Lets Pack our bags and fill them with lots of pretty outfits, accessories, toys and treats for the kids. Its time to hit the road and go on an adventure with Bunny and her gang….. We are off to The Finger Lakes Region to take in all the natural beauty it has to offer, buts lets face it there are wineries there and lots of them. Cayuga has one of the largest organized wine trails in the country and that is why I’m going….

The Finger Lakes region is located in upstate New York approx. 4 hours West of Albany. They are a chain of lakes in the west-central section of Upstate New York. The lakes are linear in shape and are among some of the deepest in America. (Cayuga’s depth is about 435ft.) The lake is fed by 140 streams from 6 counties. Lake Cayuga is fed from the south and drains north into the Seneca River. This water eventually makes its way to Lake Ontario. It is said that a drop of water entering the lake at its southern end will take 10 years to travel the length of the lake and exit at the northern end. Because of its size, the lake rarely freezes over and is thought to have done so only twice during the last century. Cayuga and Seneca being the two largest at an approximate length of 40 miles from end to end. The depth is well below sea level. Early Map makers were reminded of the fingers of a hand and that is how they got their name. Cayuga is named after the Iroquois Confederacy. The Iroquois were one of the most powerful Indian nations during colonial times. The Iroquois were able to prevent European colonization of the Finger Lakes region for nearly two centuries after first contact). (to read more please click here) In addition to the gorgeous natural scenic beauty one can find a multitude of things to do. From wine tasting, to one of the greatest farmer’s markets I have ever been to, hot air balloon rides, boating, nature trails, hiking, garden tours, Mackenzie Child’s farm and studio tours, shopping, fine dining and much much more. We will go over various highlights during our week long tour of the finger lakes.

Above you can see the dining room of The Aurora Inn, Aurora is on the East side of Lake Cayuga and it is where Mackenzie Child’s Farm and home is located. The Small town of Aurora is where you will find Wells Collage, various creameries, shops and The Aurora Inn. The Inn is situated on the Lake and was built in 1833 by Colonel E. B. Morgan, a native of Aurora and co-founder of The New York Times. Aurora became a major stop on the Erie-Canal for boats carrying agricultural products from area farmers to New York City. Henry Wells, of Wells Fargo stagecoach fame and the founder of American Express, established Wells College there in 1868. (there are other colleges in the area such as Ithaca and Cornell) (to read more please click here)I thought the wall covering above on the right was so quaint and old fashioned but the black gave it the presence it needed to be the lead character in the room while keeping it from being dated.

Natural Scenic beauty on Lake Cayuga

Cayuga Lake has three lighthouses.

Pop that Champagne its time to go out on the town and discover new recipes, wines, design and party inspiration, artisan finds for my boutique, and travel information to bring back for my students… My workshop, “The World Is My Playground, Entertaining and Design Ideas from around the World” is taught from our 200 year old farmhouse and at local libraries etc. So I am always travelling and looking for things to share with my students. All of my design work, parties, and boutique center around all that I have gathered through our travel experiences. The icing on the cake is I get to experience all of this with my family and friends as I very rarely ever travel without them. They don’t even realize I’m working!!!!……(probably because I love what I do so much and the fact that it makes me happy, I started my business about 20 years ago when I was in my 20′s and I still love it more than ever!!!)

Laying everything out in advance makes me prepared for anything my travels my have in store for me. I always want to be comfortable BUT I still want to look stylish. Flats, wedges and espadrilles for day , some heels for dinner and sporty casual outfits and sun dresses are perfect for the wine trail during the daytime. I can quickly throw on a pretty dress and some heels for dinner. There isn’t a lot of time to get ready when you have a lot of kids, I’m including Jojo, Poppy and my husband into this group…..

This Map has all the important areas clearly marked for you. You can see the wine barrels marking the wine trail (We will go over the wine trail and some great new finds this week, when we go around to the Western side of the Lake)

This is one of my favorite pictures. All three of my sons are so focused, peaceful and content. My heart is so filled with love for these boys.

Gorgeous farmland on the lake

the Iconic Adirondack Chair. So pristine and simple. Flawless design, so perfect for that region. ( I need to research the Adirondack Chairs origins one of these days, I don’t know who created it and how long ago it was first designed?????) As much as I love shoes My real addiction is chairs. Every kind, from the Windsor to very modern, I collect them all. My husband is insisting I stop he had me remove 2 from our kitchen (there were 20, now we are down to 18) You must be very careful not to trip over them in the middle of the night especially after one of my late night parties which may involve too much tequila….I just can’t stop buying them. I just ordered an orange rocking chair because I thought it would be fun for Halloween, now how the heck am I going to hide an orange rocking chair from my husband?????? I need to go to chair rehab….

The Aurora Inn. Very quaint and lovely. We had a wonderful lunch. (recipes at the bottom of post)

Oliver and JoJo. (JoJo is wearing her animal print attire this evening)

A view of the golf course and the lake.

Purity ice cream is located in Ithaca which is at the bottom tip of Lake Cayuga. It was established in 1936 and can be found all over the the lake. As you can see it was delicious there isn’t a drop left of this yummy raspberry Sorbet, Olly ate it all up!! I just adore the floral print on the bench, it is vinyl but so vintage and pretty. I wouldn’t mind having that on the 200 year old Italian settee that is at our kitchen table. Oliver sits there and lets just say it gets rather “messy”, the vinyl sure would clean up better!!

Yummy Strawberry soup, even though we had this during the summer I couldn’t help but to think it would be perfect for Valentines Day, even though it is chilled, I just thought I would make a heart in the soup and serve to my boys. Either way it is delicious and perfect anytime of the year (when you read the recipe you’ll see how easy and healthy it is)

OK, why am I posting a pic of chocolate mousse before my salad????? Because I love dessert!!

This Grilled chicken salad was simple and good. They asked me if it would be OK to substitute fresh local peaches in place of another fruit. Are they KIDDING, its more than OK, its perfect…

recipes:

STRAWBERRY SOUP

1 lb. Frozen Strawberries in syrup

9 oz. Sour Cream

9 oz. Plain Yogurt

4 oz. Half and Half

1 oz. White wine

1 oz. Strawberry Liquor

Mix all ingredients together and purees in a blender until smooth.

**I have tried various strawberry soup recipes this summer and this was my favorite, many that I tried tasted too much like a smoothie, this felt more like a decadent cold soup with a hint of liquor.

THE AURORA INN GRILLED CHICKEN SALAD WITH FRESH SEASONAL PEACHES

Organic mix of salad greens

toasted sliced almonds for garnish

grilled chicken

cherry tomatoes

Fresh local in-season Peaches

freshly baked raisin walnut bread

DRESSING:

they didn’t provide me with measurements, but just use the classic ratio/proportions and make it to your taste,

yogurt

curry powder

nutmeg

lemon juice

honey

sugar

salt

pepper

combine and top over the lovely fresh salad

XOXO

Bunny

Join me tomorrow for a tour of McKenzie Child’s farm, studio, and home. If you were to pick a cocktail that would be fitting to call the McKenzie Child cocktail what would it be??? tomorrow I’ll tell you the first cocktail that came to my mind.

Wednesday We are visiting the Ithaca Farmers Market and I have some wonderful recipes to share with you and some treasures we are adding to our boutique.

Thursday We are wrapping up our tour with the Cayuga Wine trail and the Natural Beauty of The Gorge, it was stunningly beautiful. We will have lots of recipes and great new wines to share with you

Friday Its all about the Washington County State Fair, one of Martha Stewart’s favorites, I have been going since I was a baby…Have you ever had Maple Spun sugar Cotton Candy!!!! I have and it is heavenly.See you tomorrow friends!!

Cornell Alma Mater

(Listen to the Cornell Glee Club)

Far above Cayuga’s waters,

with its waves of blue,

Stands our noble Alma mater,

Glorious to view,

Refrain

Lift the chorus, speed it onward,

Loud her praises tell;

Hail to thee, our Alma mater:

Hail, all hail, Cornell!

Far above the busy humming

Of the bustling town,

Roared against the arch of heaven,

Looks she proudly down.

resources I used: wikipedia I love finger lakes, the aurora inn

This entry was posted on Monday, August 31st, 2009.
Posted in La Cuisine, Living, Treasure Hunting, Voyage