It’s Day #4 of my “Hit The Road Hungry” road trip, and I’m hankering for a good old-fashioned, all-American, road food breakfast.

You know the kind: where the gruffly-cheerful waitress keeps your coffee cup filled as you chow through a big plate of eggs, bacon, and—most important—biscuits and gravy (though in the South a mess of grits will also do).

Fortunately, an old family friend lives along my route, as I’m continuing south on California Highway 101, and she suggests meeting up for breakfast at Hank’s Creekside, an old-timey coffee shop near her home in Santa Rosa.

And yes, they have biscuits and gravy!

(I know it looks like a plate of white mush, but it was really tasty.)

Can anyone recommend a favorite biscuits-and-gravy spot? Please leave a comment and share.

About the “Hit the Road Hungry” Road Trip
I’m doing a solo road trip from Vancouver to Los Angeles, working with a company called Hit The Road that pairs people who want to take road trips with people who need their cars moved. I’m delivering a 1998 Honda Civic for its owners who are moving from British Columbia to southern California, and I’m eating my way down the west coast.

The previous posts in this series are:
When Plans for Pie Go Awry
Taco Craving
Pok Pok in Portland
Living The Serious Coffee Lifestyle in Portland
Bites By Bike, with Portland’s Pedal Bike Tours
Taste of Korea: A Taste of the Food Cart Scene in Portland
I Should Have Had the Deep-Fried Pickles
Winding Through the Redwood Forest
Ten Thousand Buddhas, One Highway Patrolman, But No Lunch

I hope you’ll continue to follow along as I “Hit the Road Hungry!”

Tasty Travels!

Carolyn

Do you have favorite road trip snacks?

I’m packing for my Hit The Road Hungry trip from Vancouver to Los Angeles, and while you can bet that I’m going to stop frequently to eat along the way, I’m taking a bag of snacks, too.

Here are a few of my favorite on-the-go snacks:

Nuts: Good source of protein, stays fresh for a while, not messy to eat in the car. Roasted almonds travel quite well.

Dried fruit: Apricots, raisins, and cranberries are all good for quick energy, but I especially love dates. They can be sticky, though, so don’t forget to pack the hand wipes.

Fresh fruit: Refreshing—and a good balance to the sweets you might be stopping to eat en route. Apples and grapes are easy to eat in the car, and in summer, I can’t pass up cherries. Just remember that if you’re crossing an international border—as I will be—that transporting fresh fruit is generally not allowed.

Muffins: Small home-baked muffins give your day a little sweetness, and they work for either breakfast or snacks. When I was a kid, my mom frequently made fresh muffins on Sunday mornings, and this simple recipe is still one of my favorites.

And even if you’re not about to hit the road, these muffins are an excellent treat to enjoy at home in your own cozy bed!

Mom’s Sunday Morning Cinnamon Muffins

If you like a strong cinnamon flavor, use the full two teaspoons. I like to add nuts and dried cranberries or raisins, but the rest of my family likes them plain. They’re good either way!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups white flour
1/2 cup wheat germ (optional)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 – 2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter or vegetable oil
1 egg
2/3 – 1 cup milk or water
1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter (or spray with vegetable spray) a muffin tin.


2. In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter until just blended or add oil and gently mix. Add egg and 2/3 cup milk, stirring until ingredients are just blended. If the batter is too thick to blend, add a small amount more milk. Stir in nuts and dried fruit, if using.


3. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake for about 15 minutes or until tops are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.


4. Cool slightly on a rack and enjoy!

Makes 12 small muffins

OK, gotta go pack! If you’ve got other suggestions for favorite road trip snacks, please leave a comment and share your tips.

Tasty Travels!

Carolyn

Me loves me some pancakes in the morning. Especially big fluffy ones.

I wasn’t so confident I could finish this stack from Cafe 100 on Hawaii Island, but I managed to make my way through most of them (topped off with a bit of butter and not too much maple syrup). Even with that stack, how could I possible pass up the chance to eat a handmade turnover?

Yup, I pretty much made a pig out of myself that day. But there was a full day of hiking and outdoor activities to be had, so I justified all the calories and carbs. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

It should be noted that the above breakfast will set you back about $6.60. What a steal!

Here’s where you can find yourself such a hearty breakfast:

Cafe 100
969 Kilauea Avenue
Hilo, Hawaii 96720

Life’s Short, Eat Well!