Groznjan

This hilltop town is the home of artist shops and scenic views. This view to the east is from a small cafe where you can have a coffee, drink, or light fair and just relax. Paintings, jewelry, pottery, and even small music box wheels can be found tucked away in this 16th century town. It's out of the way and worth the trip up if you have a few hours to spare.

We rode on the fringe of daylight and darkness
Twilight reaching out, never quite seeming to touch the space we occupy.
33,000 feet above the surface of terra firma,
Skirting along towards the North Pole, then
Curving south before we can get there.
Headed southward towards the now rising summer sun
That was always hiding just below the distant horizon.
Enjoying the journey and somehow forgetting the destination

Headed to Prague

Flying out of EUG is a breeze, 15 minutes from the curb drop off to the gate through TSA and bagage check! Taking time out with a beer and watching World Cup FIFA. I bet Vern is watching in Prague, he was just in Amsterdam watching the Netherlands win. Tough loss for them just now. Headed to SFO in less than an hour.

Back at it

I'm back at it after a lay off and getting ready to travel to Europe this summer so I'll be writing about food and fun. I hope you'll join me along the way! Cheers

Sisters Oregon BBQ

Sisters was our latest stop for BBQ at Slick's Que Co. Authentic Pit Bar-B-Que (www.slicksque.com). This is a different dinning experience from the road side and event vendor wagons we've visited so far. Right off the main road through town, Cascade avenue, you can't miss it. There's a BBQ pit cooker right along the road in case you don't notice the western front building housing this new restaurant.

Five of us dropped in for dinner the other night and got to sample several items on the menu. We tried the baby back ribs, beef brisket, turkey, and the pulled pork for our meat selections. Ribs are Friday and Saturday night only, they also offer coleslaw and or potato salad with your order. I have to say the potato salad is unique and tasty for sure. All the meat had a good smokey flavor but not overly strong. For extra sides you can get mac and cheese, baked beans (with some nice sweet fruit bits added), and some garlic mashed potatoes. We tried them all!

If you go to their web site you will find this quote; "We use the "Low and Slow" split-wood method of smoking our meats. We make our own rubs, sauces and sides. We stick to simple and time-proven Texas and Southern "Que" Quality Standards. Come try Authentic Pit BBQ!"

let me know what you think.

BBQ cookin by the book

I just purchased this book on Amazon, I've had an earlier book Steven published that has been a great resource for recipes and ideas. I'm looking forward to trying this one out, if it's anything like the book I have I'll be using it regularly. Let me know if you have a copy and what your favorite recipe is.

Oklahoma BBQ on highway 99 in Eugene

This past week I dropped in to the Oklahoma smokehouse BBQ for lunch. As you can see from the menu that have a pretty good selection of BBQ to choose from. I decided to go for the pulled pork sandwich along with a side of beans. They include some really good gritty corn bread, the kind that has some substance to it! The pork was tasty and the beans have a distinct flavor, kinda sweet with some underlying spice to them.

This is a roadside stand that was custom built for the owners back in Lawrence Indiana. I caught Joe splitting wood and loading up the fire pit when I came by. He was cooking on this large custom built rotisserie pit with hardwood. Oak this day, but they'll use fruit tree wood when they can get it.

Joe tells me his brother Aron and him opened up this stand two years ago. Aron learned to BBQ back in Norman Oklahoma where he went to school to learn meteorology. He did BBQ and sold it on the street to football fans heading to the game and was mentored by a local and got direct feedback from the fans on the quality of what he was doing.

They typically cook a beef brisket for 13 to 20 hours, chicken for 4 or 5, and pulled pork for 10 to 12 hours. Joe tells me the pulled pork sandwich is the specialty. My friend Vern told me he tried the Alabama white sauce and liked it.

You can get their gameday tailgater for $65, including a rack of ribs, 1 lb of beef brisket, 1 lb. of pulled pork, 4 large sides, and 9 pieces of corn bread. Sounds Gooood! Open Monday through Saturday 11:00 to 7:00 at 1055 Hwy 99 N (2 miles south of the beltline). 541-912-9674. Give it a try!