Falling in Love with Guernsey

Tonight, while reflecting on a recent read (and dreaming of my next vacation), my thoughts turned to Guernsey of the Channel Islands.  I went so far as to look up airfare and proposition my boyfriend. I adore some of the quaint little bed and breakfasts that are situated there.  Who wouldn't want to stay in a bed and breakfast called "The Yacht Inn?" That said, I have learned the hard way that one should not choose a place to stay solely based on adorable names...a certain trip to Costa Rica with my dear friend Jenny comes to mind.  The name "Vista Serena" sounded fabulous, the drug deal occurring outside our window, not so much.  However, the Stocks Hotel looks LOVELY. And I love their creative and organic restaurant menu! Not to mention that they offer onsite cooking classes, which, I could really benefit from seeing as I once burned myself and the dish when attempting to make scrambled eggs.  Plus, in contrast to the food rationing inherent to the book's setting, a cooking class driven by local ingredients in Guernsey would be a fun way to embrace peaceful times while paying homage to the, perhaps, more overt issues of the past.  

For those of you reading and questioning where on earth Guernsey is and, moreover, why of all the amazing locations in the world where one could go, I would sell this one...well, you must read Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrow's The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.  Beyond being well-written and moving, it makes the reader feel as though they could step into Guernsey and know the town's most intimate secrets, most feral gossip, and all of the inside jokes.  Highly recommended!

Since the 1940s was often a time of food rationing and sugar was one of the items that pantry shelves really longed for...here are some recipes that conserve on sugar.  While I don't see myself jumping on the "prune roll" bandwagon, the baked apples sound delicious!

As always...happy reading!