I try not to talk about the weather, but this is too much. It was 27 degrees in Embarrass, MN yesterday and here it is still August. Even the Twin Cities dipped into the high forties yesterday and it is about the same today. Just in case you are worried as a B&B guest, we have already turned on the heat! We also have a nice fireplace in the front hall where a chilly soul who has braved Minnesota can warm his feet.
Guest founders….begs for mercy!
Yesterday we had a popular breakfast. As usual, the meal started with coffee, tea etc and fresh fruit. I made a new and very delicious side to go with eggs to order and tomato with parmesan and basil. The side recipe came from a bed and breakfast site . Dripping Springs Inn in Estes Park, Colorado and the reviews were positive. It was a Cheesy corn fritter recipe and here it is:
Ingredients:
1 small package cornbread mix
1 cup pancake mix
2 eggs
1 can whole kernel corn
1 cup shredded cheddar
milk (see directions on box of cornmeal mix) about 2 cups
diced red or green peppers
Instructions:
Mix together all ingredients, should be like pancake batter, let it rest while your griddle is heating, grease the griddle well, and pour on by spoonfulls like a pancake. Cook till bubbles are dry then flip.
Comments:
Guests will just eat these up!!!! Serve with syrup or honey and butter!
So, I asked one of our guests if she wanted more fritters and she replied “Oh please no. I am foundering.” Music to a breakfast chef’s ears.
And here is some more visual excitement, a detail from our first floor on the fireplace.
B&B evolution part 2
When our youngest child left home, we were in possession of a 9 bedroom house and 2 people to fill all those rooms! But before the youngest left, we had some guests from our church (traveling preachers, trainers etc) who stayed here, and the glimmer of a B&B idea emerged. Luckily, one of my friends from days past was running a B&B near Macalester College. I contacted her and she was so helpful and so nice in answering my questions and helping me get licensed with the city. When we did get our license, Linda was very generous and, in fact, provided us with our first guest because she could not accomodate her. The guest was from overseas, and she was so grateful and so easy, that she set the tone for all that has followed since. At the time, we just had one room but shortly after that we added another, and now we have two singles rooms and a suite. We must have had in seven years 5000 or more guests and EVERY single one of them has been polite, respectful, interesting and fun.
Now for a little visual excitement, here is a beautiful picture of the newell post in our front hall.
The Evolution of our B&B
This old house has seen many occupants. It started out as a single family dwelling for about 40 years. During the depression, it became a boarding house with untold number of occupants. As time went on, the boarding part of the equation disappeared and the house was divided up into five or more apartments. The owners lived in what isn now the living room, dining room and kitchen and the rest of the building was subdivided. Then came the commune in the 1970s. A group of young people from Macalester College bought the house and started putting it back into a single family dwelling, although there were eight unrelated individuals doing the renovation.
Then came our family…two parents and seven children! That kept the bedrooms occupied for a generation. Look at our front hall picture. Then imagineno furniture, bare floors, leaves swirling around in the fall (children do not close doors) and children playing broom hockey! Not exactly a tranquil Bed and Breakfast scene. Next post I will describe the way we got into the B&B business
Last clue! Let the game begin.
Saving the easiest for last.
As the summer winds down, it is time to think of the beginning of school. There are many colleges nearby: Macalester, Hamline, St Catherine’s, St. Thomas, Concordia, Metro University, St. Paul College, the University of Minnesota. Cathedral B&B is continually the place where students and their parents come while the moving in process takes place. It is nice and calm here, a good place to rest as you go about “emptying your nest”.
Two clues today!
Clue #18
A great place to visit when you are doing your scavenger hunt for Cathedral Hill B&B is the Minnesota Historical Society. You will undoubtedly take a walk down Summit Avenue, and the historical society is just east of the Cathedral of St. Paul on the extension of Summit Avenue called Kellogg Boulevard. It is a great place to visit because you can take in the special exhibits, and the permanent collection is wonderful too.
Here is a link to some fascinating information about Kellogg Boulevard.
Clue #19
Clue #17 and OK Just Try It……The Minnesota Opera
The new operas for the 2009-2010 season have been posted for the Minnesota Opera. Why not try one of the fabulous offerings: The Pearl Fishers, Casanova’s Homecoming, Roberto Devereaux, La boheme or Salome. Then make a reservation at Cathedral Hill B&B for your pampered (we do spoil people!) lodging because the B&B is only 10 minutes from the Ordway where the operas will be performed.
Clue #16 only four to go! Plus Irish Fest is in town.
Doesn't look like today's porch lights does it!
This weekend it is going to be very hot and just in time for the annual Irish Fair at Harriet Island, a short 5-10 minute drive from Cathedral Hill Bed and Breakfast. If you are from St. Paul you know that there was a significant Irish population immigrating here at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The Irish Fair is free, so be sure to meander on down to take in some Irish dancing.
Take a Scott Fitzgerald walking tour while looking for your clues!
What did they watch from here?
F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in Saint Paul, and he was born in the year Cathedral Hill Bed and Breakfast was built. Of course 488 Holly was a single family dwelling then and not a bed and breakfast. Fitzgerald lived in many places in this neighborhood and it is very fun to take a walking tour visiting the places where he lived. Here is a link to the walking tour. So, while the weather is nice, why not take the tour and look for some of our clues while you do so. Remember, you will get 15% off your stay if you get 15 of the 20 architectural pictures identified as to address.
Lions and tigers and bears oh my!
We have big news this weekend at the bed and breakfast. Cathedral Hill Bed and Breakfast has just launched a new website. There is all the usual information about policies, rooms, rates, breakfasts but what makes it all so exciting is that we now show you the blog and our Facebook page is integrated too. This means, there are many ways to learn about the specials we run, the contests we are involved in and also what is going on around town.
Breakfastchef's Blog 