Matagorda Man

I will start off by saying that this is outside of the norm for what will normally be posted on here.  Last weekend I went to Matagorda Island with a bunch of buddies to camp on the beach.  First place we stopped to eat, and probably the worst for the weekend was Stanley's, which is pretty much the only store in Matagorda, Texas.  They usually have food left under a warmer, and it's almost always below par.  However we did have some good food on the beach.  Camping in itself is a great thing that I did as a kid and still enjoy doing today.  I am not to sure the rest of the world still sees this as a great past time or something they would like to do with their family, but it is something me and mine will do for many years to come, God willing.  For any of you out there who have been camping or are intending to go, let me be the first to tell you that the FOOD is a key factor into how well the trip can go.  When your out in the elements it can get miserable fast, especially in Texas.  However the FOOD, if its good, can always bring a smile.  There were a few of us that decided to do meals together, so I brought dinners, and Nathan brought breakfast and lunch.  I must say that with just a few simple preparations you can really step up and eat well with little amenities.  One morning for breakfast we had deer sausage, eggs, fresh peppers and onions, on tortillas and it was delicious, as well as, some peculator made coffee.  We had pitas with fresh hummus, pre-grilled chicken breast, fresh tomatoes, lettuce, and onions.  For dinner I had made some taco soup and shrimp chili and just froze them and brought them to the beach.  Very easy way to make gourmet meals in an environment that wouldn't call for it.  For me gourmet meals never are out of place, I think eating good food everywhere is enjoyable. 

Wimberley Vacation

My wife and I just got back from Wimberley, Texas.  We stayed in the Rio Bonito Resort, which is right on the Blanco River and is just perfect for enjoying some of the finer parts of Texas.  We started off leaving Friendswood around 11:30 on Thursday and headed straight for Brehnam to the Blue Bell Factory.  We took our daughter on the tour there which is ended with a serving of your choice of Blue Bell Ice Cream.  I have been a fan of Blue Bell for as long as I have lived in Texas, and having it about as fresh as possible available to the public was a real treat.  We then headed to The Washington on the Brazos State Park and saw where our now great state once became a nation.  It is where the Declaration of Independence from Mexico was signed.  After the state park we headed in to College Station, home of Texas A&M University.  I was hard pressed on a decision of where to eat lunch; but finally decided on Layne's, which serves exactly four things: chicken strips, french fries, potato salad, and an amazing secret sauce.  It was as delicious as I remembered it from years earlier.  We were headed to Wimberley but didn't have reservations until Friday.  So we decided to head to Austin and stay the night.  At this point I wasn't hungry, but my wife's father called just as we were outside Austin and wanted to take us to dinner, he was in Austin coincidentally.  He had already picked The Original Kerby Lane for us to eat.  I had to eat some of their queso, and the best thing was the pancake my daughter didn't eat.  Most of my memories of the pancakes there are from earlier years of enjoying some of the night life the Austin offers.  Both were good but not my favorite Austin food just a common one.  The next morning we went to Juan in a Million for breakfast and had the queso plate, which is very tasty.  We headed to Natural Bridge Caverns after breakfast and had a some good family time.  We cooked a lot of the time we were in Wimberley but we did get to try a few places.   The first was The Wimberley Cafe, in my opinion the food was mediocre.  We had pancakes and biscuits and gravy.  The second was Mimi's which was better than the first, but again mediocre.  The last was a buttermilk pie from The Wimberley Pie Co.  which was a really good pie a little undercooked but good.  I have had better buttermilk pie at The Round Top Cafe in Round Top, Tx and Froberg's in Alvin, Tx.
All in all it was a great family getaway and some great food along the way.  Recommendations from the trip:  Blue Bell (Brehnam), Layne's (College Station), Juan in a Million (Austin), Wimberley Pie Co. (Wimberley)