Here’s a great way to solve two challenges in one felt swoop!  It used to be that gluten-sensitive diets couldn’t tolerate zucchini bread, so those with overflowing zucchini in their gardens had to settle for other ways to use their prolific crop.  Rabbit Hill Inn to the rescue with their Gluten Free Zucchini bread.  For those who say yesterday’s blog posting, Rabbit Hill Inn also offered a Chocolate Zucchini Bread. Today’s recipe offers a gluten free alternative, for those who need it.  And guess what?  It’s equally delicious!

Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread from Rabbit Hill Inn

 Ingredients:

2 cups sugar                                       

 3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil                             

2 cups grated zucchini

3 tsp cinnamon                                   

3 cups rice flour

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp baking powder 

Method:

 Mix well sugar, eggs, and vegetable oil.  Add zucchini and continue to mix.  Add in dry ingredients and mix again.  Pour into a greased bread pan and bake at 325°F for approximately 50 minutes.

Right about now you’re probably asking yourself what you’re going to do with all the zucchini that’s finally ripe in your garden.  For some, those larger zucchinis can double as a baseball bat or at least as a tool to ward off unwanted preditors.  Yet after spending all that time to grow it, why not make good use of it?  Rabbit Hill Inn says the only thing better than zucchini bread is Chocolate Zucchini Bread!  Chocolate makes everything just a little more wonderful!  Here’s a recipe for Zucchini Bread that is sure to put your zucchini stash will be put to good use.

Rabbit Hill Inn’s Chocolate Zucchini Bread (Makes 1 long loaf) 

Dry Ingredients:  

3 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

6 Tbsp cocoa

1 cup chocolate chips

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp baking powder

2 cups sugar  

Wet Ingredients:  

1 cup oil

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups grated zucchini                 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Mix the sugar, oil, and eggs. Add the zucchini and vanilla – mix well. Sift the flour, cocoa, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder.  Mix into the wet along with the chocolate chips.
• Spray a long loaf pan with plenty of cooking spray and then line long side of the pan with parchment
• Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 40 minutes, turn and bake for about 20  more minutes. Or until toothpick comes out clean.  Carefully remove from pan (using the parchment to help) and cool on a cooling rack.

Four DINE member inns will offer first responders a free or discounted room on September 11 as a thank you for the challenging and often stressful work they do.  Policemen and women, firefighters, EMT’s and Emergency Room staff and active military are invited to tell their story and receive a free or discounted room from one of four Distinctive Inns of New England on September 11, 2011.  This year, we honor the victims of the 9-11 disaster as we quietly observe the 10^th anniversary of the terrible tragedy. In quiet reverence four inns would like to honor those who put their lives on the lines to make our communities a safer place.

Limited rooms are available.  To apply for a free or discounted room, first responders are asked to first “like” the Distinctive Inns of New England on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DistinctiveInns and offer a quick message about where they are from and what they do. Next, we ask those interested in staying to contact the innkeeper directly at one of the following inns to request one of the rooms.  Interested first responders are asked to include complete contact information in their emails to innkeepers, explain where they work and why they qualify.  Letters can be short or long, but must contain contact information and place of employment.  Innkeepers will award rooms on a first come/first served basis to those who qualify.  Each first responder may bring one adult guest with him or her.  Those chosen will be contacted by email or phone.

The following DINE member inns will offer rooms to first responders:

The Captain’s House Inn in Chatham, MA (Cape Cod) was the first to create the idea of free rooms for first responders.  The Captain’s House Inn will offer three rooms to military, first responders or family members of fallen first responders on 9-11.  The first to qualify will receive a complimentary one night stay including afternoon tea, evening refreshments, complete use of all the inn’s facilities and a gourmet breakfast the next morning.  First “like” Distinctive Inns of New England on Facebook, then send your contact information and a little about your job to Info@captainshouseinn.com.

The Rabbit Hill Inn in Lower Waterford, VT will offer three rooms on September 11 to first responders or immediate relatives of fallen first responders.  Each party will be treated to one complimentary night stay including afternoon tea & pastries, candleglow turndown service, breakfast and all gratuities.  Simply “like” Distinctive Inns of New England on Facebook, then send your contact information and a little about your job to Leslie@RabbitHillInn.com .

The Deerfield Inn in Deerfield, MA will set aside three rooms with a discount of $111 for first responders and their immediate families on 9-11. Any responder with family (children) will be treated to an adjoining or adjacent room for free.  Those qualifying will receive the discounted one-night stay, complimentary afternoon tea, and a morning continental breakfast. .  First “like” Distinctive Inns of New England on Facebook, then send your contact information and a little about your job to Jane@Deerfieldinn.com.  

The Manor on Golden Pond, in scenic Holderness, NH will offer two complimentary rooms to first responders and a member of their family on September 11^th.  Each person will be treated to beautiful accommodations for two, afternoon tea, and a fireside breakfast the next morning.  Simply “like” Distinctive Inns of New England, then contact Mary Ellen Shields at Manor On Golden Pond at info@manorongoldenpond.com.  Be sure to include Mary Ellen’s name in the subject line.

If you know a first responder or the family of a fallen first responder, please share this article with him or her.  Participating inns will fill soon, so be sure to pass this along or post it on your own social networks.

Last week we learned about the coupons for free dinners and upgrades from Manor On Golden Pond, popular drinks at Chesterfield Inn, and about the new chefs at the Inn at Thorn Hill.  If you didn’t get a chance to read last week’s blog about what’s new at DINE inns, click here for the full scoop!

Today, we’ll look at what’s new at the rest of the DINE member inns.  Have you fit in your summer escape yet? This blog entry will give you a few more reasons to book your getaway before the summer gets away!

We hear from Jane and Karl at the Deerfield Inn that there are new dishes aplenty on the summer menu, including an heirloom tomato tart and a cheese appetizer plate with local honeycomb that Jane says is very popular.  You’ll also find a different cocktail of the day every night for $5.  According to Jane, Jenn and Brian let loose their craziest ideas.  “We had crème de banana sitting in the liquor room, and too much anisette, so Mellow Yellow was created using banana liqueur, cherry hearing, anisette, light cream,” said Jane.  Banana Splitsville was another cocktail of the day including banana liqueur, raspberry vodka, Peachtree schnapps, and White crème de cacao the next night.  Additionally, guests will enjoy two new beverages at Champney’s Restaurant  including the addition of Spindrift sodas, America’s first soda made with fresh squeezed ingredients and no artificial ingredients or colors, no preservatives or additives and no syrups or juice from concentrate.  Spindrift fits right in with Champney’s focus on all natural.  It’s fresh squeezed fruit and crushed berries, a dash of cane juice and triple purified sparkling water.  Guests love it!  Also a new ginger libation from Green River Ambrosia, Champney’s now serves an  alcoholic ginger beer as it was made in the 1900’s before Prohibition shut down the breweries.

What’s new at Cliffside Inn?  Just about everything.  The inn has undergone a complete top-to-bottom renovation and is now poised to show off a whole new look.  While the cottages have been open since the spring, rooms in the Main Inn will open as early as next week.  Be prepared to be WOW’d.  You’ll find everything from beautiful drapery to new linens, beautifully tiled showers and well…you’ll just have to see for yourself what’s in store.  We don’t want to ruin the surprise, but we do want to hear from guests how you loved it.  Post a message on the DINE Facebook page after you’ve made your trip there. 

Rosemary at The Gateways Inn & La Terrazza Restaurant told us about the new picnic menus.  The newest addition to the regular picnic menus a new Chicken Picnic has been added, perfect for taking to a concert at Tanglewood.   It features Southern style Fried or Roasted Chicken, mixed greens salad, potato salad, corn bread, watermelon and a brownie, all for $20 per person.  Two can dine on the Chicken Dinner picnic for $35.  There are a number of other picnic menus to choose from, all available from La Terrazza Restaurant at the Gateways Inn. Additionally, the gardens at Gateways are bursting with fresh herbs and vegetables enjoyed in meals at the inn.  It doesn’t get much fresher than right from the Gateways Garden!

Here’s to a great August to all our friends from DINE member inns!

Summer season is well underway.  In fact, if you haven’t taken your summer getaway yet, time is actually running out!  Labor Day is just a month away, then we start thinking about fall escapes!  There’s still plenty of availability at all nine DINE inns, including the Cliffside Inn (scheduled to re-open in mid-August) where everything is new from top to bottom!

DINE innkeepers were recently polled to learn what’s new at the inn this summer. We heard about everything from coupons for free dinners to new chefs, new furniture and plenty of new additions to the menu.

Here’s the news from four DINE member inns. Tune in next week for news from the other five!

The Inn at Thorn Hill  is excited to announce that Jim and Ibby’s daughter McKaella and her husband, Rich Schmitt, have returned to the inn as pastry chef and Executive Chef respectively. Both worked at the inn, then left in 2005 for Hawaii and California.  They have just returned and are whipping up exciting taste treats. McKaella is planning to expand her career as pasrty chef, creating an online business of cakes, ice creams and novelties.  In fact, consider joining them on the porch (weather permitting)  for the Spanish Wine Dinner on August 18th.  Click here for a complete menu for the special dinner pairing Spanish wines with foods in four courses, which sounds simply mouth watering.

The Captain’s House Inn tells us that new pool furniture will arrive in a couple weeks. It will be cushioned and totally comfortable, making guests relaxing time beside the heated outdoor pool even more comfortable.  Add to that poolside lunches complete with the new grilled cheese sandwich addition submitted by one of the inn’s Facebook users in a recent grilled cheese recipe competition.  Look for Kim’s Caprese Grilled Cheese on the poolside menu, featuring country white bread stuffed with mozzarella, fresh basil, and sliced tomato, grilled in EVOO.  Yummm!!!!

The Manor on Golden Pond is now offering weekly coupons for guests who sign up for email news on www.ManoronGoldenPond.com .  Coupons are sent weekly on Tuesday or Wednesday inxlusing everything from complimentary boat rides and picnic lunches, to free dinners and advance purchase sales.  Be sure to become part of the Manor’s email family to receive these special coupons.

The Chesterfield Inn tells us that the most popular dish on the summer menu is Crab cakes with Sweet Corn and Tomatillo Salsa and Creole Remoulade Sauce and the most popular summer wine is  Borsao Rose from Spain-light, refreshing and pink! Sounds great! Worth the trip!

Tune in next week to learn what’s new at the other DINE member inns!