The Inn at Christmas Place

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse.

Snow was falling softly, but quickly from the darkened night sky above. Sounds were muffled from the streets below as people hurried home to their warm beds. An orange glow filled the night sky, and everything was peaceful. Inside, a Christmas movie playing, and Christmas lights blinking. It was peaceful, and magical.

It would sound like Christmas was here, but in fact, this scene was set last week, in February. Zach and I found ourselves completely in raptures during our adventure to a new to us town, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Our destination, the Inn at Christmas Place. Where the spirit of Christmas is held all year round!

For those of you who know us, you know we love Christmas. It is our absolute most favorite time of year. We may have put up our tree right after Halloween last year. And we got married around Christmas! It is a special time of year that we love to spend time with friends and family and spread joy and cheer.

So when we found out about the Inn at Christmas Place, we knew we had to visit. And finally, our time came to have a weekend getaway at the Inn! We booked our two nights, and drove up early (read er arrived at 3am) to Pigeon Forge because we knew snow was coming the next day.

The Inn at Christmas Place was everything we expected and so much more. From first glance to when we drove off, it was an exceptional experience, and I just had to share it with you all!

Christmas Place is a beautiful hotel, and reminds me of a Bavarian building, all decked out in Christmas lights, wreaths, garlands and bows. And of course, it was even more picturesque because snow was on the roof and ground!

The customer service at the Inn is second to none. When we walked in, we were greeted by some really friendly doormen, and then checked in to our room. We were even given some ornaments since it was our first time at the Inn! We were also informed at every night they put out fresh, homemade cookies for free for the guests. Yes, please!

Walking through the hotel to our room we were taking in every detail. Christmas paintings and art, every floor with a themed center desk at the opening of the elevator, there is even a Charlie Brown Christmas themed area playing the movie all day long!

If we thought everything was amazing to that point, our breath was taken away opening the door to our room. We had a mini kitchen area, cabinets, a spacious, clean bathroom with granite countertops. The beds were decked with a lucious red cover and fluffly white pillows. The TV armiorre was topped with a mino Christmas tree, and the walls adorned with winter paintings.

We were blown away. Never have I ever been to such a unique and special hotel!

Our stay only continued to get better as we took morning dips in the pool and hot tub. We also watched the snow fall from the indoor hot tub! We definitely enjoyed our nightly cookies, an incredible hot breakfast included in the mornings, and to top it all off, time with singing Santa on Thursday night!

If you love Christmas, and especially if you love near Tennessee, the Inn at Christmas place is absolutely worth your visit. The customer service that we received alone was well worth our stay. In our culture these days, you don't always find such great service. But the Inn went the extra mile to make sure our stay was incredible, and boy was it!

We will absolutely be back to visit the Inn at Christmas Place.

Some fun places to visit around the Inn:
-The Christmas Place store! Across from the Inn is a huge, amazing Christmas store! Well worth the visit, even if just to look.
-The Old Mill- a working mill from the 1800's, complete with fun country store and restaurant! Very picturesque.
-The Island- an upbeat section of town with some arcades and even a ferris wheel!
-Smokey Mountain National Park is less than ten miles away! A beautiful place for sure.
-Blue Moose Burger and Wings. Zach and I ate here and it was so good! A sports bar and grill feel, but they have some incredible burgers!

Pigeon Forge itself has lots of dinner and theater shows, Dollywood, and lots of fun seasonal outdoor race tracks, putt putt places, and the like!

So if you are near the area and looking for a fun quick getaway, Zach and I can highly recommend the Inn at Christmas Place!

Who else loves Christmas? 

Sesame Chicken

Thailand. The Philippines. Malaysia. Cambodia. China.

Taken in Beijing, China

Five months in five different Asian countries. From November 2011 to the end of March 2012, I spent my time spread across those five Asian countries as part of my World Race route. And let me tell you, I absolutely loved the food.

Me out on the Great Wall of China!

Market in Bangkok, Thailand

I've always loved Asian food, but never cooked much of it. I am completely inspired by the fusion and boldness of the flavors of Asian food. And let me tell you, when I was traveling with the World Race, Asian food was like a gift of heaven. It was full of flavor, which is what I'm all about- bold flavor.

Lately I have been wanting to get into cooking different Asian dishes and try my hand at those unique flavors. So the other night I whipped up and experimented with Sesame Chicken. And let me tell you, it was a winner!

Here's the digs on this delicious recipe inspired by the exotic flavors of Asia!

Sesame Chicken

Ingredients (Makes 4 servings)
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5 Tbsp. sesame oil, divided
10 Tbsp. soy sauce, divided
1/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup of corn starch
2 cups of water
2 cloves garlic, minced
To taste: garlic powder, pepper
Optional: ginger and sesame seeds (I did not have either, so I didn't use, but it would compliment the dish well)

Optional:
4 servings of brown rice (about 1 cup uncooked rice cooked in 2 cups of water)
4 servings of cooked snap peas

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 and place chicken in a baking dish.
2. Mix 2 Tbsp sesame oil, 3 Tbsp soy sauce, and a generous pinch of garlic powder and pepper. Pour over chicken, and bake chicken about 20 minutes until mostly cooked through. Don't overcook because you will be putting the chicken on heat with the sesame sauce.
3. Heat remaining 3 Tbsp of sesame oil in a large skillet (a deeper skillet is best for this), over medium high heat.
4. Mince garlic, lower heat to medium and cook 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
5. In a separate bowl, mix together soy sauce, water and corn starch until blended, and mix into sesame and garlic mixture. Add honey in right after.
6. Heat through until it starts to thicken a little.
7. Take your chicken out and chop into smaller pieces, then place in the sauce.
8. Note, if the sauce starts getting too thick, you can thin it out with more water.
9. Let the chicken and sauce blend together and cook over medium about 5-10 minutes.
10. Season with garlic powder (I used about 2-3 teaspoons, but I love garlic), and black pepper. You can also add more soy sauce if you like the flavor. If you are using ginger and sesame seeds, add at this point.
11. Serve over a bed of rice with snap peas, and enjoy!

What's your favorite Asian dish? Share below, I love learning new recipes!