This room will allow The Speckled Hen Inn to now accept children under the age of 12 and the room is also pet-friendly.  The Madison Lakes Room is on the lower level of the Inn and has its own private entrance.

 This has been a fun project to design and construct.  We did the majority of the work ourselves over the winter.

 The room has a more contemporary feel than the other four guest rooms in the Inn.   Upon walking in through double French doors off the lower deck, the bedroom is sunken 12” below the tiled entry foyer/breakfast area.  The King-sized bed is recessed slightly into one wall.  There is a separate seating area with two swivel chairs.  The room also has a gas fireplace with a 37” HDTV/DirecTV above the mantle, viewable from the bed and the seating area.  The fireplace is nestled between a built-in bookcase and seating/luggage bench.  The room is decorated with textured fabrics in shades of chocolate brown, bronze and pear green with a few sunset colors as accents.

There is also a wet bar and freezer/refrigerator in the room.  For business travelers, there is a desk area built into the wall next to the fireplace. Free wireless internet access is provided.  Breakfast will be served in the dining room of the Inn, or if you prefer, in the room at your private dining table.

 The room also features an attached private spa-like bathroom.   The Spa Room is elevated 6” above the main room.  The shower is 4×6 feet in size with an all glass front.  There is a two person bench built into the shower where you can enjoy a normal wall shower, an overhead rain shower and last but not least, a steam shower!  The room also features a 2-person champagne-bubble air-jet tub.   The Spa Room is fully tiled giving it a warm, luxurious feeling.  There is an all glass vessel sink next to the tub bench, matching the glass tile insert in the wall tile pattern.  There is a separate enclosed toilet room.

The art work in the room depicts scenes of Madison from the Lakes, and hence, the “Madison Lakes” room-name.

Soon there will be a small outdoor courtyard for guests of the Madison Lakes Room to enjoy and we hope to have pictures available very soon.

Mix in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool while making the batter.

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup flour
• 2 Tablespoons melted butter
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk

Mix batter ingredients well and pour into a 9-inch deep dish pie pan. Spoon the hot fruit mixture over the batter using just enough of the juices in the fruit mixture to allow the batter to begin to float up through the fruit.

Bake 30 minutes in 350 degree oven or until top is golden and fruit is very bubbly. While the cobbler is baking, add a splash of port to the remaining fruit juices and boil down to a syrup consistency.

Serve the cobbler warm topped with a blend of vanilla yogurt and whipped cream and a bit of the cherry/port sauce.

Our cherry cobbler disclaimer: The Inn has its own cherry trees and we invite our guests and friends to help us pick and pit the cherries. There is always a “bit” of wine served at the cherry pitting party. So, watch out for pits in the cobbler.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place first five ingredients in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (about 20 times). Place this mixture in a medium bowl and add apples and toffee bits. Place egg in a one-cup measure. Fill with half-and-half to the 3/4 cup line. Add the 1/4 cup of milk and mix well. Pour the egg mixture over the dry ingredients and mix just until moistened. Drop mounds of dough (about 1/4 cup each) onto a silpat lined baking sheet or a baking sheet lightly coated with cooking spray. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden. Drizzle caramel glaze over the scones and serve warm.

Makes 12-15 scones.

Caramel glaze

• 1 teaspoon of melted butter
• 1 Tablespoon of caramel coffee flavoring syrup
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar or the amount that will produce the desired glaze consistency.

Mix until smooth and drizzle over fresh-from-the-oven scones.

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 4 Tablespoons powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup butter (cut in pieces)
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 Tablespoons flour
• 3 cups diced rhubarb (about 5 stalks)

Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking dish.
In a food processor combine flour, powdered sugar and butter. Process until fine crumbs form. Press into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes. In the processor combine eggs, sugar, vanilla,and salt until thickened. Add the flour and process until completely combined. Stir in the rhubarb. Spread this mixture over the prepared crust and return to the oven for 35 minutes or until the top is brown and firm. Cool slightly. Cut into squares and serve dusted with additional powdered sugar and a bit of whipped cream. Serves 12

• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
• 1 cup light cream or half and half
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 loaf of cinnamon bread, cut in 1 inch cubes

Grease 8 ramekins and fill almost to the top with bread cubes. In a large bowl whisk together eggs, sugar, and vanilla. In a medium saucepan bring the cream, butter, and coffee granules to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk a bit of the cream mixture into the egg mixture. Then whisk the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining cream mixture. Stir in the chocolate pieces and continue whisking until the chocolate has completely melted and the mixture is smooth and creamy. Pour chocolate mixture evenly over the bread cubes in the ramekins. Let set for at leat 45 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator. Befor baking sprinkle the tops of the puddings with additional sugar. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes or until the puddings puff. Enjoy

Place the pears, cut side down, in a 9 X 13 baking dish. Mix apricot jam, orange juice and honey and pour over the pears. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes or until the pears are very tender.

Serve a pear half topped with the pan syrup or with any of the following suggestions:
A dollop of sour cream and raspberry syrup.
Vanilla yogurt and pomegranate seeds
Whole berry cranberry sauce
Chai caramel sauce and granola

At the Speckled Hen Inn, we prefer to buy our plants from local greenhouses rather than the big box discounters because we are assured that the plants are suitable for our growing conditions and the knowledge that the folks working in the greenhouses are willing to share, makes sure that we have selected to right plant for our needs.

Here is a link to a map with some of our favorite local garden centers and plant nurseries on it.

View Madison Area Garden Centers and Nurseries in a larger map.

Downtown Madison is one of the prettiest, most romantic, places a person will ever see.  The lighted capitol dome pictured here ,is like the centerpiece of a bountiful banquet table.