Crispy Crunchy Things

I've been traveling by car a lot this week, so road snacks are top of mind. One thing I'm definitely going to seek out locally are these fish skin snacks. And I'm a lover of pork rinds, so I was surprised when I saw next to them fried chicken skins. It was 9 in the morning, so I couldn't bring myself to buy them, but I'm going to pick up a bag over the weekend. Hopefully, I can locate the fish skins and do a taste test of sorts. One brand got a bad review here, but we'll see.

Growing up, I had access to fresh honey two doors down from my grandparents. And every jar we got had a piece of honeycomb in it. I loved to eat it, but I haven't seen it in years. So, I was excited to find jars of honey with the honeycomb at a local farmer's market. It's sweet and kind of crispy and crunchy at the same time. Some people complain about waxiness, but it's never bothered me. Most of the wax should have been removed by the beekeeper. It's great just slathered on some good bread and also as an accompaniment to cheese. Honeycomb as art here.

Natchez Postcard

We took an overnight trip to Natchez for a friend's daughter's high school graduation. Definitely take the Natchez Trace versus the highway if you can. It takes longer, but is much more scenic and cooler because of all the shade on the road. Stayed at The Burn B&B, built in 1834. There are lots B&B's in old, historic homes in Natchez, but this one was really affordable and nice. Not too over the top. The rooms are in the Garçonnière which basically used to be the sons' bachelor pad. As was custom at the time, when they got to a certain age, they got kicked out of the main house into the Garçonnière. Not too shabby.

Another cool aspect of our stay was a tour of the main house. The thing I really appreciated was how multi-purpose the furniture was. The dining room table could be set up as one long table, or separated into individual tables. The tin-lined plant stands could be used as beverage coolers at parties. And my new favorite piece of furniture is the cellaret – the fancy wine cellar of it's day. Although not really for storing wine long-term. Pics and a longer history are here.

On our way out of town, we had to stop at the Donut Shop. Nothing sets you right for a road trip like warm, greasy, sugary goodness.

Holiday Road

Just one year after foreswearing holiday travel, we were on the road again. And while we didn't have any gourmet encounters, road food is a subject unto itself. Even we end up eating a lot of fast food on the way because a.) it's fast b.) it's hard to take a chance on that Indian restaurant in the strip mall c.) it does give you an excuse to eat a slim jim (and you know you want to).

So, next year my resolution is to do more food research for road trips. Because great little places are out there, tucked in and around the fast food joints. Such as Pop's Charburgers, right off the Heflin exit on I-20 in Alabama. We had a good diner burger and a great strawberry shake. They're supposed to have a really good egg and fried bologna for breakfast.

Here's my top five list of car snacks. All the stuff you would normally never eat, but somehow when you're driving or riding in a car, they're just what you need. Feel free to post and add your own to the list:

1. Snoballs
2. Spree
3. Slim Jims
4. Little Debbie Oatmeal Pies
5. Funyons

On one last note, I did encounter in North Carolina real homemade moonshine in a mason jar. Surprisingly, it tasted a lot like vodka, although it had a more fragrant nose. Now, this jar was about three months old, and our source swore that it had mellowed quite a bit and when fresh was much harsher. It did make my tongue tingle a bit. Personally, I'd rather drink the Catdaddy, but I appreciate all things homemade and what should be our right to make 'em.