Haiti Relief Fundraiser

HAITI RELIEF FUNDRAISER

Rocky Mountain Lodge & Cabins is one of 10 Bed and Breakfast Inns, Cabins, and Cottages participating in a Haiti Relief Fundraiser.

Member inns will donate 10% of our proceeds to the Red Cross to help benefit the victims of the Haiti earthquake.

Stay with us for the next TWO weekends, March 5th thru 7th, and March 12th thru 14th and we will donate 10% of our your stay to help with the Haiti relief efforts.

Visit our website at http://www.rockymountainlodge.com/ and check our all of our facilities... stay in our Colorado Cabin Rental, our Colorado Vacation Cottage, or our Rocky Mountain Bed and Breakfast Lodge, and while enjoying a weekend getaway you'll also be benefiting others in need.

For other participating inns, Cabins and Cottages, see the Authentic Inns and Cottages of Pikes Peak website.

All content in this blog © Rocky Mountain Lodge & Cabins

Pancakes, How to Make Pancakes

PANCAKES

February 16th is National Pancake Day! Yes, there IS a National Pancake Day, isn't that funny? My family have always loved all kinds of pancakes. And when the kids were little and I didn't have anything ready for dinner, we'd have "breakfast for dinner", and pancakes were always a top option. Over the years we've tried many different types of pancakes. And in my quest for the perfect pancake, I found a recipe that I thought was delicious, and tweaked on it a bit to make it even better, then came up with variations to change it up a bit. Here's our recipe for pancakes and how to make pancakes, along with several variations.

BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

• 3 cups plus 2 Tbsp. cake flour*
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 Tbsp. baking powder
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 3 3/4 cups buttermilk (or milk)
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 Tbsp. butter, melted
• Vegetable or Canola Oil
• Butter
• Syrup

*If you don't have cake flour you can substitute 2 3/4 cups plus 1 1/2 Tbsp. all purpose flour and 1/4 cup plus 2 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch

Mix together flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in large bowl; set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Pour in butter in a stream while whisking.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir gently just until combined. Set aside for a few minutes to allow flavors to combine.

Preheat griddle to 400 degrees. Drizzle with oil and ladle about 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto hot oil. Cook about 5 minutes, until batter begins to have air bubbles. Flip and cook on other side 3-4 minutes more.

Serve with butter and syrup.

Makes 6-8 servings.

VARIATIONS:

SOURDOUGH PANCAKES:
Use 3 cups buttermilk and 3/4 cup sourdough starter.

APPLESAUCE PANCAKES:
Use 3 cups buttermilk and 3/4 cups applesauce and add 1 tsp. cinnamon to dry ingredients.

BANANA WALNUT PANCAKES:
Add 1 tsp. nutmeg and 1 cup chopped walnuts to dry ingredients; mash 3 overripe bananas and add to wet ingredients.

BLUEBERRY PANCAKES:
Add 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries to batter. If using frozen blueberries, rinse and drain before adding to batter.

CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHIP PANCAKES:
Decrease flour by 1/2 cup and add 1/2 cup cocoa powder and 1 cup mini chocolate chips

All content in this blog © Rocky Mountain Lodge & Cabins

Colorado Springs Chefs' Gala & Silent Auction

COLORADO SPRINGS CHEFS' GALA & SILENT AUCTION

The Colorado Springs Chorale's 25th Annual Chefs' Gala & Silent Auction takes place on Sunday, February 21, 2010.

The "always awesome" granddaddy of the region's culinary competitions has been selected by the Colorado springs Gazette's "GO" Magazine as "Best of the Springs, Best Charity Benefit" and "Best Food-Music Hybrid" by the Colorado Springs Independent magazine.

Attendees feast on the entries prepared for competition by local chefs including appetizers, entrees, and desserts.

The silent auction is open for online bidding from February 8th thru 18th at http://www.biddingforgood.com/cschorale.

Some of the chefs participating include top chefs from the following restaurants:

• The Blue Star
• Nosh
• Briarhurst Manor
• Cheyenne Mountain Resort
• The Cliff House
• Jack Quinn's Irish Pub & Restaurant
• Jake & Telly's Greek Tavern
• Pizzeria Rustica
• The Margarita at Pine Creek
• And many more

Click Here for More Details and to reserve your place.

Need Lodging for the event? Stay at the Rocky Mountain Lodge & Cabins, just 6 miles west of Colorado Springs IN the mountains. A great way to get away for not just a fun event, but also enjoy some time away, and feast on our gourmet 3-course breakfasts in the morning as well.

All content in this blog © Rocky Mountain Lodge & Cabins

Chocolate Fudge Cake, Decadent Chocolate Cake

CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE

Valentine's Day would not be complete without some rich decadent chocolate cake. This cake is one of our absolute favorites and sure to please any chocoholic!

Click here for the recipe

Mumbo Jumbo Gumbo Cookoff & Mardi Gras Carnivale Parade

MUMBO JUMBO GUMBO COOKOFF

and

MARDI GRAS CARNIVALE PARADE

Once again Manitou Springs comes through with another fun local event... it's annual Mumbo Jumbo Gumbo cookoff and Mardi Gras Carnivale Parade.

Come out to witness fabulous chefs compete with each other, armed only with crucial ingredients and their secret recipes!

When: Saturday, March 5, 2011
Where: Soda Springs Park, Manitou Springs, Colorado

Gumbo begins cooking at 8:00am. Public tasting will follow the judging (10:45am) 2 tasings for a dollar!

The always entertaining Mardi Gras Carnivale Parade takes over downtown Manitou Springs following the cookoff.

Need lodging while you're here for the big event? Rocky Mountain Lodge & Cabins is located just 5 miles west of Manitou Springs in the beautiful mountain community of Cascade. Consider staying in our Colorado Bed and Breakfast Lodge, or one of our Colorado Cabin Rentals.

Enjoy the festivities!

Taco Dip Recipe

This recipe has been a favorite in my family since I was a kid, and it seems to be an American classic that disappears quickly and everyone loves. It's an extremely versatile recipe and you can swap out any of the ingredients if you don't care for them. My hubby doesn't like olives so I'll sometimes make half without olives. Be creative!

LAYERED TACO DIP RECIPE

• 1 can refried beans
• 2 taco seasoning packets
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 avocados, diced
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 3 ripe tomatoes, diced
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1 (6-oz) can olives, sliced
• 16-oz Colby-Jack cheese, shredded

In a casserole dish layer the above ingredients in the following order:

1. Refried Beans
2. Mix together taco seasoning packets, sour cream and mayonnaise and spread over refried beans
3. Black Beans
4. Mix together avocados and lemon juice and sprinkle over black beans
5. Mix together tomatoes, green onions and olives and sprinkle over avocados
6. Sprinkle cheese over all

Serve with tortilla chips.

This recipe, and 349 others can be found in our cookbook "Rocky Mountain Lodge & Cabins Favorite Recipes" which can be purchased in our Gift Shop. Click Here to order your copy.

Buffalo Wings Recipe

This is a traditional must have at any Superbowl party. We've tried numerous recipes over the years, and this one has been our favorite. Enjoy!

BUFFALO WINGS RECIPE

• Vegetable, Canola, or Peanut Oil for frying
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup Crystal Louisiana Hot Sauce or Frank's Red Hot Cayenne Sauce
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 20 chicken wing pieces or 10 chicken strips, thawed and patted dry
• Blue Cheese dressing
• Celery Sticks

1. Combine the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt in a small bowl. Put the wings or strips into a large bowl and sprinkle the flour mixture over them, coating each wing evenly. Put the wings in the refrigerator for 1 hour (this will help the breading to stick to the wings when fried).
2. Combine the butter, hot sauce,ground pepper, and garlic powder in a small saucepan over low heat. Heat until the butter is melted and the ingredients are well blended.
3. Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees. Make sure you have enough oil to cover the wings entirely, at least 1-2" deep. Fry the wings in the hot oil for 10 to 15 minutes or until some parts of the wings begin to turn dark brown. Do not overcrowd your oil with too many wings at a time or your oil will cool too quickly and the wings will not brown properly and will be greasier instead of crispier. Lift wings and drain on a wire rack for about 20 seconds.
4. Quickly put the wings into a large bowl. Add the hot sauce and stir, coating all of the wings evenly. Serve with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks.

Serves 4-6