Ranch Life, The Boys

A Little Piece of Heaven With A Finnishin’ Touch!

October 16, 2018

Dan and I celebrated 30 years on October 8^th in a very special place in Northern Wisconsin. It is indeed a little piece of heaven with the Finnish touch and a perfect getaway!

Palmquist Farm is located in a small town in Brantwood, WI. The farm is full of history from the old barns to all the décor covering the walls of each building and a cute couple who are your hosts.  Jim greets you with his Finnish accent and welcoming smile escorting you to your cabin or in our case the barn to get our horses settled. He knew we came from a distance and the importance of animals first was on the forefront of his mind. He showed us all the spots we could place our boys and once we got them comfy cozy Jim walked us to our cabin. What a place! From the moment you walk in the yellow lighting upon the logwood made you feel warm and welcomed. Each room had memories of the past including furniture dated back to the 1940s. Of course, Jim shared a story or two about the old radio and listening to President Roosevelt with the break of the war and the linens hand stitched by grandma. My man and I arrived in the early afternoon so we had time to look around after unpacking. OH am I glad I got a new camera! I was in heaven snapping all kinds of shots! Each building is full of wonderful décor and in the sauna, they even have newspaper articles from the Titanic to the San Francisco earthquake. The old furniture set the stage in time and one feels your really living in the early 1900s. Palmquist is a perfect place for couples, hunters, horse riders, newlyweds, or an excuse for a perfect get-away. The trails are full of beauty with ponds around every corner, trees full of life, and paths easy to walk or trail ride.  In the winter, the folks with skinny skis will enjoy the trails as well as the ones with the motors. The accommodations with a cozy fireplace made coming back from a cold trail ride inviting. Sippin’ my tea and a book made for relaxing afternoons.  For my man, it came down to the food. It was over the top!  Served both breakfast and dinner in a beautiful room full of more stories and history, we enjoyed every meal full of the flavor of an ol’ fashion farm taste. From fresh veggies and fruit from their gardens to meat fully packed with flavor.  The pastries were my downfall! I ate WAY too much! Once I found out Helen had a cookbook I was delighted to bring a piece of Palmquist cooking home. Helen truly did an amazing job at EVERY meal. OOOO I can still taste the wonderful cranberry/raspberry sauce! Delightful! Here is a sample of one of Helen’s sweet desserts. I couldn’t resist making this right away for our church bible study time. I changed one thing in her recipe by making my own yellow cake mix. I prefer to do things homemade vs. out of a box when I can. I also don’t have to feed tons of folks like Helen so I can make the time for the extra step. Here ya go: Pumpkin Pecan Crumble by Palmquist Farm Ingredients: 1 15 oz organic can of pumpkin 1 12 oz can evaporate milk 1 cup brown sugar 3 eggs 4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (my recipe below) 1 box of yellow cake mix (my recipe below) 1 cup chopped pecans (optional) 1 cup of melted butter cool whip or real whipping cream Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin, milk, sugar, eggs, and pie spice until well blended.
3. Pour mixture into a 9×13 greased pan.
4. Sprinkle about ¾ of your cake mix evenly over the pumpkin mixture. (save extra for next time)
5. Sprinkle the chopped pecans over the cake mix.
6. Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the nuts.
7. Bake cake for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.
8. Refrigerate until cool about an hour. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle a bit more pumpkin spice on top!

Lee’s Homemade cake mix: (you can refrigerate this mixture for up to a week or freeze for a month) Ingredients: 2 ½ cups of unbleached purposed four 1 ½ cups of sugar 1 tbsp baking powder +1 tsp (I make my own 1 tsp of baking soda, 2 tsp of cream of tartar) 1 tsp. salt 6 tbsp of softened butter Mix together in a glass bowl crumbling butter with a knife or your clean hands. Store in a safe container. To make a cake, add 1 1/4 cups of water and 2 eggs. Lee’s Pumpkin Spice recipe: 3 tbsp. ground cinnamon 2 tsp ground ginger root 2 tsp. fresh nutmeg, grated 2 tsp. cloves Mix and best part…put in a cute jar! What makes a B&B? The accommodations…yes. The food….yes. The people you get to know at every meal?….YES. A young couple with their new bundle 4-month-old singing to you for your anniversary? YES! What makes a great B&B is the people! Their loving conversations, stories, and smiles make your stay a warm family stay. We did get a kick out of Jim sharing real stories of the farm from gangsters visiting, buffalo stories, to shootouts the ol’ fashion way. He made our meals full of adventure and laughter. Of course, a good tease about Finnish and Norwegians provided more fun! Palmquist isn’t just a place to stay it is an experience! A Finish touch was everywhere you look. I am sure my dad would have loved this spot. Palmquist Farm is known to many cross-country skiers in the area and the signs around the trails proved horses aren’t the only ones who use them. We hope to back to this little place in Northern Wisconsin. A Finnish touch indeed…hope you too will find your way there for any kind of weekend getaway! Love deeper, talk sweeter, Lee

Tags: anniversary, cabins, camp, farm, horseback riding, Palmquist Farm, trail riding, weddings