The Spa at Spruce Peak Stowe Vermont

I love a good spa treatment and Spruce Peak (formerly Stowe Mountain Lodge) in Stowe has an amazing spa. From the incredible views from the relaxation room to the unique treatment options to the quality services, it's one of those spa's you don't want to miss out on when visiting the area. 

Most people think of Stowe, Vermont and think if either the stunning fall maple leaves or they think of skiing but I love Vermont year-round. Each season has something lovely to offer. One of the hidden secrets of Stowe, Vermont are the amazing spas. Stowe Mountain Resort has one of the best in the US. Let me give a little peek into what the spa looks like and my favorite treatment to get while you are visiting. 

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

My favorite treatment at the spa is their Rejuvenating Leg & Foot Ritual. I never knew spending 25 mins having your calves and feet worked could feel so amazing. The treatment is designed for relief after a long day of skiing but skier or just a snow bunny with your hot cocoa in hand this treatment will change your life forever and possibly ruin you for any other foot massage.

A couple of my favorite must try treatments include the Oxygen Facial and the Stowe Cider Uber Scrub.

Visit Spa at Spruce Peak in Stowe next time you are up that way. You will not be disappointed.

Maple Sugar Cinnamon Rolls

Vermont Inspired Recipes

Maple Sugar Cinnamon Rolls

for rolls

• 2 tablespoons yeast

• 4 tablespoons sugar

• 1/2 cup of warm water

• 3/4 cup of warm whole milk

• 1 teaspoon of sea salt

• 1/2 melted butter

• 1 egg

• 3 1/2-4 cups of unbleached flour

for filling

• 2 tablespoons of cinnamon 

• 1/2 cup of brown sugar

• 1/2 cup of maple sugar- we use Butternut Mountain Farm

for frosting glaze

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup of butter

• 1/2 cup pure Vermont Maple Syrup - we use Butternut Mountain Farm

Using stand mixer add yeast, water, milk salt and sugar to mixing bowl. Mix slightly and allow the yeast to grow. 2-5 minutes.

Add melted butter and egg. Mix together. Using the dough hook add 1 cup of flour and mix. Allow to sponge up the flour for 5 minutes. Then slowly add one cup of flour at a time mixing until incorporated. Continue to kneed the dough on low for about 5 minutes.  The trick with dough is to make sure you don't use too much flour. The dough will be smooth but not too sticky and not too dry.

Spray a baking sheet and place dough into middle of pan then place in oven for 45 minutes to rise and double in size.

More Vermont Posts

Delicious Harvest Apple Pie

Our destination for FALL this year is Vermont. Vermont is one of my very most favorite places on earth. Fall in Vermont means stunning colorful autumn leaves of the sugar maples, the smell of sweet wood burning in the fireplaces, harvest dances at the local town halls, harvest full moon walks, plaid flannel, men letting their beards grow out in anticipation of hard cold winters, crisp fresh apples, apple cider, apple cider doughnuts, and a delicious harvest apple pie. When I lived in Vermont it felt like I was living in a movie. Everything you do in the small towns of Vermont is special unlike anywhere else in the world. Schedule a trip to Vermont and spend at least a week exploring the winding Green Mountain roads, little villages (yes they are called villages in Vermont), visit the local general/grocery stores, take a hike or swim in one of the many swimming holes of the fresh rivers. If you are there in the fall don't miss having a sip of fresh apple cider and an apple cider doughnut. Yes, it really does look like the beginning of Newhart even now in 2015 thirty years later and it's just as enchanting as the song Henry Mancini wrote for the show. Go ahead and listen. You will imagine yourself driving from small town to small town peeping at the rainbow of colors that cover the mountains this time of year.

I love this recipe for apple pie because it's a mix of both a pie crust and the taste of an apple crisp blended together in this delicious pie.  I use locally grown apples which always taste best and are freshest. I was blessed this year to have a wonderful heirloom apple tree that is a remnant of the apple orchards that use to cover the small town of Orem, Utah.

Did you know? Many of the variety of apples were lost during prohibition because they didn't want people to make hard apple cider so the trees were cut down. So sad but if you are lucky and in Vermont and find a wild apple tree along the side of the road go and forage for some of these tasty old varieties that have long since disappeared from all most everywhere. You never know it could be along one of the roads (Hazen's Notch Road) President George Washington sent the troops up to Vermont to build during the revolutionary war.

Harvest Apple Pie Recipe

makes one pie

Pie Filling

• 12 fresh apples

• 1 cup of sugar

• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder

• pinch of sea salt

Peel and slice apples in about 1/2 inch slices. In a large mixing bowl add sugar and spices and mix. Toss apples in sugar-spice mix. Set aside.

One Pie Crust Recipe

Pie Crumble Topping

• 1 cup of sugar

• 1/2 cup of unbleached flour

• 1/2 cup of fresh cream butter

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder

• 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

With a fork or your hands blend together ingredients until the mixture forms small pebbles. Set aside.

Add pie crust to 9-inch pie pan. Be sure to prick small holes in the bottom of the unbaked pie crust with a fork. Add apple filling to the pan. Top with pie crumble topping. 

For the star fall decorative topping I tool a small cookie/pastry cutter added stars around the edge of the pie crust then made the star fall pattern starting at one side overlapping the stars then slowly spacing them further and further apart to get the star fall effect. This would also be pretty with a tiny maple left cookie/pastry cutter to make a windblown leaf decoration.

Place pie pan on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. The pie will be bubbling hot so use caution when taking out of the oven.

Sweet Tip: Let pie set up for a least 20 minutes before serving.

More Vermont Posts

Fresh Grilled Pineapple & Strawberries with Maple Syrup

Vermont Inspired Recipes

This delicious recipe is naturally gluten-free. It's perfect for everyone at your next BBQ. My mom loves grilled pineapple. I love the way the grill brings out the sweetness of the fruit and caramelizes the fruit sugars while still keeping a little bit of the tanginess. Serving grilled fruit kabobs for dessert while dining Al fresco is perfect. Drizzle some real pure Vermont maple syrup over the top and its heaven. Great for a light dessert. For a warm summer evening, another way to serve the fresh grilled pineapple and strawberries is to serve it over a vanilla bean ice cream then drizzle the maple syrup over the top for a fresh grilled fruit ice cream sundae. YUM

P.S.I use Butternut Mountain Farm pure Vermont Maple Syrup because my sister's sugar bush in northern Vermont contributes to their maple syrups. I know many of the maple producers in the area that contribute Butternut Mountain Farm and have visited Butternut Mountain in Johnson, VT. I know I am getting the best quality maple syrup from them. Their syrup comes from some of the most pristine mountains filled with wild beautiful sugar maple trees. I've walked the mountains. My kids have helped tap the trees where this syrup comes from and have helped stoke the fire on a chilly March evening in the wood-fired evaporator. 

How to Grill Pineapple and Strawberries

• 1 fresh ripe pineapple

• 1 pint of fresh strawberries

• 1 pint of real Vermont maple syrup- I use Butternut Mountain Farms grade A dark robust

Cut pineapple into large bite-size chunks. Remove stems from strawberries. Alternate strawberries and pineapple on skewers. This gives a nice contrast for the presentation. 

Maple Milk

Vermont Inspired Recipes

Not so much a recipe as a mix in idea, Maple Milk is a family tradition with my kids and my sister's families in Vermont. It's comfort food at it's best.

Did I tell you my sister and her family live on a mountain in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. They make the most amazing pure Vermont Maple Syrup. A while back my brother-in-law along with his dad and brother decided to put up a sugar house in the middle of a Vermont winter. If you know Vermont winters you know this is quite the fête. They wanted to get it up in time for maple sugaring season which is early Spring.

They collect the sap from some the most pristine woods full of old sugar maples. The area is so remote it is clean and free from water, soil and air pollutants. They stay up all night when the sap is running feeding the wood fired evaporator stove. The results is gallons and gallons of pure liquid maple gold.

Maple Sugar Walnut Blondies Recipe

Vermont Inspired Recipes

When we visited Vermont for Camp Gathering-Vermont this past April we visited just at the end of the maple sugaring season.  A lot of people think of fall in Vermont and they think maple syrup but the maple sugaring season is in the very early spring when the days are warming up but it's still below freezing at night. This is when the sap flows.

To the warm flavor of real Vermont syrup still evokes a feeling of fall. My Maple Sugar Blondies are made up of the warm fall flavors including walnuts and the caramel flavor of a blondie. I use Butternut Mountain Farm's real Vermont Maple Sugar AND pure Vermont Maple Syrup in this recipe too. If you can't find it in your local store you can order it online on their website- Butternut Mountain Farm

We visited Butternut Mountain Farm in Johnson, Vermont and I assure it is some of the purest finest maple syrup you will buy.

Enjoy!

Maple Sugar Walnut Blondies

• 1/2 cup of butter 

• 1 1/2 cup pure maple sugar

• 1/2 cup of grade A dark robust pure maple syrup

• 3 eggs

• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

• 2 cups unbleached flour

• 1 cup white chocolate chips

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Melt butter. Add eggs, maple sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, baking soda, salt and nuts.

Stir by hand, Then mix in flour. Pour into 9x13 inch greased cake pan. sprinkle white

chocolate chips on top. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown and pulling

away from the pan on the sides. Cut and serve. I like to sprinkle a little bit of maple sugar over top and drizzle with a little bit of pure Vermont maple syrup right before serving.

Sweet Tip: Only mix by hand and be sure stir only to incorporate the ingredients and no more for best 

More Vermont Posts