It’s our very last episode of Monday Evening from The BALSAMS and we decided to do a special tribute episode to honour our two months of living in a New Hampshire Winter Wonderland. Enjoy!
Oh, and you can continue following us on our travel adventures at alexandluke.com – hope to see you there!
One of our favourite things about being at The BALSAMS this winter was how there always seemed to be something new to learn, someone interesting to meet, and something creative to do. With new artisans coming in almost weekly to set up their work in the scenic lobby, there was never a shortage of creativity, and the last artisan we encountered was one of our favourites.
Carrie Cahill Mulligan makes these fabulous “felted hats” which are crafted in the most interesting process. She starts with llama wool, which she expertly knits in to these big oversized hat shapes using the most delicious colours. Then something magical happens when she puts the hats in the washing machine – like any wool item you would never want to accidentally put in a regular load of laundry, her hats shrink up and the wool all meshes together and it “felts” itself. Then Carrie flips up a brim, shapes the hat, adds a lining, and then sometimes finishes it off with some added stitched decoration, caribou antler buttons and ribbon. The end result is a beautiful hand-knit heirloom masterpiece. The only problem with Carrie’s designs? Choosing which one to take home… but actually, the process of letting your hat find you is rather fun – and Carrie is such a good storyteller, you could just stay there all day trying on hats and hearing all about Carrie’s travel and crafty adventures!
Learn more about Carrie and her felted millinary work, and pour over her delicious designs at her website www.ccmhats.com!
It’s difficult to describe one’s stay at The Balsams. That’s just it… it’s not like any other Hotel stay. You don’t just visit or stay at the Balsams… you experience The Balsams!
My trip began and ended with the very kind Larry (from the Balsams), who picked me up and returned me to the Montreal Dorval Airport. I quickly discovered that both Larry and his wife are competitive square dancers. His dancing stories and tales about the Balsams kept me entertained during the three-hour trip.
My son Luke, of alexandluke, met me at the door of the hotel and my week began! Room #63 was where I unpacked my suitcase. It is wonderfully decorated, and very quiet! After a quick tour of the hotel, it was time to dress for dinner…
I could write pages about my time at The Balsams, I can’t believe we did so many things in such a short week! The food was absolutely unforgettable – from the turkey dinner, filet and lobster cake, pumpkin pasta, grand buffet, and the maple-seared scallops to the wonderful soups and salads and many delectable desserts… I’m declaring the butterscotch pie as my favorite! I’m also declaring that I’m a big fan of both Chef Barry and Chef Holland!
I started each morning in the beautiful Sun Room drinking coffee and reading my book while I waited for Alex and Luke to join me before we headed off to the dinning room for the breakfast buffet. After breakfast we headed out to snowshoe or ski each day and it was fabulous. The ski conditions were near perfect and the snow shoeing along the hotel trails deep in the forest was magical.
We even hiked up to the top of Table Rock under the expert guidance of Jess!
We attended a wonderful wine tasting, a cocktail reception, listened to the incredibly talented and entertaining band Fast Forward in the Tavern, enjoyed piano music provided by Greg Goodwin (who even played Layla and Somewhere In Time upon request), made truffles with Chef Holland and watched an Apprentice Chef competition.
All of the staff at the Hotel were not just pleasant they were downright thoughtful, cheery and very welcoming!
Alex and Luke were positively glowing the whole time I was there… I could see they were thrilled to be part of The Balsams and I could also see they were making a very positive impact on the experience of both the guests and the hotel staff. Their energy is infectious and I was so happy to be able to share this time with them at this wonderful historic hotel.
I know I will return to The Balsams, in fact, I plan to return this summer… I can’t wait to hike the trails and sit on that wrap around porch!
Thank you to everyone at The Balsams and Thank you to Alex and Luke!
Joan Yates (guest Feb.13-18, 2011)
We asked our Facebook followers to request a song for The BALSAMS house band Fast Forward to play in the Tavern last week, and Susie Lawrence said Suspicious Minds by Elvis Presley! So, we set up a green screen, the band agreed to play the song, and we put together this cheesy (yet oh so entertaining) little video of Fast Forward rocking out some Elvis all over The BALSAMS hotel and surrounding grounds! Enjoy!
And remember, you can catch Fast Forward at The Tavern here at The BALSAMS most nights!
Website: http://thebalsams.com
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What a week at The BALSAMS! We had Luke’s mom Joan visiting with us, which was perfect timing for her because we had an extremely food-centric week! This episode of Monday Evening takes you all around The BALSAMS – indoor and out – but every segment has something to do with food or dining! From the incredible Feastival out on the cross country ski trails to the kitchen for a lesson in chocolate truffles and a Top Chef style cook-off between the apprentices… even the history lesson is dining related! If you have followed our adventures through every state, province, and territory in North America, you will know we love our food. What better than to be able to share this love with you in video-form! Enjoy the episode (we recommend fixing a snack first)!
Ingredients
1/4 cup Heavy Cream
5 ounces Milk Chocolate
1 T Unsalted Softened Butter
Preparation
1)Bring cream to a boil a non-reactive sauce pan
2)Pour on top of Chocolate and allow to sit for 30 seconds
3)Whisk mixture until smooth and then add softened butter
4)Spread mixture into shallow pan cover with plastic and chill overnight
5)Once set, spoon or scoop mixture into small pieces
6)Coat truffle with desired coating
Coating Ideas
Cocoa Powder
Toasted Coconut
Chopped Nuts
Shaved Chocolate
Powdered Sugar
Last weekend we went into the kitchen with The BALSAMS Excecutive Chef Joshua Berry and he showed us how to prepare the most delicious Moroccon salmon pasta dish with Argan Oil (we have a great video about Argan Oil that you can watch if you click here)! We filmed the whole thing and broke it down for you to follow!
The ingredients in this dish are: dried spaghettini pasta, skinless salmon fillets, cauliflower, raisins, pignoli (pine) nuts, preserved lemon, two artichoke hearts, lemon, ras al hanout ( a Moroccan spice blend meaning “head of the shop”, which is comprised of cumin, cardamom, cayenne pepper, clove, coriander, cinnamon, allspice, black pepper, lavender, ginger, mace and nutmeg in equal parts) and finally, this dish calls for the very special, very delicious Argan Oil.
Enjoy!
Website: http://thebalsams.com
Facebook: http://thebalsams.com/facebook
Twitter: http://twitter.com/the_balsams
Last weekend The BALSAMS held one of their amazing Feastivals, which is basically a nordic ski race with intervals of feasting on gourmet food along the way. Luke was lucky enough to participate, and of course, had his cameras in tow. When he got up to Mud Pond, he found Chef Joshua Berry and other guests feeding Canada Jays right out of their hands! Check out this awesome video of these beautiful birds at The BALSAMS!
Website: http://thebalsams.com
Facebook: http://thebalsams.com/facebook
Twitter: http://twitter.com/the_balsams
It was a big week for Alex at The BALSAMS because she had her very first downhill ski lesson with Lil from The BALSAMS Wilderness Alpine Ski Center! Then she tried a massage with Phil from Defining Touch, The BALSAMS Salon and Day Spa! Then she learned all about the history of The BALSAMS fleet of single-engine airplanes AND she joined Luke and Chef Berry for a private cooking lesson where Moroccan Salmon Pasta was on the menu! A fine week indeed… check out all the highlights!
Website: http://thebalsams.com
Facebook: http://thebalsams.com/facebook
Twitter: http://twitter.com/the_balsams
We were so very fortunate this past weekend because we had the opportunity to go behind the scenes in The BALSAMS legendary kitchen with Executive Chef Joshua Berry to take a culinary lesson where we made a Moroccan salmon pasta. We have a lot to say and share about this delicious dish, but for now, we leave you with an interesting lesson about Argan Oil, which is an extremely rare North African product, harvested in the most unusual of manners. We hope you take a moment to watch this video – I don’t think you’ll regret it!
News from the Inn-Bedded Resorter – The BALSAMS
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