Mountains To Prairies B&B
Innkeeper(s):
Sam & Linda Browns
· A Gift of Beta Grapes 7 Oct 2011, 10:33 am
Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast
bed and breakfast hospitality inn
hill city - central black hills national forest - south dakota
convenient lodging location near
mount rushmore - 1880 train - custer state park
- wind cave national park - jewel cave national monument
- crazy horse memorial - black elk wilderness
- mountain lakes - harney peak - norbeck scenic byway
- george s. mickelson trail - the centennial trail
- historic downtown hill city - antiques
· Apricot Squares (Perfect Flour Blend) 1 Jun 2011, 9:33 am
May 31 early in the day I requested muffin recipes (using Perfect Flour Blend) from Namaste Foods LLC (gluten free products for people with food allergies)...on facebook. I was promptly provided a link to the Namaste website location where several options were available. Our B&B guest (with celiac) chose the Apricot Squares...ok, not muffins (and also no longer listed, probably due to Namaste keeping the recipe lists fresh).
Easy recipe! Sam and I sampled the bars while they were still warm (couldn't resist), and in our opinion they are super amazingly delicious!! Sam must have been worried there would be none left for our guest, though—"You can slow down," he said, "you don't have to eat it that fast!" That was Mr. Sweet Tooth talking to his Mrs. Salty who rarely eats sweets...but the bar being sampled was soooo good! (On second thought, his real concern may have been that I would consume his rations. haha)
Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast
bed and breakfast hospitality inn
hill city - central black hills national forest - south dakota
convenient lodging location near
mount rushmore - 1880 train - custer state park
- wind cave national park - jewel cave national monument
- crazy horse memorial - black elk wilderness
- mountain lakes - harney peak - norbeck scenic byway
- george s. mickelson trail - the centennial trail
- historic downtown hill city - antiques
Sequel: Mountain Bluebirds Stained Glass Window 28 May 2011, 11:09 am
(click link)
Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast
bed and breakfast hospitality inn
hill city - central black hills national forest - south dakota
convenient lodging location near
mount rushmore - 1880 train - custer state park
- wind cave national park - jewel cave national monument
- crazy horse memorial - black elk wilderness
- mountain lakes - harney peak - norbeck scenic byway
- george s. mickelson trail - the centennial trail
- historic downtown hill city - antiques
· Flammkuchen, Sequel to Flumkuchen 30 Apr 2011, 9:50 am
This is FLAMMKUCHEN (our variant)—distinctly a main course for lunch or the evening meal. I wish you could smell the wonderful tantalizing aroma that wafts throughout the house while the Flammkuchen is baking.This savory treat's sprawling journey includes its honored place as tarte flambée or flammekueche, the specialty from the Alsace region of France, with the base topping being a creamy soft fresh cheese, fromage frais or blanc...or both terms will do. Fromage frais means 'fresh cheese' and fromage blanc means 'white cheese'. A readily available low fat cream cheese like Neufchâtel is a fine substitute. Traditionally, the tarte flambée would include onions and lardons—small strips of pork fat.
(There is also a sweet variant, topped with crème fraîche, apples or possibly bilberries, sugar and cinnamon. Crème fraîche is a soured fresh cream, typically less sour than the American sour cream.)
The pizza frenzy of the 1960's is what brought this comparable flat food to the forefront. But, the creation of it is a story! Time was, as the legend goes, that Alemannic (a Germanic tribe of the first millennium) farmers who baked only once a week, or so, would test the heat of their wood-fired ovens by tossing in one of these thin pies at the estimated peak time. It was a quick fix. If the temperature was right, the intense heat would bake the pie in 1 to 2 minutes, the edges would nearly be burned by the flames, and exiting the oven would be a flamed pie or cake, signaling that it was time to bake.
It is acceptable to change the basic recipe somewhat, based on the cook's immediate mood. As there are many moods, there are many variations.
For instance, take lardons (think bacon) along with the cheese, and the calories begin to fast forward. We prefer to avoid some of those galloping calories. And we really like red sauce. So, we nudge our tarte flambée, or Flammkuchen as it is known in Germany, over the Italian border! We keep the crust thin, as it should be. Bacon, or sausage, is optional if not banished at our evening table (hint: baby bella mushrooms serve well for the vegetable oriented palate), but we do like a reasonable fling of good cheese. Purple onions, mmmmmm. And, no apologies, heavy on the garlic, please. However, keeping the weight of the toppings on the light side is a good idea, to avoid a soggy crust. We like our crust crispy! The photo at top accurately depicts how we like our Flammkuchen.
When Sam first sampled it, he slyly announced, "We could sell this!" Though his enthusiasm was appreciated, it did not motivate me to carry out his ambition. Other than again and again exclaiming,
"This is so good," Sam and I were unusually quiet while eating, completely focused on the delicious flavors and harmonious scents! We both agreed that Flammkuchen could easily become as popular with us as our gourmet nachos.
A short side note—In my own 100 percent German farm family, during garden season we were regularly treated to a sweet Onion Kuchen which highlighted green onion tops. Blended with soured cream and sugar, this custardy pie was part of the main fare at lunch (or dinner, as we called it), while at supper it was dessert. Either way, even the children looked forward to it with delight. Perhaps I should speak for myself only, eh? I personally don't recall tasting onions, though they were present in abundance in all their green glory. This Onion Kuchen may be a distant cousin to the sweet Flammkuchen. And Flumkuchen (previous post), well, it is basically the crust of Flammkuchen, though it stands alone as a quick-to-prepare comfort food. Beyond that, my first taste of anything pizza-like was when my oldest army-aged brother Ray once took two or three of us, who were tweens, out for pizza, early in those pizza-frenzied 1960's. Flammkuchen was not on the menu though. Seems to me unnatural. You would think in North Dakota someone would have thought of it.
If you would like to try what appears to be a traditional recipe for Flammkuchen, go to Delicious Days. For more details on the regional history of Flammkuchen and, for the sake of comparison, a truly traditional recipe, go here: Tarte Flambée d'Alsace or Elsässer Flammkuchen...where porcini mushrooms are recommended, but may be hard to come by. And here, ah, a Flammkuchen recipe which includes my beloved garlic. If you are really up for some adventure, try this Quarky recipe!
Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast
bed and breakfast hospitality inn
hill city - central black hills national forest - south dakota
convenient lodging location near
mount rushmore - 1880 train - custer state park
- wind cave national park - jewel cave national monument
- crazy horse memorial - black elk wilderness
- mountain lakes - harney peak - norbeck scenic byway
- george s. mickelson trail - the centennial trail
- historic downtown hill city - antiques
· Flumkuchen 20 Apr 2011, 8:15 am
Monday, I made a recipe that Sam and I both love, and that qualifies it as a favorite recipe. It is quick and easy to make, and is definitely a comfort food. Flumkuchen. After we devoured the bread, I searched the internet for cracker recipes...and I found a delightful Canadian blog, Crackers. with the period. But, when I couldn't find their recipe for crackers, I did find their Crackers. group on Facebook, and joined it. Since they haven't gotten around to making crackers yet (busy with so many other wonderful projects), they asked me for my Flumkuchen recipe, which I posted...and here it is now for you...
The prepped work surface.
After stirring my liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients,
the dough appeared too sticky to me...
so I added 1 tsp additional flour to what you see below,
and that amount was just right.
As you can see, when rolling out the dough,
it is perfectly fine to go with your random mood.
The look is about rustic, not perfection.
...Unless you are expecting royal guests,
in which case you may want to start with all pure white flour.
Placing the dough in the preheated oven is a delicate matter.
To spare fingers of blisters, the rustic look is further advised.
Ten minutes later...
wah-lah...nice bubbles!!
(My back-patter was outside at the time.)
Okay, let's flip this over.
April 27 Version (difference possibly due to mischievous weather change)
Five minutes later...the Flumkuchen is ready.
April 27 Version
If you are wondering what to do next,
slide the Flumkuchen from the oven
onto a preheated plate, and then
simply fold it while it is hot and bendable.
Or, do as my husband Sam says...
toss it in the middle of the table, up for grabs!
Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast
bed and breakfast hospitality inn
hill city - central black hills national forest - south dakota
convenient lodging location near
mount rushmore - 1880 train - custer state park
- wind cave national park - jewel cave national monument
- crazy horse memorial - black elk wilderness
- mountain lakes - harney peak - norbeck scenic byway
- george s. mickelson trail - the centennial trail
- historic downtown hill city - antiques
· Clinging Snow, Letting Go 19 Apr 2011, 3:16 pm
- Short and factual - Going...going...still...going. ..
Sam took the highway photos earlier today, when he drove to Custer for a load of wood which he needed for his current project.
Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast
bed and breakfast hospitality inn
hill city - central black hills national forest - south dakota
convenient lodging location near
mount rushmore - 1880 train - custer state park
- wind cave national park - jewel cave national monument
- crazy horse memorial - black elk wilderness
- mountain lakes - harney peak - norbeck scenic byway
- george s. mickelson trail - the centennial trail
- historic downtown hill city - antiques
· Mountain Bluebirds Stained Glass Window 12 Apr 2011, 11:49 am
Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast
bed and breakfast hospitality inn
hill city - central black hills national forest - south dakota
convenient lodging location near
mount rushmore - 1880 train - custer state park
- wind cave national park - jewel cave national monument
- crazy horse memorial - black elk wilderness
- mountain lakes - harney peak - norbeck scenic byway
- george s. mickelson trail - the centennial trail
- historic downtown hill city - antiques
· Brach's Pure Candies Exclusively 12 Apr 2011, 8:49 am
Sam gets to hibernate very little in the off-season,
On Friday (April 8) I made an experimental cookie.
Surprisingly, Sweet-Tooth Sam asked for slightly less sugar next time.
So I asked him to give most of that first batch of Sam's Perfect Cookies
to the men working on the church addition,
so I could produce the second edition of the recipe.
As shown in the Monday (April 11) photo, below,
Sam was persuaded to take a break from his refurbishing work
to test the slightly less-sweet cookie.
Shortly after this photo was taken, Sam said,
while trying to install the doors on the display case,
"I ran into a problem getting the doors to fit.
I need another cookie, to think." :)
Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast
bed and breakfast hospitality inn
hill city - central black hills national forest - south dakota
convenient lodging location near
mount rushmore - 1880 train - custer state park
- wind cave national park - jewel cave national monument
- crazy horse memorial - black elk wilderness
- mountain lakes - harney peak - norbeck scenic byway
- george s. mickelson trail - the centennial trail
- historic downtown hill city - antiques
· Guests of Mountains To Prairies B&B 19 Feb 2011, 12:49 pm
who will visit the beautiful Black Hills in 2011,
and are again reminded of our gratitude
for the past wonderful years which we were blessed to enjoy,
and for all the new friends we made
because they chose to stay with us."
Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast - Rich and Wanda are the perfect example of a prime reason for having a Bed and Breakfast... forming friendships! Wanda's birthday has been celebrated four times at Mountains To Prairies. This year we surprised her with a blueberry muffin birthday 'cake', baked in a small bundt pan, and lit with three long candles... 1) remembering the past, 2) looking forward to the future, and 3) enjoying the beauty of today. And what a beautiful day in early November it is, with a sunny temperature of 75 degrees!! Rich and Wanda began capturing the best of the warm weather even before breakfast, by taking a walk along the Mickelson Trail.
Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast - Two potato, three potato, four potato, five ...nope, just ONE. Guests of two nights were on their way to Arizona to present this zany 'bearly potato' to a relative. They dug it up in their own North Dakota potato patch. We just called it Spud, but SPUDZ is more like it! - Guests Diane and Alvin are long-time neighbors of my brother, sister and brother-in-law who live on the farm where I grew up (...and where the pictured apples grew!) - ZANY a.k.a. peculiar, unconventional, strange, bizarre, funny, quirky, kooky, oddball. (Click on the first pic to go to the album of six. Each photo has a caption.)
Antiques - Mike and Jessi had been married all of 30 hours before arriving at Mountains To Prairies B&B in Hill City, South Dakota for a three-night HONEYMOON stay. Much of their 'wedding money' was exchanged for antiques at Smiling Bear Antiques Shop, in-house with the B&B. They made careful and thoughtful selections. Many of the items they chose may one day very well be passed on to their grandchildren ...such as an antique oak Gingerbread Clock. They purchased the early 1900's oak-framed Shaving Mirror shown in one of the eleven photos, in which their happy image is nostalgically framed. (Most photos have a caption.)
Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast - Bill and Kay from Minnesota enjoyed each other and the Black Hills for their 50th Anniversary. We were thrilled to get to accommodate them for their special occasion vacation of five nights. Leaves were beginning to turn during their late summer stay...colorful beauty everywhere! Present at the breakfast table with Bill and Kay were Roger and Cheryl of Platt, SD (first and last photos).
Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast - Late September/early October, we were very excited to get to accommodate (Again!) this amazing family of six in Chessie Lee's Peas. The beds in CLP comfortably sleep five guests...but for the littlest of Scott and Angie's children, we added a single-size air mattress to the mix. For their first visit, the air mattress was placed behind the queen bed on the main level. This time, for the growing young man, space in a nook in the Tree House Loft was arranged.
Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast - Late September/early October, we were very excited to get to accommodate (Again!) this amazing family of six in Chessie Lee's Peas. The beds in CLP comfortably sleep five guests...but for the littlest of Scott and Angie's children, we added a single-size air mattress to the mix. For their first visit, the air mattress was placed behind the queen bed on the main level. This time, for the growing young man, space in a nook in the Tree House Loft was arranged.
Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast - Marlies and Joerg were absolutely delightful guests from Germany who were not afraid to try the heights of Harney Peak, and they succeeded! - Wayne and Patti also enjoy getting physical with the great outdoors, running marathons, and running along the Mickelson Trail! (Please read the captions under the photos.)
Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast - Mountains To Prairies B&B's connecting proximity to the George S. Mickelson Trail creates a convenient access point for bicyclers. Early in September, 2010 we were delighted to get to know three different sets of friendly trail-going folks...including a couple, a threesome...and a family with two children (check out their rig!) The day of the family's arrival, knowing they would be arriving late, we slipped away early to pick wild black currants along the Mickelson Trail in the Mystic area. What a fun surprise when Sam and our soon-to-be guests got into a conversation on the trail and discovered that we 'know' one another!!
Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast - The central and convenient location of Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast makes it a good getaway place for anyone in the Hills needing a breath of fresh pine-scented air. Many locals, including Rick and Anne who live in the northern Black Hills, take advantage of the inviting opportunity that the Labor Day Weekend offers for enjoying their home turf. And we got to enjoy Rick and Anne, as we listened with interest in their motorcycling adventures!! (Six photos in the album.)
Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast - This is Andy, who fulfilled his dream to hike the Mickelson Trail. We are thrilled to have been a small part of his plan. Andy began his trek at the Edgemont trail access. His first night was spent at a ranch in the southern reaches. He put himself through the rigors of training before leaving home, and came packed lightly...unburdened with non-necessities.
Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast - This is Andy, who fulfilled his dream to hike the Mickelson Trail. We are thrilled to have been a small part of his plan. Andy began his trek at the Edgemont trail access. His first night was spent at a ranch in the southern reaches. He put himself through the rigors of training before leaving home, and came packed lightly...unburdened with non-necessities.
Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast - Mid-August, J and A from the Pacific northwest were "Just Married" when we had the pleasure of meeting them. In 2010 we got to accommodate quite a few newly wed couples, and hope to see many more in 2011. Their unique happiness seems to be contagious to everyone!
...Here are a few previous BLOGS (also posted on facebook) representing guests from France and New Zealand!
Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast - Please go to Bruno's blog below but don't click on the English Version link or it will leave the page on which M2P is shown (scroll down the page, and enjoy Bruno's tour!) Bruno was here from France with his wife Leila for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, early August, 2010, the Rally's 70th Anniversary. In addition to sharing some of their Airstream adventures in the Endless Summer blog, Bruno talks (in French) about his and Leila's stay at Mountains To Prairies B&B in Hill City. Bruno and Leila were truly enchanting guests!
See Moreamerican-dream-in-france.blogspot.comBlog-story à propos de notre caravane américaine en aluminium AIRSTREAM, en provenance des USA pour la FRANCE, son choix, son aventure et ses déboires, sa restauration et les vacances passées à bord... Complété par des articles sur les HARLEY-DAVIDSON, notre mariage à DAYTONA, la CALIFORNIE, l'ARIZO...
mountainstoprairiesbedbreakfast.blogspot.comThe purpose of Mountains to Prairies Bed and Breakfast BLOG SPOT is to present an inviting view of the South Dakota Black Hills to potential visitors through stories and photos gleaned from Black Hills outings routinely enjoyed by the Innkeepers. Other appropriate blogs interspersed with adventure n...
These guests from France stayed in 2009.
mountainstoprairiesbedbreakfast.blogspot.comThe purpose of Mountains to Prairies Bed and Breakfast BLOG SPOT is to present an inviting view of the South Dakota Black Hills to potential visitors through stories and photos gleaned from Black Hills outings routinely enjoyed by the Innkeepers. Other appropriate blogs interspersed with adventure n...
Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast - Mid-August, J and A from the Pacific northwest were "Just Married" when we had the pleasure of meeting them. In 2010 we got to accommodate quite a few newly wed couples, and hope to see many more in 2011. Their unique happiness seems to be contagious to everyone!
...Here are a few previous BLOGS (also posted on facebook) representing guests from France and New Zealand!
Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast - Please go to Bruno's blog below but don't click on the English Version link or it will leave the page on which M2P is shown (scroll down the page, and enjoy Bruno's tour!) Bruno was here from France with his wife Leila for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, early August, 2010, the Rally's 70th Anniversary. In addition to sharing some of their Airstream adventures in the Endless Summer blog, Bruno talks (in French) about his and Leila's stay at Mountains To Prairies B&B in Hill City. Bruno and Leila were truly enchanting guests!
american-dream-in-france.blogspot.com
Blog-story à propos de notre caravane américaine en aluminium AIRSTREAM, en provenance des USA pour la FRANCE, son choix, son aventure et ses déboires, sa restauration et les vacances passées à bord... Complété par des articles sur les HARLEY-DAVIDSON, notre mariage à DAYTONA, la CALIFORNIE, l'ARIZO...
mountainstoprairiesbedbreakfast.blogspot.comThe purpose of Mountains to Prairies Bed and Breakfast BLOG SPOT is to present an inviting view of the South Dakota Black Hills to potential visitors through stories and photos gleaned from Black Hills outings routinely enjoyed by the Innkeepers. Other appropriate blogs interspersed with adventure n...
mountainstoprairiesbedbreakfast.blogspot.com
The purpose of Mountains to Prairies Bed and Breakfast BLOG SPOT is to present an inviting view of the South Dakota Black Hills to potential visitors through stories and photos gleaned from Black Hills outings routinely enjoyed by the Innkeepers. Other appropriate blogs interspersed with adventure n...
These guests from France stayed in 2009.
mountainstoprairiesbedbreakfast.blogspot.com
The purpose of Mountains to Prairies Bed and Breakfast BLOG SPOT is to present an inviting view of the South Dakota Black Hills to potential visitors through stories and photos gleaned from Black Hills outings routinely enjoyed by the Innkeepers. Other appropriate blogs interspersed with adventure n...
Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast
bed and breakfast hospitality inn
hill city - central black hills national forest - south dakota
convenient lodging location near
mount rushmore - 1880 train - custer state park
- wind cave national park - jewel cave national monument
- crazy horse memorial - black elk wilderness
- mountain lakes - harney peak - norbeck scenic byway
- george s. mickelson trail - the centennial trail
- historic downtown hill city - antiques
· Off Season Breakaway 18 Feb 2011, 4:22 pm
This Special applies only to the Off Season,
As with the Double Special and Extra Special,
you are encouraged to linger longer.
Choose, at the heart of the Black Hills, the unique beauty
that pleases you most . . . mid-autumn to winter to early spring!
- Short Breakaway -
(This is for a stay of 2 nights. OS = Off Season)
The first night is at the OS regular nightly rate
and the second night is $5 less than the first night.
- Extended Breakaway -
(This is for a stay of 3 or more nights. OS = Off Season)
For all nights, 5% is discounted off the OS regular nightly rate.
Enjoy a full sit-down breakfast each morning of your Breakaway.






