Smithy

Some Walmarts allow overnight stays in their lots and some don't. I think most do in the states where we travel, but it's left up to the store manager. Definitely no campfires! 😄 As a general rule setups are inconspicuous and out of the way -- say, at the far end of the parking lot (but not where shipments are coming in and out.) I may have seen someone set up chairs outside. Our trailer has a side deck that folds out. If we can park next to a grassy area we'll put that down, but otherwise it stays up. It's generally comfortable as long as we're satisfied that we're well out of traffic lanes (i.e. we're at the edge of the parking lot, or the end of an aisle). The lots are well lit and have security cameras, so we generally feel safe. That said, we also lock the doors. At Mineral Wells we're right across from the high school and the night shift seems to be mostly kids with trucks that make as much noise as possible and sound like would-be drag racers, so things don't settle down until 10 or 11 at night. Nobody's ever run into us yet! Glad to answer more questions, or in more detail, if you wish! Edited to add: I've never seen signs pointing to "acceptable areas" for overnighting. The way it works in our experience is that RV'ers park in out-of-the-way places as I described. We usually look for a freight truck that's clearly parked for the night, then use that as a guide. One time, just outside Little Rock, we were the first to park (in the dark yet!) and before long, someone else came along and parked near us. He figured we had to know what we were doing!

The next stop, Melvern Lake in Kansas, made up for the misery of El Dorado Lake. At this place too we had to reserve sites, but we knew they'd gone to such a system. They also allow "walk-ins" so you can check out the campground, find one you fit into, and take if it isn't already reserved. We found one available for 2 nights -- all we wanted -- and settled in. Since it was only for 2 nights we didn't open the entire trailer out to reclaim our space. The first day was windy and cool, but the second day had beautiful weather: calm wind, warm sun. We took out our bikes so we could take advantage of the trails. We left the tailgate down so we could enjoy the view out the back door, even though the space wasn't livable. On our first night there, we celebrated having a nice place to stay, and good weather, with Superburgers and Salad. Note the tiny living and dining space. It was still good to be there and not have to drive anywhere for a day. Oh, and note the nice tonkasu atop the salad. 🙂 The next morning, I made cinnamon rolls from a "whomp" package I'd bought in Llano. I was interested to see that these have instructions for cooking in an air fryer as well as conventional oven. He loves them. I ate about half of one, and by that time I'd already overdosed on sugar. I'm not sure when / why he developed a sweet tooth, but these are all his! Our last night there was the last intended night of actual cooking. Tortellini with a jarred spaghetti sauce -- I had to wrestle the jar out from inside a cooler, which is in the back of the 4-wheeler in the back of the Princessmobile. It was good, and there are leftovers. We hated to leave the next day, but it's time to push on toward home.

We rarely, if ever, make reservations for our travels, and go to great lengths to avoid having to do so. As a rule it works out well and allows us the flexibility to change our minds. Once in a while it backfires. That happened to us on the day we left Mineral Wells' Walmart, headed for the Walmart in El Dorado, Kansas. We've stayed there before with no problem. This time, we were confronted with signs that said "Absolutely no truck or RV parking overnight". Well, damn! There were a semi-truck with its load, and a motorhome, parked for the night anyway, and we thought about doing the same. We had already driven over 400 miles. I remembered that we'd been told about a "very nice" state park not far away. I looked on the Maps app. Heck, El Dorado Lake State Park was only another 10 or 15 miles. It wouldn't take long. Ha. Many of this country's park systems have now abandoned Live Humans Who Can Help when you arrive at an entrance. You're supposed to bo online and already have a reservation. We found their maps indecipherable. The cell phone connection was slow. (What happens when the towers are out???) (What happens to people who don't have smart phones???) I made a best-guess effort at registering for a campsite one night, then away we went in search of it. We got lost. We went to way the wrong side of the lake and had to double back. By the time we found a campground, which turned out to be the wrong campground, we didn't care. The sun was going down. We parked. We plugged in. All told I think we drove 430 miles that day and spent 10 hours doing it. One of us ate a bit of Walmart sandwich; the other ate a bit of potato salad, and we dropped into bed for the night. So much for El Dorado, KS! We'll figure out another stopover point in the future, because the next stop -- our last stop of more than one night -- was only another 90 miles.

The toll is the worst part of the insult! We have to pay for the privilege!!

Our next stop was Mineral Wells, about 30 miles west of Dallas/Fort Worth. We were disappointed to learn that the Mesquite Pit Grill closed early on Sunday. Too bad! We'd been looking forward to their ribs, their armadillo eggs, and (in his case) their barbecue sauce. We had to settle for Walmart instead. Their prices were much, much lower than we'd seen in Llano. Note the cauliflower! We generally prefer not to shop at Walmart, but since we were staying in their parking lot it was easy and seemed fair. We stocked up on the rest of our road food for the trip: sandwich meats and cheeses, and vegetables. You've seen tomatoes and celery and radishes. In a way I feel I ought to show them anyway, to document that we really do eat things other than meat! But this is what I've photographed so far: the cheese I got there. This is as good a time as any to talk about our road food. Depending on my mood and the amount of time available, I might make sandwiches. I might rinse and chop vegetables to go into nice travel containers. That particular day, while we were shopping I bought a couple of their Italian sub sandwiches for the next day's drive. When we learned that the Mesquite Pit was closed, we went back and got Subway sandwiches for dinner and the next day. The next day was a long drive: longer than we'd intended, in fact. We drove through Oklahoma, only stopping for fuel. I swear their freeways were surfaced using elliptical rollers. We were glad to get through. Nothing shook in the trailer too badly, although when we stopped for fuel and I checked inside I discovered one of the musical instruments had vibrated nearly off the bed. Seen along the way: this temptation (but there was no good way to stop): our first farm stand of the season! Also seen along the way, I think still in Texas: The flowers were beautiful. I tried to get snaps of the delicate pink primroses, but only got my fingers. 😄

Our trip is winding down, so it's time to wind this blog up. Nobody is likely to be surprised that we ate a lot of barbecue in Llano; Cooper's continues to be a favorite although we got the idea this time that they might be overcooking the meat sometimes. (Some of the brisket, in particular, seemed a bit on the stringy side, but it wasn't always that way.) I didn't take any pictures of the dining hall or the barbecue pits this time. Here's their menu: The way it works is, you pick out what you want and tell them how much. They cut it, dip it in their sauce if you want, then set it atop foil to be taken inside and paid for. I always asked for things to be wrapped for takeout. I was too cheap this time around to pay for one of their ribeye steaks, which have always been the best ribeyes I've ever had. We usually get 2 or 3 meals out of those steaks, but still. I didn't do it. In no particular order, we enjoyed beef brisket, beef ribs, pork ribs, a bit of their sausage, and a bit of their sirloin steak -- medium rare. I thought that was especially wonderful. I need to learn how to do that at home. We also tried their potato salad (I like it, my darling doesn't) and green beans. I think those beans were basically canned green beans, warmed with garlic. They were okay, not wonderful. I wouldn't bother with them again. They don't do pork ribs as well as the Mesquite Pit in Mineral Wells (our next stop) does. In all modesty, we both like the way I do pork ribs better than the way Cooper's does them! But it was good to confirm that. Their barbecue sauce, pickles and pinto beans are all freebies and I stocked up on those at each visit. I enjoyed beans for breakfast on many days. This was a typical breakfast: I still have beans, barbecue sauce and pickles left. I hope I'll be able to figure out their barbecue sauce; it's still my favorite of any I've tried. We also still have some brisket. I hope to try packing that into jalapenos with cream cheese and bacon wrapping, to see if I can duplicate what Miiller's did. I'll probably be swearing about all the effort after I try it. 🙂 We enjoyed the sunshine and flowers, and stayed an extra day because of blustery weather passing through. It dropped softball-sized hail elsewhere in the Hill Country, but missed us altogether. The day before we left, I picked a bouquet from the roadside (not park) flowers and enjoyed it for several days. The vase was a retirement gift from my partner/coworker and his wife, both of whom retired at the same time I did. I think of them and smile, every time I use it.

@C. sapidus: I think Ali Slagle's Crispy Grains with Kielbases and Red Cabbage is a very good way to use red cabbage. Take a look here. If it appeals, PM me and I'll send what I can of the recipe.

You can pickle some of them and keep that bright heat. Of course the pickling juice will change the flavor somewhat, but I find that to be a good way to save some of the excess. I'll poke around and find some of the recipes, if you'd like. A word of warning, though it may seem obvious: be sure you like the spices you put in with the vinegar! I more or less wrecked a batch by using premixed pickling spice. I HATE the flavor of cloves, and should have known better than to use a mix that had them.

Is this it? Rummo Italian Pasta GF Spaghetti No.3, Always Al Dente, Certified Gluten-Free (5 Pack, 12 Ounce Each) (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) I love the way they say it's always al dente. 🙂

Miiller's ships. 🙃 You could show us what to do with that boudin, and get yourself a long board while you're at it!

And THIS is what comes of hasty writing, then hasty reading on the replies. I thought you were talking about the boudin! But yes, this was a mighty temptation. As it happens, I already have too many great "entertaining accessories" that sit gathering dust. Maybe in a year or three I'll spot one of these for, oh, $15 at a garage sale. And then if I buy it, I'll STILL wonder what the hell I'm going to do with it. 😉

I didn't see any Merguez there. The area seems to be firmly in the beef camp, rather than lamb. I'm surprised Montana isn't more amenable to lamb. I know the Basques have a strong Idaho presence, and assumed it would have traveled over into Montana.

Oh, I do that often! I was able to resist this because I've never gotten the hang of cooking boudin at all (it explodes on me) and the few times I've tried alligator it's been okay but not special. Maybe some other time, if another time comes.

Llano is a thousand miles behind us, but I have a few more meals and shops to show you before telling the northward narrative. I went to Miiler's Meat Market and Smokehouse twice: once to get the day's dinner and once to "stock up" on some of their sausages. it's a fun place to browse. (Aren't they all?) Before we went to stock up on the second visit, my darling asked, rather plaintively, "don't they ship?" Of course they do, but I'd hate to think of the shipping costs. The deli counter is loaded with good-looking cuts of meat, some marinated as for fajitas, and some not, and a lot of special sausages. I've never seen alligator boudin before. They also have a variety of jalapenos, stuffed and wrapped (or not) with bacon. I didn't take a picture of any of that this time, but you can look back here to see more or less what they had. I have decided that I best like their brisket-stuffed poppers. I wanted to try their "armadillo eggs" again. They also had a new thing: stuffed mushrooms caps! All were intended to be grilled; all were broiled at the Princessmobile. We never got around to pulling out a grill while we were in Llano. I'll show the results later in this post. They have lots of interesting condiments, and a few vegetables. Note the price of their cauliflower. Their freezer section has a lot of packaged, ready-to-cook dishes in foil. I've bought and enjoyed their loaded baked potato casserole before, but didn't buy it this time around. Someone there is very creative and energetic, and seems to specialize in Bacon-Wrapped-Whatever. I've never bought any of it, but I admire the enterprise. I had never noticed their restrooms before this trip.Not sure how I'd missed them before; they're in the back, right next to the freezers! Their gift-shop section is always interesting. This time I was puzzled by what looked like huge, beautifully made cutting boards. They were waist-high on me. 'What would one do with those?' I asked myself, 'Make a hero sandwich that'll feed the entire football team?' I asked about them at the counter. They're intended as charcuterie (or other appetizer) boards. Another of those wonderful entertainment accessories which I can only fantasize about being able to use! Our largest "dinner party" these days is for 6 people. Still, it's fun to dream. So. Dinner the night of my first visit was the aforementioned armadillo eggs (cheese center, sausage around it, the entirety wrapped with bacon), brisket poppers (brisket and cream cheese inside a jalapeno, with bacon wrapping) and stuffed mushrooms (sausage, cheese, maybe breadcrumbs in the stuffing). I roasted them. The armadillo eggs had instructions, and I used those as guidance for the other two dishes. Here's a popper and a mushroom, both whole and in cross-section. I liked them both. My darling looked askance at the mushroom, wanting to know what it was and giving me the fisheye when I told him. I didn't realize that he actively dislikes mushrooms! I thought them nice, but not so wonderful that I'd force him to eat them again. The armadillo eggs -- well, this is the second or third time we've tried them and said "meh". The cheese center was nearly undetectable. The sausage was good enough but not wonderful. Too much meat, too little flavor. They don't hold a candle to the "armadillo eggs" we get in Mineral Wells. I think we're done with this particular concoction of Miiller's. On our second visit, I intended to stock up. I think my darling slipped a fiver to a sales clerk who noted that they ship! I wasn't having it. But we didn't need to buy much, just more of their Llano Links sausage. Except...as I was bringing those packages to the cash register, a worker came out with a couple of vacuum-packed steaks, exclaiming what a great bargain they were. "What are they?" I bit on the bait. "Ribeyes! Look at 'em!" I did. I bought them. Everyone laughed (even my darling) as I exclaimed what a great saleswoman she is. Those look like fajitas material to me!

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry over that story! How awful to have the meat way overcooked "to soften it!" That's an interesting point about the heat, though. I don't think I overcooked these spuds, but I'll keep in mind that paprika can turn bitter when overcooked. More likely it was the variety. I usually have Szeged around, but for some reason one time we were out and needed some, so one of us bought the more conventiently sized jar. Back to Szeged it is, or maybe the pouch stuff. Thanks for those insights.

I have to admit, my experience with CK recipes has been hit-and-miss when I've bothered trying them. Their food stylists and photographers make everything look lovely, of course. For some reason I often don't get around to trying their recipes even though I intend to. The chickpea salad recipe I posted about is from so long ago! I'm glad I got around to trying it, finally. One of the things I like about Milk Street (I don't get Cook's Country) is their international flavor. I still miss Saveur magazine! Milk Street gets into parts of the world I'd like to visit.

While we were in Llano I tried out another Milk Street recipe I'd been wanting to try: Paprika Potatoes. I love paprika. I love chicken paprikash. I love potatoes. What wouldn't be to like about this recipe? Well, I was unimpressed. The texture didn't come out as well as I'd been led to believe. (I did use Yukon Golds, which they said would work.) More to the point, the flavor was...muddy, and slightly bitter. I think it must come down to the quality of the paprika. I think mine was pretty fresh, but maybe McCormick's isn't the way to go. My darling said he liked it. I realized with a sinking heart this morning that there's still some lurking in the fridge somewhere! Yes, I'll eat it...but I won't bother making it again. Has anyone else tried this recipe?

That's a good point about the price of produce being affected by this year's flood. I think there's still something going on at that particular grocery store in Llano, however; we also went to a more upscale, specialized market (I'll show you later) and their produce prices ran more along the lines of what we'd expect. Granted, the caulifllower heads were smaller than at the Lowe's, but they weren't half the size and they were half the price. Here are some more shots and prices from Lowe's grocery store; we had to go back for something. I confirmed that the cauliflower really was as expensive as I'd shown earlier. Some of their meat wasn't too bad. I think @blue_dolphin was right about the price of the bacon I showed earlier; they looked expensive mostly because they were large packages. But check out that butter! I decided I didn't need it after all.

There are at least two of us who are interested! Any chance you can post it to RecipeGullet, or is it copyrihted?

That looks more like something rolled than something layered. Am I looking at it correctly? If so, could you tell a difference between having layers vs. having everything rolled up? What was the pastry like? I ask out of curiosity. The whole meal looks delicious!

Let me know brand, please. My DIL can't take gluten and she misses pasta terribly.

They didn't have any California garlic. I could have bought 3 heads of garlic packaged together for under a dollar, but those were from China. The loose stuff, of which I bought 1 head, was labeled as being from Peru.

We needed to replenish some supplies at the grocery store. It's a nice place: clean, pretty well stocked, with what seem to me quirky selections: hunting and camping gear as well as food we'd expect to see. But my, it is expensive! It isn't especially upscale, but the prices seem more in line with those of a luxury grocery store than what I'd normally expect. I think it must have to do with distribution costs, although the Texas Hill Country isn't exactly remote. The cauliflower was the first shocker. It wasn't on our list, but if it had been I'd have changed my mind. We've never been impressed with their produce section, but we were able to get the needed round of breakfast fruit (not photographed) and some lemons. These were some of the tiniest lemons I've ever seen, but their prices were commensurate with their size. I didn't complain. I also needed a head of garlic to get us home. Cheese was pricey, but not much more so than I'd have expected in Yuma. I didn't need any flour or pasta, but I had to see whether there really were 5 brands of rice flour here as I'd predicted earlier. 😄 Nope, only one...but the same brand that I'd bought in New Mexico. Its normal price here was the sale price there, so I'll remember this place if I need any when/if we come through in the fall. I was also interested to see a gluten-free pasta. Didn't need it, but someday maybe I'll try it. I have trouble believing that a chickpea pasta would taste the same as a flour pasta. Maybe it depends on the sauce. The meat department was the biggest sticker shock. Fortunately, we didn't need any. The price of chicken was good, although we didn't need or buy any. They didn't have the brand of Polish sausage (Kiolbassa) that I especially like, but Opa's are also good tube steaks. It could be argued that we didn't need these either, but we bought 'em anyway. The Country Blend is new to us, but we know we like their Hatch Green Chile version. Outside the store is a profusion of barbecue grills, deer corn, deer feeders, and garden starts. I got two basil plants to take home with me. I've always had good luck with these, and the basil is nice to have along the way. I've mentioned before that most of my photos are collages to cut down on data usage. However, the pictures are fuzzy as a result. If anyone wants a clearer picture -- for instance, to read fine print on a label -- let me know and I'll post the original.

My mother's did. They may have been Mirro or Wear-ever but I can't swear to the manufacturer. I'm sure those pans are older than I am, and I hope my greatniece makes good use of them for another generation's wear. Now that you mention it, I think my mother acquired one like that, maybe from a Pampered Chef party. I may have it tucked into storage at home. I think the diameter is larger than the 8 or 9" I was thinking of, but if I make enough sweet rolls it'll work, won't it? 😉

Those of you who've followed this blog know that I love visiting Charlie's store and perusing their kitchen gear. There's usually, not always, something for me to buy. There's always something to tempt me, even when we're on the return trip and nearly home. This time, I had a specific item in mind. We all know about buyer's remorse. How many of us have experienced giver's remorse? I gave a (large) carload of stuff, mostly cooking gear, to my greatniece last fall as she was setting up her first apartment. Yes, she needed (or wanted) the stuff! I could spare it! I was doing us both a favor, and passing forward the blessings and help that my parents and their friends had done for me when I was setting up house for the first time. Well. I'm a bit sorry I gave her my mother's cake pans. Never needed them before now. I have springform pans. They're all at home. My mother's pans had push-up bottoms, like this set (eG-friendly Amazon.com link). What I like about them is their straight sides, perfect for baking sweet rolls. Are they better than the springform pans? Not necessarily, but those pans are at home. I am NOT asking for them back. We did each other favors, and her aunt is a wonderful baker. She'll probably get far more use out of them than I would at this point. Still, I'd like to have some for the trailer. I checked out the antique and junk stores. My favorite of those shops closed over the winter! 😕 Nobody else knew what I was talking about. Off I went to Charlie's. I didn't bother taking photos of their hilarious tea towels, but you can see them here for a good laugh. I fondled some charming dipping bowls. I gave mine to my great-niece too. Those I don't want back, but it's fun to look. I admired a huge strainer, perfect for fishing dumplings or pot-stickers out of a wok. Couldn't quite justify buying it, although -- in retrospect -- maybe it would be better for removing fried shrimp than my current setup. Hmm. It isn't too late to go back! Kim didn't know what I was talking about on the cake pans, and none of what they had would work. I wonder why cake pans are made without removable bottoms, whether of the type I'm looking for or the springform variety? Leak prevention, I suppose. However, I can all too easily imagine the bottom sticking to the baked goods and refusing to release. What a mess that would be! I did indulge my desire for a new can opener. I haven't really made friends with our side-lid opener that doesn't leave sharp edges but does often make a mess when the lid jerks off too abruptly. Kim commented that this type was her favorite, and I noted that I found our side-cutter type difficult. "I couldn't make mine work at all!" she exclaimed.