On the Road Again -- Almost

What a busy week!!!! Lots of catching up to do and a quick trip to Stillwater where I visited Woodland Park Winery -- they'll be featured in my first Sunday in May Edmond Sun column. I've also spent the week trying to recover from my foodie trip to Fredericksburg, Texas. Fredericksburg was always fun but they have really kicked it up a notch in the culinary department. I went to two cooking classes, sampled cheese, wine and sausage, ate at some exciting restaurants and delved into one of my not-so-secret passions -- chocolate. Fredericksburg is the home of Quintessential Chocolates. Lecia Duke learned the secret of enrobing liquid in chocolate. I don't mean thickened liquid; I mean pure-dee liquid liquid, most of the alcoholic kind. My favorite was toffee liqueur in dark chocolate. The non-alcoholic black cherry was pretty yummy, too. Visit Lecia's store, Chocolat, on Main Street and check these amazing confections for yourself. I'm off to Albuquerque in the morning -- oh, the tempting Mexican food. If Fredericksburg was dangerous to my diet, Albuquerque could be disasterous. Wish me self-control.!
Photos: Before being enrobed in chocolate, the liquids are encased in a thin sugar shell, or zuckerkrust. In addition to making the liquid-filled chocolates, Lecia also creates other chocolate treats.

Flight of Fancy

Flying into the airstrip at Fredericksburg, Texas, is like flying back to the 1940s. Dick Estenson has created a little fantasy world with all the modern conveniences. No, that's not a hangar -- that's the Hangar Hotel. And next door is the Diner. Through the diner is a great conference space decorated with a 40s-style movie marquee and a mural of a plane landing. Entrances to two smaller meeting rooms are through quonset hut facades. In another part of the building is a nightclub that would have been right at home in the South Pacific -- they hold regular USO-type dances here. You don't have to fly in to enjoy the Hangar Hotel but what a great place to stay if you pilot a small plane. Or you can just sit in a rocking chair on the hotel's observation deck and watch the planes taking off and landing.

Cool Beans

When there's a gap in my google -- it's usually because I've been out of town. And I was. I just got back last night from a great five days in Fredericksburg, Texas. There's so much to write about but I have so much to catch up on! So just a quick note and a picture from Fredericksburg which inspired what's on my stove for tonight!