Camping, Princess Style

[rotuts]

I also had weeds, and Rocks and Minerals

 

and used them all back in the Camping days.

 

I was 4 when we started hauling that pretty small trailer ....

 

can you imagine how many lives would have changed with 

 

" dinner on the campfire "  etc ?

[Smithy]

The wind died after we'd decided not to have a campfire, so we simply sat outside and watched the stars, and counted more than a dozen satellites.   Dinner afterward was our "Bedouin Fatigue Potato Salad": boiled eggs, cut and boiled potatoes, a box of Greenland Egyptian feta cheese, freshly ground cumin.  Mix, and serve hot.

 

 

When my darling was researching the Eastern Egyptian Desert and documenting Pharoanic inscriptions, he was often accompanied only by a driver and a guide, two Bedouins from the Red Sea side of the area.  It was the driver's job to drive them all to a designated wadi, set up camp, take care of meals, and break camp; the guide, a lovely old man with a wealth of knowledge, kept them on track from one location to the next.  They often stayed in one location for a couple of days while DH walked and surveyed and documented, then they'd break camp and move to the next location.

 

Some days got to be entirely too long from the crew's point of view.  My darling finally made the connection: if, at the end of the day, dinner was tea, boiled eggs, boiled potatoes (always peeled but never cut, so they were raw in the interior) and Egyptian feta cheese, he'd worked the crew too hard.

 

 

Nonetheless this is a smashingly good flavor combination, particularly if the potatoes are cut into smaller chunks so they cook evenly.  There's no need to peel.  We like to mix the lot together, serve with freshly ground cumin, and accompany it with some beverage other than tea.  In honor of drivers Selim and his occasional replacement Hussein, and guide Haj Tofiiq (bless his memory and soul), we call it Bedouin Fatigue Potato Salad.

 

 

(Don't look at the wine glass, rotuts.   )

[Porthos]

Ice eeee nothing ...

[rotuts]

re Le glass :

 

getting hotter there is it ?

 

send some to my roof ....

 

[Anna N]

Smithy

Did I miss it altogether? I thought I remembered you saying you would tell us more about that shelf stable cheese.

[Smithy]

re Le glass :

 

getting hotter there is it ?

 

send some to my roof ....

 

I personally wouldn't mind some of that snow, but it wouldn't go well with the Other Half - nor with this environment. I do remember, my first winter in Minnesota, using a snowbank to chill a bottle of bubbly. I learned that it doesn't take long at 20 below to go from warm to frozen, even under that insulating blanket of snow.

Here, the afternoon temperatures are getting into the 80's. When the afternoon sun hits the side of the trailer, the refrigerator really has to work. We're positioned to take advantage of a brake of trees but it's more of a wind brake than a sun brake.

Today the wind has been howling: the local name for it is "Santa Ana winds", where high pressure over the desert blows air down through the passes and out to sea via the L.A. Basin. The wind does wonders for the area's visibility; it also heats and dries in its downhill slide, doing no favors for area farmers. I'd estimate the wind here to be pushing 30 knots, out of the shelter of our tree brake, and in the sheltered areas still gusting over 15. Dinner will probably be an indoor cooking affair again tonight.

[Smithy]

Smithy

Did I miss it altogether? I thought I remembered you saying you would tell us more about that shelf stable cheese.

Ah! No, thanks for reminding me.

During his Egyptian research days, DH spent a week or 10 days at a time on desert expeditions with the guide and driver(s) described above. Their travels were very different from our current glamping expeditions: a quarter-ton 2 wheel-drive Toyota pickup (called a "Teeyohta" even if it was a Chevrolet or Bedford  ) carried all their provisions, tents, water and so on. There was one cooler, but no ice for it; everything had to be shelf-stable in some fashion.

We fell in love with Egyptian feta cheese, also known in some circles as Danish white cheese. It came in these sealed TetraBrik™ foil-lined boxes and needed no refrigeration. It's very salty, like most feta, but it has more the consistency of cream cheese instead of the typical crumbly texture of feta we see here at home. Much of the feta we buy here has a flavor we find distasteful, too: he describes it as tasting like a petroleum product. I don't notice it with good restaurant feta cheeses, but most of the versions I've tried from the grocery store are objectionable.

In reading the side of the box we see that these packages are labeled "Aseptic" but they also say "Keep refrigerated". It's possible that the formulation or treatment has changed since we first discovered this product, but until a couple of weeks ago I'd never seen one start growing things. I am very, very glad I discovered that box before it exploded!

The ingredient descriptions says:

White Cheese (Full Cream)

Made from fresh pasteurized milk, salt, starter culture, palm oil, microbial rennet, contains 40% fat/dry matter, 5% milk powder.

We've had the Devil's own time finding this type of boxed feta cheese in the U.S, although it is (or was then) common in Egypt under several brand names. For a while there was a Middle Eastern mail-order company out of Pennsylvania that carried it, but they seem to have gone out of business. Finally, a couple of years ago, we discovered a Middle Eastern grocery store in Tucson that carries it. Every time we pass through, we stock up. At $3/500g box it's a bargain.

[Anna N]

Thank you so much, Smithy. I have never been a fan of feta as I find it just too salty. It's not a health issue it's a taste issue nevertheless I was intrigued by the idea of a shelf-stable cheese. Next time I am in one of our Middle Eastern stores I will look out for it just to satisfy my curiosity.

[Porthos]

Here, the afternoon temperatures are getting into the 80's.

 

I ventured over to Anaheim today and around noon it was 87 F there.  Normally it is 7 degrees or more cooler that where we live in the Inland Empire. Not so much today.

 

The Tetrapaked cheese has aroused my interest.

[Smithy]

Tonight's dinner could be subtitled "How to make room in a refrigerator".

 

Tepary beans come in both a brown and white variety, and we keep both around.  They're small - about the size of lentils - and cook quickly.  I think the white beans may hydrate and cook more quickly than the browns, but that doesn't keep me from mixing and cooking them together.  This didn't vacate refrigerator space, but everything else did.

 

 

I soaked them for about 2 hours.  When it was time to begin cooking, there was half an onion and the leftover juices from citrus roasted chicken (fridge continer #1 emptied! hooray!) waiting in a pot. They were joined by a quart of beef broth I'd made from ribs a while back. (That's container #2!)

 

 

When the beans were cooked, I took an immersion blender to them and mashed them into submission.  Meanwhile, in another pot, ground beef and chorizo were browned with the other half of the onion and a chopped red bell pepper. I had intended to include some aging chopped vegetables (container #3), but forgot them. They'll probably go to the local critters.

 

The cherished sour cream had been kept past its time, so out it went (#4).  We opened a container of labne as a substitute...and a fine substitute it was.  We also had shredded cheddar cheese and green enchilada sauce lurking in the refrigerator; happily, they were not past their prime.

 

Here's dinner, just before we wrapped it up and tucked in:

 

 

This evening's sunset:

[rotuts]

Well at least some of us are having warm ( er ) weather.  10 here today

 

having solved a serious roof problem  ( 4 ft of snow, low incline, skylight in the middle , ice dams )

 

I decided I needed a Personal Beverage

 

having not planed for a M.R.  I'm having this :

 

 

its TJ's Chile Chard, ice  ( we have lots here ) in a Baccarat "Rotary" G&T glass

 

this pattern, the best they every made , is of course no longer made

 

 

So what does that have to do w Camping ?

 

I call this drink  The Smithy

 

 

Edited February 12, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[FauxPas]

Finally, a couple of years ago, we discovered a Middle Eastern grocery store in Tucson that carries it. Every time we pass through, we stock up. At $3/500g box it's a bargain.

 

Is that Babylon Market, by any chance? 

[rotuts]

Tucson, eh ?

 

that' where the trailer went then the tent for the summer.

 

Thats where i looked for the Gils's

 

a place called Sabino canyon

 

full of condo's now, maybe ?

 

nobody was ever there but Us.

 

and the Gilas.

[Smithy]

Well at least some of us are having warm ( er ) weather.  10 here today

 

having solved a serious roof problem  ( 4 ft of snow, low incline, skylight in the middle , ice dams )

 

I decided I needed a Personal Beverage

 

having not planed for a M.R.  I'm having this :

 

Smithy.jpg

 

its TJ's Chile Chard, ice  ( we have lots here ) in a Baccarat "Rotary" G&T glass

 

this pattern, the best they every made , is of course no longer made

 

 

So what does that have to do w Camping ?

 

I call this drink  The Smithy

 

 

 

and in your best Baccarat, at that!  I'm honored! 

[Smithy]

Is that Babylon Market, by any chance? 

 

Yes, that's it.  Do you shop there? I'm planning to post photos this time around, if the owners don't mind.

[Porthos]

Yes, that's it.  Do you shop there? I'm planning to post photos this time around, if the owners don't mind.

 

Hopefully they will see the value of free "advertising" in letting you put the word out.

[Smithy]

The wind died yesterday evening in time for a campfire, and we opted for a simple dinner.

 

 

The elements: Farmers John's Louisiana style hot sausages (2 regular, 2 smoked chicken), asparagus tossed with olive oil, and a parsley/garlic/oil sauce I've had hanging around.

 

 

As usual, the tailgate was the staging area.  (No ice in the wine tonight, rotuts. )

 

 

It's good to have a variety of grill baskets available; some can be flipped; some are more designed for tossing and shaking the contents.

 

 

Now that we've had truly flamed tube steaks, there may be no going back to cooking them indoors, unless they're cooked as bits in something else. Those browned skins really enhance the flavors! (Cue readers saying "well, DUH!"   ) The parsley sauce went over the asparagus in the bowl before we dished onto our plates. Simple cooking, simple cleanup.  Yum.

 

 

 

[FauxPas]

Yes, that's it.  Do you shop there? I'm planning to post photos this time around, if the owners don't mind.

 

I'm not a regular, by any means, but I have been there a few times. I bught some Freekeh and sumac there recently. The restaurant section seems like a popular lunch spot and the food looks good - we keep meaning to have lunch there. I'm impressed with their ability to fit so many things into such a small grocery area. 

[Smithy]

I'm not a regular, by any means, but I have been there a few times. I bught some Freekeh and sumac there recently. The restaurant section seems like a popular lunch spot and the food looks good - we keep meaning to have lunch there. I'm impressed with their ability to fit so many things into such a small grocery area. 

We schedule our errand day so that we arrive at Babylon Market around lunch time.  We've liked their falafel sandwiches; I liked their shawarma, dolmas and tabbouli also.  They do manage to pack a lot into the shop aisles, yet it doesn't seem as crazily cramped as a supermarket I visited recently where the aisles were too narrow for two carts to pass comfortably.  Perhaps it's because Babylon makes no pretense of being able to accommodate standard-size carts.

[Smithy]

One challenge of boondocking - that's the RV slang for dispersed camping with no formal street address - is getting packages.  US Postal Service (General Delivery) is easy; UPS is not.  I finally found a nearby place to which a UPS package could be delivered, and was able to indulge in an order for a digital oven thermometer.  Today, delivery day, I spent time waiting at the appointed place for the UPS delivery truck to arrive. The entertainment was a small museum, with an attached shop, and I found this treasure:

 

 

It isn't practical in the trailer, but it's a nice break (only a figure of speech, I hope) from our melamine.

 

 

A lunch treat ensued. 

 

 

I am a sucker for ice cream with a nice, crisp coating of chocolate!

 

Dinner tonight was campfire chicken and asparagus doused in a citrus vinaigrette.  Good flavors, unfortunate photo.  

[Anna N]

Love that plate and haven't had a Klondike in eons. So much nicer than the ice cream sandwiches with the soggy cookies.

[cyalexa]

We schedule our errand day so that we arrive at Babylon Market around lunch time.  We've liked their falafel sandwiches; I liked their shawarma, dolmas and tabbouli also.  They do manage to pack a lot into the shop aisles, yet it doesn't seem as crazily cramped as a supermarket I visited recently where the aisles were too narrow for two carts to pass comfortably.  Perhaps it's because Babylon makes no pretense of being able to accommodate standard-size carts.

I am driving to Phoenix soon and just may be in that area at lunch time on my way into town! 

 

 

UPS Klondike in progress.jpg

 

The plates are beautiful but the best part about this post is the look on the dog's face!

[Smithy]

Who else owns or has seen this nifty gadget?  I give you the Swizzz Prozzz™, or - as I like to call it, the Swizzz Whizzz.

 

 

This little hand-powered food chopper is a life saver when it comes to spin-drying small quantities of herbs, chopping said herbs, mixing batches of pesto or dips, or mixing sauces.  I haven't tried whipping cream with it, but I think it would work.

 

It comes with a removable spinner basket, a very sharp double chopping blade, a mixing paddle, and a small spatula.  The bowl has a non-skid base.

 

The action happens when you pull the handle. (He keeps saying, "pull harder! the motor didn't quite catch!") It doesn't spin freely, but a good retraction spring allows for quick repetition.

 

It makes short work of chopping a lot of garlic: these 8 cloves went from whole...

 

...to coarsely chopped in 5 pulls...

 

 

...to finely chopped in 8 pulls, if I remember correctly.

 

 

Everything except the lid is dishwasher safe, although that isn't a factor in the trailer.  The instructions say the lid must not be submerged.  I'm not sure how much splashing it can take, so I'm careful about how much free liquid I add.

 

 

I particularly like the fact that it's an effective tool that requires no electricity.  Sure, we have appliances aboard...but with this, I need not start the generator.

 

Its only possible drawback is size: the maximum quantity is 2 cups.  One large bunch of parsley leaves yesterday had to be split into 2 batches to get an even chop.  Still, it lightened the workload of making tabbouli.

 

 

Campfire hash again tonight, which you've already seen.  

 

 

The remarkable thing is that tonight, for the first time, my darling noted that it never comes out the way he wishes, and never has, whether he makes it or I do.  (This has always been one of his favorite meals.  I learned it from him.)  He wants crispy potatoes in this hash, but he doesn't want a lot of oil.  He wants it all done in one pan (potatoes, onions, meat).  Is this even possible?  How would one go about it without doing the ingredients in batches to avoid crowding the pan?

[Porthos]

  How would one go about it without doing the ingredients in batches to avoid crowding the pan?

 

I'm not sure if it can be done "easily" campfire style. The best I can think of is cooking the sausage first, pulling it out and trying to keep it warm while the cooking up the potatoes and onions, then adding the sausage back in at the end, mixing in the pan and serving. What I am suggesting seems to be the opposite of what one-pot campfire cooking should be ...

 

Do you do cubed potatoes for the hash?

[Anna N]

I can't imagine how you could get crispy potatoes if you are cooking onions and meat along with them. I have no advice on how to accomplish that.

My way of dealing with a similar dish is to cook the onions until just shy of where I'd like them to be, removing them to a dish, adding a little more oil to the pan then adding the potatoes and leaving them alone until they have an nice crust on them, flipping them a couple of times to put a crust on as many surfaces as possible before removing them and adding them to the onions. Removing or adding oil as seems appropriate before cooking the meat. Finally I would return the potatoes and onions to the pan to heat through.

This really does not solve your problem or answer your question but it works for me.