Spring is in Bloom!

by Administrator on April 14, 2013

The Raford Inn Spring 2013 Newsletter

Little flowers sprouting between the rocks of our 19th century retaining wall, bright orange poppy petals fluttering in the breeze, and a hint of blooming lilac on the air as we serve wine and cheese on the front porch… The buds have broken through and have just begun flowering in our vineyard…

Spring is performing in all its glory in Sonoma County!

As for us at Raford, you might say that we have renewed our commitment in “taking the initiative to make things better:”

  • January: Rita and Melia braved over 200,000 square feet of food vendors and demos at the annual Fancy Food Show at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. Despite aching tummies and bags full of information, we came away with lots of ideas and inspiration to grow more creative in our cuisine.
  • February: Dane and Melia attended a Trip Advisor Master Class in San Francisco where they took pictures with the Owl mascot, but, more importantly, where they learned “best service” strategies and how to get involved in an exciting new Green program- more details on that soon!
  • March: Dane, Rita, & Melia attended Eric Weiss’s Excellence in Customer Service Workshop where, over two intensive days, we worked with our innkeeping and industry colleagues to improve and enrich our understanding of how best to serve our guests.
  • April 4th: Dane and Melia became Certified Tourism Ambassadors. This brand-new, nationally-recognized designation means we are committed to growing our knowledge and enthusiasm for our region, in order to provide every guest we encounter with a positive experience. Our goal is to have each Raford employee become a CTA by the end of the 2013- Rita and Tawny will be the next ones on April 23rd!

  • Rita and Tawny are working to introduce exciting new breakfast menu items, such as an organic, fresh basil and zucchini frittata, as well as offer more delicious and healthy options that will please gluten-free, vegan, and carnivore alike!
  • Dane, Kyle, and friends have been busy planting 75 new Pinot Noir plants in the vineyard.

  • Dane and Rita entered their wines into the Sonoma Marin Fair’s Amateur Wine Competition. We did our own “pre-judging” with friends, who made judgments on character, mouth feel, color, bouquet, and flavor. They also tasted our 2011 and 2010 Pinot Noir, 2011 Primitivo, 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2011 Zinfandel. Both the “judges” and the guests agreed- our Zin was the favorite!

Special Ways to Show Love for Mom & Dad

Whether you’re still taking turns changing diapers, or getting them ready for their weddings, you deserve some pampering for your love and hard work. Since we can’t pamper all of you parents in two weekends, we have a very special offer for you:

Purchase a gift certificate for Mom or Dad anytime during May or June and we’ll add a card, champagne, and our handmade chocolate truffles as a surprise when they check in!

For more specials, click here!

We hope your first months of 2013 have been full of beauty, good food and drink, and maybe a surprise or two. We’ll continue to keep you posted on the fun things happening at Raford!

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Raford Recipes: Gluten Free Meyer Lemon Cupcakes

by Administrator on April 7, 2013

Many of our guests have specific dietary concerns, like gluten sensitivity, or vegan/vegetarian lifestyles. Some are just trying to cut back on heavily processed foods. With a huge bag of organic Meyer lemons from Rita’s tree inspiring us to action, we whipped up some gluten-free lemon mini cupcakes as a Spring treat for ALL of our guests can enjoy. They were a big hit at a recent Wine & Cheese Hour!

We decided to modify a great recipe we found with ingredients already on hand, and made fresh cream frosting with Meyer lemon juice. For an added Spring touch, we used a food processor to crumble gluten-free ginger snaps on the tops of the cakes (“fresh dirt”) and lime zest (“grass”). We hope you enjoy these at home, and please share any gluten-free recipes you would like to see us try here at Raford!

Gluten Free Meyer Lemon Mini Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup all-purpose gluten-free flour (we used XO Baking Co.)
  • ½ cup rice flour or almond meal
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 eggs
  • ½ cup canola oil
  • ½ cup honey
  • zest from a whole Meyer lemon and juice from half of it
Channeling Martha Stewart!

Directions:

  • Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 24-cup mini muffin tin with cupcake liners.
  • Sift the dry ingredients together in one bowl (flours, salt, baking soda, zest).
  • Whisk the wet ingredients in another bowl (eggs, oil, honey, juice).
  • Fold the wet ingredients into the other bowl until just combined.
  • Spoon 2 tablespoons of batter into each liner and even out as needed.
  • Bake for about 20 minutes, rotating halfway through.
  • Insert a toothpick into a few of the muffin centers to check for doneness: toothpick should slide cleanly out of the cupcake center.
  • Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

Gluten Free Lemon Frosting

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup butter at room temperature
  • ¼ cup cream cheese at room temperature
  • 2 cups sifted powdered sugar (make sure it’s made with corn starch)
  • 2-3 tablespoons half & half
  • a drizzling of more freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice

Directions:

  • Whip butter and cream cheese together using a standing mixer with the paddle attachment: whip together at medium speed for 2 minutes.
  • Slowly add sifted sugar to icing on slow speed, gently increasing to medium speed for 5 minutes.
  • Mix in other ingredients and continue mixing until smooth, fluffy, and creamy.
  • Use a small spatula to spread frosting onto cupcakes before adding the “dirt” and “grass,” or pour into a pastry bag and use piping tips.

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Be here for our Yoga, Wine, & Dine Weekend

March 6, 2013

ADDENDUM: This event is being rescheduled for 2014. To express your interest in a reservation for this retreat, please forward your request to Gayle Olson at info@exoticyogaholidays.com. ~ The Raford Inn Have you ever noticed that the deep, cleansing breath you take with a yoga pose feels similar to that aromatic first sip of wine? [...]

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The Perfect Brunch Recipe for a Perfect Weekend

February 17, 2013

It’s only February, but the skies are crystal clear and the sun is shining- it was 80 degrees on our porch yesterday! Since many of you may have Monday off for President’s Day, and you might just be celebrating Valentine’s Day too, we wanted to share a great brunch idea. Stuffed French Toast is our [...]

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7 Fun Holiday Events in Sonoma County, Sunday, December 23

December 23, 2012

I am always searching high and low for ways that our guests can make the most of our wine land paradise, so I hope you’ll have a chance to enjoy one or two of these options, whether or not you’re done with your Christmas shopping! Here’s a look at what’s happening December 23rd… ~Melia Pavloff, [...]

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