Follow along on my journey as I travel the US
Back in 1998, a local Girl Scout troop decided to make their Senior Gold project selling buffalo statues to companies and businesses in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. The project became known as the Buffalo Stampede, and all the proceeds went to a non-profit organization called Mary Martha Outreach that provides food and other necessities to those in need.
I know the question you have….What is Woolaroc? It is a wildlife preserve and museum established in 1925 by oilman Frank Phillips, co-founder of Phillips Petroleum in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
Since getting to Kansas, I have done a lot of cooking. Here are some Friday Funnies related to food. Have a great weekend!
Continue reading “Friday Funnies”Everyone knows I’m a jokester. I guess some things never change.
I hope these funnies bring a smile to your face. Have a great weekend!
Continue reading “Friday Funnies”While working in Kentucky, I had little time to do anything other than work and sleep. I ate a lot of quick meals or ate something on the way to work.
Then on the drive to Kansas, it was a nice break to stop for a home-cooked meal when I filled up with gas. I use Yelp, Travelocity, and Google to find local restaurants instead of chains.
Now that I am in a house for a few months, I have been doing lots of cooking and trying out new recipes. I especially enjoy cooking in the winter. Soups and casseroles are two of my favorites. They are easy reheat and usually taste better the next day.
I am going to share some of the things I’ve made in the past weeks. You can click on the recipe name for the ingredients and instructions.
Hands down, I pick creamy tomato soap when given a choice. I get a lot of recipes in my inbox and save the ones that I want to try. I had all of the ingredients for this recipe from Food & Wine on hand. It was easy and deserves the 5 star reviews.
This recipe comes from Cook’s Illustrated and satisfied my craving for good BBQ. It is worth making the barbecue sauce from scratch. I don’t use liquid smoke and didn’t know what to expect, but it was the perfect amount of smokiness.
Old Fashioned Easy Apple Crisp
My favorite apples are Granny Smith and Pink Lady. I love a crisp, tart apple and I used Granny Smith for this crisp. I prefer crisps over cobblers because I am a fan of the cinnamon crumb topping.
I used Quaker gluten-free oats and you cannot tell the difference from the original. I also peeled my apples because I don’t like the texture of cooked apple peel. Serve this with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and it is the perfect dessert on a cold winter night.
Pesto Pizza
This is a recipe without an actual “recipe.” I don’t eat pizza often at restaurants because I find them to be way too salty. When I want pizza at home, this is my go-to pizza. You only need three ingredients from Trader Joe’s and you can customize your pizza to your liking.
Directions:
Leave the dough on the counter at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before you shape the dough. Flour your work surface and your hands because this dough is tacky. Place dough onto a lightly oiled pizza pan. Top the dough with the sauce, cheese and toppings of your choice. Bake at 425 for 6-8 minutes and dinner is ready.
This is a new recipe that I will be making again. It has all the makings of a great taco: seasoned ground beef, onions, peppers, salsa and cheese. The cornbread topping is moist and it has more cheese.
Wacky Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
If you are snowed in and find yourself out of eggs and milk, you can still bake a cake. Baking soda and apple cider vinegar make this cake light and moist. Cream cheese frosting is one of my favorites and this one is divine. Be warned though, it is rich.
*I baked this in a 9×13 pan instead of an 8×8.
Hope you try and enjoy some of the good things I have here. If you have a recipe to share, please do so below. I am looking forward to hearing about what you’ve been cooking.
This is my first trip traveling on Route 66 and it has not disappointed!
A little history
U.S. Highway 66 — popularly known as Route 66 or the Mother Road — holds a special place in American consciousness and evokes images of simpler times, mom and pop businesses, and the icons of a mobile nation on the road.
Route 66 crosses 8 states and 3 time zones. The states that the Mother Road runs through are Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.
Do you have any suggestions for places to visit? I would love to hear about them.
Part 2
Are you ready to take a step back in time? The museum has so many exhibits that will make you reminisce about the good old days. I hope you enjoy seeing these as much as I did. I would love to hear your stories!
The Drugstore
We had several local drugstores in our area and they all had soda fountains. I grew up in the 70s and my son in the 90s. We both still talk about the delicious grilled sandwiches and flavored sodas.
The Doctor’s Office
The Beauty Shop
My mom’s mother, Elizabeth Compton, had a beauty shop in Bluefield, VA. She did hair at Elizabeth’s Beauty Shop for over 58 years. Going to her beauty shop was routine and I loved it.
Remember these hair dryers? Nanny’s chairs were pastel colors with a handle so you could elevate your legs and read a magazine.
The other thing I loved was playing with Nanny’s cash register or telephone .
Writing this post has made me emotional. I have smiled, laughed and cried as I think about my grandparents. They were good hardworking people and I was so lucky to have them in my life as long as I did.
I called mom and asked her lots of questions. The next time I am back home, we are going to sit down with our photo albums and look through them.
Part 1
This will be the first of several posts about the Joplin History & Mineral Museum. The museum is about an hour east of Coffeyville. There is a wide variety of exhibits and has something for everyone.
The museum charges $3.00 admission, which is worth every penny. The first exhibit was simply delightful.
The Cookie Cutter Museum has a number of display cases, each containing a collection of different cutters. Some of those display advertising cutters, tinsmith’s cutters, European cutters and much more.
Tinsmiths place design patterns on a wooden block then position pins/nails at each place the tin needs to be bent. Strips of tin or copper are bent to shape, slipped off the jig and soldered to close.
An interesting tip for collectors: Do you know how to tell the difference between aluminum and tin plate steel cutters? If the cutter is made of tin plate steel, it will be magnetic. Aluminum cutters are not magnetic.
I picked up a cutter and plan on baking. I love cooking on snow days!
For a town with less than 10,000 residents, Coffeyville, Kansas has a lot to see and do.
One of the most unusual sights is the Coffeyville Sculpture Garden. It is located across from Coffeyville Community College’s Orscheln Hall.
The Sculpture Garden is a project started by Michael DeRosa, the Fine Arts instructor at Coffeyville Community College. His program is the only one in Kansas that offers chainsaw art.
The sculptures in the garden are made by the students and new sculptures are added each fall.
This cactus sculpture made me laugh and has a great message!
Camping with Christi