Ellen and I are dashing out right after breakfast, heading to Atlanta for the international innkeeper conference [You would not believe how crazy innkeepers can get when they are together! Quinn]. Meanwhile, the guests are raving about this morning’s waffles.

This recipe came from our friend Lynnette, who owns the very lovely William Henry Miller Inn in Ithaca, NY. She found it via Rachel Ray who “stole” it from a restaurant in Chattanooga, TN, with the unlikely name of Aretha Frankensteins!

Waffles of Insane Greatness – You Have to Be Crazy Not to Eat Them!

Makes 4 large waffles

3/4 cup all-purpose flour/1/4 cup cornstarch/1/2 tsp. baking powder/1/4 tsp. baking soda/1/2 tsp. salt/1 tsp. cinnamon/1/2 tsp. ginger/1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg/1 cup whole milk or buttermilk/1/3 canola oil/ 1 egg/ 1 1/2 tsp. sugar/ 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Mix well. Add the milk, oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and mix well. Let the batter sit for 30 minutes.

Preheat the waffle iron. Do not use non-stick spray on the waffle iron since the oil in the batter will allow the waffles to release easily. Follow the directions for your waffle iron to cook the waffles.

Serve immediately.

At Birchwood Inn, we spike the Berkshire maple syrup with lightly toasted pecans and a couple of splashes of bourbon.

[And if you just happen to drop a piece of waffle on the floor. Call me and I'll be right there! Quinn]

We love The Colonial Theatre! It’s plush, intimate, and the acoustics are great.

Birchwood Inn friend and guest David Fleming has just announced the new calendar, June 2009-May 2010. And it’s hot!

Sure hits for June: The Producers; Mandy Patinkin with a passionate evening of popular song; Herman’s Hermits [Ellen is going to be singing "Henry the VIII" for days], !!!; and Girl’s Night: The Musical.

July’s program includes The Glenn Miller Orchestra, Bill Blagg III: A Night of Magic, and Gary Puckett.

August sizzles with Tom Chapin; Harry Chapin: A Grand Celebration in Song; Steven Ross: Live at the Algonquin; Andrea Marcovicci: Love Songs of WWII. Celebrate Woodstock at 40 with An Evening with Mountain.

Good stuff, Dave!

“Anyone game for a venture into the mountain air will find great pleasure in the Berkshire Theatre Festival.” New York Times

[It looks as though I'll be spending a number of times this summer sleeping on the floor of The Berkshire Theatre Festival since the program is exciting! Quinn]

The season opens June 18 with “Broadway by the Year,” the critically acclaimed cabaret series for the first time in the Berkshires. The summer season continues with “The Einstein Project,” “The Prison of Second Avenue,” “Ghosts,” “Candide” the musical), and “Sick.”

The theater season continues in the fall with “Red Remembers,” the world premiere of the life of announcer Red Barber, and ends 2009 with the annual production of “A Christmas Carol.”

Birchwood Inn Pancakes

It’s sticky! It’s delicious! It’s sappy! Govenor Deval Patrick has officially declared the beginning of  maple syrupseason. The place to celebrate this sweet annual event is Ioka Valley Farm in Hancock, less than 30 minutes from the inn, weekends through April 15. At the Sugar House, see the 4000 taps and the process of turning fresh maple sap into incredible maple syrup. At the farm’s Calf-A, savor pancakes with Ioka’s own maple syrup. [I would LOVE to go because I have a real sweet tooth! Quinn]

Big (hopefully last) snowstorm forecast. As you know, I can’t read but Ellen can and does! A lot! I have overheard her recommend a winter’s worth of reading. Grab some popcorn, light the fire, and curl up and read.

Out Stealing Horses, Per Petterson. If Not Now, When?, Col. (Ret). Jack Jacobs (an old friend). A Mercy, Toni Morrison (actually anything by Toni Morrison). The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. The Story of Edgar Sawtell, David Wroblewski – gripping! The Hour I First Believed, Wally Lamb, an incredible storyteller. [Gotta go. I smell popcorn!]