A Forest in the Arizona Desert
A petrified forest in the middle of the desert? I imagined shimmering forests of sparkling, stony wood soaring high overhead. Ancient conifers sealed in time with mossy-banked streams and forest critters scampering about . As we drove through the desert toward the Petrified Forest National Park in northern Arizona, without a tree or stream to […]
Sumptuous Santa Fe
Red and green chilies, blue corn tortillas, pink adobe—Santa Fe New Mexico is a very colorful place. This town is packed with local art, culture, and flavor to match. Our stay in this mountain art city began to pique our curiosity for southwestern art and flavor, and satisfied our long-standing craving for hot and heady […]
Waking Up in the Guadaloupe Mountains
Even as an avid camper, I have never much enjoyed setting up camp in the dark. However, when pitching a tent and cooking dinner after nightfall there is one thing that never fails to amaze me – waking up in the morning and seeing my surroundings for the first time. As Amanda and my adventure […]
Lone Star Pit BBQ Stands Alone
Every barbeque fanatic has a personal preference about which style, or styles, are the best. Southerners often favor the type of barbeque he or she grew up eating. Personally, I come from the barbeque wasteland of Ohio. While many of us Northerners missed out on growing up with a strong and specific barbeque culture, those […]
Texas Offers a Fresh Look at Tex-Mex
It’s hard to get real Mexican food most palaces in the United States. In fact, many Americans would be surprised to hear that the cheesy burrito fare that is served by Mexican restaurants across the country not real Mexican food at all! Most of the Mexican food served in the U.S. would be considered Tex-Mex. […]
Turkey Day with Chicken!
We like turkey. In fact, we like it a lot. Amanda and I eat turkey regularly throughout the year in the form of grilled or breaded cutlets, tacos, soup, enchiladas with mole, and Amanda’s favorite—turkey burgers! This being said, a whole turkey yields a lot of meat and although we love Thanksgiving leftovers, when it […]
The Devil and Hot Tamales
“Hot Tamales and they’re red hot, yes she got‘em for sale.” These are the opening lyrics of Mississippi blues man Robert Johnson’s song They’re Red Hot. Though Johnson’s suggestive lyrics are referring to his appetite for something other than food, his reference to hot tamales is a tribute to the deep history and prominent place […]
What’s a Po’ Boy to Do?
The city of New Orleans has a lot of incredible food, but if there is one dish that feeds the Crescent City it has to be the Po’ Boy sandwich. The Po’ Boy sandwich also travels further than the rest of New Orleans’ world-famous cuisine and can be commonly found all over the United States–especially […]
Brunch With the Commander
It was early on a Saturday afternoon and we were walking through New Orleans’ Garden District admiring the grand old mansions there. We strolled alongside the high wall of an old New Orleans cemetery. Overhead an array of plastic beads from many Mardi Gras past hung forlornly in the trees. As we turned the corner […]
First Stop in New Orleans, Cafe Du Monde
Just about everyone who visits New Orleans, Louisiana goes to Café Du Monde. Café Du Monde is New Orleans breakfast institution that is known for serving two delightful and addictive local favorites–beignets and chicory coffee. Breakfast can happen anytime in New Orleans because Café Du Monde is open 24 hours! The first thing to do […]