If you can’t get away now, what about a gift certificate for a future stay to brighten your outlook?  We don’t know when it will be safe for all of us to travel again, but having something to look forward to might be just the way to tell that special someone that you still want to spend time with them, once lockdown is over.

If you are living in an area that still allows travel, we are doing special deep cleaning to make sure that the cottages stay safe between guests. Each cottage has a kitchenette, so it is perfectly possible to self-isolate in comfort and enjoy a change of scenery.

Give me a call at 607-229-3577. You might need to leave a message, but I’ll be right back in touch.  We are looking forward to welcoming guests again!

The Tompkins County Progressives organization sent out a list of options for local grocery and meal delivery as we consider how to reduce physical contact with each other.  I thought including it here might make it easier for those considering a retreat to the county.  I’ve added at least one option that wasn’t available when the original post was sent.  I’m guessing more options will be available as things progress.

Grocery Delivery

Fees, minimum order, delivery perimeter and grocey supply vary, also these stores offer grocery curb side pick-up

RosieApp – participating stores include the P&C Fresh store just two miles from the Stone Quarry House

Instacart – Wegmans Ithaca, Tops Ithaca, Aldi and more

Walmart – Ithaca

Shipt – participaing stores include Target Ithaca and CVS Ithaca

Meal Delivery

Fees, minimum order, and delivery perimeter vary

Rose’s Home Dish

PowerfullIthaca

IthacaToGo

EatStreet

Luna

Wegman’s Meal Delivery

GrubHub

DoorDash

Schwans

Meal kit delivery providers such as HelloFresh and HomeChef are good options too, since the cottages have kitchenettes and the summer house has a full kitchen.

Bonus: 

Kinney Drugs, CVS pharmacy, Walgreens, and Wegmans offer prescription delivery, though fees and delivery perimeters vary.

As emails pour in alerting us to cancellations and the companies we have done business with reassure us that they are taking steps to protect us as their customers, it’s time to let our guests know that we are also concerned for their well-being.  We contacted Stickley Furniture to get the best recommendations for disinfecting wood and leather furniture.  It turns out the lacquer supplier assures them that hydrogen peroxide will not harm the finish, but it is an effective disinfectant if it is in contact with the surface for ten minutes, then rinsed off with a clean cloth and dried.  The Stickley representative I talked with, Bob, told me he has a family member working in a hospital and they assure him that the hospital is also using hydrogen peroxide to disinfect.

We will still use bleach to disinfect the Jacuzzi.  We use tea tree oil in our cleaning solution for it’s disinfecting properties.  All cleaning is done while wearing a fresh set of gloves, and all surfaces that are likely to be touched are disinfected between guests.  Sheets, duvet covers, and towels are washed on a sanitary cycle and dishes are given a sanitary rinse and high temperature drying cycle in the dishwasher before being replaced (by freshly gloved hands) in the cottages.

Because the cottages are self-catering, you have the choice of bringing food from home, having groceries ready for you to put the bags in your car at Wegman’s or P&C Fresh, enjoying takeout from many restaurants either delivered here or picked up.

The situation is evolving, and we will make any adjustments recommended by the Center for Disease Control and World Health Organization to safeguard your health and ours.  It is our hope that the response to COVID-19 will slow and eventually stop the virus, saving as many lives as possible.

In this anxious time, we also hope that people will give themselves the rejuvenating gift of time enjoying the beauty of the natural world, to retreat from their everyday worries, and either appreciate their companions or the solitude of enjoying their own companionship.  At a time of disruption, I hope a stay at the Stone Quarry House can help our guests return to their bedrock joys.

While I should be updating our photos in responce to guest comments about how much nicer the property is than the photos on the website, instead I’m persuing my granola recipe theme.  I actually don’t make granola very often – I just post about it when I do!

I’m still happily eating lower carb and higher fat (when compared with the standard American diet).  The tigernuts still make a good granola, but preparing them is a bit of a fuss.  Instead, I’ve been making Low Carb Macadamia Nut Granola With Berries and Flaked Coconut – a recipe I found online at LowCarbMaven.com.  It is comperable to a nut-based granola brand I found at Wegman’s recently, Paleonola.  Homemade is even better because I can choose the sweetener and prepare the almonds according to the recommendations in Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon.  [Of course, that adds a bit of a fuss in preparation too.   That step isn’t in the recipe, but I like to reduce any potential anti-nutrient component and I think it makes the nuts a bit easier on the digestive system.]

The other find that makes this even nicer is Sukrin Fiber Syrup Gold.  It’s a great substitute for honey, barley malt or rice syrup, or corn syrup (or golden syrup if you are from the UK).  I find the flavor of Sukrin products closest to actual sugar and they don’t seem to increase ‘bloating’ or have other nasty digestive side effects (used in moderation as they recommend).  Since I seldom eat sweets these days, I find I can use much less sweetening in my cooking and things still taste appropriately sweet.

I have all of these ingredients on hand, but you may need to order the freeze dried berries, macadamia nuts, cocoa nibs, and most certainly Sukrin Fiber Syrup Gold – well, you may need to order everything!  If you are ordering you could buy ‘Crispy almonds’ and not worry at all about the soaking and drying step recommended by Sally Fallon in Nourishing Traditions.  If you don’t have that cookbook, it might be worth adding it to your order if only for the sidebar information.

One night last week when I was skipping dinner to prepare for a medical procedure, my husband came home and enjoyed a big bowl of this granola with some homemade yogurt for dinner.  Even after a full day of work, he was completely satisfied.  He doesn’t usually compliment me on the food, but he made an exception for this recipe. 🙂

My cooking notes include a reminder to actually follow the recipe!  I tend to throw everything together and forget that the berries and coconut aren’t added until after the granola has been baked.  Also, my oven is hotter, so I need to watch the granola carefully and turn it.  I’ll try a lower temperature next time for a less stressful and more even baking.

Low Carb Macadamia Nut Granola With Berries and Flaked Coconuts
Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings: 8
Calories: 297 kcal
Author: lowcarbmaven.com
Ingredients
• 4 ounces raw macadamia nut (114 g)
• 4 ounces raw sliced almonds (114 g)
• 2 ounces raw cacao nibs (57 g)
• 1 1/2 ounces unsweetened flaked coconut (42.5 g)
• 1/2 cup freeze-dried raspberries or strawberries (20 g)
• 2 tablespoons butter (ghee or coconut oil), melted (28.4 g)
• 1 large egg white beaten until frothy with a fork
• 1/4 cup Sukrin Fiber Syrup Clear or Gold (honey for Paleo) (55 g)
• 1 tablespoon Sukrin Melis or Swerve (coconut sugar for Paleo) (omit if using the fiber syrup)
• pinch of salt

Instructions
1 Preheat oven to 325 and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or foil.
2 In a food processor or with a knife, chop the macadamia nuts into smaller pieces. Chop the flaked almonds until they resemble the size of oats.
3 Place the macadamia nuts, almonds, cacao nibs and salt into a medium bowl and mix with the butter. Pour the Fiber Syrup over and mix thoroughly with a big spoon. Then, add the egg white, mixing again.
4 Pour the granola onto the baking sheet and spread out. Bake for 15-25 minutes or just until it is fragrant and toasted on the bottom. Let it cool completely before adding the flaked coconut and freeze-dried fruit.
5 Store in an air-tight container. Serves 8.
Recipe Notes

Nutrition Facts
Low Carb Macadamia Nut Granola With Berries and Flaked Coconuts

Amount Per Serving
Calories 297
Calories from Fat 243

% Daily Value*
Total Fat 27g
42%
Total Carbohydrates 16g
5%
Dietary Fiber 11g
44%
Protein 6g
12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

One thing led to another, and I turned a bedroom into a Pilates studio.  It started with some  adequate equipment, and I upgraded to a nearly new reformer with tower thanks to a good find on eBay.  I started practicing Pilates about twenty years ago, and I’ve done it on and off with videos, private classes, group classes, DVDs, and streaming classes since then – with some pretty big gaps between active periods.  Now that the last child has moved out, it’s a joy to be able to log onto PilatesAnytime and chose from thousands of streaming classes and tutorials.  I’m also reading and learning anatomy, how the exercises on one piece of equipment compare with another piece of equipment, etc.  I can definitely feel myself building strength, balance and flexibility.  So now I’m calling on all traveling Pilates instructors to stay with us at the Stone Quarry House and barter a bit  . . .

If you are an experienced student or practitioner, you are welcome to come on up and do a session together.  Happily with two reformers, a tower, a chair, a step barrel, an oov, mats, balls, weights, a yoga block, even toe gizmos, there is enough equipment to go around. 🙂