Camping, Princess Style

[lindag]

24 minutes ago, Smithy said:

Breakfast.

 

 

I still have a few giant pink grapefruit left from Yuma. This isn't the classic presentation of the fruit, but it's the way I prefer to eat it: standing over the kitchen sink, savoring that juice.

 

We've got the back gate ready to be raised if necessary today, to block the wind. Yesterday it was gusting up to maybe 30 mph and kept blowing the window panels out. Today it's forecast to gust to 50 mph! With the deck rails folded in at the bottom, all we'll need to do is raise the tailgate. The wind will no doubt do most of the work.

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful!

God, how I love grapefruit!  I'm not allowed to have it to to my hypertension drugs but I occasionally will sneak a  Greyhound (made with gin).

[ElsieD]

41 minutes ago, lindag said:

 

Beautiful!

God, how I love grapefruit!  I'm not allowed to have it to to my hypertension drugs but I occasionally will sneak a  Greyhound (made with gin).

 

I used to take 1/2 grapefruit, drizzle with honey and broil it.  Thanks to my hypertension drugs and statins, I've been told to knock of the grapefruit.  Whenever the urge strikes, I don't give into it but this little wee voice pops up and says " but would 1/2 a grapefruit maybe twice a year be so bad"?

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, Smithy said:

I still have a few giant pink grapefruit left from Yuma. This isn't the classic presentation of the fruit, but it's the way I prefer to eat it: standing over the kitchen sink, savoring that juice.

I am not even prepared to extract the fruit from the peel! I divide the unpeeled fruit into wedges and lean over the kitchen sink as I strip the flesh from the peel with my teeth and hope nobody sees me!

[Anna N]

Oops!  Thanks for the reminder re meds.  Guess I’ve enjoyed my last grapefruit for a while. Damn I knew this at one time!

[DesertTinker]

5 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Oops!  Thanks for the reminder re meds.  Guess I’ve enjoyed my last grapefruit for a while. Damn I knew this at one time!

Here are the US FDA Guidance and Canada’s page regarding grapefruit and drug interactions.

[Anna N]

3 minutes ago, DesertTinker said:

Here are the US FDA Guidance and Canada’s page regarding grapefruit and drug interactions.

Thank you. I knew all this and for the past five or six years grapefruit has not been in my house. I have no idea why I decided in the past few months that it was suddenly OK. Obviously I was having some sort of senior moment. Damn. 

[Smithy]

I too appreciate the comments on grapefruit vs. medications. I'm not at that stage yet, but I note that the antihistamine I use a few times a year - and this is such a time - can be made less effective by grapefruit. Who knew?? I only have a few more grapefruit to enjoy, and enjoy them I will. Ahchoo!

 

The macaroni puttanesca was finished for lunch. Sour cream helped tame the flavor and smooth the texture, but it was only a minor improvement. If I remember what I did (almost 2 years ago!) I won't repeat this recipe.

 

 

We drove into town for propane and beer. I discovered a couple of wines I've never seen before. I generally look askance at wines from Lodi, but the shopkeeper said these wines get a lot of repeat business from his customers. It's a small town, and he caters to his base. I had to try them.

 

 

I didn't notice the alcohol content until we got home.

 

 

I'll have to go easy with these!

 

Dinner tonight looks like we're going to the wolves. Tube steaks of our choice; potato salads of our choice; beverages of our choice. Simple cleanup. I'm about to go do it.

 

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

14 minutes ago, Smithy said:

I too appreciate the comments on grapefruit vs. medications. I'm not at that stage yet, but I note that the antihistamine I use a few times a year - and this is such a time - can be made less effective by grapefruit. Who knew?? I only have a few more grapefruit to enjoy, and enjoy them I will. Ahchoo!

 

The macaroni puttanesca was finished for lunch. Sour cream helped tame the flavor and smooth the texture, but it was only a minor improvement. If I remember what I did (almost 2 years ago!) I won't repeat this recipe.

 

 

We drove into town for propane and beer. I discovered a couple of wines I've never seen before. I generally look askance at wines from Lodi, but the shopkeeper said these wines get a lot of repeat business from his customers. It's a small town, and he caters to his base. I had to try them.

 

 

I didn't notice the alcohol content until we got home.

 

 

I'll have to go easy with these!

 

Dinner tonight looks like we're going to the wolves. Tube steaks of our choice; potato salads of our choice; beverages of our choice. Simple cleanup. I'm about to go do it.

 

 

 

 

I'll be happy when I see you safely home again.  Were I you I'd kiss the ground and stay there.

 

 

 

[Smithy]

22 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I'll be happy when I see you safely home again.  Were I you I'd kiss the ground and stay there.

 

Thanks for the well-wishes. I admit that I'll be glad to be home too. By this time in our trip, I'd be glad to be home even if the trailer were working flawlessly. As it is the trailer isn't working flawlessly, and my bicycle lost a crucial part - probably when we were packing up in Mineral Wells - so I'm restricted to exercising on foot. I'll be glad to get home to repair stations, and more living space.

 

Still, these trips have their compensations. I see places and eat foods that I wouldn't otherwise experience, and I learn a lot (not just about trailer mechanics) on every trip. I even get silly pleasures out of knowing which side of the Rockies I'm on by some of our purchases. 

 

 

We're back in the land of short, fat butter.

[Smithy]

Some of the honkers (Canada Geese) that inhabit this lake have babies afloat. We don't know whether all have hatched yet; the behavior of some of the geese on shore make us think there might still be nests. At any rate, the little floating puffballs are charming. I like the adults too but they make a frightful mess on the grass!

 

 

He cooked dinner tonight. Well, I prepped it and he stuck it in the oven, else we'd still be palavering and nothing would be cooking yet.

 

These are not schnitzels.

 

 

These are pork shoulder steaks, done his favorite way with the breading and baking. You've seen it many times already this trip. Now I have a question that may deserve its own topic: why are the pork steaks getting so huge? Are the pig farmers killing off all their brood stock? If so, what happens next?

 

And no, we didn't even try to eat all that in one sitting. One steak would have done the two of us handsomely, with leftovers - but then we'd have had to argue over who got the bone. This way, each of us has leftovers.

 

 

They may be tomorrow's dinners, rather than the crab cakes I'd envisioned. Heck, they may be tomorrow's dinner and lunch the day after.

[Nancy in Pátzcuaro]

Baby water fowl are uniformly adorable little floating fuzzballs. I remember walking along the Arkansas when we lived in Salida (Colorado) and coming upon a mother merganser and her 5 or 6 little ones, bobbing along on the waves. She saw me, apparently said something to the kiddos, and all of them disappeared into the willows along the shore. One moment they were straggling along, and in an instant they'd disappeared. My parents, who were golfers, used to complain about the "goose poop" on the course. They like foraging on golf courses, and the inevitable poop just happens. Better geese than deer, I say. Geese don't eat your roses.

[rotuts]

@Smithy  

 

interesting about the butter

 

Ive never understood why the difference

 

BTW   would like to hear what you think of those wines.

 

 

 

 

[Smithy]

4 hours ago, rotuts said:

@Smithy  

 

interesting about the butter

 

Ive never understood why the difference

 

BTW   would like to hear what you think of those wines.

 

 

The question of different butter shapes has been discussed on eGullet before (what a surprise!): Eastern v. Western US Butter Sticks. Basically, the reason is history. The Elgin shape (long and skinny, named for the machine that dominated the market) was the standard and continues East of the Rockies. According to this article in The Kitchn, when the Western states started catching up on dairy production the classic equipment wasn't available. The "Western Stubby" butter quarter was born. I'm sure @andiesenji has discussed this in more detail, but I haven't been able to find her contribution to the topic.

 

I'll be pleased to tell you what I think of the wines, once they're opened. Maybe I'll open one tonight. If I like it, there'll be time to go back and get more.

 

Welp, I'm back to yogurt and granola for breakfast. I may have to make more granola before we get home.

 

 

[Smithy]

14 hours ago, Smithy said:

We're back in the land of short, fat butter.

 

You know what? As I reread the discussions about butter quarter sizes and shapes I think I have it exactly backwards. I've been buying Challenge Butter in Arizona and it's been the Elgin quarters. The last place we shopped, I found Challenge again - in Western Stubby shapes. Now I'm really confused. Quick, the rest of you! Where are you, and what shape is the butter in your household? I think Challenge is just messing with my mind. 

[blue_dolphin]

1 minute ago, Smithy said:

 

You know what? As I reread the discussions about butter quarter sizes and shapes I think I have it exactly backwards. I've been buying Challenge Butter in Arizona and it's been the Elgin quarters. The last place we shopped, I found Challenge again - in Western Stubby shapes. Now I'm really confused. Quick, the rest of you! Where are you, and what shape is the butter in your household? I think Challenge is just messing with my mind. 

 

I grew up in NY with the skinny sticks but live in So Cal where we get the stubby ones.  

[Shelby]

10 minutes ago, Smithy said:

Where are you, and what shape is the butter in your household?

Kansas

Skinny

 

😁

[rotuts]

MA

 

Skinny

[JoNorvelleWalker]

NJ -- mostly skinny, depends on brand.

 

[DesertTinker]

 Inland Southern California, stubby is default, but skinny is readily available in most stores.

[IowaDee]

Iowa reporting in.....skinny (unlike the shape of many of the residents!).  Too much skinny makes fatties!

[Smithy]

It's been rainy today, a good day for puttering around in the kitchen and writing. We will have some of our leftover pork steaks from last night. I see no point in showing them again. Nor do I think it's worthwhile to show the potato salad or chopped vegetables we've been noshing on. It may look as though all we eat around here is meat, but the salads and fresh vegetables are abundant as well. What I'm going to show you instead is the prep for tomorrow's dinner. I've rescued another package from being a round-tripper. 

 

We Won't Talk About When I Collected This Pulled Pork. Suffice it to say it's from a pre-pandemic airport picnic. I thought it wonderful, and bought extra, divvied it up into vacuum bags and froze it. What came with us this winter almost made it home again. Then I remembered the jalapenos in the crisper drawer. I also remembered the special chile-cleaning knife I picked up in Yuma at a closeout sale. It worked pretty well. I still ended up slitting the peppers down the side for easier stuffing.

 

 

Here they all are, stuffed. They've gone into the refrigerator for tonight, since we have leftovers. Besides - after the last time I started stuffing peppers late in the day I promised myself to do the prep work in advance.

 

 

The top two chiles are half of a poblano. The rest are all jalapenos. I had originally thought I'd add cream cheese, and wrap with bacon, then bake. The bacon seems like overkill. Cheese, and hot sauce, maybe. Bread crumbs? Put them all in a casserole dish, cover with cheese and bread crumbs, then bake? What do y'all think? It will happen tomorrow, our last day here in Kansas.

 

[MokaPot]

@Smithy, what did you stuff your peppers with? Pulled pork and something else? It looks like tuna & mayo.

 

I like your jalapeño coring tool.

Edited April 29, 2021 by MokaPot
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[Smithy]

10 hours ago, MokaPot said:

@Smithy, what did you stuff your peppers with? Pulled pork and something else? It looks like tuna & mayo.

 

I like your jalapeño coring tool.

 

Yes, that coring tool worked reasonably well. The triangular teeth along its spine helped clean out the ribs of the chiles. Is it any better than a knife to cut and teaspoon to scrape? I dunno...I'll need more practice to work that out.

 

I agree that the stuffing looks like tuna and mayo, but it's just the pulled pork as purchased at the picnic. The creamy appearance seems to be from the pork juices and seasonings. When they served it on sandwiches at the picnic there was barbecue sauce on the side so you could add your own as you wished.

[lindag]

12 hours ago, Smithy said:

It's been rainy today, a good day for puttering around in the kitchen and writing. We will have some of our leftover pork steaks from last night. I see no point in showing them again. Nor do I think it's worthwhile to show the potato salad or chopped vegetables we've been noshing on. It may look as though all we eat around here is meat, but the salads and fresh vegetables are abundant as well. What I'm going to show you instead is the prep for tomorrow's dinner. I've rescued another package from being a round-tripper. 

 

We Won't Talk About When I Collected This Pulled Pork. Suffice it to say it's from a pre-pandemic airport picnic. I thought it wonderful, and bought extra, divvied it up into vacuum bags and froze it. What came with us this winter almost made it home again. Then I remembered the jalapenos in the crisper drawer. I also remembered the special chile-cleaning knife I picked up in Yuma at a closeout sale. It worked pretty well. I still ended up slitting the peppers down the side for easier stuffing.

 

 

Here they all are, stuffed. They've gone into the refrigerator for tonight, since we have leftovers. Besides - after the last time I started stuffing peppers late in the day I promised myself to do the prep work in advance.

 

 

The top two chiles are half of a poblano. The rest are all jalapenos. I had originally thought I'd add cream cheese, and wrap with bacon, then bake. The bacon seems like overkill. Cheese, and hot sauce, maybe. Bread crumbs? Put them all in a casserole dish, cover with cheese and bread crumbs, then bake? What do y'all think? It will happen tomorrow, our last day here in Kansas.

 

 

I have found that a strawberry huller makes short work of scraping out pepper seeds as well  as the seeds and strings of squash.

[chromedome]

I use a grapefruit spoon.