Florida Strawberry Season

Winter is usually associated with heavy foods, root vegetables and fragrant spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. But this chilly season also brings with it an unexpected fruit for harvest ... strawberries! Red, ripe, plump, anti-oxidant rich, diet-friendly sweet berries.

Everywhere I go I see signs of strawberry season all over Florida from road side produce stands to the Florida Strawberry Festival. Mount Dora even has a U-pick grove only 2 miles from downtown at Oak Haven Farms. And that's where we went this week and picked enough strawberries to feed a small army! Now I just have to conjure up enough recipes to use all these sweet little berries.

Now, if anyone ever invites you to go strawberry picking and tells you to bring a ladder ... just wink and smile. Strawberries grow on low-lying bushes so you'll more likely benefit from a small stool, knee pad, or appointment with your chiropractor and masseuse in the morning.

There is something I just adore about being outdoors on a farm .... breathing in the fresh air, seeing how food is grown, the contrast of the green plants and the blue sky. The Italians call it Agri-Tourismo. For us I guess its agri-entertainment. Like living the adventure of Discovery Channel show of "Best Jobs" or "How It's Made."

There is nothing like baking something including some fresh fruit picked with your own bare hands! I'll have to get started with the Adora Inn's Strawberry Pizza ... but if you have any other delicious strawberry recipes please comment!

--Rachelle

Polynesian Pancakes

Springtime scents and flavors are calling. After bundling up in layers and lounging around the house in fuzzy socks ... a sweet taste of things that remind me of warmer weather will do the trick to shake any winter blues. Zesty citrus, tangy pineapple, and creamy coconut are sure to warm up any weekend morning.

While this recipe may not be conducive to a bikini belly diet ... it will certainly bring your mind right to the beach!

This is Jim's newest creation at the Mount Dora Historic Inn, and I can't wait to try making this in my own kitchen this weekend. I'll be sure to post some pictures of my luau breakfast experiment.


INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 Cup Self Rising Flour (or your favorite pancake mix)
1 Tbsp Toasted Orange Zest (available in the spice section at your local grocery store)
8 oz Can Crushed Pineapple Juice
2 Ripe Bananas ... Mashed
8 oz Can of Coconut Cream
2 Large Eggs
1/2 Cup Orange Juice
1/4 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Raw Sugar


DIRECTIONS

1) Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

2) Next, mix all wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.

3) Slowly stirring, combine wet and dry ingredients together. If batter is too thin, add a little more flour.

4) Make pancakes like usual!

Gentle Giants

Part of being an Innkeeper is experiencing the adventures in your own backyard. So many people think of Florida as all sun and sand, but there are many rare and unique things to do in the Winter ... such as kayaking with the Manatees. Recently we took a 45 minute drive out to Homosassa Springs to get up close to this endangered species. Meet these gentle giants in the video below ...

Wish Upon A Hero

Everyone has a wish. Anyone can be a hero.



That's the slogan for Wish Upon A Hero, a site dedicated to helping people by perpetuating kindness. This is the ultimate do-a-good-deed-and-pay it-forward website. Basically, if you have a need or a dream ... make a wish. If you have the ability ... be a hero.

A hero in need of a hero ...

Recently, a soldier's wish was to renew his wedding vows to his wife before being deployed again to Iraq. Being a sailor, only a Captain would do! So Therese, with Wish Upon a Hero, discovered Captain Barry and The Captains' Inn located in Mount Dora. Immediately upon hearing the story, Innkeepers Tamara and Barry happily agreed to grant their wish.

Captain Barry performed the touching ceremony for Kelly & Darrell at sunset by the lighthouse on Lake Dora.

"We were proud to make her wish come true. We wish Darrell a safe and speedy return to the USA." -- Captain Barry

Poetry In Motion

There is always something fun and unique going on in this town. From cultural to just plain fun and entertaining, our social calendars are filled to the brim with options and the biggest decision one usually has to make on a weekend is how to be in two places at once as to not miss a thing.

Recently, one of our coffee houses, One Flight Up, hosted an event called Flights of Fantasy where 9 entertainers charmed, humored and inspired through their and prose and poetry with the theme of life and love in honor of Valentines Day this month. Here are some comments from other Innkeepers ...

"It was a lot of fun, something out of the ordinary for Mount Dora, that's for sure. Some were really funny and some really odd. One writer, Michael Suib, lived in Key West for years and I guess he's moved here now... he was a riot. He recently has published a book and has written many times for the Miami Herald. A total of nine poets read their Poems & Prose to a silent attentive audience while we all sat and sipped wine, tea & coffee drinks. Codi put out a nice buffet of sweets and it was a really nice experience." -- John, The Adora Inn

"It was fabulous, and quite unexpected. There were two published writers who read both prose and poetry. It reminded me of the coffee houses my mom would take me to in Berkley California when I was growing up ... although a little brighter and the topics more upbeat and fun." --Jim, Mount Dora Historic Inn

The Captain's Inn

Get a glimpse inside the Captain's Inn ...

They've Got The Beat!

The Mount Dora Music Festival is currently filling the town with rhythm and harmony this weekend. With venues both large and small, indoor and outdoor, featuring jazz, blues, folk, rock, classical and more ... there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Music is one of those powerful mediums that instantly moves the heart and touches the soul. I know whenever I need a pick-me-up, energy boost or just some inspiration all I have to do is plug in my ipod for an instant fix. It reminds me of a quote by Alphonse de Lamartine, "Music is the literature of the heart; it commences where speech ends."

But music can be much more than just a solitary art. It also has a way of bringing people together and no one would understand that better than Nancy and Gary, Innkeepers at the Coconut Cottage Inn. They both have been involved in the planning of this festival for many years and throughout this weekend you will most likely find them both hanging around the Community Building or Donnelly Park tapping their toes to the beat.

If you get the opportunity, bring your blankets, chairs and picnic baskets downtown to catch a free concert in the park or make a night of it with dinner and a show downtown. Be sure to wave hello to Nancy and Gary!

--Rachelle