November 2009, Volume 2, Issue 11
Greetings from the Beach, Friends
As we reflect on Thanksgiving this year, we wonder if you have decided where to spend your Thanksgiving 2009? Whatever Thanksgiving means to you, whatever Thanksgiving brings your way, we invite you to build on its potential!
If one of your considerations is to get away for awhile, perhaps to let others do the work of making the Thanksgiving dinner, then relax, enjoy, and rest easy with the knowledge that after you have explored your options, we will be here for you, offering you beautiful accommodations at the beach, a delicious holiday feast to enjoy, and a comfortable setting either to watch the football games afterward or wander the malls in search of holiday gifts or ideas. Last minute is "in" this year, though don't forget how restful peace of mind can be, knowing that you have a reservation to somewhere such as Horizon, where people are friendly and the stay is reliably comfortable.
As one of the traditions of the season, we give thanks to all of you who visited us this year, and we invite you to return as soon as you can. We anticipate that 2010 will be better than ever!
Hoping to see you soon back here at the beach!
Your Friends at The Horizon at 77th
Featured Recipe - Easy Crème Brûlée
French for "scorched cream," this dessert recipe dates back over one hundred years. It is simple, yet rich and tasty, and preparation steps are easy. However, the recipe can and should be made ahead of time. Preparation time for this recipe is 3+ hours, mostly from the standpoint of cooking and cooling. Actual cook time is 30 minutes to 1 hour. It serves 6 people.
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- vanilla
- sugar
- heavy cream
- salt
Use custard cups or ramekins as the mold.
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Separate the 4 eggs. Put the yolks into the small bowl. Set aside for a minute to come to room temperature.
- Put 4 tablespoons of sugar into the mixing bowl.
- Add 1 pint of heavy cream.
- Stir gently with a whisk. Do not whip, just stir.
- Put the mixture into the microwave for 2 minutes to dissolve the sugar.
- Whisk the yolks a bit, just enough to break the yolks and smooth them out.
- When the sugar and cream mixture has melted the sugar in the microwave, stir it a bit to make sure the sugar has fully dissolved. Slowly stir in the eggs and whisk the mixture well. Add a dash of salt and a teaspoon of vanilla.
- After the mixture is well whisked, pour it into ramekins. Put the ramekins into a roasting pan.
- Put the roasting pan with ramekins into the oven. Without splashing, gently pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come up halfway on the outside of the ramekins. The water does not need to be boiling, just hot.
- Bake at 350F for 40 minutes. The custard in the ramekins should still be jiggly at this stage, not fully solid, and as the ramekins cool, the custard will set to the consistency of cheesecake.
- Before putting them in the refrigerator, allow the ramekins to reach room temperature. Chill them overnight (however, they are certainly edible after a few hours of chilling if you cannot wait for the next day).
- Topping - Sprinkle some plain sugar on the top of each ramekin (other options include brown sugar or vanilla sugar). Just before serving, use either a butane torch (the small cooking torch is best) or use the broiler on your oven to "burn" the sugar to melting stage when it turns a bit brown. Watch this closely if you put the ramekins under the oven broiler because the burning process moves quickly within seconds once the temperature reaches the burn stage.
- At this stage, you have Crème Brûlée. Let the dessert cool before eating.
~ Fun Facts ~
Have you heard of the Swedish ice hotel made entirely of ice including the chairs and beds, and then rebuilt every year after it all melts?
Contrast this with our sunshine, sparkling beach, and cozily comfortable accommodations! Best of all, for most of you within reading distance of this newsletter, you can drive here! The beach, anyone?
The largest Halloween pumpkin lantern in the world belonged to Larry Check and was carved by Scott Cully in Northern Cambria Pennsylvania at the Pennsylvania Giant Pumpkin Growers Association Weigh Off in October 2005. At the time, it was THE largest pumpkin in the world, weighing around 666 kilograms or 1,469 pounds. As of October, 2009, the heaviest pumpkin belongs to Christy Harp of Ohio at 1,725 pounds.
The expression "to get fired" originated from Celtic clans of long ago in the "old country" who sometimes had people that they, shall we say, wanted to remove from the community. They needed to do this without killing them, so they would burn their houses down, causing them to move out of the area -- hence the expression "to get fired."
The only 15-letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is the word "uncopyrightable."
The language of the country of Camaroon does not have a sound for "x," so you won't find a "6" in Cameroon phone numbers because the language of Camaroon has no sound for "x."
Have you ever wondered about travel by trans-Atlantic ship, long before the days of the high-speed jet plane? Then, before jet-lag, people complained of "boat-lag."
The word 'Bye' is used in both English and Spanish meaning the same thing: good bye. The term "goodbye" came from "God bye" which came from "God be with you?" "So-long" came from the Arabic "salaam" and the Hebrew "shalom." It's a small world.
The Academy Award statue is named after a librarian's uncle. One day Margaret Herrick, librarian for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, made a remark that the statue looked like her Uncle Oscar. The name stuck.
The longest word in the Old Testament is "Malhershalahashbaz."
The word "trivia" comes from the Latin word "trivium" which is a place where three roads meet, a public square. People would gather and talk about all sorts of matters, most of which were trivial. Perhaps this means that futuristic "trivia" will be called "blog-ia."
The sound you hear when you crack your knuckles is actually the sound of nitrogen gas bubbles bursting.
Cats, camels and giraffes are the only animals in the world that walk right foot, right foot, left foot, left foot, rather than right foot, left foot.
Email from newsletter response from family staying in October, dated 10.29.09.
We stayed in room 701 at the Horizons from October 22 until October 25. The room and view were wonderful. We had a great time and would like to come down December 31, 2009 and check out January 3, 2010. Thank you. PS: I love your new letter.
Email from newsletter response from Phillips family, 10.29.09.
We had a fantastic stay at Horizon. My daughters and I enjoyed our time there and will likely stay again.
Email from TripAdvisor.com from Boston, MA, guest "tas205," 10.20.09.
I have returned to Horizon for the third time this year. It is one of the best hotel/condo units on the beach. The rooms are beautiful and very well maintained. The beds are the best! Although it is not "oceanfront," do not let that discourage you. The design of the facility is so that you get an amazing view of the ocean which is about 100 steps from the beach. The location is great. Within walking distance is a grocery store, several eating establishments. The desk staff and management group are wonderful.. They do have your interest at hand and will work with you to make your stay memorable. I have stayed at other condos in the beach area for much more money and would never consider going anywhere else. Looking forward to another visit in April and can not wait.
Groups Staying at Horizon
Traveling in groups has its advantages, not least of which are the discounts and the convenience of having people you know with you.
If you need an escape from over-work, and frustration, give us a call to untangle it all for you and reserve your place by the sea. Whether you want to bring your entire family and have Thanksgiving here, or your intent is to bring a special someone and retreat for a while, we can help!
Here are the groups that visited us over the past month and found Horizon to be a tranquil setting for their particular needs:
- Faith Harvest Church Ministry
- Mountain Fury
- Northside Baptist Church
A special "Thank You" to each of you!
Canadians Ticket South to the Sun
Starting February 28, 2010, a twice-weekly non-stop air service begins for passengers wanting to travel between Toronto and Myrtle Beach. Porter Airlines from Toronto City is offering a one-way fare of $179 (plus taxes). For more information on the flight or tickets, log on to www.FlyPorter.com. Millions of Canadian visitors enjoy sunshine, and do we have sunshine here on the Grand Strand!
Local Events Calendar - DECEMBER
11/27 until 12/23. Winter Wonderland in Murrells Inlet. Holiday light displayed from 4-11 PM every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday until December 17th, then daily until the 23rd. Tickets $6/children free. Location: 11054 Highway 707 in Murrells Inlet, SC.
12/1-19. Season of Celebration in Wilmington's Historic Waterfront. Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, events, shopping, fun! Call 910.251.0727 or online at www.dbawilmington.com for more details.
12/1-22 (selected dates). Enchanted Airlie Gardens at Christmas. Open December 4, 5, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 21, and 22 at 300 Airlie Road in Wilmington. Two show times per evening beginning at 5 PM and 7 PM. Advanced tickets required. Details at 910.798.7700 or www.airliegardens.org.
12/4. The Nutcracker. The Wilmington Ballet Company's beautiful, full-length production of the classic Nutcracker Ballet. Professional dancers join the company for this traditional Christmas favorite. Sunday at 3 PM. Tickets $25. Details at 800.523.2820 or 910.343.3664. Location: Minnie Evans Arts Center, 605 Halyburton Memorial Parkway, Wilmington, NC 28412.
12/4. Holiday Lighting of the U. S. S. North Carolina Battleship. This event is part of the holiday festivities in historic downtown Wilmington. Enjoy the spectacular display nightly from dusk to 11:00pm. Free viewing from downtown Wilmington. For information call 910.251.5797 or online at www.BattleshipNC.com. Location: #1 Battleship Road, Wilmington, NC 28401.
12/ 5-6; 12-13 & 18-20, 3 PM to 10 PM. Visit the Nights of a Thousand Candles at Brookgreen Gardens where your holiday spirits soar. Brookgreen celebrates its tenth festival year. Thousands of candles and lights illuminate the garden paths and brighten the winter sky. Enjoy performances by the popular choral ensemble, Vocal Edition, and piano concerts by Rocky Fretz. Details at www.brookgreen.org or call 843.235.6000.
12/11-13, also 18th. Rivertown Christmas in Conway, SC. Come to historic downtown Conway, SC, just outside Myrtle Beach from 12:30 noon until 4 PM. For more details. 843.248.6260.
12/12-13. The Best on the Beach: Softball. Held at Coastal Carolina University, this ball camp for serious plays from grade 9 through junior college brings talented people together in a sport they all love. In addition to starting a recruiting process, this program is part of the Chanticleer baseball camp program held near Myrtle Beach, SC. For details, 843-349-2849.
12/25. Christmas. State and federal holiday.
12/31. New Year's Eve. State and federal holiday.
