Breakfast at The Texas White House

Jamie makes all our breads and muffins from scratch, and this was one of the first ones she made at our bed and breakfast, beginning almost 17 years ago.  It’s still one of our guests’ breakfast favorites, and it’s also a great choice to take to a group brunch or luncheon. 

Here is our recipe for lemon bread: 

                                                       LEMON BREAD 

3/4 Cup Sugar 

1/2 Cup Butter Softened 

1/2 Cup Milk 

Rind of 1 Lemon, Grated 

2 Eggs 

1 1/2 Cups Flour, Sifted 

1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder, Sift with Flour 

1/2 Teaspoon Salt, Sift With Flour 

1 Cup Finely Chopped Pecans 

Icing: 

Juice of 1 Lemon 

1/3 Cup Sugar 

Blend sugar and butter well.  Add eggs, one at a time and beat well.  Add flour and milk alternately, starting and ending with flour.  Stir in lemon rind and pecans.  Bake in greased bread loaf pan in 350 degree oven 45 to 60 minutes.  Let stand in pan after baking for 5 minutes.  Turn out on plate and, while hot, brush on icing mixture.

Fall Obediant Plant

The extremely hot temperatures of this last summer are gone and so are some of the summer flowers of our native Texas plants.  The heavy rains of a week or so ago and the cooler temperatures this week have brought out the first of our fall flowers.  And as you can see from the picture, some are rather impressive.  These fall flowers will continue to bloom up to the first frost; so, plan to come by our bed and breakfast to see the Texas Star Gardens in the fall.  Although fall is not a good time to plant seedlings of most of the native Texas plants, if you’re interested in getting free seedlings, we’ll take your name and send you an email next spring when you can begin to come by for them.

Will Rogers Center in Fort Worth's Cultural District

I’ve been told that the phrase, “Cowboys and Culture,” was coined by the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors’ Bureau as a motto to sell the city.  I’ve recently learned of just how well that phrase fits an important place in Fort Worth.  Back in 1936 the Will Rogers Memorial Center was constructed as part of Fort Worth’s celebration of the Texas Centennial.  It was named for Will Rogers because he was a close friend of Amon Carter and had died the year before in a plane crash.  In 1935-6 other structures were built as part of the celebration including the original Casa Manana and large parking lots to accommodate the attendees.  Today, all those structures are gone; even though Casa Manana is still there, it’s a completely different building.  And in their place, some of the finest museums in the country have been built including the Kimbell, the Amon Carter, the Modern, the Museum of Science and History and the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame, all seats of culture in our city.  And what’s at the center of all this culture?  That’s right, the Will Rogers Memorial Center with its almost continuous parade of horse and cattle shows and rodeos, still representing the traditions of the old west cowboy.  So, it’s not just a motto to sell Fort Worth; we have the culture of museums and theater literally surrounding the cowboy lifestyle right in the heart of our city.  We call it the Cultural District, but now you know it represents so much more!

Fort Worth hosts 2011 Super Bowl

You may have heard about Taste of the NFL, a contest which pits all NFL teams against each other to raise money to fight hunger around the country.  It culminates with a Taste of the NFL dinner the night before the Super Bowl, and this year that dinner will be held at the Fort Worth Convention Center.  Between now and the end of November (it actually began last May), Cowboy greats from the past team with local chefs to do dinners at area restaurants to raise funds to support both the North Texas and Tarrant Area Food Banks.  You can find the list of participating restaurants at Taste of the NFL web site.  It will be a special meal serving a special cause and well worth the $80.00 per person price.

Here’s an idea for a special weekend!  Stay at our place and take that special someone to that weekend’s dinner.  We’ll donate a complimentary bottle of Texas wine during your stay for your support of the fundraiser.  And for those of you who are planning to come to attend the Super Bowl festivities the week before the game, here is one more event you can be a part of.

Downtown Fort Worth Burkburnett Bldg.

One of the special attractions of downtown Fort Worth is that a lot of older buildings have been preserved and restored.  The architecture and intricate relief on these buildings gives a character to our city that is missing from more modern downtowns.  History is also preserved with these buildings, many of which have had significant events take place either outside them or within.

Now you can learn about this interesting history through a free, self-guided walking tour.  Nearly two dozen historic markers have been placed thoughout downtown telling the story of the people and event that took place at that location.  Now that the weather is cooling off, it’s a perfect way to see downtown Fort Worth and learn about our city’s history all at the same time.  And guess what?  We have the maps for the tour right here at The Texas White House.  One will be waiting for you when you check in.

Land of Contrast Room at The Texas White House

We normally use this blog to let you know about events or other special things in and around Fort Worth and mention The Texas White House only as it helps you to come see that event.  However, for the past month or so, we’ve been finishing a very short video designed to introduce prospective guests to our bed and breakfast.  We especially want our fans on Facebook to see this new video and thought this post would be the best way to do that.  So, please take a look at the new Texas White House video and let us know what you think. 

As a way of saying “Thanks” for looking at the video, everyone who responds to this post with an email back to us and comments on the video will be entered into a drawing for a copy of Texas Bed & Breakfast Cookbook by Carol and Erin Faino, an award-winning, hard-bound edition including over 200 recipes from bed and breakfasts all over Texas with detailed descriptions of the contributing bed and breakfasts.  We will mail the cookbook to the winner along with some of our most popular breakfast recipes for you to enjoy.  The cookbook is a $20.00 value; our recipes are priceless!  Well, at least we think so!  The winning email will be notified on September 30.

Super Bowl comes to Fort Worth

Here are some interesting statistics of your “average” Super Bowl guest.  First, remember that the Super Bowl is not a football game; it’s a corporate event.  So, it shouldn’t be too surprising that 85% of the fans are from out-of-state and as many as 90% will arrive here by plane – most by private jet!  Are you beginning to get a different picture than the person who sat next to you?  Well, over half of the entire stadium will make more than $75,000/year, and almost half of those will make over $100,000!  Here’s the most telling statistic; 65% are the key decision-makers in their company.

Given these numbers it shouldn’t be too hard to figure why tickets to the Super Bowl are so hard to come by!  Having said all that, there isn’t anything that says you can’t rub shoulders with those owners of the private jets.  Remember that Fort Worth will be host to the AFC representative to the Super Bowl.  All AFC parties are going to be in Fort Worth, and there will be a lot of them that are open to the public.  Additionally, I’m sure you’ve heard that ESPN has selected downtown Fort Worth to be the location for over 80 hours of live broadcasts during the week before the game.  Here’s where you insert the words, celebrities, players, coaches, analysts.  Get the picture, no pun intended!  You can be a part of all of this just by being here.  Here’s where you insert the words, Texas White House!

And once you move to college and the pros, Fort Worth is right in the middle of great football.  Whether it’s the TCU Horned Frogs, pre-season #7 pick, or the Cowboys, The Texas White House is just minutes from either stadium.  Less than 30 minutes from the new Cowboy Stadium (insert 2011 Super Bowl!) and only about 5 minutes from TCU’s Amon Carter Stadium, if your wife will agree, you can stay here and take in two, top games in one weekend.  The best part is that while you’re at the game, your wife or girlfriend can be seeing the sights or shopping, both of which are also only 5 minutes away.  Sounds like a dream weekend for any football fanatic.

Visit the Fort Worth Zoo

The Fort Worth Zoo is ranked one of the top 5 zoos in the country.  It is constantly upgrading the surroundings of the animals.  It seems to add at least one new exhibit each year.  In fact, if you haven’t seen “Texas Wild,” that’s reason enough to make a visit there.

Here’s an idea for that really unique date.  Schedule a day to take that special someone to the zoo.  Arrive mid-morning and casually stroll the zoo with maybe a snack while you relax.  Then come to our bed and breakfast and relax some more in our Texas Star Gardens while you sip complimentary wine of your choice.  Have a relaxing dinner at one of the cozy and unique restaurants within walking distance of The Texas White House.  Next morning we’ll bring breakfast to your room to top off a really special 24 hours together.  It may be just what the two of you need — right now!

Texas Star Hibiscus at the Texas Star Gardens

You may have noticed that there haven’t been many blog entries in the last couple of weeks.  Despite the heat in Fort Worth, there has also been some rain.  So, we’ve been enjoying the native Texas flowers and plants that are in bloom right now.  There is no lack of summertime flowers, most of which will bloom until first frost, but the star attraction, no pun intended, at the Texas Star Gardens is the late blooming Texas Star Hibiscus.  Along with the Datura, or Moon Flower, the Texas Star Hibiscus is a bloom that doesn’t last long once it opens, but as you can see from the picture, is worth the wait!

Guests at The Texas White House can still get seedlings from the garden as long as they last, which should be well into fall.  All you have to do while you are staying with us is to mention you would like to take one home, and we’ll make sure you get the one of your choice, FREE!