Camping, Princess Style

[Anna N]

54 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

  Smoked turkey tails?  I need to get out more.

Had to look these up and got a whole education in food in different cultures. Wow!  Who knew?  

[heidih]

4 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Had to look these up and got a whole education in food in different cultures. Wow!  Who knew?  

 

They. along with smoked necks,  have been marketed to our local Southern Black diaspora  for a long time. Hello greens.

[Smithy]

I found a street fair / farmer's market in downtown (Old Historic) Yuma! I don't know yet whether it's a weekly thing. I was there for another purpose, but pleased at the find.

 

 

I took time to check out a couple of stands. I got lunch here: a nice little pork taco ($2) and a huge cup of lemonade (another $2). I should have gotten a photo of the beguiling activity at the griddle. The meat was slapped on, and as it started to cook she chopped it, added vegetables to the mix, and kept chopping, scraping and stirring. It was the unconscious showmanship of well-practiced action.

 

 

Across the way was a corn roasting stand. He had quite a few seasonings to add after the corn had been roasted and husked. He looked as lonely and forlorn as the Maytag Man so I went to check it out. No, business was not good and he might be heading for home next week. "I don't understand it," he said, "these sell like hotcakes back home in Alaska." I didn't have any ideas either. As it happened the batch he had going wouldn't be ready for a few minutes and I couldn't wait. I bought 4 ears of uncooked corn from him, figuring we could have it with dinner. They felt like good, heavy ears.

 

 

I went to the Post Office, and a man outside sold me a bag of hot beef tamales. So much for our original dinner plans! But I got back to the Princessmobile with dinner well in hand. Or so I thought.

 

 

I am learning that tamales are very much a grab-bag, surprise sort of meal unless you know their provenance. You never know until you've opened one just how much filling there is compared to the masa coating, and what the filling is like. These were mostly masa and in serious need of gussying-up, but by the time we figured it out it was too late to do much about it. I had another for lunch today, gussied up. Behold the original and final rendition!

 

 

The corn was great, though: plump kernels and good flavor. We'll have the other two tonight.

[Captain]

I Sooo want to try Tomales. But sadly I'm on the other side of the planet.

I will atempt to make them myself one day if I can get my hands on some Masa Harina.

 

[Smithy]

We're having some stressful times involving mechanical and medical issues. Last night I was all set to make ceviche, something I've been wanting since Christmas. My darling flinched. He likes ceviche when I make it, but he has some sort of mental block against the idea. "Can't you make Shrimp Bolivar instead?" he asked. He really wanted comfort food. I admit it was good, and hearty, but didn't scratch my ceviche itch. There's more shrimp in the freezer. I'll ambush him with it after our woes are resolved.

 

This morning, it was MY comfort-food breakfast.

 

 

 

[Smithy]

Pomegranates bamboozle me. I love the idea and flavor of pomegranates, and simply can't resist them when they're plump and red in the grocery store. Then they sit in the basket and age and shrivel while I ponder the workload of getting those pips out. Funny thing is, it isn't really difficult or even time-consuming. It's simply one of those chores that seems huge until I go at it. This morning, I decided to take the easy way out and have pomegranate juice with breakfast.

 

 

Delicious! Even better than cream cheese and avocado! I think I'll have to buy more pomegranates, if there are any to be had. 

[heidih]

I am sure your know the under water method is a breeze. I never get them on our trees anymore cuz of critter theft! As kids our favorite stand at the Farmers Market was juice and we always got a little cup of pom. So intense and vibrant.  Does stain a bit when you stumble  https://www.farmersmarketla.com/

[Smithy]

50 minutes ago, heidih said:

I am sure your know the under water method is a breeze. I never get them on our trees anymore cuz of critter theft! As kids our favorite stand at the Farmers Market was juice and we always got a little cup of pom. So intense and vibrant.  Does stain a bit when you stumble  https://www.farmersmarketla.com/

 

I wish I had appreciated farmer's markets when I lived in the L.A. area. I don't think I ever went there. I lived in Azusa and thought nothing of driving to Westwood or Hollywood to see a movie in a really good theater, so the market would have been an easy drive for me. Oh well...too soon old  no longer young, too late smart.

 

[blue_dolphin]

6 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

I wish I had appreciated farmer's markets when I lived in the L.A. area. I don't think I ever went there. I lived in Azusa and thought nothing of driving to Westwood or Hollywood to see a movie in a really good theater, so the market would have been an easy drive for me. Oh well...too soon old  no longer young, too late smart.

 

 

If you never visited the Los Angeles Farmers Market that @heidih linked to, you did miss out on a gem.  Depending on when you lived Azusa, you may or may not have missed out on others.  There were always lots of farmstands around but the California Certified Farmers' Markets that are now widespread weren't established until 1978, when the Direct Marketing Act enabled farmers to sell their own produce directly to consumers.  The first Los Angeles County farmers market under the CCFM umbrella consisted of four farmers in the parking lot of a church in Gardena in 1979.  I was living in Santa Monica in 1981 when that city started its Wednesday market in the downtown area and there was quite a bit of resistance on the part of local merchants who were concerned about access to their shops being blocked.  Very different today, of course. 

 

Dates above from the City of Santa Monica website

 

[heidih]

Where else would I get great duck and pheasant and incredible macaroons (the coconut ones) And then hit LACMA  - couple blocks away

[Smithy]

A few years ago I spent most of the summer in Visalia, roughly 200 miles north of the L.A. Basin. A couple of farmers' markets had been established there, and my sister and I gloried in the offerings. We were surprised that some of the materials sold (produce, canned goods, etc) were coming up from someone who also sells at the Santa Monica Farmers' Market. Yet more vendors were coming all the way from the San Francisco Bay area, and from Reno. By that time I was listening to KCRW's Good Food on an intermittent basis, and so it was a delight to see a few of the goodies I heard about making it all the way up into the Valley.

 

I spent 4 years in Claremont and another 4 in Azusa, watching the orange groves that had so comforted me (reminding me of home) disappear during that time. I'm sure my perception was that there was no agriculture any longer in the L.A. Basin. I was gone by the time the Santa Monica market started.

[Smithy]

We finished the last of the tamales just now. As noted before, they needed help. My darling would have been happy for me to throw them away, but he was game to try the modification. I loaded them into a baking dish and chopped them into chunks, added about a cup of our salsa, topped with cheese, and let it all bake in the oven until it was warm. We added our own refinements at the table: more salsa, some chopped parsley and cilantro; I also added black olives and sour cream. 

 

 

With some crisp, crunchy, delightfully salty Santitas corn chips, it was a fine meal. I still don't think I'll buy that guy's tamales again, though.

[ElsieD]

I finally made the jalapeno poppers yesterday.  I cooked up 6 pieces of bacon after which they were chopped and mixed in with the cheese.  The cheese was a bit of an odd assortment - cream cheese, old cheddar and some Garlic and Fine Herbs Boursin.  I toasted panko crumbs in a bit of bacon fat and topped the poppers.  Baked @350F for about 20 minutes.  Tasty little devils.  I have some of the cheese stuffing left and I think I'll mixed some dried jalapeno bits with it, spread it on a toasted English muffin and broil it until the cheese melts.

[Smithy]

We've had to relocate back to the Salton Sea for a few days so the generator repairs can be redone by the folks who didn't quite finish the job(!) the first time. The lake always puts on a show, so it hasn't been too bad being back here except for the inconvenience. Last night there was quite a sunset show.

 

 

Here's what we saw last night, and this morning. What a weather change! That's more or less the same view, but the mist and dust blocked the view of the opposite shore. It was blowing a good 20 - 30 knots most of the day.

 

 

The Princessmobile shook and rocked in the wind - not enough that we worried about being blown over, but enough that we closed the tailgate to stop the draft. I'd have been game to cook the jalapeno poppers and call it dinner, but with the sudden drop in temperature my darling decided he wanted chili. We've been carrying the cans around since we left home. We bought burger yesterday on a road trip.

 

I don't particularly like frying food in the house or trailer, because the smell lingers for days and the grease gets everywhere. I'd have made an exception today, given the weather, but he decided to haul out the camp stove and set it up on our deck to fry the burger. The rest of the chili was made inside. It worked well, and was delicious!

 

 

He garnishes with chopped onion; I like a little of that and a touch of sour cream. Crackers rounded it all out. If we ate like this all the time we'd be rounded out. There will be several more meals from this batch. We aren't sure yet how we'll make room in the freezer, but we'll figure it out. 

[Porthos]

10 hours ago, Smithy said:

 It was blowing a good 20 - 30 knots most of the day.

 

Sitting below the Cajon Pass we get truly high winds. In the past we've had up to 90 MPH gusts. Over the last couple of months we've had a lot of the winds that are strong enough to trigger a "Severe Weather Alert." The unfortunate part for us is that they have almost all involved Tuesdays, our trash collection day. You can't put out trash barrels on those days because the gusts knock over the barrels and sends the trash everywhere.

[Smithy]

2 hours ago, Porthos said:

 

Sitting below the Cajon Pass we get truly high winds. In the past we've had up to 90 MPH gusts. Over the last couple of months we've had a lot of the winds that are strong enough to trigger a "Severe Weather Alert." The unfortunate part for us is that they have almost all involved Tuesdays, our trash collection day. You can't put out trash barrels on those days because the gusts knock over the barrels and sends the trash everywhere.

 

I bet you're getting it again today, another Tuesday. There are whitecaps on the Salton Sea now because of the wind shift and the still-strong winds. Since I shot these pictures an hour or so ago, the wind has come up even more. There's spray blowing off the waves. We are sitting captive, waiting for the replacement part for our generator that was supposed to have been picked up yesterday afternoon and installed forthwith this morning. (Time now 10:50.) At least it's a pretty day, if blustery, but we'd like to be on our way.

 

 

This morning I finished my yogurt, along with flax, some grapes, avocado and a tangelo. I am quite tired of yogurt by now. It's time to take a break from it and think of another easy, fairly low-cal breakfast.

Edited February 4, 2020 by Smithy
Updated, and added photo (log)

[blue_dolphin]

Thanks for the great photos showing off that beautiful view and the stunning skies! 

 

2 hours ago, Smithy said:

At least it's a pretty day, if blustery, but we'd like to be on our way.

 

Where are we heading once the generator's fixed?

[kayb]

I am obviously channeling y'all's situation. I dreamed last night a tornado hit my house while I was in it.

[Smithy]

2 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

Thanks for the great photos showing off that beautiful view and the stunning skies! 

 

 

Where are we heading once the generator's fixed?

 

Glad you like the photos! When the generator is fixed, we plan to go back to our earlier spot in the desert outside Yuma. I hope that's going to be today. The service folks just arrived with the replacement part. I've heard 2 attempts so far to start the generator. <Cue sinking feeling>

.

.

.

wait, I just heard a relay clunk! We have power!

[Smithy]

We made it. The generator seems to work properly. We tested it a couple of times before the service crew left, then we headed out. A half hour or so after we'd hit the road I got a call from the repair-company boss, telling me to run the generator for an hour, with a load. Too late! He told me to do so after we'd set up.

 

I stopped at Calipatria and hit the Market Square again, and bought a pound of boneless chicken leg meat (leg +thigh, boneless and skinless, same as last time) and a pork shoulder roast that I had the butcher cut in half. My plans are to take that shoulder roast in a few different directions over a few meals: Greek (souvlaki),  Mexican (tacos al pastor? carnitas?) and no doubt my darling's favorite roasted-pork-with-Lipton's-Onion-Soup-mix coating. The chicken has equally flexible options. It all depends on when the weather gets to be nice outside again. It was at least 15F colder when we arrived, and the wind was even stronger than when we'd left the Salton Sea. Whatever I cooked would have to be cooked inside.

 

As it turned out, leftovers came to the top of the choices. My darling had no energy or enthusiasm for waiting while I cooked something. We turned to last night's chili. This is why we tend to cook in large batches!

 

 

We also polished off the chopped onions from last night and some shredded cheese from several nights ago. Progress (ha) in the freezer. It still isn't enough to make up for what I bought today.

[Smithy]

We are so elated to have a generator again that we're kicking over the breakfast traces this morning. Well, that and he's out of cereal. I'm headed to town later to pick up a few things, including his cereal. 

 

I'm treating myself to rewarmed leftover chili from last night, garnished with the last bit of an avocado, a last tomato, and sour cream. The presentation isn't pretty, but the flavors are good. I hope it'll keep me going through the day without getting hangry and overbuying at the grocery store.

 

 

He's treating himself to sausage, eggs and toast. I took this before he added his preferred seasonings. I can still see the eggs under all that pepper, but only just. 

 

[Smithy]

I am quite taken with the meat section of that little market in Calipatria. On the way through from the Salton Sea to our current camping spot, I stopped again. My darling grumbled about our having too much food already, but at $1.99/lb for good pork shoulder roast and for good boneless/skinless chicken leg meat I couldn't resist. i had specific desires for that pork and chicken.

 

I had the butcher cut the 7-pound pork shoulder roast in half. He cut it so that only one half had a bone. 

 

 

The boneless half will be cooked as a pork roast, with the requisite Lipton's Onion Soup Mix and other accoutrements preferred by my darling. I took the half with the bone, and split it more. The bone has gone into the freezer to help with the next batch of beans. Part of the remaining meat has gone into storage for souvlaki. The remainer went into a Pueblo Green Chili Stew, from the cookbook Jane Butel's Southwestern Kitchen. I found this book in a library sale last year, and have enjoyed the book and recipes without posting much about it.

 

 

The flavors were good, and the basic technique is a keeper. We both thought the stew was too hot, but that probably had to do with the heat of the Hatch chiles in the freezer. They came from two different sources, and were classified differently.

Edited February 6, 2020 by Smithy
Changed one sentence for clarity (log)

[ElsieD]

Tell me more about the pork roast and the Lipton's onion soup mix.

[Smithy]

3 hours ago, ElsieD said:

Tell me more about the pork roast and the Lipton's onion soup mix.

 

Cut a bunch of potatoes into chunks about 1¹/₂" - 2" diameter. Smaller is okay but not necessary, unless you need them smaller to pack them in. Put the potatoes in the bottom of a heavy pot (we use enameled cast iron) or a slow cooker. Coat the pork roast with Lipton's Onion Soup Mix (now called Lipton Recipe Secrets, Onion flavor). Place the pork atop the potatoes and surround it with more potatoes to keep the roast from touching the walls of the pot. Cover tightly, and cook on low slow-cooker heat or in a low oven until internal temperature is about 160F, maybe slightly higher -- but keep in mind it will coast upward after turning the heat off. It takes a few hours, depending on the size of the roast, and is a nice treatment for a cool or cold day. The roasts we're cooking are typically about 3 pounds, and we're trying to think how much time we allow: 2 hours, 3? I think 3. He says "cook until done".  

 

That's it. You can add carrots or other vegetables if you wish, but we generally don't. It's dead easy and delicious. If I remember, I'll document it more carefully next time we cook it.

[ElsieD]

33 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

Cut a bunch of potatoes into chunks about 1¹/₂" - 2" diameter. Smaller is okay but not necessary, unless you need them smaller to pack them in. Put the potatoes in the bottom of a heavy pot (we use enameled cast iron) or a slow cooker. Coat the pork roast with Lipton's Onion Soup Mix (now called Lipton Recipe Secrets, Onion flavor). Place the pork atop the potatoes and surround it with more potatoes to keep the roast from touching the walls of the pot. Cover tightly, and cook on low slow-cooker heat or in a low oven until internal temperature is about 160F, maybe slightly higher -- but keep in mind it will coast upward after turning the heat off. It takes a few hours, depending on the size of the roast, and is a nice treatment for a cool or cold day. The roasts we're cooking are typically about 3 pounds, and we're trying to think how much time we allow: 2 hours, 3? I think 3. He says "cook until done".  

 

That's it. You can add carrots or other vegetables if you wish, but we generally don't. It's dead easy and delicious. If I remember, I'll document it more carefully next time we cook it.

 

So, no liquids?  Just the roast rubbed with the dry soup mix?