That Big State, Over Yonder

Wildorado, Goodnight, Estelline, Quanah, Chillecothe, Bowie. Small town after small town greeted us as we drove across Texas earlier this month. Each little wide spot in the road had a name and a history and obvious pride in both. We didn't have the time to stop and treasure-hunt in any of the antique shops or browse the general stores nor, for that matter, sample the "eats" of very many cafes, but they all called out my name as we passed by. Perhaps, someday, we can take a more leisurely trip through Texas, park our car alongside the curb of this little town or that, and stroll through the corner Rexall Drug or visit the community library. Maybe we can even order a Coke float at the soda fountain and sit on a sidewalk-bench to finish it off. But on this trip we couldn't tarry. We had our mind's eye on a destination and pushed hard to get there as quickly as possible.

I did copy down the words of a few amusing ma-and-pa shop-signs we saw along the way, though. For instance, in Chillicothe there is a store called Dang Good Pecans. Their sign also promoted their "dang good coffee" and "dang good candy"; in Denton I saw Mable Peabody's Beauty Salon and Chain Saw Repair. The Good 'Nuff Cafe was in Clarenden, which is also where I found my favorite: the It'll Do Motel, which boasted, in bold letters, "CEILING FANS!"

We've driven through a lot of states over the years. Sometimes, as we travel through one, two or, even, three states in a day, the highway miles blend together into one long stretch of homogenous countryside. But Texas refuses to let you forget where you are. "Drive Friendly" signs, bluebonnets and buttercups grow along the roadside (thanks for those wildflowers, Ladybird Johnson). When you stop for lunch and order iced tea, the waitress asks for clarification: "sweet tea?" And the Texas lone star hangs on front doors and is proudly painted onto the sides of old brick buildings, mailboxes and whatever else will stand still long enough to be painted.



Now that we're back in New Mexico, I have to admit I miss being urged, as I'm leaving a roadside cafe, "Y'all come back now!" And we will, because of one blond, blue-eyed little girl that I miss. And her mama and daddy. And a new heart-tugger on the way.

Round Robin Photo Challenge: Growing

The theme for this Round Robin challenge is "Growing." We had a thunder shower pass through last week, and as soon as the rain stopped I dashed out to take some pictures of the roses in our back yard. They were weighed down with big, heavy water droplets. These roses have been growing in our back yard since we moved here, six years ago, with almost no care or attention. The bushes are not very pretty - quite woody and scraggly, yet every year they put out beautiful flowers. I really don't know how they survive our hot, dry summers with little to no TLC.

The Daring Bakers' May Challenge - Strudel

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers. (Recipe HERE.)













In what was an otherwise busy month, we were both off work and at home for Memorial Day, so I got up early and prepared the strudel for our breakfast. Instead of the traditional apple filling, I filled my strudel with a strawberry/rhubarb/apricot mixture. It was delicious. I used fresh strawberries, frozen rhubarb, sine there wasn't any fresh at the market, and dried apricots. It was sweetened with light brown sugar.

The first step was making the dough, which was easy and fun. It was a very soft, very pliable dough. The recipe said to let it sit for 90 minutes, but I left mine overnight. Then I cajoled it into a tissue-paper thin sheet. One Daring Baker remembered her mother telling her that strudel dough was to be thin enough "to read love letters through."

Butter and breadcrumbs were supposed to be sprinkled across the face of the dough, but I thought crushed ginger snaps would add a more exciting flavor to the rhubarb filling.


After baking, I glazed it with a powdered sugar icing and served it, still warm. Dan had his with a strong cup of espresso, and gave it his hearty approval.

Still hot from the oven.

Glazed

Ready to eat

Other Completed Daring Bakers' Challenges: Lavash, Pizza Napoletana, Caramel Cake, French Yule Log, Tuiles, Chocolate Valentino, Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna, Cheesecake

CLICK HERE NEXT (BAKEWELL TARTS)

High Tech Meets Low Tech

On my birthday, in January, Tim gave me a beautiful card that held lots of love and some birthday money. I knew exactly what that money was going to be used for. It would be the beginning of my Kindle purchase fund. Kindle is the electronic book reader, sold by Amazon. For a number of reasons I thought it would be just the ticket for me.

Since January I worked to build the fund and, by Mother's Day, was getting close to the purchase price. As a Mother's Day gift, Dan surprised me with the remainder of the amount needed, and I wasted no time in placing my order from Amazon. My Kindle arrived the day before we left on our Texas trip. I loaded it up with some good reading material, and packed it in my bag. When I ordered it, though, I didn't think about how I would protect the screen when I dropped it into a bag. Once it was in my hands, I knew I'd need to do something, but there wasn't time to order a cover for it and have it before we left.

Necessity is the mother of invention, they say. So I took an old, cotton dish towel, and wrapped the Kindle up in it before tucking it away. That stylish dish-towel-Kindle-cover went with me all of those 1754 miles that I mentioned in an earlier post. The Kindle was taken out and tucked back into the towel dozens of times.



Once I got home, I ordered a cover, and it arrived today. Ahhhhh. No more worries about damaging the screen! It's safe to drop it in my bag and go. But, I have to confess that a part of me misses the quizzical looks - sometimes even big grins - I got from people who saw me carefully wrapping my high-tech book reader in the old cotton dish towel.



I'm thrilled with my purchase, by the way. It was worth saving for. But my recommendation to anyone thinking of buying one is to buy a protective cover at the same time. Or, if you prefer, stock up on some stylish cotton dish towels.