Catching Up as the Vancouver Olympics Wind Down

How about that hockey game last night (Canada vs Slovakia)??@!!! I am guessing it may take my son in law a few weeks to recover after the excitement of the last minute of the game!

I'm still working on finding food that people love for breakfast. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for my ego!), they are invariably kind and say positive things - but it doesn't help me figure out the perfect breakfast. And, of course, it's very subjective - what one person loves, another may not like at all. This morning I tried Eggs Benny on Potato Latkes with Canadian Bacon on the side. One of our guests had requested plain eggs and fruit, so this was the closest we could come! The starter was Apple Walnut Muffins, fresh squeezed orange juice and garnish of lemon & green grapes - trying to keep it simple for them. Here are a few photos of our menu offerings in the last couple of days. The red circle is a cactus pear, something I've never experimented with before. Also, a photo of the German Apple Pancake with Honey Garlic Sausages from yesterday (I managed to recover my lost photos) and Fresh Baked Croissants with Creme Fraiche & Grape Marguerita Jelly (made in my kitchen last summer), accompanied by Apple Raspberry Nectar.

Vancouver Olympics - Racing to the Finish

This last few weeks have pretty much been a blur with guests coming and going, and all that is involved with hosting a guest house during such a busy time! But we're still loving every minute of it and are sad that we're almost at the end. We've met some wonderful people and it's fun to share their experience of Vancouver and the Olympic Games. Very exciting to see the Canadian women's hockey team win gold! We're all holding our breath for the Men's game this afternoon. I had a bit of a glitch in posting my breakfast photos today - deleted some other photos off of my camera and unfortunately deleted the food photos at the same time. Anyone interested will have to use their imagination, but here's the menu anyway:

Menu for Friday, February 26, 2010

Papaya & Coconut Cooler with Star Fruit Garnish

Fresh Organic Strawberries & Blueberries in a Lace Caramel Cup

Rich Lemon Scones with Lemon Cream and/or Home Made Strawberry/Lime Jam

Butterscotch Puffed Apple Pancake with Maple Syrup & Whipped Cream

Garnish of Leafy Miniature Oranges on Cactus Pear Slices

Honey Garlic Italian Sausages

Another Gorgeous Day Begins for our Vancouver Olympics Guests

We are certainly showcasing Vancouver at it's best! The sun is shining, flowers are blooming and people are thronging to the various Olympic venues. The city is bursting with a very special energy! We are sad to see our current guests departing today for their homes in the U.S. and Germany, but we've enjoyed every moment of their visit! I can only pray to be always blessed with such warm and wonderful guests who are filled with enthusiasm about Vancouver, the Olympics, and everything we do for them or serve them for breakfast. Even the ones who are sharing a bathroom and even when one of my dishes (the muffins) wasn't cooked quite to perfection (the exception, I hope, not the rule!), they are gracious and kind. Since I seem to have gotten into a routine of sharing our menus, here's what we served this morning:

Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

Selection of: Coffee/Tea/Hot Chocolate/Milk or Steamed Milk

Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins with Honey Butter

Grapefruit, Watermelon & Guava Rooibus

Huevos Verdes, with Tomatillo Salsa, Home Made Guacamole, Sour Cream & Refritos

Canadian Bacon

Breakfast du Jour

No time to write - this B&B host thing does keep one hopping! But so far it's been great fun. Check out our latest breakfast menu which started with fresh squeezed Ginger Apple/Grape Juice, Cinnamon Brandied Pears nestled in a puddle of lemon creme and topped off with blackberry garnish. All of this served with fresh baked croissants and home made Grape Marguerita Jelly (a wee splash of tequila never hurt anything!). We finished up with Creme Brulee French Toast served with fresh bananas, whipped cream, maple syrup and Lemon Glazed Sausages.

Hosting the World at Vancouver Olympics

It's so amazing to be part of this exciting event that's happening in Vancouver! As new hosts of a guest house, we have had the opportunity to meet wonderful people who have so much of the Olympic spirit that they've traveled long distances to be here in Vancouver and share the joy! They have all brought something wonderful into our lives - enthusiasm for Vancouver, enthusiasm for our efforts at creating interesting food, and lots of laughter. Our breakfast menu this morning started with coffee served in the rooms at 7:30 (No, wait! It actually started when we set off the smoke alarm at 6:20 a.m. cooking the chorizo! Luckily, our guests were terrific sports!). Breakfast at 8:30 in the dining room started with Orange Banana Frappe, served with Brandies Strawberries & Dragon Fruit in Candied Lace Cups and Lemon Yogurt Fritters dusted with icing sugar. This was followed by a Potato Chorizo Frittata served with a crisp fresh relish of Shallots, Cilantro & Olive Oil. Here are some photos:

Valentines Day Breakfast Photos

I shared the menu for my first Guest breakfast the other day so I thought it would be fun to post some photos of the finished product. It was Valentine's Day, Chinese New Year's and the beginning of the Vancouver Olympics - very difficult to choose which theme to go with! I think it will be obvious which one I chose!

Opening Day of our Guest House

We're excited! We watched the opening ceremonies for the Vancouver Olympic Games last night. They were amazing and showcased just how beautiful and diversified Vancouver is. To add to our excitement, our first guests for our new Guest House are arriving today! No time to really write as we have a million little things to take care of, but I do want to share our menu for our first guest breakfast. One of the guests has an allergy to eggs, so we had to be a bit creative. Hoping we found the perfect combination! Here it is:

MENU FOR SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2010

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

Mango Lassi

Choice of Coffee/Tea/Hot Chocolate/Milk

Honeydew Melon with Blueberries & Lime

Lemon Scones topped with lemon drizzle and served with Raspberry Butter

Mushroom Brie Tart

Home Fried Potatoes

Maple Glazed Bacon

The Beauty Emerges

So, if you've ever thought of buying a wonderful old house and "fixing it up", I'm here to tell you what you can expect. I thought I knew - painting, pouring through fix-it and decorating magazines, planting a lovely English garden. Certainly I never thought I would spend so much time on my knees sanding, filling and painting baseboards, scraping paint off of old flooring, and digging garbage out of the flower beds that I got nerve damage in my lower legs! With any luck, it may go away in this lifetime. But, I'm also here to tell you that the day does come when it's all worth it. Have we reached that day? I'm not quite sure, but I believe that way in the distance, I see a glimmer of a day when I will actually have time to have a friend over for dinner again, or sit and watch a movie with my grandchildren, or enjoy a glass of wine on those wonderful verandas overlooking the Vancouver harbour and our spectacular mountains. Meanwhile, here are some pictures of just a few of the beautiful parts of "this old house". And, you know what? We still love it and it's been worth all the work and struggle!

A View of Vancouver

A very exciting time to be in Vancouver! The Olympics are only days away and the world is seeing our city at its' best. The sky is blue, the cherry blossoms are peeping out, the sun is shining, and the temperature is projected to be eleven degrees by mid afternoon (maybe they should add Golf to the list of Olympics winter sports when they are held in Vancouver!). We are looking out over the mountains and harbor from the verandas of the Bee & Thistle Guest House.

Olympics Accommodation Available in Vancouver

Are you still looking for accommodation for the upcoming Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia? Well, look no further. We, unfortunately for us, but fortunately for anyone needing a room, didn't get our guest rooms ready until this week (because we wanted them to be perfect) and therefore we still have availability. Our home is a wonderful 1908 heritage house located on "the Drive", a vibrant area of Vancouver, very close to downtown and close to one of the main arteries leading into the City. Our rooms are lovely, newly updated with queen size beds, luxury linens, flat screen t.v.s, IPod docking stations, fireplaces in every room and gorgeous bathrooms. You can view the photos posted to this site, or email us at beeandthistlevancouver@yahoo.ca and we will be happy to send you more and/or provide information about availability and rates. We hope to see you soon!

Molly's Garden Room:

This lovely room is named in honor of Molly Bell who, together with her husband, purchased the home from the Dowlings in 1937. Of all the women who lived, laughed and cooked in this house in the 1900s, we chose to name the room after Molly, simply because her name makes us think of someone young and full of fun. The room is on the second floor and is graced with a character window overlooking the garden, restored original fir floors, electric fireplace, antique Chinese wardrobe, mini fridge stocked with complementary soft drinks and snacks, a flat screen t.v., net book computer and IPod docking station (Molly would have loved all this technology!). The bathroom is small but has everything you need, including a custom shower with rain head, tiles imported from Italy, vintage style pedestal sink, heated tile floors,and even a vintage leaded window into the bedroom. Can you see yourself lounging in front of the fire in our cozy bathrobes and nibbling on the chocolates you found on your pillow?

The Florence Room:

Florence's Room is named in honor of Florence Dowling, daughter of Thomas and Ivy Dowling who built the house in 1908. This lovely room on the second floor features restored original fir floors, a mullioned window looking out on the garden, a queen size bed with luxury linens, antique wardrobe, electric fireplace, mini fridge stocked with complimentary soft drinks and snacks, flat screen t.v., net book computer,and IPod docking station. The private bath has a custom shower with rain head, gorgeous marble tile, crystal chandelier, soaker tub and heated tile floors.

The Lions' Loft:

The Lions' Loft is a spacious self contained unit with private bathroom, full modern kitchen, gas fireplace with Victorian antique mantle, Juliette balcony overlooking the mountains and harbour, queen bed, luxury linens, flat screen t.v., netbook computer, and IPod docking station. The Lions' bathroom is beautifully decorated with tiles imported from Spain, custom shower with rain head, claw food tub and heated tile floors. The skylight provides a lovely view of the city.