Wisconsin Beer Bread

3 cups of self-rising flour

3 Tablespoons of sugar

12 ounces of your favorite Wisconsin Beer  (We will be using Spotted Cow from New Glarus Brewery)

3 Tablespoons of melted butter.

Mix the flour, sugar and beer.  Scrape into a well greased loaf pan.  Pour the melted butter over the top and bake for 60 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cool the loaf and slice into hearty slices.  Make sandwiches with your favorite Wisconsin Cheddar cheese.  Brush the outer sides of the sandwich with more melted butter and grill until golden brown.  Cut into triangles (Think cheeseheads!) and enjoy with your chili.

The innkeepers at The Speckled Hen Inn will be serving the sandwiches with their Super Bowl Sunday Breakfast.  Go Pack!

January 8-10 is Madison Home Expo 2010 time.  Do you need a little inspiration for an upcoming facelift for your home?  You will find it here.

January 9 or 16  Michael Feldman is in town for his WPR radio show, Whad’Ya Know.  If you have never been part of a live audience for a radio program, you have to go.  It’s a hoot! 

January 15 and 16, 22 and 23 get out the saddle shoes and head on down to Fort Atkinson to the Fireside Dinner Theatre for Those Fabulous 50′s and 60′s .  It is just a pretty drive through the rolling countyside.  You will still be smiling and humming the tunes when you return.

January 30  WOW a busy day.  You will have to make some choices.  The Broadway tour of Rent will be onstage at the Overture Center.  Wollersheim Winery will be celebrating the  release of their 2008 Port with live jazz, light food, and port and wine tastings.  Check out the eagles on the Wisconsin River while you are in the area.  If Port is not your thing you might enjoy the Isthmus Beer and Cheese Feast at the Alliant Energy Center.  Taste Wisconsin’s finest and choose your favorite pairing.  Then get all dressed up and head to the heart of the city for Madison’s Frostiball.  Dance the night away in the magnificent capitol rotunda.

See, there is plenty for guests at the Speckled Hen Inn to do in January.  Or for those who don’t want to “do”, there is always watching the wild turkeys and the squirrels and birds at the feeders, trying out the snowshoes, watching the fire in the woodburner, or catching a game or a movie on the bigscreen.

The cookbook is more than just the recipes that have been contributed by over 150 different Wisconsin B&B’s.  It could even be used as a travel guide because there is information about each B&B that submitted a recipe and there are lots of fun facts about the food scene in Wisconsin.

The contents are not just focused on Breakfast, although there is a wonderful array of breakfast dishes.  There are appetizers, soups, luncheon and dinner entrees and marvelous deserts.

It is a fun read and a great gift for the foodies or cookbook collectors on your Christmas list.

Honey and Plants at the Dane County Farmers

If you have ever considered eating seasonally or locally, the farmers market is a great resource.  Vendors will often let you sample their products and are eager to share preparation instructions and sometimes even recipes with their customers.

One of the favorite breakfasts served at The Speckled Hen Inn is the Farmer’s Market Strata.  It contains sourdough bread, cream and mozarella cheeses, fresh eggs, basil pesto, tomatoes, and smoked ham or turkey.  All of the ingredients can be found at the farmer’s market.  Please help yourself to the recipe and share the bounty of Wisconsin with friends at breakfast or brunch some beautiful summer morning.

Farmers

Each year in April we renew our certification in the Travel Green Wisconsin program.  It is the perfect opportunity to take stock of what we have accomplished and look forward to what will come in the year ahead.  Going “green” is a journey.  Let’s take a look at what we have done, are doing, and hope to do soon.

The easiest and obvious things came first.  Compact fluorescent bulbs replace incandescent light bulbs as they burn out.  Motion sensors that turn lights on for a short period of time are used in many areas both inside the Inn and along the outdoor walkways.  As appliances wear out they are replaced with EnergyStar rated appliances.  Refrigerators, freezers, washers and clothes dryers have been some recent examples.  Each guest room has an additional waste can just for items to be recycled.  Information about what can be recycled by our refuse pick-up company is posted for guests to read.  We also recycle batteries, print cartridges, and many other items.  Nothing just automatically goes in the trash bin.  A linen re-use program is in effect and bath liquids are offered in dispensers rather than little plastic bottles.

Water conservation is a major concern at our Inn.  We do have our own well that provides us with beautiful clear, clean water.  We eliminated bottled water from our “amenities offered” list more than a year ago and guests seem to enjoy our natural water supply.  It does, however take electricity to pump that water out of the ground so we are constantly looking for ways to reduce our water usage.  We have installed low-flow shower heads and water conserving toilets. Our laundry is equipped with high efficiency washers and we sweep rather than hosing off the decks, porches and walkways.  New garden beds have drip irrigation systems and are mulched to retain moisture.  Rain barrels to use for watering the decorative landscape planters are in the plans for this season.

Crab apple trees along the pasture fence

The Inn’s 50-acre property is home to may species of birds, deer, wild turkey, and other woodland and wetland creatures.  The spring-fed creeks on the property supply them with an open source of water year-round.  We hope that our guests will enjoy and respect the natural habitat while they are here.  Many guests express their joy at having a place to reconnect with the land.

It has long been an ideal, goal, dream, whatever you want to call it, of ours to live off our land.  Our favorite bookshelf has always contained books outlining the various ways that one might accomplish that.  While being completely self-sufficient is still a distant dream, we have made some major efforts toward that goal.  Our vegetable garden and orchards continue to expand.  It is a joy to prepare and offer our guests breakfast items that feature the bounty of our land.  We have also developed great relationships with other local growers and suppliers whose goods also grace our table and additionally give our guests a destination for their exploration of the area.

I want to close this post by saying a few words about the final word in our slogan – Style.  We strongly feel that embracing sustainability and being environmentally conscious is not tied to “doing without” but rather to finding better, more earth friendly, ways of doing the things that you want to do.  It is about embracing what you can create with whatever is available and sharing it with those you care about.  Our decorating “Style” reflects the roads we have traveled and what we find that offers us comfort.  Our food “Style” reflects our passion for fresh, local, and lovely.  And our hospitality “Style” reflects our willingness to share what we have created with our guests.  We hope that they enjoy as much as we do. 

Bob and I are both natives of Missouri.  We met in college in the late 60’s and were married in 1973.  We moved to Madison in 1978 and purchased the 50-acre parcel where The Speckled Hen Inn is located in 1984 and began construction and landscaping in 1986.  We completed the building of our home in 1990 and raised our two children in the house that is now the Inn.  In 2000, I opened the Speckled Hen Inn.  Bob retired from his “day job” of 32 years in 2005 and became the full-time assistant innkeeper .

Bob and Happy take a break.

Over the years, we have developed our interests in entertaining, cooking, gardening and wine appreciation.  They tell me that I have the creative genes that are best reflected in the decor of the Inn and interesting gourmet breakfasts served at the Inn.  The Inn is known for its breakfasts, warm ambiance and genuine hospitality.  Many of the breakfast entrées use ingredients produced at the Inn by the Innkeepers.   Bob is the assistant chef, head gardner and is responsible for the upkeep of the 50 acre estate.   The Inn is proud to be a member of Travel Green Wisconsin.

Come share our 25+ year labor of love and be prepared to be pampered and, of course,  well fed.

Pat with one of the lambs.

 The Speckled Hen Inn offers group outdoor party facilities and food/beverage service.  The service is available only during the summer season (May-October).  Join us for such events as family reunions, graduation parties, birthday parties, wedding rehearsal dinners or company sponsored events.  We have a complete outdoor kitchen and dining area.  We feature outdoor BBQ and Pizza venues.  Beer, wine and soft drinks are also available.  Seating is limited to 20-30 people.  Larger groups can be accommodated and served buffet style around the pool.  The swimming pool may not be used due to licensing restrictions.

Enjoy the view from the patio

BBQ dinners feature slow smoked ribs, pulled pork, and/or hot dogs/brats with baked beans, coleslaw and chips.  Pizza is available by the pie or can be served individually as a “build-your-own” buffet.  Our chef is passionate about smoking/grilling and gourmet pizza-perfection; this may well be the best party food you have ever had.

Partytime in the outdoor kitchen

Please call to plan your next event and to receive a price quotation.  Prices average between $12 and $25 per person depending upon menu selection, exclusive of beverage costs.  There is a $70 setup charge per group for county permit application fees.  No tipping is required, thereby effectively offsetting the mandatory county fee.

Relax on the patio

It doesn’t get much better than this.  Make your next event something special at the Speckled Hen Inn.

Moving up the size scale quite a bit, there is the Capital Brewery and Beer Garden in Middleton.  It is a rather large micro-brewery producing award winning German-style beers.  They offer tours on Fridays at 3:30 PM and on Saturdays at 1:30 and 3:30 PM.  The tours are $3.00 per person over the age of 21. 

Brew Kettles at the Capital Brewery

 In December and January the Stube is sometimes closed for private parties, so you may want to check their website to see if the Stube is open before you get too thirsty.  Their Bockfest is the last Saturday in February when they release their Blonde Doppelbock.

Wondering what you can find at the DCFM Winter Market? Here’s a listing to help guide you.

Fruit
Apples; Cider; Jams, jellies, and preserves; Pears; Pear and apple butters; Raspberry products

Stored Vegetables
Carrots, Garlic, Potatoes, Shallots, Turnips

Fresh Vegetables
Chard, Greens, Kale, Lettuce, Micro-greens, Radish, Spinach, Tomatoes

Meats
Beef, Bison, Brats and sausage, Chicken, Conventional and special cuts, Emu, Ground beef, Highland beef, Jerky, Ostrich, Pork, Roasts, Turkey, Steaks

Decorations
Bison products, Emu products, House plants, Orchids, Ostrich products, Potted flowers

Cheeses
Flavored cheeses, Goat cheese, World-class aged cheeses, Fresh cheese curds

Baked Goods
Flat breads, Biscotti, Cheesecake, Pastries, Cinnamon rolls, Sweet breads, Torts, Cookies, Muffins, Panettone, Sourdough bread

Specialty Items
Mushrooms, Maple syrup, Wool products, Candles, Honey, Pesto, Vinaigrettes, Eggs, Hot sauces, Flavored sea salt, Goat milk soap, Salsa, Yarn, Sheepskins, Hides and leather, Soups, Pasta sauce, Fresh-ground whole wheat flour, Herbal vinegar

The market vendors are also a great source for recipes using their products and many offer delicious samples.

Farmers