New Year’s Eve 2015

Sticks and Stones

No reservations required. Just come in and enjoy the show, fireplace, and midnight toast! Music by Elijah Root, led by Steve Smith, a groove band, at 9pm.

 Alongside their regular menu, there's great specials, featuring wood fired Filet Mignon, Lobster Tails, Maryland Lump Crab Cakes, and Crème Brûlée

Witherbee’s Carriage House

Flanagan's Pub

Schroon Laker’s First Ever Cookie Exchange

Ting-A-Lings. Photo: Schroon Laker Collection

' Tis the seasonto bake, and that’s inspired us to present our first ever Christmas Cookie/Holiday Treat recipe exchange. 

To make this work, we’ll need your recipes (and a photo if you have one handy!). We are getting the ball rolling sharing our favorite one bowl Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies, as well as contributions from Lisa Hess-Marks  and her outrageous Ting-A-Lings and Chamber Executive Director Tammy Whitty Brown’s awesome Seven Layer Bar . These last two were featured in the North Woods Bread Company sponsored holiday treat fundraiser for the Chamber.

Lisa Hess-Marks  “Ting-A-Ling” Recipe

1 bag chocolate Chip

1 bag Butterscotch Chips

1/2 can Cashew Pieces

1 bag Chinese Chow Mein Noodles

Melt Chocolate Chips and Butterscotch Chips together in double boiler or microwave. Stir occasionally throughout melting process to ensure chocolate does not burn. Remove from heat when almost fully melted. 

Once fully melted, stir in chow mien noodles and cashews. Then scoop mounds full onto baking sheet lined with waxed paper or parchment paper. I use an ice cream scoop to make the job easier and cleaner! Set aside and let chocolate harden up. That’s it!!!

--Lisa

Seven Layer Bar. Photo: Schroon Laker Collection

Tammy’s Seven Layer Bar

1 Stick of Salted Butter

1 1/2 Sleeves of Graham Crackers ( out of a regular sizebox

1 bag of Nestle Butterscotch Chips

1 bag of Nestle Semi Dark Chocolate Chips

1 cup - 1 1/2 cups of Sweetened Shredded Coconut

1 cup - 1 1/12 cups of chopped walnuts

1 can of Borden's Sweetened Condensed Milkl

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

Place unwrapped stick of butter in a 9x13 pan and place in the oven till butter is melted.  Keep any eye on it, you don't want it to burn.

In the meantime, put graham crackers through a food processor making it in to fine crumbs. After removing the pan with butter, take the graham cracker crumbs and dump them in the pan and mix well with the butter, then press to make a crust. On top of the Graham Cracker Crust, sprinkle the bag of Butterscotch chips making sure all areas are covered.

Then sprinkle the bag of semi dark chocolate chips on top

Then sprinkle the walnuts (use as much or as little as you want)

Then sprinkle on the coconut (use as much or as little as you want)

Finally, drizzle the Sweetened Condensed Milk all over the top trying to cover every inch, going back and forth in a criss-cross pattern.

Place in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes till golden brown on top.  

Remove pan and cool on rack till set, then cut in to squares.

-- Tammy

One-Bowl Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

One Bowl Chocolate Chop Cookies. Photo Courtesy Liz George

This recipe for comes courtesy of our good friend Liz George. As Liz says: “They ain’t pretty, but folks come running when I serve them up.”

Yields 2 dozen

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 stick butter, softened

1 large egg

1/2 tsp. baking soda

A little less than 1/2 bag of your favorite semi-sweet chocolate chips

Generous 1/2 cup of flaked coconut

Generous 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 F.  In large mixing bowl, combine first five ingredients; beat with mixer until well blended (Don’t worry that mixture seems dry – just persevere and keep beating until butter incorporates with other ingredients)

Stir in chocolate chips, coconut and pecans. Drop by tablespoonful on cookie sheets and bake for 12 -1 5 minutes until golden.

Wine Lovers' Affair With Paradox

From The WineCompass:

"Before beginning the ascent into the Adirondack Mountains, theCompass Winery Brewery Distiller Locator alerted us to a small brewery off Schroon Lake (northeast of Lake George): Paradox Brewery. And after visiting I strongly recommend their beers; they were fantastic - starting with the Paradox Fest Lager. This version of an Oktoberfest is drier than most while still retaining malty flavor and an even keel of hops. I think my favorite Oktoberfest beer ever. Their Paradox Pumpkin Lager was similar, dry with subtle pumpkin and spices - not a sweet pie bomb. The Black Fly Porter was a solid porter with toasted chocolate and a rather bigger hoppy finish. And finally their Beaver Bite IPA is a dry hopped IPA with big citrus aromas and a delicious pale malt profile. Less than two years old, this microbrewery is making some beers to rival more established operations. Nicely done".

What Paradox Beer Goes Best With Turkey Left Overs?

Our friends at Paradox Brewery, Joan and Paul Mrocka, know exactly what beer goes with T-Day leftovers: It’s their Beaver Bite IPA!

So stop in this weekend to stock up. Their Thanksgiving Holiday weekend hours are: Friday, 3pm -7 pm, Saturday, 12pm – 6pm and Sunday, from 12pm – 4pm.

While there ask about Paradox’s new bottle conditioned program. First up is their Gold Medal Baltic Porter aged in Buffalo Trace Bourbon Barrels. (10.2% ABV). Next on deck is a new version of their Dark Bay Stout brewed with organic chocolate and orange zest. (8.5% ABV).