Greek Turkey Burger Sliders

Greek is arguably my favorite kind of cuisine. I love all the Mediterranean flavors, I love olives, and feta, and how fresh the vegetables are, and how crisp cold cucumbers are when you bite into them. What’s not to love? I’ve also been trying to eat kinda healthy and be a little more active, so I decided to whip up something to use the vegetables I got at the farmers market last weekend before it all went bad. Using what I know about preparing basic Greek dishes, I got to chopping. Now, I am going to warn you, this recipe is HIGHLY addicting and also easy to modify for certain dietary restrictions. I did not use a grill for this dish, I simply pan fried with butter and olive oil. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

For the patties:

1lb. ground turkey

1/4 cup of crumbled traditional feta

1/2 a cup of chopped curly parsley

1/4 cup of diced red onion

10 diced kalamata olives

8-10 diced divina tomatos

5 diced pepperoncini peppers

10-15 crushed Ritz crackers

1 egg

1/2 tsp. of garlic salt

1/2 tsp. of black pepper

 

For cooking:

2-3 tbs. of butter

1/4 cup of olive oil

1/2 lemon

 

For the assembly:

cucumber slices

divina tomatoes

spinach

tzaziki

crumbled feta

sliced red onion

pita bread

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients for the patties together. You want it to be a little chunky. If done correctly, the mix will be kind of loose but still mostly holding form when transporting it to the pan.

In a skillet, use 1 tbs. of butter and 1 tbs. of olive oil each time you cook a set of patties. I did mine in batches, letting the pan cool between because I consistently burn burgers if I try to cook too many in a row in a pan, so break it up a little to let the pan cool between goes.

Set your heat to medium-high and once your butter and olive oil is bubbling and mixed together, drop 3 small patties in and cover for about 4 minutes.

Flip patties, squeeze some lemon juice into the oil mixture, and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes until cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Set aside to rest and start on your next batch until you’ve cooked it all!

Assembly:

Once your patties are cooked, the toppings are really up to you! The patty will be the star of the show. I layered mine with tzaziki (a traditional Greek sauce made from yogurt and dill), sliced cucumbers, a few more divina tomatoes (though regular tomatoes would be delicious as well). I also snuck in some spinach, red onion, and a bit of a basil sauce I picked up at the market last weekend. To be honest, I won’t be using the basil spread on my sliders again, it was confusing to the palette. I also served mine on authentic pita bread, however, if you are trying to avoid bread, you could easily turn these patties into mini-meatballs and skewer them with tomatoes, feta, olives, and spinach! Get creative! If you try the recipe, let me know how you liked it!

Enjoy!

 

 

Chai Cherry Quinoa Grain Bowl

This recipe comes from a tea shop I used to manage in Chicago and is one of my absolute favorite sweet side dishes in my repertoire. It starts with a bed of mixed quinoa and spinach topped with a delicious medley of red and green apples, chai infused cherries, and finished with walnuts and chai infused yogurt sauce. I promise, it is more simple than it sounds. Here’s what you’ll need:

INGREDIENTS:

For the cherries:

• 2 cups of sweetened concentrated chai tea 
• 1 cup of pitted and dried black cherries

For the Yogurt Sauce:

• 1 cup of plain greek yogurt
• 3 or 4 tbs. of sweetened concentrated chai

For the Salad:

• 1 cup of quinoa (any variety works- I like it with red quinoa or a mixed trio)
• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of sweetened condensed chai tea
• 1 diced granny smith apple
• 1 diced honey crisp apple
• 1/4 cup of walnuts
• 1.5-2 cups of baby spinach

 

DIRECTIONS:

1. 12 to 24 hours before you cook, put 1 cup of dried black cherries into a shallow container and pour 2 cups of sweetened condensed chai tea on top. Let them soak for up to 24 hours refrigerated.
2.  Start the quinoa! The perfect ratio for cooking quinoa is two parts liquid to one part grain. In a medium size sauce pan and grab 1 cup of quinoa. Then mix in 1 cup of water and 1 cup of the sweetened condensed chai.**PRO TIP** If you are looking for the perfect consistency for quinoa, the trick is to boil it uncovered until the last 5 minutes or so. Once the liquid is almost gone and your grains have opened and softened up a bit, put the lid on and let it steam the rest of the time. If you leave the lid on the whole time, it’s going to get too mushy! You may need to add a few extra tablespoons of water to the pot until you’ve reached your desired consistency. We are aiming for the quinoa version of “al dente”.
3. Let the quinoa cool for 20-30 minutes. You can speed this process up by placing the quinoa in a casserole dish and putting it on a bed of ice. (Stir occasionally to release trapped steam) While the quinoa cools, chop both apples into .5 inch cubes.
4. Sauce it up! The sauce is the easy part. Take 1 cup of unsweetened classic greek yogurt and stir in 1 to 5 tbs. of sweetened condensed chai tea until you’ve reached your desired consistency and sweetness. I prefer a slightly thicker sauce with less sweet since the dish itself is sweet, the savory and tartness of the yogurt helps cut the sugar. Stir until smooth and set aside.

 

 

ASSEMBLY:

1. Once the quinoa is cool enough, scoop your quinoa into a serving bowl and add a bed of spinach. I usually use about a cup per serving, but based on your taste– you choose!
2. Top with the apples, cherries, and walnuts, and drizzle your yogurt sauce on top! VIOLA! It’s easy and such a good side dish to bring to work with you! Super easy to use for meal prep as well since most of these ingredients could be recycled in other recipes throughout your week!

 

I hope you enjoy! If you make this dish, share it with me on IG! @sincerelycasey! Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,

Casey

 

Dallas Grilled Cheese Company at Mockingbird NOW OPEN!

You guys, we’ve been waiting for it and it’s finally here! Dallas Grilled Cheese Company is NOW OPEN at Mockingbird Station in Dallas! If you live on the East Side of Dallas like me, you know you don’t want to drive all the way to Bishop Arts when you are craving a buttery toasted hot sandwich from DGCC, so when they announced a new location in our hood (kinda) I was all for it! I checked it out last week, if you’ve never been and you find yourself in Dallas, I would recommend it.

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Overall, it was a good experience. Anytime I’ve ever been to DGCC it’s been a lovely experience. The Hostesses greeted me and were very friendly, there wasn’t an open table as soon as I arrived, but they were quick to get one ready for me. Once I was seated and my waiter came over to the table, I couldn’t wait. Their French Connection (French Onion Soup) is one of my all time favorites so I ordered it as soon as I sat down. While I were waiting on my soup to come up,  my waiter patiently waited while I mulled over the menu. I took a long time. I couldn’t decide because they had some new things on the menu I’d never tried, but I love the Favorite. I bounced back and forth while I decided if I wanted to go with my usual or if I wanted to branch out. Of course, I chose my usual. The crew was new, and you would tell by the way they awkwardly stood around scanning the room. This by no means is a bad thing, in fact, it’s exactly what I would hope my server is doing, but their newly hired eyes made contact  that lingered a little too long for comfort on a couple of occasions. The kitchen was a little slow, but it was also a busy night. It took longer than expected for them to bring out my French Onion Soup but once it was placed on the table, it was lukewarm, but it didn’t matter that much apparently, as it was gone in a matter of minutes. I could feel their eyes on me though, and that’s no good when all you want to do is pick up your soup bowl and drink what’s at the bottom. lol Then my sandwich came out! It’s so good. Honestly, I’ve never gotten anything here I didn’t like. They have traditional sandwiches and some unlikely ones that sounded delicious. I think that as long as you like bread and cheese, you’ve come to the right place. The Favorite has a blend of American, Cheddar, and Gruyere cheese, crumbed bacon and dijon mustard on parmesan crusted sourdough. Other ones that almost swayed my decision were the Brie and Bacon Grilled Cheese, they take those ingredients, add caramelized onions and slap it between Rustic Paisano.. mmm. I need to try this next time. I imagine if you served it with a blackberry jam or something it would be even better (just sayin’). There was also the Spicy Two Pork and Cheese that has ham, bacon, Swiss, cheddar, and spicy jam. Delicious sounding sammies means I will be back again soon.  You could tell they were determined to make it a good experience, and for that I am grateful. Overall, delicious. The price point always feels higher than it should here, but not too much. It was perfect for what I was looking for on this cold night. It warmed me right up and I enjoyed every bite.

Anyway, go check it out and support them! I give this visit 4 stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Check out their website: Dallas Grilled Cheese Company I’m so glad there is now one a little closer to home now! No more 30 minute treks from East to West Dallas anymore for these toasted little babies!

Two Locations for Dallas Grilled Cheese Company in Dallas!

‣Bishop Arts: 310 W 7th St, Dallas, TX 75208

‣Mockingbird Station: 5319 E Mockingbird Ln #120, Dallas, TX 75206

Also, I almost forgot to mention, you can have it delivered! 🙂 Download the FAVOR app or order online at FavorDelivery.com and use code CASEH7 for free delivery for your first time! It will waive the $6 delivery fee, but it only works on first timers!

 

Slow Cooker Green Chili Pork Enchiladas

After our trip to Colorado, I was lovestruck by Green Chili, so the other night when I thought of what I wanted to cook for my lunch this week, I couldn’t think of anything better. I winged it, and I surprised myself with how tasty this dish turned out! It was relatively simple. The pork was easy to make, it cooked while I was at work, and the most time consuming part is the assembly of the enchiladas, but overall, this is something I could make on a week night without spending my whole night in the kitchen. It is slightly spicy, but not too bad, I think my almost 5 year old nephew could eat it without issue. 🙂 Anyway, enjoy!

**You will need a slow cooker for this recipe**

Ingredients:

Filling:

1- Pork Loin Roast

1 tbs. of Canola Oil (or oil of your choice)

1 tbs. of Chipotle Pepper Powder

3-4 small cans or 1 large can of canned Diced Green Chilies

2 cups of Salsa Verde

1 tsp. of salt

Sauce:

3 tbs. of butter

3 tbs. of flour

1 small can of diced green chilies

1 cup of sour cream

1 tsp. of salt

Also:

10-15 white corn tortillas

2 cups of shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (use the real stuff, not the pre-shredded kind for maximum flavor)

1 package of queso fresco (usually found by the specialty cheeses or the block cheese in your local grocery stores)

 

Directions:

1- Coat the pork loin roast with the oil and chipotle pepper powder until evenly coated.

2- Coat the slow cooker basin with cooking spray.

3- Add 3-4 cans of green chilies (drained), 2 cups of salsa verde, and 1 tsp. of salt.

4-Spoon some of the mixture on top of the roast

5- Slow cook the roast on low for 8.5 hours

6-Once done, break apart with a fork (if you need one– mine fell apart when I tried picking it up with tongs!) and mix contents of crockpot well, and set aside.

PREHEAT YOUR OVEN TO 375 DEGREES while you work on the sauce and assembly

7-In a medium sauce pan, melt 3 tbs. of butter on medium heat and sprinkle in 3 tbs. of flour (not too fast!) and cook together for 1 minute to remove the flour taste.

8- Let sit for 3-5 minutes. Don’t skip this step- if you add the next step before letting it cool, your sour cream will curdle.

9- After a few minutes of cooling, add 1 small can of green chilies (drained) and 1 cup of sour cream, and 1 tsp. of salt.

10-Cook together for 5 minutes on medium heat- stirring often, and set aside.

ASSEMBLY:

11- Coat a glass casserole dish with cooking spray

12-Take corn tortillas and dip them into the juices of the crockpot mixture. Coat both sides. The goal here is to make the tortilla soft, but not so soft that it rips easily.

12-Take the softened tortilla and dip both sides into the sauce mixture as well, coating lightly, shake of excess.

13-Add 1-2 oz of pork mixture and wrap tightly (be careful not to tear them) and place in the casserole dish, seam side up. **If you’ve done the tortillas perfectly, they should hold without unfolding on their own.

14- Repeat step 12-13 until you fill your casserole dish

15-Top your enchiladas with 2 cups of shredded Monterrey Jack cheese and pour the sauce mixture over the enchiladas and bake for 20 minutes.

16-Top with crumbled queso fresco

17-Serve with avocado, cilantro lime rice and black beans (or your sides of choice!)

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Dallas > Denver > Santa Fe > Amarillo > Dallas

There are few things in this life that get me as excited on embarking on an epic road trip across the country. It’s probably my preferred method of travel because you get to take your time and explore little towns, restaurants, and markets that you would have missed otherwise. Bonus points for the road trips that avoid the main highways.

For Thanksgiving this year, I had asked my parents what their plans were for the holiday and no one seemed to have any plans yet. At the same time, I found myself wondering what I wanted to do for Thanksgiving. My birthday is in mid-December and I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to take another road trip. Last year, I drove the span of the east coast from New York to Dallas and I’ve been anxiously awaiting my next opportunity for serious adventure. My loving boyfriend knew I wanted to take a trip for my birthday, but since he most likely will be in New England with his family around Christmas this year, it seemed unlikely that he would have the ability to take a trip together and see his family in the same month, so, we decided to take that trip in November instead.

My sister and her family live in Centennial, CO, a suburb about 30 minutes South of Denver.  They had plans to travel to Tennessee to see her husband’s family, and their adorable English Bulldog puppy needed a babysitter. Tom and I volunteered to look after Luna for a few days in exchange for a few nights stay and also to relieve her next door neighbor from dog sitting for a little while. Over the next few weeks, Tom (my loving boyfriend) and I packed our bags and got ready to hit the road.

 

The Road trip

Day 1: The Wednesday night before Thanksgiving

One thing I love about road tripping with Tom is that he loves stopping to look at interesting things along the way. I have never been a direct path from Point A to Point B kinda person. I would describe myself more as a Stop and Smell the Roses kinda person, so he makes a perfect co-pilot for long drives. Somewhere near the middle of the drive, we found a beat-up, rusted ole truck on the side of the road. We stayed long enough to get out to take pictures, absorb of the golden hues from the setting sun, and stretch our legs.  Vacation mode was definitely starting to setting in.

We were about 15 miles outside of Childress, Texas now, there were no traces of sunlight left, the temperature had dropped, and we were ready to get to our hotel to get some sleep when all of a sudden, BAM!

Why did the wolf cross the road? Oh, that’s right, it didn’t. I accidentally killed it. It was either a small wolf or a very large coyote, but either way, he ran out from the median into traffic, and I had no time to prevent what was about to happen. It happened fast and then it was over. I pulled to the side of the road and we both got out of the car to observe the damage. We were going about 75 miles an hour and the impact was hard. I will spare you the pictures on this one, but this moment definitely put a damper on the mood. I am grateful, as it could have been much worse. Tom and I are fine, my car is a little banged up, but it will also be ok, but the poor wolf coyote is toast. 😦 R.I.P. sweet little mystery mammal. We did the best we could to make sure my bumper was going to be OK in the darkness and got back on the road. We were 15 minutes from the hotel, we figured it’d be best to take a look at my car in the daylight, so we unloaded our belongings, checked into our hotel, and went to sleep.

Day 2:  Thanksgiving Day

You guys, the drive from Childress to Centennial is LONG! Especially when you are worried about your car. It took us nearly all day. We ate breakfast at the hotel, which of course came complete with Texas-shaped waffles and then we hit the road. We were passing through Amarillo, and though we discussed going to The Big Texan, decided steak was probably not the best option on a road trip. We still wanted to take pictures with the big cow out front so we pulled over to stretch our legs. I’ve been once before with my mom and sister, and truly, if you’ve never been, it’s pretty decent food. It is also definitely a tourist trap, so don’t say I didn’t warn you. You will end up paying more than it’s worth, but it is still good. I recommend going just for the experience.

We made it to Colorado around mid-day. We were eager to get there before dark, but it didn’t look like that was going to be happening. We still hadn’t eaten anything and we were starting to get hungry. As you could probably imagine, most businesses aren’t open on Thanksgiving Day, so we stopped at a gas station and settled for a sub sandwich and a ready made pizza. We regretted that decision over the next two days, but you’ve gotta eat! After hours of driving, we finally crossed into Colorado and made our way to Centennial just after the sun had gone down. We went over to the neighbor’s house, where Luna had been staying, and brought her over to the house and got settled in. Watching Tom and Luna play on the floor was one of my favorite parts of the night. 🙂 She’s a nutcase, but so lovable. After some rough housing, she was finally tuckered out and did what she loves most– she cozied up by the fire until she fell asleep. We followed suit.

 

Day 3:  Green Chili and Garden of the Gods

The next day, we were so excited to finally be settled and ready to have some fun! First on the agenda, find this legendary Green Chili everyone in Colorado seems to be raving about and see what all the fuss was about. We were headed into Colorado Springs to go walking through Garden of the Gods.  After an extensive Google search, the results were in! Apparently THE PLACE to go was called Kings Chef Diner. Tom was navigating me to the restaurant and when we pulled up, I wasn’t sure what to think. We came up on a purple castle, trimmed with yellow and red embellishments. I thought to myself, is this real life? We are really going here? With hesitance but also excitement, we entered the tiny diner. It had only 13 seats around the bar and a few picnic tables outside. The waitress was really nice, she answered all of our questions and even brought us a sample of the Famous Green Chili before we committed to ordering it. Y’all. It was so good. Spicy, but not too spicy, and salty (my favorite)! Tom ordered the breakfast burrito with sausage and I chose the half-sized Pancho Via, a burrito stuffed with steak, onions, peppers, cheese, and french fries, smothered in green chili! We both cleaned our plates and got inducted into the “Clean Plate Club.” We each got a sticker and a lollipop for our accomplishment. It was truly delicious and a very unique experience. If you have never tried anything Green Chili before, make sure to stop next time you are in Colorado Springs!

After lunch, we were headed to Garden of the Gods! The Garden of the Gods Park is popular for hiking, rock climbing, road and mountain biking, and horseback riding. It attracts more than two million visitors a year! There are more than 15 miles of trails with a 1.5-mile trail running through the heart of the park that is paved and wheelchair accessible. The outstanding geologic features of the park are the ancient sedimentary beds of deep-red, pink and white sandstone and limestone that were deposited horizontally, but have now been tilted vertically and formed into “fins” by mountain building forces caused by the shift and uplift of the Rockies. These huge rock formations tower over a diverse landscape. On one side of the park you have grassy land, while on the other, red rocks and gravel. We hiked the hills on the grassy side of the park and took some time to appreciate its beauty!

If you ever get the chance to go, GO! It is absolutely beautiful. After our hike, we headed back to Centennial, CO to check on Luna Butt. After hiking all day and burning off those calories from our hearty lunch, we were finally hungry again, the problem was, it was late. Pizza seemed to be the taste we were looking for and after a quick search online, we stumbled upon Dad and Dude’s Breweria! It is a small brew-pub in Aurora, CO that offers a selection of house-made beers, as well as a few local favorites (Yeti, anyone?) as well as a full menu including pizza and pastas. The place was packed so we elected to sit at the bar. The bar staff was SO friendly! They were on top of everything and really helpful when we had questions about the menu. The salad menu had a “grilled caesar salad”– not a grilled chicken caesar, just a grilled caesar. When we asked about it, they told us they really do put it on the grill just long enough for the lettuce to start wilting so the cheese in the dish gets all gooey delicious. We tried it along with the Prohibition, a pizza made with spicy Italian sausage, caramelized onions, bell peppers, & roasted garlic. (umpf! It was so good!) I wish I would have taken a photo, but we were too hungry and totally forgot.

Day 4: Be Lazy and Drink Beer

 The next day, we woke up worn out. We thought Luna might like a little walk, but heard she is slow and likes to sit down when she gets tired, but we thought it’d be nice to take her out on the trail behind my sister’s house. It didn’t take long to wear her out, she really does walk slow.. like real slow. There’s no way to feel like you are getting your heart racing at her pace, so after about a mile of walking, we called it quits with her. Afterwards, we thought it’d be fun to check out the craft beer scene in Denver, so we got cleaned up and headed to downtown Denver to Great Divide Brewing Company. They had free tours all day. You could actually choose between 2 different locations and 2 completely different tours. One location offered a tour of the brewery itself, the other showcased the packaging process. We chose the latter and got to explore the process that happens after being bottled (or as it turns out, canned!) On the tour we learned that most breweries in the craft beer industry are switching to cans as they take up less space when being stored, therefore, they can produce more and store more in their space. We had a great tour guide, however I feel terrible that I can’t remember his name at the moment, but Tom and I had a good time. After the tour, we grabbed a stool at the bar and ordered a few cold ones. I opted for the Chai Yeti (a holiday favorite) and Tom got two sample glasses of Chai Yeti and Vanilla Yeti. Both were fantastic. I don’t drink often, but when I do, I prefer my beer as dark as they come. Afterwards we walked around the neighborhood and stumbled upon Mockery Brewing just down the block and decided to grab a beer there too . It was a laid back day and it was pretty much perfect.

When we were on the way home, we realized we missed dinner, but thankfully we knew of a place open for late night bites. You guessed it! We went back to Dad and Dudes for round 2! This time we ordered that delicious grilled caesar again and Da Rasta Mon which is topped with garlic olive oil base, pineapple, chicken, bell peppers, red onions, and jerk-inspired BBQ sauce. We were pleased with the choice. The jerk BBQ sauce was sweet and hot, super tasty. I’d go back again now if I could, and again, we ate everything before we thought to take pictures. 🙂

 

Day 5: To Leave or Not to Leave?

The next morning, we started thinking about whether we should head back that day, or if we should stick around and leave the next day as originally planned. We were running through the things we wanted to do in Colorado but considering the long drives when you try to cram it all into 2 days. Again, I am not a get from point A to point B as quickly as possible person, I like to take my time and explore as we go, and when you are racing the sun and driving as much as you can in a day, you miss a lot. After hours of contemplating, we finally decided we would leave a day early and make a little detour to Santa Fe, New Mexico to experience a city we’d never been to. Before we hit the road we needed to run a few errands. First of all, we needed to tape the front end of my car up to prepare it for the long drive home, and then, we wanted to walk around Garden of the Gods again. This time, we wanted to walk along the other side of the park. Luna waited patiently soaking up some sun on the deck while we packed up the car.

Garden of the Gods was breathtaking again, this time not only because of the views, but because the hike we chose for the day was an uphill climb the whole way. We walked along a red dirt road that winded up the mountain. From our turning point you could see the whole park! Along the path, we saw Balancing Rock, one of the park’s biggest attractions. Unfortunately there were a lot of people waiting to take photos there, so the photo ops there were a little limited. Nonetheless, it was an interesting landmark. We left around 4pm and headed towards Santa Fe. On the way out of town, we saw the most beautiful sunset!

 

Day 6: Santa Fe, the art mecca of the Southwest

Y’all, I had no idea that Santa Fe was that artsy. I mean, I kinda did, but  I wasn’t expecting it to be as amazing as it was. Even our hotel, The Sage Inn, was like a Southwestern dream come true. I wanted to take pictures of everything from the handmade leather chair and woven blanket inside our room to the dried chilis hanging outside of each door on the second floor balcony.

After we recouped from the drive, we woke up and headed to Canyon Road, the street in Santa Fe with a bazillion art galleries. You won’t need to walk far to experience some unique galleries and parking is relatively reasonable. Just park and walk up and down the awkwardly narrow road and you will see some great artworks on display! We went on a Monday, which in hindsight isn’t the best day to go considering a lot of galleries are closed on Mondays, but even with the selection we had available, we still saw some great pieces.

// Artist, Kelly Moore, painting inside his studio on Canyon Road //  Visit his website: http://www.kellymoore.net // Follow him on InstaGram: @kellymooreart //

// Artist, James Tyler, from his Brick Head series on Canyon Road //  Visit his website: http://tylersculpture.com  // Follow him on InstaGram: @TylerSculpture//

The day got even more interesting when Tom found Meow Wolf. This converted bowling alley has been recreated as an immersive and interactive art experience. It is hard for me to describe it, so I’ll tell you how their website describes it.

“Meow Wolf’s House of Eternal Return in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is an explorable, immersive art installation filled with technology, and fantastic environments to inspire visitors of all ages. The wildly imaginative art space is a collaboration of over 100 local artists and is a unique combination of children’s museum, art gallery, jungle gym, and fantasy novel.”

That still doesn’t do it justice. The best I can do is tell you that the goal is to piece together a story by looking through bedroom closets, diaries, newspapers, and the refrigerator.  Each room was absurdly different than the last, all the while you are thinking to yourself, “this is incredible! How did they build this?” while simultaneously wondering what the hell you’re doing walking through a fish tank. Seriously. It’s a lot to take in and insanely cool. For the purpose of not spoiling it for you, I will only show a sneak peek at some of the things you may see, but I STRONGLY encourage you visit if you are ever in Santa Fe! They even had an Art-O-Mat made from a converted cigarette vending machine. Tom and I thought these $5 pieces of art would be a worthy souvenir! There are about 100 machines across the USA, we even have one right at home here in Dallas! If you want to check it out, it is located at the Whole Foods on Park Lane and US-75/Central Expressway: 8190 Park Ln Ste 351, Dallas, TX 75231

We spent a little over 2 hours in there and we needed to hit the road. Tonight, the goal was to make it from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Amarillo, Texas.

Day 7: Amarillo by Morning

We booked a hotel in Amarillo and got some rest after the drive in. The next morning, we got up early to hike nearby Palo Duro Canyon State Park, or as it is  sometimes referred to as the Grand Canyon of Texas! I’ve lived in Texas for most of my life and I can’t remember ever going there, though my parents tell me I’ve been. What was strange about the drive is that if you’ve ever been to Amarillo, Texas, you know that the land is flat. I mean, horizon to horizon, its just flat, but with a quick 30 minute drive, when you get to Palo Duro Canyon, the landscape changes in mere seconds. The Canyon walls are about 800ft high out of nowhere! We drove down into the canyon to find the perfect trail. We decided we wanted to see the Big Cave so off we went! We didn’t have a lot of time to explore so hiking the trail that led to the Lighthouse was not an option as it is about a 6 mile hike one-way, we said we’d come back and do it another time (and to be completely honest, I forgot it was there lol) After walking about a mile and a half, we found the Big Cave kinda on accident.  It was a a little bit of a tough climb up to it, but we did it! The view from inside the big cave was amazing! It was like a huge window into the canyon, and the cave itself was deep enough that you could really walk back into it. I will come back again and explore more of this beautiful park! After Palo Duro, the time had come to head back to Dallas, and away we went.

 

We had the best time and saw some pretty amazing things. 🙂 There will be many more adventures in the future, I am sure, but this definitely one to remember. As for now, it’s time to get back to reality and get my poor car fixed. 🙂 Until next time!!

 

Sincerely,

Casey

 

P.S. If you like following along with my adventures, follow me on Instagram! @SincerelyCaseyMorgan