Category: Menu Planning & Cooking
A Compact Efficient Dish Drying Mat For Camping
September 21, 2011 by Melissa A. Trainer · 1 Comment
If you cook when you are camping, then you most likely begrudge washing and drying those dishes. I know that I do. I often find it a hassle to dry the dishes and then deal with the damp kitchen towels. Getting those kitchen towels to dry here in the maritime Pacific Northwest can be a challenge on a cold rainy day by the Pacific Ocean! Well, just this weekend, I discovered a lightweight, compact, and affordable drying mat that seems to fit the bill for campground cookery. I purchased one on Saturday night and have been using it in my home kitchen, but I now intend to get one for my camper. The Dish Drying Mat is made from absorbent microfiber and easily folds for storage. It is cushiony, absorbent, and fast drying. And, it is machine washable in cold water. I haven’t washed mine yet, but I have found that the mat is priceless for drying pots, pans, knives, wine glasses, and miscellaneous kitchen items. The mat absorbs the water beautifully and thereby minimizes the use of kitchen... [Read more...]
Practical Glassware For Camping
August 29, 2011 by Melissa A. Trainer · Leave a Comment
Do you have a favorite type of wine or pilsner glass for camping? If not, then check out the non breakable portable wine and spirit glasses from GSI. The collection features stemless wine glasses, nesting wine glasses, pilsner glasses, and others. All of the products are BPA-free and are made to survive rough and tumble service for campers and outdoor enthusiasts. Of course, they don’t have the same luxurious feels of other wine glasses, but they get the job done and are easily stashed in a camper cupboard or a loaded backpack. We have had a set of the nesting wine glasses in our camper for many years. They’ve endured bumpy trips throughout Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, up to Denali National Park, and down the Alaska Canada Highway through Yukon Territory and British Columbia. They store beautifully and are easy to clean. Basically, they are a simple item that can add a little bit of luxury to an outdoor excursion. –Melissa A. Trainer
Consider The Lodge Cast Iron Biscuit Pan!
August 27, 2011 by Melissa A. Trainer · 4 Comments
We have a vast collection of cast iron cookware. We find it priceless for campground cookery. We have multiple Dutch ovens, an array of skillets, basic griddles, and a biscuit pan. I have purchased many of these items at thrift stores and garage sales over the years. Last year, right before we left for our family camping trip to Yellowstone National Park, I found a Lodge cast iron biscuit pan at the thrift store. I think I paid about $3 for it. While we were camping at the Madison Campground in Yellowstone, I spontaneously decided to use the pan for some mini pizzas. I had some Pillsbury biscuit dough that I separated into layers and placed in the greased pan. I then added some tomato sauce and cheese and placed the pan on the grill rack over a moderate campfire. I don’t recall how long they cooked, but I do remember that they were fabulous–smokey with a nicely browned bottom. My children loved them and they were a wonderfully simple snack food to serve around the campfire... [Read more...]
Clamming on The Oregon Coast with Kids
August 17, 2011 by Melissa A. Trainer · Leave a Comment
Have you taken your children clamming, fishing, or foraging lately? If not, seriously consider it on your next camping trip. It can be delightfully and deliciously rewarding. Ever since our children were little, we have taken them fishing, foraging, and exploring. They still love poking through tide pools at low tide. And, the thrill of catching a wild salmon never seems to subside. Last spring, my husband took our two sons down to the Oregon Coast for spring break. While staying with friends at a beachfront cottage, it occurred to the boys that clams might lurk on the beach below. Indeed, there were lots of clams. Hence, a spontaneous clamming adventure evolved that week. I reaped the rewards when my husband brought home some clam chowder, cooked clam meat, and a baggie full of empty clam shells. I was so excited by their adventure that I wrote an article about it for The Oregonian’s FOODday section. Published in May, it is a comprehensive article that gives links, tips,... [Read more...]
Patti’s Saga of an RV Rookie: Idiot Proof, Healthy, Easy, Summer Crock Pot Stew
July 31, 2011 by Patti F. · Leave a Comment
It’s summer in northwest Montana. Harmony and Understanding converge at exactly this point come July and August. Read more about Montana campgrounds and things to do in Montana. Yesterday, we left for Glacier Park (a mere 35 minute drive) and came home to a healthy, hot meal that had cooked outdoors in the crock pot during our Park adventures. I had thrown the recipe together in literally ten minutes, but it tasted way better than that. I love my crock pot bubbling away on a table outside the RV. Thank the Lord for shore power! The RV stays cool inside because the cooking action is outside. Last week I cooked an awesome turkey breast in the crock pot outdoors. Many moons ago I submitted a blog about how to cook a great turkey breast in a crock pot. You might check that out. Note: I have since discovered the turkey breast needs to actually fit in the crock pot, so you may want to assess that more carefully than I did at point of purchase! I had criteria for the crockpot recipe: 1) Ingredients... [Read more...]
All About Food–Cool Summer Salad
July 10, 2011 by Diane Berry · Leave a Comment
The last entry in my unofficial series “All About Food” on my favorite summer meals is a favorite and incredibly flexible summer salad. In my recipe book at home, I simply call this a “Basic Bean and Grain Salad.” It is made with a few staples and whatever you happen to have on hand, so it can be a good choice for a last minute meal or when you have no idea what to make. The basis of the salad is simply 2 cups of any kind of canned beans (which is simply one 15-16 oz can) and 2 cups of any cooked grain. What you add to this are simply veggies and extras you have on hand, perhaps those that will spoil if not used soon or just something you happen to have available, and your dressing. The dressing can be either 1/3 cup of your favorite (homemade or store-bought) vinaigrette or the recipe that follows. Thus, the actual recipe looks like this: 2 cups canned beans, drained (white, black, pinto, chickpeas, kidney, black-eyed peas, northern, etc.) 2 cups cooked grain (white... [Read more...]
All About Food–Favorite Summer Sides!
July 3, 2011 by Diane Berry · 4 Comments
Along with the marinated chicken recipe that I shared in my last post (see June 26th blog), two crowd-pleasing additions to our favorite summer meals are potato salad and pasta salad. The potato salad is made with the Hellman’s Lite Mayonnaise I wrote about in my blog on cutting calories without losing taste and is a wonderful complement to any main course, be it chicken, burgers, fish or steak. In addition, it is a nice alternative to traditional hot cooked potatoes on hot summer evenings. I must confess, I received this recipe from my late mother-in-law, Evelyn Berry, so it truly is the Berry Potato Salad. As an aside, her son will not eat or touch a pickle, but devours this potato salad in spite of the fact there is pickle juice in the sauce! Berry Potato Salad Ingredients: Approximately 5 lbs potatoes, sliced but unpeeled—whatever you have on hand, but I prefer to use small red potatoes for salad. I do not peel my potatoes because I believe that eliminates many of... [Read more...]
All About Food–Favorite Summer Meals!
June 26, 2011 by Diane Berry · 3 Comments
Now that our weather has finally warmed a bit, my thoughts begin to turn to my favorite summer meals. I recall sweet evenings around a campfire enjoying foods that we may not make for most of the rest of the year. These meals help define summer for me, and for my family. The pace is slower, the mood more casual. The overall feeling is the same as when you were 8 years old with a long summer day stretched in front of you and nothing to do but ride your bike or lay back on the grass and imagine that the clouds above you were dragons or sailboats or ice cream sundaes. That is the mood I hope to create by sharing a few of my favorite summer dishes with you. Chicken breasts are easy to marinate in their original bag While hamburgers and hot dogs are a perennial favorite for these summer dinners, in an effort to switch things up a bit, we have incorporated grilled chicken as a regular contender as well. While my son prefers his chicken “un-marinated”, the rest of us find that a bit dry and... [Read more...]
Taste Without Calories…Continued
June 19, 2011 by Diane Berry · 4 Comments
Back on June 15th, I started talking about some simple modifications we have made in our diet to minimize fat and calories and maximize taste. In that first piece, we discussed switching to light butter and fat free sour cream and cream cheese. What follows is the continuation of that discussion: 4—Hellman’s Lite Mayonnaise—This has been the only mayonnaise we have had in our home or camper for in excess of 15 years! And, as we love to add mayo to our ham sandwiches, we buy a small jar of Hellman’s Lite before embarking on any RV trip! I have had many people tell me that they just can’t use light mayo; they just don’t enjoy the taste. I have a friend, in fact, who has tried it and says she just can’t get used to it. However, this same friend absolutely LOVES my potato salad and whenever I make it, I give her an extra little bowl to take home which she devours immediately. Of course it is made with Hellman’s Lite mayo! I don’t make a point of telling her this when I give... [Read more...]
Taste Without Calories!
June 15, 2011 by Diane Berry · 3 Comments
Okay, now that I have your attention, let’s get real. In life, there truly is little that has taste with NO calories, but if you are interested in limiting your calorie intake, there are several simple things you can do, whether you are at home or traveling on the road, to minimize your calorie intake without losing any of the flavor that we love about food. You may recall that about six months ago I posted a blog about two traditional recipes that could be easily modified to reduce fat and calorie content. This post is a continuation of that, in the sense that it includes some similar ideas. You see, being someone who loves to eat and also being of a body type (never svelte without concerted effort or an accompanying life crisis) and an age where I need to watch my fat intake, for about the past ten years, ever since we started “getting beyond a certain age,” my husband and I have been focusing on reducing fat and calories in our diet without losing flavor. Isn’t that the best... [Read more...]
