Disclaimer: This got way longer than I thought….it’s more in the informational category so not so exciting! Feel free to skip in hopes that there will be something more interesting coming soon!

Since I just posted our guest round up I figured it may be a good time to do a random “guesthouse” post.  As I have mentioned before, this past yr in Bern we have hosted 24 guests! I have kind of made it my personal goal to get good at it. I really want people to come, relax and feel like they have a great time on their vacation. We have learned as we have gone and as we close this season of guests I feel like we have learned a few things that I thought I would pass along.

1. Prepping the house for guests

I start the preparation days in advance!! Not meaning that I work and work for days in advance, but that I spread it out so that I am not completely exhausted when our guests arrive.  I used to save the cleaning for the day before because I wanted it to be nice when they arrived. But I soon discovered that this house is way too big to try to do in one day. (we couldn’t have so many guests without this kind of space so it is a bonus)  I now have kind of a system where I do fresh linens a few days out and then follow it with different jobs that can be done ahead. I save the floors and dusting for the evening before. And then there is the fact that I used to think I could do it all myself but I have succumbed to the reality and now I have Seth on board to help me!

Now that I have a system I can devote more time that last day before to getting to the grocery store and doing some baking. Oh yea, and then once the guests arrive I let them know that I would rather spend time with them than clean. I maintain as best I can but I don’t stress. I mainly tidy and occasionally sweep if it is in desperate need, but otherwise I just let it go and enjoy the visitors.

Quick confession: I don’t iron sheets, even when I pull them out and toss them into a ball onto the bed. Both of my grandmother’s are gasping right now but I figured it was better to be honest. Sheets will be clean, but very wrinkled around here!

2. Meal Planning

I always contact our guests before they arrive to see if there is anything they can’t eat or have allergies to. Then I plan the meals, trying to accommodate as much as possible!  It’s tough cooking for a crowd and I have learned that not everyone will like every meal but I do try to pick things with our guests in mind. I always have the meals planned but not necessarily for a particular day. For instance, I know that whatever day we decide to day trip meals need to be simple or hot in the crock pot when we return. Our favorite group meals for the year have been Ina Garten’s Macaroni and Cheese,  Gina’s Barbacoa Beef that we use for burrito bowls and a recipe I got from my sister-in-law, Stephanie, for French dip sandwiches. They are all easy to make and make a cozy dinner for a crowd.

Some things I always have on hand that I can make the day before…

Refrigerator bran muffins….the ones I wrote about here. They are an easy thing to keep in the fridge, I bake them up as people want them. So far they have been a hit and everyone is thankful for something healthy in the middle of their travels.

Tomato Basil Soup… knock off of La Madeline’s. I realized I have never posted this in the past so this will be coming soon! Most guests arrive in time for lunch (or breakfast their time) so I normally make a soup the night before and serve it with Bern Zopf bread, salami and cheeses. Everyone is always eager to have something Swiss so it is an easy way to get it in when they first arrive!

Something seasonal and homemade….having guests gives me the excuse to have something yummy around. I don’t often bake treats when it’s just us here so when guests come it’s fun to have something out of the ordinary. In February when the O’Leary chicas came I made those Valentine’s whoopie pies, they were fun for Valentine’s Day but also a fun memory of making devil dogs at Annie’s house!  When my parents came it was peach season so I made some Butterscotch peaches! This time around I made Southern Living’s Apple Cream Cheese Coffee Cake which isn’t on their website yet but I am sure you have seen it on the cover of their magazine last month! It was super yummy and people snacked on it and had it with coffee throughout the week. I also enlisted Jackson to make some fall M&M cookie bars to stow away for snacking.

This guy is the Guesthouse assistant, he is always the best welcomer, conversationalist and entertainer! As we left last week to run an errand I called for Jackson who was lagging behind. When I turned to see what was holding him up I overheard him saying  “bye guys, do you have everything you need before we go?”.  We have all learned a lot about hospitality this year!

3. Ring a ling

After a few rounds of guests got lost here and there and didn’t have a way to call us easily we decided to invest in a chargeable phone. It was cheap and easy and it has made it so nice to stay in touch. There would be no need for this in the US obviously but overseas this has been great. It got comical this summer when guests were so close together that they would have to take the phone back and mail it to the next guest so they would have it when they arrived in Zurich. It made train station pickups so much better!

4. Little basket

Before guests arrive I put a few snacks in their room as well as check to see that they have the Bern map and some other brochures from previous guests. Most of our friends and family are jetlagged so I make sure they have something for when they wake up at 2 AM starving and thirsty.  It’s a goal to have the wireless password written down in the room but that hasn’t happened yet.

5. Activities

So far our guests have not been lacking for things to do. It has been especially nice in the summer festival season. There is always something going on.  Nearly everything is about an hour away, or 15 mins away if it’s in Bern. I have a feeling we would have not seen nearly as much if it wasn’t for our guests.  If our guests have any plans for a day trip by train I try to strategically plan it for about midway through their trip. that allows me to get the house back into livable shape and allows my boys to get a breather day for naps, in hopes that they will refresh and be kind hosts for the remainder of the stay!

These are likely all things you all do too!  I tried to pack it with recipes and such to make it useful! If you happen to be guests in the Spring maybe we will have it running like a well-oiled machine!

One of our most favorite types of food is Tex Mex. It’s probably good we have no access to those endless chip bowls and bubbly queso dip..but every once in a while we just NEED it. I have been on the hunt for some healthy recipes that remind us of back home. I have been googling knockoffs for some time now. The most recent find was a Chipotle knock off for barbacoa beef. I did it in the slow cooker and served it with cilantro rice and lots of fresh toppings. I had always wondered what people used the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for. This recipe was a way to try them out!   They smell, smokey and warm but are super spicy! I made the mistake of sneaking a little of the sauce after smelling it just to gauge how spicy I wanted out meet. Wowser! It’s hot. Both times I have made this recipe I have made it with less peppers.  The meat never came out too spicy…in fact Seth had to stop the boys from eating it all one evening!

Gina’s Weight Watchers blog is one I have been finding some good finds on lately, including this barbacoa recipe.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/04/barbacoa-beef.html

I followed her recipe mostly…I used less peppers, added a little beef broth (because I cooked mine on low all day in the slow cooker and I didn’t want it to dry out, and I used the whole roast without cutting it up so I could cook it longer and not have to check it through the day).

When I looked up the beef to add to this post I saw she has a slow-cooked pork as well. We will be trying this soon!

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/01/slow-cooked-sweet-barbacoa-pork.html

Don’t be scared away by the Weight Watchers name. I personally avoid all things Weight Watchers because I know my personality enough to know that if I ever attempted it I would become OCD about the points system. That’s another story altogether but anyhow, I like her recipes because they are lots of fresh, simple recipes. If she calls for reduced fat stuff we normally use regular because Switzerland isn’t on the low fat, fat free craze that the US is on. I prefer the real stuff in moderation than the chemically stuff. But that is just me.

Pappasito’s with the Seckinger clan before coming to Bern.

I think Seth would be lying if he tried to say it’s only worth it to fly home for family. I am pretty sure if I talked enough about tex mex over the next couple of days he would book us tickets home. But that would be super manipulative so I will continue to try my knock off recipes and save the money on flights home.

It’s funny, I don’t think of myself as being a good cook but lately people have been asking for recipes. I am always embarrassed because all of my recipes are from my mom or friends. It’s not like I do anything original. I love to try new recipes and mess up a lot. Early in our marriage I was scared to try too many things because I wanted Seth to enjoy what I made and I hated failing. I still want him to enjoy the food I serve him but now I am more bold and even if the recipe contains mushrooms or beans I give it a go and tell Seth just to pick around! I vow to try at least one recipe from each magazine I get. And typically try one new recipe a week. Since coming to Bern I am getting Southern Living. It’s not tough to find something that looks amazing and is super easy to make. I cook because I enjoy it and I have been realizing lately that I cook because it connects me to my mom.

I hate being far from home. All through high school I would sit at the kitchen bar and “do homework”, ie chat with my mom and watch her cook. It was our time together. I learned so much just through watching her work. She was budget conscious but it was a huge priority for her to make fresh, delicious meals.  No matter how long she had worked that day she whipped up yummy things! So I think I am realizing that when I cook I feel connected to my mom. Even if she is in a different time zone and I sure wish I was watching her cook, somehow being in the kitchen helps stave off some of my homesickness.  Calling home with questions about recipes always gives me an excuse to call and chat so that helps too!  (on a side note, if I had a million dollars I would want to have a little restaurant with my mom..or a B&B)

My favorite recipes are the ones I have from my mom. My wedding gift from her was a book of her handwritten recipes. The book got lost in a box we mailed and she spent hours rewriting the recipes into a new book for me last Christmas. She is great at picking recipes and great at knowing what goes with what. She is a true foodie. You would think she would be obese by now with all of her great cooking and love for food but nope, she’s petite and has the best self control of anyone I know. If she makes a chocolate cake and has a piece, she’s done. She’s not the leave a fork on the cake plate just to make the next walk-by cake bite more convenient. Or if she was she was really good at hiding the fork and the bites.  I am the fork on the cake plate kind of girl. Wish I wasn’t but I am.

I have been trying lots of new recipes lately. Since coming to Bern I have had lots of time to focus on settling in and that has included lots of cooking. I love that I can be in the mood to try something, google it, and come up with a zillion choices to pick and choose from. And I am gradually getting more comfortable being more creative and doing things my own way.

On Sunday we had some leftover brisket in the fridge. I wasn’t in the mood to make sides and whip up a whole meal. So, we made a BBQ brisket pizza. It was delicious. We spread BBQ sauce on instead of pizza sauce. Layered it with brisket, onions, red bell peppers and cheese. It was delicious! Wait, I already said that. It was nothing you haven’t seen before but nothing I had done at home. Nice to try new things.

Other new things on our list last week were Southern Living’s Stovetop Potpie (We skipped the biscuits and the fattening crust!) and crock pot barbacoa beef (chipotle knockoff) that we used for burrito bowls. Both were a hit. In fact the pot pie called for wine and I normally shy away from things I think my kids won’t like. But Owen, who is my ornery eater, scarfed it down like he has been waiting for a splash of white wine to brighten up all of his meals.   We have also been having lots of salads for dinner to balance out all of the fudge and treats we had with Seth’s parents.  I am always on the lookout for a salad that is healthy but has enough pizazz to make it feel like a dinner not a diet meal.

Tonight is going to be stuffed green peppers. They weren’t Seth’s favorite when I made them like 5 yrs ago but he said he would give them a try again!

I wonder what my mom is cooking tonight.