Tiramisu Cupakes -Serves 12

Cupcake batter- 1 box White Cake Mix, 2 egg whites, 1 egg, 1/3 cup oil, 3/4 cup buttermilk, 3/4 cup sour cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1/8 cup coffee and 1 TB instant coffee crystals.

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First off,  Winnebago County voted Irish Fest the Best Family Event and Best Local Festival!!! Congratulations!

This is the fifth year that Oshkosh brings Irish Fest to the Leach Amphitheater May 30 – June 2. Come and enjoy the music, the food, the dancers, the presentations, the vendors, the 5K, the raffle, and, of course, the fun in the beautiful park on the water. Everyone is welcome – you don’t have to be Irish to have fun!!!

The Cultural Village area of the festival will focus on Irish and Celtic heritage. Storytellers will be on hand to illuminate the people and events that have shaped the history and culture of Ireland and the Irish people.

The Irish Fest 5K Charity Run/Walk takes place on Saturday morning at 8am. Both runners and walkers will receive a T-shirt, refreshments and, best of all, free admission to Irish Fest on Saturday.

One of the most fun features of the festival is the Irish Fest Idol Contest. Any amateur entertainer is welcome to enter. Singing, dancing, playing a musical instrument, comedy – any type of performance art is fair game. The contest takes place Sunday and there will be great prizes, including cash and stage time at the 2014 Oshkosh Irish Fest.

A special Irish Fest Mass will be held on Sunday morning, June 2 at 10am. Music will be provided by members of Kennedy’s Kitchen and the Oshkosh Irish Fest Choir. For attendees of the mass, admission to the festival is free with the donation of a non-perishable food item prior to the service.

Don’t miss the medieval banquet on Thursday, May 30. The festivities take place inside the Pub Tent at 6pm. There will be music from the Oshkosh West Madrigal Singers, a five-course meal that includes cream of corned beef and cabbage soup, a variety of flat breads, Guinness-braised beef ribs, Irish-whiskey chicken legs, shamrock pork cutlets, Irish vegetable and potato pancakes. For dessert, there will be Bailey’s Irish Cream brownies. Beverages will include mead, beer, wine and soda. And, of course, in the spirit of the low-tech medieval age, no utensils will be allowed.

If you’ve never been to Oshkosh Irish Fest before, you’re in for a real treat. And, if you’re an Irish Fest veteran, the 2013 festival promises to be better than ever.

On the same weekend, Oshkosh also welcomes the Gus Macker for the second year in a row for the 3-on-3 Tournament!

The Oshkosh Gus Macker will be taking place in the Streets of Downtown Oshkosh, just blocks away from us, covering the 100, 200 and 300 blocks of N Main St and down High Ave., surrounding Opera House Square! The streets have all been repaved, widened and landscaped, making this the optimal location for an exciting 3-on-3 weekend with a great downtown atmosphere!

Spectators coming to watch the Oshkosh Macker will enjoy a mix of great basketball, music, refreshments and contests, such as 3-point, hot-shots and the SLAM DUNK contest.

And while you are here, don’t forget to take advantage of all of the festivities that are taking place within walking distance of the Oshkosh Macker site!  You can stroll down Main Street to see what the Oshkosh Farmers Market and Downtown Businesses have going on Saturday or stop in and check out the Annual Oshkosh Irish Fest Festival at The Leach Amphitheater, just a few blocks from the Macker Tournament site!

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Fried Nectarines with Vanilla Mascarpone – Serves 3-4

Fruit- 3 TB. butter, 4 C nectarines, sliced (6-7), 1/4 C brown sugar, 1/4 C amaretto

Mascarpone Topping- 8 oz. mascarpone, 4 oz. vanilla yogurt, 1 tsp. vanilla. (you will have some left over, but it is so tasty, you can use it on something else.

For the fruit, melt butter in a saute pan. In a small bowl combine sliced nectarines and brown sugar. Add the brown sugar coated nectarines and cook over med. heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add amaretto and simmer over med. heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

For the mascarpone topping, mix together the mascarpone and the yogurt until smooth. Add vanilla and mix well. Serve warm.

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Kick off the garden season at the Paine’s annual Spring Plant Sale widely recognized by gardening enthusiasts and master gardeners for its unique selection of rare and unusual plants. Choose from annuals including the “Perennial Plant of the Year” as well as a wide selection of unusual herbs and wildflowers.

Mingle with the Paine’s friendly staff and volunteers who are eager to offer recommendations and answer your questions. With more than 200 vendors of garden supplies, original art and crafts, it is a festival not to be missed, so plan on attending the Paine’s annual Festival of Spring on Saturday, May 18.

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The biggest thing I walked away from was some new marketing ideas though. Being in the bed and breakfast industry is not a get rich quick profession or EVER for that matter. It really is all about the lifestyle though, which is why Scott and I love what we do. It works for our family.  We constantly get told from locals that they did not even know that their was a bed and breakfast in Oshkosh. You have no idea how many times we hear that. Our marketing budget is so small that we have to be sooo choosy on where we spend our marketing dollars. Because the majority of our business comes from our surrounding states, we tend to focus our efforts in trying to get our inn noticed by the greatest number of people. Our website is the window to that world. Now, don’t get me wrong, we want Oshkosh to know that we are here and hope that our Facebook and word of mouth referrals  will keep coming our way but we figured a new website might not hurt either.  One statement grabbed my attention while in Vegas.

It was said, that if you have a limited dollar amount for your marketing budget, put everything you got into your website if it is three years or older. Our website was just past that mark.  We have always gotten great reviews from it and I hated to change it, because I did like it so much. Now, I have always been one that appreciates honesty, whether you want to hear it or not. I have never been one to hold back so I hoped they wouldn’t either and they didn’t.  This presenter that we were listening to, put our website along with many others up on a big screen in a convention hall and started picking it apart. Man, I felt like I had a lot to learn. As small as I felt, I needed to hear the bad news which lead us to where we are today.

I decided to work with a company that we had been doing business with the last couple of years who focuses on the bed and breakfast industry in website design.  We spent almost a half a day just trying to come up with a font that was easy to read. Scott still isn’t happy with it, but I would love to know your thoughts. This company went out of their way to find out who we were were as a family, as innkeepers, information about Oshkosh , our clientele and our style. All things important when creating a website or our storefront for that matter, that appeals to the masses. The last couple of  months have been tweaking everything from information, to pictures, to the behind the scenes that only Google and many other search engines will appreciate. Our website just went live yesterday with a  few minor things that need to be completed.

I hope you like our new site and find it easy to use and navigate through. If you should have any thoughts one way or another on it, please feel free to share.

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Tiramisu Bread Pudding – Serves 8

1 1/3 cups milk, 1 1/4 cups whipping cream, 2 tablespoons instant coffee crystals, 6 eggs, lightly beaten, 2/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup  brown sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 7 C Challah bread and 1/3 cup powdered sugar,

Creme Cheese Topper – 3/4 cup whipping cream, 1 ounce cream cheese, softened and 1 tablespoon powdered sugar.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In large bowl stir together milk, whipping cream, and coffee crystals until coffee is dissolved. Reserve 1 tablespoon milk mixture; set aside.

Stir eggs, the sugars, and vanilla into milk mixture. Stir in bread pieces until moistened. Evenly divide among eight greased 6-ounce ramekins, filling each almost full. Place on a  baking pan. Bake 30 minutes or until puffed and set.
In small bowl combine powdered sugar and reserved 1 tablespoon milk mixture; stir until smooth. Drizzle over bread pudding. Dollop with Cream Cheese Topper.

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We have put together 3 packages for you this summer. Two oldies but goodies and one new package. Whether you want to hit the trails or check out the lighthouses around Lake Winnebago on your bicycle or motorcycle, take it easy floating down the Fox River or taking in a band at Waterfest, we have got you covered.

Our newest package involves the bicycle or motorcyle.

The uniquely named Wiowash State Trail takes its title from the four counties it passes through: Winnebago, Outgamie, Waupaca and Shawano.

The trail is split into two sections. The northern section runs from Aniwa to Split Rock. The southern section runs for 21 miles from Oshkosh northward to Hortonville and offers opportunities for biking, walking, jogging and birdwatching.

As it traverses the countryside, the southern section of the Wiouwash passes through a number of interesting natural habitats. Segments of the trail run through prairie and wetlands, attracting hundreds of species of birds, including sandhill cranes. The trail also crosses Dagget’s Creek, the Rat River and Black Otter Creek. It’s a scenic and relaxing journey, whether you’re on foot or two wheels.

The nearby Mascoutin Valley State Trail is another quality trail opportunity. The 5.3-mile segment of the trail that runs through Winnebago County connects the communities of Ripon and Berlin. The trail passes along the edges of meadows and farm fields, affording wonderful views of the rural landscape. Wetlands appear at several intervals along the trail, giving trail users a chance to see birds and wildlife.

If your feeling a little more energetic, how about taking a ride around Lake Winnebago and visiting all the lighthouses?  It is roughly 71 miles around Lake Winnebago to see all the lighthouses? It is mostly flat, but there are some short steep climbs around the 50 mile mark. Personally, I think a trip on the motorcycle would be more up my alley. Either way though, we are going to pack you lunch for two for your journey.

Our other two packages you have seen before, but are highly requested each season.

Captain Scotty just purchased a new pontoon this season and he is anxious to get it out on Lake Winnebago. It is a little larger and a little newer. It will seat 11 comfortably and he will make sure to get you in the water and on your way. Special rates just for our guests, but if you want to rent the pontoon without staying with us., that’s okay too, I guess, but we like to give our guests the discounts.

Waterfest is also back this year and we have partnered with Brooklyn again to make you sure you get some food in your tummy before or after he concert.

Check out seasonal specials page for more details. http://braytonbb.net/packages/seasonal-packages-3/

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Fruit n’ Pudding – Serves 6

Container of strawberries(sliced) , raspberries, blueberries, half a pineapple( diced) and one apple (diced) and one package of instant flavored pudding. I used cheesecake, but your favorite white flavor would work great too, I am sure.

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Downtown Oshkosh has so much to offer when it comes to shops and retailers and we are within walking distance to all there is to offer. Not only will you find some unique stores and finds, but  great deals are going on this May as well.

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Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

2 1/3 C flour, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 1/2 sticks of butter, melted and cooled to room temp., 1 C light brown sugar, 1/2 C sugar, 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, 2 tsp. vanilla, 3/4 bag of chocolate chips, 10 oz. of caramel chips, 3 TB heavy cream and sea salt.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9″ square pan and set aside. In a med. bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.

Mix together the melted butter and sugar(s) on med speed until combined. Add egg, egg yolk and vanilla until smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients and  mix on low, just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

In a med. microwavable bowl, combine the caramel chips and heavy cream. Microwave until the caramels are melted, stirring every 20 seconds or so for about 2 minutes until creamy.

Press half of the cookie dough into the prepared pan and smoothing the top. Pour the hot caramel over the cookie dough and spread evenly. Sprinkle with sea salt. Drop the remaining cookie dough on top of the caramel and spread evenly over the top. Sprinkle with  more sea salt.

Bake the bars for 30 min until the top is light brown. Cool completely before cutting.

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