British Night Watch - Dec 4th & 5th

GOD SAVE THE KING!

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (Nov. 23) - St. Augustine's British heritage will be celebrated in grand style on December 4 and 5 when British Night Watch and Grande Illumination return to the Oldest City. One of the most colorful and exciting events of the holiday season, the 35th annual presentation of Grande Illumination and British Night Watch will feature an entertaining and educational blend of pageantry and authentic historical presentations describing life in St. Augustine when it was part of the British Empire (1763-1784).

This year, the fun gets underway Friday, December 4 at 8 p.m. with a free concert featuring traditional Celtic music performed by Father, Son and Friends at the Colonial Spanish Quarter Museum's Taberna del Gallo on St. George Street. Sangria, cider and ale mixed with boisterous singing by authentically-garbed re-enactors will create just the sort of jocularity needed to ease the pain of the recent loss of the American colonies. Admission is free.

Saturday's events include a British encampment from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Colonial Spanish Quarter. The encampment will feature a 9 a.m. performance of fife and drum music and the raising of the King's Colors. A master musician will entertain at 10:30 a.m. followed by fife and drum music at 11 a.m. At 12:45 p.m., a fashion parade featuring the latest fashions from 1782 will take center stage at the encampment. At 2 p.m., special British military demonstrations will take place at theCastillo de San Marcos. At 4 p.m., the public is invited to attend an "afternoon of musik and country dance" at the Flagler Foundation Garden on the corner of St. George and Hypolita Streets

At 7:30 p.m., the British troops, their Native American allies and camp followers will assemble to the beating of drums and the music of fifes at the De Mesa House on St. George Street. At 8 p.m., this colorful contingent will parade by torchlight to Government House where they will hear a holiday proclamation from the governor before embarking on a festive march through the historic district. The public will be invited to light a candle and join in the boisterous parade through the town. A musketry volley of joy, singing of carols and general revelry by everyone involved will add to the holiday spirit.

All of the events associated with Grande Illumination and British Night Watch are open to the public and admission is free. The events are supported by a grant from the St. Johns County Tourist Development Council. For more information, call 904.829.5318 or visit www.britishnightwatch.org .

To find out more about special holiday events and vacation opportunities in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches, contact the Visitors and Convention Bureau at 1.800.653.2489 or go to www.Getaway4Florida.com.

First Friday Art Walks

Art Galleries of St Augustine (AGOSA) open for First Friday Artwalks, so be sure to catch one when you visit the Inn. St. Augustine is a mecca for talented artists, and galleries abound. The atmosphere is festive, as visitors stroll the city streets for these FREE self-guided tours, from 5 to 9 pm. The participating galleries present shows, complimentary refreshments, live music, new exhibits, and opportunities to meet the artists. There is one FREE Artwalk Train and one FREE Artwalk Trolley on First Friday, and you can hop on starting at 6pm on King Street, making a loop around town every 15 minutes or so. You can also catch the train at San Sebastian Winery or Rembrandtz Gallery. You can get a pdf map of the Artwalk galleries at the AGOSA website.

Pumpkin Crunch French Toast

Pumpkin Crunch French Toast

6 large eggs
2 cups canned pure pumpkin puree
4 cups half & half
1 1/2 Tblsp ground cinnamon
3 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
6 cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, crushed
2 loaves French bread - Sliced into 3/4 inch slices

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, pumpkin, half & half, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar.

2. In a flat bowl, place crushed cereal.

3. Heat griddle or skillet to medium-heat, brush with butter. Quickly dip bread on both sides into the egg mixture, then cover one side of the bread with the crushed cereal. Place in hot skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Repeat with remaining bread.

4. Serve immediately with maple syrup.

Servings: 12
Yield: 2 slices per person

Tropical Pear French Toast

Tropical Pear French Toast

Pear Sauce:

3 tablespoons Butter

½ cup Brown Sugar, packed

½ cup Orange Juice

½ cup Pineapple Juice

¼ teaspoon Ground Ginger

2 ripe Pears, cored and thinly sliced

½ cup Chopped Pecans

Melt butter in skillet; add sugar and stir until melted. Stir in orange juice, pineapple juice and ginger; boil until slightly syrupy. Add pears; turn to coat; boil until slightly syrupy. Cook on low heat for 5 to 10 minutes or just until pears are tender. Serve over prepared French Toast, garnish with chopped pecans.

French Toast:

½ cup Milk

3 Eggs

½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract

½ teaspoon Cinnamon, ground

6 slices French Bread or Texas Toast

Combine milk, eggs, vanilla and cinnamon, beat well. Dip bread into egg mixture, coat both sides, cook in buttered skillet or griddle until golden brown on both sides.

Place the French Toast on a plate and top with the Pear Sauce.

Enjoy......

Chef Gary

Visit Our Shutterfly Page!

Click to see Wedding Pictures.

Gingerbread Men

Grandma’s Chocolate Gingerbread Men

3½ cups all-purpose flour, divided

¾ cup cocoa powder, sifted

1½ tablespoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

2/3 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs, room temperature

3/4 cup molasses

1/8 cup raisins, for garnish (optional)

1/8 cup red-hot candies, for garnish (optional)

1 cup vanilla icing

Position racks in the top & bottom thirds of the oven, then preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease several large baking sheets and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking pow- der & cloves until spices & coca are evenly distributed, then set aside.

In a 2nd large bowl, cream shortening & brown sugar until fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in egg & then the molas- ses. Turn off mixer & add flour mixture, then slowly combine, just until crumbly bits of dough form, but not until the mass begins to cohere into a ball.

Lightly flour a clean, dry work surface as well as your hands. Turn dough out & knead just until it forms a smooth mass, about 30 seconds. Divide into thirds & cover them with a clean kitchen towel.

Lightly dust the work surface again & roll one of the thirds to a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Flour the dough & a rolling pin only as necessary. Use a gingerbread-man cookie cutter to cut the dough into the desired shapes, then carefully transfer to the prepared baking sheet(s).

Gather any scraps, lightly dust again with flour & roll out a 2nd time, creating additional gingerbread men. Decorate the cookies with the raisins & red hots, if desired, or decorate with the icing after they cool.

Bake for 4 minutes, then rotate sheets top to bottom & front to back. Bake another 4 minutes, or until cookies feel dry but still are a little soft. Remove from oven & cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes before transferring the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Apple Cranberry Baked Oatmeal - YUM!

Apple Cranberry Baked Oatmeal

2/3 cup Cooking Oil

1 cup Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

3 cups Oatmeal

2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Salt

1 cup Milk

2 cups Apples, chopped

1 cup Cranberries, dried

1. Cream oil, sugar, egg, baking powder and salt together until smooth.
2. Add in oatmeal and milk and mix until combined.
3. Spray a 9x13 pan and layer in apples & cranberries.
4. Add oatmeal mixture over fruit.
5. Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Serve with milk.

Recipe adapted from Swiss Woods B&B, Lititz, PA