Cinnamon raisin Ring Bread

I know, I know, EVERYONE who knows me will likely never in a million years believe that I can actually lay claim to have baked what looks like BREAD in the picture. But I can proudly claim to the whole world, I DID! :) When I sent the picture to my Dad and told him that I baked it, he "woahhh woahhh" in disbelief and said that he thought I just wanted him to have a look at a bread I bought from a shop. But noooo...its true....I did this single-handedly.

The original receipe is Pistachio Ring Bread, but I replaced Pistachios with raisins and cinnamon. It turned out really good. All that effort that went into kneading the dough (trust me, its hard work as evidenced by the aches and pains I suffered the next few days..) paid off when the bread came out of the oven all soft and chewy inside.

I am happy to share the receipe with anyone interested...

Greenfield, MA (Berkshires along the Mohawk Trail)
Lu Lei and I decided to visit Berkshires in central MA last weekend. We chose a quaint and lovely little Bed & Breakfast known as Poetry Ridge B&B. We have never stayed in a B&B before this and it was a wonderful experience. B&Bs here in the US are run a little different from the ones I have stayed in in UK. A B&B's purpose is to create a place where "guests feel at home". They strived to ensure that guests are given special and individual attention. The moment we stepped in till the time we left, we were made to feel like honoured guests in their home. The innkeepers Errol and Mary chatted and cooked for us. It was truly a unique experience, one which we will definitely try again in the near future.

distance 138miles time: 3hrs 30mins

These were some of the places we managed to see during our brief 1.5 day visit.

Glacial potholes in Shelburn Falls make a picturesque geological sight. There are more than 50 potholes that the last Ice Age left behind, ranging in size from 6 inches to 39 feet in diameter. This is one of the largest known concentrations of potholes and the location of the largest pothole on record.

Bridge of Flowers in Shelburn Falls has over 500 varieties of flowers, vines and shrubs. Every year, it attracts visitors from around the world. They stroll across the Bridge of Flowers and enjoy the beauty of this unusual garden - its claimed as the only one of its kind in the world. Unfortunately, we were not able to witness the beauty of this place as we were in the middle of winter season and the bridge was closed.

Hairpin Turn along Mohawk Trail, gives a breath-taking view of the Hoosac Valley and the surrounding Berkshire Hills. A hairpin turn is named for its resemblance to a hairpin/bobby pin, is a bend in a road with a very acute inner angle, making it necessary for an oncoming vehicle to turn almost 180º to continue on the road. It was also the place where we found the frozen cliff. The ice was formed by water along the wall of the cliff. We could not resist a couple of photo shots.

Williams College in Williamstown, was where we found their famous "eyes" sculpture. Williams College is private liberal arts college. It is ranked as US' #1 liberal arts college and is part of the historic Little Three colleges along with Wesleyan University and Amherst College. (The "Big Three" refers to Harvard, Yale, and Princeton). Their reputation has come from having produced the most Rhodes Scholars of any liberal arts college in the country with 37.

Poet's Seat Tower in Greenfield, is a 1912 sandstone lookout tower. It was named after a long tradition of poets being drawn to the spot. Poets have long been inspired by the beautiful views. Subsequently, Francis Goddard Tuckerman, a Greenfield poet of some repute --and colleague of Thoreau--composed several poems at this site.

On the morning we were to leave for Boston, we decided to take the 1.2mile hike to Poet's Seat Tower. 1/3 of the way there, we were thinking that it was a mistake as the winds were very strong and very cold. It happens to be the day where we were getting a lot of Artic wind. The wind chill was in the negatives. We realised that trekking through snow made the 1.2 mile walk much longer than if it was in the summer. However, when we got to the Tower, the view was well worth the hardwork. We made sure we captured our accomplishment in our photos.

Take a look at what it looks like to drive along the Mohawk Trail...



View from Poet's Seat Tower in Greenfield

Lowell, MA, was founded as a manufacturing center for textiles along the Merrimack River northwest of Boston. It was a thriving industrial center during the 19th century, attracting many immigrants and migrant workers to its mills. With the decline of its manufacturing in the 20th century, the city fell into deep hard times. The former mill district along the river is partially restored and is part of Lowell National Historic Park.

distance: 33 miles time: 50 mins