The Texas Trip - part 1

After a non-eventful flight from MSP to DFW, my fist stop was in West, Texas. You may recall West was in the news for an explosion at a fertilizer plant on April 17, 2013. My reason for stopping was what West is really known for: kolaces / kolaches.
While there are a couple of places right off of I-35, I prefer to head into town to The Village Bakery.

These fruit filled rolls are a Czech tradition.

My next stop was in Waco at Health Camp. No, I'm not on some health retreat. The Health Camp is a misnomer.

They have great burgers and very thick shakes. There goes the diet....

One of the pleasures that I have on my Texas vacations, is to get off the main roads and hit the backroads. At Killeen, I headed to Copperas Cove and then to Briggs. Another pleasure, especially in early April, is the wildflowers - especially the bluebonnets. Lady Bird Johnson (wife of President LBJ) took on the task to beautify the hiways and byways. Texas seeds the roadsides and April brings the joy along the way. Landowners also make sure to plant acres of Bluebonnet, Indian Paintbrush and other seeds to provide a great landscape.

 

 

After ending up in Austin, I spent an hour or so at the Texas Chili Parlor.

 

I wish I was in Austin
In the Chili Parlour Bar
Drinkin' Mad Dog Margaritas
And not carin' where you are

 

Guy Clark immortalized the Chili Parlor with his Dublin Blues.



 

 

 

The day ended at my brothers house.

 

Day 1 - 275 miles.

 

 

The Texas Trip

Each year I take a trip to Texas to see family, Longhorn sports, bluebonnets and eat great food. Over the past couple of years, my brother and I go to End of An Ear in Austin to partake of Record Store Day. This year will be no different. My trip will be April 11 - 20. So far, my itinerary includes Dallas (I fly into DFW), Austin, Lexington (for Snow's BBQ), Victoria (for the 3rd annual Scott Taylor Band Crawfish Festival), and San Antonio (to see the Mavericks at the John T. Floores County Store in Helotes.)
My sister, Elinor, is joining me for some of my trip. After Helotes, we'll head back down to the coast and then to the Valley and go through a couple of Wildlife/Bird Sanctuaries. I haven't been to the Valley since college - it's the only part of Texas I haven't visited as an adult.

This will be my second Crawfish Festival in Victoria (2013). Record Store Day is on April 19 and we'll line-up early to make sure we can get our copies of our preferred vinyl. I'll try to update from the road - but will for sure post pictures and stories when I get back.

How to build a Shoebox Float

 

 

 

 



Things you will need for your dream float are:

(for example)

·         1 Shoebox

·         Tissue paper or aluminum foil

·         Scotch tape / Stapler

·         Doubloons

·         Mardi Gras Beads

·         Glitter

·         1 Jester Doll

The first step is picking a shoebox. Usually whatever is hanging around your house that isn't holding bills or other random junk will work. Oh, and by the way, it will need to have a lid. Now it is time to put your thinking cap on (remember that?) and create a theme for your float. Your chosen theme will dictate how your float looks, and the materials you will need.

Take your box and cover both parts (the lid and the base) with the colored tissue paper or aluminum foil. You don't need to cover the inside of the box with paper, only the outsides and the bottom. Now, flip the box over and attach the lid to one side of the box using the stapler or a hot glue gun is a fantastic tool.

Now you are ready to decorate! You can write your theme on the side of the box in glitter, build a "seat" for your rider, or hang ribbons off the sides- be as creative as you can be! Find that old dollhouse furniture,
jazz it up, and stick it on the float, too. The options here are as endless as your imagination! Have fun!

 

Minnesota BBQ road trip 12-12-13

My friend Darren and I decided to finally start our tour of Minnesota's BBQ joints. We had started talking about it a couple of years ago when Minnesota Monthly published their top 10 list.

That list was:
 

1)       Bob’s Smoke Stack Ribs, Rochester - no longer in business

      2)      Q Fanatic, Champlin

3)      Token BBQ, Mapleton

4)      Big Daddy’s BBQ ,St. Paul

5)      Smalley’s Caribbean Barbeque

6)      C&G’s Smoking Barbecue, Minneapolis

7)      Louie’s Bucket of Bones, Ironton

8)      One Stop Restaurant, St. Paul

9)      Piggy Blue’s Bar-B-Que, Austin

10)   John Hardy’s Bar-B-Q, Rochester

We decided on three from the above list (#'s 6, 9, 10) plus two others: Lone Star BBQ and Grill, Saint Peter and Z's Smokin Bonez, Maple Grove. All of the restaurants were happy to work with us to offer a sampler platter of all their bbq. For the most part, we avoided sides as to keep from filling up.

Stop 1: C & G's Smoking Barbecue, Minneapolis

We arrived just before noon, and there was a sign indicating that they would open until 12:30 that day. Because we had a few miles to travel, we decided to skip it for now.

Stop 2: John Hardy's Bar-B-Q, Rochester

Smoker: Cook Shack, wood : cherry and apple
Meats:

Ribs - very good although very little smoke flavor.
Chicken - dry, had an interesting rub
Brisket - no smoke, looked and tasted like roast beef
Pulled pork - dry, needed sauce
Turkey - the best thing they offered. Nice smoke taste, very tasty
Ham - no smoke flavor, just ok

Black eyed peas - good, Darren didn't care for the seasoning, but I liked it.
They also brought us a basket of buttered and lightly toasted French bread. Wonderful. (so much for not filling up on sides)

Stop 3: Piggy Blue's BBQ, Austin

Smoker: Cook Shack, wood : hickory
Meats:

Brisket - a little smoke, no rub, blah
Pulled pork - no smoke, no flavor
Chicken - no smoke at all, very dry
Ribs - best item here, nice smoke, good bite
Ham - decent smoke, good taste
Turkey - very dry, blah

Came with beans and slaw - I didn't try them



Stop 3: Lone Star BBQ & Grill, Saint Peter

Smoker : Ole Hickory Pit,  wood: red oak

When the owner found out what we were doing, he came out to talk to us. He had learned his craft while living in East Texas and smokers. 

Meats:

Ribs - nice smoke ring, great taste, best of the trip

Brisket - again, proper smoke, nice rub, great taste. 

Pulled pork - nice smoke flovor, moist, the best of the day's lot

Hot Link - crisp snap (bite), good spice

Brat - great taste

came with smoky beans - only had one tate, but very good

I highly recommend this place.

Stop 5: Z's Smokin Bonez, Maple Grove

Smoker: Pro Smoker, wood - maple & oak pellets

Meats:

Pulled pork - a little balnd
Chicken - good, but lacking smoke
Brisket - very ncie, good smoke ring, very tender - best of the day
Ribs - nice bite, but a little sweet (the manager told us they put a honey butter glaze on them half-way through the smoking process) - I think they should skip this step
Sausage - spicy, good snap

Another recommendation!

Overall

We were pleasantly surprised that we found two places that we would visit again. Sometime in the spring, we'll try road trip #2 to visit more places.