Make your own granola...

When guests come to the Manor, we like to make it special.  Breakfast is handmade with quality ingredients.  As much as possible, everything is made from scratch, even the granola. Lee gets to test all the recipes before the guests will ever try them, so don't worry!  Homemade granola contains a lot less sugar than the varieties you can buy in the store and you can add the ingredients you like best to make it something uniquely yours.  Here is the recipe I use--with a couple of variations.  But don't be limited by my imagination, you can add the nuts and dried fruit that you like best--just keep the proportions the same.





Lee's Favorite Granola

1 1/2 cups of pecans or pistachio nuts
1/3 c. maple syrup
3 2/3 c. rolled oats
3/4 c. pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1/2  c. sliced almonds
1/4 c. sugar--I use natural cane sugar
1 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. ginger
1/8 t. nutmeg
3/4 c. unsweetened flaked coconut
1/2 c. canola oil
1 c. dried cherries and snipped dried apricots

Heat the oven to 375.  Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  If using pecans, toss with 1/2 the maple syrup and set aside.  Mix the dry ingredients in a  large bowl.  Add the syrup and oil and mix well, so that all the ingredients are moist.  Spread on to the baking sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes.  Stir and bake for 7-10 minutes more.  If using pecans, place them on top after stirring again and bake or one last 7-10 minute session.  If not, stir and bake for an additional 7-10 minutes. Watch your granola to make sure the coconut does not get too brown.
Let it cool and mix in the dried fruit.  Store in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, but it won't last that long.  :)

Spring is here...almost!

Spring Break is here anyway, and with it we had some wonderful guests.  I have been painting the patio furniture for the last couple of days to get ready for Spring guests and wildflower season.  Here is the first wildflower picture of the year--these are ox eye daisies.

This past weekend at the Manor, we debuted a new recipe for breakfast Chocolate almond rolls, which are a slight spin on traditional cinnamon rolls.  They were a hit and we will be adding them to our regular list of possibilities.  If you want to make you own, here is the recipe.  Warning:  This makes a lot of rolls, so you may want to try making half the recipe.

Chocolate Almond Breakfast Rolls:

For the dough--
1 2/3 cups milk
8 T. unsalted butter (1 stick)
5 to 51/2 cups flour, a little more for kneading
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/4 salt
3 packets rapid rise yeast
2 large eggs at room temp
butter for the bowl




Filling:
5 oz or 1/2 cup Marzipan (almond paste)
8 T. butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 t. almond extract
1 cup sliced almonds
1 c. miniature chocolate chips

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
3-4 T. cream
1/4 t. almond extract

In small saucepan, combine 8 T butter and milk, place over medium low heat until the butter melts, stirring.  Let it cool for a few minutes before adding to dry ingredients.  In a large bowl with mixer, combine 5 cups of flour, salt, sugar and yeast.  In a separate bowl beat the eggs lightly and add them to the butter and milk.  Using the mixer, with a dough hook or by hand, stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients.  You may have to add the other 1/2 c, of  flour to make a very soft dough.  Once the dough holds together, scrape it onto a floured surface and knead for about 4-5 minutes, very gently adding an additional 1/2 c. or so of flour.  Be careful not to overwork the dough or add too much flour, or it will be dry and the texture will not be light.  This dough is very light and soft.  Once you have it formed into a ball, place it in a buttered bowl, turn it, and cover with a dish towel to let it rise for about 30-40 minutes.  
Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper.
Punch down the dough and separate into 2 sections.  Let it rest for 5 minutes, then roll each section into a 10x12 rectangle.  While the dough is resting, mix the filling--in a mixing bowl cream the butter and marzipan for about 3 minutes on medium speed until it is soft and well mixed.  Add the sugar and almond extract and mix well.  Spread half the filling mixture over the rectangle and sprinkle with half the almonds and half the mini-chips.  Roll up jelly-roll style, starting on the long side.  Cut into 9 or 10 rolls and place in the lined pan, cut side up.  Repeat with the other half of the dough.  You may use two 9 inch square pans instead of a 9x13.  
Preheat the oven to 375;  cover the rolls loosely with plastic wrap and let them rise for about 20 minutes, until they are springy to the touch.  Bake 25-30 minutes--they will be golden brown and you may want to put a piece of foil over the top of them for the last five minutes to keep them from getting too brown.  
Stir together the ingredients for the glaze and spread it over the warm rolls.  
Enjoy! These are great with a nice cup of coffee.

Coming soon--reserve your table for our Mother's Day Tea at the Manor on May 8, 2016.  We will be serving assorted tea sandwiches, tea breads, fruit, scones and tiny tea desserts, along with tea, of course.  Or coffee for those who prefer a stronger afternoon shot of caffeine.  Seating available at 3:30 or 4:30 PM, $20 per person. Call 512-564-9765 or email us at info@whitegardenevents.com to make your reservation and treat your Mom to a special afternoon at the Manor.

Now you can see what's cooking at the Manor on Instagram...

People love pictures of food and part of the fun of staying at a B&B is the breakfast.  So, now you can see pictures of recipes I am trying on our Instagram page.  I don't usually post the recipes until I think they are foolproof, but you can see what might be on your table if you come and stay with us.
Check our our new Instagram page here:  https://www.instagram.com/whitegardenevents/.
Let me know if there is something you would like to see me try to make.  I can't make any promises, but I am usually up for a challenge.

Something new to try for breakfast...and a dessert for the new year!

Happy New Year to all!  I had intended to post some holiday recipes, but we had a wedding and the holidays got past me.  To make up for it, I will share a new breakfast treat that is easy and SO good, plus a dessert that I reworked a little for a dinner party the other night.  Here goes:

Easy Sticky Buns:
These come from the Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics--I would highly recommend her cook books. I have several and the instructions are excellent.

12 T. unsalted butter at room temperature
1/3 C. light brown sugar, packed
1/2 C. Pecans, chopped in large pieces
1 Pkg.  Puff pastry, defrosted


Filling:
2 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 C. light brown sugar, packed
3 t. cinnamon
1 cup of raisins (I use currants)

Preheat oven to 400.  Put a 12 cup muffin pan on a cookie sheet with sides that is lined with parchment paper.  Don't skip this!  If you do, your oven will have burnt butter all over it and the sticky buns will be smoked rather than cooked.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the 12 T. butter and 1/3 C. brown sugar until smooth.  Place rounded T., 1 in each muffin cup.  Distribute the pecans evenly between the cups.
Lightly flour a board or counter and spread out a sheet of the puff pastry with the seams left to right.  Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with half of sugar, cinnamon and raisins or currants.  Roll up from front to back and slice into 6 equal portions, placing one in each muffin cup--repeat with second sheet of puff pastry, etc.  Bake for 30 minutes; cool for 5 minutes and then turn them over onto the parchment paper lined cookie sheet.   Important--do not let them cool longer than 5 minutes, or the sugar will harden and you will not get the results you want.  These are easy and delicious!

Now for a knockout dessert that you can make a day ahead.  We had a dinner party and I wanted to make a Tiramisu, but I am not a fan of uncooked eggs in a  filling.  I prefer to cook eggs for custard, pie, etc.  I found Ina's recipe for Tiramisu, but then I wanted to change a couple of things, so I cooked the filling base and also changed the Rum to Creme de Cacao, because I prefer the lightly sweet chocolate liqueur to the stronger taste of Rum.  Here is the final recipe, which our guests enjoyed, but alas, I forgot to take a picture!

Robin's Tiramisu:

 6 Egg yolks
2/3 C. milk
3/4 C. sugar
1 C. heavy cream
16 oz. Mascarpone cheese (you can substitute cream cheese, but the result will be less light and airy)
1 1/4 C. espresso
1/2 C. Creme de Cacao
30 Italian Lady finger cookies
Dark chocolate bar for shavings

In a medium saucepan, whisk the egg yolks, milk and sugar.  Heat over medium low, stirring constantly until mixture thickens.  It should start to boil.  Let it boil for 1 minute and remove from heat.  Strain the custard to remove any bits of egg and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Combine 1 C. of the espresso and 1/4 C of the creme de cacao in a shallow bowl.
Whip the 1 C. of cream until stiff peaks form.  In a separate bowl, beat mascarpone cheese and the chilled egg mixture until smooth.  Add 1/4 C. of espresso and 1/4 C. creme de cacao.  Fold in the whipped cream.

To Assemble:
Dip half the lady fingers in the espresso mixture and place in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Cover the bottom of the pan with the dipped lady fingers.  Spread half of the custard mixture over the cookies and repeat with the second half of the lady fingers and custard.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.  Top with chocolate shavings.

Lampasas Walks Historic Walking Tour now available...

Check out our new historic walking tour of the downtown Lampasas area at Voicemap.

The app is free at the App Store or on Google Play and the tour is only $.99.  Guests at the Markward Manor B&B may request a coupon for a free download.  I wrote the tour using several sources for Lampasas history and recorded it so visitors can download it and take the tour whenever the mood strikes them.


The tour includes several buildings which are listed as a part of the Lampasas Historic District on the National Historic Register.  It lasts about 30 minutes and begins and ends at the courthouse.

Walkers will learn some fun facts about local history--give it  try!

A busy couple of weeks...

We finally got a little bit of a chill in the air here at the manor, so I have been trying out some fall recipes--I am working on a baked oatmeal and dried cherry chocolate scones.  I will post those when I have them perfected.  In the meantime, we have had several visitors worth mentioning.
About two weeks ago, we had the privilege of meeting the last direct descendant of John and Adelphia Markward, who built the house and were its first residents.  They were married October 29, 1880, and the portrait on the Manor homepage was taken on their wedding day.  John O. Markward, the great grandson of John and Adelphia and his lovely wife, Annette, came out to see the Manor.  We had a wonderful visit--they filled us in on a lot of family history and they also gave me permission to use some of Aunt Francis's Remembrances on the blog.  I will be adding a special series called "Aunt Francis Remembers."  Francis was the younger daughter of John and Adelphia and she lived here at the house until she went off to school as a girl.  She took the time to write her memories down and Annette has transcribed and preserved them.  Francis's memories of her childhood home and of Lampasas add precious color and detail to the history of the house.  Below is a photograph of the Markward Store on the Lampasas Square, also graciously provided by the Markwards.

We were really thrilled to have them out and we hope to see them again soon.  :)

The Markward Manor B&B has had its first famous-ish guest!  This past weekend, we had the pleasure of hosting Ed Beckley, the World's Largest Motorcycle Jumper.  He and his charming companion were interesting guests and we enjoyed visiting with them.  You can find out more about Ed on his website.  He does motorcycle shows and events all over the country.  

Enjoy the cooler weather wherever you are and we hope you will come and visit Lampasas soon.

Fall has officially started, that means it is time for pumpkin muffins...

I have a few recipes I have been working on for fall.  Pumpkin is one of my favorites, I always look forward to pumpkin bread, muffins and lattes.  This past weekend, I made the first pumpkin muffins of the season.  I decided to use the last of the summer blueberries and wed two of my favorite things.

Recipe for Pumpkin Blueberry Muffins:

2 1/4 c. flour
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. cloves
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 eggs
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. oil
1 c. (I use a little more) canned pumpkin
1 c. blueberries


Mix the flour, spices, soda and salt in a small bowl.  Put the eggs, oil, sugar and pumpkin in the bowl of a mixer and mix on low/medium until well combined.  Add the dry ingredients with the mixer on low.  Don't over mix.  The key to a good crumb on a muffin is not to over mix, trust me.  Stir in the blueberries with a wooden spoon.  Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes depending on the size of your muffin cups. I made mini-bundts, so it was about 28-30 minutes.  You could also use dried cranberries or cherries, or fresh cranberries in this recipe for a change.

Another guest favorite that would go really well with these muffins is a crustless quiche recipe I found in the New York Times.  Here is the variation I liked best.

Crustless Quiche:

1 c. half and half
3 eggs at room temperature
3/4 grated Gruyere cheese (I have also used Jarlsberg, but the Gruyere is my favorite.)
1/4 grated parmesan
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. cayenne

Mix all ingredients--I usually mix the eggs and half and half with the spices first and then add the cheese.  Pour into greased/buttered ramekins and bake at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes.  They should be set, but may still wiggle in the middle.
Don't be tempted to use milk instead of the half and half--the flavor is worth the exra fat.  Just take a walk around the block or do some extra sit-ups.  Also, do not be tempted to skip the cayenne.  It does not make the quiche hot or spicy, it adds just the right amount of flavor to a relatively plain dish.  The flavor comes from the half and half, cheese and cayenne, so be sure to use a cheese that you like.

I am off to go enjoy an afternoon muffin and coffee!

Our first review!

We have enjoyed several guests over the summer and we have received out first review.  You can read it on Trip Advisor. (Search for Markward Manor.)  I am so glad that our guests enjoyed their stay with us.  We hope that as the weather cools off we may have more guests come to enjoy the cool mornings on the terrace and a nice warm cup of coffee with a great view.

Make a reservation for the  wine tour weekend September 26-27 or, coming in October 10, the 21st Annual Herb and Art Festival in Lampasas.

As promised, pictures of Portia's Suite...

We finally have the suite finished for both guests and for a bridal changing room during weddings.  You can see the final product below--minus a few finishing touches, like window treatments that I will be adding this week.  We are thrilled to have a reservation for Labor Day weekend so our first guests can try it out.

Coming on September 26--the Lampasas County Wine Tour.  Book your stay with us and reserve a seat on the bus--you can let someone else do the driving while you visit 5 local wineries.  Your $60 ticket includes a picnic lunch and tastings at all wineries plus a goodie bag.  

If you stay at the Manor, you can return to a quiet evening on the terrace and enjoy the peace of your private room with a delicious breakfast the next morning before you make a leisurely drive home.

Try these for a quick sweet that is high impact and low effort...

Saturday, we hosted an open house for prospective brides and wedding planners.  We appreciate everyone who braved the heat and came out.  One of the goodies we served was inspired by a Nutella Croissant I saw at HEB.  It is an easy treat that will make you look like a gourmet.

Buy some small croissants--I even cut them in half, so that guests could try several cookies without feeling too full.  Then slice most of the way through the roll.  Spread a little Nutella on the inside (about 2 teaspoons) and top with powdered sugar.  It tastes great, it looks wonderful, and it doesn't have you slaving over a hot stove in the middle of August.

We have finally finished Portia's Suite--I will be posting pictures next week!

We have had several more guests and we enjoy our time with each of them.  Our last guests visited the Legato Winery, right here in Lampasas.  They had a great time.  When you come and visit, we will be happy to give you ideas for a  weekend away in the Hill Country.  Come and see us soon!

Adelphia's Room is ready and so is the garden gate...

I have been a little remiss in posting of late, but I have been busy working.  The long promised garden gate is finished!  For more photos of the gate and of the Manor, check out the White Garden Events Pinterest pages in the sidebar.

Along with the garden gate, Adelphia's room is ready (sort of on schedule) and we will have Portia's Suite ready in time for Spring Ho.  Please call if you would like to reserve either or both of these accommodations for the big event.  See additional Lampasas attractions at the Chamber of Commerce Site.  I have added photos of Adelphia's Room on the main Markward Manor site--and you can check them out here.

Now, I know what everyone really wants to know--what's for breakfast if you come and stay with us at the Manor?  I have been doing some experimenting with my vast catalog of recipes, remember that my day job is as a librarian, so I am all about collecting and organizing.  Here are the two that we tested this past weekend.  I must admit that my food photography leaves a little to be desired, but rest assured that the taste is way better than the pictures.


Blueberry Muffins with Swedish Sugar

There are two secrets to fabulous blueberry muffins:

1. Fresh Blueberries--frozen will do when they are out of season o in a pinch, but there is nothing like a fresh berry.  The texture is a world of different.
2. Don't overwork the batter--this is a common mistake with muffins and pie crust.  it is tempting to stir or knead until every last bit of flour is absorbed, but don't give in to the temptation.  overworking the batter results in a tougher texture and a heavy crumb.

Breakfast Bread Pudding

This recipe is based on one I found on a loaf of Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Bread several years ago.  You can still find the recipe on their website.

Here is how I make it extra special:

1. Use Brioche rather than regular bread.  Again, it is all about the texture.  And nothing says decadence like a buttery brioche dough.  
2. Substitute white raisins and currants for the dried cranberries.  I sometimes still use the craisins, but I always add currants.  They add a little extra umph.

I have also been working on a signature coffee drink.  How does Lavender Latte grab you?  Of course we will still have regular coffee for those who prefer it.

I look forward to breakfast with you soon.  :)