hill country « Non-Linear with Miss Michelann

Hill Country Adventure

On Sunday we packed up the pooches and took a liesurely drive out to Kerrville, Texas. Yes, it was the music festival weekend, and no, we didn’t go. We stayed in a cool little house build in the 1920s or so by the ancestors of our kind hosts, the Bachofens. It was very cool. Exposed walls, a French-style stone fireplace. There are a bunch of little buildings on the property, I didn’t get to see them all. It was very relaxed and unpretentious. I didn’t drag out the flash to take any indoor pictures, but here are some shots of the property and some awesome wildflowers in the surround.

Our abode:

Rusty ol’ Hinge:

Spiny bull nettle:

Investigation:

By the side of the highway:

Cactus shot by David:

You know I can’t get enough purple:

Hill Country Photo

More on our adventure in Kerrville coming soon, but here’s a cool photo. I made David drive all over to find these funky purple flowers so I could photograph them, and when I found some he said, “Those? Those are bull nettles.” Seems you don’t want to go frolicking barefoot through a field of these. Note the spines. Pretty, though. In a creepy sort of way.

Belated Update

A few weeks ago David and I took a short vacation in the hill country. We stayed at a farm near Blanco, called Juniper Hills Farm. It was just what we needed – remote, peaceful, quiet, packed with plants and wildlife (there was a bird convention out our window) and included tasty baked goods. The little cabins have microwaves and fridges, so if you’re resourceful, you can pack enough food in to avoid having to go out for all your meals. They also provide you with milk, juice, granola, snack mix, and hot baked goods in the morning.

I brought enough food to feed us for a week (we only stayed two nights), and discovered that all the non-chocolate products were in low demand. I did manage to kludge together dinner the first night thusly:

Kohlrabi Goat-Cheese Prosciutto Pasta

8 oz farfalle
1 lb kohlrabi (roots only)
1/2 c goat cheese
garlic
olive oil
salt
pepper

Pre-cook the pasta, drain, rinse with cool water, and lightly toss with olive oil to keep from sticking. Peel and cube the kohlrabi, and toss with minced garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast on a parchment-covered cookie sheet for about 40 min (give or take) until soft and lightly golden.

To construct pasta: reheat both the pasta and the kohlrabi in the microwave. Layer thusly: pasta, crumbled goat cheese, kohlrabi, and finely sliced proscuitto or serrano ham, two slices per plate.

Nom!

We also went to Pedernales Falls, wandered around Wimberly, and had lunch at the the Silver K Cafe in Johnson City. It was a cool place, and the food was very tasty. And now, the photos.

View from the window of our cabin.