After our post of a few days ago, inquiring about the best way to make thick cookies, one reader was so impressed with the overwhelming response from innkeepers she brought us a question of her own.

‘How can I make my scrambled eggs fluffy?’

That’s a mystery to us, and making fluffy eggs is what separates the guests from the innkeepers. Is it a matter of physics, or the touch of a master chef? It isn’t easy! If anyone is able to give a good answer to this question, it would be the inn keeping community. Diner owners may be the only other group on the planet with as much experience cooking perfect eggs as innkeepers.

The best eggs I’ve had were at the Short Stop Diner somewhere in the wilds of New Jersey. They were famous for serving ‘Eggs in the Skillet’, which is a wonderful novelty to a child. Just don’t grab the handle! They had fluffy eggs, and I think their secret was the 2-3 pounds of butter per egg in each skillet.

What are the most popular ways that guests at B&Bs enjoy them? Is it regional? Here in NYC, a scrambled egg sandwich comes standard with salt, pepper and ketchup, but I know in other parts of the country it’s hot sauce. Until receiving this question, we had never really pondered the breadth, depth and usefulness of eggs, especially to innkeepers.

Please leave us a comment below to help out a fellow innkeeper, and lets talk about eggs. Goo goo g’joob.

Tweet this

Running an inn has more than its’ share of rewards, but I’ve never spoken to an innkeeper who would classify it as an easy job. Last year, we got to see Tori and Dean screw up again and again on their reality tv hit ‘Dean and Tori – Inn Love’. We’ve just received word that a new B&B based reality show is currently filming at an inn somewhere in Tennessee with a motley crew of perennial reality tv show stars as the innkeepers. We’re taking odds here at BnBFinder. Will it be breakfast in bed…or will they wreck it instead?

The show is called Outsider’s Inn, and will begin airing on Country Music Television August 15, 2008. The trio of innkeepers include Ms. Maureen (‘Marcia Brady’) McCormick, who is also an accomplished country singer. Carnie (‘Wilson-Phillips Alum and daughter of Beach Boy Brian’) Wilson and Bobby (‘New Edition married to Whitney Houston’) Brown. Each of the three will have their own specific duties while making the inn run smoothly. Ms. McCormick is the head innkeeper, Bobby Brown is the entertainment director and Carnie Wilson will take over kitchen duties as head chef.

Entertainment director? The challenges each week will involve ‘eclectic houseguests’ which would seem to be a step towards the ‘reality’ of reality programming. You can be certain we’ll be following Outsider’s Inn very closely, as we know most of you will as well [This has nothing to do with a certain persons long standing crush on the eldest Brady sister] . This is exciting news, and will absolutely put the idea of staying at a B&B in front of more and more people. As always, we’ll let you know whenever we hear anything new.

Are there any innkeepers out their who think there inn would make a fun reality show?

Tweet this

Lucie Regensdorf, innkeeper at Grady House in High Springs, Florida was recently announced as the winner of the Emeril Live National Sweepstakes from The Food Network. How cool is that? Lucie will be traveling to NYC to see epicurean warriors duke it out live at a taping of ‘Iron Chef’. She’ll also be having dinner at Emeril’s restaurant in Orlando, on Emeril and The Food Network. Congratulations Lucie, stop by and say ‘Hello’ when you get to NYC. Lucie told The High Springs Herald:

“I love cooking. Owning a bed and breakfast was a dream for many years.”

That’s one happy innkeeper. Lucie plans to take full advantage of her great luck by making the most of this PR opportunity for her inn. She explained, ‘The fact that I own a bed and breakfast and can talk to people could open up doors”. Make sure you don’t head back to Florida without visiting Dominic and having a slice of the world’s best pizza at DiFara.

Grady House Bed and Breakfast in The Highspring Herald

Tweet this

From time to time here at BnBFinder, innkeepers will get in touch with us because they have a question about some aspect of the inn business. We’re accustomed to handling inquiries about marketing your B&B, how search engines really work,what a Babymoon is and what the weather is like in NYC. Yesterday an innkeeper got in touch with a query that has us stumped, so we’re looking for your assistance to find an answer.

“How do you make thick cookies? How do other innkeepers keep them from spreading out in the pan?”

Considering the recipes and photos we see daily from all of you innkeepers out there, we’re absolutely confident that someone out there has the answers. Please take a second and leave a comment if you have some advice to share. Thanks!

Tweet this

I’ve always had a fascination with everything English. From Jane Austen and The Brontes to Croquet, Branston Pickle and footie; I love them all. There are many things that the UK does very well, and B&Bs fall in this category. I recently discovered that the AA (which is akin to Triple A stateside) gives out yearly awards for outstanding B&Bs throughout England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales similar to BnBFinders’ own ‘Guest Favorite Awards’ .

It’s the usual British panache and style that make their ‘AA’ awards something worth talking about. The awards the ‘AA’ gives out are brilliant. Awards are given for ‘Friendliest Landlady of the Year’ (remember in the UK Landlord/Landlady stand in for the unisex innkeeper we use stateside), which was won by Miss Rosemary Reeves who grows her own flowers to place around the inn, one of many special touches she is known for. There is an award for the ‘Funkiest B&B of the Year’. What exactly defines ‘funky’? The 2008 winner, the Crazy Bear boasts a check in desk situated in a former Double Decker bus, statues, zebra stripes and plants everywhere as well as a dual English and Thai restaurant on the premises.

An award is given for ‘Most Family Friendly B&B’ as well, which the ‘AA’ hopes will reiterate that B&Bs are a great place for a family trips. More traditional awards are doled out as well including Best B&B in London, and Best B&B in Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

This year marks the 100th Year of the ‘AA’, and a black tie gala is being held to honor the winners. Again, I find myself enamored with something English. I love that the ‘AA’ recognizes ‘Funky’ and ‘Friendly’ as award worthy adjectives to strive for, and that B&Bs are given the black tie treatment along with chefs and other hospitality professionals. It’s very cool.

I’m wondering which B&Bs in the US would win these awards? I have some ideas, but we’d love to hear about your choices in the comments section. I personally know a few very funky, and very wonderful inns. In addition we know many family friendly B&Bs as well. Leave a comment and tell us who you think deserves an award outside the norm or who would look the best in black tie.

Tweet this