Camping, Princess Style

[suzilightning]

On ‎11‎/‎23‎/‎2017 at 3:02 PM, Kim Shook said:

This.  The heat doesn't go above 65 degrees in my house unless we are entertaining babies or old folks.

 

There are only SO many clothes you CAN take off.......but you can always put more on.

[Smithy]

 

1 minute ago, suzilightning said:

There are only SO many clothes you CAN take off.......but you can always put more on.

 

So I keep saying.  My darling, however, is a true desert rat.  You'd think we'd have figured out our differences before we got married....

 

We moved on to Tucson.  Ah, Tucson!  When Barbara Kingsolver and her family moved from Tucson to a farm in Virginia and then wrote about the experience in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, she described Tucson (I paraphrase) as a food desert and utterly artificial way of living.  I don't know whether her opinion has changed, but from what we see when we visit there's a thriving local-food scene and a growing movement for environmental awareness.  Farmers' Markets abound. Magazines such as Edible Baja Arizona celebrate and encourage the growing Southwestern food tradition and the small artisan operations.  I should note that they do not exclusively discuss locally-produced food and wares; they featured the Babylon Market a few years ago.  That shop specializes in Middle Eastern foods, with plenty of imports, and is one of our routine stops when we stay in Tucson.

 

We stopped and shopped at the Babylon Market one day, but bought less than usual because we still have stock left from last spring. That's all right, though: we made up for it elsewhere.  Spoiler alert: @FauxPas is a world-class enabler and an excellent guide. 

[suzilightning]

23 hours ago, Smithy said:

I caught them just before closing, and I hope that's the reason it was empty except for me.  I suspect most of the town rolls up between 6 and 7 p.m

Uh....was that a Wednesday?  If so it was time for church

 

El Paso... San Antonio.....same view different place.....  ever see how you know a native Texan driver as he gets into the left lane with his truck and kinda herds the slower "cattle"(car) on?

 

[Smithy]

It's taken us at least 3 passes through Tucson, but @FauxPas and I and our spouses finally managed to connect! We had a lively behind-the-scenes correspondence, in which she clued me in to more culinary opportunities than could be squeezed into our visit.  Next time we go through I'll be better organized to take advantage of the Farmers' Markets. In addition, the Food Truck scene is intriguing.  We found an evening and a set of culinary opportunities that worked for everyone.  FauxPas and I were all hot to try Molecular Munchies (sorry, the link goes to a Facebook page) for its Modernist techniques and locally-sourced burgers.  My darling isn't tuned into modernist food, but he's never met a burger or a beer he didn't like. Molecular Munchies was going to be parked at the AZ Beer House with its dozens of taps and even more bottles.  I don't know whether any of it particularly sang to Mr. FauxPas, but he was happy to be the Chauffeur and Designated Driver, and partake of the food truck's wares.

 

They picked us up at the park, and away we went - farther east in Tucson than we generally go, chatting merrily the while.  Eventually we found the place - let's hear it for Google Maps - and found a parking spot.  As it turns out, the AZ Beer House is not a brew pub, but rather a newly-renovated (and not quite finished with its renovation) former auto shop with a massive variety of beers, ciders, spritzers, sodas and so on. 

 

 

This is the sort of place where people can just hang out visiting, sipping their drinks, reading their e-books.  Some patrons had (quiet, well-behaved) dogs with them. Children sat at tables playing board games.  We chose a table near one of the doors - those roll-up doors that once allowed vehicles to come in or leave a maintenance stall.  We chose that spot partly to be near a door, but mostly because the door was near the Molecular Munchies truck.  We went to the bar and made our purchases, then sat and visited, and pondered the food truck menu.

 

 

I loved the little note in blue at the bottom of that chalkboard.  It's faint, so I'll repeat it here: 

Quote

Fact:

"Hangover" in Norwegian is translated to "carpenters in the head"

 

 

 

The burgers are cooked sous vide, then finished at the truck.  The brioche buns are made by their company also, and were soft and delicious.  We each chose a different setup of ingredients: condiments, fries vs. onion rings, and so on.

 

 

 

FauxPas and I opted for Sriracha Slices to be added to ours. Its stiff jelly consistency was interesting.  As I recall, it packed a sneaky wallop: not very noticeable in the sandwich at first, but then the heat burst in.  I liked it. I liked my burger, too - and the onion rings, and the fries. 

 

 

I also ordered deep-fried mushrooms in a Kilt Lifter batter.  Those were very good, and have turned me on to a new Arizona ale. 

 

 

I don't know how widely Kilt Lifter is distributed, but I've found it in a few Arizona places since then and hope to continue finding it.  I'm anxious to try using it in a beer batter here at 'home'.

 

 

The last treat of the meal was carbonated grapes.  Makes me want to go buy a carbonater now!

 

 

They took us home, much later than I think they'd intended to be out.  We had a grand time and were glad to have such good guides, and have someone else negotiate the traffic after dark.  FauxPas gave me a book from a local chef that I've been enjoying; I'll write more about it later. 

 

[Porthos]

Great link. Thanks.

 

In the 50s that was a typical mobile home - when mobile homes weren't "manufactured housing" but meant to be moved when you wanted to pull up stakes and settle somewhere else. My dad had close friends that owned one of that size that I was in as a kid. They even had a spinet Hammond organ in it.

[Shelby]

Awwwww that looks SO FUN!  There is nothing  like that place around here.  I'm extremely jealous.

 

And, yeah, carbonated grapes???  I'm in.

[Smithy]

3 minutes ago, Porthos said:

Great link. Thanks.

 

In the 50s that was a typical mobile home - when mobile homes weren't "manufactured housing" but meant to be moved when you wanted to pull up stakes and settle somewhere else. My dad had close friends that owned one of that size that I was in as a kid. They even had a spinet Hammond organ in it.

 

Do you know if it was wider than the typical 8' width of a vehicle?  I don't see how it could have been, back then, but it makes me wonder given the spacious appearance.

[FauxPas]

@Smithy, we had a wonderful time meeting you two AND all your four-legged companions! Your cats are lovely, PJ is an adorable puppy! I hope we have more time next time, so many things to chat about and not nearly enough time to cover them all. And there are many great places to eat and drink in Tucson, the hard part is narrowing the choices down. It was great fun to actually visit the Princess Mobile and a real pleasure to meet the folks who travel in her! 

[Porthos]

6 hours ago, rotuts said:

I enjoyed this link

 

https://doyouremember.com/50170/campers-interior-remains-untouched-since-1953-awesome?utm_source=AOL&utm_medium=link

 

and thought of this thread.

 

While doing a little research I found this link that appears to be the story of  this particular trailer: 1953 Vagabond Trailer – Model 35.

[Smithy]

I mentioned that FauxPas had given me a copy of this book that she'd picked up at a used bookstore:

 

 

Ryan Clark is a local (Tucson) chef whose training took him away from Tucson and eventually brought him home.  He has a fun, easy-going writing style and inventive recipes that encourage one to "play with your food!" and to play with flavors and substitutions to match your own preferences.  (He doesn't say that in the baking section.  There, he includes comments like 'allow 10 minutes to cool, if you can'. )

 

The book includes recipes that don't seem terribly unusual but look like good renditions (roasted red pepper hummus; Meyer lemon curd for seared scallops); distinctly Southwestern takes on food (Chorizo roasted pork belly, smoked salmon croquettes with chipotle aioli); downright unusual ingredients (rattlesnake hushpuppies with orange pepper jelly).  A fair number of recipes take advantage of modernist equipment, and the beginning of the book introduces and encourages sous vide, handheld smokers and cream whippers such as the iSI.  However, this book is plenty accessible even without that equipment.

 

I had a pot of chickpeas simmering on the stove as I perused the book. Chickpeas are very useful, I think, when one is looking for easy and cool food. By the way - if you haven't yet found a good way to prevent boilover from a simmering pot, consider investing in something like this Kuhn Rikon Kochblume spill stopper lid.  Works like a charm.

 

 

I decided that part of the batch of chickpeas would become roasted red pepper hummus, more or less along the lines of his recipe, except that I started with roasted jarred red peppers and freshly cooked chickpeas.  I had cubes of lemon juice in the freezer; one came out to thaw.

 

 

This is good stuff.  We've been snacking on it and I doubt it will last long, but with more chickpeas to go and that jar of roasted red peppers not finished it will be easy to make more.  Breakfast this morning was avocado and that hummus on a warmed tortilla.  

 

 

I succeeded in wrapping the darned thing tightly enough to make a proper, nondrippy burrito, but was so excited I ate it before remembering to document the feat with a picture. 

[Smithy]

Seen on the road to the grocery store: a 3D English version of the Chick-Fil-A billboard. I am easily amused.

 

Seen in the grocery store: a labeler who didn't understand punctuation, or spelling?  I was even more amused.

 

 

Seen outside in the parking lot.  It isn't every day you see a palmetto growing in the bottom of the stormwater collection system. The bottom half of this photo, shot between two grate bars, is quite dark - but I had the camera as close as I dared bring it, for fear of dropping it through the grate.

 

[ElsieD]

54 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

 

 

 

 

All you need is a comma after "pork".

[rotuts]

nice

 

Im wondering about the Fry's logo

 

I grew up in the SF bay area

 

quite some time ago

 

there was a Fry's  with that same Logo and font if you will

 

it was a big electronic store

 

if you turned Right going in 

 

you got chips  ( electronic ) and all sort so computer boards and wires and all that stuff

 

i you turned Left

 

you got fully made computers and big TV etec

 

no food

 

same logo.

[Smithy]

 

8 hours ago, rotuts said:

nice

 

Im wondering about the Fry's logo

 

I grew up in the SF bay area

 

quite some time ago

 

there was a Fry's  with that same Logo and font if you will

 

it was a big electronic store

 

if you turned Right going in 

 

you got chips  ( electronic ) and all sort so computer boards and wires and all that stuff

 

i you turned Left

 

you got fully made computers and big TV etec

 

no food

 

same logo.

 

Interesting! I wonder if there is some sort of connection.  This grocery chain is in Arizona (multiple places) and I think I've run across it in other states.  Maybe some retail historian will pop up with a link between the two.

Edited November 29, 2017 by Smithy
Removed misplaced text (log)

[rotuts]

the logo is very distinctive.

[Smithy]

I first discovered Mimbreño dinnerware last April, during a trip through New Mexico. This enchanting dinnerware was originally designed for and used by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad on their passenger trains, in the days when the Fred Harvey Company was running their food service. The designs are based on artwork of the ancient tribes from Mimbres Valley.  There's a more thorough writeup on it here, but I have to give credit/blame to @FauxPas for alerting me to the existence of a Tucson pottery place that now makes it.  They even have sales!

 

We took a trip one day to the factory.  H.F. Coors (established by the younger son of Adolph Coors) is an intriguing place, starting with the old pottery-making equipment out front.

 

The factory is clearly quite large, but the shop is compact and densely stocked.

 

 

H.F. Coors makes much more china than the Mimbreño pattern with which I was so taken.  While I've been drooling online over the stuff I've spotted a couple of other patterns that I also liked, one of which is a close match to some of my serving dishes at home.  I went to the shop for one platter - but - well, maybe I knew I was going to go away with two.

 

 

The smaller one, on the right, is part of the Mimbreño pattern set and is for the trailer.  The Mimbreño set has an intriguing variety of patterns: interesting birds, fishes, geometric patterns.  (The full lineup is here.)  I'd love to acquire place settings of this china for the trailer.  It's quite sturdy - according to this article, one sales person used to throw it on the floor to demonstrate how it doesn't readily break.  The china is also oven- and microwave-safe, and they claim it can go from the refrigerator to the oven to the table without trouble.  Despite its attractiveness and utility I decided I'd done my bank account enough damage for one day.  Besides, we really are already well equipped with dishes.  A serving platter: okay; service for 4 - well, probably not.  At least not all at once.  

 

They sell factory tours, and I hope we'll be able to schedule one sometime.  The kicker is that the minimum group size is 5, and it can only happen, by appointment, on Tuesdays.  It will take some coordinating to make it happen.

 

My darling, knowing how taken I had been with the stuff, made a surprise return visit the next day and bought me an early Christmas present. 

 

 

[FauxPas]

2 hours ago, rotuts said:

nice

 

Im wondering about the Fry's logo

 

I grew up in the SF bay area

 

quite some time ago

 

there was a Fry's  with that same Logo and font if you will

 

it was a big electronic store

 

if you turned Right going in 

 

you got chips  ( electronic ) and all sort so computer boards and wires and all that stuff

 

i you turned Left

 

you got fully made computers and big TV etec

 

no food

 

same logo.

 

From Wikipedia: 

 

In 1972, Charles Fry sold the Fry's Supermarkets chain based in California for US$14 million to Save Mart Supermarkets. He gave a portion of the proceeds, approximately $1 million, to each of his sons, John, W. Randolph (who goes by the nickname "Randy") and David, neither of whom had much interest in grocery store retailing.^[3][4] Instead, in 1985, they joined together with a fourth partner, John's former girlfriend Kathryn Kolder, to open the first Fry's Electronics store at a 20,000 sq ft (1,900 m²) site in Sunnyvale, California.^[5] Today, Fry's Food and Drug stores are owned and operated by Kroger and are not affiliated with Fry's Electronics, although they share an almost identical logo.^[6]

[FauxPas]

1 hour ago, Smithy said:

The smaller one, on the right, is part of the Mimbreño pattern set and is for the trailer.  The Mimbreño set has an intriguing variety of patterns: interesting birds, fishes, geometric patterns.

 

As you know, I love the Mimbreño stuff also! I love your platter, I bought my husband the same fishes design on a mug, as he is a Pisces. And then bought four or five more mugs in that line! They are my fave mugs, nice and big. Is yours the larger 15 oz size? 

 

I bought a set of dishes at HF Coors at the "First Saturday" sale once. They are the Ahwahnee design, made for the famous hotel of the same name in Yosemite. Well, it's not called that anymore, because of a trademark issue, it's now the Majestic Yosemite: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahwahnee_Hotel

 

The First Saturday sale includes seconds, discontinued and overstock items and includes items made for various restaurants in Tucson and beyond. I paid around $25 for a set of eight dinner plates, six salad plates, six soup bowls and then various butter chip dishes and small platters. And they have the famous Ahwahnee design:

 

 

Most of the dishes I bought are barely 'seconds', with only tiny imperfections. The problem I have with them is that the dinner plates are oversized and bulky and don't fit well in my dishwasher at all, so I rarely use them. But I still recognize them as a great deal and a bit of history. I wonder if the hotel still uses any of this line? 

 

@Smithy, if you go to the First Saturday sale, it is held in the factory area so you get an idea of the size and scope of their production. However, it's not the same as an actual factory tour. (I've never done the tour, and would be interested.)

 

Also, really pleased that you found something interesting in that cookbook! They hummus looks delicious! 

 

 

 

[kayb]

3 hours ago, Smithy said:

I first discovered Mimbreño dinnerware last April, during a trip through New Mexico. This enchanting dinnerware was originally designed for and used by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad on their passenger trains, in the days when the Fred Harvey Company was running their food service. The designs are based on artwork of the ancient tribes from Mimbres Valley.  There's a more thorough writeup on it here, but I have to give credit/blame to @FauxPas for alerting me to the existence of a Tucson pottery place that now makes it.  They even have sales!

 

We took a trip one day to the factory.  H.F. Coors (established by the younger son of Adolph Coors) is an intriguing place, starting with the old pottery-making equipment out front.

 

The factory is clearly quite large, but the shop is compact and densely stocked.

 

 

H.F. Coors makes much more china than the Mimbreño pattern with which I was so taken.  While I've been drooling online over the stuff I've spotted a couple of other patterns that I also liked, one of which is a close match to some of my serving dishes at home.  I went to the shop for one platter - but - well, maybe I knew I was going to go away with two.

 

 

The smaller one, on the right, is part of the Mimbreño pattern set and is for the trailer.  The Mimbreño set has an intriguing variety of patterns: interesting birds, fishes, geometric patterns.  (The full lineup is here.)  I'd love to acquire place settings of this china for the trailer.  It's quite sturdy - according to this article, one sales person used to throw it on the floor to demonstrate how it doesn't readily break.  The china is also oven- and microwave-safe, and they claim it can go from the refrigerator to the oven to the table without trouble.  Despite its attractiveness and utility I decided I'd done my bank account enough damage for one day.  Besides, we really are already well equipped with dishes.  A serving platter: okay; service for 4 - well, probably not.  At least not all at once.  

 

They sell factory tours, and I hope we'll be able to schedule one sometime.  The kicker is that the minimum group size is 5, and it can only happen, by appointment, on Tuesdays.  It will take some coordinating to make it happen.

 

My darling, knowing how taken I had been with the stuff, made a surprise return visit the next day and bought me an early Christmas present. 

 

 

 

Not familiar with the dinnerware, but I love it! I could be dangerous there. And it was made for MY railroad (my maiden name was Atchison, so I figure I'm at least some kin to the railroad baron of old).

[Porthos]

On 11/26/2017 at 12:23 PM, Smithy said:

 

Do you know if it was wider than the typical 8' width of a vehicle?  I don't see how it could have been, back then, but it makes me wonder given the spacious appearance.

 

What information I can find says it was 8' wide.

 

[Porthos]

8 hours ago, rotuts said:

nice

 

Im wondering about the Fry's logo

 

I grew up in the SF bay area

 

quite some time ago

 

there was a Fry's  with that same Logo and font if you will

 

it was a big electronic store

 

 

 

The electronics et al stores by that name in our area are Frye's. I wonder if corporate evolution comes into play.

 

Apparently I can't read anymore. Sad because I have shopped there.

Edited November 29, 2017 by Porthos (log)

[Shelby]

Love love love those dishes.  

 

Ronnie's dad worked for the railroad for a long time.  I will have to tell his mom about these and see if she remembers anything about them.

[Smithy]

17 hours ago, FauxPas said:

I bought a set of dishes at HF Coors at the "First Saturday" sale once. They are the Ahwahnee design, made for the famous hotel of the same name in Yosemite. Well, it's not called that anymore, because of a trademark issue, it's now the Majestic Yosemite: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahwahnee_Hotel

 

The First Saturday sale includes seconds, discontinued and overstock items and includes items made for various restaurants in Tucson and beyond. I paid around $25 for a set of eight dinner plates, six salad plates, six soup bowls and then various butter chip dishes and small platters. And they have the famous Ahwahnee design:

 

 

Most of the dishes I bought are barely 'seconds', with only tiny imperfections. The problem I have with them is that the dinner plates are oversized and bulky and don't fit well in my dishwasher at all, so I rarely use them. But I still recognize them as a great deal and a bit of history. I wonder if the hotel still uses any of this line? 

 

That is a heck of a deal, and I wouldn't have wanted to resist that!  Maybe I can manage a first-Saturday sale event sometime.  I'd probably find myself changing out the dinnerware!  (Yes, my mug is that same almost-a-pint size.)

 

Interesting that the Ahwanee dishes are so large and heavy, but at that lodge I can see how it would fit and I too would find that bit of history irresistable. I don't know whether they still use that line. My cousin and his wife used to go to their Christmas dinner - a wonderful luxury, from what they told me - but they haven't gone in years and wouldn't be able to shed light on it.  Maybe someone else knows whether the china changed when the name changed?

 

For those who might like to know more about the history of the Ahwahnee / Majestic Yosemite Hotel and see some gorgeous architecture, Smithsonian Magazine discusses its history and various refurbishments.  On a less sunny note, The New York Times posted an eye-opening opinion piece that uses the name change to the Majestic Yosemite Hotel as a springboard to discuss other names assigned to this and other parks.  The issues raised are unrelated to food, restaurants or other topics within the scope of these forums, so I won't try to post a link.  If anyone wants to read some sordid history, go look for "Goodbye, Yosemite.  Hello, What?" on the NYT's web site.

 

We finished the main part of the Thanksgiving prime rib last night, this being our third meal from it.  The ribs remain for another time.  I tried the Hasselback Potato Gratin again, with some changes: larger slices, Yukon Gold potatoes instead of russets, considerably more seasoning and cheese, a bit longer cook time. It was better. I liked the way it came out of the baking dish in distinct potato slices, probably because they aren't as starchy as russets. There was way too much of the cream/cheese mixture, so I have the remainder in the refrigerator.  I have an idea about using it in the next couple of days.

 

 

When we went to town a couple of days ago for groceries, I scored a bag of small Bartlett pears.  I usually ignore pears in the store; all too often they are mealy and insipid disappointments.  This bag looked good....

 

 

...and the first one, at least is the quintessence of pearness: juicy, flavorful, firm without being woody.  I tried half of it over my yoghurt, but think it's better on its own.

 

 

It's a grey day today: overcast, with a bit of wind, and blessedly cool.  I think it's supposed to get up into the 70's today.  That makes one of us happy!  I think I'll be able to bake bread. I have work to do also, but may be able to post more about Tucson later today.

[FauxPas]

2 hours ago, Smithy said:

On a less sunny note, The New York Times posted an eye-opening opinion piece that uses the name change to the Majestic Yosemite Hotel as a springboard to discuss other names assigned to this and other parks.  The issues raised are unrelated to food, restaurants or other topics within the scope of these forums, so I won't try to post a link.  If anyone wants to read some sordid history, go look for "Goodbye, Yosemite.  Hello, What?" on the NYT's web site.

 

Well, they do talk about the burgers, ha. 

 

I had read this article. Using an Indian name doesn't mean using it in a real or respectful manner, that is all too true. And there's a lot of shameful history with some of this stuff. 

Edited November 29, 2017 by FauxPas (log)

[Smithy]

Tucson, part the nth:

 

Thanks to FauxPas, we've discovered another expensive and tempting food store: Dickman's Meat and Deli.  There are actually two of these shops now.  The original, near downtown, was quite close to our normal route on our big day of shopping; however, thanks to the vaguaries of my internet search we didn't discover that until we were a few blocks past the store in question.  Rather than backtrack a mile we went to the other one...about 15 miles away.  Well, we'd never been up Oracle Road before, and saw new areas.  At last, we arrived - having taken one false turn and having to do a U-Turn in the approach to the Oracle parking ramp.

 

 

It's an old-fashioned meat market with knowledgeable butchers and a well-stocked meat counter.  The proprietor seems to be a displaced Wisconsonite, judging by the Green Bay Packers memorabilia festooning the walls.

 

 

We perused their meat counter for a prime rib and didn't see any.  Other meats looked good - there are two propriety cuts that aroused my curiosity - but we were hoping to get a prime-grade prime rib for Thanksgiving. I have to give their salespeople credit for hustle: one overheard us marveling at the lack of prime rib as we wandered the aisles of preserves and condiments, and he said "Oh, we have them, but we custom cut them.  How much were you looking for?" Before we knew it he was off cutting, without our having had a chance to look the meat over or check its price.

 

We looked at the freezers while we waited.  They have an astonishing array of game, seafood and exotic meat. Here's a small sample:

 

They also have a deli.  We ordered Italian sub sandwiches and ate them there while we took the place in.  In the interest of balanced reporting I'll note that my darling (who was hangry before we ever arrived, thanks in part to the unexpected and unreasonably long drive) thought his was just so-so.  I thought mine was delicious:  juicy meats, good bread, and a nice touch of Italian dressing. 

 

 

I, on the other hand, didn't much like their pasta salad, and my darling happily scarfed down both our servings.  Of such balance is a marriage made.

 

I really wanted to pick up a few packages of frozen meats - it's been ages since I could find duck or rabbit - but the prime rib foreclosed on that idea.  I hope, by the time we head back, there will be room in the trailer and the budget.