Smithy

Thanks for blogging this week! And yes, I'd like to know your "first hot-climate Thanksgiving" plans also.

And, since Marlene began this thread, there has emerged a new term for this sort of camping: "Glamping." Where in Texas are you? Looks like down pretty far - maybe South Padre? Glamping! How appropriate! Not quite that far south. We're near Rockport at the moment. Tomorrow we head inland.

Why, sure! It's a compact but flexible kitchen. The sink is double-bowl stainless, with a faucet that can spray or stream water. There are counter inserts that fit over either or both sink basins to add counter space if needed...for instance, rolling out pasta. There's also a peninsula that's supposed to be a breakfast bar, based on the counter overhang and 2 bar stools. It can be used for extra counter space, but to be honest it's usually loaded up with baskets of fruit, potatoes, whatever. Of course I cleared it for photo ops. You can see it just at the left (sans clutter) in this picture. You, er, can also see a cat if you look carefully. Marco Polo still hasn't learned to take "Off!" for an answer. The main cooking appliance is a 3-burner stove with oven, all fired by propane. When we're plugged into electricity, as we are at the moment, we can also use the combination microwave/convection oven shown above the stove. It's also a range hood. The refrigerator and freezer run on either propane or electricity. They're usually jammed to the gills after we've been shopping. One of the routines before we start traveling is to install spring-loaded bars that prevent things from sliding off the shelves; every time I open the door after we've moved, I'm careful a la the airlines' caution that "contents may have shifted in flight". There's pretty good storage, and I've a good selection of cookware, spices, mixing and measuring bowls and a few small electric appliances. Most of it is in the kitchen area, but there's some overflow: a small crockpot is squirreled away where normal families might have, say, board games, and the pasta maker (hand-crank) lives in a plastic storage box in the bedroom closet. In addition to the electrics there's a lot of manual equipment (rolling pin, cutlery, juicer) since we actually spend a lot of time off the grid. The coffee pot and toaster are about the only things that live on the counter full-time. Here's the spice cabinet: it's narrow, but spacious because of the way the rack rolls out. We do bring along a Coleman camp stove and a small barbecue grill, along with the implements needed to cook over them. Those live in the outside storage box, and although we were using the camp stove earlier this week we probably won't bring it out again until we get farther west, to drier country. Or at least warmer!

That looks idyllic! I love your plates, by the way.

Tonight: ravioli, stuffed with tomato-meat sauce from home, tossed with olive oil, chopped garlic and grated parmesan.

*bump* It's time to revive this thread. Some years back, my darling and I took a road trip. I'd flown out to central California to visit my mother; he'd left somewhat earlier, being of the "retired" set, and taken his own time to arrive and pick me up. We drove back together, camping and seeing some of the sights. We took a week to get back. By the time we arrived back home, we agreed on three things: 1. We enjoyed it; 2. A week wasn't enough time for that trek; 3. A pickup-mounted camper shell wasn't big enough for the two of us and our (then) 60-pound Siberian Husky. We went shopping for something larger that we could live in for weeks on end. By the time we'd found a kitchen to suit me, we were up to a fifth-wheel trailer. Like Marlene, who started this topic, my darling and I like our comforts...and of course, I like to cook. Most "snowbirds" seem to pick a winter home and stay there; if they live in a trailer, they situate it in a trailer park, cheek by jowl with other trailers. We prefer the mobile experience. Don't like the view? Don't like the weather? Within limits, they can be changed at will. Furthermore, we can take advantage of the local foods, checking out what's available, figuring out how to cook it. Three days ago this was the view: and this was our food for the evening. Not the pelicans, but they were part of the pre-dinner entertainment. One of the gentlemen shown feeding pelicans had offered me some trout; he loved to catch them and had a beautiful stringer's worth. The very best fish is the kind that was flopping just hours ago. We had a fish fry that night on the family's venerable camp stove. If there's enough interest in this topic I'll get around to showing it; however, my attempts at photographing the lovely blue flower of flames from the burner, and the resultant dinner, were a bust. That's why you see the fish at the "being cleaned and feeding the pelicans" stage. A Texas "norther" was blowing in the next day, so we moved into the woods, where we were sheltered from the fierce wind. In Minnesota we get brisk winds and sudden chills, but even the storms that accompany an Alberta Clipper don't usually match the dramatic change of a "norther": in the space of a half hour, our weather dropped from 87F and 80% humidity to less than 50F and commensurate humidity. We didn't hang around outside. This was that night's meal: Chicken curry (with sauce from a Patak's jar) over rice, which (now that I look at the photo) looked MUCH better in real life. Dessert was homemade almond-vanilla ice cream: We enjoy shrimp along the Gulf Coast, barbecue in the Texas interior, and a multitude of produce farther west...but, given that I am an inveterate packrat who should be participating in the "Klatsch: Don't Shop Now!" topic, we also have plenty of canned, boxed, and frozen goods brought from home. Anyone else doing this sort of road-trip rambling cookery?

Ah, the inimitable and wonderful Miss Manners! As always she's amusing and insightful. I'm surprised she didn't raise the question of why her son, who presumably grew up used to her ways, is now grossed out by them. Maybe the answer is obvious. I've been put in my place, however: the only time I use napkin rings is as a decoration, for guests!

H! I'm hunkered down in Texas norther right now! What a contrast!

I love these stories. This is a great topic. Kerry, was there anything in particular about Minnie's way of doing smoked salmon that made it special? (If so, care to share?) And what do you mean by lemonade similar to lemon squash? And, er, since I'm asking...what about those sour cream cookies? Those sound dangerous...

My mother's mother was apparently quite a character, but I never met her. She seems to have been one of those "stay out of my kitchen" sorts, when she was cooking; they had household help that did some of the cooking also, but the children were never permitted to help. My mother arrived at marriage without having learned *anything* about cooking, and some of her early mishaps were hilarious. I offer this illustration of my mother's parents: The scene: at the dinner table, just having said grace. He, picking up his fork: "This is delicious" She: "You haven't even tasted it yet!" He: "looking" My father's mother was a great home cook, although looking back on it I think her most-used seasonings were salt, pepper and boundless love. The one thing I may have learned from Nana is her green beans. Today's chefs would dismiss them out of hand: they were soft and olive drab; all we cared about was their melt-in-the-mouth deep flavor. We tried (how we tried!) to learn how she made them. Cousin Sally took careful notes on at least one occasion. Nobody got it right. Eventually, I inherited Nana's green bean pots, along with Dad's story of how she got that set when he was 10 and she threw a Wearever party, like a Tupperware party, to earn them and some money for his birthday. That makes the pots of about 1929 vintage, and I use them today...and with a bit of bacon, a very little water, a lot of time and memories, I believe I have Nana's green beans about right.

Boy, howdy.

I applaud your creativity! With regard to the potatoes: what about a quick saute in very hot oil, with some good seasonings? I take it these baby potatoes are already cooked? What is their texture out of the jar?

I'm eager to read your assessments of the various types, as you learn more and develop preferences.

Thanks for that information about the spice packets. Those are new to me. Funny you should mention those, rotuts; tonight's dinner was based on Patak's Mild Curry sauce! I bought it on a whim some time ago. We both liked it a lot...enough to figure we'll keep it on hand routinely, and enough that I, the cook, have been declared A Genius.OK, back to the blog. Munchymom, if it isn't too personal: are you cooking for yourself only, these days? And what led you to your current location? (If you'd rather not answer, a Lofty Silence is just fine.)

I love Indian food. Do you find yourself relying on nearby restaurants for certain cuisines (like Indian), or do you make your own sometimes? I'm guessing that you have a broad selection of restaurants close by where you live.

I'm with you on the green bell peppers, although I've found a (very) few cases where they really are better than the ripe ones. Breakfast alfresco...how lovely! And that meal last night!! That looked wonderful. Did you make the horseradish sauce?

I recently heard a poem about having reached the age of "relay" errands. One person goes downstairs to the requisite area, while the other person waits at the top of the stairs to yell down the answer to "what did I come down here for?" Back to the business of cleaning napkins: I have found that some of the "cotton twill" napkins I've purchased for their color and low price take grease stains that I haven't gotten out with standard washing. As far as I can tell they're from food grease: maybe vegetable or olive oil, maybe something more solid at room temperature. They're fine for our home use but not for company, unless I can get the spots out. For those of you who do use cloth, do you have a preferred stain remover?

That was my sense of Amazon, also, although I may revisit the issue with regard to valuable books, if I ever decide to part with them. For the books I've given away so far, I've much preferred the feeling that I've given to a useful cause, and I wasn't obliged to wait for a buyer.

One of my favorite uncles used to live in Delray Beach, and he wrote interesting and educational letters about the agricultural productivity of Palm Beach County. You're in a good place for CSA and locavore eating.

I'm looking forward to this! You're in Boca Raton?

Cloth napkins, almost always. I dislike the wastefulness of of single-use paper napkins, including the water needed to make them, although I'm not a purist on this issue: I do use paper towels, and other disposable paper products, when they seem like the best material for the job. It could be that cloth napkins help satisfy my nearly-terminal weakness for textiles. I do love cloth: its colors, its patterns, its texture, its ability to combine utility with beauty. It's usually just 2 of us, and the napkins stay in position until I deem them ready for the laundry, in which case they go into the laundry basket until time to wash. He uses his napkin, I use mine, and I can't think of a germ we haven't shared already. When we entertain, all the table linens are fresh, and the guests' linens go into the wash afterward. Y'all can come visit us any time, without having to worry about sharing somebody's germs.

I know of no such restriction in California, and can't imagine why there should be one anywhere. This summer I donated my mother's set of Corelle dinnerware and it was gladly received. I think it's just so generally well-appreciated that, as dcarch said, people don't want to part with it.

Huh. the Egyptian-themed plate had me going generically toward someone of Mideastern extraction living in the USA, but "she" throws me. We haven't seen Behemoth in ages, and it can't be Hassouni or Foodman due to the gender. I'm eager to see the answer!

I bought mine at some of my favorite kitchen stores. They're getting easier to find, so you probably don't need to go to your local Sur la Table for them. If you want to see them online, just google "Charles Viancin" or, for what I'm showing, "Charles Viancin lily pads". A lot of links will pop up. Edited to add gratuitous Amazon link: AMAZON LINK

The decision has been made by now, I suspect, but here's my input anyway. I can understand your not wanting to invite strangers to your wedding, but can you make the country club donate those meals to a homeless shelter? If it's being purchased, they should have to deliver it. Otherwise, you shouldn't have to pay that much unless there's some contract clause regarding minimums or late guest adjustments. Someday, after the aggravation has died down, you'll have a good story to tell. Meanwhile, I wish you a joyous celebration and an excellent marriage.