Julie's Kitchen Stories

Beware/BeFair Trip Advisor

2011-12-20T05:58:00.001-06:00

Social Media is the venue the majority of us use to, check out places where we’d like to eat, stay and go sightseeing. And, what better way to find out about a location and its food and/or beds, than considering the point of view from a 'friend' or another real person? I have added my humble opinion on various locations, and I sure hope my opinions have helped other folks. But, it can be hard to judge a property when competing local businesses sign up with a bogus name, ID, and city, for the purpose of leaving fake reviews. Usually it is easy for the owner they may be attacking, to figure it out their identities. These reviewers usually go to their own site the same day and go on and on about their food, the view, the chef, etc. The appropriate motto for these types: 'If you cannot compete, Cheat!' We currently have an appeal in the works with Google, which targets a couple obvious bogus reviews against our property, from a couple of affiliated local businesses.
On our site you might find some reviews that are almost funny. For instance, there was one poor gal who was such high maintenance after 6-8 phone calls, I had to tell her I did not think I would be able to accommodate her needs. I truly would not have been able. Her requirements for her meal, wedding and floral needs were so outrageous, I was not going to put myself in that position. I let her know BEFORE she drove up to Hannibal from STL. I saved her miles, expense and time. You can tell by her review she was upset. I would be too, if someone told me I could not hold my wedding at the venue I had pictured in my dreams. I have hosted bridezillas in the past, and do my best to avoid them whenever possible.
I guess my main concern with Trip Advisor and even with Google reviews, is the fact that the person writing the review can say anything they want, truth or not. You can be a big fat pig with a cigar hanging from your mouth, ashes falling in the food, while making their grilled cheese sandwich in your bathrobe with flip flops on. But when posting a management response, basically all you can do is apologize and ask for forgiveness for something that may have been a total fabrication. Management is not allowed to give a true account of a situation, even when unkind or derogatory remarks are unfairly left by the reviewer. Management is not allowed to defend oneself by telling what transpired. AND, it usually takes several weeks to be placed on the site once it IS accepted by the staff at Trip Advisor. So for weeks and weeks you have some convoluted review steering people away from your establishment unfairly. Luckily enough for us, we have garnered a reputation for caring about our guests, being fun innkeepers and providing an environment that is beautiful, comfortable and inviting.

The main point I would like to make: Not all 'places', whether they’re listed on 'Google Places' or Trip Advisor are treated equally. Try to dig into these horrid reviews, or the ones that are over-the-top glowing reports. Did the poster make more than one review on a different location? Sometimes you can find if they left a complete opposite one on their own site. Maybe one was left for a different city, or state. Use your own good judgment when weeding through these types or reviews, and making your decisions.

All in all, as you plan your next trip or evening out and are trying someplace new, use your bat brain Batman. Have a safe New Year and hope to see you in the 2012 year, which in Hannibal we call 20Twain. More on that later...

Winter Wonderland and Wine at Garth

2011-08-27T14:57:00.001-05:00

I will be the first one to say I hate the cold weather. But, it does give me a good excuse to turn on the fireplaces and find a good movie to watch. Even sitting in the restaurant dining room with the cold snow out the windows is not so bad if you are playing dominoes with some of the guests on a cold winter afternoon or evening. Especially if are a fab player like I am! HA.

This starts the time of year when I send John to the market to get the fresh fruits and such. Most everything else gets delivered, but being so picky on my fruits and veggies there is no alternative to hand selecting.
WINE~TOURS~TASTINGS
TASTE AND SEE

We have listened long enough to our guests and the local folks; it finally sunk in. We will be doing wine tasting at the mansion on the weekends. Saturdays 11-3 and Sundays 12-4. We have found some great wines from 5 different wineries in our fine state of Missouri. And you know what? They are pretty good wines!! Seriously, I always thought of our wines of pretty wussie wines, all sweet and just tasting like sugar.
Now that the wines are coming in, I am truly amazed at the flavors the shine through. It is not all about sugar. Boy, what a wine snob I was. Sorry Missouri.

The wines we are using are from more of the southern portion of the state. We decided not to use any of the ones from Hermann as they are pretty near here and it can be had at so many of the local grocers. What I wanted to focus on was Saint James, Montelle, Augusta, Crown Valley and Blumenhof. Several of these have been awarded more than one gold medal and best of show, etc.
My favorite for now is the St. Wenceslaus from Montelle Winery, it means Santa Claus and is a spicy wine to be served warm, cold or room temp. You cannot go wrong with this one. Just a small portion in a mug is great, too. Nice of a little night cap.
After you taste the wines, and we are not giving out thimble size tastes, we will give you a guided tour of the mansion with some of the history of the home and the Garth family. To save me washing all the wine glasses, sanitizing them and then polishing them you will take your glass home with you. I mean, you also get to keep the wine glass for a souvinier.
All wines can be purchased here and EVERY one of them are priced for less than what the wineries sell them for at their location.
Starting the weekend of the 17th of December, stop by for some great tastes and a tour of the mansion. You may purchase a bottle and sit in the restaurant and enjoy with some appetizers or take some home for gifts. Either way, you will have all of 2012 to enjoy tours, wines and good friends. Hope to see you n the New Year.
LYMI,
Julie

Cooking with Guests in the Kitchen

2011-03-24T10:23:00.000-05:00

What a blast being an innkeeper is when you love your 'job' and you have such great staff. I guess that would be perfect with most any job you chose, and I am glad I have found this one. And this is called work.
The phone rang and some business guests arriving later that evening wanted to know if they could all eat in the kitchen when they were having dinner. Sounded like fun to me! So we set everything up in the kitchen for six guests to eat, chat and add their 2 cents in on how they wanted their meat cooked and banana sauced. They were getting pretty sauced themselves as we kept making trips to the wine cellar for more wine. Simply Naked was the wine of choice for the evening, which made it fun to say they were drinking simply naked in my kitchen. All in good fun.

All my prep was done, salads made, and meat in the marinade. They are used to eating in stuffy or redneck restaurants, pubs or cafes. They can eat wherever they like and it is nice they choose to eat with us, let alone in my kitchen. We laughed so hard tears came to our eyes, as we chatted about surgeries and work, snow and plowing. Everyone has a story to tell and when you have all the time in the world you can hear them all.

I think that is what makes it nice when business travelers opt for the B&B rather that a point based system at one of the major hotels. If you do not enjoy your stay, or take one a little less than standard just so you can enjoy a few extra points to get you that great vacation, you are really missing out on everyday life. Too many business trips to just get through and miss half you life as it passes by without you even knowing it.

It reminds me of a good friend telling my son, who is a photographer, to try not taking his camera with him on vacation. He missed the entire vacation if he is always trying to 'get the perfect shot.' His whole vacation is seen through the lens instead of his own eyes and that passes by as well. He probably didn't listen as it was one of my friends, and mothers generally do not know too much. Although as he approaches 30 both his father and I are getting a little smarter.

So, if you do travel for business, try a B&B, ask for a business rate, ask if they have any rewards if you know you are going to frequent the area. Some of our best (read favorite) guests are the business folks from the hospital, General Mills, and Continental Cement. We give them free range of the place and they are happy to come and go as they please. Sometimes I even put a chef's coat on them and have them help me in the kitchen. My momma didn't raise no fool! The Tom Sawyer trick works several times here.

Cookbook is finally on its way to Garth

2011-03-06T23:00:00.000-06:00

I have only been working on it for a million years. But now the time has come to push the 'go' button and allow 'it' to be printed. Seems several times it was ready until I realized there were a few more changes or additions~just one more time. The Cookbook, the cookbook, I am talking about the ding dang recipes everyone asking to buy.
Now, I am not frogging around any more. The big ugly gray three ring binder can be pitched. They are all copied, edited by many, eaten by several and a big purple check mark on each page. Actually, an orange, green, red and purple check mark. Everyone that help edit had their own color. I just have a big sigh of relief it is over.
So...if you want to order your copy of Inn the Kitchen at the Mansion then go right ahead. If I receive your order before they arrive you will not have to pay the shipping to get it to you. They are going to be the same price as the coffee cups, $15, so you may go to the gift shop page and order from there. It is the one on the top with 'picture coming soon.' I ordered 500 and thought that was a huge amount but am quickly finding out they will not last as long as I presumed. I can always order more; that is a good thing, right?

The book has the eggy cheesy recipes, the fluted quiche, several muffins and breads and one of the guests favorite~Garth Juice.

Here's the best part~they all have names. NAMES. Each recipe has a name. I laugh when I make something up in the a.m., when I seem the most creative. Dump a little of that, and this goes with it, and lo and behold when it is served a guests always wants to know what it is called. If you read the Diary of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain, you know that Eve always wanted to name everything.

MONDAY.--This new creature with the long hair is a good deal in the way. It is always hanging around and following me about. I don't like this; I am not used to company. I wish it would stay with the other animals.... Cloudy today, wind in the east; think we shall have rain.... WE? Where did I get that word-- the new creature uses it. ~Mark Twain.

Well, a little role reversal here and I feel like Adam. Why does everything have to have a name attached to it? Well, I came up with some good ones. Or at least it fits the items.

Chocolate Extravaganza in Hannibal next weekend!

2011-03-04T11:23:00.000-06:00

March 12th is a Saturday this year. And it will go down in history as the weekend to remember how much chocolate was consumed in the city. The Historic Hannibal Marketing Council, HHMC, wanted to plan a March event. It can be quiet in our little city as the weather can go many ways. So one of the members took it upon herself to create this weekend. Dena from the Mark Twain Boyhood Home has gone way over the top. We know we have to do this each year. Everything fell into place and the chocolate idea truly is a Chocolate Extravaganza. If you are on Facebook you can see the fun things going on.
We played the Tom Sawyer trick here at Garth and convinced a repeat-guest-turned-friend to make his famous chocolate cheese cake for dessert that night. So after the festivities are over that night we will come back to the mansion and have cheesecake. Doc Block and his wife, Stephanie are great people and even if you cannot come that weekend you may watch us live in the kitchen, of course.

So, bottom line, if you like chocolate, like food, and want to enjoy a great weekend where we are finally getting some decent weather and the daffodils are popping out of the ground, then come on over to Hannibal next weekend and eat until you get sick. Oh, you can drink it, too. Many places are offering the good stuff in liquid form as well. We still have rooms and maybe one cottage. And, yes, do not worry we will find chocolate to serve and justify for breakfast, too. See you soon, julie

Peter Deneen stays and plays at Garth Mansion in Hannibal, MO

2011-03-02T08:22:00.003-06:00

Peter Deneen left our inn the other day. I think he likes us almost as much as we like him. For some reason I was able to talk him into donning a celebrity chef coat. We both had a ball. From making the dessert (2 times, we didn't make enough the first time) to each of the other courses we laughed so hard we almost cried. Jessie, our gal taking care of serving the food and waiting on the guests actually had to tell us to hold it down in the kitchen. We did have a few guests eating in the kitchen as well. They just joined in on the fun.

This is the always smiling Peter

William with his Deneen Mug

OK, so now you ask, "Who is Peter Deneen?" Well, if you have stayed at a decent B&B chances are pretty high you drank a hot beverage out of one of his mugs. Deneen Pottery, American Potter, not made in China which is AKA Cloth and Clay, is the top mug carried by innkeepers all over the country, and I am honored to call him and his family friends. They are based out of Saint Paul, MN and have taken the industry by storm. They now themselves have a cute cottage with a potter theme and a shop, whatever you call it, on site. We carry appx 30 different colors of his mugs and sell about 500 per year.

Until this week, Peter was a potter, but now he is also a Pewter Pourer. I guess if you are really good would be called a Pewtersmith, but right now we are going to stick with Pewter Pourer. Thank goodness Peter is a great potter. We have convinced his not to give up his day job. After four tries he got a fabulous spoon from a mold made in the 1600's. Pretty cool. Peter Potter Pewter Pourer. Say that five times real fast!

ASL Pewter, just south of us here, are in Louisiana. (Missouri) They, also, are the leader in their industry. The 'Hollywood' folks arrived in Williamsburg and asked for the Pewtersmith. There is not one anywhere near this historic town. The troops call in Pat and Tom Hooper in our fair state. They made all the pewter for the mini-series that was featured on HBO, John Adams. Great people! It is great feeling when you know good people you can introduce them into other good people. I think I turned them into good friends as Tom taught Peter how to pour the 700 degree liquid into beautiful plates and spoons among all the other pieces in their store.

AAA readers name Garth Mansion #1 B&B in the entire Midwest

2010-07-10T22:02:00.001-05:00

AAA Traveler Magazine's July 2010 issue listed many favorite places, eateries, parks, bakeries etc. When they shot us an email and let us know we were chosen as thee favorite bed and breakfast I about wet my pants. OK, well, it wasn't that shocking, but it was a very welcome notice.
Pretty darn cool though. Some places you can pay your money for dues and do all the required things to pass inspections to belong. Those are all very important, BUT when all is said is done it has to do with the end product. The customers. We could lower our prices, take out several of the amenities we lavish our guests, but we stuck to our guns. Give the guests a little more than they expect and it will all come out in the end. If you are a AAA member, and you are one of those nice folks that voted us the favorite inn, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

It sure seems like the news media comes in spurts. Unlike the water pipes that froze last winter ~ that just plain gushed! We were in the LA Times article a few Sundays ago. Even the Hannibal video interview started and ended with the writer chatting with me.
He was delightful gentleman and would have added more on our restaurant dinner in the evening but the museum folks decided to take him to a restaurant that is more chain-like near a hotel on the outskirts of town. The writer was able to stop for lunch at least in the historic district, which is where he said he would have rather eaten since he was doing the 'Twain thing.'
The LA Times article has been picked up by the Kansas City Star, Chicago Tribune, STL Post and many other larger publications. That just makes the phones ring more and in Hannibal we love to introduce our town to new tourist to experience "America's Hometown."
photo credit: LATimes writer Chris Reynolds

Victorian Garden Weddings at Garth Mansion

2010-06-09T21:29:00.000-05:00

Probably, or most definately, the best decision I have made in the past several years was to re-hire my full time chef to be our wedding and event planner. Erik Spence is so attune to details and specifics that it would be very hard to believe there is someone out there with as many skills as he.
Erik has been with Garth Mansion for several years first hired on as our head waiting and restaurant manager. After he trained my son and one other waitress to perfection I found out he could cook. He helped me out in the kitchen when I was between chefs and when I asked him why he didn't tell me he could do this, he responded "you didn't ask!" Well, I wasn't the one who hired him, so I did not ever really look as his resume. Boom, he was in the kitchen for the next few years.

Without wasting his experience and degree he is handling all the details of making the weddings, private parties, and off sites run smoothly. The wedding in the round is one of my favorites, as guests from each angle can see the bride and groom. This is great and the images are superb.

So his best job, I think, is planning the Garden Weddings. We have the space, the tents, the beautiful covered chairs, the huge gazebo and gardens. When you sit on 40 acres or lawns and gardens, it sure makes it easy. Do not get me wrong, indoors is great, too. We have space inside with loads of windows to see outside, but when it is a Victorian Country Wedding or Farm Wedding, Garth cannot be beat. We do the sha-bang, you just need to make sure the groom shows up. We have the rest covered from the cake to the flowers, to rehearsal dinner to the wedding meal and the last toast of the night. It is your wedding and we do help you make all the decisions you need to make it all perfect for your special day.

Cooking with Grammy Nominated John Two-Hawks

2010-05-03T19:41:00.001-05:00

We had a super weekend with a beautiful bride and groom. From the rehearsal dinner, to the huge horse and buggy and all the way to the perfect dinner~it was all fabulous. Hard to get better than that! Well, it did. We asked Grammy Nominated John Two-Hawks if would play his favorite flute for the guests at breakfast. Not only did he play wonderfully, I also schmoozed him into staying another night and being a celebrity chef with me in the kitchen on Sunday night.
It is Nurses Week and we hosted a dinner party for some wonderful ladies from Hannibal Regional Hospital. John Two-Hawks took the challenge and donned a chef's jacket and cooked right along next to me. You have to understand this is a huge deal. I actually coerced him into understanding it can be fun on the other side of the counter. For someone who states he can only cook a Marie Callender's frozen pot pie, and is serious, he found it was much more fun than he could imagine. He grilled the wedding skewers, diced up herbs and bell peppers and garnished the dinner plates beautifully. When it was time to take the meals out to the women he carried three plates in one hand like a pro. We joked that although he is a Lakota Indian, full blooded, I was still a bit nervous on allowing him to torch the creme brulee. My son says they invented fire! He sprinkled the sugar and I took over with 'Grandmother Butane' to torch the tops.

This was one of the busiest weeks we have had in a long time with party after party, event after event event, but I can truly say it was also the most rewarding week as well. We have had great dinner guests, fabulous speakers (even the doc that spoke on gout!!), wedding and topped it off with JTH. I think I have him turned on to the live cam idea and he will start that as soon as he and Peggy, his sweet wife return to Eureka Springs.
I will keep you posted on the llamas, they are driving me crazy and still hanging on tight to the babies. Will let you know when they decide to show themselves to the world. Sorry, the groom, John didn't see the delivery before they both took off for Costa Rica!

If you are crabby person, come stay at Garth!

2010-04-20T00:21:00.001-05:00

That's right! You are reading correctly. Come and stay with us if you are a crab, or just generally a snob, or how about just grouchy and unfriendly. You can stay at our wonderful Country Estate, enjoy a nice dinner for only $20 a couple when you opt for the Modified American Plan, have a great breakfast with my famous (or infamous~you can mean that in a good way, you know!) fresh fruit cup, fresh baked muffins and hot main dish. You see with the economy in the bucket right now, John will not allow me kick anyone out for not being nice, fun or friendly.
Life is too short, way too short really, to not enjoy the people whom surround you. When we first purchased the mansion we were extremely busy. We were basically running in circles and since we were 11 years younger and fresh innkeepers it was fun AND easy. But, if you stayed with us and were either rude to us or our other guests, or just acted a little too good for anybody else around you~well, just like Emeril when he was fired from his FoodNetwork show, BAM! you are gone.
Business is not the same as it was back in 1999 and the early 2000's. So, when someone has dinner here, is a bit rude to me, the owner, the other owner jumps in to take over. John basically keeps me in the kitchen so I do not cancel their card and ask them to leave. I have to stick it out.
Hmmm, let me think of the few fun ones I asked to leave. There was the gentleman who did have a wife that did not say one word. Maybe she couldn't. He was just plain rude to a cute 9 year old boy who was with his parents across the hall. The three of them had never been to a B&B and were really excited about it. Mr. Rude asked what he is suppose to do in the middle of the night when "that thing starts to cry in the middle of the night." GONE
Oh, there was the guy (late 70's) that said I told him his room was on the first floor, and he insists it is not. He was just sure I told him it was on the the main floor. Why would I tell him that? He would find out, duh, when he checked in. So, when he took a swing at me, my son, Sean and I both asked him to leave.
The film producer checking in seven hours early when guests were still in his suite? Well, when we found he was going to be shooting photos for really young girls for their portfolios~ uh, we just never let him check in. And I also called the rest of the inns on his list of reservations across the country to let them know what he was doing. I even kicked out a police officer from Mexico, Missouri with an attitude. It is the same on the restaurantcam where it tells you "Be nice or be gone, we only have fun here."
It has been easier over the years to put up with the crabby people. I look at them differently now. They have to be so miserable. Sometimes folks can only be satisfied if they can make others as unhappy as they are. Seems a sad way to live. I know for certain that if I kill them with kindness and just overlook (really just pretend to not see it, there is a difference) the rudeness they are showing towards me they might, just might, take a tad bit of sorrow (or sour) out of their personality. We never know what someone goes through on a daily basis, what their thoughts are or what news has just struck them. So, when someone pops an attitude toward you, try to see if they have some underlying issues. Maybe they just received some really bad news, maybe they skipped several days of kindergarten and didn't learn those little things. No matter, just be kind, and at the end of the day they just might remember the niceness you showed them. One couple called us early one morning to cancel their upcoming 2 nights for the next two nights. I asked her to promise to come and stay with us sometime and I would not charge her a cancellation. She said OK. But, I made her say it out loud and repeat after me, "I will come and stay and have a good time someday." And she did. Well, 4 o'clock rolls around and that very couple rings the door bell. She said I was so nice on the phone and they had been traveling for 2 weeks and were just worn out. They just wanted to get home. But because I was so nice to her and slightly funny she thought that maybe it is was just what they needed. So they took a vacation from their vacation and just unwound for 2 nights and three days. THEN they went home and did laundry! They were so sweet, and even bought quite a bit in my little gift shop. Just give a little TLC even if you do not feel like it.

Treat your family like company, and your company like family and the world will be a better place. Just remember here at Garth we pay close attention to the warm cookies and cold milk on Robert Fulghum's list.

Uh, and no baby llamas, yet. We keep looking. We are on llama alert here every hour during the daylight hours. They generally have them in the daytime. Stayed tuned.

Hoards amount of Twain 2010 and Garth Mugs Delivered

2010-04-17T11:17:00.001-05:00

Hoards of mugs arrived by the cases at Garth Mansion today, and as usual Julie gave the UPS driver a handful of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies for the heavy delivery. The Twain 2010 mugs are a limited edition~making only 2,010 mugs. You can only buy them here or you can buy them downtown at the Main Street Kitchen Store. Those mugs come in the two most popular colors, a shiny black or a satin fieldstone. Over 24 pairs of hands touch each piece, starting from a lump of shapeless clay to a finished, twice fired, piece of Deneen Pottery.

The Garth mugs came in as well with all the new colors Deneen Pottery formulated. It is pretty hard to bake colors in red, that is why they are so rare in the pottery world. They have messed with it for awhile and it turned out great. We also have some dark chocolate colored ones, as well. Black use to be my favorite, but this red and chocolate combos are pretty cool. I realized at breakfast this a.m. the red ones are the same colors as the walls in the restaurant. We call it tanager, after the bird.

I do not know what I was thinking the other day when I went to the market. I know you should never shop for food when you are hungry. But, they were discontinuing their supplier of bagels so they could private label their own. So they were selling them at cost. You know who bought 4 boxes of bagels. Now, in reality this would not have been so bad, if each box did not have Nine (9) dozen bagels in each box. I don't add real fast, but let me tell you it is more bagels than most people want to have in their freezer. The worst of this whole situation is the fact that we do not even SERVE bagels at Garth Mansion. IF you know of a great French Toast recipe for them, please post it here. Then email me and I will send you a dozen bagels. A good friend of mine suggested that I sell the mugs at the Kitchen Store with a free cup of coffee in them and give them a bagel with cream cheese on it. I am not that desperate yet, but don't put it past me.

P.S. No baby llamas as of yet.

Who inspected your last overnight getaway?

2010-04-15T11:53:00.003-05:00

You would be surprised on how many people do not ask the most important ?? there is. Is the place you choose to stay inspected by anyone? Especially for lodging safety and issuing them a true lodging license? We travelers just assume (and we all know how to spell THAT) the state is taking care of those important issues. Well, they do to a certain extent.

The state of Missouri does not have tons of money. They limit the inspection process only to inns or other establishments if they have 5 or more rooms. If you have under 5 rooms, they feel there are no issues, no ptomaine poison, dirty kitchens or fire hazards. Our state associations helps with this greatly, they do send inspectors to check you out. Make sure you have fire extinguishers, basic cleanliness, no animals in the kitchen, etc. The state goes one step further making sure you adhere to the food, kitchen, and fire escapes issues, and hard wiring smoke alarms etc. Did you know that smoke alarms only last 5 yrs or so? Changing the batteries is not enough. Just means they have fresh batteries. Get some smoke in a can and see what happens if you spray that on it; will it go off?

In Hannibal, MO all the hotels have a lodging license. Three of ten or so B&B's have them. One is not required to have one, but choose to have one anyway. Just because the state does not require it, does not mean you cannot have one. These are the ones where their business is real to them. No holds barred here. Rules are rules, don't skimp on health issues. It is easy for me to refer folks to these other places, one is a former brothel with little if any interaction with the innkeeper and they have a restaurant as well as us. The other is a B&B closer to what we have here at Garth, except they are downtown and are not able to offer some of the extras we do here.
I try to field the calls when potential guests are just calling around and asking simple questions. I will flat out tell them to ask the right questions when they call the other places. It might not seem important to them at the time, but it really is after they check in and are trying to decide if they should check out, go home, just put up with it for one night or find another place that late.
So, here are my most important questions I suggest you ask when calling or perusing a website of inn if you do not see the answer already. Read #7, one inn here in Hannibal thinks if you are in the bathroom, it is private. There is a door on it, isn't there? They think that makes is private. Not me! Ouch! Shared is different to them.

#1. Do they have a lodging license by the state they are in? Who inspects them? Health, fire, city, etc.?
#2. Is there someone on site 24/7? (What if you need 911 and you do not have the address? Cell phones do not always tell the operator where you are.)
#3. Are there animals inside the building?
#4. Are they flexible with check-in and out times?
#5. Off street parking or parking lot?
#6. Ask about WiFi, this will make a difference with some cell phone coverage.
#7. Is your bath really private? or is it shared with another room?
#8. Where is breakfast served. Same building? Our smaller cottages walk to the main building here.
#9.Central heat and air or are they the box things in the windows?
#10. Is there smoking allowed inside? Don't take this one for granted. I even ask if the innkeepers smoke.
Another way is to make sure they belong to a serious group of inns. We belong to the Diamond Club, which is a group of selected inns by BedandBreakfast.com and their association of over 300 inns. There are only 92+ inns chosen on here. And if they are here, you know they are exceptional. All the amenities you can think of having are required; we have those plus more. Can't beat our engraved toothbrushes, but that is another blog.

Hannibal, MO ~ a LIVE Kitchen, Llama's Close to Deliver and Field Trips

2010-04-07T18:28:00.001-05:00

Yes, it is true, you can see the bed and breakfast live~usually 24/7 - on the internet. There is a slight delay with approximately 1200 to 1500 people a day logging onto the site. If you want to join in on the conversation or ask me, Julie a question; log on and if I have my glasses in the kitchen and saran wrap on the laptop I can easily answer you.

I have made some good friends lately, and hopefully given quite a few people some good laughs. Frequently, I have been turning the camera on the laptop so the viewers can get a better view of the food and plates I am sending out to the breakfast then the dinner guests. Since we are fully wireless at the mansion I can unplug the laptop and take it out to the back pasture so people can check on the llamas with me. You see, both of our llamas are pregnant and we are hoping to be able to catch them with the laptop. They are due any time now. Not a usual thing for a kitchen cam, but hey, we are a B&B and nothing is set in stone. Here is the youngest llama, Cookie, just after I delivered her three years ago.
This morning, after the llama check, I headed down to our store on Main Street, Hannibal. We joked and said we were taking a another field trip with the class. Not to the pasture for a llamas, but to the store itself. The muffins I made at breakfast were brought downtown and given out as samples. I even sold a couple of the muffin cookbooks as a result of the chocolate/coconut muffins. They ARE good ones. (That is part of the reason I took them downtown; I didn't want to eat on them all day!)
Either field trip yiou would like to make with me, click on over, and hopefully we can catch on of the llama births, or take another field trip around the mansion property. Early am is bfast and later in the day in dinner. Thank goodness llamas usually birth out during the middle of the day. Keep close...

April 23rd-25th! Girl's Weekend in Hannibal

2010-04-05T11:58:00.008-05:00

This is the year Garth Mansion is giving out money. Not the normal six $2 bills, but 50 of them. Add that up, go ahead, you will think I am crazy, but, we are giving out $100 for each gal to spend downtown. It is costing us a little more to do it this way. But, I do have my motives, keep reading.

Usually, during Girl's Weekend, Garth Mansion gives out bags with loads of goodies we have collected for the women to explore and have fun comparing who got what. There are mugs, robes, bath cover-ups, kitchen items from our Main Street Kitchen Store downtown. It adds up to be quite a bit. This year, Hannibal, along with most every city in our country, is more quiet. You see, instead of us giving the women just the normal six - $2 bills and by giving them more, the downtown merchants will have a little more business. If they survive, then I survive; even helping a little bit helps each other. I only hope you spend SOME of it at our store.
So, the deal is easy, each gal spends $279, the same price as last year. In return, they get two nights lodging, pizza pajama party on Friday night with prizes for wildest P.J.'s, cooking class on Saturday, 50 $2 bills for their retail therapy downtown, dinner on Saturday night with voted upon chick flick and late check-out on Sunday morning. There are only two requirements. 1. You must be fun. 2. Rates are based on double occupancy. That's it.
Most, if not all, the shops downtown each run specials and giveaways. There are several raffles, too. All in all a great time is had by all the women, several gals make new friends and only see each other when they come back year after year.
Look real hard and see if you can find a friend or two and either come up to Hannibal or down to Hannibal, either way you will have fun and with the free money you are sure to have a good time. We will see how nuts I am if we do this again. Make your reservations online or call us the old fashioned way, we'll take care you. Oh, looking for the dates? April 23rd-25th. Starts on Friday and ends Sunday morning. Hope to see some new faces this year! 888-427-8409.

The Bunny Cake

2010-04-04T12:10:00.000-05:00

Each year for almost 25 years, maybe more, my husband, John and the boys have made the dreaded bunny cake. It started when I taught my husband to make the fluffy white frosting. You know the seven minute type that lasts only one day. The cake lasts only one day, so no matter. The frosting is great; this is still the only thing he makes in the kitchen worth eating. The cake, on the other hand, is a box cake. For some reason, I hate those things. It is just a flat waste of calories, carbs and fat. As I type this he brings me a cup of coffee, he does make the beverages at the inn, so I guess that counts, too.

But, the cake has become almost a holy tradition along with Easter Sunday and all its festivities. It does not matter that he uses wastes almost two bags of coconut and loads of candy. The first year our oldest was off to military school, just Sean and John made the cake; they talked of Jeff missing out on the fun, and I am was saying he is the lucky one. Well, Jeff loves the dang thing just as much. They took a picture and electronically sent it off to the missing sibling. So, hence, they still take the shot and this year sent it off to Baghdad to him again.
I love all three of my boys, and now with the grandson it is four. I am so glad they have this manly tradition that started purely by accident with me teaching John the fluffy frosting recipe. It is really good. I hope your family has a wonderful Easter Dinner spent with family and/or friends. We'll miss my son eating with his buddies in Iraq, as will his wife as well. He will be home soon and will come home for an Iron Man competition in Missouri. I just hope nobody gets the smart idea to make another cake for the occasion.

Fluffy White Frosting

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup water

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 dash salt

2 egg whites, unbeaten (if your eggs are small use three)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine sugar, water, cream of tartar and salt in saucepan.

Bring to boiling, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Very slowly add sugar syrup to unbeaten egg whites in mixing bowl, beating constantly with electric mixer until stiff peaks form (about 7 minutes).

Beat in vanilla.

Frosts tops and sides of 2 8-in.

or 9-in.

layers, 1 10-in.

tube or 1 9x13 pan.

April Fool's Day

2010-04-01T08:38:00.000-05:00

In this optical illusion, if you follow the movement of the rotating pink dot with your eyes, the dots will remain only one color, pink. However, if you stare at the black + in the center, the moving dot will turn green.

Keep concentrating on the black + in the center of the picture. After a short period, all the pink dots will slowly disappear and you will only see a single green dot moving in a circle.

Spring is Sprung

2010-03-30T13:52:00.003-05:00

Spring Breaks have started and the folks from the colder northern states and beyond are traveling south to Missouri~where the weather is a balmy 70+ degrees.
This we switched the dining at night a bit. We have added a Modified American Plan for our overnight guests and closed the restaurant to the traveling public. Now, that does not mean we are not open for weddings, reunions and many other private parties, we still do loads of those. But, when we opened the restaurant a little over 5 years ago we thought it would bring lots of visitors and give the locals some other choices to dine. Well, it did. But, it also allowed them to enjoy the grounds, the foods and as John would give tours of the first floor after dinner, it did not help the inn business. Once we realized (and remembered) the true reason we built the addition, we decided to go back and take care of our overnight guests first.

Being a special treat to our staying B&B guests allows us more time to visit with them and hear their stories of travels and enjoy their company. We are now realizing that we made a smart choice. If they want to enjoy the MAP, it is a mere $20.10 (here is the corny part for the day~2010 is the 'Year of Twain') for both people. For two nights it is just $42.50 included taxes. That is both people! We quite often have the guests eat in the kitchen, if they like. This is a blast, I really enjoy it and they have fun as well. As long as they are aware the kitchen is 'LIVE' 24/7, and the back of their heads show we are good to go. The guys have a hard time with this as their bald heads for some reason look a little more bald. Really they are the same, but we try to make them feel better, the camera is just at the angle, sorry guys! They look better than Twain in this picture with his nightshirt on. We DO have nightshirts in the rooms for the guests, but really prefer them to wear the nice robes as well, if they must, to bfast. You should see some of the legs!
So come and stay with us, eat in the kitchen if you like, call your friends from here so they can see you online or hide in the dining room away from the camera. As you rest, you can rest assured, you will have a relaxing time and wish you took three instead of only two nights away.
Off to the Kitchen Store, my turn to visit with the shoppers! Check out the book on muffins at the site. I use it most every day.

Daffodils

2010-03-25T18:32:00.003-05:00

I love the first few days when the daffodils just start to pop. It just does something to your soul. Yeah, yeah, another corny crack coming from Julie. But, I just took a short walk down the path by the pond to see if any of the morels are starting to come up. Of course, it is way too early for them. A few warm days does not make the morels shoot up, you need a few warm nights as well. BUT, walking down there I saw a huge mass of the daffodils in full bloom. Each year I tread down there and dig a 'mess' of them up and bring them closer to the house where I and the guests are more likely to see them. It sure seems like the more I dig up the more come up down that hill.
Then there was the bear print I saw on the way back to the mansion That was really awesome. Almost as scary as the snake we saw in the wine cellar in the mansion. For a laugh, head over to the site and watch that one. It is the third one down.
OK, back to the daffodils, sorry, (ADD) I have already taken a few clumps and put them in front of the Main Street Kitchen Store downtown. It is too cold to put out the summer flowers so this will work out great. Now, here is where the normal, if possible, Julie comes in. I am taking some of the clumps and bringing them to my friends Mike and Ann that own the Native American Trading Company a few doors down from my store. This way I just might get some goodies from his store. They have the best stuff, and is without a doubt the most successful store downtown.
The Native American Store does not just have Indian things in it. It is loaded with jewelry, cool mocassisn, teas and soaps and musical instruments. I send many of our guests to Mike's store as I know he will treat my guests well and they always come back happy during show and tell at the end of the shopping day.
So if you are coming anytime soon, make sure you bring a pot, if you like, and I will share a clump of the daffodils with you. The green tops just appearing now are the Naked Ladies, everyone loves to see the Naked Ladies at the Garth in the garden. That tidbit will come in August. The peonies are soon. Just depends on where you are from if you call them Pee-OH-nees, or pee-ah-nees. I prefer the latter, myself. Dinner is 20 minutes out see you in the kitchen....

The Llamas are close

2010-03-18T08:15:00.003-05:00

Cookies and Cream is the youngest of our two llamas by just about 3 years old. She along with Alexa (Lexi) will both have baby llamas, called a cria, in about 4 weeks. We had Carlo here, from Dark Hollow Farms for a healthy visit last April 2009. He was just under two years old. We were a little nervous if it 'took.'
I poked around outside checking for the morel mushrooms yesterday and the girls came poking around to see what I was doing. I scratched the llamas' backs and had a nice friendly visit with them. Their bellies are getting larger and unless I just want to see really bad, it looks like to me they are getting a little chubby. I think I even saw the babies moving around in there.
So now we are trying to figure out a way to get a LlamaCam out in the pasture. The pasture is about an acre and a half and if they do like the last llama, they will head to the flattest area at the back of the field.

They usually have the crias in the middle of the day when it is the warmest, so checking for them is generally easy. The restaurant is all windows and we will all be on llama duty as the day approaches. I delivered the last one; pulling her out so it would not be too difficult for the mother. She was 15 days overdue so she carried the baby one year and one day. It is usually 11 1/2 months. So, if you want to take a chance on seeing them deliver, come on out and stay with us in the middle of April, or if you just want to see the little crias, come and see us late April through the end of the year.
Since it is the "Year of Twain" I guess we should find someway to name them with a Twain insparation. We have no idea if they are girls, boys, or one of each. If you have an idea of a name, go ahead and add a comment here. Believe me, we will need some help with ideas. But, please, do not think we even consider Tom and Becky as names. That is just a little to hokey for even me.
Keep an eye out on our site for updates on their arrival, or better yet, sign up for our E-Club for special promos and annoucements. We are really excited to expand our family and see what the grandbaby thinks of the little llamas.
Take care~julie

Green Pie for St. Paddy's Day and Daddy's Day!

2010-03-17T08:06:00.003-05:00

Growing up, if it is your birthday, you could choose, within reason, your special dinner and pick your cake flavor. I did not grow up in a wealthy ($$wise) home but there was not a home that had more love in any other family than ours. Corny as it sounds we were rich with love. I know, gag me, but true.

I do not think any of us five siblings can remember the main course we opted for; the only reason I even remember we DID have a choice was because of my older sister Kelly. Her birthday is on Nov 27th. Now, you must also know that if it is your big day, you also did not have to do dishes. She ALWAYS chose liver and onions. Flippin gross for everyone else in the family. We hated it. Huge amounts of mashed potatoes were eaten to help disguise the taste. Now, we could also pick what color we wanted those potatoes. Any color you like, except blue, my father would not allow us to have blue mashed potatoes. You should see my face as I even type this! Yuck. Once in a while her birthday would fall on Thanksgiving Day. Just as bad. You see there were tons of dishes and she got out of doing them all. It was either loads of dirty dishes for the rest us or eat liver and onions. Both bad deals.
So, now on St. Patrick's Day, it's my Dad's birthday. Today he is 80 years old. His choice for his birthday cake was never a cake. It was a pie. Lemon Meringue and tinted green for the day. My mother could make a mean pie and crust. I do as well, I must have inherited the trait. You could almost say we are very pious people. So, in honor of my father, we will have lemon meringue pie, also green, for this special day. Happy Birthday, Dad.

Guests you wish would never leave

2010-03-16T23:14:00.000-05:00

Many innkeepers (if not all) have a few guests we wish would leave or at least not come back. Garth Mansion, on the other hand, has so many guests we hate to check out. Take Don and Brenda, they are wonderful guests from Freeburg, that come on a regualr basis with so much talent. Brenda can read music where you need eleven fingers and Don can just play whatever he hears or wants to hear. The Steinway Square Grand really purred. We were up until midnight last night in the music room. I just wish I could carry a tune.
I think they have finally picked their favorite room. On this visit the chose the Rosewood Room, which has a clawfoot tub along with the fireplace. It is a nice room, maybe my favorite, as it has windows from three different directions. Being the most expensive in the state of Missouri that you can sleep in helps, too. It is because it is made by a company which at the time was in Cincinnati, OH and is actually signed and dated 1871. Pretty cool! Made entirely out of rosewood and hand carved black walnut, it is a beauty.
Several guests make innkeeping so much fun, like have company every night. There is Leslie and Bubba, Bob and LuAnn, Bob and Karen, Geoff and Renee, Annie and Jay, Terry and Allyson, Dennis and Steph, John and Debbie, Gisela, Patty and Ed, gosh I could go on and on. (Usually I do!) Hugs from first time guests is one of the best compliments you can get. But, remember, we are not your new best friends if you are coming to get away from it all. We truly understand the folks who are escaping from it all and want nothing but each other. We do not take it personally and are so glad you chose us for your escape from reality. Come back and make it often. Mention you want to visit in the kitchen and we will try to make that happen, just remember you will be live on the internet, so make sure you are coming with whom you are suppose to being traveling. When we say the KitchenCam is live we mean 'live.'
Maybe in a future blog I will tell you of the guests we did NOT want at all, and we asked them to leave. Now those are some good over dinner stories.
Catch you later...julie

Winter

2010-02-19T07:35:00.000-06:00

It is still winter, it is still cold, but the great thing about coming to stay at Garth is my husband's addiction to his lawn mower/plow. It is a little orange Kubota and if there is a touch of snow out there he is on it. Literally. He has found his calling. It was not in buying and negotiating jets, bombers transport planes for the Air Force. His acquisition field actually transferred to the snow, ice and salt. If you ask him, he will tell you a completely different story. He hates the snow, hates the cold, blah de blah de blah.
He does think, and there are several other males that stay with us who will swear to this as well, you need to remove the snow off the driveway BEFORE some drives on it. (Or even steps on it) If you do not it will turn to ice on that portion and is almost impossible to remove without the temp and sun.
John has had plenty of opportunity to use his mini tractor this winter. Rest assured if you do stay with us this winter, or even the winter of 2010 several months from now. you will not have any problem getting up the driveway, getting to town, or walking to your car. Heck, he even scrapes the windows of all the guests before he heads in for the morning.
My youngest son, Sean, bought me for Christmas one year a jacket. I offered it to John, but he refuses to wear it when plowing. You see, it plugs in and charges up. The jacket, not the plow. It has wires going up and down the front and back of it and when turned on it heats up. Boy, it is nice and toasty. And now that I think of it I am going to put it on now, my office is a little toasty.
Check out the dates on our site and see if there is some time you can stay with us before the snow totally goes away. Remember to take a room with a fireplace and you can build as many fires as you wish. No need to head into town if you just want to snuggle~or take a spin on John's mower, I mean plow.

Valentine's Day revisited

2010-02-15T16:31:00.002-06:00

We are able to indulge more men with brownie points when Valentine’s Day falls on a Wednesday. In this way we fill up with lovers on the weekend before and the weekend after. My husband and I crossed the Donner Pass 31 years ago on Valentine’s Day. He was stationed in the Air Force at Mather Air Force Base in Sacramento, CA. We did have a prenuptial agreement, although it was not in writing. It was to make sure I received two gifts on this special day. One for the anniversary and one for the Hallmark holiday. Today? When most gals yearn for the special gifts they feel they deserve on either of those days, I truly do not want anything. I want world peace. Ok, I really think it is cheating when you give and receive gifts when you are told by retail gods. Just bring me little things throughout the year here and there.

But, let me tell you something! We have guests that have been coming each year on this weekend for 10 years now. They, of course, are aware it is our anniversary. They brought us this year the most unusual gift. It comes from Holland and is a Chocolate Wine. I know, the two do seem to mix in one bottle. It is ok to have wine and chocolate, but, wine and chocolate mixed? Well, let me tell you, it is great. I was pleasantly surprised. I drank one bottle myself while I cooked dinner for a houseful of guests. Then low and behold, another couple coming that same weekend brought me the same thing! So, nonetheless, I will try to find the distributor and sell it in our restaurant; a great novelty drink, for sure.

Our guests know they are coming back next year; when they arrive they immediately make sure they are in the books and in the computer for their next stay. They are also smart guests, knowing they will receive the same pricing on the rooms as they are today. Some inns will tell you it is pending the annual room increase. We like to give the guests a break for giving us the compliment of a return visit each year on the day they fell is so special to them. Yeah, I know it is hokie, Return to list of postsbut I love repeat guests. They are just as excited to see us as we are them. Admitting there are repeat guests we do not easily recognize as they hole themselves in their rooms. That's ok, they came for other reasons than to taste our new chocolate wine and such.

40#

2009-10-03T22:39:00.000-05:00

We are frequently asked how long we have been at Garth Mansion. Rarely asked how long we haved 'owned' Garth Mansion. I guess the guests must see it that even though we do own (really the bank does, we just own the first floor) we are really just caretakers until the next people come in to take care. I used to say eight years, or 'into the tenth year'. But, for some reason, when someone asked me last night I answered "Forty pounds ago.' Sure it has been over ten years, but even more significantly, it has been 40#.
Weight after 40 (years, not pounds) does make a difference.
One of our contractors told us he loses weight by just cutting out his wine until he is back down. Others have told me dairy. I cannot take out the half and half from my morning coffee. I guess I can the wine and the Smirnoff Tuscan Lemonade.. Then, of course, the exercise. Let's not even go there now.
This is my with my two boys before we bought the mansion. I have printed the picture and depending on how clear it shows in the light you might see it 'live' on the KitchenCam. Maybe if I keep it out it will help me watch those calories and carbs. Tomorrow I will toss out the old clothes I wore ten years ago. Even if I do lose the weight, I will want new. I will even get up in the a.m. and STAND on the scales. I am going to try 'for real' this time. Wish me luck.

Live in the Kitchen

2009-09-29T20:45:00.001-05:00

Roasted Onion Garlic Jam

2009-09-28T22:51:00.005-05:00

I made some fabulous Roasted Onion Garlic Jam this evening. We sell a slightly sweeter version at the Kitchen Store, but this recipe is actually a tad better. I had only three large onions so I could only make the single recipe. Quite odd for me as I am most likely to double if not triple any recipe I try. This one came from a gal I follow on Twitter. Kathy (AKA @Paninikathy) Her blog page is http://paninihappy.com/ so you know what her fav is!

So the recipe can be found here. I first put it on some toasted french bread. Fabulous. After dinner when it was my turn to forage what was not ordered for the night, I tossed a couple of tablespoons of this wonderfully thick concoction into the mashed potatoes.

You cannot even imagine how wonderful it was. Next to the beef tenderloin (MR) ~ a match made in heaven. Want an easy way/hint on how to tell the temp of that wonderful tenderloin without cutting into it? Don't tell me to temp it with a therm, I cannot see those tiny little numbers on those. I even sell the ones with big numbers at the store and they are not BIG enough for me. Try this easy and fun test:

Tomorrow's food order goes in with an additional 50# of onions. I am going to make a mother load of this. Can you imagine it mixed with heavy cream and using it for a sauce on pork tenderloin? I always have loads of cream cheese and they are getting together, too.
I am going to get in bed before 11 at least two nights this week. Remember you can always watch me live (and laugh with me or at me, I do not care) in my kitchen. Take care. 142
~julie

Help only when needed and try not to say 'I told you so' later

2009-09-21T21:47:00.001-05:00

If I can just remember that two positives make a positive and one positive and 1 negative make a negative I will stay ahead. OK, forget it! I was back in high school today sparring with folks with lots of negative energy.
Today I decided to stay home from now on, not literally, of course.
So a new leaf. New direction. My own back yard. We have the best community in Hannibal, and I am going to focus on sharing my knowledge of 'America's Hometown' with others across the 'fruited plane.' I can't believe I just said that.
We have a writer in Hannibal this past week, he loves it so much he is here 3 days past his planned departure. For some reason he won the Willy Wonka Golden Ticket and is staying in the Boyhood Home. That's right, thee Boyhood Home of Mark Twain aka Sam Clemens. Not sure who the last one was, but it was about 97 years ago that someone actually spent the night. Neal Moore, the writer, will sleep on the floor, not the bed Sam rested. Pretty cool. I find it a little funny he does not tweet. I told Neal to stop by the store and I will give him a little insight on Twitter and why, especially as a writer why he needs to be doing this simple task throughout the day.

We were asked to make his dinner and deliver it to the home. So I made some great pork tenderloin with midwest veggies and potatoes with loaded cheeses and bacon. Of course I also had ice cream and chocolate cake! One of Mark Twain's favorite desserts. (Ok, I just made that up, but it sounded good!) ++

OMG! one more thing, thanks to my little boy (6'4") for my new little two inch logitech pink mouse. My other wired one was driving me crazy! Thanks Seany Dawg. 143 way past the coffee pot.

Fat and Sassy in Detroit Airport

2009-09-13T16:16:00.001-05:00

Michigan is home to me. The western part of the state, but at least I am still in the real portion, which is the lower half. Not the part we won in the Toldeo War-the UP.I am traveling today. The day started out early, I mean real early. With most of the breakfast made the night before, John and I only needed to rise and shine at 6 a.m. Our peach french toast made more famous with the addition of butterscotch schnapps in the base instead of the called for 'water.' (Always use butter, never the margarine.) I made the muffins while John made a hundred pots of coffee (my mother told me million times not to exaggerate.) I remembered the travel writer, Cindy, could not have blackberies so I made blueberries ones for her.
Ok, so I catch my plane, after the lady next to me had a panic attack and left the plane. Of course, the plane was checked to see if she left anything behind - leave that to YOUR imagination.
So, now I am sitting in the Westin Restaurant, Dema, at the Detroit airport. The food is wonderful, although I'm sure some foodie snob would find fault with something, they always do.
The crabcake was great but the chipotle ranch sauce was fab. Salad of baby bibb lettuce makes me want to order that next week for our ever changing menu. Maytag bleu cheese is closer to Hannibal than to Detroit, but they still have it here! I used to hate bleu cheese until I had the real thing. After a glass of Cabernet I ordered some potatoe gnocchi with grilled veggies. Cardinal sauce was the base and I should have figured out it would be red with the name. Duh!
As I sit here stuffed, all twittered out, most papers read through for tomorow's meeting, my waitress convinced me to order the deep fried cheesecake.
Their kitchen is open and I want to shoot over and sneak a closer look. The grass is always greener on the other side. Will snap a photo and insert it in here after I get home.
I am stuffed to the gills and if the beds are good as the ones we have at the mansion, I should sleep well. No, it is not a mansion, but someone else is taking care of me for a change. It feels good. Thanks Sheena for hold up the fort with Dad.

Fried Potatoes

2009-09-11T22:38:00.003-05:00

My son called today while I was at the Kitchen Store. He wanted help with making hash browns. He had some cooked and not quite what he wanted. His were stuck to the bottom of his pan and not fully cooked and the pan was a mess. I hoped I helped him with my advice for his next batch.

He leaves in a few days to go for training with the Army; he is in the Air Force and being deployed with the USArmy to Baghdad. He will be there for four months. He volunteered so he could do his part a little closer than what his actual duty would normally. He is a great son; please say several prayers for him, his wife and the rest of our family while he and his new found commrads fight for our rights.
When he comes home I will make him some of those fried potatoes.
Thank you,
Julie
AKA Jeff's mom

Main Street Kitchen

2009-09-08T23:03:00.009-05:00

I bet several people do not know that I also own a kitchen store in downtown Hannibal. As if the bed and breakfast are not enough to do we open a restaurant on site, and after a few years ta da! Main Street Kitchen.
John was in the Air Force our entire married life until we the bought Garth Mansion B&B nine months before he officially retired in 2000. Before that we moved the standard every four years. Behold four years go by and since we did not want to move, we built a fairly huge cottage. Four more years we build the restaurant and two more cottages. This is similar to moving as it entails building and shopping for for furniture and such. Then comes a few more years and I decided I wanted to do just a little more. There is a great inn in Wisconsin. The White Lace Inn, well, Dennis and Bonnie have this inn and SHE has a store downtown, so I always thought if she could do it, so could I.

Hence, we now own a building and have a cute little kitchen store. Similar to a William Sonoma, but we actually greet and acknowledge you when you enter. The average time for someone to do this at any other housewares department store or Wm. Sonoma-type shop is 17 minutes. We make sure that does not happen with us. We do get several celebs coming to shop with us, too. Here's one you might recognize. ALTON BROWN!

Ok, so my point, I worked the store today and the yesterday-all day long. Whew! Open to close. This would not have been too bad, but I also did breakfast for 20 people first, then dinner each night as well. I did not know if I was coming or going. I made the chocolate cream brulee at the store as there is a full kitchen. Made the place smell wonderful. I was busier than a hornet, or however it goes. Best part of the whole thing? I loved it. I do my best work under pressure, under deadlines, you name it.
After dinner I chatted with the guests about Trip Advisor-a whole other post when I have lots of time- and a few other tidbits of discussion went on. More great people that are here for three nights. Ten o'clock rolls in and the last of the guests check in and they even want dinner that late at night. Ribeye and Mahi-Mahi get thrown on the grill with fresh asparagus. I chat with them over their dinner. They are innkeepers from Chicago, so lots of fun discussions again.

The rest of the week I open the store but am only there until 1-ish. Jerry, our savior, best employee, sweetest guy with the nicest of wives, will close. Sheena, my daughter-in-law will be back from vacation soon.
We are expecting lots of mechandise this week, and I am sure I will find lots of good things to take home. Even though I own the place, Sheena still makes me pay for everything. At least I make her give me a good discount! Many of our items are online at the store and we ship several days a week. Lots of good items and we try to keep as many 'Made in America' products as possible.
Hmmm, Nordic Ware, the Bundt pan folks, ChopStir (one of the only things invented by a man), Wind and Willow, oven liners and spices- many are from the good ole US of A.
I am beat, but 6 a.m. tomorrow I will be ready to jump up and start another day of innkeeping/chefing/shopkeeping then chefing again for another big group at dinner. Anything I would do different? Maybe have my own secret garden area where I can have coffee and think for five minutes before the phones start to ring and emails start calling me from the late night before. Nah, I would just get up before the five minutes and start doing something else more important at the time.

2009-09-07T21:26:00.002-05:00

We had such a wonderful time this weekend with asking for only repeat guests to stay with us over the Labor Day Weekend. A couple of others were allowed to stay with us as they promised to fun loving folks and play party games with us. If you happened to log on to the kitchencam you saw us in the kitchen and I also moved the camera into the dining room. Ribeye steaks on the grill, fresh asparagus and for dessert one of the guests~Dr. Dennis made a wonderful peaches and cream cheesecake. Fabulous.

One couple got engaged during the dinner hour; I hid her diamond ring (with emeralds) in a box of cracker jacks. Dawn found it, John got on his knee and proposed and we all cried and laughed at the same time. Poor John, he tried to put the ring on the wrong hand!
Saturday night was just as fun as except there was no dancing and singing; we tried to keep in down. Don and Brenda brought their parents and they are the sweetest couple, married for 59 years, and you just want to adopt them. With such wonderful guests we sure know on weekends like this on why we run and own a B&B.
So, if you have stayed with us before, or just promise to be fun, plan on the Hallow-wine Weekend. We want to have pumpkin cheesecake <> and a hay ride. No, the llamas are not going to be the ones pulling the wagon. But I am sure they will be watching us close at the bon fire later that night. Come join in on the merriment.

Guts

2009-09-02T23:54:00.004-05:00

Well, I did it. I was not really sure it was time, but I was told to do it and I did it.

All the folks in the community do not really know that I have attached, hard wired even, a camera in my kitchen. It will be hard for them not to find out now. If you log on some days and the chat portion is turned off, it is due to some dorks typing inappropriate messages to each other from somewhere in the world. I had the link hidden on our web site now for several months. Tonight, my son, Sean, and I put the link on the home page. Not at the bottom, but right at the top for all to see. Now I really have to be good, not with the food, that is not a big deal, but with chatting. About friends, neighbors, Christmas presents, and little spats here and there. The worse one is when I sing, just turn your volume down on those occasions.

Oh, BTW, we had another walk-in tonight. Repeat guests that I have spoken of several times. They mailed me some cockscomb seeds in 2000 from the last trip. Huge ones. Mine did not grow as large as the ones they had so they will send me more when they get back to Kansas. They spent the first night of their honeymoon with us in 2000. They enjoyed dinner and we enjoyed their company.

And don't forget to follow me on twitter.

Walk-ins

2009-09-01T22:10:00.002-05:00

We love walk-ins. They are generally free spirited people that are just taking their time traveling. Or they could have just jumped in the car and decided to drive until they found a place that looked nice or a city that seemed friendly enough to spend more than one afternoon.

Either way, these folks tonight came from Indiana. They are winding around a few states visiting family and friends, and they found some new ones with us. Fred and Millie from IN. We usually serve dinner to our overnight guests but since they arrived much too late for me to start a really good dinner, we gave them a good rate on their room, especially since they took the best room in the house. I did, too, a few nights ago, I love that tub in the Garth Room.

I am truly amazed at innkeepers that choose not to take 'walk-ins.' Two gentlemen several towns south of us explained to me why they opted to not take them. Seems they feel there is not enough information known about them before their arrival if they do not call ahead. I am not sure, but do you think either one of these guys is actually Googleing people before they check-in? What do we really know of anyone making a reservation online? I just nodded my head at his remarks and wished he lived in my town so those guests he was sending away would come and stay with us. There is not a week that goes by we do not have at least 2 room nights from wandering travelers.
The weeks our boys were at camp (1993) we went up and down the east coast (south) and stayed at several inns looking at what we liked and did not like. We had made only one reservation, for the first night, and not one more after that for the next 8 days or so.
I'll make sure these folks tonight have plenty to eat for bfast in the a.m. Give them a nice baggie with chocolate chip cookies for the ride to the next city. So to all you Freds and Millies: come on up the driveway, we will welcome you with open arms. And if the 'girls' are in the front yards going for a walk with hubby, John, do not be alarmed. They do not spit ~ John nor the llamas.

Ten Years of Innkeeping

2009-08-31T23:13:00.000-05:00

Hannibal, MO August 31, 1999 Hannibal Courier Post Article
   Ten years! Into our eleventh. WOW, how time flies when you are having fun. Would we do this again? Probably. This is a very fulfilling occupation, this 'profession' they call innkeeping. We have met people from all over the world, kept in contact with many of them. Many of them come back year after year. The mansion is not the same as it was when we first purchased it. Every owner of any business has their ideas, styles, and input in how is best to run such business. And we are no different.
   Ten years. Two sons both entered into the same occupation as their father. First son has the first name, John, and the first career ~an Air Force Officer. Second son, same second names, Francis, and second career, innkeeper. Well, at least for awhile, and he does fill in when we travel. Two very different sons, two very different lives, and two different lifestyles.
     I overheard my husband talking to a retired Air Force Brig. General yesterday about some interview he recently gave a writer of some magazine or other. He stated he served his country for over 25 years and he is basically doing the same thing, serving his guests and taking care of them.
We do not get tired of being around each other on a daily basis. We like each other and that is important. We also have our offices seperated by the large commercial kitchen.
     Yes, I would do it all over again, but, only if I could do again with John. I do not always know why, but I always love him.

Julie's Kitchen Camera~LIVE???

2009-08-31T16:44:00.002-05:00

I have had on more than one occasion different people ask me why I have a 'live' camera in my kitchen. Well, there are many reasons, one is not really higher on the list than another.
First of all, I do not like being in the kitchen by myself and if I am chatting to someone on the net, it seems like I am not alone. I have gathered some pretty nice folks out there from all over the world.
I also think there are others who think it is intriguing to cook in a commercial kitchen or what it must be like being an innkeeper. I am very messy in the kitchen but I am also a little retentive on cleanliness, so I do not care if anyone is watching. I try to keep my laptop in the kitchen so if someone asks a question ~ or if I have one ~ I can easily read the chat. I do keep a long strip of clear plastic wrap over my keyboard to help keep the crumbs from entering into the keys.
If friends are over I usually have them read me the questions and I can answer as I go.
Your cooking, kitchen, friends, eating and drinking should all be under the same catagory: Fun!
I love to cook, I never claim to be a chef, I say I am the owner and I bought a chef's jacket. I can learn just as much from you as you from me. Everyone has ideas and I hope to share some with you.
Join me in the kitchen, you may either laugh with me or at me. As long as you laugh, I have accomplished what I put out to do. Julie's Kitchen Camera

Welcome to Julie's Kitchen!

2009-08-31T16:08:00.002-05:00

Julie's Kitchen is now a public blog.