With the advent of a brand-new look for our website coming soon, we are going to get back to posting our favorite recipes, photos and interesting Rockport happenings here Under the Linden Tree.....

To get started, I am going to repost a recipe that I posted over on our Facebook page.....and on our website....what better recipes there to get started with than...my "legendary" scone recipe!!! 

Enjoy! 

Melt in your mouth ( heavenly )Scones
1 ¾ cup flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter ( 5 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon)
1 egg, beaten
6-8 tablespoons heavy cream
½ cup dried fruits or mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Heat oven to 400 degrees
Sift flour with sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut butter with pastry blender or two knives method till crumbly. 
Stir in your dried fruits, or nuts or chocolate chips or what ever you are using to flavor your scones. I like to add a lot of "mix-ins" so don't skimp!
Beat egg with a bit of the heavy cream, Add egg/cream mixture and remaining 6-8 tablespoons heavy cream and mix till it forms a dough, I like it to be a bit on the sticky side. Add as much heavy cream as you need to get it to the right consistency, the scones should hold their shape well when dropped on cookie sheet. I start with a wooden spoon and then use my hands (just washed and clean of course!!) knead gently about 10 times....drop spoonfuls of your desired size on an ungreased cookie sheet, cook in 400 degree oven, (again, I use my hands to make the size scone I like, but you can determine which method works best for you!!) cook about 10 to 14 minutes, your oven time may vary.
Enjoy them warm from the oven. Serve with butter and jam, or be decadent and serve with whipped or clotted cream!
If you have any leftover, you can warm them up in the oven (400 degrees for 5 minutes) for a few minutes and they will freshen up nicely.
They also freeze well. Place them in a ziplock freezer bag and put them in the freezer the day they are baked. Take out either the night before and place in fridge to thaw, or several hours before serving thaw them on the counter. Reheat in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes. Enjoy!!!

ANOTHER RECIPE!

One of the desserts I make for a lot of my retreat groups are trifles.....I have accumulated all different types and variations, and thought I would share one of the most decadent ones I have made! It's rich and chocolately and yummy!!! Enjoy!!

Get Thee Back Satan Chocolate Trifle

John named this trifle after he took one bite of it!!!

1 sm. package instant chocolate pudding mix

2 cups cold milk

2 cups heavy cream

Confectioners sugar

Chocolate cake or cupcakes, 1 layer or 6 cupcakes

Ghirradelli milk chocolate chops

Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips

Ghiradelli white chocolate chips

Shelled hazelnuts, chopped

Make chocolate pudding with 2 cups of whole milk according to directions on package. Take out of mixing bowl, pour 2 cups of heavy cream into mixing bowl, no need to wash bowl or beaters…..it adds to the flavor! Whip the heavy cream into whipped cream, adding confectioners sugar to sweeten to your taste. Should be firm enough to hold it’s shape.

Cut chocolate cake into rough cubes, or just rip into large chunks. Place half of chocolate cake in trifle bowl to cover bottom. Sprinkle with a handful of each flavor of chocolate chips. Cover with a layer of chocolate pudding sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts. Cover with a layer of whipped cream. Follow with a layer of chocolate cake, chips, pudding, nuts and whipped cream. Decorate the top of the trifle with the 3 types of chocolate chips and chopped hazelnuts. Chill an hour or two before serving.

WHAT A WINTER IT HAS BEEN!

Been a while since I have posted here.....it's been a year of lots of snow in Rockport this year, and I for one am hoping the groundhog is right and spring is right around the corner!!!

Thought you might like a little something to brighten up your dinners....John and I discovered roasted carrots this winter......try them out....you won't believe that carrots can be so sweet with no sugar added....lots of good nutrients and nothing gets lost in the cooking process! Enjoy!!!

Roasted Carrots:

ingredients:

carrots: you need about 1 1/2 carrots per person, maybe even 2 carrots per person, of course it depends on how big the carrots are.....
salt
pepper
olive oil

heat oven to 400 degrees F

wash and peel as many carrots as you need to feed however many people you have.

cut the carrots on the diagonal into 1 inch pieces, you don't want them too thin, as they shrink during cooking

place on a baking sheet

sprinkle with salt and pepper

drizzle olive oil over them, and then toss carrots to coat them evenly with the oil, salt and pepper

place in preheated oven

they will take about 20 minutes to cook...check after 10 minutes and flip carrots over for more even cooking.

They are done when they are just tender when you poke them with a fork

They get all caramelized, and no one believes you when you tell you you didn't add any sugar to them

LINDEN TREE INN GETS GREAT PRESS!!!!

We had two very nice articles in the paper this past week, both written by guests that stayed with us!

The first one that was brought to my attention by a long time guest of the Linden Tree was in the paper on Sunday in The Republican, (Springfield MA) and on the web at masslive.com It was a lovely commentary on a guest's stay, and even though the name of the inn was not mentioned, anyone who has stayed here would immediately know it was the Linden Tree!!! Scones, cupola, rambling victorian? Definitely The Linden Tree!!

The second article brought to my attention, also by a long time guest, was in the Sunday Boston Globe Travel section, about bicycling trips. We were so pleased to be mentioned, it is always a thrill to see your name in print!!! The article is here.

Thanks to Fred and Stephen for making our day!!!

TRAILS AND SAILS TIME IN ESSEX COUNTY!

It's Trails and Sails time again in Essex County. September 17-19 and 24-26. A chance to experience all that The Essex National Heritage Area has to offer in Cape Ann and the surrounding area has for free!! Check out their website: Essex County Trails and Sails Weekends

It's a wonderful way to explore all that the National Heritage properties have to offer for free! Many events for children and adults. Check out the calendar of events and make your plans to get away! We still have rooms available for couples or small families both weekends, make your reservation today!

IT'S BREAKFAST TIME AT THE LINDEN TREE INN!

FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD!!!!

GOLF ON CAPE ANN

Next weekend (June 11-13) marks the historic return of the Curtis Cup to Essex County Club. The Curtis Cup is a high level amateur Women's event. This year it will be held at the Essex County Club in Manchester by the Sea, which was the home of Margaret and Harriot Curtis. This historic golf tournament was last played in at the Essex County Club in 1938. Officially titled “The Women’s International Cup,” the Curtis Cup is named for Essex County Club members Margaret and Harriot Curtis. The tournament is played by three teams, one from Great Britian, one from Ireland and one from the USA. The matches at Essex will be the first time that the three-day format is played in the United States. Learn more about the Curtis Cup through this video.

Curtis Cup Historical Video from 2010 Curtis Cup on Vimeo.

Captain Noreen Friel Mohler, a Massachusetts native, hopes to continue the USA win streak of six matches.

Click here for the schedule of events. You can still purchase tickets to the event online here.

We still have some rooms available for the weekend of June 11, 12 and 13. Come to Rockport and enjoy some wonderful golf, and all that Rockport has to offer. Visit our website and make your reservation today. If you love golf, this is a wonderful opportunity to see a high level competition in a gorgeous location, up close and personal.