A Little more Love from Texas - Road Trip Style

Texas means a different cuisine to my family. Not that we aren't adventurous in Minnesota, just that there are things here that just aren't the same where the snow gets higher than my waist for months on end.

In point, BarBeQue (BBQ) - is a different animal here, and we have a seriously devoted daughter to the finer adventures in a culinary fashion - so with her advice we found a wonderful, nearly hidden gem of Fort Worth - Off the Bone Barbeque http://www.offthebonebbq.com/ This was one of the best moments of the entire trip while Rachel and Paul were with us. This petite eatery, just off I 20 and 820, was just honored in Dallas Magazine as the Best! - great news. The location does not jump out at you, it's not overly shiny or corporate, just friendly and clean. You can enjoy your tasty meats with their sauce, but they are served "dry", but still moist and bursting with deep flavors that just fill your mouth. Portions were generous but not ridiculous and a bargain for the price. The smiles on the faces of my family, and the instant removal of the hungry grouchies were more than compensation enough for putting up with "Ms Garmin" and her strange sense of direction. (She first took us on dirt side tracks to a bar straight out of a bad biker movie...We didn't stop!) The Garmin gremlin will be fodder for another post. Food for our family is more of an adventure, a gastronomic theme park even, when we travel. If at all possible, we avoid the national chains and fast food. (One notable exception, in France we found the sandwiches at the gas stations on the Autoroute to be delicious and budget friendly) Thanks to the family toys - ie - IPhones, we found that article on the internet and then got the address, phone and even directions (Yeah! Google maps!) However, having a good guidebook and a paper and pencil are still handy when technology has an occasional fail! So we haven't gone paperless yet, but the car clutter is definitely down.

Another amazing meal was shared Sunday morning with Amy, Mike, Zoe and Anderson at the

Twisted Root Burger Company. We dined at the West Ellum location. http://twistedrootburgerco.com/wordpress/

Here is that spot's philosophy in their own words:

Three chefs, sick of eating frozen, tiny, and under-seasoned burgers, opened a real burger joint to make it the way they do at home. Fresh and seasoned meat, hand-battered buttermilk fried stuff, fresh-cut sweet potatoes, homemade pickles, in-house made Root Beer, homemade ice-cream….even homemade condiments. It’s like eating at our home!

It was even a chance to dine outside! - but the snow was waiting....

Road tripping with young adults

When your children are young, you pack a car with snacks and maybe books on tape, before there were DVD's or VHS's for your car...We even talked a lot. Imagine that - actual conversation. Thanks to I Phones and I Tunes....We can choose to share or choose to slip into our own musical worlds while we drive. It's a good thing we seem to share a lot of the same musical tastes.

Stops are another thing - my goal was to enjoy the journey and visit my family on the way to rejoining Steve. They wanted to get to the Warmth of Dallas as soon as possible. So, they toured Downtown Chicago and had to kill some time there...

(Not impossible, but without a car...) Meanwhile I was able to get my mom out for some errands and to visit with my father's sister, my Aunt Lois. It was great to get to visit and to get the two of them together. I'm a grandmother myself now, and it's beginning to be apparent that time is passing and precious. I don't take time with my family for granted as I put myself on a path of adventure, but also away from some of those I love the most. Saying that, even those hours in the car are precious. Today, it's snowing in Dallas (Yes, I told God my plans...and I am sure he's getting a good chuckle at this moment) So I'm savoring the time to write this and

say GO PACKERS - I love you Dad...

avoiding Texas drivers!