Donut from Bleodow’s Bakery in Winona, Minnesota. Brought to our home by a friend whose daughter is currently attending Winona State University. Best glazed donuts, period.
Category Archives: Random Life
Stevens Point “River Walk”
Good to be back to our own river walk, even if it is nice and chilly today.
This and That.
We’ll be home a week from now. Excited to be home in a week, though it still seems far away. Looking forward to seeing friends, celebrating Easter with family, and baking in my kitchen. Definitely going to miss this relaxed pace, homemade tortillas, and sun in the winter.
Speaking of which, it has been HOT lately. Over 80 every day it seems. And because of (or in spite of?) the heat and sun, we’ve been going for multiple walks through the city and along the River Walk each day. Soaking in as much Vitamin D as we possibly can, which seems quite literal as we come back soaked in sweat. Pleasant, I know.
Speaking of pleasant, we ate lunch at Whataburger today. We’ve been seeing Whataburger locations all over Texas as we’ve been driving around, and as there is one near the RiverWalk, we decided to give it a shot.
We enjoyed the burgers (and the fancy new Coke dispenser) and were surprised how large the sandwiches were – almost 5 inches in diameter! The lettuce and tomatoes were super fresh and added a good crunch and flavor. We both agreed that it wasn’t quite 5 Guys though. The burger lacked that great char and crust that 5 Guys does so well, and the fries here were pretty standard fast food sticks, just shy of hot.
Other than that, we don’t really have too much to cram into our last week here. Checking out the San Antonio Museum of Art tomorrow (it is free on Tuesday evenings) and heading back to our favorite restaurant spots (Taco Taco and Mi Tierra). And walking and sweating some more, we have that down pat!
Mini French Toast!
I freely admit it, I have an irrational love of miniature every day items. Justin knows not to attempt to keep me away from the travel toiletries aisle at Target before we leave for a trip. New tiny mouthwash! New tiny bodywash! New travel toothbrush and toothpaste! Bliss.
And when we were walking through Central Market last week and my eyes fell upon this tiny loaf of brioche bread, well, there was just no way on earth that I could let that lie. I IMMEDIATELY knew I wanted to make mini french toast with that loaf, and it was going to be AMAZING french toast for the sole reason that it was going to be TINY.
And how easy a batch of french toast it was, when all the slices fit in one pan! And an excellent way to control portion size. Each tiny bite was delicious, made all the more delicious with real maple syrup (a birthday gift from Travis and Emily).
Recently Enjoyed Books
It is another beautiful, 75 degree and sunny day here in San Antonio. It is nice to be able to go outside every day and enjoy this gorgeousness before we head home to winter in Wisconsin. But talking about nice weather gets a bit mundane, so I thought I would share a bit of what I’ve been reading and enjoying these past few months. I started “saving” books several months before we left so that I would have a good stack to bring a long and have on my iPad. Thanks to everyone that has offered suggestions, and if you have more, please feel free to send them my way – I still have a few weeks to pack in as many books as possible! What are some of your favorite reads?
Service Included by Phoebe Damrosch – While we so often focus on the food at great restaurants, Damrosch writes from the perspective of the service staff, and how important this is to a restaurant’s success.
The Maze Runner Trilogy by James Dash – I received The Maze Runner for Christmas (thanks again, John!) and it didn’t take long before both Justin and I had devoured the entire series. If you read and liked The Hunger Games trilogy, you’ll definitely enjoy these books by Dash.
The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls – We all might have moments where we think our parents are a bit crazy, but Walls puts that all in perspective as she writes about growing up with a paranoid, compulsive, transient, alcoholic dad and mom.
Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott – Drawing on her own experiences, struggles and joys, Lamott shares how her faith has been challenged, stretched, failed and soared. I really appreciated her honesty and how that honestly has allowed her faith to grow.
Sold by Patricia McCormick – The heart-wrenching fictional account of a 13 year old girl sold to a brothel in India, which is the reality for millions of women and children around the globe.
God in a Brothel by Daniel Walker – Walker relays his experiences as an investigator for international organizations that infiltrate the sex trafficking businesses around the globe and attempt to rescue the victims and prosecute the offenders.
America the Edible by Adam Richman – If you are fan of Man Vs. Food on the Travel Channel, you will enjoy the familiar tone as Richman accounts his favorite food cities and the great places to eat around the country.
The Sorcerer’s Apprentices by Lisa Abend – This was one of the most interesting books I’ve read in awhile. El Bulli was such a cutting edge restaurant, consistently rated the best in the world. Abend does a fantastic job of pulling back the curtain and giving us a glimpse of what it was like for the apprentices that were working for a season.
Anne of Green Gables Series by L. M. Montgomery – I think I have read this entire series at least 6 times since I was 11, but I still love it.
Glimpses of Charleston
The United States Customs House in Charleston. They're not messing around when it comes to fruits and veggies leaving from or arriving to this city!
One of our favorite fountains in Charleston, and the extensive list of rules beside it to keep people from drowning in it always makes us laugh.
A beautiful, grand old church, like so many others in Charleston. They will always make me pause.
Charleston Harbor, with Fort Sumter in the distance. The swampiness reeked to high heaven this day, but the picture conveys none of the stink! Thankfully!
Silly Justin, Trix are for Kids!
Justin has been working a lot lately, but we were able to get out for lunch today and over to Tybee Island to enjoy some sunshine.
Justin in a full-on Food Coma after lunch at Wiley's Championship BBQ. More on this fantastic little place in an upcoming post!
We got a banana pudding dessert to go and found a swing on the beach to sit on. Yeah, it was that good.
Can't get much better than this!
Dog-gone it!
Each afternoon/early evening, we enjoying walking down to and around Forsythe Park. Though we have decided that we don’t fit in very well at that time.
There are even specially designed water fountains, just for dogs!
Packer game in Wausau
We’re up in Wausau for the Packer game today, just eating snacks and hanging out.
