Sunday, August 22, 2010

Dog Days in Bath






Today was the first Dog Days in downtown Bath and I got to go! Merchants set up booths along Front Street selling all sorts of cool pet stuff and many of them were also giving out treats. Of course, picky me, didn't accept anything (I do love my peanut butter biscuits which I get every night). I did gets lots of attention and made lots of noise so the other dogs would know that I was there. I hope Bath does another Dog Days - it was lots of fun for me.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Blueberry Gateau


As promised by Amy, I am posting the Blueberry Gateau recipe. The guests this morning loved it! I, of course, enjoyed this morning's bacon more than the gateau but everyone has their breakfast favorites. This recipe has been written up in the Washington Post, Detroit Free Press and the Sarasota Times! Enjoy!

Benjamin F. Packard House B&B
Blueberry Gateau

1 Cup plus 1 t flour
1 t baking powder
½ t salt
1 stick of butter (4 ounces), softened
1 Cup sugar
¼ t vanilla
2 large eggs
2 Cups blueberries, rinsed and drained or thawed and drained if frozen
1 t lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350.

Lightly grease a 9 inch springform pan or cake pan with cooking spray and dust with flour. If using a cake pan line the bottom with parchment paper before spraying and dusting.

In a small bowl, combine 1 Cup flour with the baking powder and salt, set aside.

Using an electric mixer on medium to high speed, combine the sugar, vanilla and butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and continue beating until well blended. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture. Beat until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the berries with the remaining 1 teaspoon of flour and the lemon juice. Spoon the berry mixture over the batter.

Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes. If using springform pan, run knife around edges of the cake to release before you remove sides. If using cake pan, slide thin knife around edge and invert onto cake rack. Transfer to platter berry side up.

My Favorite Kitchen Spot

My Favorite Kitchen Spot
I love laying right here in the kitchen - this is the old floor that is going to be replaced soon.

Our Journey to Bath

Before Amy and Mark ever even thought about making me a part of their family, they were thinking about being innkeepers. About a year and a half after they adopted me, they left me in Erie, PA and took a trip to explore possible towns in New England to open their new business. While I patiently waited at home with a dog sitter, they journeyed to Bath ME, their first stop on the trip. It was December of 2004 so it was cold and raining in Maine but they fell in love with the town and the people they met. Driving to the next town in New Hampshire in a snow storm, they knew in their hearts that Bath was going to be our new home. They went ahead and looked at the other places as planned, but Bath was it. In February of 2005, they left me once again to look at a house on the market in Bath. It had been a B&B but had gone to a private home for the past couple years. Well, lucky us, they loved the house and put in a bid. It was so exciting when the realtor called us in Erie to say the Benjamin F. Packard House was ours! Things started moving quickly then. Packing up the house in Erie, making long distance arrangements for licenses, sprinkler systems and all the things that go with opening a new business. On May 14th, they packed the car and this time took me along too. We closed on the house on May 16th and in six hectic weeks, opened the new Benjamin F. Packard House B&B! My life as a bed and breakfast dog had begun.


Relax on my private patio

Come and enjoy a fabulous gourmet breakfast in my diningroom

Cozy up to warm fire with my complimentary afternoon tea

Enjoy the morning paper along with a cup of fresh brewed coffee in our parlor