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Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Another great apple recipe!

Apple Danishes...I have tried a pastry recipe like this before, and it turned out to be very complicated! The dough did take several hours to prepare, but the result tasted excellent. Try putting rhubarb in the filling instead of apples for a "Lanesboro" twist!

Ingredients:
Pastry Dough
2 cups flour plus extra for dusting
3/4 cup butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 oz yeast
2 tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
6 tbsp lukewarm water
milk for glazing

Filling
2 baking apples, peeled
grated rind of one lemon
4 tbsp sugar

Directions:
Place the flour in a bowl and rub in 2 tbsp of butter. Stir in salt, yeast, and sugar.

Chill the remaining butter in the freezer until hard, not completely frozen. Dust with flour and grate into a bowl, chill.
In another bowl, beat the egg with the vanilla and water, then add to the flour mixture and mix to form a dough. Knead for 10 minutes, then chill for ten minutes.

Roll the dough to 12x8 inches and divide into thirds the long way. Sprinkle the grated butter on the top 2/3 of the dough, and fold the dough like a brochure; non-buttered side folded over the middle 1/3 first. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes. Roll the dough out to the same dimensions again, and chill. Repeat this twice, and finally roll the dough to 16x16 inches.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the diced apples with the lemon rind and 3 tablespoons of the sugar. Cut the 16x16 inch dough into 16 squares, pile some apple filling in the middle of each, and fold the corners in. Brush the corners with milk to get them to stick, and sprinkle the tops with sugar Place on greased baking sheets, and bake at 400 degrees for ten minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 12-15 minutes

Fall Color Update!


If you take a walk around Lanesboro, (the weather is PERFECT for it this week!) You will see some very bright colors but a lot of trees still green. So, when will be the best time to visit and see fall colors in all its glory? Check out this website for a clearer picture: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fall_colors/index.html

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Rain and Romance!

What is more romantic than a night in with your sweetie? Dance in the rain, come in for a hot bath, grab some popcorn and hot chocolate for a TV movie, and fall asleep to the sounds of rain and light thunder...it's fall in Minnesota! Come for just tonight and get the room, a DVD player with a selection of DVDs, and warm towels for just $70! Make sure to check the following website before you leave for information on highway closings...http://www.511mn.org/

More news from Lanesboro!


From Lanesboro Local Marketplace
JUST ARRIVED - For all the foodies and those enjoying good health - Virgin Sunflower Oil. This is a healthy alternative for other oils in cooking. For more info stop at Lanesboro Local Marketplace. Do your fall decorating with locally grown pumpkins, gourds, broom corn, Indian corn, and stalks of field corn.

SAVE THE DATE - Wednesday, October 13, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm
Mark Kneeskern, Preston native, will be telling stories from his hitchhiking experiences. Great time to ask questions. More details to follow.

Live Local - Live Well

From Eagle Bluff
Friendly reminder –
Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center scholarship auction is open until September 27th
http://www.biddingforgood.com/eagle-bluff

From the Lanesboro Art Center
Dear Friends
Your about to be hit on!
The big fundraiser for our art center is coming up. It's a fabulous event that has an auction of all sorts of cool items to help raise money to keep the art center and all our programs going for the winter. I figured, what the heck, maybe some of you have something to donate? Antiques, jewelry, artwork, bikes, cars, furniture, something crazy and cool, or a service of some sort like regripping golf clubs, tour of the fish hatchery, handyman, a hand knitted item, sing a song at someone's social event or wedding, babysit, create a scrap book, you know, something that you can share your talents with for a good cause.. Please consider donating,. It's tax deductable and helps us keep our doors open thru the winter months to provide quality art experiences to South East Minnesota.

If you have anything, either drop it off at the Art Center, mail it or we can find someone to pick it up. It's a great event. you should consider coming to it! We want to gather up as many donation items, as early as we can so we can be prepared for all the promotion for the Swingsation event. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. The staff here puts our heart and soul into sharing your work with the world, it's a labor of love and passion. Any help you can provide thru a donation goes a long way.

Sincerely and with love,
Robbie Brokken
Gallery Director
Lanesboro Arts Center
507.467.2446
gallery@lanesboroarts.org
www.lanesboroarts.org

From the Commonweal
Just want to let you know that there is a mis-print in our brochure. The show on Sunday, October 3 is Turn of the Screw NOT enchanted April as show on the brochure. We have updated our posting on the Chamber's website as well as our website and calendar.

From Habitat for Humanity
NEWS • Habitat for Humanity
Contact: Daniel M. Christianson 507 765 3823
Incognito Headlines Raise the Roof Fundraiser
Habitat for Humanity is holding a fundraiser at the Fillmore County Fairgrounds in Preston on Saturday, October 2, 2010. Incognito, the popular band based in Rochester, will be playing for your dancing and listening pleasure from 7:00 to 10:00 pm. Food and beverages will be available beginning at 5:00 pm. The Fillmore County Pork Producers and Fillmore County Cattlemen will be selling their famous sandwiches and other side dishes will be available for purchase as well. The Fillmore County Dairy Producers and Preston Servicemen’s Club will have beverages available for your enjoyment also.
This fundraiser is also the culmination of the summer long sale of raffle tickets for Habitat’s log playhouse. Raffle tickets are still available and you can see the playhouse at Preston Lumber in Preston. Tickets are $5.
In addition to announcing the winner, there will be live and silent auctions with many valuable items upon which you can bid. All proceeds go to support Habitat for Humanity. If you would like to donate something for the auctions, please contact Denise Nelson at 507 875 2524, Joy Johnson at 507 886 3656, or Mary Stream at 507 467 3457.
Community members and volunteers completed construction on the first Habitat home in Fillmore County in 2009. Construction is currently underway on a twin home in Rushford.
Tickets for the dance are $10 and are available at most of the banks in Fillmore County as well as at Harmony Foods, Preston Foods, and Rushford Foods. Matching funds are being provided by F & M Community Bank and Thrivent Financial. That means your contributions are worth even more for those families in Fillmore County who are in need of simple, decent, and affordable housing!
Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit, ecumenical, grassroots, Christian organization, dedicated to eliminating poverty housing. Habitat partners with homeowner families, the members of the local community, and volunteers to build simple, decent, affordable houses. The houses are sold to those in need at no profit, through no-interest loans.
To qualify for a Habitat home, families must currently live in substandard housing, be unable to obtain a conventional loan from a bank, have the resources to pay a monthly mortgage and be willing to partner with Habitat for Humanity. Before moving into a Habitat home, families must contribute 300 hours of “sweat-equity” to the building of the home and must make a modest down payment.
Habitat for Humanity built its first home in Winona County in 1994. Since then, forty homes have been built. In addition to the twenty five homes within the city of Winona, Habitat has built homes in Lewiston, St. Charles, Minnesota City, Altura, Stockton and Rushford.
Volunteers interested in helping with Habitat for Humanity projects or offering donation can visit our website at www.habitatwinona.org.


Groups in Lanesboro
Sept 24
1 Bus
Medicine Lake Tours
Going to see Enchanted April and have lunch at Pedal Pushers
11 am - 3 pm


Groups at Eagle Bluff


September 20-22
Atheneum Gifted Magnet School - 5th grade (Inver Grove Heights, MN)
10 adults
28 youth
EB
September 20-22
Morning Sun School - 4th-6th grade (Morning Sun, IA)
7 adults
49 youth
EB
September 20-22
St Michael School - 6th grade (Prior Lake, MN)
11 adults
48 youth
EB
September 22nd
Cardinal Of Minnesota
19 adults
EB
September 22-24
St John School - 8th grade (Rochester, MN)
10 adults
55 youth
EB
September 22-24
St Francis School - 7th-8th grade (Rochester, MN)
16 adults
95 youth
EB
September 25th
Christ Lutheran Church - 7th-8th grade (Byron, MN)
7 adults
30 youth
EB
September 26th
Boy Scout Troop 345 - 5th-12th grade (Eagan, MN)
6 adults
25 youth
EB
September 26th
Rochester Youth Soccer Association - 10th-12th grade (Rochester, MN)
3 adults
17 youth
EB
Sept 27-Oct 1
Wayzata West - 6th grade (Wayzata, MN)
30 adults
252 youth
EB

The Weekly

A bit more going on this week, no we just have to hope the weather clears up for it! Fillmore County is not under a Flood Warning like much of the surrounding area, but it is looking a bit dreary around here...I may have to bake something to make the mood a bit cheerier!

Eagle Bluff: Exploritas Program - Active Green Lifestyles: Living a green lifestyle can mean many things. Participants will learn the definition from those already living it! We will visit and learn green living tips and techniques from sustainable homes that both harken back to our past and peer into the future. Other tips will be shared for those who fall somewhere in between.
Sept 24 – 27
4 pm
Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center
467-2437

Concert: Galactic Cowboy Orchestra - It's country . . . it's rock. . . it's jazz . . . It's bug-eyed bluegrass . . . it's swing! With Dan Neale, Lisi Wright, John Wright and Mark O'Day. Presented by the Lanesboro Arts Center
Sept 24
7:30 pm
St. Mane Theatre
467-2446
$12

Slant Avenue Presents Lucy Michelle & The Velvet Lapelles
Sept 24
9:30 pm
Sons of Norway Lodge
467-2580
$7 Suggested Donation

Customer Appreciation at the Lanesboro Farmers Market: Sample products, Free coffee and tea, great sale prices, Fall decorating pumpkins, gourds, cornstalks and more! Locally grown products Produce, plants, baked goods, preserves, meats. Enter drawings to win  pumpkins or a Lanesboro Farmers Market Gift Basket filled with vendor products!!  The winners will be announced at NOON!
Sept 25
9 am – Noon
Sylvan Park Lanesboro

Root River Trail Interpretive Bike Ride: Informative bike ride from Lanesboro to Preston! Meet Mike and examine natural resources along the trail, also historical and cultural sites and background on the trail.
Sept 25
1 pm
Lanesboro Visitor Center

THIS WEEK AT THE COMMONWEAL THEATRE COMPANY
Enchanted April – a renewal of hope and love await four women from different walks of life when a shared vacation to a secluded Italian villa transforms these strangers into friends. This romantic comedy, set in the 1920’s, breathes new life into the most stifled of souls.

Picasso at the Lapin Agile – Steve Martins comedy is sure to have you roaring with laughter from start to finish!

Well, that's it for the week. Watch for our winter/spring package deals, coming soon!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

The Weekly

A little light on activities this week... but the shops will be open to enjoy, Amish tours are still running, restaurants with outdoor seating are as good as ever with this cooler weather, and the path will always be great for walking. Here are the special events this weekend:

Meet artist Daniel Ruf at the 'Cornucopia Artist Spotlight' Reception! "Places I've Been and Things I've Seen" features Daniel's black-and-white and color photography in the Lanesboro Arts Center Juried Sales gallery.
Sept 18
6 – 8 pm
Lanesboro Arts Center
467-2446

THIS WEEK AT THE COMMONWEAL THEATRE COMPANY
Enchanted April – a renewal of hope and love await four women from different walks of life when a shared vacation to a secluded Italian villa transforms these strangers into friends. This romantic comedy, set in the 1920’s, breathes new life into the most stifled of souls.

Picasso at the Lapin Agile – Steve Martins comedy is sure to have you roaring with laughter from start to finish! Two guys walk into a bar, order up one part Einstein, one part Picasso and add a splash of the zaniest characters to ever hit our stage “all shook up.”

Monday, September 13, 2010

Apple Crisp!



This was the first time I've made apple crisp...the recipe only used 6 apples though! Lots more to go...
It is a very simple recipe, and very tasty-- about 10 minutes of prep and 40 of baking.

Ingredients:
4 medium tart cooking apples, sliced (4 cups)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Cream or Ice cream, if desired

Directions:
Heat oven to 375ºF. Grease bottom and sides of 8-inch square pan with shortening.
Spread apples in pan. In medium bowl, stir remaining ingredients except cream until well mixed; sprinkle over apples.
Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve warm with cream.

The recipe is brought to you by Betty Crocker

Friday, September 10, 2010

Please welcome...

Coffee Street Inn is pleased to welcome Samantha Hermanson to our service team! She will be answering phones a few times per week now, so please call and ask hard questions to help complete her training! Just kidding :) Here is a short bio about Sam:

Hometown: Preston, MN

Hobbies: "Horses, dogs, going for walks, four-wheeling, rodeo"

Favorite part of working at Coffee Street Inn: "The people I work with" (aww) "and the guests!"

Sam is currently studying psychology at the University of Minnesota, Duluth through an online program. We get to keep her all school-year!

Other fun facts: "I own 3 horses, 3 dogs, and a bunny! I also play piano."

The Weekly

Wow, I would love to go to any of these events! My dad has been heading up the Straight River clean-up a few times per year in Owatonna, MN so I really have an appreciation for the outdoors. And, thanks to high school, I also enjoy dancing! This will be the third barn dance since I started working here at Coffee Street Inn in April...they take the "southern" part of "southern Minnesota" very seriously! And, a new show at the Commonweal. Lots to do, and plenty of places in town have openings! Come and visit for what may be one of the last nice weekends this year...


Becoming an Outdoors Women: The Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW) in Minnesota is a program which focuses on the teaching of outdoor skills usually associated with hunting, fishing, and other outdoor pursuits. Women ages 14 and older are invited to attend (Participants aged 14-17 must be accompanied by an adult over the age of 21). Activities include Firearm Safety, Archery, Cooking, Dog Demonstrations, Fly Fishing, Orienteering, Canoeing, High Ropes Course, and more!
Sept 10 – 12
Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center
467-2437

12th Annual Root River Clean Up: Begin at the Eagle Cliff Campground. Participants get free canoeing, free tshirt and free meal after the cleanup. We will cover 20 river miles this year. Prizes awarded for the most trash collected. To date, Eagle Cliff's clean up efforts have removed nearly 9 TONS of trash from the Root and Torkelson Creek.
Sept 11
Eagle Cliff Campground Hwy 16

Lanesboro Barn Dance: Calling by Gail Heil and music by Kim and Jim Lansford from the Ozarks. Squares, Circles, Couples Dances, No Partner Needed. Live Old-time string band music with Bob Bovee and Gail Heil. Teaching and Calling by Pop Wagner.
Sept 11
8 pm
Sons of Norway Hall
bobngail@
springgrove.coop
$7


Commonweal Presents: Min Mor - Written and performed by Bente Børsum, a versatile and well respected Norwegian actress of the National Theatre in Oslo, Norway. Reviewers say: “. . . an incredibly forceful show about a past that repeats itself every single day in every scene of war in our time” “Bente Børsum is a virtuoso in the shifting positions of narration.” "Her empathy, understanding and sparkling presentation of the poignant text prove Børsum’s great talent.”
Sept 15
7:30 pm
Commonweal Theatre
467-2525
$15


THIS WEEK AT THE COMMONWEAL THEATRE COMPANY
Commonweal Theatre
467-2525
NOTE – For all evening performances, patrons are invited to Encore!—we offer wine, beer, and snacks to patrons before and after the show as well as intermission.
$25

***Enchanted April – a renewal of hope and love await four women from different walks of life when a shared vacation to a secluded Italian villa transforms these strangers into friends. This romantic comedy, set in the 1920’s, breathes new life into the most stifled of souls.
Sept 9, 11, 16
7:30 pm

Sept 12
1:30 pm

***Picasso at the Lapin Agile – Steve Martin's comedy is sure to have you roaring with laughter from start to finish! Two guys walk into a bar, order up one part Einstein, one part Picasso and add a splash of the zaniest characters to ever hit our stage “all shook up.” We promise a rollicking good time!
Sept 10, 13
7:30 pm

Sept 11
1:30 pm

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Great guests

As the Innkeeper here at Coffee Street Inn, I get to meet some of the nicest people! I have so enjoyed chatting with guests as they enjoy breakfast out on the patio or as they come in the ask questions about the town. Guests in our Cappuccino Suite are very fun to be around, as we get so many different types of groups in there! Extended families, 4 sets of couples, ladies groups, and guests with more than one pet so enjoy that space. For Labor Day Weekend, Colleen Walsh visited with her sisters and mother for a girls weekend! They brought along a sweet little dog to enjoy the town as well. Having forgotten a camera, they asked a staff member to take their picture and email it--later giving me permission to post it on this blog! Say "hi" to just a few of the many great guests we have the privelege of serving regularly.

The month in review--August (a little late!)

Still wondering what Coffee Street Inn and Lanesboro are all about? Here's what some of our guests had to say!

8/3/10, a couple from IA in our Mocha room:
"We are repeat visitors to Lanesboro and the Coffee Street Inn. As always, excellent customer service from the front desk gal. HOT weather; however, the shaded bike trail to Rushford was fantastic. We had a delicious dinner at Pedal Pushers (excellent red potatoes!) We love the beautiful patio/flowers...thank you! We wish the shops had longer hours...it was disappointing to only peek in the windows."

8/9/10, a couple from Cotage Grove, MN in our Mocha room:
"Very nice 3 night stay. Came here for our second (8th) anniversary. Good food, radio show at the theatre, Buffalo Bill Days. Riverside on the Root, Pedal Pushers, and Rhino's had good food. Kate is a nice girl. Patio ad room were wonderful. Such a nice area. Getting too old for the Root River Saloon crowd-- very rowdy. Be back again!"

8/9/10, a couple from Des Moines, IA in our Latte room:
"We were here for Buffalo Bill Days and had a blast! There was so much going on and we never had a dull moment. Loved our room and the breakfast was great. We will be back next year!"

8/9/10, a couple from Cleveland, MN in our Java room:
"8/6--Rode uphill all the way to Fountain...22 miles today. 8/7--Whalan is cool, the pie is great! 30 miles today. 8/8 Preston has a real grocery store! (but no make-up)...25 miles today. 8/9 Happy trails! It's off to Niagra Cave (by car) then home."

8/20/10, a family from Maple Grove, MN in our Double Espresso room:
"A wonderful night here. Very comfortable bed, great bathroom. Would love to come again! We biked just 5 miles west on the trail and will be doing more today. It's a great trail and a lovely Inn!"

8/27/10, a couple from Ainsworth, IA in our Mocha room:
"Really enjoyed the coffee and patio. Beautiful flowers and view. Great location for a bike ride--hope to be back soon!"

8/28/10, a couple from Woodbury, MN in our Latte room:
"We loved the patio and the food. Pedal Pushers was great! We enjoyed walking around. Went to Sylvan Park for the outdoor theatre performance and the farmer's market. Couldn't have asked for a lovlier weekend, thanks!"

Thursday, September 2, 2010

The Weekly

Sept 4, 8 – 11 am; Sons of Norway Hall
467-3726; Adults $7; ages 6-12 $3; preschool free
Norwegian Breakfast (Frokost): Homemade breads & jams, crepes, cold meats, herring, tomatoes, cucumbers, deviled eggs, cheese, fruit, desset pancakes, waffles, flatbread, coffee, milk & juice.

Sept 4, 6:30 – 8:30; Historic Forestville
(507) 765-2785; $6
By the Light of the Lantern: Experience Historic Forestville like never before- at dusk when the residents of Forestville are in evening business and repose! Wander and explore the site at your leisure as farm laborers interact and unwind in the barn, ladies of the house discuss important topics as voting rights, medicines are compounded in the general store, and Thomas Meighen finishes points of business in his office at the end of the day. Live music of the period and more!

Sept 7 & 8, 7:30 pm; Commonweal Theatre
467-2525; $15
Commonweal Presents: Blue Collar Diaries - Michelle Myers offers a glimpse of some of the memorable characters that drifted through her St. Paul blue collar neighborhood in the 60's and 70's. Their personal stories go far beyond the names stitched above their left breast pockets. Exploring both the larger world of the neighborhood around her and the epic silence of her Korean War vet father with both humor and poignancy, Myers celebrates the individual inside the uniform in this original one-woman show. “Channeling characters from her parents and siblings to the dude at the pool hall and a radio hostess who dispenses spiritual and housekeeping advice, Myers has both a keen memory and a facility for bringing these characters to life with her voice, carriage and an item or two of clothing. Sensitive yet clear-eyed, "Blue Collar Diaries" pays homage to a host of unsung heroes.” --Dominic P. Papatola, St. Paul Pioneer Press

THIS WEEK AT THE COMMONWEAL THEATRE COMPANY
Enchanted April – a renewal of hope and love await four women from different walks of life when a shared vacation to a secluded Italian villa transforms these strangers into friends. This romantic comedy, set in the 1920’s, breathes new life into the most stifled of souls. Sept 3, 9,7:30 pm; Sept 4, 1:30 pm

Picasso at the Lapin Agile – Steve Martins comedy is sure to have you roaring with laughter from start to finish! Two guys walk into a bar, order up one part Einstein, one part Picasso and add a splash of the zaniest characters to ever hit our stage “all shook up.” We promise a rollicking good time! Sept 2, 4, 7:30 pm; Sept 5, 6, 1:30 pm

For tickets call: 467-2525

NOTE – For all evening performances, patrons are invited to Encore!—we offer wine, beer, and snacks to patrons before and after the show as well as intermission.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

September Specials!


Request an in-room breakfast if you're staying any night Sunday-Wednesday, or a free "date night" supply: popcorn, pop, and DVD player included (limited supplies)

I'm excited about these, guys! Also, remember that we have a grill for guest use at no extra charge, and you can get $5 off Commonweal Theatre Tickets, $5 off Segway rentals, and $10 off R&M Amish Tours just for staying with us!