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Posts Tagged ‘bed and breakfast’

The Speckled Hen Inn in Madison, WI lists February events in the area

February 3rd, 2010 by Pat Fischbeck

There are many events in Madison Wisconsin this February that you will just not want to miss. 

  •  This coming weekend, February 6, is the big outdoor hockey event at Camp Randall stadium on the University of Wisconsin campus.  Will it be the largest crowd ever to watch a college hockey game?  The Badger women play at 2:00PM and the Hockey Badger men play at 6:00.  You will have to go to see how they created a level ice hockey rink on a very crested football field.
  • On February 11 Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love will be speaking at the Overture Center.  Her presentation is a part of the Wisconsin Book Festival.
  • Get ready for spring at the Midwest Garden Expo at the Alliant Energy Center Exhibition Hall.  Just catching the aroma of fresh dirt when you enter the building gets me in the mood to start planning and planting.  The show is February 12-14.  A great thing to add to your Valentine’s weekend celebration.
  • On February 19-21 all of Madison will be having a grand old time at Madison Winter Festival.  Enjoy all of Madison’s favorite winter activities and see how fast cross country skiers can move.  It’s downtown on the beautiful Wisconsin Capitol Square.
  • February 27 we will offer guests at The Speckled Hen Inn an extreme contrast in recommended activities.  On Saturday afternoon head on over to Middleton to Capital Brewery for the celebration of the release of this year’s Blonde Doppelbock (that’s a beer, folks!).  You can even try to catch a smoked chub (that’s a fish, folks) tossed from the roof of the brewery.  Have a rowdy good time and then completely switch gears when nighttime comes and head for the UW Arboretum for their nightwalk.  Hear the crunch of your boots in the snow and then stand perfectly still and listen for the great horned owls or just stargaze. Ahhh.  What a day!

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Posted in Outdoor Activities, Winter | No Comments »

WBBA Cookbook is Here

December 11th, 2009 by Pat Fischbeck

The new Wisconsin Bed and Breakfast Association cookbooks, with The Speckled Hen Inn on the front cover are here and ready to wrap up for Christmas.  We have a good supply at the Inn and will hold one for you to pick up at the Inn or we can also ship them to you.

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.

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Posted in Christmas, Info for Foodies | No Comments »

Meet the Innkeepers at The Speckled Hen Inn

April 22nd, 2009 by Pat Fischbeck

 

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.

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.

Pat with one of the lambs.

 

 

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Posted in About us, Info for Foodies | 1 Comment »

SHI wins WBBA Cook-off, Get the winning recipe

February 9th, 2009 by Pat Fischbeck

Bed and breakfasts make special morning meals

Mary Bergin
For the Wiusconsin State Journal

February 6, 2009

Wisconsin Breakfast Panini with Cranberry/Cherry Chutney

Wisconsin Breakfast Panini with Cranberry/Cherry Chutney

The Wisconsin Breakfast Panini, with cranberries, cherries, apple, bacon and Swiss cheese, won the Wisconsin Bed and Breakfast Association’s first recipe contest. – Mary Bergin

Bob and Pat Fischbeck serve breakfast by candlelight. That’s one way to set a great mood.

The owners of Speckled Hen Inn, a bed and breakfast on 50 acres on Madison’s far east side, like providing surprises.

“We use familiar ingredients in unusual ways,” says Pat. One example: curry-cumin popovers, filled with scrambled eggs, plus a hash of sausage, sweet potatoes and apples.

Bed and breakfast operators seem motivated to use their kitchens as breakfast laboratories, creating top o’ the morning entrees that are inventive as well as tasty.

A Speckled Hen recipe for Wisconsin Breakfast Panini recently won the Wisconsin Bed and Breakfast Association’s first recipe contest, which required inclusion of cranberries. The panini — said a three-judge panel, including me — is a hit because of taste, attractiveness and your ability to grab it and go (but why pass up that gorgeous candlelight?).

An added bonus: Everything in the Speckled Hen recipe can be a “made in Wisconsin” ingredient. This includes the spice blend, which comes from Wauwatosa-based Penzeys Spices.

The innkeepers’ association is busily compiling recipes for its seventh cookbook, to be released in summer by Big Earth Publishing. More than 100 members are contributing.

Wisconsin Breakfast Panini

Makes 4 sandwiches

  • 8 slices Italian bread
  • 8 thin slices baby Swiss cheese
  • 8 slices apple wood smoked bacon (cooked until crisp)
  • 1 large, red, crisp apple (cored, thinly sliced)
  • 4 tablespoons cranberry-cherry chutney (recipe below)
  • Melted butter, for grilling
  • Cranberry-Cherry Chutney
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 12 ounces cranberries (fresh or frozen)
  • 1/2 cup cider vinegar
  • 1 cup chopped, dried Door County cherries
  • 1 teaspoon Penzeys Baking Spice (a blend of cinnamon, cassia, anise seed, allspice, mace and cardamom)
  • 1 peeled and cored apple (diced)

Assemble sandwiches by stacking ingredients in this order: 1 slice bread, 1 slice cheese, 2 slices bacon, apple slices, second slice cheese. Spread 1 tablespoon chutney on final slice of bread, and place it chutney-side down on the sandwich.

Repeat the process for the other 3 sandwiches. Brush outer side of bread slices with melted butter. Place in panini press or heavy skillet; grill until bread is golden brown and cheese is melted.

Cut sandwiches in half or in quarters. Serve warm, with additional chutney, if desired.

For the chutney: Bring water and sugar to boil in a medium saucepan. Adding remaining ingredients and return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the apple is tender and cranberries have popped. Cool and refrigerate.

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Posted in Info for Foodies, recipes | No Comments »