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Kathy Gardner, a resident of Bluffton since 1964, was raised on a farm in the Dunkirk area. An only child, she embraced her tomboy tendencies until she was 18.
“I used to follow my dad around,” Gardner, 63, says with a laugh. “I was a typical farmer’s daughter.”
Gardner says her mother made her clothes from feed sacks, and she didn’t have a store-bought dress until she was a high school freshman.
Gardner is quick to point out that the family wasn’t poor: “That’s what you did in the ’50s. Farm families were just totally self-sufficient,” she says.
Gardner shows that same self-sufficient attitude when preparing meals for her guests as the owner of the Washington Street Inn, a Victorian-style bed-and-breakfast in Bluffton.
In addition to breakfasts or brunches, Gardner offers afternoon teas, light teas, high teas and lunches.
“I make everything from scratch. I never throw anything away. I find a use for it,” she says.
Gardner makes whipped cream and clotted cream but acknowledges that, on occasion, she has used Cool Whip in recipes.
All the jelly served at the inn is made by Gardner.
Once, she had a batch of cherry jelly that didn’t come out the way she wanted; instead of throwing out the mixture, Gardner thought up another way to use it.
“It was a little runny, so I put it over chocolate pie and white chocolate mousse,” she says.
Gardner says when she and husband Donald bought the house in 2005, there was a cookbook that had been left behind with recipes from other bed-and-breakfasts. She also uses recipes preferred by her family – sons Clayton of Ladoga, Clifton of Wells County and Clinton of Nashville, Tenn.
“Bed-and-breakfasts say to have a few basics that you can repeat. But I’ve got ladies that come every month, so I have to find something different every month. I’ll get on the Internet and look.
“I’m continually looking for (recipes with) chicken and meat,” she says.
“Usually when a group calls, I immediately think about what will be appropriate for the size (of the group) and the weather,” she says. “I ask if someone is in the group that can’t eat nuts or something in particular.
“I’ve only had one diabetic.
“If there’s more men in the group, I’ll fix more meat. You know you don’t serve them ‘frou frou.’ People, especially the men, don’t want fancy food. They want good food,” she says.
Proud that she’s never served the same meal twice, Gardner says her favorite recipes are ones she can make ahead of time.
“I have a ritual. I like to set the table (and) the food is prepared. I’ll get a cup of tea and sit in the parlor five to 10 minutes just to relax before people come,” she says.
Gardner says that if she has a group of five to six people, she’ll pass out little crafts she’s made. She shows a plastic bag containing a Hershey’s Kiss and card that reads: “Exercise is a Dirty Word. Whenever You Think Of It, Immediately Wash Your Mouth Out With Chocolate.”
Another bag contains a square piece of wood with a card that says: “Fifty and Over: Exercise: Warm Up, Place Block On Floor. Walk Around The Block Three Times. Cool Down: Relax, You Have Just Walked Around The Block Three Times.”
Gardner’s humorous side is evident to guests before they even enter the inn; outside the front door hangs a sign that reads, “Today’s Menu, 2 Choices: Take It Or Leave It.”
1/2 pound Red Hots candies (Gardner says to avoid the cheap brands)
5 1/2 cups sugar
3 cups water
1 (2-pouch) box of Certo
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon oil
Mix Red Hots and sugar and let stand awhile (not absolutely necessary). Bring to a boil with water over high heat. Add Certo, stir constantly and bring to rolling boil for 30 seconds. Add cinnamon oil before second boil. Skim and pour into clean pint jars, seal and let cool. Makes 4 to 5 pints.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2 -inch pieces
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Glaze:
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack in center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly spray with a non-stick vegetable oil. To make glaze: Mix together the beaten egg with the cream. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender, two knives or fingertips. This mixture should look like coarse crumbs. In a small measuring cup, combine the whipping cream, beaten egg and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the liquid, stirring with a wooden spoon until the batter forms moist clumps. The batter will be sticky. Do not overmix. Gather dough together with your hands and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Gently knead dough for about 10 seconds until it forms into a ball. Roll or pat dough into a 7-inch circle that is about 1-inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut circle into 8 triangular sections. With a pastry brush, brush off excess flour from scones and place scones on baking sheet. Brush the tops of scones with the glaze and sprinkle lightly with sugar, if desired. Bake about 15 minutes, until lightly browned, or a toothpick inserted in the middle of the scone comes out clean. Remove from oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Makes 8 scones.
8 to 10 cups French bread cut into 1-inch cubes
8 ounces cream cheese, cubed
1/2 cup chopped or whole pecans
8 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk (light cream or combination)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup white sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with non-stick baking spray. Layer bread cubes, then cream cheese, then pecans. Set aside. In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, sugar, baking powder and vanilla; pour over bread mixture. You can refrigerate it at this point or pour in the heavy cream and sprinkle on the sugar/cinnamon mixture and freeze or bake immediately. Whether the mixture is fresh, has been in the refrigerator overnight or thawed from the freezer, bake in oven at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. Let stand a few minutes before serving. Makes 8 to 10 servings.
32 ounces frozen corn
1/2 cup butter
8 ounces cream cheese
1 clove pressed garlic
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
Heat corn and drain. Add remaining ingredients and stir to melt. Bake in a 1-quart casserole dish for 30 minutes. Sprinkle on parsley and serve. Makes 4 servings.
1/2 pound butter
2 pounds light brown sugar
2 cups water
12 ounces sweetened condensed milk
In a saucepan, heat together butter, brown sugar and water to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes. Add sweetened condensed milk and bring to another boil. Will keep in the refrigerator or freeze to reheat. Makes 3 to 4 cups.
2 (6-ounce) packages seasoned croutons
4 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
3 tablespoons chopped parsley, dried or fresh
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
8 eggs
2 cups milk
24 ounces cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 cup sliced almonds
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Grease two 7-by-11-inch baking pans. Arrange the croutons in the pans. Mix together chicken cubes, mayonnaise, parsley and basil. Carefully spread or drop mixture over the croutons in both pans. Beat together eggs and milk and pour evenly over mixtures. Top with soup and almonds. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes; add cheese in the last 10 minutes of baking. Makes 6 servings per pan.
2 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup cream
4 eggs
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/4 cup melted butter
1 (9-inch) deep dish pie crust, unbaked
Sift together brown sugar, flour and nutmeg. Add cream and mix well. Add eggs and mix well. Add lemon juice, lemon rind and butter; mix well. Pour into pie shell and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until set. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
