Easy Pretzels

Like everyone else, I've been experimenting with bread products.

I found this 30-minute pretzel recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction:
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/30-minute-whole-wheat-pretzels/comment-page-1/

Don't skip the egg wash at the end or you end up with a dry-looking pretzel.

I added cheese on top of some of the pretzels to create a cheesy pretzel.

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) yeast

1 Tbs sugar

1 tsp salt

3 3/4-4 cups flour

1 large egg, beaten

Coarse salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with silicone baking mat or parchment paper. If using parchment paper, spray with oil.

Dissolve yeast in warm water and add sugar. After mixture is bubbly, add salt and flour. Add enough flour so dough is not sticky. 

Knead for a few minutes. Divide into 12 sections. Roll into long rope and shape to resemble pretzel.

You can boil the pretzels in 9 cups water mixed with 1/2 cup baking soda for 20-30 seconds. This step is not necessary.

Dunk the pretzel in beaten egg and sprinkle coarse salt on top. 

Bake for 10 minutes then broil for 5 minutes to give it a brown top.

2020 06 14

BBQ Shrimp a la Pascale's Manale

I love the BBQ shrimp from Pascale's Manale in New Orleans. Now that travel is limited, I found a pretty good substitute.

1 lb large shrimp, heads on

5 tsp Manale Spice

2 tsp minced garlic

3 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp Louisiana hot sauce

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup white wine

1 Tbs unsalted butter

Manale Spice:

1 Tbs black pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp basil

In a large skillet, add shrimp, Manale Spice, garlic, Worcestershire and hot sauce, stirring constantly. Pour olive oil in then white wine. Stir to blend thoroughly.

Cook over high heat for 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add butter, cook an additional 2 minutes until butter is thoroughly melted.

2020 06 14

Himilayan Restaurant

Himilayan Restaurant is located at 810 McClelland Drive in Windsor.

Organic Tofu Tikka Masal Lunch Special--$9.99 (order it online to get this reduced price). Lunch comes with Lentil Soup, salad, white or brown rice and naan. The lentil soup is bland as is the tikka masala. I wish it was more flavorful.

2020 08 13

Chicken Nature

A friend brought me Chicken & Rice from Chicken Nature, located at 1791 Marlowe Road in Santa Rosa. She knows I love Nong Khao Man Gai's in Portland and this was a good substitute.

The chicken was very tender but the sauce from Nong Khao still is the best. The rice was very flavorful because it had been boiled in chicken stock.

2020 07 23

Armstrong Woods State Natural Reserve

I'm having problems uploading to blogger, so I'm in search of a new host. Route 66 is insterrupted until I can get a new site. In the meantime, I'm uploading what I had previously written. We visited Armstrong Woods in mid August, about a week before the wildfire went through.

The Armstrong Woods State Natural Reserve is located in Guerneville.

There is a free parking lot before you enter the gates. The parking lot opens at 8 am but when we arrived at 7:45 am, there were already a few cars there. If you want shade in the morning, park closest to the trailhead. If you get there late and still want free parking, you can park on the street a couple hundred yards away.

If you want to park closer to some of the trails, pay $10 at the entry booth and you can drive into the park.

The East Ridge Trail starts in the free parking lot.

It is a steep climb up from the parking lot. After 2 hours, you'll each the summit. From the parking lot, it's 2.9 miles.

If you want a less strenuous hike, turn left towards the Picnic Area after 1.2 miles.

From the summit, take a left and parallel the road until you reach the Pool Ridge Trail.

When you reach the parking lot at Gilliam Creek, turn right to the end of the road until you see the Pool Ridge Trail.

Another hour and a half later, you'll reach flat ground and the Discovery Trail.  You'll find the Colonel Armstrong Redwood Tree, over 300 feet tall.

You can't see the top of the Colonel Armstrong Redwood.

2020 08 15

High Desert RV Park

Our stop for the night was the High Desert RV Park.

It's located just west of Albuquerque.

There's not much shade but most of the sites are pull-through. There are showers and laundry facilities on-site.

We had a nice little Happy Hour with Smoked Oysters and veges with jalapeño/artichoke dip.

2020 06 25

En Route to Albuquerque

From Grants, turn left on Hwy 117. Just before Exit 89, turn left and continue on Hwy 124. Take the narrow tunnel under I-40 (13’ 6” clearing) and curve left on the south side.

Take Hwy124 east through the lava fields to McCartys. Can you make out the stone Santa Maria de Acoma Church on the hillside?

Cross I-40 at Exit 96 and stay on Hwy 124 to San Fidel, where you'll find an old White Bros Gas Station.

The St. Josephs' Church is also in San Fidel.

Turn left at Cubero Road and go into Villa Cubero and the defunct Villa Cubero Trading Post. Rumor has it that Hemingway wrote "Old Man and the Sea" in the cafe.

Turn right at the T and follow it to Hwy 124 and the Budville Trading Company.

Turn left and follow Hwy124 to Laguna and the giant Route 66 Casino with the huge neon gas pump.

Giant arrow in the parking lot

and a smaller arrow closer to the road.

At the roundabout, take I-40 to Mesita then to Rio Puerco and the Rio Puerco Bridge.

The Rio Puerco Bridge was built in 1933. At 250 feet, it is one of the longest steel bridges in New Mexico. The bridge was replaced in 1999.

2020 06 25

Grants, NM

The next town on Route 66 is Grants, New Mexico. It has a population of nearly 10,000.

There's a drive-thru neon sign.

It comes with instructions on how you can get a selfie in your car.

The Fire & Ice Park is nearby. 

It's a nice green park with a caboose

and a fountain

The Uranium Miners Museum is across the street. You can go underground to see what working in an uranium mine was like.

Right next door is the Chibola County History Museum

1915 steam engine on display in front of the museum

The West Theatre is one of the vintage theaters in town.

And, of course, there are vintage motels as well. Elvis stayed at the Sands Motel

2020 06 25

Thoreau, Prewitt & Milan

From the Continental Divide, take the north Frontage Road (Hwy 122) to Thoreau.

Thoreau is marked by the Red Mountain Market & Deli, now a dilapidated building.

Continue east to Prewitt, where you'll find the Tomahawk Bar.

After Prewitt, this section of Route 66 is a 4-lane road.

Old motels line Route 66 in Milan.

2020 06 25

Continental Divide

From Gallup, join I-40 at Exit 26 and continue until Exit 47.

Here, you'll find the Continental Divide at 7245 feet.

The next sign indicated the Continental Divide is at 7375 feet.

Whatever the true elevation, water in the west drains to the Pacific and in the east drains to the Atlantic.

There is a gift shop selling "Top of the World" souvenirs.

2020 06 25

More Lodging in Gallup

Across the street from El Rancho are 2 more classic motels.

The Lariat Lodge 

and the Blue Spruce Lodge.

2020 06 25

El Rancho Hotel

You'll find the El Rancho Hotel & Motel on the eastern edge of Gallup.

The hotel was built in 1937 and was the height of luxury on Route 66 in the 1940s and 50s. Its guest list included Hollywood stars who stayed at the hotel during their film shoots.

The grand lobby included a massive stone fireplace under the double wooden curved stairways.

Rooms are named after Hollywood stars.

Signed photos grace the walls.

I found a picture of what was probably the cliff dwellings in the "Ace in the Hole."

2020 09 25