Nancy in Pátzcuaro

Do you have a photo of your new rig?

I did a little poking around on the internet, using iOverlander and, surprisingly, the Winnebago website, https://www.winnebago.com/lifestyle/winnebagolife/travel/hidden-gems-free-county-city-rv-parks though it seems to be more Texas oriented. My spouse says we used iOverlander the most. A favorite was Burwell City Park in Nebraska, on our way back to Colorado. A few small sites right on the river (the dog, who's a swimming fool, loved it) but with larger sites adjacent to the main part of the park. No water hookup but electric at all sites. And Barnesville, MN, with the vegetable garden--dry sites in a large meadow and full hookups in a more organized area, where the big rigs were staying. We walked into town (about a mile) for supplies and found it a charming little town. Too many empty storefronts, though.

I'm trying to remember how we discovered them. This was a couple of years ago and my memory ain't what it used to be (along with a few other things). We stayed at several in the time we spent in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa in 2023. My notes only describe the parks themselves, not how we found them. I'll ask my spouse when he gets home--maybe he remembers. if so I'll post more.

We had a similar experience in North Dakota. I was driving the speed limit (65mph) on US 85, heading toward Theodore Roosevelt National Park, when a right rear tire blew. We were driving a Pleasure-Way van and everything rattled violently. I was able to pull over on the modest shoulder in the absolute middle of nowhere--no buildings in sight in all directions and very little traffic. There were chunks of shredded tire for a quarter mile behind us. (We kept a piece as a souvenir.) Of course there was an (inadequate) bottle jack but I told my husband that under no circumstances was he allowed to try to change the tire. We were headed toward an RV park so we called the manager who recommended a tire shop. A nice young man named Derek came out with his rig, changed the tire, and followed us into town. Four tires later we were back on the road the following morning. Lesson learned: Tires "age out" before they wear out. Our tires had plenty of tread but were in some cases over 10 years old. Our van get taken out of storage every summer for a couple of months but the rest of the year it's in an open lot with a couple hundred other rigs. Granted the tires are covered and protected from the sun, but Colorado's a dry place and it takes a toll on tires. I'm not sure that covered storage would solve the problem. This was an expensive lesson, but at least we're assured that our tires are good for another 10 years. Not sure if we are (good for another 10 years, that is). But we'll keep using the van as long as possible because we love driving our little house around the country. One thing we discovered on this trip was the availability of city and county parks. Many of them have electric hookups and are much more reasonably priced than traditional RV parks. When all you need is an overnight with (or without) electricity, these are wonderful options. We found one that was the equivalent of a high-end RV park, and one where the host had planted a vegetable garden for everyone to use. Great tomatoes!

Gee, I made a lot of apple butter in a pot on the stove in my time and it didn't burn. Like any jam/jelly product, you have to stir a lot and pay attention at the end. Perhaps I was just lucky? I do like the idea of a slow cooker, though.

I'm with you. I've always started my polenta in cold water (or what other liquid you want to use) and proceeded from there. I don't recall where I first heard about the cold-water method, but it makes sense. Why struggle with slowly adding polenta to boiling water and stirring madly to avoid lumps. We like the results and it's a lot simpler.

Ooh--good one!

I find that after I wash my sikpats there seems to be a very thin layer of grease left on them. Is there some special cleaning technique that will eliminate the greasy feeling? I know they're kinda slippery to start with, but I don't think I'm getting them completely clean. Thanks--

One food I forgot to mention about Christmas food traditions--bacalao. Stores are full of it right now, including one store that brings in wood crates of bacalao from Norway. Very fragrant stuff! I love it, so instead of shrimp in the chiles rellenos on Christmas Eve I'll use bacalao. I always have some already soaked in my freezer. After this year's salt cod feast I'll have to restock. One year I bought an entire side of fish and soaked it all to put in the freezer. I realize some people don't care for it. More for me!

Christmas in Mexico has traditions that are not familiar to most of us. There are 9 days of posadas, when the neighbors parade along the street with a small creche, carrying candles and singing (tonelessly--I haven't figured out the tune if there is one) a call-and-response song about Joseph trying to find lodging for his very pregnant wife. He's turned away 3 times by surly innkeepers (the neighbors) before finally being welcomed. This is preceded by a lengthy recitation of the rosary. Then folks bring out the ponche (fruit punch that includes thin strips of sugarcane along with a variety of fruits), hand out the aguinaldos (bags of candy for the kids), and string up a pinata. We're assigned a neighbor to purchase everything for one night. Usually there's someone roaming around with a bottle of mezcal to "sweeten" the ponche. We've tried to incude mandarinas (in season now) or small jicamas, but the neighbors tell us the kids don't like it--too healthy! January 6 is when kids get their main gifts, though they get small ones at Christmas itself. There's a special cake--"rosca"--with small plastic baby Jesuses inside. Whoever gets one of those is supposed to supply tamales on Feb. 2 for Candelario. Most families eat tamales at Christmas with atole, but if there's food especially for Christmas I don't know what it is. I usually make something with fish on Christmas Eve, like chiles rellenos filled with shrimp.

Any ideas about how to separate the panettone from the wrapping?

That Netflix movie is the reason I no longer eat octopus.

When I first saw this topic I immediately thought of Giuseppe Arcimiboldo (1527-1593) who painted portraits composed entirely of fruits and vegetables (among other things).. Something of a gimmick at the time and not taken very seriously by critics, but pretty amazing. Check it out: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Arcimboldo and https://duckduckgo.com/?q=arcimboldo&atb=v321-1&iax=images&ia=images1&iax=images&ia=images The paintings "read" normally from a distance but as you get closer you realize that the cheeks of that man are apples.

My deepest sympathy, Smithy. I didn't realize you'd lost your husband. That would definitely put me off cooking, so I understand how your mojo is gone.

Boy, do I sympathize with you, Smithy. I went through something like that earlier this fall. No interest in food (much less cooking), weight loss--the whole deal. I suspect it had something to do with depression, which has never been a problem for me, and after trying some medication that didn't agree with me I decided to just "snap out of it!" Seems to have worked, though the interest in cooking has taken longer to return. I am, however, happy with my new weight. (Gives me a chance to buy new clothes!) My spouse keeps bugging me to eat more because he doesn't want me to lose more weight, but I think that won't be a problem since I'm eating more normally (i.e., meals rather than snacking). I've also become interested in sourdough, both the bread and all the wonderful things you can make from the discard. Tortillas, English muffins, crumpets, crackers, pancakes (the best)--I'm having a grand old time. So there's that, at least. I'm confident the rest will return, eventually.