A few years ago we drove from Albuquerque, NM to Shreveport, LA and back, and made it a point to try four or five barbecue places along the way. We had some hits and some misses, but really, the misses weren't all that bad compared with what is available here in Seattle. Yesterday, we just returned from a trip to Kerrville and Austin, TX to visit the family and get a smoky taste of the homeland. The day we arrived we hit the original Rudy's BBQ in Leon Springs, TX outside of San Antonio, a solid and consistent #1 in my book for beef brisket. Later in the week, on our way from Kerrville over to Austin, we stopped in at Cooper's Pit Barbecue in Llano, TX. Cooper's is now the undisputed #1. At Cooper's, you line up with all the Llano regulars and tourists alike and wait to go to the side of the building where you pick the meat you want right out of the smoker (pictured above). Brisket, half chickens, pork ribs, sausage links -- its all there for the picking. You don't even know what the prices are or how much it will cost until you take your tray of meat inside and they weight it, and you don't care. Inside you buy side dishes and drinks, then sit down to picnic tables with loaves of white bread placed around and devour your meat. The brisket was excellent, fatty on top, super moist and full flavored with a pepper crust and just the right amount of smoke. Oh, and there is a big pot of pinto beans with jalapenos stewing next to the drink machine that you don't want to miss. The beans are free.
This was Spring Break week for UW, and since there was no money (or spousal consent) to spend the break in Cancun this year, a localized "mancation" was crafted. Two days of spring snowboarding, a WHL playoff hockey game, and a trip to the pantheon of cured meats in Seattle, Salumi, for a an epic sandwich. If only these days could last forever...
In these economic times, you've got to cut back on discretionary spending where you can. Not eating out is one place we have cut back, though we have not eaten out a lot regularly for a few years now, so we have even cut out ordering delivery pizza on a Friday night after a long week of work. And we're none the worse for it, in fact, we probably make better pizza at home than we can find in Seattle. Some Trader Joes' pizza dough ($1.99), jar of pizza sauce ($1.99 and lasts for three pizzas), mozarella cheese ($3.99 and covers two pizzas), and a package of gourmet pepperoni ($4.99 and covers two pizzas). So that's about $7.25 for a pizza made at home vs. $15-18 for the local delivery. I think the results speak (and taste) for themselves.
This weekend marked fifteen years of wedded bliss. To celebrate we rented a house on Whidbey Island for a couple of nights. It was just our style, a nice one bedroom cottage right on the water within walking distance of a state park beach and short drives to beach towns on the island. No crowds, no kids, no pets, just us. The weekend started sunny then turned to cold and windy with waves breaking right off the deck, followed by snow showers. Perfect for cranking up the fireplace and keeping busy with "inside activities". Capped it off with an excellent dinner at the Oystercatcher restaurant in Coupeville, probably the best restaurant meal we've had in years. Highly recommended. Now, after a nice three-day weekend its time to prep for another week of battle. But we can re-live the weekend through the photo slideshow posted at the left.
As usual, one of our New Year's resolutions is to clean out the house and get rid of all the extra, un-used, or broken stuff that is taking up space in our closets, basement, and garage. This year, I am making a concerted effort to turn that trash into some cash. While taking stuff to the Goodwill donation center or just throwing it away is a much easier and faster way to downsize the excess, there is nothing like being handed a wad of cash by someone who actually WANTS that stuff you are trying to get rid of. I have found that craigslist is the best option for me. I don't have the time or patience list and host auctions on ebay, and deal with shipping, making sure you get payment, etc. I've had pretty good luck selling things on craigslist, better luck than I've had buying anything. Just today I got rid of a pet/cargo divider for a Subaru that we haven't owned for more than a year. My garage is free of one more piece of clutter and I've got $75 in my pocket. Mission accomplished.
