Cabin Chronicles

Here in Minnesota, people tend to have great memories of ice skating or playing pond hockey on the neighborhood rink as a child. It brought the neighborhood together and provided kids with hours of fun, whether the rink was made on an existing pond or lake, or if it was created by flooding someone’s backyard. It seems like kids these days are stuck inside playing video games. It’s easy to make an ice rink, and I think you’ll find that if you take the time to make one, your children or grandchildren will love it. In fact, you might like it just as much as them! It’s pretty fun to shovel the rink on skates. We’ve made rinks for our customers at their cabins. There is nothing better than spending a weekend at the cabin in the winter and having your own private ice rink! Feel free to comment by sharing your memories of the neighborhood ice rink with us. Video music provided by Danosongs.com

Today was fantastic! I got a concierge job baking someone a pineapple upside-down cake. My fellow concierge co-worker got stuck doing some outdoor work, and it was zero degrees today! So, while he was outside working on a wood project, I was in the warm kitchen making goodies for one of my favorite customers. These cakes are so pretty, and they are easy to make. I made a video of how to make one of these great cakes so I could share it with you. These cakes are the perfect dessert to accompany a holiday meal. Here is the recipe I used:

3 tablespoons of salted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
maraschino cherries, cut in half
pineapple rings
boxed yellow cake mix

1. Melt the butter in the microwave. Then, pour the melted butter into a round cake pan. Mix in the brown sugar until blended. Arrange pineapple rings and cherries in a pleasing manner. Set aside.
2. Mix the yellow cake according to the directions on the box.
3. Pour the cake batter into the cake pan on top of the sugar/butter/fruit mixture.
4. Cook according to the directions on the cake mix box.

That’s it! Quick, easy, and beautiful. It’s great served warm or cold. I like it plain, but it can be topped with whipped cream, ice cream, or rum sauce as well.

Starbuck on Halloween

This is Starbuck. She is one of the caretaker’s pets. For Halloween this year, she dressed up as a nurse. It’s fun to celebrate Halloween and other holidays at the vacation home. Halloween is a particularly nice time at cabins in the woods. They make a perfect spooky setting!

We will be working for just a little while this Halloween. We are going to be passing out candy at a customer’s house. It’s fun for us, and it’s not a bad idea for the homeowner. This way, it looks like someone is living there full time, which is always a good idea to ward off vandals or thieves. Unfortunately Starbuck is not allowed in the customer’s house. She will have to stay home!