~ Around Houston: A quick visit to Waco, TX!!

/ raindropstosunshine / Leave a comment

Hi Guys!

Howdy?!

So way back in 2018, just randomly, the hubby and I with LilMissK in tow, took a road trip to Waco, TX! If you’ve been following me for a while, you know how much we love to travel, but this road trip was also actually for me to “finally” visit The Silos and Magnolia Market to experience all things Magnolia, as all the bloggers I follow always keep talking about it and I had seen/bought many quite things from the Magnolia line at Target and it was finally time we visited 🙂

We made it a quick one day trip and drove back the same day, but I’d suggest you stay over one night to enjoy it in a little bit more relaxed fashion.

So without further ado, I’ll dive right it.

How far is Waco from Houston: 3.5 hours! It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin.

Where to stay: Many of the usual hotels are very conveniently located in downtown, close to all the action. And then you do have the options of Air B&B or B&Bs in general.

Things to see and do:

It’s a small town and there isn’t much to do, which makes it the perfect spot for a quick dat trip! But if you do end up staying the night, you could enjoy the brunch spots and the bakery more along with getting to spend more time at the Silos which has so much to offer anyways!

Here are some highlights:

– Mammoth National Monument

Can you believe this?! YES! In our own very Texas!! Standing as tall as 14 feet and weighing 20,000 pounds, Columbian mammoths roamed across what is present-day Texas thousands of years ago. Today, the fossil specimens represent the nation’s first and only recorded evidence of a nursery herd of ice age Columbian mammoths. And today, you can visit the museum to know more!

– The Magnolia Market at the Silos

This was my single.main.reason.to.plan.this.roadtrip!!

Why you ask – well coz these beauties, the Silos are something else!

A little bit of history lesson for you: Quoting directly from the Country Living website: Chip and Joanna Gaines‘s store in Waco, Texas, Fans of HGTV’s Fixer Upper know that the couple undertook their biggest rehab project ever when they acquired a sprawling downtown Waco property that includes two huge grain silos and a 20,000-square-foot barn. Since its grand opening in 2015, the complex has quickly become more than a store—it’s a major destination, where thousands flock every week. Here’s what you need to know about visiting the silos.

In my opinion, pictures can’t quite do Magnolia Market justice, because it’s so large—it covers two-and-a-half acres—so you really have to wander around quite a bit to take in the various parts of the property and appreciate all it has to offer.

They are open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The market—as well as the Gaineses’ restaurant, Magnolia Table—is closed on Sundays. Next to the silos is a large green field where kids and parents can toss a football, play cornhole, or have a potato sack race. Beyond that is an area with picnic tables and a half-dozen food trucks and a little garden. Don’t forget to visit Magnolia Seed + Supply!!

The anniversary of the store’s opening is celebrated every year in a festival called #Silobration, complete with a vendor fair, actually I wasn’t aware of this, and it turned out that the weekend we had planned to visit, was the Silobration!! As we walked through a few local shops near the Silos – a lot of the shopping opportunities presented themselves – basically best for rustic/vintage home decor and country vibe goods.

– Shopping at Spice Village, which is a collection of pop-up type shops offering everything you can imagine – clothes, accessories, trinkets, candles, and more. It’s fun to walk through!

– Waco Suspension Bridge

The historic Suspension Bridge was completed in 1870 and remains a legendary icon of downtown Waco. For years, the bridge served as a Chisholm Trail crossing, and at the time of its completion, it was the longest single-span suspension bridge west of the Mississippi. The bridge was built with cable supplied by the John Roebling Co., who built the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. Cool right!! The bridge is flanked by two great Waco parks — Indian Spring Park on the west side, and Martin Luther King, Jr. park on the east side. The bridge is the centerpiece of many community festivals and events, and serves as a great venue for parties and special events. It was fun and very easy to walk with a toddler!

– Dr. Pepper Museum

The small three-story museum building next to the original bottling plant houses old Dr. Pepper artifacts and some interactive exhibits. The Liquid Lab Demo is a fun 20-minute demonstration, but the best part of the entire experience is the ice cream. The Soda Shop serves fountain drinks, floats, and ice cream.

We didn’t get time to check these out, but it’s on my list for the next time we are in that area: Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum, Mayborn Museum Complex, Cameron Park Zoo.

Where to eat:

Obviously we didn’t eat at all of these, LOL!! We mainly ate at and around the Silos. A little here and a little there to be able to taste it all…

But many fun options are available, with numerous food trucks around the Silos.

Some other, more fancy options are:

– MOROSO – delicious, wood fired pizza

– Brunch at Magnolia Table – Arrive early, but it’s WORTH THE WAIT!

– Twisted Root Burger Co. – cool vibe and great burger/sandwich options.

– Wine/drinks at Z’s at the Curry – great place to grab a drink and chat or play cards with your adult friends!

– Another great options for breakfast would be The Olive Branch

– And lastly, but definitely not the least: Cupcakes from Silos Baking Co. – very good! I can’t choose one, they were all delicious!

So, plan a trip soon, what are you waiting for?!

Maybe it’s time to go back for another day trip… Hmmm… Gotta go plan one now! Bye!!

Until next time, stay wanderlust stuck!!

~ Daal Baati!!

/ raindropstosunshine / Leave a comment

Daal Baati is a famous Rajasthani dish, one that scared me for a long time. You see, making it looks very tedious and tiring, but in reality it isn’t! The first I decide to make this yummy dish, was thanks to 2 of my very close friends making it for me and telling me that it wasn’t rocket science. So a little bit of googling and mixing recipes and trying it out a handful number of times, here’s my take on making Daal Baati, so read along.

Ingredients:

For the Baatis:

  • 1 cup wheat flour
  • 1/2 tablespoon semolina
  • 1 tablespoon ghee
  • 1 pinch salt

For the Dal:

  • 1/4 cup green moong dal
  • 1/4 cup toor daal
  • 1 tablespoon urad dal
  • 1/4 cup chana dal
  • 1/2 tablespoon ghee
  • 1/4 teaspoon garam masala powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon coriander powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/2 tablespoon coriander leaves
  • 1/4 inch ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 2 cup water

Preparation:

For the Baatis:

Take a bowl, and all the flour, rawa, salt and ghee. Using your hands, knead a very stiff dough with warm water. Shape the dough in small balls and lightly press to make an oval kinda flattened ball.

Place them on a lined baking tray in the pre-heated oven and bake raw Batis at 375 F until bottom surface turns light brown. It usually takes around 12-15 minutes. Take it out from the oven and flip each Bati upside-down to cook the other surface. Place baking tray in oven again and bake for another 10-12 minutes. Now, take the tray out from the oven and when they are cool enough to handle, crush them slightly and pour some Ghee before serving. Serve hot!

For the Dal:

There are 2 steps in preparing the Daal. Firstly wask all the dals together and add 1 cup water and a pinch of turmeric. Pressure cook the dals till 2 whistles. Allow the cooker to cool.

Now, mix all the spices in 1/2 cup of warm water to make a think paste. Put ghee in a pan over medium heat and add cumin and coriander seeds to it. Once they splutter, add ginger, followed by the spice paste. Fry for a minute and add this to the cooled down daal. To get some extra kick to it, you can also add dried red chillies before adding the cumin and coriander seeds.

Once you have combined the cooked paste with the cooled down Daal (no cool-cool, just pressure released cool) add the remaining water and stir well. Bring it to a boil and for that extra twist – add lemon juice to it and more salt if your taste needs some more. Garnish this with chopped coriander and serve with fresh hot out of the oven baatis.

Enjoy!!

Let me know how you liked them…

Until next time, stay hungry!