Feed me, Seymour!

Holy moly, it's been a wild few days. We've been gone from Chicago for almost a whole month now. I added up the other day and we have covered 9 states, over 2500 miles, and this is only the first part of the trip. Scott made the comment that our trip is really divided into two parts--the first, southern part is Family and the second, northwestern part is Relocation. Family and friends have really been the dominant theme here.

Here's the break down of what's been going on:

Chicago, IL--starting point

Springfield, IL--home of the horseshoe

"The original Horseshoe Sandwich was served on a sizzling metal plate (known as the Anvil). Two thick-cut slices of bread were toasted and added to the plate. Then a thick slice of ham, shaped like a horseshoe, was added, to it a Welsh rarebit cheese sauce made of white sharp cheddar, and then just before serving, fresh-made French fries were added as the (nails) in the horseshoe. The secret to this sandwich is the delicious cheese sauce.

Today's sandwiches now offer either a thick fried ham steak or two large hamburger patties, and the cheese sauce is poured over the fries.

The name of the sandwich comes from the shape of the ham with the fries representing the horseshoe nails, and the heated steak platter as the anvil. If you order a Pony Shoe Sandwich, it is the same thing, but a smaller or half a Horseshoe portion (usually one slice of toast).

The "Horseshoe" or variations of it soon became a popular item in many Springfield restaurants. Today, every restaurant and chef serving this sandwich, seems to have his or her own secret cheese sauce recipe." (http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Sandwiches/HorseshoeSandwich.htm)

G & J were great. And I have to give a big tip of the cup to the spirit of Sammy. He was a sweet, wonderful old man dog and I am so grateful we were able to see him once more before he passed away. G & L, our hearts are with you.

Kansas City, MO--we discovered that Mike's Hard Lemonade and Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea Vodka make a killer John Daly. It was super to see B & M. We wish you guys the best in your new ventures with being new home owners and new careers (when did the mountain hippie kids grow up?!).

Piedmont, OK--home of my parents. When passing through OKC, OK on a Tuesday, check out the Iguana (see previous posts) for $2 taco/Tecate Tuesdays and then pop by SaraSara cupcakes for $2 cupcakes. I recommend the salsa flight (the Coral Snake was my favorite--pineapple, mango, habenero, onion--mmm). Who couldn't love a $2 Tuesday?

Wagoner, OK--part time home of Scott's parents (the other part is spent in Alaska). We found an Amish run restaurant, Dutch Pantry Restaurant & Bakery, out near there in Chouteau that has home cookin' buffet. It's good food that will fill you up. Note: you will need a nap after this meal.

Little Rock, AR--Popped in on the aunt and uncle and drank good wines.

Oxford, MS--Popped in on another aunt and uncle. Oxford is a lovely little place and if you haven't been, I highly recommend visiting. On the Square, we caught Ajax Diner--the sweet potatoes are to die for and the po' boys aren't bad either. My uncle says the fried okra is the best he's had. The next day we lounged on my relatives' porch which overlooked their huge backyard. We watched the purple martens flying around and introduced Asher to my little cousins. We took my uncle out for lunch at Newk's:

An express casual dining experience in a refreshing and stylish atmosphere with an emphasis on freshness and flavor. Serving fresh tossed salads, oven bakedsandwiches, California style pizzas, made-from-scratch soups and homemadecakes from Newk’s open kitchen. Come in and enjoy for yourself, and see the many good reasons why everyone continues to come back to Newk's Express Café!

This little joint is owned by the same guy that started McAllister's. I ordered the Newk's Favorite (mixed greens, grilled chicken breast, gorgonzola cheese, dried cranberries, grapes, artichoke hearts, pecans and croutons tossed with Newk’s sherry vinaigrette) and Scott ordered The Royal Club. This restaurant is franchised out and you can find them peppered around the south.

Clinton, MS--We stopped in on my grandmother for a few hours and she treated us to some amazing home cookin'. Ribs, cold mixed bean salad, potato salad, home grown tomatoes, watermelon, and good company. We loved seeing her and spending an evening just catching up. This grandmother is amazing and this was one of the few times Scott has really gotten a chance to be around her and hear the stories of my dad as a kid.

Vidalia, MS--My other grandmother lives here. Vidalia sits just across the mighty Mississippi from Natchez, MS--my birthplace. Natchez has the old antebellum homes and apparently very few wi fi spots (I need a whole other post to explain this) and not much that is open after 6pm. While there Scott puttered around helping my grandmother around the house while I graded frantically. We enjoyed some good Mississippi farm raised catfish and hushpuppies from Jugheads Fish Fry and hot tamales from the Donut Shop. Don't let the odd, unassuming exterior of this place fool you, this place has some rockin' tamales and the donuts aren't bad either. My grandmother also treated me to a much needed pedicure just before we took off.

New Orleans, LA--From Vidalia, en route to Houston, we detoured across Lake Pontchartrain to New Orleans . After a driving tour down Bourbon St. (yes, we drove it....welcome to the Taylor one car parade...), we parked the car on St. Louis and then walked over to Bourbon. We go to the strip just about the time happy hour hit on Friday, and holy Lord, New Orleans was coming to life. We were trying to find Cafe du Monde but found Cafe Beignet instead:

"Café Beignet is a cup full of New Orleans' best European traditions. For two hundred years, New Orleanians have savored every sip of their rich coffee accompanied by delicate, crisp beignets (ben-yays).

These golden squares, usually dusted with powdered confectioner's sugar, can best be described as a cross between a French pastry and an American doughnut. In New Orleans, beignets are enjoyed at a breakfast, for dessert, or any time for a special treat.

New Orleans' Café Beignet provides a grand cafe setting outside and in, and the best coffee and beignets anywhere. Breakfast Served All Day. New Orleans Cajun Specialties and Fried Seafood Also Available."

For this stop, we treated ourselves to beignets (obviously), red beans and rice, I had an iced coffee and Scott had a chicory coffee. It was exactly what we wanted when we planned this stop on the trip way back when. We got a taste of Bourbon St. (and all the titty bars with girls hanging out, quite literally...), ate some lovely foods, listened to some live music at the cafe, bought a few souvenirs including pralines and a hot pink and purple feather boa for music festivals later this summer.

Houston, TX--From New Orleans we trekked the six hours to Houston to spend time with another aunt and uncle and their schnauzer dog, Henri. This was an unexpected and very enjoyable stop on our voyage. Houston is hot as blazes and the humidity hovers around 90%+ but we sweated it out on their patio because their backyard is a wonderful place. My uncle had plants everywhere in big planters and in the ground: lime, lemon, orange, mango, pomegranate, avocado(!), fig, crape myrtle, cypress, and other trees. It was amazing. His philosophy on growing: I just put it in the dirt and if it grows, great. Excellent.

We got a nice tour of Houston and I have to admit, I found it to be a nice city. We had lunch at Goode Company Bar-B-Q where I had a chopped beef brisket on jalapeno bread sandwich and Scott had a sliced brisket on jalapeno bread. The baked beans here are amazing with the pork, apple, and pineapple in it. The cole slaw was good but the pecan pie was to die for--thick, gooey, loaded with pecans, tasting of caramel and cream and it just melted in your mouth.

"The Saturday before Labor Day in 1977, Jim Goode wandered into a failing neighborhood barbeque joint to have a late lunch. He struck up a conversation with the owner and mentioned in passing that he might like to have his own restaurant someday. Before he left, he'd made a deal to buy the place, and the original Goode Company Barbeque opened on Kirby Drive a few days later.

Early on, it was just Jim, his wife Liz, his uncle Joe Dixie and a handful of employees that they had inherited from the previous owner. It was hard work. Most nights, Jim and Joe Dixie slept at the restaurant, waking up every hour throughout the night to check the brisket. One slept inside, one outside, and they kept a shotgun nearby to protect the meat, the equipment and themselves, in that order.

From the very beginning, they were committed to producing the best barbeque in town. They agreed that success was a simple matter of doing things the "right way." Even if it was harder and took a little longer, it was worth the effort. Over the years, Goode Company Barbeque has developed quite a reputation around town. It's honest food prepared the "right way" - by hand, using time-tested recipes and the best ingredients."

Austin, TX--Austin, Texas snuck up on me. I had no idea what to expect, had heard that it is the best part of Texas, it's in hill country, yada yada yada, but what did that all mean? How liberal can anywhere in Texas really be, and honestly, what hills exist in Texas? Austin is all you've heard it to be. It is beautiful. The hills just roll along, Lake Travis and Lake Austin are beautiful, and it's a blue city. Not so much gun totin' as there are frat boys running around. Admittedly, if Austin wasn't in the very heart of Texas (I told Scott that the worst part about Austin was that it was surrounded by the rest of Texas) I would consider moving there. It is green and lush, the Colorado River water runs right through it. We stopped in Austin to see some old friends from Colorado, B & A. It had been years--degrees, wedding, moves--since we had last seen them so we had some catching up to do. We went up the road from their great little lake house on Lake Travis to Los Pinos Mexican restaurant. The margs are good, the salsa is hot, the veggie fajitas are tasty but the pozole is a-ma-zing. It was hot and came with a small plate of fixings for it: slices of jalapeno, cilantro, Mexican oregano (no jokes, guys...), and onion. This stuff had Scott and B sweating it out. It was so tasty I should have skipped the fajitas and just had the soup.

After dinner we headed over to Carlos 'N Charlie's. Now, I only know of Carlos N Charlie's as the notorious drinking spot for spring breakers in Mexico. I remember seeing the pics from when friends went in high school and college and I hardly expected to run into one in Texas but it does make perfect sense if you think about it. We sat around talking and drinking tall boy Lone Stars. PBR like but a little more body. They weren't bad. The thing about CnC, and I told A this, I really felt like I just wasn't undressed enough...ok, what I really said was "I'm not skanked out enough for this place" to which she replied "Yeah, I feel like a prude". There was a little band playing 80s and 90s covers and we laughed along at most of the songs.

B treated us to homemade Austin migas-style Breakfast Tacos that were delicious with fried tortilla chips, scrambled eggs, Morningstar grillers, tons of cilantro, onion, and topped with sharp cheese and Scott's homemade salsa. Gah, these were good! B, I'll let you cook breakfast for me anytime.

Ft. Worth, TX--And now our adventure finds us in the Ft. Worth area visiting Scott's aunt and uncle. They have a salt water pool that is so nice. We walked in the door after a terrible drive on I-35 (note: Dear Texas drivers, please know that the left lane is for passing, not driving slowly and braking suddenly). Seriously, I think Texas drivers are the worst drivers we have encountered yet on the trip... Anyway, we walked in the door yesterday and after a hug from his aunt I heard the magic words: "Do you want a margarita? I just made a new pitcher". Oh my word, this was the best solution for relaxing after a long drive. Scott's parents and sister and her bf came down, the cousins were over, and Asher was the star entertainer. She has the run of the backyard and as I type this I see that lazy little lizard sunning herself on the rocks above the pool.

It's been a trip. Thank you friends and family for the wonderful times, the hospitality, the support, and the love that you have shown us wandering gypsies. We have loved this part of our trip and are so grateful for you!