Camping, Princess Style

[DesertTinker]

31 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

Speaking of salt....I needed coarse salt, went to the grocery store and bought this:

Some commercial customer probably ended up with a case of retail K salt,  having fits wondering why the salt isn’t “right”.

[blue_dolphin]

1 hour ago, ElsieD said:

Quoting this because I wasn't finished.  When I used it, I thought, gee, this isn't what it's supposed to feel like.  A closer look led me to the bottom of the box.  How this ended up being sold in a grocery store, I have no idea.  It is quite a fine salt, not far off table salt.  I realize you aren't talking about Diamond Crystal but thought you might find it interesting. 

I’m glad you finished your post because I was surprised that you bought it when you needed coarse salt. I use Diamond Crystal Kosher salt routinely and it is indeed a fine salt, not coarse at all. My box doesn’t have the “Not for Retail Sale” disclaimer but looks just like what you pictured. 
Curiously, Amazon is offering the same food service packaging (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) that you purchased. 
 

Here's a table from a Serous Eats article:

Salt Mass and Volume 

Type of Salt	Weight per Cup	Weight per Tablespoon
Table Salt	10 ounces; 280g	2/3 ounce; 18g
Morton's kosher salt	8 ounces; 225g	1/2 ounce; 14g
Diamond Crystal kosher salt	5 ounces; 140g	1/3 ounce; 9g
Maldon sea salt	4 ounces; 115g	1/4 ounce; 7g
Fleur de sel	8 ounces; 225g	1/2 ounce; 14g

Edited January 22 by blue_dolphin
To add Amazon link (log)

[Smithy]

Interesting about the salt contents; thanks, @blue_dolphin. 🙂 I could wish they'd distinguished between Morton Kosher Coarse and Fine salts, but since I have both with me maybe I'll measure and report back.

 

At any rate -- the beans by themselves were mercilessly salty, but worked well into quesadillas. All these chopped items...

 

 

...were added along with beans and chunks of cheese to tortillas that had been heated in oil, then flipped, then stuffed and folded and heated more. We topped them as we wished. We both had lettuce, cilantro and salsa toppings; I also reveled in sour cream.

 

 

Knowing that he loves his sweet beans with barbecue and brisket (and I dislike them intensely), I put his beans into one quesadilla and mine into another. There was filling enough for a third quesadilla, so I did it to my taste -- and to my surprise, he ate half and liked it a lot!

 

 

The toppings all went on at the table. We were both delighted. I rather expected part of a quesadilla to be left over, but no...it was just the leftovers from the chopping and toppings.

 

 

In tonight's dinner, I really couldn't tell that the beans were too salty. I could hardly taste them in the kaleidoscope of flavors. There are plenty left over (now in the refrigerator) for me to play with later.

 

[lindag]

I also got that recipe in an email from Homesick Texan and had copied it for later use.  I'm glad that you both liked it and I'm going to make it soon.....keeping an eye on the salt, thanks.

[Smithy]

It turns out I'm married to an occasional Household Brownie. A few days ago he spotted my exhaustion and volunteered to prep the brussels sprouts by cutting them in half. After one or two he realized he needed to cut them from pole to pole instead of along the equator, so we didn't have too many leaves fall off. 🙂

 

 

That particular vegetable dish involved my opening a package of pecanwood-smoked thick-cut bacon we've carried with us the entire trip. It's excellent stuff; I recommend it highly. I'd intended that bacon/sprouts/tomato dish to be dinner, but my Household Brownie wanted more meat than that, so I consented to cooking one of two remaining half-racks of pork ribs from the freezer (until we get more).

 

Woe is me, I used up the last of a package and a bottle of favorite seasonings from the Spice and Tea Shoppe in Reno. I'll have to see what it takes to get them to send me more, and whether they even still make those blends.

 

 

I braised the half-rack at about 275F, coated with those spices, until it was nearly cooked. Then I bathed it with a barbecue sauce acceptable to both of us, and let it finish.

 

 

We applied our preferred sauces at the dinner table. I shot this before we added the sauces.

 

 

One morning right around that time, we watched the sunrise crown the leftmost mountain peak on its seasonal march back northward.

 

 

We'd hoped for one of those "Paramount Films" logo moments, with the peak framed perfectly, but the clouds didn't cooperate. Now the sun is rising to the left of that peak, and the sunrise is noticeably earlier every day.

 

[Shelby]

30 minutes ago, Smithy said:

It turns out I'm married to an occasional Household Brownie. A few days ago he spotted my exhaustion and volunteered to prep the brussels sprouts by cutting them in half. After one or two he realized he needed to cut them from pole to pole instead of along the equator, so we didn't have too many leaves fall off. 🙂

 

 

That particular vegetable dish involved my opening a package of pecanwood-smoked thick-cut bacon we've carried with us the entire trip. It's excellent stuff; I recommend it highly. I'd intended that bacon/sprouts/tomato dish to be dinner, but my Household Brownie wanted more meat than that, so I consented to cooking one of two remaining half-racks of pork ribs from the freezer (until we get more).

 

Woe is me, I used up the last of a package and a bottle of favorite seasonings from the Spice and Tea Shoppe in Reno. I'll have to see what it takes to get them to send me more, and whether they even still make those blends.

 

 

I braised the half-rack at about 275F, coated with those spices, until it was nearly cooked. Then I bathed it with a barbecue sauce acceptable to both of us, and let it finish.

 

 

We applied our preferred sauces at the dinner table. I shot this before we added the sauces.

 

 

One morning right around that time, we watched the sunrise crown the leftmost mountain peak on its seasonal march back northward.

 

 

We'd hoped for one of those "Paramount Films" logo moments, with the peak framed perfectly, but the clouds didn't cooperate. Now the sun is rising to the left of that peak, and the sunrise is noticeably earlier every day.

 

So nice to have a brownie  It seems like I'm the brownie lately lol.

 

How long at 275 did it take the ribs to get done?

[Smithy]

2 minutes ago, Shelby said:

So nice to have a brownie  It seems like I'm the brownie lately lol.

 

How long at 275 did it take the ribs to get done?

 

2 - 3 hours. I never time it carefully, but that's the ballpark in my enameled cast iron covered pan.

[Smithy]

My Kitchen Brownie cooked dinner yesterday again, this time from start to finish. Well, I helped by pulling out the ingredients and the pot, and stirring occasionally.

 

Split pea soup. Stew, really. With the ham bone and a few chunks of ham saved from a freezer package we'd brought from home; carrots; potatoes; and runaway salt. He added more potatoes and it may have helped control the salt. Topping with sour cream and/or yogurt helped.

 

Unfortunately, split pea soup isn't very photogenic. I did my best.

 

 

It was a good day for long, slow cooking. The trailer was dark and the air cool, and the slow stewing helped keep the place warm. Rain was in the forecast, and was beginning by the time I got home from town errands. Not long after I got home, the skies really opened up. I suspect our main road was closed for a while due to floodinng. By late afternoon we were treated to the sight of the dry wash next to us become an active river. I love the sight! One year we were treated to it 3 times; some years we never see it at all. This is a time-lapse of sorts.

 

 

A couple of hours after the rain had stopped, the riverbed was empty again.

[ElsieD]

Love split pea soup.

[Smithy]

11 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

Love split pea soup.

 

I'm not much of a pea fan under most circumstances, but he's adapted his version enough for me to like his soup. When we first met, his idea of split pea soup was just that: split peas, simmered in a pot of water with a ham bone (no added meat) until it was thick enough to stand a spoon upright. About half a can of black pepper!* That's when I discovered the calming values of sour cream (to tame the pepper). This was early in our days together, and he was rather defiant about that stew being Exactly The Way He Likes It. He was insulted that I'd added sour cream to mine. Over the years he's adapted his recipe to include potatoes, meat and sometimes carrots and exclude the black pepper until the end. I like it well enough. And it's really nice to have him cook sometimes.

 

*(He's one of those who likes a bit of egg with his pepper at the breakfast table.)

[Smithy]

On 1/22/2024 at 7:13 AM, lindag said:

I also got that recipe in an email from Homesick Texan and had copied it for later use.  I'm glad that you both liked it and I'm going to make it soon.....keeping an eye on the salt, thanks.

 

Since you're a subscriber, when you get around to making it feel free to say a couple of non-subscribers thought it was way over-salted. I thought about joining for purposes of commenting, but discovered I'd have to pay money for the privilege.

[lindag]

There is an option to subscribe for free, that's what I have.

Just give your email addy and you get a message wen there's a new post.

[FauxPas]

21 minutes ago, Smithy said:

*(He's one of those who likes a bit of egg with his pepper at the breakfast table.)

 

Mike likes pepper on his eggs also. But only on fried eggs, not scrambled or omelettes. And I discovered that the pepper MUST be added at exactly the right point, before the whites solidify. Else, as he puts it, "it's not worth adding it at all." Apparently, I destroyed the eggs one time by adding the pepper when the whites had already started to whiten.  😧😮😃

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Some time ago I wrote about my frustration trying to cook for someone with different taste,   Most responders counseled that they simply cooked things their sweeties liked.    I couldn't get across that the problem was different taste rather than preferred dishes.    Like pepper in this thread.  

[Smithy]

9 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

Some time ago I wrote about my frustration trying to cook for someone with different taste,   Most responders counseled that they simply cooked things their sweeties liked.    I couldn't get across that the problem was different taste rather than preferred dishes.    Like pepper in this thread.  

 

Fortunately,  we've managed to accommodate each other...mostly...by seasoning at the table. The rest of the time we have to arm-wrestle.

[DesertTinker]

2 hours ago, FauxPas said:

 

Mike likes pepper on his eggs also. But only on fried eggs, not scrambled or omelettes. And I discovered that the pepper MUST be added at exactly the right point, before the whites solidify. Else, as he puts it, "it's not worth adding it at all." Apparently, I destroyed the eggs one time by adding the pepper when the whites had already started to whiten.  😧😮😃

Well, at least he was able to articulate where you went wrong… But that’s a whole new level of exact order and timing! 🙄🤣

[Smithy]

We had plans for this afternoon, but Mother Nature discouraged us. Despite the forecasts of clearing skies, we watched thunderstorms develop in the direction of our event -- as well as here.

 

 

We decided not to risk dealing with road closures or washouts after dark, and stayed home. A half hour after our originally scheduled departure time, we got the word that the event was canceled due to flooding!

 

I built myself a nice green salad for a mid-afternoon lunch, and mixed a fresh batch of lemon vinaigrette. The vinaigrette is lemon juice, garlic, salt, Dijon mustard and olive oil. It's one of my favorite dressings, and -- unlike things like curry sauces -- something I can wing it on reliably.

 

The salad was simple: green leaf lettuce, cherry tomatoes, raw broccoli from food prep a few nights ago, croutons, and Lindsay Naturals Green Ripe Olives. I've been hoarding those. It was nice to open a can, after a year or so of forgetting they're with us in storage.

 

 

I expect we'll be clearing out planned-overs for dinner tonight.

[Smithy]

Lots of errands yesterday, started late because...well, because. The upshot was that we had pea stew for dinner. There really is a lot of it, and it's handy and easy. Quite good too, without the pepper. This shows just how much it's thickened since cooking and cooling. (You can't tell from the photo, but this had already been heated in the microwave.) I think a little water to thin it to a smoother consistency will stretch the dinners even more.

 

 

As I reported over here, I got a fermentation kit...having given most of my stuff to a great-niece...and despite my fatigue decided to tackle the half cabbage in the fridge. I really expected it to make 2 quarts of kraut. Surprise! A pint jar would have been adequate. 

 

 

4% fine sea salt by weight, in case you're wondering. I thought I remembered 3%, but the book I was using had it closer to 5%. I split the difference. 

 

Yesterday morning I decided finally to deal with the pomegranates taking space in refrigerator or coolers for the past month or two. I love the idea of pomegranates: their jeweled look, their tart sweetness. But extracting those pips...even using the easiest way ai know...is time consuming. Worse yet is that the seeds seem to disagree with me. So why do I buy them? I love the idea...their jeweled look...(lather, rinse repeat 🤷‍♀️).

 

I juiced 'em. 

 

 

Pomegranate juice in kefir isn't bad. Made a nice switch from a banana. And I still have 250 ml of juice for some other purpose!

Edited January 25 by Smithy
Corrected amount of remaining juice from 500ml to 250ml. Misremembered size of that bottle! (log)

[BeeZee]

When life gives you pomegranate juice, make pomegranate molasses!

[Dave the Cook]

1 hour ago, BeeZee said:

When life gives you pomegranate juice, make pomegranate molasses!

 

Or grenadine!

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, BeeZee said:

When life gives you pomegranate juice, make pomegranate molasses!

 

2 minutes ago, Dave the Cook said:

 

Or grenadine!

 

Nice ideas! How would I go about doing either one? I think the molasses is simply cooked down to thicken, but I might not be right. No idea how to make grenadine!

[Dave the Cook]

9 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

 

Nice ideas! How would I go about doing either one? I think the molasses is simply cooked down to thicken, but I might not be right. No idea how to make grenadine!

 

At its most basic, it's 50-50 pomegranate juice - white sugar, but there are many variations. We even have a topic: 

 

[Smithy]

I may have to buy more pomegranates. And juice them before they're months old. The juice has beautiful color.

 

 

 

[Smithy]

We dodged a bullet this morning: the refrigerator was flashing an error code and up to 44F. Couldn't be frost this time! The code indicated a propane error, but we have plenty of propane and the furnace was working. I remembered a helpful service man a couple of years ago who wouldn't/couldn't come this far out to help, but told me what to look for.

 

Quick! Which has more influence on desert landscapes: wind or water?

 

If you answered "water" then you're right. Those flash floods, and the water streaming down mountains when it rains, do more to shift the landscape than wind and its transport mechanisms.

 

Similarly, rust -- of all things -- is the most likely cause of refrigerator tube blockages out here in the desert boondocks. Much more likely than dust. He told me he'd seen it so many times: rust develops in the burn chamber and prevents proper ignition. Bless him for telling me (he wouldn't take money for the phone call) and bless my memory. We took things apart, blew them out, and tested. Ignition!! The refrigerator is merrily bubbling away.

 

37F and cooling.

 

Meanwhile, all that water from recent rains is beginning to turn the desert green. The last time we looked we couldn't find any desert lilies in the nearby patch. Now there are 7. That's dew decorating the leaves.

 

 

(The farmers closer to town probably aren't as happy about the rain as I am. The broccoli and cauliflower fields are sloppy messes, and it's harvest time. The workers are out there slogging away in the mud. I'll add a picture if I get a chance.)

[FauxPas]

2 hours ago, Smithy said:

Pomegranate juice in kefir isn't bad. Made a nice switch from a banana. And I still have 500 ml of juice for some other purpose!

 

How many poms did you need for that amount of juice? I'm curious about the amount of juice you get from each pomegranate, is it similar? It's been a while since I've juiced poms but I think it varied quite a bit. Your juicer looks awesome!