mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Today, again, it is Cathy writing from the road ( written a few days ago; I am actually home-it is the magic of blogging), about food and other stuff. Really. Cathy and The Mister are driving across the Continental USA. You can too, vicariously, from the comfort of your home (or work) computer.
Good Morning!
Still driving and blogging. This photo was taken in Indiana or Illinois with the sun setting. Surreal. I just wanted to share.
By nightfall, we were passing the Arch in St Louis again. Sorry the photo is so blurry. The flash does not do its job from inside a moving car.
So. Sometimes hotel advertise "Breakfast Bar Included". This means cold cereal, oatmeal packets, a toaster, coffee, hot water and a juice machine. If you are lucky, there are bagels and in the condiment section there may be cream cheese and peanut butter. No, no photos…HOWEVER, Quality Inns advertise a "Hot Breakfast Bar"..whoo hoo! 
In addition to the items listed above, there is fresh fruit and, in the case of this location, (somewhere West of St. Louis), are sausage biscuits, regular plain biscuits, sausage gravy(really good sausage gravy) …and… 
The ubiquitous, infamous, make your own commercial waffle machine…oh yes. 
You get a cup of batter, and pour it onto the hot machine, close it, flip it and it has a beeping timer (or light in some cases) so you know when it is done. 
One note: there is usually a can of non-stick spray, or a bowl of melted butter next to the machine…it helps to put that on before pouring…
Anyhow, those waffles are sooooo good. Crispy light exterior and pefectly cooked interior. There seem to be two batters when you encounter these commercial machines and in the Midwest, the more sour, buttermilk based, "malted" batter is always available..and when you get more West/southwest, there is a sweet batter…
ANYHOW…we drove and 
saw the first of *many* of the trucks hauling Christmas trees out West. We see these on the way home and know it is going to be Christmas…you can see snow on top of this load…yes, Thanksgiving is over and life goes on. 
Springfield, MO. Braum’s. Yes.
Small grocery store, 
fast food 
and ice cream! 
The Steakburger combo ($4.75)- with an eggnog shake (extra 50 cents)..By far, Braum’s makes the best shakes ever. They use the milkshake mix and…egg nog instead of milk…oh. Steak. Burger. In the Midwest. This means a chicken fried steak. Excellent. Juicy. Just the right amount of spice in the batter. Topped with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise.
Steak and Shake. You know we *must* stop here, always. Located in the Midwest (the closest one on the trip is in Joplin, MO), this "institution" is open 24/7, serving breakfast every one of those hours…but, nope. The Mister was burger-ed out. 
He got the fried fish plate, I got a single steakburger. No cheese. 
You get a choice of two of seven sides with each platter. We each got a salad, and I also took a cup of chili (with beans) and The Mister took cole slaw. Very good food. I like the flavor of the meat in the burger- like a Rally’s Big Buford. We also got an egg nog shake ( as a taste comparison) and… there was no comparing the Braums to Steak and Shake, even though I do like the shakes here…the S&S one had an artificial undertone and I mostly tasted the nutmeg sprinkled on top.
The place was slammed, and our Very Nice Waiter(one of only three inside the busy restaurant) told us we were the quietest people in there. I told Him that we had been sitting in a car next to each other for five days and would rather listen to other people talking than each other…
Oh. Another aside. XM satellite radio channel 59-LED, the Zeppelin Channel…very cool.
So, last night…(did you read that post?)(I didn’t finish our evening meal) 
Culver’s. Home of the Butter Burger. 
Major Midwest chain. I got a single, ($2.39), The Mister got a double with cheese($4.49 , the fries came with (a combo meal: also included a medium drink))…and..a side of Cheese Curds ($3.29). yep, we were in Illinois. Midwest. Fried cheese. Not those appetizer sicks of mozzarella, but curds, dipped and fried and wonderful. Oh the Butter burgers- *the best* fast food burger, ever. Yes, BUTTER BURGER. Of course it has flavor. Juicy. 
Culvers’ makes frozen custard. Wonderful, rich, egg based frozen custard. they make it many times a day. It is wonderful. This is a small, $1.69. They have a different Flavor of the Day as well as chocolate available. In the summer, people come in just for a frozen treat.
Yes, I wrote about two egg nog shakes and a frozen custard, and fried foods (and two small salads, remember)…We will be home soon. The diet begins then…or January First…whatever…
…and I didn’t post our dinner from tonight…that post will go up soon. You’ll like it. The last day of travel…
I love Culver’s. When I lived in Wisconsin, where the chain was founded, they’re pretty popular in the more rural areas. Their fries are always cooked in fresh oil…I miss their chili cheese fries now.
Deep fried cheese curds….we need them to open up here in San Diego!
Wholly smokes the food looks great and I just had lunch and for some reason I really want a burger for dinner tonight despite my homemade chicken pot pie. Fried cheese curd.
A Chicken Fried Steak sandwich sounds awesome! And maybe a side of gravy! The fried cheese curd is something new for me. Heck, I’ll try anything fried!!
Hi Melissa-Glad I could trigger a memory for you. I like your website.
You do know Trader Joe’s sells curds now, don’t you Kirk? All we have to do is…um…experiment battering and deep frying them.
Oh I love Chicken Pie, Bill. I love burgers, too, as you can see…and the curds…mmm!!!
The chicken fried steak as a sandwich is perfect, Carol. If I had mashed, then I would *need* gravy. Kirk did blog about fried cheese curds when he was in Madison, Wisconsin, earlier this year…I’m just keeping up that Midwest Theme. Curds are found at almost all State Fairs back there…and not here…yet. A wonderful snack, or main course!
wow, a butter burger! and that fried steak burger! sounds delicious! it’s been fun reading about your road trip. looking forward to your other posts.
Cathy,
I was gonna ask you how your cholesterol is doing, but then I saw you hit Culver’s. Deep-fried cheese curds. Whoohee! ๐ Were they “squeaky fresh”?
Steak+Burger= Chicken Fried Steak
That is the craziest math ever, and pretty much only makes sense in MO. I miss Steak & Shake. I LOVED going there as a child, although we could never go enough.
I was wondering where your cup of Ted Drew’s Custard was, and I realized it’s Nov-Dec…Sigh.
Hi CC- Yes, it was good food, and I am so glad I had a chance to blog it. Only one more ‘from the road’ post though…but we already have ideas for next year…
Yes, WC, the curds kind of squeaked, after you crunched through the seasoned batter…and I have no idea about cholesterol numbers, but know you can just take a pill to make it all better.
So, you must be from the midwest, too, PGS…knowing that some places are “seasonal” and all. Steak and Shake is one of those places we *have* to hit, not many of the others…(except for Fragels and Blimpy’s)…and, yes, your mathematical equation is correct.
next time you go to steak and shake you should get the chili mac 5 way….i grew up in stl (now resident of san diego) so i know what i’m talkin about!
Hello (and welcome), T…actually that was exactly what The Mister was going to order, but he more did not want any beef product…which is why I did get the chili as my side- I *needed* to taste it. But I will be getting it on the next trip…and blogging it, of course. ๐