Staying at a Wisconsin B&B during the holidays or for a winter getaway is wonderful in and of itself! Beautifully decorated Inns, the warmth of a fireplace, the scent of fresh baked cookies, and the sparkle of new fallen snow delight all the senses. When you add one of the many specials or packages offered by our member Inns, it is like gift-wrapping your holiday getaway into something magical.

 

Gift Certificate from Hidden Serenity B&B, West Bend

First, we have this wonderful giveaway from Hidden Serenity B&B in West Bend: Purchase a $100 gift certificate or more to Hidden Serenity B&B and your name will be entered in their drawing for a chance to win a very special getaway package, valued at $1000.00! Contact them directly for all the details.

One of their most popular packages is called the Anniversary Bangarang Package, giving you all the pampering you deserve! It starts with a rejuvenating couple’s massage from a licensed massage therapist in their on-site mini spa. Delight in this package anytime, not just for your anniversary!

There's more to look at, so be sure to check out all their specials!

 

Christmas time at Hamiltion House B&B, Whitewater

Speaking of “gift-wrapping”, the Romantic Wrap Up by Hamilton House B&B will have you wandering Whitewater’s local boutiques to find that unique gift for everyone on your holiday shopping list. After your shopping, you can settle into a romantic evening of wine and wrapping supplied by Hamilton House by your private fireplace. Then you can enjoy having your Christmas shopping "All Wrapped up"!

 

The Sheldon Room at Stewart Inn, Wausau

Beat the cold chill of this winter season and warm up with a complimentary 30 minute massage at Apex Wellness when you book a multi-night stay for the Winter Spa Getaway at the luxury Stewart Inn in Wausau.

 

Hummingbird Haven at Silver Star B&B Inn, Spring Green

This Winter Getaway from the Silver Star B&B Inn in Spring Green offers a discount on your stay. Snowshoe their trails or just cuddle in front of the fieldstone fireplace with a glass of wine or cup of hot cocoa. Let your cares melt away!

 

Wine and Chocolates by the Varsity Suite fireplace at The Buckingham Inn, Madison

Treat yourself to a rejuvenating Madison getaway at The Buckingham Inn this holiday season for a 20% savings! Take in a winter concert or sporting event, shop unique stores nearby, or enjoy brisk walks through Madison’s historic university neighborhood.

Finally, you can check out all other specials and packages offered by WBBA member inns by visiting our website and searching “by specials and packages” under “Find An Inn”. Narrow your search by categories such as “holiday”, “last minute special”, and many more. We’re positive you’ll find just the right getaway to make your holidays and the winter season that much more… well, special!

 

Are you ready to Seek the Unique?

    We really can’t help ourselves when it comes to fall and food. After all, Wisconsin is tops in cranberry production and cheesemaking, to say nothing of potatoes, corn, apples, beer, and more. So it seemed only right to dedicate a story to the cornucopia of innkeepers whose cooking talents are top-notch. While mere mortals may dabble in cooking and baking, our innkeepers are gods and goddesses of the kitchen. Which, of course, means an incredible food experience when you stay at a Wisconsin B&B. Here are some of our picks for “top chef.” [caption id="attachment_2676" align="aligncenter" width="384"] Bowman's Oak Hill Wild Rice Cranapple Bake[/caption] When innkeepers get together for a cook-off, you can be certain they will put their best foot forward. At Bowman's Oak Hill B&B in Wisconsin Dells, innkeeper Nancy Bowman was a grand prize winner for her Wild Rice Cranapple Bake. Here's what you need to do for this delicious breakfast treat: Number of Servings: 4 generous or 8 side dish sized portions Baking Time: 30 minutes Baking Temperature: 350°F Ingredient List: 1 ½ c. cooked Wild Rice ¾ c. raw oatmeal 2 large red apples ¾ c. dried Cranberries ½ c. raisins ½ T. cinnamon ½ c. chopped nuts (you can use either walnuts, pecans or a mixture of the two) 2 c. milk ¼ c. brown sugar ¼ tsp salt 2 T of butter Preparation: In large bowl Mix: rice, oatmeal, thinly sliced apples (Not peeled), cranberries, raisins, cinnamon and nuts. Heat in microwave oven until hot: Milk, brown sugar, salt and butter Mix into rice and fruit mixture. Put into buttered 2 qt. casserole. Cover and Bake @ 350°F for 30 minutes How served / presentation: Garnish with: A dollop of low fat vanilla yogurt and drizzle of pure Wisconsin Maple Syrup. For my meat lovers I add a side of sausage with whole grain English muffin. This recipe makes 4 generous servings or 8 side dishes to be served with an egg dish and sausage. [caption id="attachment_2709" align="aligncenter" width="399"] Dinning Area of Fountain Chateau B&B - Hustler[/caption] Suzanne Soltvedt of Fountain Chateau B&B in Hustler was also a winner in a cook-off for her Wild Rice Pancake, Cranberry Delight. This recipe may look long, but with homemade chutney, cran-raspberry syrup, and browned sage butter, it is well worth the time and care for this delicious delight: Number of Servings: 8 Necessary Utensils: 1 large sauce pan, 2 small saucepans, mixing bowl, measuring cups and spoons, strainer, grater, paring knife, griddle and small fry pan Ingredient List: Whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, eggs, honey, buttermilk, olive oil, orange zest and orange half. Water, sugar, cranberries, apples, vinegar, raisins, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves. Cran-raspberry juice, sugar, light Karo syrup. Unsalted butter, sage leaves, chicken broth Preparation: Pancakes: 1. In a large sauce pan place ½ cup wild rice in 2 cups boiling water and cover; cooks in about 45-55 minutes but check the water doesn’t cook dry. 2. To make the pancakes, place 2 cups whole wheat flour, 2 tsps. baking soda, ½  tsp baking powder, in mixing bowl.  Add 2 eggs, 2 tbls. Honey, 2 ½ cups buttermilk, 2 tbsp. Olive oil and mix 3. Add 1 ¼ cup cooled wild rice 4. Add the zest of one orange grated 5. Add 1 cup minced craisins or raisins or dried cherries Mix until moistened; place about ¼ cup of batter on hot griddle; turn when top bubbles. Continue until all the batter has been used. Chutney: 1 cup water ¾ cup sugar ½ tsp. Cinnamon ¼ tsp. Ginger ¼ tsp. Allspice 1/8 tsp. Cloves 1/2 cup vinegar ½ cup craisins or raisins 1-16 oz. Package of cranberries or 2 cups 1 cup apples, peeled, cored and diced Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes Cran-raspberry Syrup 1 ½ cup cran-raspberry juice 1 ½ sugar ¾  cup Karo syrup Bring to a boil for about 10 minutes Browned Sage Butter 5 T. Unsalted butter 15-18 sage leaves broken into small pieces ¼ c. low sodium chicken broth Heat the butter on high heat in a frying pan.  As soon as it gets hot, add the sage leaves and swirl to coat. Keep cooking until the butter turns brown and the sage leaves begin to turn brown. Immediately remove from the heat. Hollow out an orange half How served / presentation: Place two pancakes on plate Fill the hollowed out orange with chutney Fill a small pitcher with cran-raspberry syrup – serve on the plate Drizzle browned sage butter over pancake   [caption id="attachment_848" align="aligncenter" width="357"] Lindsay House B&B - Manawa[/caption] Owner of the Lindsay House B&B in Manawa, Judy Trull, was recently featured on Living With Amy with Fox 11 - she whipped up her recipes for Panetonne French Toast & Dreamscicle Scones. Take a peek at the recipes and the segments of the show below: Panetonne French Toast with Cinnamon Cream Syrup Dreamscicle Scones   Innkeepers at Jay Lee Inn in Elkhart Lake, Garden Gate B&B in Sturgeon Bay, and Hamilton House B&B in Whitewater have all had recipes published in the Wisconsin Bed & Breakfast cookbook, as well as many other innkeepers across the state! Here's a sample of what they offer: [caption id="attachment_2695" align="aligncenter" width="366"] Jay Lee Inn - Elkhart Lake[/caption] Jay Lee Inn: Swedish Flop 1 cup butter, divided 2 cups flour, divided 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp water 1 tsp vanilla 1 cup flour - shouldn’t this be deleted? 3 eggs Chopped nuts and/or shredded coconut Confectioners’ Sugar Frosting: ¾ cup powdered sugar 1 heaping Tbsp butter 1 heaping Tbsp Crisco ½ tsp vanilla extract 2 Tbsp milk Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut ½ cup of the butter into 1 cup of flour and mix to make coarse crumbs. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons water over the flour mixture and blend quickly with a fork. Roll or pat out dough into two long strips (about 10–12 inches) on an ungreased cookie sheet. Combine 1 cup water and the remaining ½ cup butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the vanilla. Remove from heat and beat in the remaining 1 cup flour, stirring by hand with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Spread the dough over the pastry strips and bake 55–60 minutes, or until lightly browned. (It will flop at this point.) Allow to cool slightly before drizzling with frosting. Sprinkle with your choice of nuts, coconut, or sprinkles. For the frosting: Mix together all ingredients, adding just 1 tablespoon of milk at first. Add additional milk to make frosting of desired consistency. [caption id="attachment_2696" align="aligncenter" width="377"] Garden Gate B&B - Sturgeon Bay[/caption] Garden Gate B&B: Brunch Strata 3 cups sliced mushrooms 3 cups chopped zucchini 2 cups fully cooked ham, cubed 1½ cups chopped onions 1½ cups chopped green peppers 2 garlic cloves, minced ¹/³ cup vegetable oil 3 8 oz. pkgs cream cheese, softened ½ cup half & half cream 12 eggs 4 cups day old bread, cubed 3 cups (12 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese 1 tsp salt ½ tsp pepper Sauté mushrooms, zucchini, ham, onions, green peppers and garlic in oil until vegetables are tender. Drain, pat dry and set aside. In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and cream until smooth. Beat in eggs and stir in the bread, cheese, salt, pepper and vegetable mixture. Pour into 8 individual ramkin dishes. Bake uncovered at 350°F for 35–40 minutes or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. [caption id="attachment_2697" align="aligncenter" width="402"] Hamilton House B&B - Whitewater[/caption] Hamilton House B&B: Breakfast Meatloaf 1 lb. ground chicken 1 medium Granny Smith apple, grated 1 medium onion, grated 2 cups plain stuffing croutons (I like Pepperidge Farm) 2 large eggs Parsley, thyme, and rosemary Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray pie pan or loaf pan with cooking oil. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Press evenly into pan. Sprinkle top with parsley, thyme, and rosemary. Bake for 50–60 minutes until browned. Cut into wedges and serve— good warm or cold. Variation: Can be made with any combination of ground chicken, pork, or veal.   [caption id="attachment_2701" align="alignleft" width="283"] Old Rittenhouse Inn - Bayfield[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1920" align="alignright" width="178"] White Gull Inn - Fish Creek[/caption]               Did you know that many Wisconsin B&B have chefs on staff? Inns such as Old Rittenhouse Inn in Bayfield, where they showcase the regional harvest of the Bayfield Peninsula and offer cuisines that are organically grown and locally raised, or White Gull Inn in Fish Creek, where they use only the freshest of produce and other ingredients, preparing each meal carefully to order, are just a couple of examples of inns that showcase their top-notch culinary skills. Now, if all that has made you hungry, jump to our expanded recipe section in this enewsletter and get cookin’ yourself!  

Are you ready to Seek the Unique?

 

[caption id="attachment_1831" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The photo of The Red Chair that started a phenomenon in 2011[/caption] The Red Chair Travels is coming to Wisconsin!  The WBBA is so excited to part of this phenomenon that started 5 years ago in Cape Cod, MA. Beth Colt is the innkeeper of the Woods Hole Inn on Cape Cod.   She took a picture of this red chair perched out on a frozen pond in Woods Hole in the winter of 2011.  When she posted the photo on Facebook her computer lit up with "likes" and this simple image journeyed all over cyberspace, and landed in the in-box of a California-based photographer, who was inspired to come visit the Woods Hole Inn in the off season.  When she asked to borrow the chair she was surprised; when the fruits of her labor arrived in the mail Beth was in awe. [caption id="attachment_1832" align="alignright" width="300"] Captain Freeman Inn Cape Cod, MA[/caption] The red chair became a symbol, a metaphor for connections made across invisible boundaries. In 2012 Beth contacted other Inns in Cape Cod to see if they would like to "host" the Red Chair for a few days and photograph the chair's visit.  Since then the Red Chair has visited more than 20 states in the U.S., and parts of Canada. For Beth Colt, "the red chair is an invitation to come explore yourself in a quiet and beautiful place.  It is an open seat at the table of relaxation.  It is the beckoning hand of civilization, marking the edge of the wildness of nature.  It is the dialogue between artists and innkeepers, dreamers and shop-girls, lost travelers and those that welcome them into warm beds." We know the Red Chair will feel right at home in Wisconsin and we are excited to see all the different adventures it has along the way.  Listed below is the schedule for the Red Chair Travels in Wisconsin.  Are you ready to Seek the Unique?  Book your stay at one of the participating WBBA B&B's today so you can take part in the Red Chair Travels!

Dates	Property	City
3/29-4/3	Curriers Lakeview Lodge	Rice Lake
4/4-4/8	Phipps Inn Bed & Breakfast	Hudson
4/9-4/13	Pleasant View Bed & Breakfast	Chippewa Falls
4/14-4/18	Stewart Inn	Wausau
4/19-4/22	Crystal River Inn	Waupaca
4/23-4/27	Lindsay House	Manawa
4/28-5/1	Franklin Street Inn	Appleton
5/2-5/6	Brayton Bed and Breakfast	Oshkosh
5/7-5/11	Greenway House Bed and Breakfast	Green Lake
5/12-5/16	Hidden Serenity B&B	West Bend
5/17-5/21	Honeybee Inn Bed & Breakfast	Horicon
5/22-5/25	Inn at Pine Terrace	Oconomowoc
5/26-5/29	Pedal'rs Inn Bed and Breakfast	Wales
5/30-6/3	Christmas House Bed and Breakfast	Racine
6/4-6/7	At The Lake House	Lake Geneva
6/8-6/11	Hamilton House	Whitewater
6/12-6/15	The Livingston Inn	Madison
6/16-6/19	Inn at Wawanissee Point	Baraboo
6/20-6/23	Ringling House	Baraboo
6/24-6/27	Valley Springs Farm	Reedsburg
6/28-6/31	Bowman's Oak Hill Bed and Breakfast	Wisconsin Dells
7/1-7/4	Fountain Chateau B&B	Hustler
7/5-7/8	Justin Trails Resort	Sparta

 

We’re fond of saying Wisconsin B&Bs are never cookie-cutter but many do serve cookies!  Care to add a new cookie recipe to your holiday repertoire?  How about this one from Hamilton House B&B in Whitewater for Boiled Cookies. 2 cups sugar 1/3 cup cocoa 1 stick butter ½ cup milk 1 tsp vanilla ½ cup peanut butter 3 cups quick oats Combine sugar, cocoa, butter and milk in saucepan over low heat.  Bring to a boil and continue boiling for exactly 1½ minutes. This part is important or they won’t set up. Remove from heat. Add vanilla, peanut butter and oats. Mix well. Spoon onto wax paper and cool. Try to wait until set before serving!   [caption id="attachment_910" align="aligncenter" width="200"] Yes, we know these aren't the "Boiled Cookies" from the recipe ... but rest assured that with Hamilton House B&B's breakfast looking (and tasting) this scrumptions, the cookies will be as delicious.[/caption]

Here’s a trend that’s coming on strong – amateur athletes choosing Wisconsin B&Bs when traveling for 5Ks, half-marathons, marathons, sprint triathlons, adventure races, well, you get the gist.  Makes sense when you consider B&Bs are in a rather unique position to customize just about anything a “weekend warrior” would need to be in peak condition for the competition.  In Door County, the Door County Lighthouse Inn offers to-go nourishment for the athlete and coffee cake for the athlete’s support team.  At the Hamilton House B&B in Whitewater, innkeeper Kathleen Fleming says the runners who participate in the Ice Age 50 and Kettle 100 may schedule a massage with the inn’s massage therapist, but most take ice baths in the inn’s huge tubs after the race!  If you’re heading to Oshkosh for the August 5 Olympic and Sprint Triathlon, the Brayton B&B has upscale bath amenities and beds to provide great comfort after the race.   [caption id="attachment_683" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Could there possibly be a better way to unwind after a race? (we'll include the rat race too!) Innkeeper Kathleen at the Hamilton House B&B in Whitewater says it's your choice of whirlpool therapy - steaming soothing bubbles or tingling ice for sore muscles."][/caption]