Food Archives | Golden Country Cowgirl

Small Town Wine Bar in California’s Smallest Incorporated City

Updated 11/4/23, original post published 1/30/18 Whenever I hear about someone closing their business, it always makes me a little sad. Such was the case when I saw the following post on Instagram from Ginger at Small Town Food and Wine, formerly Small Town Wine Bar. The last few years have been tough for many businesses. Some were closed down for months and never reopened and recovered. Those who have been lucky enough to reopen have struggled with lack of help (people don’t want to work!), fewer customers and rising prices. These challenges have forced many business owners to reevaluate what is important. Ginger came to the decision that she no longer has “the desire to fight to stay open.” The good thing to…

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Best Places to Eat in Nuevo Progreso, Tamaulipas, Mexico

Just across the border, in the state of Tamaulipas, is the town of Nuevo Progreso. It’s an easy 30-minute drive from where I live so I am fortunate to be able to go often. I go to shop, get a pedicure and, of course, eat. Over the past three years, with a brief timeout when the border was closed to all but essential travel, I dined at several of the restaurants in Nuevo Progreso frequently. Here are my thoughts on the best places to eat in Nuevo Progreso, Mexico. The Best Places to Eat in Nuevo Progreso Renee’s On my very first visit to Nuevo Progreso with my friend Linda, she took me to Rene’s Restaurant and Bakery for breakfast. Even though it’s a very…

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Most Viewed Posts of 2021

Happy New Year! I can hardly believe it’s time for my annual Most Viewed Posts article. But I’m a bit of a statistics junkie so I love contrasting and comparing lists from one year to another. I enjoy seeing which posts resonate the most with readers. It’s very enlightening and there were a few surprises for me on my most viewed posts of 2021 list. With no travel and many businesses closed, I didn’t write much in 2021. With things opening up a little along with the purchase of a new trailer, I finally scheduled an RV trip and got on the road the beginning of October. I had an amazing 2-month trip through part of Texas and am still writing about it! Most of…

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Most Viewed Posts of 2020

Collage of photos with text overlay: Most Viewed Posts 2020

Every year since I started this blog, I have written a “Most Viewed Posts” article for the previous year. Even though I still wanted to do that for 2020, it seemed very different. When travel came to a screeching halt last year, I had to cancel two 2-3 month RV trips, each centered around a conference. At first, I welcomed the opportunity to take a break and concentrate on some personal things that had been on the back burner for some time. Eventually, as the shutdown drug on, I began to get complacent. With so many businesses closed, I became that person who just stays home, watches TV and eats! I became that person I started this blog for!!! When I fell off the keto…

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Cooking for One — My Favorite Meal

When you are single, cooking for one can sometimes be a challenge. Sure, I like casseroles, soups and roasts and have my freezer stocked with leftover meals, but a single person can’t cook like that every night. The freezer would be overflowing in no time. And what do you do if you forgot to start the slow cooker or even take something out to thaw? Of course, you can thaw one of your leftover meals in the microwave but what if you want something fresh and simple? Originally posted on February 4, 2017, updated June 3, 2020 When I buy chicken thighs/breasts, pork chops or salmon, I lay them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet to freeze. Once they are frozen, I…

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A Taste of Oklahoma – Durant and Ardmore

Choctaw Casino sign with text overlay: Durant and Ardmore Just a taste of Oklahoma

One of the destinations on my recent RV trip was southern Oklahoma to visit a friend. I had planned to boondock at a couple of spots in Oklahoma but the weather turned bitterly cold a few days earlier, so I decided to find RV parks instead. I figured they would make better bases of operations while I got at least a little taste of Oklahoma during the few days I planned to be in Durant and Ardmore. Durant, Oklahoma Durant/Choctaw Casino KOA I’ve never stayed at a KOA campground or a casino so I thought the Durant/Choctaw Casino KOA sounded promising. I later read on their website that they are “the #1 KOA RV park in all of the country.” I think KOA only accepts…

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Most Viewed Posts of 2019

Photos from six blog posts with text overlay: Most viewed posts 2019

It’s that time again when I get to write one of my favorite posts — the most viewed posts of the year. I love writing these posts for two reasons. Most important, I get to take a close look at what was most popular with and useful for my readers during 2019. Second, though, I get to take a walk down memory lane and relive some of the wonderful places I’ve been and amazing things I’ve done. The following ten most viewed posts of 2019 include five posts from previous years but views are only from this year. Five of the posts were published this year. Maybe I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to stats, but I really enjoy comparing numbers and…

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Where to Eat in Harlingen — Readers’ Choice Best Places

a seafood dinner with text overlay: Best places to eat in Harlingen, TX Readers' Coice Awards Valley Morning Star

I don’t eat out a lot so, when I do, I look for restaurant recommendations from locals-in-the-know wherever I am. Review apps can be helpful but those reviews are often by tourists who may not know about local favorites. Checking out the “Best of” winners in local newspapers is a good resource. Therefore, I always looked forward to the Best of Orange County when I lived in southern California. So, when the Readers’ Choice Winners for the Valley Morning Star came out, I was eager to learn who won for the best places to eat in Harlingen. Would they be the same as the top restaurants on TripAdvisor and Yelp or would they be hidden gems? How are the Readers’ Choice Winners Selected? The Valley…

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Authentic Texas Barbecue — What it is and where to find it in the RGV

typical authentic Texas barbecue plate with text overlay: Authentic Texas Barbecue Where to find it in the RGV

I have to admit, when I was growing up, barbecue was not one of my favorite foods. Barbecue, to me, always brought to mind neighborhood parties with chicken on the grill with burnt on barbecue sauce. Or maybe it was dry baby back ribs, which don’t have enough meat on the bones to be worth the effort, with that same burnt on sauce. The only kind of barbecue I was even remotely fond of was a pulled pork sandwich with sweet barbecue sauce. Even in my adult life, it is not a food group I seek out. This lack of desire for barbecue was cemented in my mind even further when, a few years ago, I went to a barbecue joint in southern California with…

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I Had to Know: What’s the Difference Between Mexican and Tex Mex Food?

$Beans, enchiladas and rice with text overlay: Mexican Food vs. Tex-Mex, What's the Difference?$

When I was on my RV trip from California to Texas, one of the things I thought about often was getting some real Tex Mex food. I’m not sure what I thought it was going to be but I was positive it would be something wonderful. Color me confused when I arrived in Texas and had “Mexican food” a couple of times. I was expecting this elusive Tex Mex cuisine and what I got was food I was used to getting in Mexico or some Mexican restaurants in California. Color me shocked when I researched the difference between Mexican and Tex Mex food. I grew up in southern California and ate probably more than my fair share of Mexican food. It is a cuisine I…

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