Herb Infused Cocktail ~ Spiced Herbed Margarita

 

    The holiday season is fully upon us and we have a special holiday drink for you to share with your friends and family.  This can be made as a mocktail as well, so everyone can enjoy this holiday drink.  Do not let the spices pull you away from this one, they can be strained out completely but also offer rich flavor if they sit within the liquid for a bit after mixing.  I have made this as a batch or individual drinks, so it has flexibility for your holiday party.  

    What could be  more festive than a drink with cinnamon and cranberry to enjoy around the dinner table, fire pit or just while visiting at your next holiday party.  We have made it our own special way and so can you.  Do not be afraid to mix it up and test out different variations to discover the flavor combination that you love the best.  

Spiced Herbed Margarita (makes 2)

2 ounces Cranberry Juice

2.5 ounces Pomegranate Juice

2 ounces Tequila 

3/4 ounce Triple Sec

Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper

1-4 dashes of Orange bitters

First run an orange slice around the rim of your glass and then roll your glass in coarse sugar combined with the spices above.  Fill your rocks glass with ice.  Add all the other ingredients into your shaker cup filled with ice.  Shake it really well, to help the spices spread throughout the drink. Once done, strain over your rocks glass.  

    You can leave your drink just like that and enjoy throughout the evening.  Or here are a few additions to add for a little extra pop.  Top your glass off with some ginger beer or sparkling water for a little bit of a bubbles.

    To make this into a mocktail, remove the tequila and triple sec, top your drink off with sparkling water, and add in a bit of simple syrup or honey to add a little sweet to the bitterness of the fruit.  

    This is a fun and simple cocktail that can be your signature holiday drink for the season.  Mix up the juice options with orange juice or sprite to change it just a bit to make your own unique drink.  This is sure to be a crowd pleaser, so be sure to make it as a batch. 

    Please be sure to drink responsibly and have a designated driver.  Happy Holiday's from all of us at The Oaks Bed and Breakfast.  We hope your holiday season is festive and full of laughter and joy.  Cheers!

B2B Travel ~ Fueling Success: Strategic Sleep, Nutrition and the Business Traveler

Have you ever noticed that when you travel for business, that your productivity is not the same as when at home?  This change is due to being in a different environment, and not taking steps to make sure productivity stays where it needs to be.  Increased productivity can be achieved by making a few simple changes to overall business travel. One simple change that can affect productivity is where you stay.  Poor sleep and nutrition do not just affect your waistline but also your cognitive ability, decision making and resilience. By selecting a location that takes your health into consideration you can make business travel work with you and not against you in the future. 

Business performance can increase with a few simple changes, one of those changes can be as simple as getting up and taking a walk.  Overall as a Nation, Americans are less likely to walk to their destination as they are to drive.  A simple fifteen minute walk is a powerful tool used to reduce stress and help you gather focus for the job at hand.  Our Bed and Breakfast is about ¼ mile from the downtown city center, and we highly encourage all of our guests to walk downtown.   When you travel for work it’s easier, yes, to drive to all your locations and grab food at the nearest drive thru but what is that doing to your overall health.  

My husband who travels for work significantly, made the decision to lead a healthier life while on the road.  Through dedication, discipline and the right environment he has been able to lose a significant amount of weight and be overall more healthy when away from home.  The environment where you stay, what you eat and how you move around are all key factors to leading a healthier and more productive lifestyle while on the road.  What and where he ate had the largest impact while he traveled.  

The standardized hotel breakfast often comes with hidden costs. Travelers are subject to the food that is not nutritional sound and does not lead to better focus or productivity, but can lead to a mid-morning crash.  No substitutions can be made and many of the options are not as healthy for you as the hotel wants you to think.  Why settle when you can have a meal that has been prepared fresh, with local ingredients and takes into consideration your dietary needs, such as gluten-free, vegan, or keto.  By digesting the right food at the start of your day, that will help you to keep up productivity and focus throughout.  

With a smaller guest count and open rooms, the personalized service that a Bed and Breakfast offers will not only allow you to eat healthier while on the road but also allow you better sleep.  The biggest threat to a business traveler is lack of sleep. Inconsistent bedding, increased noise of multiple visitors and lack of room control can all lead to a poor night's sleep.    The overall health and productivity of the traveler is taken into consideration at a Bed and Breakfast.  No noisy guests running up and down the halls when you are trying to sleep or complete late night work.  

A smaller, more intimate location allows you to focus on yourself and your health while on the road, just like you would at home.  Take into consideration on your next business trip where you stay and reframe it to be a strategic investment in your time and health. Search out the smaller location to have a better night's sleep and an added nutritional start with a thoughtful breakfast in the morning.  Since your travel is also your time, be sure to take the time to include your health as a decision factor when booking.

In the Garden ~ The Benefit of Micro Greens

 

        Have you ever wanted to try micro greens?  Well today is your lucky day.  At The Oaks Bed and Breakfast we have been working with growing some micro greens and so far we can say it is turning out really well.  We have been working with all different types of greens to see what grows best and what we think, you the public, would like to try. 

We have even reached out to a couple of restaurants in town to see if they would be interested in topping their dishes with some local, organically grown micro greens for their customers as well.  You might also be asking, what is a micro green, and why should I eat them?  Let me explain, so that you can take advantage of these great growers by adding them to your diet.

Micro greens are essentially the start of a plant.  The baby shoots before mature growth that is tender and full of nutrients at the starting point of the growing cycle.  When a plant first begins the process of developing, they happen to pack in a lot of nutrients right at the first stage before setting fruit.  At this time of the growth cycle, the bioavailability of the plant's nutrients is the highest.  For you, that means you can reap the benefits these tiny shoots share at an early stage.

The micronutrient density of micro greens is considerable.  Potassium, zinc and magnesium all occur naturally in micro greens, which helps to support the inner workings of the gut.  The benefits of having a healthy gut leads to overall better health of people and improves lives.  If you feel good, you are bound to enjoy life better.  

A few benefits of eating micro greens are fiber, antioxidants, gut microbiome, and micronutrient density.   Micro greens are a great and easy source of additional fiber to add to your diet.  There has been a lot of talk about how important fiber is to your diet and what could be better than a few snips of micro greens added to your dinner dish.  They have been shown to help reduce constipation, prevent IBS, and even reduce digestive issues.  Of course, check with your medical professional to make sure  micro greens are the right fit for you.  All this and so much more can come from eating micro greens on a daily basis.

Micro greens are loaded with antioxidants.  Antioxidants can come from a variety of food choices such as berries but also from micro greens.  Who wouldn’t want to add more antioxidants to their diet to help prevent chronic illness, many of which are affected in the gut.  They can even help reduce inflammation in the gut, which is typically the cause of gut issues to begin with.  

Having a healthy gut microbiome really just makes you feel better overall.  Since micro greens are grown without the use of pesticides, you do not have to worry about them killing the beneficial bacteria that grows naturally in your body.   After all, pesticides kill off the beneficial and harmful bacteria on plants and then enters your system which can lead to problems.  By enjoying micro greens that have been grown without pesticides you are starting to reset the balance in your body. 

The easy production of micro greens make them more readily available to the public and general consumer.  They take less production time, and are easier and faster to grow.  Look for micro greens at specialty markets or give us a call to see what we are growing and how you can enjoy them at home to help improve your life. 

Do you want more information about the health benefits of micro greens?  Be sure to check out the following article from Bootstrap Farmer. Or take a look at this article from Healthline, about the amazing benefits of micro greens.   We hope you will grow to enjoy some at home or while dining out.

B2B Travel ~ Ditch the Corporate Grind: The Secret to Productive Business Travel

     

        The 4:30 a.m. alarm is a harsh reality of business travel.  The constant grind, time away from home and lack of focus can severely impact your productivity and bottom line.  But your accommodation choice can be the single biggest factor in turning a grueling trip into a highly successful one. 

Let’s face it, business travel presents unique challenges to focus but staying in just the right location with a little local flair can make your business trip seem like you are still at home.  A smaller boutique inn or a bed and breakfast might be just what you are looking for when traveling.  A smaller number of rooms will mean less distractions, quieter rooms, invaluable local intelligence and guidance and office-like amenities for your visit.  With that in mind many Bed and Breakfast owners are eager to establish relationships with corporate travelers.

Who can get any work done with noise pollution and unnecessary distractions.  Never mind the lines for the wait at the elevator but also the noise and unnecessary distractions others will provide.  Staying at a local bed and breakfast gives you the chance to have a less distracting visit, so that the focus can be on the task at hand.  Not having to call the front desk to inquire about quiet hours.  The majority of guests who travel and stay at Bed and Breakfasts are very respectful of other guests when visiting.  Often you rarely even know if other guests are in residence until you come down for breakfast.  The fewer people, the decrease of distractions for those evenings when you need to work from your accommodations. 

The type of accommodations you receive at a Bed and Breakfast are generally geared towards your comfort.  No cookie cutter rooms and amenities but rather distinct and unique rooms that make you feel like you are at home.  These rooms are typically quieter than hotel rooms, since most Bed and Breakfast’s are located off the main drive and in a more residential location.  Which helps to reduce the amount of noise from the freeway. The accommodations at a bed and breakfast will make you want to return to visit with the innkeeper or stay in contact to make sure you have the best stay when visiting again.

The local innkeeper is your eyes and ears when in a new town or even one you have visited before.  They will always have great advice for where to dine and shop while visiting.  They will typically know of any changes that might have occurred since your last visit and help you find the best place, outside your inn, to dine and enjoy the company of any work colleagues while in for a visit.  After all, work still does come first, but having that base of knowledge is invaluable.

Since work is still the primary reason for your travels.  A Bed and Breakfast can have some office-like amenities for your stay.   An in room work station to be able to set up your laptop and leave it out when not working.  Access to good hot drinks with easy to use machines that do not take an additional degree to figure out.  Along with secure, private Wi-Fi connectivity for confidential business matters than a busy coffee shop or restaurant would typically allow.  The best part, many Bed and Breakfasts will also have a space where you could meet with clients or host a private meeting with local clients.  Most will work with guests to accommodate meetings at a discounted cost based on availability. 

Take the extra time to explore the accommodations off the beaten path.  Many local Bed and Breakfast or Boutique Inn’s will be more than happy to welcome you for your business trip.  Plan to be a regular in their city, be sure to ask for a corporate discount based on anticipated travel volume.  The consistent stays not only are a great way to build loyalty but secure better rates and personalized service tailored to your business needs. After all, we enjoy when we see repeat guests at The Oaks Bed and Breakfast and can assure our guests that unless they ask, no breakfast will be repeated.  We hope that you will look for a local Inn to support on your next travels.

Around Town ~ Barbus and Barley Food Truck

It has been a while since we have visited with any of the food trucks or restaurants around town and we figured it was time to check out some of the newer locations.  Our first stop was Barbus and Barley located at Deep Routes Coffee parking lot on the Southside of the building.  This food truck puts out some amazing food, for such a small space.  Things to know before you visit, be sure to check out their Facebook page for hours and specials.  Owner and chef Joshua Fulton is very responsive and keeps his schedule posted there for all visitors.  

Since April 2025 Barbus and Barley has been focused on providing food for the community with God as the focus.  When Joshua first moved to Sulphur Springs to help care for his mother who recently had medical issues, he worked in the hospital’s nutrition department and discovered a need for better quality food for the public.

He started his food truck with the idea of it being Ethnic Fusion, with a rotating menu but has found that his customer base loves the Mediterranean food and has adjusted his menu seasonally.  After all, the Mediterranean base lends back towards his roots of Biblical food such as pita, lentils, honey and barley.  As a chef with 22 years of experience in the kitchen cooking and teaching he enjoys creating new dishes for his customers and spreading the word of God. 

With that being said there is some education that goes into Ethic fusion, in the form of the types of dishes that are prepared and the meat used to make them, for example, a gyro.  Lamb is not an everyday meat for a majority of people but the gyro is one of his customers favorites.  Be brave and try something new, to discover new flavors and combinations.  Such as the pear salad that is featured in the fall. New seasonal menu items will be offered soon, as the weather continues to cool down.

Similar to other restaurants, if you know what to ask for you can order from “the secret” menu.  A Greek burger or a salmon bowl, served differently than the regular menu item might just hit the spot when you order at the food truck.  You can order online through DoorDash, call in orders 903-951-2235, or walk up to order directly.  If you plan to have a large group, call in advance so that your food can be ready.  As with all good things, your order might take a little time to prepare so grab a book or head into Deep Routes to pick up your coffee. 

His partnership with Deep Routes allows him to better support the community with endeavors to give back to those in need.  Both businesses plan to help distribute clothing and food to those who are disadvantaged, some time in the future.  He is also participating in the “Be the Service” that was started by The Way Bible Church, providing food for the volunteers. Joshua stated “Man shall not live on bread alone but every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God” and he plans to continue his good work via each customer who visits his food truck. 

Be sure to stop by soon to enjoy the delicious food he is cooking up, and experience the start to an Ethnic Fusion change that is slowly taking hold of Sulphur Springs.  If you have a special event coming up soon, reach out for catering needs as well. 

B2B Travel ~ Sleep Better, Work Smarter: Why B&B’s Beat Chain Hotels

             As a business traveler you are already away from your home and family, spending time in a place that is not where you want to be. Sleep schedules are challenged and you are running on food that might not be as healthy. There is a better choice than a corporate chain hotel: the Bed and Breakfast or Boutique Inn.

A smaller, more intimate location in the form of a Bed and Breakfast can make your travel more comfortable and bring a sense of home away from home. Immediately upon entering a bed and breakfast, you feel the peace and quiet of a smaller space with fewer people. Every guest room has your comfort in mind. 

Your comfort starts with where you plan to sleep.  With a smaller room number, available for guest bookings, the chance for being disturbed is lower. Work and sleep become your priorities.  That means you can get a good night's sleep or work a little longer without having to hear people running up and down hallways. 

After a great night's sleep another defining factor is the homecooked, locally sourced breakfast.  The dining experience at an inn brings back the importance of being prepared for the day, with a healthy meal.  No bagged eggs here, but instead, a freshly cooked breakfast with farm fresh eggs and home brewed coffee.  Most hosts are even willing to work with your schedule.  Early meetings mean you can eat sooner or better yet invite your meeting to breakfast at the Inn.  After all, service and great hospitality are key to making your stay the best.  This attention to going the extra mile makes up for possible lost points from a chain hotel. 

Do not let those points keep you going back to a hotel chain. While yes they are nice and could yield some rewards, you never know if your host has connections to other establishments that have formed a network for earning stays.  Look for regional bed and breakfast organizations such as (e.g.,) Great Stays of Texas,  California Association of Boutique and Breakfast Inns or Vermont Lodging Association to find these rewards. Use your innkeepers knowledge in more than just the city where they are located. 

Beyond working with others, the personalized service and concierge that is offered from your innkeeper can make your stay smooth and easy.  Many locations have contactless check in, so you have quick and easy access to your room,  no matter the time of your arrival.  While also offering free parking and reliable internet connections for those after hours when you need to finish up work.  It is these comforts, superior food and focused service that are leading more business travelers to rethink their accommodations. 

At The Oaks we provide all of that and a work space in room for any before or after hours work that might need to be completed. Each room is decorated differently to make you feel welcomed and at home. We know that your time away from home and family is a challenge and want to make it the best stay away that it can be.  You can even stream your favorite shows while traveling to truly relax at the end of the day.  

Do not let the lure of the road side, freeway hotels draw you in. Break away from the path and venture to a small business and add more support to the local economy by staying at a bed and breakfast or boutique inn.  You never know, you might just find a better way to travel. 

Herb Infused Cocktail ~ Rosemary Gin Rickey

 

    The Texas weather is starting to think like fall and lower the temperature, while the sun is down at least.  That means cooler mornings and cooler evening hours, which makes the perfect time to enjoy a herb infused cocktail by the fire.  The twist with this classic cocktail is in the honey rosemary simple syrup.  

    Never one to change a good thing too much, after all vintage is always a current trend.  Instead of just adding in a bit of rosemary to garnish, we have steeped the rosemary and honey together to make a wonderful and powerful simple syrup.  

Rosemary Honey Simple Syrup

6 servings at 1 ounce

1/2 cup boiling water

2 TBLS Raw Honey

1/4 Cup Rosemary leaves

Add the honey and rosemary to a heat proof bowl.  Pour over the boiling water and stir until the honey dissolves. Let the rosemary steep for up to 20 minutes.  This also allows it to cool before making your drink. If you do not plan to use it right away, strain out the rosemary and place in an airtight container in the fridge.  This will last about a week.  Or you can freeze it into ice cubes for several months.

    The simple syrup is a great way to add a little sweet to your drink.  For anyone who knows me, knows that I do not like my drinks overly sweet, this makes the perfect amount to adjust exactly how you like your drink.  We are going to use about 1/2 ounce, so your simple syrup can go along way.  But if you have friends who like their drinks to be a little sweeter add another 1/2 ounce or so to their drink.  

    Rosemary Gin Rickey

serves 1

1 1/2 ounces Gin

1/2 ounces Rosemary Simple Syrup

1 ounce Fresh Lime Juice

1/2 cup Sparkling Water/Club Soda

In an ice filled glass pour all the liquids.  Stir to combine, and garish with lime wedge and rosemary.

    It's that simple to make this drink.  The longest portion of the drink happens to be making the simple syrup.  Once you have yours made it's pretty simple to put together.  Want to make your drink a mocktail?  Eliminate the gin and add in a bit more Sparkling Water or Club Soda.  Everyone in your group will enjoy this refreshing beverage.

    As always please drink responsibly and have a designated driver.  Cheers!