I don’t know about you, but lately I have been feeling stressed. The economy is spiraling out of control, gas prices keep rising, I have meeting after meeting to attend and barely a moment to sit and unwind. Despite the soft economy, people are still traveling and staying at our B&B. It just seems that many people are now discovering how much fun and adventure can be found in their own backyards. Rather than spending half of their vacation budget on gasoline or airline tickets and half of their vacation time stuck in traffic or in lines at the airport, they are traveling a few miles and enjoying different parts of their own neck of the woods.
We have been hosting several couples from the suburbs that needed a get a way and realized they were like those that live right outside of Disney World but never go inside. Baltimore City has so very much to offer and with the abundance of bed & breakfasts in our city, you can feel pampered and indulged, without as much of a wallet-ache. Another great thing about local travel is that you are literally buying local during your entire vacation. I know my partner Jeff and I are hoping to do a mini vacation close to home sometime this year. Maybe we can carve out a week between our meetings and many, many guests.
There I go again…getting caught back up in all that is before me. Its hard though....
We had the first Business Book Club and it was great! There were 9 other business owners in attendance and we had a fantastic time sharing ideas, learning, sipping some wine, eating some cheese and crackers and the English Summer Berry Pudding I made. We have a lot in the works just from our very first get-together. I am so excited.
Later in the week I attended the Maryland Bed & breakfast Association's monthly meeting in Easton, MD. It was again a great meeting with a number of ideas shared and ground work laid out for the exciting future of B&Bs in our state.
Today I had a meeting to attend dealing with the hybrid shuttle bus plans within the city. Tomorrow my friend Theresa of SoBotanical, www.sobotanical.com, and I are getting started on the plans for a neighborhood inspired podcast to be recorded on Monday.
As I said..busy, busy, busy. I need to relax more....
A great way to relax is to cook or bake and then enjoy the fruits of your labor of love. And nothing says comfort to me quite like a biscuit. But if you are feeling like being a little more adventurous than your standard buttermilk brand, have I got a biscuit for you. Our Sweet Potato Biscuits are very unique. They are a bit denser and more cake like than your traditional biscuit. They have a soft sweetness that is punctuated with bits of rosemary that add a bit of unexpected sharp freshness.
If you do not have the opportunity to get away this summer or if you need a brief reprieve from your hectic schedule, I think you will find the recipe and biscuit will easily do the trick. The relaxed repetition found in the movements of stirring, chopping and other parts of cooking and baking have been shown to induce a meditative state that helps you de-stress while still getting something done. Wouldn’t it be great if the ritual of crafting wonderful foods is brought back and we all make the time to relax and unwind over a bowl of something just waiting to be turned and combined into something even better than the sum of its parts? Relax and enjoy these blissful little bites.
I hope to write a bit more consistently in the near future. Perhaps that will be another new way to de-stress. Hope you are continuing to live your bliss!
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