Inns treat guests to homemade breakfasts

Having recently driven across the country and back, I appreciate the convenience of the continental breakfast offered at Best Western and other hotel/motel chains. Pouring a bowl of cereal or grabbing a cold cheese danish saves precious time before getting back on the road, yet it doesn't prepare you for the day the way a still-warm coffeecake or sausage casserole does.

For that comfy type of morning sustenance you need to drive past the interchange motels and seek out cozy bed-and-breakfasts where homemade fare and cheerful conversation are on the menu daily.

Several such suburban inns have shared their favorite morning recipes, as well as a few recipes befitting other meals of the day, in the recently released "Illinois Bed & Breakfast Cookbook" (3D Press, $21.95).

The book, edited by Becky LeJeune, is the latest in a series of cookbooks highlighting recipes from B&Bs, historic inns and boutique hotels across the United States. About 60 establishments throughout the state contributed to the Illinois edition.

Sherry Brewer, innkeeper at Victorian Rose in Algonquin, says guests enjoy the break from the usual on-the-go morning fare.

"People eat a lot of cold cereal; here I serve a fancy breakfast with linen napkins, crystal," Brewer says. She contributed Cranberry Scones and Caramelized French Toast to the book.

At a regular hotel, inn keepers have little contact with guests. She said at B&Bs, "breakfast is a time when I can serve them, visit with them, get their story."

Lynn Harrison of Harrison House in Naperville agrees that breakfast is only part of the B&B experience. Her Nutty Orange Coffee Cake, Zucchini Bread, Carrot Cake and No-crust Turkey Sausage Quiche Florentine are included in the book.

"We serve good food and a friendly atmosphere," Harrison says. "People like visiting with other guests; they'll talk for two hours over coffee."

Her seasonally available Sour Cream Blueberry Coffeecake is another dish that keeps guests coming back.

"People appreciate the fresh flowers, the personal attention," Harrison says.

Says Suzanne Branding, owner of Shady Oaks in Lake Zurich, "bed and breakfast people are travelers who are looking for a little different experience. They are not people who wish to travel anonymously. They're looking for an experience in staying someplace as well as the experience in the travel."

Her Sausage Casserole is in the book.

"That particular recipe is one that a dear friend of mine gave me years ago, and we always enjoyed it as a family," Branding said.

She usually decides what to make her guests based on how many people stay at the inn on a given night, because some recipes are better for more people and some serve less. That variety is one of many factors that differentiate a bed and breakfast from a hotel chain.

While most B&Bs understandably concentrate on breakfast and brunch items, some will set out afternoon tea or light meals when guests ask.

At Lynfred Winery B&B in Roselle, guests wanting a romantic getaway can arrange to have dinner items, like Crab Cakes with Lemon Butter and Mango Salsa, sent to their room. Other inns offer lunch and dinner menus for special events.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>Recipes</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> </div> <div class="recipeLink"> <ul class="moreLinks"> <li><a href="/story/?id=313053" class="mediaItem">Nutty Orange Coffee Cake</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=313052" class="mediaItem">Sausage Casserole</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=313051" class="mediaItem">Cranberry Pecan Scones</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=313050" class="mediaItem">Crab Cakes With Lemon Butter and Mango Salsa</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=313049" class="mediaItem">Overnight Coffee Cake</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>