Three of my favorite recipes came from generous innkeepers at bed and breakfasts where I have stayed. I’ve made the broccoli and mushroom quiche from a bed and breakfast in Virginia dozens of times and the blueberry muffins from a historic inn in Wilmington, North Carolina, where we recently stayed are my husband’s favorite. The biscuit “recipe” I asked for in Milledgeville, Georgia, made me laugh and I’ve made them several times.
We have also gathered more recipes from fellow travelers for lemon ricotta pancakes, cream of bison soup, maple granola bars, gluten- and dairy-free Belgian waffles and several others.
Best Blueberry Muffins
I’ve tried dozens of recipes for blueberry muffins and these are my favorite. We had these at C.W. Worth House, a charming historic 1893 inn in Wilmington, North Carolina, where owners/innkeepers Jen Blomberg and Jeff Mason served delicious breakfasts every morning.
Servings: 12 muffins
2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar (I cut this in 1/2- I do not like all the sugar!!)
2 large eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (I gently mash about 1 cup of these then leave the rest whole)
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (also called raw sugar or demerara sugar)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and put an oven rack in the middle position. Spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Beat the butter and granulated sugar for about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.
Gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, beating on low speed to combine. The batter will be very thick. Add the blueberries to the batter and fold gently with a spatula until evenly distributed. Do not overmix.
Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar evenly on top of the muffins. Bake for about 30 minutes, until lightly golden. Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.
Hopewell House Bike & Bed Broccoli Mushroom Spinach Quiche
I have made this quiche dozens of times since I got it from Alice Muellerweiss at Hopewell House Bike & Bed in Strasberg, Virginia. The inn has since closed but I think fondly of it whenever I make this dish.
Ingredients
1 9-inch pie crust (store bought or homemade)
Egg Wash
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk
Filling
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large garlic, minced (or use quick tube garlic tablespoon)
2 cups chopped small broccoli florets
2 cups chopped mushrooms (one small container has three cups)
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup whole milk
1 cup Colby Cheese (can use cheddar)
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of cayenne pepper
⅓ cup Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 350F. While the oven is preheating, add olive oil to a medium-sized skillet over low to medium heat. Allow the olive oil to heat for a minute, then add garlic. Cook the garlic for about a minute until browned and aromatic.
Next, add chopped broccoli and mushrooms to the skillet. Cook for about 4-6 minutes, until the broccoli and mushrooms become tender. Drain any water that may have developed. Set the garlic broccoli mushroom aside for now.
Place a pie crust into a 9-inch pie dish. Spoon the garlic broccoli mushroom mixture into the pie dish. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together a large egg and a tablespoon of milk. Brush this egg wash mixture over the edges of the crust to help it brown.
Add three more eggs into the same bowl, and whisk until beaten. Generally, you’ll need four eggs to make quiche. Now, pour milk, shredded Colby, dash of nutmeg and dash of cayenne pepper into the bowl then stir until combined. Pour this mixture over the broccoli and mushrooms. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
Bake the broccoli mushroom Colby quiche for about 45 minutes until the crust has browned and the filling looks solid. Allow the quiche to cool down before slicing into it.
Easiest Biscuits You’ll Ever Make
I shared the story of these biscuits before. As part of its delicious breakfast, The Antebellum Inn in Milledgeville, Georgia, served the best biscuits I’d ever had. Julie, the innkeeper, agreed to share the recipe with me and led me into the kitchen where she pulled a plastic bag of Mary B’s Butter Taste Biscuits out of the trash.
And that’s how I discovered the world’s easiest and best biscuit recipe.
Purchase one bag of Mary B’s Butter Taste Biscuits. Bake as instructed. Pull out of the oven and sprinkle chopped rosemary on top (brush butter on top if you don’t have the butter version).
Pancakes and Granola Bars
Amanda Feldman Jay shared two recipes from Saratoga Arms Hotel, a bed-and-breakfast style boutique hotel located in the heart of Saratoga Springs, New York. Both dishes are the creations of Executive Chef Tim James.
Originally built in 1870, Saratoga Arms is a classic Second Empire style building that evokes Gilded Age charm. The property is owned and operated by an all-female leadership team with mother-daughter owners Kathleen and Amy Smith at the helm.
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
1 cup self-rising Flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup ricotta cheese
1 cup milk
½ small lemon juice and rind grated
1 large egg
1 tablespoon butter, melted
In a mixing bowl, add the flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, milk, lemon juice and rind, egg and melted butter. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients in small batches.
Add oil or spray into a non-stick pan and place over medium heat. Once hot, scoop ¼ cup of batter in portions and cover the pan (this traps heat and yields thicker pancakes). Cook pancakes for 2-3 minutes or until bubbles form around the edges. Remove lid and flip the pancakes and cook for another minute.
Repeat the process until all batter is used. Serve with maple syrup. Garnish with blackberries and lemon peel.
Signature Maple Granola Bars
4 cups rolled oats (gluten free)
1 cup raw sugar (coconut sugar may be used if desired)
3/4 cup almond flour
1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup of following: dried cranberries, dried apricot, medjool dates, pumpkin seed, sunflower seed and sliced almonds
6 tablespoons almond butter
12 tablespoons coconut oil, melted (unrefined)
2/3 cup maple syrup
4 tablespoons water
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and lightly coat it with coconut oil.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl, including the dried fruit and nuts. In a smaller bowl, whisk the almond butter, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and water until well combined.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine until coated well. Press mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 32-36 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.
Remove from pan and cool. Before cutting into bars, refrigerate until cold for better results and less crumbles. These can be frozen for up to 1 month. Enjoy!
Homemade Italian Pappardelle
This recipe was submitted by Anthony Quill with From Tent To Takeoff, a family travel and adventure blog
We’ve stayed at countless bed and breakfasts all throughout Italy. It is our favorite way of traveling with young kids.
For years, we went back to the same bed and breakfast, Il Fienile diOrazio, outside of Rome, Italy. We have gotten to know the owners well and will be visiting them again this summer.
We took a cooking class with the owners to learn how to cook some traditional home-style Italian dishes. Our kids were young, and we put them to bed, but unfortunately that happened to be the night they did not want to sleep.
After a lot of frustration and fear of missing our class, we finally brought them with us into the kitchen. We ended up having a wonderful time full of laughs and some very ugly pappardelle.
4 eggs, room temperature
400 grams type 00 flour (3.25 cups)
Create a mound of flour, reserving a small amount for kneading later. Make a hole in the middle and add the eggs. Mix the eggs with your hands and slowly pull in flour from the sides without letting the egg escape.
Knead the dough by pressing down and forward with the palm of your hands. Knead the dough for around 10 minutes or until it smooths out and softens in consistency. It takes a lot longer than you’d think! Create a ball with your homemade pappardelle pasta dough and cover it tightly with cling wrap or a bowl then leave to rest for 10-20 minutes.
Rolling out the pasta:
Cut a small piece of dough (about a third of the ball) and flatten it slightly with your hands then make sure to sprinkle flour on both the top and bottom. Gently roll the pasta out until it is as thin as you’d like.
Use a sharp knife and cut the paste 2-3 cm wide. Cutting thinner will make other varieties of pasta like fettuccine. Add the fresh pasta to salted boiling water and cook until al dente.
Gluten & Dairy-Free Belgian Waffles
This recipe was submitted by Kay Maghan.
This is a fantastic recipe from Innkeeper David Worthington for gluten and dairy-free waffles served at Magnolia Springs Bed & Breakfast in the village of Magnolia Springs, Alabama, a quaint community with live oak tree-lined streets where mail is still delivered by boat to homes along the river. Magnolia Springs has also served as a writer’s haven for award-winning authors like Fannie Flagg (“Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café” and “A Redbird Christmas”) and Winston Groom (“Forrest Gump”).
4 cups finely ground almond flour
2 cups tapioca starch/flour
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons baking powder
4 tablespoons flax meal + ¾ cup warm water
2 cups almond milk
4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
½ cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup coconut oil, melted
Combine almond flour, tapioca starch, and baking powder. Whisk to combine well. In a small bowl, combine flax meal and warm water and set aside until thick and egg-like.
In an extra-large bowl combine almond milk, and apple cider vinegar. Allow to sit while you melt the coconut oil in the microwave or on the stove.
To the almond milk and ACV mixture, add flax meal, maple syrup, vanilla, and last the coconut oil. Whisk well to combine and quickly add to dry ingredients. Otherwise, the coconut oil will start to harden and clump.
Stir batter just until combined. Do not over stir and leave slightly clumpy.
Pour batter into preheated waffle iron (size according to manufacturer). I use about 9-10 ounces in a Presto Flip-Side Belgian Waffle Maker and cook approximately 5 minutes until golden brown. This recipe makes 6, but half of one is about all anyone eats, so this is enough for approximately 12 people. I serve it with breakfast potatoes and a poached egg.
Top with fresh fruit like banana, strawberries, blueberries, peanut butter, dairy free butter, caramel syrup, real maple syrup, and more.
TIP: Adding additional sweet syrups might not be necessary because of the sweet flavor it already has.
TIP: I freeze mine ahead of time and reheat it (straight from freezer to oven) in a 375-degree oven for 10 minutes, flipping it midway. Great for when company is coming and you want something healthy and don’t want to spend any time in the kitchen so you can enjoy time with your guest! This is unlike any grain and dairy-free bread you have ever eaten. No one will know unless you tell them afterward. It’s light, fluffy, and shockingly delicious!
Cream of Bison Soup
This recipe was shared by Maureen Robusto.
I wanted to share a recipe that Inn on the Lake in Whitehorse, Yukon, shared with me when we visited for the Northern Lights. The chef will probably cringe that I wouldn’t share one of the more haute dishes he served during our visit, but while all of his meals were delicious (3-course dinner every night), this dish was the one I thought I might be able to replicate at home. My husband and I make this at home at least once a year, often in February as our winters are great soup weather, and February is when we visited and we remember to pull out the recipe.
Inn on the Lake is on Marsh Lake. We were able to bike on the lake with their provided fat-tire bikes and then walk out onto to watch the Northern Lights, which we could see on two nights.
We also went snowmobiling, played ice hockey, roasted food over an open fire, and ice fished. They also helped us arrange dog-sledding with a female musher who had previously run the Iditarod where we were able to drive our own sleds. Fun fact: Their summer tourists are primarily Germans who were influenced by reading “Call of the Wild” in school.
1 bunch leeks, sliced thin
1.5-2 lbs. ground bison, browned to very light
Add 1 block cream cheese and mix
Add 6 cups chicken broth
Simmer for 3-4 hours
Serves 8
Domaine Chardonnay’s Signature Sweet & Spicy Monte Cristo Breakfast Sandwich
Norma Marlowe submitted this recipe.
I got this recipe from Mike and Laura Wieters, who own Domaine Chardonnay, a gorgeous property located in the heart of Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country. Guests can see hot air balloons floating by while they enjoy this breakfast recipe!
Temecula Valley is located less than two hours from every major metro area in Southern California, so it’s a popular getaway spot. Domaine Chardonnay is perched on top of rolling hills, in the middle of a 5-acre working vineyard. In addition to hosting guests, Domaine Chardonnay has been an important supplier of fine Chardonnay wine grapes to local wineries and winemakers since 1987.
4 slices of organic sourdough bread
6 organic pasture-raised eggs (2 for batter, 4 for frying)
½ cup grass fed organic whole milk (or A2 milk)
½ teaspoon organic vanilla
¼ teaspoon organic cinnamon
2 teaspoons Rothschild’s spicy pineapple spread
Salt & pepper to taste
2 slices organic black forest ham
2 slices organic pepper jack cheese
½ organic avocado sliced
Powdered sugar to sprinkle
French toast: Mix 2 eggs, whole milk, vanilla, cinnamon and a pinch of salt and pepper. Soak sourdough bread thoroughly, then pan fry until golden brown. Do not overcook. Spread spicy pineapple jelly on slices.
Fry up 4 eggs leaving yolk centers soft, and gently warm the ham. Place piece of ham on bottom piece of French toast, then stack 2 eggs with pepper jack cheese in between, and top with avocado slices then the top piece of French toast. Secure with toothpicks and cut in half. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top to decorate.
Try serving these breakfast sandwiches with fresh peach slices and an arugula salad with fresh chopped pears, figs, candied pecans, crumbled feta and a drizzle of fig balsamic!
Makes two sandwiches.
Louisiana Sweet Potato Pancakes
Rene and Barbara Claudet, owners of Bouverans, submitted this recipe.
This recipe is from Bouverans Bed & Breakfast in Lockport, Louisiana (part of Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou, located 35 miles south of New Orleans). The B&B is a boutique, restored 1860’s French Creole homestead offering two guest rooms. It was named after the hometown of the owner’s great-great-great grandfather, who built the home. The property has remained in the family for 160+ years (minus a brief five-year period) and includes beautiful gardens, a massive oak that is estimated to be over 300 years old, and creole architectural style of the 1860s.
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (Sifted)
3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 ½ cups milk
2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ pounds sweet potatoes
Place sweet potatoes in medium pot of boiling water and cook until tender (about 15 minutes). Drain, remove skins, and cut into small sections and mash.
In medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. In a separate medium bowl mix sweet potatoes, eggs, milk, vanilla, and butter. Blend dry and wet ingredients together to form a batter.
Preheat a lightly greased griddle over medium-high heat (about 350F). Drop batter onto griddle by heaping tablespoons, and cook until golden brown, turning once with a spatula when the pancake surface begins to bubble. Serves 8.
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