Tower for a view from the Sagamore Bridge to the Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown.
6. Looking for sea glass on any beach on Cape Cod, but in particular Sandy Neck Beach.
7. Shopping on Main Street in Falmouth.
8. Slurping oysters at the Naked Oyster with a glass of really good wine.
9. Watching glass being blown at the Glass Studio in Sandwich.
10. Catching a film at the Cape Cinema in Dennis.
11. Tea at the Borsari Gallery.
12. Coffee and pastry at the Cape Cod Chat House.

And as a bonus, top your day of sightseeing with dinner at any of our favorite Cape Cod restaurants, including Fin, the Old Yarmouth Inn, Anejo, Marshside, Trevi, Lyric, or the BeeHive Tavern.

We have a number of great seasonal specials and packages to make your Cape Cod winter getaway complete, and for a real treat, take advantage of our mobile spa service and book an in-room side-by-side couples massage.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

In early October, a couple from San Diego checked into the High Pointe Inn specifically to experience a cranberry harvest. Purchased as a Christmas gift for his wife, the 3-night stay was part of a package designed to help her fulfill her lifelong dream of actually harvesting cranberries in a bog. As curious as this might be to some, I thought it was inspired, both as a gift and as a dream.

More and more baby boomers are traveling with a purpose these days. No longer content to simply sightsee, these active adults are eager for experiences that enrich their lives. For some this might mean participating in a cooking school in Paris, truffle hunting in Tuscany, or a Spanish language immersion program in Mexico. For Marcia, it meant getting down and dirty with some cranberry growers in Carver, MA. For her, and many travelers like her, it’s about authenticity.

Many of our Fall guests are interested in seeing a cranberry bog and would love to catch one being harvested. A while back I created a video that explains how cranberry bogs are harvested using the wet method. For those of you who might have missed it, you can view it on our You Tube channel. But other than Marcia, I have yet to see a guest actually put on waders, get in the bog and start corralling cranberries. Apparently she loved it, as can be seen in the smile on her face.

It got me thinking about creating opportunities for our guests to truly experience Cape Cod, not just see it but live it, if only for a day. How about Innkeeper for a Day, or Oyster Farmer for a Day?

If you have any ideas or suggestions for a true Cape Cod experience,  email us at info@thehighpointein.com or call us toll free at 888-362-4441.

And to Marcia, thanks for sharing your dream with us and for making it happen on your trip to the High Pointe Inn on Cape Cod.

Fall is our favorite time of year on Cape Cod! The days are warm and the nights are crisp, and the season is just full of fun festivals and neat things to do. So to entice you to visit our Inn on Cape Cod this season, we’ll treat to a “feast” at our favorite restaurant one night if you book a 2-night stay anytime mid-week from now until October 27th. Just call us toll free at 888-362-4441 and ask for the “OctoberFeast” special. Or book online at our secure booking engine. This offer is valid on new bookings only and may not be combined with other offers or packages.