Blog | Blue Collar B&B | Ph: 250-425-2952

HOW TO FIND A BED AND BREAKFAST

To find a bed and breakfast, the first step is to google the name of the town you’ll be staying in–if you’re a planner. Go to accommodation, and there should be a list of B&B’s–or if the town is small, like Sparwood, there’ll be only one or two listed. If the B&B has a website, go there for information. Trip Adviser is a great place to find reviews and visitor’s comments. Word of mouth is the very best advertising, and great reviews are gold for the B&B host. Find a phone number for the B&B and call with any questions not covered on the web site. Feel free to visit the B&B and ask to see the rooms before you make a commitment. People often do this at the Blue Collar, and I’m happy to show them what’s available. This is a great option if you’re more of a spur … Continue reading →

GRANDMA ROTHEL’S SHORTBREAD

GRANDMA ROTHEL’S SHORTBREAD Blissfully simple and easy to make, this shortbread keeps well wrapped in tinfoil. (Good luck with that, you’ll have to hide it well.) Mix together with your hands: 1 pound of butter (has to be butter!) 4 cups flour 1 cup icing sugar When it forms a ball, divide into 4, flatten each ball with your hands–no rolling pins here–into a round frisbee about 1/2 inch thick. Make a design on top with a fork, bake in a preheated oven, 325, about 50 minutes to an hour, until the smell fills the house and the edges are light brown. That’s it. Make a cup of tea. Sit down, put your feet up. Say, “Mmmmmmmm.”

THE THING ABOUT FRYBREAD–

The thing about frybread is you can’t eat just one piece. You dip it, dunk it, spread it with whatever, and one becomes two becomes three. And the hungry roll around my hips says thank you for not dieting today. It’s not fancy by any means. It’s just plain old good. Frybread is a native standby, common to those hardy souls who manage to turn out delicious food without the benefit of an oven. I’d never eaten it until I made it myself, so whether this is the real deal or not I have no idea. If anyone has a different, better recipe, please share! FRYBREAD Ingredients • 4 cups all-purpose flour • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1 tablespoon baking powder • 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) • 4 cups shortening for frying Directions 1. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir in 1 1/2 … Continue reading →

Scumptious Soup!!

This is from Forks Over Knives, and yeah, it’s a vegan recipe. But don’t let that deter you. I put a container in each of my macho miner’s lunches, and they asked for the recipe! D’you know how hard it is to get feedback from guys who work 12 hour shifts at the coal mine? So I know this one’s a winner. It calls for nutritional yeast, but that’s not too hard to find, any health food store stocks it. And it’s chock full of Vitamin B, good for most things that ail ya. CURRIED POTATO SOUP Peel and chop 1 onion and I large red pepper. Put them in a large soup pot and sauté over medium heat for 8 minutes. (Add a couple tbsp of water to keep from scorching.) Add 2 garlic cloves, chopped. Saute another minute. Then cut the kernels from 3 ears of corn (or … Continue reading →

BEST RICE PUDDING

At the Blue Collar, I usually have leftover rice somewhere in the fridge. This is a way to recycle it into something totally delicious, that guests love for breakfast and guys love in their packed lunches. Thanks again to Jeff Derraugh, amazing cook and the creator of “Where There’s Food There’s Firefighters.” Recycled Rice Pudding Heat up a good heavy bottomed saucepan, add 2 tbsp. butter and when it melts pour in 3 cups milk. Add 2/3 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. When it bubbles, add 3 cups any kind of leftover rice–brown, white, long grain, short grain. Reduce heat slowly until it’s barely bubbling. Give it a stir every once in a while. It takes anywhere from 15 minutes to half an hour to get absolutely creamy. When it does, add 3/4 cup of raisins. And then try not gobble the whole thing by yourself. … Continue reading →

DO YOU ENJOY WHAT YOU DO?

Guests drove up on twin BMW’s. Nostalgia set in, remembering when I, too, toured the country on a motorcycle. Dangerous, exhilarating, always exciting. Lets you see the world up close and personal. Sort of like running a B&B. Over breakfast, they revealed they were both doctors. They loved their jobs and shared delicious stories, I served Apple Pancakes, and we talked about books and deafness and what it’s like to deal with life and death on a daily basis. They loved to read. Suggested a book called “The House of God.” Anyone read it? Running a B&B allows me to be both reclusive and social, the richest of combinations. My guests are always entertaining, always surprising, nearly always delightful. What more could anyone ask from a job? I absolutely love what I do! Do you?

KINDNESS

Kindness is the greatest attribute. Guests at the Blue Collar have gifted me so often with acts of kindness. Last week I wrecked my Achilles tendon. I want to run 5 kilometers by my next birthday, and unwisely went at it too fast. Ouch! The B&B rooms are downstairs, and my injured foot doesn’t do steps easily. My guests, Fred and Meredith, had visited before. They rearranged their travel schedule so they could stay at the Blue Collar when I had vacancies. We had plain old fun over breakfasts, dissecting the world and remaking it to our liking. When they left, they stripped the bed for me, and then they re-made it, saving me trips up and down on my sore foot. How thoughtful was that? I was humbly grateful. Not that I expect guests ever to strip and make up the beds, but in this special instance it meant … Continue reading →

TOFU IS NOT A FOUR LETTER WORD

I’ve been vegetarian for a very long time, like maybe 25 years. I know how non vegetarians generally react to the word “Tofu.” Ugh. That white stuff? How can you stomach it? I don’t mind a little in Chinese food, but apart from that–yeck! I’m here to tell you you’re gonna like it in spite of yourself in this amazing soup. (Don’t get me wrong, I don’t serve this for breakfast at the Blue Collar, but I’m tempted to add it to the menu and see if anyone’s brave enough to try it. Any bets??) GOLDEN GINGER TOFU SOUP Drain 1 package of regular tofu, wrap in towel, and put something heavy on it to force it to drain Chop up a big onion, heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a soup pot, add onion plus 2 Tbsp. Thai curry paste (I use Patak’s medium curry paste.) Add 2 Tbsp. or … Continue reading →

WONDERFUL WAFFLES FOR BREAKFAST

Guests at the Blue Collar often order waffles for breakfast. There are any number of good waffle recipes, but if the hostess is also making Eggs Benny with Cornmeal Scones, and maybe two other kinds of eggs, mixing up waffles can be stressful—and the last thing a B&B needs is a stressed out hostess. Everyone picks up on the kitchen energy, and no one needs a shot of anxiety along with his Blue Collar coffee. So the smart hostess mixes up a batch of Overnight Waffles before she goes to bed. These are yeasted, which makes for a delicious rich, crisp treat. Waffles can be held in a 200 degree oven on a wire rack set above a baking sheet, covered with a clean kitchen towel. YEASTED WAFFLES Heat 1 ¾ cups milk and ½ cup butter in a small saucepan until the butter melts. Let cool. Whisk 2 cups … Continue reading →

SWEDISH PANCAKES LIKE MORMOR USED TO MAKE

Swedish pancakes are lighter and more delicate than our stick-to-your ribs Canadian kind. They have no baking soda, baking powder or buttermilk. Yeah, they’re a little flat, but rolled up and topped with butter and jam–got any lingonberries laying around? Me neither, but plain old blueberry is wonderful. SWEDISH PANCAKES (USE INSTANT FLOUR, LIKE WONDRA OR PILLSBURY SHAKE AND BAKE) Heat oven to 200 degrees Combine 2 cups instant flour, ¼ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Slowly whisk in 1 ½ cups half and half, 1 ½ cups club soda, and 9 tbsps melted butter plus 2 large eggs and 2 large egg yolks, beaten Mix until flour mixture is smooth Brush surface and sides of a nonstick 10 inch frying pan with more butter and pour in 1/3 cup of batter, tilting pan to coat bottom evenly. Loosen the edges with spatula, grab and flip … Continue reading →

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