Trying to Save Those Internet Recipes? Here is the Perfect Recipe App.

I love to look at recipes. Anytime I get onto Pinterest or Facebook I always find an a amazing recipe that someone has had to share. The problem has been trying to save the recipe and find it again.  I save them to Pinterest, but then have to go through numerous screens, numerous blog ads, and junk just to get to the recipe. I am queen of “the screen shot” recipe, but typically this takes numerous shots and a pain to store.

  
I found an app called “Copy Me That“.  It is in the Apple Store. It’s very easy to use. I have recipes I am saving that I have tried or want to try.  I can categorize the recipes, tag them anyway I like. I am able to enter the URL and it will pull the recipe into the app. From here I can modify the recipe, add notes. I can add friends and family to this app and share recipes or visit the community recipe board. It offers a monthly menu planner (which I have also been searching for). It has a grocery list that I can share between devices. 

I am still new to this app and learning the ins and outs. I have been so frustrated with other recipe apps and have downloaded numerous versions to try to find what worked for me. This one has everything I wanted in one place and is working for me perfect. Well, almost perfect when it can go to the grocery store for me then it will be perfect. Just wanted to pass this info along. 

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes – No Syrup Needed

This is a very easy recipe I found on the Betty Crocker website using Bisquick as the base.  It was very easy to make. It wasn’t too sweet and we had no need to use syrup because of the carmalized apples. It was a very nice Sunday morning treat. 

Easy Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

Chicken Lips on the Menu ?

Chicken lips? Chickens with lips? No, just Chicken Lips.  What in the world is chicken lips? These are the questions that ran through my head when I first came across the food review on Yelp for Cloud 9 Chicken Haven.  Now, I am new to town, but I have meandered my way around and I had not come across this restaurant.

The reviews were excellent. It is locally owned and not a franchise.  All the things I look for in a unique dining experience not to mention the name was a great marketing move.

The storefront is very simple.  There is nothing flashy or busy about it.  There is a simple menu.  You can order 1 chicken lip or a bucket of chicken lips. I ordered 2 chicken lips to be safe. A chicken lip is a large homemade tender made from white chicken meat.  The owner Kate, makes everything from scratch except the french fries. The tenders are very large.  They are in a home made buffalo wing sauce then served with either a homemade ranch dip or her well known BBC dip: Beer Bleu Cheese Dip.  I am typically an all ranch girl, but I wanted to enjoy the whole chicken lip experience. The BBC dip was definitely a wonderful surprise and perfect with her creative dish.

Kate was an amazing woman with a diverse culinary background.  She openly talked of her new business and why her menu was kept to a small selection.  It’s better to start off small and slow and build on that.  She makes all of the loaded baked potatoes, and desserts that are offered here.

Kate was also kind enough to share with me a few other local favorites.  Who am I to argue with a chef?  I wrote them all down for a future road trip.

If you are from Kansas go check it out.  If you are from Texas, come visit me OR maybe I can bring some back home (giggling as if they would survive the trip).

Website:    Cloud 9 Chicken Lips Haven

Uff Dah!! A Mythical Dala Horse

After driving down I-135 and seeing all of the billboard hype for Lindsborg, KS, your appetite is whet. You are amped to visit this Swedish community, and see what a Dala horse is. You hit Lindsborg on K4 all excited, but you see nothing of major interest. K4 takes you around the outside edge of town, and you still see nothing. You can feel a level of panic building up. UFF DAH!! Where is this amazing Swedish town?

As you get to the end of town there is a road that cuts back to the right and takes you back into town.  Brick covered roads. Very prestine antique homes. You can feel your anxiety level starting to diminish. The closer you drive into downtown, a different vibe can be felt. Beauty and pride in a community surrounds you.

(Yes, the lower right picture is what we used to call a mobile phone)

The melodic sounds of the brick road on your casual Sunday drive will entice you to roll down the windows and take in the beauty of this community rich in Swedish history.

A Wizard of Oz mural and the first signs of a Dala horse greets you as you drive into downtown. A Dala horse; a thick shaped horse of many colors? What is this Dala horse that is on every block and in front of so many homes?  The Dala horse is a traditional carved, painted wooden horse statuette originating in Swedish province Dalarna. In the old days the Dala horse was mostly used as a toy for children; in modern times it has become a symbol of Sweden. You can look up more about the history of the Dala Horse.

  

In short, the town is cute and caters to visitors. During the summer they have a musical production in their city park with a small amphitheater stage, hence the Wizard of Oz mural. Artist galleries, photographer galleries, Swedish focused stores, and gift shops line the streets. You can purchase your own Dala horse, take a picture with one, or have the kids count how many Dalas they see. You can also grab a “Uff Dah” shirt, mug, or cap.  Apparently this is a term used for sensory overload.  If you read up on the town you will also find a school for chess located here. It was established by a world chess champion who would come to Lindsborg to get away from it all.

If you’d like to visit something a little different Lindsborg is your town.

Websites:

Visiting Lindsborg, KS
Lindsborg Events

Search for the Wild Dalas
Chess School in Lindsborg, KS

Find the Castle Off the Interstate

I’ve had numerous friends recently drive from Colorado through Kansas on their way back home to Texas. All on the interstate highway. I have heard how ugly and flat Kansas is.  The interstate does not allow you to “see” the state you are traveling through.  To believe you will “see the sights of a state” while on the interstate is naïve. The interstate was designed to be a quick mode of transportation and strips away the true character of the state you are traveling through and so many of the unique things it has to offer.

I’ll admit it.  What I have seen of Kansas does seem rather flat.  I have only been up and down I-135 and I-70. I did notice large rolling hills to the west of I-135 near the Lindsborg exit. So, I got off that road!! Driving around I saw a castle on the horizon, a castle on the horizon.  It seemed a little far-fetched and I thought it deserved to be said twice. The countryside was lush with green grass and crops. The rolling hills that surrounded me was a quick change from the flat interstate view.

Coronado Heights Park found 23 miles from Salina, KS.  When you are on I-70  exit the Lindsborg exit.  I have added the google map GPS location to this page. After you pass the Smokey Hills Cemetery there is a gate immediately after and you will turn right to go up to the castle. It is open 8am-11pm.  The castle was constructed by the Works Progress Administration in 1936 (per the sign on the castle).  Make sure to bring your camera, your picnic lunch, good walking shoes and some toilet paper.   There are so many different places to have a great picnic that are built on the edge of the hill and treat you to the panoramic view of the Kansas farm lands. Almost every stone picnic table area also had a stone fireplace.  There are numerous walking trails to delight the hiking enthusiast.  I strongly urge you to take a moment and enjoy this very unique park.

Picnic Benches

More information about this park can be found here: Coronado Heights Park

Why Explore Your Own Backyard?

When driving to a destination and we pass a place, a business, a quirky roadside attraction, a museum, cafe………and say to ourselves “one of these days I want to stop there” “one of these days I need to check that out” “one of these days”? Think of how many years you have driven past that same place and never took the time to stop.

For years I was limited as to how much travel I could do.  I thought of travel as somewhere far off, exotic and expensive. I had the luxury of having careers that allowed local travel and state travel.

So if funds are keeping you at home and you have the urge to spread your wings and just go explore, go explore your backyard.  What I mean is; go explore your town, your county, the county next to you.

I started this mind set 3.5 years ago.  I had the choice to train in either McAllen, Texas (furthest south) or Amarillo, Texas (very north).  It was Februrary and I knew Amarillo was going to be cold. I had never been to Amarillo and already had the attitude “I don’t like it”. I had no real reason except some pictures I’d seen. I begrudgingly chose Amarillo.  I had a negative attitude from the start.  As I sat in my class that I would be in for 1.5 months it occurred to me I needed to make the most of this experience. I knew the chances of me ever being back in Amarillo were slim. I started researching the Internet and downloaded the Roadside America App to find interesting things about Amarillo and the surrounding area.  Soon I was posting pictures and coming back to class to boast of my new discoveries.  When the locals from Amarillo started asking me questions about places I’d seen and commenting they “didn’t know that even existed” I knew that as a society we often take our own amazing communities for granted. It was at this moment my life changed for the better. I began a quest to search out my surroundings, to visit small towns and their local businesses. By the way, I ended up loving Amarillo and all of the amazing things it offers.

1. Change your attitude: be willing to be open to experience new things

2. Allow more time: be willing to leave earlier so you don’t have to rush to that next destination. Allow time to stop the car and visit and experience.

3. Travel doesn’t require going out of state to be fun. Research the Internet. Join Facebook pages. The fun of travel starts with your attitude.

4. Get off the beaten path: why take the interstate for a fun adventure? Oh yeah, it’s quicker, but is it more fun? You will see and experience more on backroads than you ever will from the interstate or major highways.  I accidentally took the wrong road in Louisiana and saw more of that state on that small farm to market road. More of the real, rural communities and life of that state.

5. No money? Day trips are the ticket! Get up early. Pack a lunch and drinks. Split the gas with friends. Take a camera or your camera phone and enjoy the journey on the way to the destination. (Use tip 7)

6. No where to go? Take a quarter. Take a quarter and let the flip of the coin be the navigator on your journey. Go to a county road. Flip. Heads you go left, tails you go right.  This was an awesome road trip tool I utilized in college and found my way to Paris, TX.

7. Bored? I challenge you to stop in every city/town/community on the way to your destination and find something to take a picture with. Believe me, when you are in this mindset you can see amazing things to take pictures with AND its a cheap way to capture memories.
8. No one to go with? Guess what? If you wait for someone to always go with you will may never go. You will let opportunities and life slip through your fingers. It is OK to go exploring by yourself.  It may push on your comfort level, but hey it’s time to make some new levels. Being alone is really ok and in the process you learn so much about yourself.

9.  These small changes will help you to see the world you live in in a different way. Enjoy exploring your backyard.

Websites: 

Roadside America

Trip Advisor

Auld Lang Syne Antique Store, Salina, KS

Downtown Salina is a hidden jewel to newcomers. While 9th street buzzes with the new and trending franchise stores, downtown holds the true gems of the town. I was able to venture away from unpacking boxes and headed downtown. My first time out I was able to see the old antique store on the corner called Auld Lang Syne. It seems moderately large from the outside, but only when you enter the front doors you will see how truly large it is. Rooms and rooms of treasures are hidden within Auld Lang Syne. Leaving one room and turning a corner into another world of antiquities and collectibles.
Throughout the building one will see numerous large vault doors. Was this an old bank? What is the history of this building? All questions that can be answered on my next visit to Auld Lang Syne as I only made it through the first floor. Did I mention there are three floors of booths? Dang the luck, guess I will have to go back to explore more very soon.