My father's good, Jack, had an April birthday, but Jack pretty much celebrated his birthday for weeks leading up to the big day--and for weeks after the big day.
Perhaps Jack's influence explains why I'm still celebrating the first anniversary (August 1) of Midwest Guest!
Besides, I had a lot of fun giving away my BlogHer kids' swag bags last month. Congrats again to Tracyn and Beth!
This month, the theme is food.
Pasties in Michigan's Upper Peninsula? Skyline Chili in Cincinnati? Fried whitefish livers in Wisconsin? Crawfish in Louisiana? Grits in Kentucky? Fried catfish in Arkansas? We love eating in the little local joints and eating local specialties when we travel.
When we're not on the road, we love watching shows and reading books about great regional road food finds.
Planning a road trip this year? Here's your chance to win a two-book package that should help you find the best eats from Maine to California--and everywhere in between.
I'm opening this giveaway up to U.S. residents who leave a comment on this post telling me about their favorite road food or roadside "joint" by 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Standard Daylight Savings Time) on Friday, October 16.
The winner receives two books: Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives by Guy Fieri and 500 Things to Eat Before it's Too Late and the Very Best Places to Eat Them by Jane & Michael Stern.
Fieri's book is the New York Times best-selling companion to his fun show of the same name on The Food Network. The Sterns' book includes tips on side trips as you're eating your way through the country, and mail order resources for some of their food finds.
Both books look like just the thing to whet your appetite for travel!
Only one entry per person. Midwest Guest reserves the right to eliminate entries that are rude or spam comments.
Meanwhile, check out some of these Midwest-related blog posts from other writers I've enjoyed reading this past month:
Minnesota Music Hall of Fame in New Ulm, MN-Linda starts us off on a musical note at Travels with Children as her family learns about Minnesota's musical history and an eclectic group of musicians with Minnesota ties that include Bob Dylan, Judy Garland and Whoopee John!
The Dequindre Cut: An Urban Gallery-Becks takes us on a tour of one of Detroit's newest greenways and recreational paths for walkers, runners and bicyclists and tells us about the cool graffiti art along the way. Check it out at Detroit Moxie!
South Dakota's Black Hills Buffalo Roundup-James takes a look at the world of cowboys with this Man Tripping story about the annual Buffalo Roundup in Custer State Park, where experienced wranglers help thin the park's herd to a level the park can support over the winter.
Oh Dakota! Update on My Tour of the West-Reading about Gary's travels around the globe at Everything Everywhere is always fascinating, but I especially loved seeing his take on the Dakotas. Make sure you click on the Theodore Roosevelt National Park link in this post to see Gary's gorgeous North Dakota wildlife photos.
The Apostle Islands-Visit the pristine wilderness of Lake Superior as photographer Ian Plant of Mountain Trail Photo Blog explores the Apostle Islands in northern Wisconsin via sea kayak. Ian shares some stunning images of sea caves and Superior shoreline.
Kayaking at the Pictured Rocks-Move east into Michigan along the Lake Superior shoreline to check out northern_latitudes at Michigan in Pictures and click through to Tim's beautiful Pictured Rocks kayaking 2009 Flickr photo set.
Wandering on a Water Taxi-Join Farsighted Fly Girl Rosalind and her family as they explore Chicago via water taxi.
The Tiltons-Canadian photographer Sandi Wheaton embarks on a trip traveling the length of Route 66. Follow her adventures on pictureRoute66, especially through the initial leg of her journey as it takes her through Illinois and she meets the hospitable Tiltons.
Kansas Underground Salt Museum: the tornadoes can't get you here-Sheila of the Family Travel Guide takes us on a tour of a working salt mine 650 feet below Hutchinson, Kansas.
Ernie Harwell and the moment-I'll leave you with a particularly poignant goodbye as Billfer of The Detroit Tigers Weblog shares the moment when beloved baseball broadcaster Ernie Harwell thanked Detroit Tigers' fans and bid them adieu--and the fans, in turn, thanked him for many years of joy and expressed loving support for Ernie as he faces a foul ball of a health challenge.
© Dominique King 2009 All rights reserved
At the Midway Oh Boy Restaurant in Elyria, Ohio they serve a little treat called sauerkraut balls. They take sauerkraut, shape it into balls, deep fry it, and serve it with a side of ranch. Can't be beat!
(They also serve burger slathered with Oh Boy! sauce, which I think is a cross between ranch and Thousand Island dressing).
Posted by: Mara | October 01, 2009 at 05:30 AM
I don't have one place in particular, but I still love small-town cafes where farmers gather around a table for "coffee" and the desserts are homemade. I love striking up a conversation with a local citizen in those little cafes.
Posted by: Linda | October 01, 2009 at 05:34 AM
I'm not in the US- so not posting for the contest.
I'll just wave hello and say congrats on the one year anniversary of Midwest Guest. I must have missed that post back in August!
Posted by: gypsyscarlett | October 01, 2009 at 06:13 AM
I'm not sure if if this classifies as roadside food, but whenever I'm in Milwaukee I have to stop at Real Chili. It's Cincinnati-style chili and their motto is, "It's not just for breakfast anymore." They have 2 locations and the one that's near the Marquette University campus encourages you to throw oyster crackers at each other.
Thanks for the shout-out for Detroit Moxie, much appreciated! And congrats again on your first anniversary!
Posted by: Becks Davis | October 01, 2009 at 01:57 PM
Mara-Sauerkraut balls??? Sounds oh so bad for you, and oh so good! This sounds like somewhere we should check out next time we're out that way in Ohio!
Linda-Homemade desserts sound good to me. I figure anytime you walk into a place, and it's all locals there...you've found a great place to eat!
Gypsy-Thanks for stopping by!
Becks-I love Cinci style chili...I rarely eat chili at restaurants here because I just don't care for beans. Tim makes me chili without beans at home, and I three-way chili (chili and cheese over spaghetti) several times at Skyline when we've been far enough south in Ohio to get it--I've got some canned Skyline we make at home, too.
Posted by: Dominique | October 01, 2009 at 02:51 PM
Jimmy's Jawbreaker Lancaster,Ohio
One tast will bring back all the memories
http://jimmysjawbreaker.com/Home.php
No doubt I've won the contest
Posted by: Joe Todd | October 16, 2009 at 08:22 AM
When traveling, nothing beats comfort food and a good piece of pie. The Stone Arch Restaurant, on Main Street in Greenville, PA, has both.
Posted by: J Shaffer | October 16, 2009 at 08:22 AM
Comfort food at the Amish restaurants in Holmes County, Ohio. Stewed apples, cooked red cabbage, roasted chicken, green beans, Raisin pie. Yum.
Posted by: Vera Marie Badertscher | October 16, 2009 at 09:04 AM
Thanks everyone for commenting...and giving me some great ideas for some of my future travels! I had Tim draw the winner this weekend...so congrats to Mara and her sauerkraut balls at Oh Boy!
Posted by: Dominique | October 19, 2009 at 04:52 PM