Strawberry Busyness

 Memorial Day, graduations, The Hotel's a busy place this weekend! I made my third trip to the grocery store in two days. I ran down Krack St. in my apron this morning to get my guest a newspaper (which I had to pay for with my card because I had zero cash. Heh, heh). My hands will smell like onions for the next three days because I forgot to wear gloves again when I made my potato-onion frittata this morning. I spent hours finding the perfect kid-friendly recipes for breakfast that weren't just pancakes or french toast (have you ever tried to flip pancakes for 8 people when you are all alone? Trust me, even wearing an apron won't help you with that one. Thank goodness for overnight french toast casseroles!)

So, how do I feel about all this busyness? To be honest...I love every minute of it. Why is it that the busyness at The Hotel is bearable, nay, even enjoyable, but any other packed schedule makes me want to hide in a closet?

Part of the busyness is a couple of repeat guests. They were here last year around the same time. We are on a first-name-card-exchanging basis & they get recognized at the grocery store, which is the equivalent of the local beauty parlor. Tell me, at what other hotel does this happen?  

Because we aren't just another hotel. Or another bed & breakfast, for that matter. This is The Hotel. Call me crazy, but there's something about the golden light that seeps into the parlor in late afternoons, & the way the wood floor in the kitchen gleams, & the foot traffic that passes on this little corner dead-end street that affects people. I'm a much nicer person when I'm wearing an apron in The Hotel kitchen. No, Wes, I will not wear an apron at home.

It's hard to explain what I mean; it's like some instinctual hostess gene kicks in when the apron goes on. Suddenly, all I want to do is whip up creamy things with whisks, & knead bread by hand, & pluck basil leaves from a sunny windowsill. All thoughts of deadlines & rushedness disappear. It's quite pleasant really.

That's sort of the train of thought I was travelling on when I pulled out my carton of strawberries. (Yes, strawberries again. What can I say? It's May in the Midwest.) As you can imagine, since they've been the star of the last two posts, another day would find them doing one final job composting the flower bed. And I wasn't about to let that happen. I already had some blackberry lemon muffins (via smittenkitchen.com) for the guest's daily snack, but I couldn't let those strawberries go to waste. No, I was bound and determined they would be eaten & enjoyed.

 

So, four ingredients later, I had some lovely looking cream cheese-stuffed strawberries. I nearly burst my apron strings when my guests came sheepishly back for fourths.

*I didn't really use a recipe for the strawberries. First, I cut the tops off the strawberries so they would stand up, then I made a "+" on the tips, not cutting all the way through & fanned them out a little. For the filling, I used approximately 4 ounces of softened cream cheese, dashed in a little vanilla, poured in powdered sugar (probably a 1/4 c.), & mixed it up. I added powdered sugar til it tasted sweet enough. Piped the filling into strawberries. Then I sprinkled chopped pecans on top.

Rhubarb Blintzes, Mint Berry Salad, Baked Herbed Eggs

I bet you are wondering when you're going to get to hear about the "breakfast" part of my delightful job. Well, wonder no more, for we are about to embark on the first blog post about breakfast at--(cue music)--The Hotel. The title kinda kills the suspense, but I wanted to be concise.

This came about because I had a couple last minute guests yesterday, so all those strawberries didn't go to waste (my German roots were very smug about this). And there is really nothing better than fresh produce. The end. It doesn't need sugar, or sweet syrups, or baking, or whipped cream...okay, maybe a little cream. From Kilgus Dairy. The thickest, yummiest creamiest cream. check it out here. Anyway, I could go on all day about pale yellow, dreamy cream, but then you'd never get to see what else I had for breakfast. Or rather, what my guests had. I had oatmeal. Which I really do like. And it had cream on it...and maybe even some berries. I couldn't let them go to waste now, could I?:).

Produce aside, breakfast is hardly breakfast without eggs. Not that they're bad for supper or lunch though either...I make a mean fried-egg-basil-feta sandwich. Remember I said I love basil? Well, here is is. Along with chives. (Two of my favorite herbs; now is that because I love the flavors, or because they're the only herbs I've managed to keep alive on the windowsill...?) This egg dish is really good, and easy too. Just tuck a piece of thin ham in a greased ramekin, sprinkle with chopped chives & basil, break an egg on top, salt & pepper, add a dash of Kilgus cream. Pop it in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. And voila! Baked herbed eggs.

*the original recipe (from Williams-Sonoma) doesn't call for ham. I added that bit. And I would have preferred prosciutto or pancetta, but alas, my local supermarket did not have any. But that's what we midwesterners do, right? "Make it do, or do without"

And last but definitely not least, are caramelized rhubarb blintz's. Blintz'. Blintzs'. (Not sure what the plural form is.) Regardless of plural phonetics, you will want plural of these, no matter how you spell it. A crispy, buttery envelope filled with caramely, gooey, tarty, rhubarb goodness, all topped with sweet-balancing sour cream (full-fat, of course). Yum. 

*recipe courtesy of marthastewart.com

Surviving Monday

Even the innkeeper of a charming little Hotel suffers a corporate world disease: whysitalreadymonday-itis, I call it.

This has more to do with the second, less-glamorous job. And the fact that I suspect I'm kind of lazy. Although I'd rather you call it "laid-back".

But I have found a temporary fix for the Monday blahs. Because it is always the day the copy machine gets stuck on 50 copies. Or I miss the mail drop-off time. Or someone leaves a message cancelling their reservations---for tomorrow. What am I going to do with 3 pints of strawberries & no guests in sight to eat them? (I will be at The Hotel this afternoon if anyone wants to help me polish off aforementioned fruit...)

So...what's the fix? Espresso. Not expresso, espresso. Mmmm.

The "grrrr" of the espresso machine, the rich deep smell, the foam on top, a swirl of cream. And people, this is exactly what a cafe in France on an early summer morning smells, tastes, sounds, looks like. I've actually been there, so I'm not making this up.

But that makes Monday feel like Tuesday, or maybe even a Thursday. Which is my second favorite day, next to Friday. And I know I will survive yet another Monday.

And it doesn't hurt that I had a pretty fabulous weekend too. Here are a few snapshots of how I spent my two days of freedom from adult responsibilites, or "job" as some of you may refer to that *shudder* awful pastime. (I'm not referring to The Hotel puttering here; remember? I don't call that a "job".)

Anway, enjoy the photos & tell me how you spent your weekend. Or how you wish you spent it.

For any of you locals that are scratching your heads as to where I found hills in this lovely town we call home, let me burst your bubble & tell you these are actually in a land far, far away, in a state to the west. Sorry.

Meet the Innkeeper, i.e. Me

Hi. I though maybe it would be nice for you to meet the girl behind the blog. I debated about how personal to get, & how professional to stay. I decided that the blog will be personal, my anecdotes of innkeepin', and our website (it's new, check it out hampsherhotelbnb.com) can be the professional face of the business. So, here it goes:                                                                 That's me, btw ---------------->
My name's Jenna. I'm a local. I love aprons. If I can find a way to sneak basil in a breakfast dish, I will. A Hotel full of guests makes me feel right at home (I grew up in a family of 9). It thrills my little heart to the core when random people stop by to check out "this beautiful building."
I wear all the hats at The Hotel (I usually refer to the Hampsher Hotel Bed & Breakfast simply as "The Hotel", much less of a mouthful. And let's face it; we aren't all about formality around here). I'm the chef, the maid, the secretary, the waitress, the gardener, HR, hostess, poster child. It's great! It's really as fun of a job as you think it is.
Now that summer's (nearly) here, it's busy season, and my reservation book is filling. My typical day goes like this: get out of bed, enjoy coffee & look through my planner for the day's events, go work a much less glamorous, but necessary second job, get off work early afternoon, go about Hotel business (plan menus, grocery shop, clean, tend to the plants, daydream, ahem, research on the front porch about how to become a better Hotel), take off about 5, or meet guests if there are some arriving, prep food for breakfast the next day, go to bed.
I truly love my job. Actually, I don't really like calling it a job; that brings to mind nasty things like cubicles and constantly ringing phones, sore feet and irate customers. No, what I do is putter about, arranging flowers, polishing silverware, browsing cookbooks/food blogs (here's one of my faves: smittenkitchen.com), fluff pillows, bake things to arrange on glass cakestands, bring guests lemonade in goblets to sip on while they lounge on the front porch, give tours. It's what I've always wanted to do, even if I didn't know that when I was feverishly trying to decide on a career senior year in high school.

So, that's that. Come back soon & see what else is going on at The Hotel.

*Also, I feel like I should add a disclaimer. I don't really like technology. Hate it in fact (except for pinterest...pinterest.com/hampsherhotel). But sigh, this world I live in dictates that I must dabble in it somewhat. That said, if the header on here is bothering you, it's going to be fixed soon! As soon as I figure out how to crop it...Please be patient with the design of the blog, by the end of the summer, maybe I'll have it polished up. Until next time!

May 2nd Tuesday Brunch



The second Tuesday brunch was a smashing success (as always). The ladies come from miles around (Roberts, Onarga, Fairbury) to snag a much-sought-after seat in the Hotel. The Hampsher becomes a bustling hive of activity in the kitchen, where a core of volunteers & new recruits plate up delectable desserts, wash dishes, refill carafes, & make sure the brunchers are comfortable.

The brunchers enjoy a table in the sun-hued parlor, dining room, or soothing library. A buffet table of fresh salads of all kinds beckons brunchers up for seconds, a temptation almost impossible to resist if it weren't for the tray of assorted bite-size desserts at every table!

Everyone has a good time, chatting in the peaceful setting, taking a break from everyday business. Mothers with their daughters catch up with each other; brunchers ask volunteers for a recipe; Out-of-town guests enjoy the hospitality of the Hotel.

And before they leave, most of the brunchers have made their reservations for the second Tuesday in June...

Deb Palmore, Bea Tetley, Martha Vitzthum, & Louise Winterland

Teresa Trainor & Peg Austman, volunteer dishwashers

Linda & Michelle Fitzsimmons