Come Watch the Fireworks from our Hottub!

Personally, New Years’ Eve isn’t my favorite holiday.  I think of doing taxes, of what I haven’t accomplished this year, what I need to accomplish next year… but every year, our guests jolly me into appreciating the holiday more than I would were we not innkeepers. After all, 2012 sounds more well-rounded than 2011.  I like even numbers. THERE WILL BE FIREWORKS at the beach, in view from Boreas, on New Years Eve!! I almost forgot!

The Christmas tree is still fresh and lovely for some reason (Bill takes good care of the tree!) and we haven’t tired of the decorations so prettily placed by our decorating crew the first weekend in December. We had a great time decorating this year. This year was extra special with a sweet blend of family and beloved guests who are now family too. We are hoping that we fill up for New Years’ weekend. We are always filled up after Christmas but not this year! Groupon and Living Social may be the reason—people shopping for bargains.  Frankly, for what Boreas offers, we are a bargain! But we’re offering the Carpe Diem, Walk-in Special rate starting today. $150 for luxury and pampering! Even the cottage is open this weekend.

Our guest list so far is a fun one and Odell will be here to help us dismantle the decorations if we can work around our desire to watch football…at Mark and Helen’s Lost Roo, of course!  Go DUCKS!  Everyone is invited to take DOWN the decorations with us and go to The Roo!

Fresh Dungeness Crabcakes and Champagne on Sunday morning, New Years’ Day, sounds pretty perfect for one of our FOUR courses, and Bill will do beautiful work on the crab cakes as always and I will bake pastries, whip up sauces and make the fruit entrée glow so that consuming all that vitamin C seems very sexy.  Well…it is! But I hope that if it’s going to be cloudy this week end, that it is also stormy so we can feel comforted by the fireplaces.  But I also hope that there is a break in the weather so we can go for a fresh walk to start the New Year. We have been fortunate with fine weather this fall.

Come stay with us this weekend at the prettiest inn on the Long Beach Peninsula—featherbeds, down comforters, fireplaces, fine and fancy breakfast fare, freshly baked brownies, and the incredibly-wonderful-almost-brand-new hot tub for two with a little aromatherapy—mint and eucylptus, to soften your skin. Boreas Bed & Breakfast Inn is posh but hip, fun, but mellow and very food-crazy with a great location on the beach in Long Beach Washington.  Relaxation is the best way to start the next banner year—2012!  Happy New Year!

Gravy:

• 1/2 pound bulk pork sausage
• 3/4 pound wild mushrooms, brushed clean, trimmed and coarsely chopped * (see note)
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1/4cup flour
• 2 tablespoons fresh minced chive
• 2 cups half-and-half or milk
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons sherry (optional)

Biscuits:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter cut into pieces
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons fresh minced chives

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter (or spray) a heavy baking sheet. For the biscuits, combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a food processor and pulse a couple of times to blend. Add the butter and pulse until it’s finely chopped and mixture has the consistency of coarse cornmeal. (You can also cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives.). Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add the milk and chives and stir until the batter is evenly mixed–or keep the ingredients in the processor and very gently pulse. Don’t over-mix or you will have tough, heavy biscuits!

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Press the dough into a circle about six inches across and one inch thick. Cut the dough into quarters, setting the biscuits on the baking sheet with one inch or so between them. Bake the biscuits until they are puffed and lightly brown on top, 12-15 minutes. Transfer them to a rack to cool.

Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until cooked through and lightly browned, 12-15 minutes. Stir often and break up the sausage chunks as they cook. Spoon out and discard excess fat. Add the mushrooms and onion; increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender and any liquid they give off is evaporated, 5-7 minutes. Add the four and cook for 1-2 minutes longer, stirring so that the flour evenly coats the sausage and mushrooms. Slowly stir in the milk or half and half and cook until the gravy has thickened, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the chives and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add the sherry just before serving.

To serve, cut each of the biscuits in half horizontally and set the bottom halves on the individual plates. Generously spoon the mushroom-sausage gravy over, top with the top of the biscuit.  Sprinkle with paprika and garnish the plate with fresh herbs or edible flowers. Makes 4 servings.

*I prefer to use 1/2 pound dried porcini mushrooms reconstituted in a cup or so of water. Drain the mushrooms and save the liquid. Make the wild mushroom and sausage gravy the night before and then use the saved liquid to thin the gravy prior to heating and serving. The liquid adds more depth to the wild mushroom flavor of the dish.  You can double or triple the recipe and freeze.  Freeze extra unbaked biscuits and bake as needed. Delicious!

Of course, one of the most scenic parts of the Park are the two lighthouses, The North Head Lighthouse and the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse.  The North Head is easily explored by parking in the lot and walking down to the lighthouse on a road alongside the rock face overlooking the Pacific Ocean and just north of Benson Beach.  This is a place to linger.  All day.  The waves, huge in the winter but omnipresent, are hypnotic. The color of the water seems to change from blue to green to gray in a storm, but always a stunning contrast with the white tips of the peaks of the waves.  Whale watching from the North Head is often rewarding.  We look for the clumps of kelp offshore and occasionally see the spouts. The pelicans, eagles, many varieties of gulls, terns and a huge array of seabirds make this spot make for some of the best birdwatching in the West. Cape D lighthouse is a hike from the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center (in winter and anytime, the best view of the Mouth of the Columbia and the jetties), around Dead Man’s Cove.  Our guests come from around the world to see these two lighthouses, within miles of Boreas!

I mentioned Serious Pizza!  Well–seriously now, take the combination of a wood-fired pizza oven, burning cherry and apple, the “00 fino” flour imported from Italy, imported cheeses, meats from a great Seattle butcher chop and a location at Waikiki Beach at Cape D (as we call it), and you have not only the recipe for the best wood-fired pizza in Southwest Washington, but a spectacular setting near the amphitheater at Cape D State Park.  With eagles flying overhead (perhaps looking hungrily at your pizza-or maybe at your dog) and osprey circling around with crows and gulls harrassing them, you have an experience you will never forget.  Our favorite pizza is, you guessed it, “The Boreas”–the vegetarian pizza with garlic olive oil base, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives and pepperoni.  How special is it to have a pizza named after Boreas Inn?  State Parks built Jim and Chi, the purveyors of this fine pizza, a permanent structure so that visitors to the park, including campers staying in the 240 campsites, can have pizza!  We call ahead to avoid waiting perhaps an hour for the most memorable pizza. It’s truly Neopolitano–a thin delectable crust and just the right amount of cheese for a non-guilt producing light meal.  They also have wood-fired oysters and mouth-watering wood-fired wings.  Homemade ice cream and brownies….oh my!  Watch for Jim and Chi’s Serious Pizza to come soon to the town of Long Beach!

I have attached a very fine video about Cape Disappointment State Park to this blog!  It stars a few of our favorite State Park employees and some of the best scenery this area has to offer.  The Park is located 10 minutes from Boreas Inn.  We are soooo lucky to have Cape D State Park in our backyard.  So come to Boreas Inn and we will direct you to our favorite park, Cape Disappointment!  Enjoy the YouTube about Cape D.!

This contest in Long Beach awards cash to the winners.  We got only ribbons at Cannon Beach and maybe a printed certificate.  It didn’t matter.  The intensity of taking on a project with sand and sea water and coming up with a fine sculpture was reward enough. SandSations is a great event here in Long Beach, Washington and it’s growing every year.  You can experience the great hospitality at Boreas Inn, dine on our feast at breakfast time, walk our trail to the beach and watch the SandSations competition!  So come to the beach for a long weekend, July 21-24!

Winter months are the best for viewing the surf from your car at Cape D.

It’s blowing hard in Long Beach, Washington. The weather is stormy, cold and for awhile this afternoon, the snowflakes were waltzing in all directions with the wind gusts directing their ballet!  It was a joyful dance.  Now it’s much warmer, 36,  and rainy with gusty winds up to 30 or so.  We had a relaxing holiday season with mellow guests and fireplaces crackling. Now it’s calm and far too peaceful, except for the weather.  So the inn is getting painted, a little at a time by Bill.  This weekend is looking quieter than most MLK weekends are.  Ask for our Walk-in Special if you are very last minute in making plans!  We are ready for guests…and we hope that they come!  We have a few rooms remaining for Valentine’s Day weekend, February 11,12  and President’s Day weekend 18, 19, 20.  I have been blocking out rooms for the Kite Festival and we have two upstairs rooms open for the week of August 14-21.  The Stargazer is open the 18,19,20 of August for a three night stay.   I know it’s far from now…but as they say, I’m just sayin’…!

PS.  Our newest restaurant and bar, The Lost Roo, has six large screen TV’s if you would like to watch football on New Years Day.  Your innkeepers will go with you!

Boreas Inn’s 14th Annual Crab Cake and Champagne Brunch Weekend!

There is a three-night minimum over New Years Eve weekend, you pick the days and we will provide you with first class service, fine gourmet breakfast cuisine, the most delicious fresh Dungeness Crab Cakes ever and incredible relaxation!

We ask for a maximum of 10 people and no children under 10.  Wander the beautiful beaches, sleep in fine linens under down and on top of  our feather beds.  Maybe you will be held captive by a big Pacific storm by one of the fireplaces or maybe the weather will be warm and sunny! Wander the Discover Trail and look for whales from the North Head Lighthouse or the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, dine out in our fabulous restaurants, take naps and soak in our brand new hot tub!  Before somebody else grabs the chance, make your reservation now! If you book online, just request all of the Inn’s guest rooms, put in the three nights you would like to request and mention the Ready-Made Christmas Special and we will adjust the cost! Or feel free to call us at 888-842-8069. www.boreasinn.com  This offer is not valid with gift certificates and there is a 30-day cancellation policy.  We will hold the first night (plus tax) as deposit. Make your request soon!!!

Have Boreas Inn to Yourselves on Christmas!

The Goonies All Grown Up

The Goonies 25th Anniversary Celebration will take place across the River in Astoria from June 4-7, 2010.   The Goonies was filmed locally in Astoria, OR and was originally released on June 7, 1985.  But did you know that the Goonie’s director,  Richard Donner, also directed Superman and The Lethal Weapon series and that it was a Steven Spielberg (E.T., Jaws, Schindler’s List) presentation? The Goonies screenplay was by Chris Columbus (Home Alone, Harry Potter series, Mrs. Doubtfire)  from a story by Spielberg.  Richard Donner produced the movie with Harvey Bernhard (The Lost Boys) and Spielberg executive produced with Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy (Indiana Jones series, Back to the Future, Curious Case of Benjamin Button).   Clearly, The Goonies had a group of young geniuses masterminding a movie that has stood the test of time and is much beloved by fans around the world.

“In 1985 when The Goonies was filmed, we knew the movie would create a lasting impact in Astoria, and its legacy continues 25 years later,” stated Willis Van Dusen, Mayor of Astoria, Oregon.  “This celebration is dedicated to the amazing Goonies fans and to the film itself, both of which have become an integral part of the cultural fabric of Astoria.”   Well–that can’t be a bad thing, after all, The Goonies has given us pleasure, excitement and giggles for 25 years!

The Goonies is an adventure-comedy film set in Astoria about a group of kids from the “Goon Docks” neighborhood of Astoria (hence the nickname “Goonies) who band together hoping to save their homes from foreclosure and demolition due to the expansion of  the Astoria Country Club.  The group embarks on an adventure to find the buried treasure of a legendary 17th century pirate, One-Eyed Willy.  The kids have an exciting time on their coastal antics featuring spooky caves,  old lighthouses, treacherous traps, pirate maps and skeletons, clever script and much beloved characters– Mikey, Chunk, Data, Mouth (Corey Feldman), Brandon (Josh Brolin!) Rosalita and the rest of the nasty Fratelli’s.  The ending of The Goonies is classic, perfect and predictable with  the jewels from the pirate ship providing more than enough to save everyone’s homes from foreclosure and demolition.  The story and its ending could also ring true for homeowners battling their individual crises during our nation’s current “Great Recession”!  If only we could plunder a pirate ship and bail out everyone losing their homes–or better yet, bail out those of us running small businesses!  Let’s all go search for treasure!

The Goonies 25th Anniversary Celebration has a schedule of events in Astoria and a very cool website.  The Astoria-Warrenton Chamber, of which we are proud members, is partnering with Warner Brothers on the event who are assisting in marketing and licensing Goonies souvenirs, which will be sold at the “Goon Docks”, the center of all the Goonies Celebration events.  Boreas has rooms available for the celebration weekend so you can be at the beach but be within a half- hour of all the events.  Watch a video clip of The Goonies and come to Boreas for the Goonie’s celebration!

I'm trying a new recipe--Pineapple Toasted Macadamia Bundt Cake!

The mini-daffodils are blooming and the banners flying on a sunny day!

The thermometers have been reading in the 70′s in the sun and in the 60′s in the shade and we are ever so grateful to celebrate this precious sunshine in our mild winter season.  If we say this too loudly, winter will return, as gentle as it has been this season. So shhhhhh!  It has snowed in March the last two years;  just when we thought we had sailed through winter into springtime. Long Beach, Washington weather is tough to predict–and always a surprise–but thinking back the 15 seasons we’ve been here, this isn’t all that unusual for February!

I baked a Pineapple Toasted Macadamia Nut coffee cake for one of the pastry courses for our guests for tomorrow’s breakfast.  Fine breakfast cuisine is our tradition at Boreas Inn and we hope that we rank with the best in the west at our romantic beach getaway in Long Beach, Washington!  I will post the recipe on our website when I get a chance.

The mini-daffodils are so bright and hopeful on the front deck of the inn and the banners are bright against our residence.  I have been fighting the urge to buy more spring plants–but know if I do, we will have a freeze.  Guests are walking on the beach, exploring the lighthouses and dining at The Depot, Pelicano Restaurant and Jimella’s tonight for dinner.  The best dining in the state of Washington is right here on the Peninsula. Lucky us!

The Dunes Suite awaits you!

We have rooms available for next weekend, the 26th and 27th of February–and even the Dunes Suite awaits your escape to the beach.   The gray whales are cruising by and the North Head Lighthouse and the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center is a great place for spotting them!  On occasion, they approach the jetty and scrape off their barnacles.  Next weekend at the World Kite Museum, the Asian New Year Celebration continues with the spectacular kites of Malaysia and Singapore.  The Kite Museum has the largest private collection of kites in the entire world and is well worth a visit–walking distance from Boreas!

So come dine at the source, sleep in the lap of luxury and play at the prettiest beach in the Northwest.  Make each day a cause for celebration and we will be your co-conspirators in planning a quick getaway to Long Beach!