Tuesday, December 15: OK City

I forgot to bring in my journal from the car, so this entry is all from my memory - this is not a good thing normally.
We got started this morning, ate a quick bite at the hotel (they had my favorite oatmeal!), and rushed to the car because it was a frigid 23 degrees in Amarillo. The wind was blowing like crazy and I was reminded of the Flatlanders song - "The Wind's Gonna Blow You Away." I now understand what they were talking about.
After much cajoling from me, we set out for Palo Duro Canyon State park. Drew was not so excited, but I had heard good things and was somewhat adamant that we visit. We were driving along and looking at the flat land on the horizon and wondering where and when we were going to start seeing something interesting. What unfolded before us as we approached the front gate of the park and started down the drive is something words cannot express. Thus, I have pictures (which, I am sure, do not do the beauty of this place justice): the pictures are attached to another post.  Needless to say, Drew was happy we made the trip.  We are even thinking about renting a cabin in the canyon park sometime in the future.
Post nature experience, we headed back into Amarillo and had Rudy's BBQ for lunch.  This is not to be missed along the way.  It is a chain restaurant, but each place we have visited, the food is exceptional.  We especially love thier beef brisket.  There was something new on the menu and so I asked about it.  It was Green Chili Stew.  The girl behind the counter said, "Oh, it is just the normal stew.  It has brisket in it, but it also has green chilis."  I know she must think brisket is a normal ingredient in stew, but it is certainly not in Southern California.  Then she uttered the words I long to hear, "You can try some if you would like."  OH, yes, I am not one to turn down a sample.  I was not disappointed.  Also new to the taste buds this time were the turkey and pork loin.  We ate WAY too much food, here are the pics:

We got on the road and made only one stop along the way: Braums: Peppermint and Cookies and Cream Ice Cream - the thing I crave in California.  I suggested a "freeze out" but Drew was not game.  I know I will convince him someday.
We made it to Oklahoma City and checked into the hotel around 6 PM and we made plans to meet Drew's cousin Dustin.  He picked us up around 6:30 and he was a wonderful host.  I could not believe Drew agreed to go to a sushi restaurant!  I know!  The sushi was out of this world good!  We ordered way too much again, but got to try lots of great new flavors!  We then drove around OK City a little bit and then stopped by a Tequilla bar so Drew could try some new tequillas.  I know nothing about this, but he is happy we stopped by.

Photos of Palo Duro Canyon

Monday, December 14

We got started this morning after a free breakfast at the hotel.  The town of Wilcox, AZ has a sign that says apples and a cider mill, but a noticible lack of apple trees.  Not sure where they are getting the apples to sell and press, but next time we go through, I would love to stop by the cider mill (I LOVE apple cider!).

We stopped for lunch at Chick-fil-A in Las Cruces, NM. We love when we can get our hands on some great chicken nuggets and chicken strips. We very much enjoyed this. Love the lemonade!
I took some pictures in New Mexico of some beautiful landscapes, but they are on the other camera's card and so, you will just have to wait - the pictures were just outside of Arey Derry.  Cool name, at least.
 
If you know your New Mexico geography, you noticed, that Arey Derry is north of Las Cruces.  Yes, defying logic, we drove north for most of the day and turned back east at Albuquerque.  When you are on a mission, you are on a mission. 
 
We stopped for dinner in Santa Rosa, New Mexico to check out a spot recommended by both my dad and my uncle.  They are known for searching out great Mexican food and sharing their insights with others.  We were not disappointed.  The place (Joseph's)  is just off old Route 66 and has been serving customers since 1952.  The food was fabulous.  And for those of you who have lived in California too long, it had FLAVOR!  It was a little on the spicy side.  We will stop here again and try the other items on the menu we found appealing.  Here's the evidence:
 
 

Drew's meal: Beef Taco, Beef Tamale, Cheese Enchilads, the "extras"

my meal: Blue Corn Cheese Enchildadas with the "extras"

Joseph's (it was in the low 40's outside...ahhh)

 
Having finished dinner we set out not knowing exactly where we were going to stop.  I guess the temptation of sleeping under the Texas sky was too much for us and we ended up in Amarillo.  It is good to be home. 

Check back tomorrow for pictures from "the snow"! 

Sunday, December 13th - Wilcox, AZ

Everything in the last few weeks has led to this day.  The day we leave to go to Texas for Christmas for the first time as a married couple.  We are beyond excited!  So, instead of regretting the lack of updates on this blog for a while, I shall let you in on our little travelogue.

Road Trip Log, Day 1:

Got started a little late despite waking up an hour before my husband to get "everything" done.  Will that ever happen?
Left town to "Goodbye to You" on the radio, how appropriate. 

Drew said "our God watches out for us on all the small things"  - what a way to begin a road trip - in praise of the one who watches over it!
11:54 - discussion of the definition of the word supplant - pretty sure I was right on that one, not that it matters.

2:28 - Victor Hugo located - Chandler, AZ - success!
6:37 - Wilcox, AZ - to bed early and at it again tomorrow.

Those of you wanting to know what we ate...junk!  My stomach is not happy with me for my recent dining choices.   Will be attempting to improve this during this trip.  Pictures and reveiws of food fit to discuss in the future days.

Recipes Unrelated

The last couple of days have included cooking and eating, but I have had a hard time getting my thoughts together regarding the results.  Here we go (in no particular thought pattern):

Saturday:

To the dreaded slow-cooker, I added a questionable recipe. 
Fish in the slow-cooker...I have done it and now I won't need to do that again.  There is really no way to know exactly when it is ready and the recipe I used was less than desirable in the flavor department. 

Sunday:
Guests over (Drew's parents).
In a complete change of pace for me, I got somewhat intimidated by the planned recipe and decided to go with a tried on true recipe. 
Chicken and Dumplings done a la Sandra Lee (who I find mostly annoying...for a number of reasons, one of which includes her recipes actually tasting good). 
The other recipe did the whole thing from scratch and for some reason intimidated me. 
While thinking about this at length (I have nothing else to fill my days), I realized it was because I have never had chicken and dumplings other than the ones by Sandra Lee.  When I was a child, the word "dumpling" disturbed me and I refused to even try this dish. 
The Chicken and Dumplings turned out very nice and I recommend them heartily to anyone who, unlike me, is fine with the word "dumpling" and its implications.

Also made Pumpkin Spice Bars (Christmas with Southern Living 2009) for dessert.  These were somewhat disappointing.

This was ironic because it was the Chicken and Dumplings I was concerned would not meet the standard of Sandra Lee (and thus the other recipe was tossed).  I was really looking forward to the Pumpkin dessert.
There is another pumpkin bar recipe I have made a couple of times in the last couple of years and it is phenomenal.  This one, not as much.  I would have rather had the other.
While thinking about disappointing desserts (again...nothing to fill my days), I started realizing that dessert is something you don't mess with. 
I really can't have dessert every day because of the calories and so if I want dessert, it is going to have to be something tried and true, something to look forward to, something to talk about.
This is magnified when dining out.  In addition to the caloric intake factor, there is an expense to consider.  This is the reason I don't order dessert at most restaurants.  I don't want to be disappointed and a brownie with ice cream on top is not usually worth my time.  The list of must have dine-out desserts for me is extremely small...sad!

Monday
Today was the first day I woke up and was cold.  It was one of those days!  This meant soup. 
So, I got started on PC's Creamy Harvest Soup.  This involved roasting various fall veggies, pureeing them, adding cream, and serving. 

It was not that bad, but not that great.  Drew said, it didn't have" much flavor."  I agreed with him that it was mild. 

There you have it.  You are caught up in the kitchen.  And in the meantime the Mavs have won the last two games, tonight's had the best ending of the season.  A cold-ish day and a win - can't beat that!