The Holidays are right around the corner and we at The Inn On First are getting excited to celebrate the season with our guests. This is Jamie's favorite season for decorating and he does it well.
All the shelves are emptied and new items are put into place. There will be one live tree in the living room next to the piano, and then multiple non-living trees that are decorated.
The doorways are decked with garlands, the historic mansion stairwell filled with miniature ornaments, and in the living room you will find the Holiday Village where there is a blend of both historical (Victorian homes) to modern (sixties trailer park) items all around.
The fireplace mantle becomes a festival of lights where all of our stockings are hung. Yes, even the dogs get in on the action for the Holidays. In the dining room the cabinet is filled with Holiday dishes, and special holiday teas and hot chocolate are available.
We now have an ever-hot tank of water so there is no more waiting for the tea water to boil, and with our tea pots and mugs, as well as a wide selection of loose leaf teas to choose from, we make experiencing the Holidays around the fireplace with a warm drink easy to come by.One of our special treats during the Holidays is to make the Cherry Family Holiday Sugar Cookie Recipe. We roll them out, bake them off, coat them, and then decorate them into all sorts of shapes and sizes.
Imagine sitting in front of the fireplace, the smell of a pine tree in the air, a twinkle of lights all around, a hot cup of cocoa, with a small star-shaped cookie that has a slight hint of lemon and buttery goodness in the crust, with a sugar-frosting and colored sprinkles, and you have a good idea of what celebrating the Holidays is like for us here at The Inn On First.The decorating starts the weekend after Thanksgiving, so if you want to come and enjoy the Holiday Wonderland, book your reservation between post-Thanksgiving Weekend and New Year's Day. We do close down Christmas week (Dec. 21-25) to celebrate our own holiday. Hope to see you in the Holiday Season. If not, enjoy this Holiday Recipe from The Cherry-Gunther Family:Oven Temperature: 350 degrees, Yield: About 2 dozen 3" cookies
In a mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar until combined, and then add the eggs. Mix until well combined. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, and stir until combined. Add to butter-egg mixture. Add the lemon rind and lemon juice. Mix until a smooth dough forms. Cut into two balls and flatten with your hand into large, thick pancake shapes. Wrap in plastic and place into the refrigerator and chill for two hours or more, until firm.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. On a floured surface roll out the dough to 1/4" thick and cut out desired shapes. Be sure to dip the cutter forms into flour before cutting so the dough won't stick. Dust off excess flour and place onto non-stick cookie sheets. You can do all of this days ahead and freeze these shapes for future use as needed.Place into the oven for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges just begin to turn brown. If you cut out larger shapes, greater than 3" in diameter, plan on 11 to 16 minutes to bake. Remove from the oven and let cool.In a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment add the egg white and hot water. Whisk until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Place the frosting into a wide baking dish so you can dip the cookies into them. Set up cookie cooling racks over baking sheets, and have your sugar sprinkles ready. When the cookies are cool, dip them face down into the frosting and allow the excess to drip off. Place face up on the cooling rack. After one-half dozen cookies have been dipped, decorate liberally. Repeat with the process until all cookies are decorated. Let the cookies dry. Once dry store in a covered container for up to one week.
