Heber Valley Life

Tag: Treats

  • Keeping Tradition Alive

    Keeping Tradition Alive

    You might have already visited and loved the new Milk House at the Homestead Resort but in case you haven’t, allow me to describe it to you.

    The Homestead Resort has been a unique and beloved property in Utah since it opened in 1891 as a hotel and saloon built by Swiss immigrants Simon and Maria Schneitter. Fast forward to today and fans of the resort will be delighted to learn that the new owners have already begun an upgraded vision to the entire property while still maintaining the nostalgic, original feel of the family-friendly resort. Almost every building will receive a full-scale renovation. If you’ve visited recently, you will have noticed the beautiful changes already.

    The Milk House is one of the oldest buildings at the Homestead and, it too, has received a much-needed renovation and has been transformed into a bright, open space. Built in the 1800s, the building was originally used to store dairy products. Over time, with the introduction of modern conveniences, it no longer needed to be used for storage and eventually was converted to be used as one of the resort’s hotel rooms. Today, it has been transformed once again. The new owners decided to keep to the true heritage of the space and return it to its original roots of being a dairy, so to speak.

    The Homestead’s Milk House combines the best of the dessert world: a coffee shop and an ice cream parlor.

    Open every day from 9:00 am-7:00 pm, the Milk House features goodies like specialty coffees and drinks, in-house pastries, their famous fresh resort fudge, and something that they are extra excited about — continuously-churned, fresh ice cream. What makes freshly churned ice cream so delicious? Its light and fluffy texture — it’s so smooth and creamy! It might be the best ice cream you will ever taste. There are always six flavors to choose from but they rotate them seasonally so there’s always something new. We spoke with Ashlyn, our barista, and she suggested we try the strawberry ice cream. We loved her recommendation. You can choose toppings or not, whatever you decide, it will be delicious. In case you’re in a hurry — they offer tubs of ice cream to go!

    And don’t forget the fudge! There are the classic flavors but the most popular are the dark chocolate caramel sea salt and the coconut delight. I love that the tradition of making this incredible fudge in-house has remained an important and constant practice. Long-time ‘Homestead fudge’ lovers are pretty happy about it too.

    One thing that I personally appreciate about the Milk House is all the seating available. I also love the beautiful bright open space and the comfortable atmosphere. In the warmer seasons, you can sit outside and admire the beautiful views of the updated lawn, event areas, and the building itself.

    The new vibes of the property give off “someone loved this treasured property enough to bring it back to life.” The renovations show so much thought, planning, and effort to keep the resort around for another 132+ years.

    Ashlyn shared that people from all over have been hearing about the new dairy and have loved making the drive to Midway to check it out. Anyone can stop in; you don’t have to be staying at the resort in order to enjoy the scrumptious treats found at the Milk House.

    If you haven’t visited yet, I encourage you to go for a little drive to the Homestead’s Milk House. You might just discover a new favorite spot and maybe even a connection to the past, present, and future. I’ll see you there, save some strawberry ice cream for me!

  • ‘Tis the Season

    ‘Tis the Season

    Schoggibirnen

    Swiss Chocolate & Pears

    Using just 3 ingredients, the Schoggibirnen is arguably the simplest Swiss dessert.

    Ingredients

    • Fresh pears, peeled (leave the stem for easy handling and esthetics) or substitute 1 tin of pears
    • ½ Cup dark chocolate
    • 2 Tbsp butter

    Method

    Steam peeled pears for approximately 8 minutes. Let them cool before placing on 3-4 dessert plates. Using a saucepan, add chocolate (in pieces) and the butter. Carefully melt the chocolate at low heat while stirring (make sure the chocolate sauce doesn’t start boiling, otherwise it’ll turn crumbly).

    Pour the chocolate sauce over the pears and enjoy while the sauce is still warm!

    Spitzbuben

    Swiss Christmas Cookies

    Spitzbuben is a must-have dessert at any Swiss Christmas party. These cookies really stand out thanks to the brightly contrasting fruit filling. The Swiss prefer to use raspberry, lemon, or apple jam.

    Ingredients

    • 10 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
    • 1 Cup all-purpose flour
    • 2/3 Cup granulated sugar
    • 1 tsp vanilla
    • Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
    • 1 egg
    • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
    • 1/2 Tbsp almond extract

    For finishing

    • Confectioners’ sugar
    • Jam or Jelly

    Method

    DOUGH: Knead the ingredients for the cookie dough together. Cover and allow to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

    BAKING: Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll the dough out very thinly (1/8 inch). Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes, and cut a hole in the middle of half of the shapes. Arrange all on baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes, until very lightly browned.

    ASSEMBLY: Let the cookies cool, then turn the whole shapes over and cover them with about 1/2 teaspoon of jam. Top with a cookie that has a center hole and sprinkle the top with confectioners’ sugar.

  • With love, Tate & Hannah

    With love, Tate & Hannah

    There are some unique, inspirational, and amazing stories of people who live in our valley; this is one of them.

    Tate Davies and Hanna Homer, along with their families, have overcome preconceived notions in the face of special needs — and the challenges that they can bring — to create a place of belonging for everyone. Their tag line “I’m down” reminds us all to relax and enjoy life with a smile.

    Tate Davies, the second of JW and Jen Davies’ five children, is easy going. He loves playing games, particularly Sorry, Guess Who, and he is an UNO champ! He currently attends the Unified Transition College and has participated in many Unified sports teams and activities throughout his life. Tate is well loved by his family, and just as much by Hanna.

    Hanna Homer, the eldest of Aaron and Jana Homer’s four children, is almost always smiling and happy. She is nearly as chill and relaxed as Tate, but much more hopelessly romantic. She attends the Unified Transition College as well, participates in the Unified sports programs, and loves to relax on the beach. She is also well loved by her family, and Tate reciprocates her affection for him; he lovingly exclaims “Hanna is so beautiful”.

    Tate and Hanna both have Down syndrome.

    Tate and Hanna became friends during their freshman and sophomore years of high school; Hanna was 14 and Tate 15. They had an instant, “quick and easy”, connection and have been together ever since. During their remaining high school years, they had the same Special Education core classes, participated in many of the same extracurricular activities, and spent as much time as they could together.

    Now, that high school is over, and the two are in college they — of course — still keep each other company as often as possible. Hanna will gladly and proudly proclaim that Tate is her boyfriend, and to watch them interact with each other — well, there are very few things I have seen that are half as tender. Tate’s older brother and sister-in-law frequently take the two on dates or trips. Their chill personalities lend to some easy company and laughter. Their families often vacation together and recently returned from a trip to Hawaii where, as Jana explained, Tate and Hanna “lived their best life” even with the chaos and exhaustion of the other people in the group.

    During the not-so-distant days of the COVID pandemic, things got a little rough. When everything shut down, Tate and Hanna found themselves in need of an activity — they had nothing to do. Activities that other kids had to entertain them, like working, were not really an option. Jen explains, “We feel like most kids with special needs are put somewhere in the back…I’ve even heard them [the employers] say that for ‘liability reasons’ (for something they might say to somebody)…they [the employers] don’t want that.” Tate and Hanna’s parents talked about the possibility of opening an ice cream shop — for the flexibility it offered both families — and the idea for Tate & Hanna’s Food Truck was born. Jana shared that it was an opportunity to give the two a job and let them interact without fear. And an opportunity to show people that, “…these kids are valuable. They can do stuff. We don’t need to shove them in the back corner to wash dishes…they’re perfectly capable.”

    The business is truly inspirational; people came from all over the state for the grand opening and to support kids with disabilities. Jen mentioned how many kids would show up to their days-on-location and just stay the whole day; several people, especially others with disabilities, would come to the events and pull out a chair and talk and laugh with each other and enjoy feeling included. Jen shared that it is sometimes rough on the families to run the little business because they are all busy and have full time jobs but then, “there were a couple of days last year that I just thought, ‘This is the reason’, when these kids come and hang out.” One young man, also with Down syndrome and mostly nonverbal, nearly brought his mom to tears when he responded to Tate by verbalizing his drink choice. The hope for the future of the business is to get to the point where other individuals with special needs can be employed as well, continuing to show the world the value and depth that they offer.

    The idea of the food truck is not meant to raise any grandiose expectations. Tate and Hanna keep it simple and sell only drinks and treats mainly from local companies in the valley. What patrons can expect; however, is an added dose of love, a giant smile, and even a hug or two, if you’re willing to let them live up to their motto.

    We believe in sharing BIG smiles & even bigger hugs.

    We believe that an extra chromosome = extra love.

    We believe that this life has downs, but together we can create the ups.

    We believe that there is no overuse of ‘I love you’

    As our new friend, we love you & are glad you are here.

    Want to find Tate and Hanna this summer?

    Thursday night Heber Market on Main, Heber City Park

    Fair Days

    Or simply follow @tate.and.hanna on Instagram for more information and to see all of their upcoming events. Click on the link in their bio to book them for your event or to see their menu.

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