June 2011 Newsletter

Avocado Crab Cake with Temple Orange Glaze

Yield 4 patties

1 pound lump crabmeat
1 cup chopped avocado
¼ cup minced red bell pepper
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon grape seed oil
3 tablespoons chopped dill
½ teaspoon cayenne
1 freshly squeezed lemon

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Form into 4 patties. Heat sauté pan until hot, lightly coated with grape seed oil. Sauté until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Turn over and cook other side to golden brown.

Temple Orange Glaze
2 cups fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
½ cup rice milk
½ cup rice syrup
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Place all glaze ingredients in sauce pan, bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until liquid is reduced by half. Spoon glaze around crab cakes and serve. 4 servings.

Calories 254 / Fat 13g / Saturated Fat 2g / Protein 21g / Carbohydrates 15g / Cholesterol 206mg / Sodium 374mg / Dietary Fiber 4g

 

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April 2011 Newsletter

Ramp and Potato Vichyssoise
3 Pounds of ramps, roots removed and well washed
Slice ramps into ¼ inch slices, approx. 3 cups

2 Shallots cut in half and sliced thin
2 garlic cloves minced
2 Tbsp of Grape seed oil or olive oil
Kosher Salt and ground pepper
1 large Russet Potato peeled and cut into 8 pieces
6 Cups of water or Light Chicken Stock or Vegetable Stock

7 inch square of cheesecloth
6 sprigs of thyme
2 sprigs of Italian parsley
2 bay leaves
8 black peppercorns
2 cloves

Place the herbs and spices in the cheesecloth and tie with kitchen twine into a neat bundle.

Heat oil in a large saucepan and add the ramps, shallots and garlic and cook for 3 minutes on medium heat. The ramps, shallots, or garlic should not take on any color from cooking them. Season them with a little salt and pepper.

Add potatoes, liquid and sachet to sauce pan and bring to a boil and reduce down to a simmer, cook for 30 minutes or until potato is tender. Remove from the stove and let cool for 15 minutes.

Remove the sachet from the soup and in small batches puree the soup in a blender and strain into a new saucepan to adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. As an alternative, you can refrigerate and serve cold.  Serve with a small dollop of non fat plain yogurt on top.

 

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February/March 2011 Newsletter

 

Meet Our Staff at The Lodge at Woodloch

You won't find a wider smile at The Lodge than Mr. Robert E. Griggs’.  Robert is the first to greet you at our Welcome Center when you arrive and the last to bid you safe travels with his warm, proud smile.  Robert is a Spanish Harlem transplant who took a leap of faith and moved to Hawley, PA in the summer of 2007.  

That leap of faith was inspired by Robert’s mother when she moved to Hawley about ten years earlier. Enchanted by the natural beauty of northeast Pennsylvania, Robert decided to make his move and leave his Security Officer job in Manhattan and start a new life and career in Hawley.  

What do you like most about your job?  “The guests!  I love seeing how happy our guests are when they arrive, their eyes light up when they see The Lodge.”

What is the most surprising element about working at The Lodge? “Just how nice and sincere everyone is, how hospitable the staff are not only with guests but with each other.  Something I didn’t find too often in the City.” 

What is the funniest thing that happened to you while at The Lodge? "I saw a black bear walk right by the Welcome Center one morning and feeling as if we were both in a National Geographic Wilderness documentary."

After that this city boy was here to stay!

 

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February 2011 Newsletter

Relax Your Mind and Escape the Winter Blues...
Here we are, smack in the dead middle of winter.  Seems like snow (or ice) is falling every Sunday and Wednesday…  Of course this season is filled with longer nights, and more time indoors… Fortunately, there are ways to boost your mood.  First off, play hookie midweek and take a one, two or more night stay at The Lodge (that goes without saying).  If you can’t get away, here are a few suggestions to help you relax:

• Try some Deep Breathing.  A daily deep breathing mediation of just one minute in the morning and one minute in the evening will help remove the clutter in your brain. Deep Breathing also calms you when you’ve  got that restless, bored “cabin fever” feeling, while also restoring energy to sluggish cells.
• Treat yourself to a Massage. Massage is so beneficial to your inner-self.  Massage releases tension in the body, which in turn helps promote relaxation, reduce stress and perhaps even elevate your mood.
• Exercise. Exercise or light physical activity is a great way to increase your natural endorphins and is a great way to combat depression. Tension, loneliness, anger, all symptoms that are very common during the winter season, could be eliminated by taking a walk, trying a fun dance class, swimming or whatever interests you most.
  
• Mind Body Techniques such as yoga, tai chi or qi gong.  These practices promote both physical and emotional health through a series of slow, fluid movements that are paired with visualizations, breathing patterns, balance and subtle shifts of movement.
• Muscle Relaxation.The winter season can cause us to have seasonal depression and hold extra stress. Learning to release the tension in your muscles can undo some of the effects these have on our body. Practice this simple, 10-minute exercise everyday, and winter stress won’t take as big of a toll on you…

Try lying down or sitting comfortably in a chair. Start at your forehead, tense your forehead and hold for 10 seconds, release. Work your way to your cheeks, jaw, shoulders, biceps, all the way down to your feet. You will have pushed your muscles into a state of relaxation.