Changes on the Local Horizon

Almost nineteen years ago, soon after I moved to Louisville, I realized I needed to find a small local store or two where I could buy the best produce and meats, regardless of the price. I wanted breakfast at my inn to be of the finest quality I could afford.

I was making a lot of items from scratch, like muffins and granola, but I also wanted waffles and pancakes that tasted amazing. I found that with Carbon Waffle Mix, a wholesale company in Michigan, I could order cases of their wonderful malted waffle and pancake mix and serve quality waffles and pancakes that all my guests would rave about.

Eventually I found four local markets I loved: Pauls Fruit and Vegetable Market, Burgers Fruit and Vegetable and meat market, KingsleyMeat Market, and a wonderful Flower, Seed, and Gardening Market. For the past eighteen years, I have been shopping faithfully at all four. Regretfully, two of them are closing this year.

Burgers, in the Cherokee Triangle, opened in 1958 and has been a fixture here in Louisville all that time. I

found them when I was looking for a place to buy a standing rib roast for Christmas dinner. They had the most wonderful meat counter with amazing butchers, skilled and friendly. I was so disappointed when I heard they were closing, but the saving grace is that their main butcher, Jeff Burger Jr. will be opening up a meat counter at Paul’s  Fruit Market in Middletown. Now I’ll still be able to get a fabulous standing rib roast for Christmas.

 The other store-closing is Bunton’s Seed Co.,

where I’ve bought flowers, grass seed, fertilizeRs and even garden tools and gloves for the past eighteen years. I will really miss them. They were a wonderful resource of information on lawns and gardens. As the song goes: Nothing Stays The Same and, as we know, "tempest fugit" (time marches on).


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Are You ready for Romance?

It’s that time again. The time when many of us start thinking about what to do on Valentine’s day for that very special person in our lives. We’ve done the flowers and chocolates, bought his or her favorite thing and taken them out to dinner. If you’ve run out of options, we have a great suggestion for you.

Why not spend the night or the week-end in a beautiful bed and breakfast in historic  Louisville, Kentucky? Our inns are welcoming, with distinct atmosphere and amenities, and delicious gourmet breakfasts. Our innkeepers know what makes their guests happy and comfortable. Great attention to detail is given when furnishing and decorating their guest rooms.

Belgian Waffle

Scrambled eggs

Each and every one is focused on making your morning breakfast a delight. You won’t be disappointed when you sample the delicious Belgium waffles, pancakes, or French toast prepared in ways that might include fresh fruit, tantalizing sauces, and authentic maple or other flavored syrups. If you prefer, our innkeepers, many of whom are chefs, can prepare astonishing omelets, and other vegetable and egg dishes, accompanied with Kentucky ham, sausage, or bacon.  Muffins, scones, home-made granolas, and other individual specialties of a particular inn may also part of your morning meal.  And don’t forget the fresh ground, gourmet coffees…Europeans blends, French Roasts, Columbian, Hawaiian, Jamaican, etc.

 
In addition, our innkeepers will help you find interesting things to see and do in the city and
nearby. Louisville has amazing local restaurants with every kind of cuisine you can think of. And our museums, theaters, and cultural attractions are first class. Not to mention world famous Churchill Downs which hosts the Kentucky Derby drawing thousands of international guests.
You won’t regret choosing our bed and breakfasts and our wonderful city to delight that special someone. I can guarantee it will be a visit you will not easily forget.
 
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Breakfast in Bed

Wake up to Tyler Florence's French Toast Waffles with Caramelized Apples and Bacon. Served with a mocha cappuccino whipped up with an immersion blender."

I found the above video and recipe while I was scoping out Macys department Store to purchase a new waffle iron. One of mine broke a week ago and I still haven't found a replacement that I like. I had two Toastmaster Belgium Waffle Bakers that I just loved.  Now I'm having trouble find the same waffle iron. I don't think they make it any more. I did see one on EBay. They referred to it as Vintage and it was used. I didn't want to take a chance.

My irons make a round Belgian waffle with deep indentations that fits perfectly onto our B&B china ware. If I buy a replacement that is not the same shape or does not have deep indentations on the grid, then we will not be serving uniform portions to our guests and that just wont do.

There are waffles, and then there are Belgian waffles. A regular waffle can run through a range of possible flavors and textures – from light and crispy, to hearty and filling – and can be any of a variety of shapes, according to the type of waffle iron that you own. A Belgian waffle is always light and it is always made in a deep waffle iron that maximizes the amount of batter exposed to the griddle for maximum crispness of the finished waffle. Their deep pockets are ideal for collecting syrup and butter, and while all types of waffles are good, there is nothing quite like a good Belgian waffle.

We need two because if we only have one it takes too long if we're making waffles for four or more guests having breakfast at the same time. If you've ever worked in a kitchen or restaurant, you know that keeping the food hot is a priority. And you have to be care with waffles. If you hold them in the oven too long they will dry out. You want them crusty on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Anyhow, after unsuccessfully scouring the web for a duplicate of the one working iron I have left, I came across this Cuisinart round waffle maker...Not sure I will purchase it as it is not a Belgian waffle maker...the indentations are not as deep on the grids and the waffle is not a thick as Belgian waffles, which are 6-7 inches thick. So I will keep looking...but I still think the recipe and the breakfast shown on the video above are interesting and look delicious.



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