Camping, Princess Style

[Porthos]

On 1/23/2024 at 12:48 PM, Smithy said:

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

But of course.  Doesn't everybody?  I sure do - freshly ground. 

[Smithy]

Strange things happen when one gets sick. I've come down with something...just a cold, I think...but it really took the wind out of my sails. (I've tested twice over 35 hours. It isn't Covid.) Right now I'm losing track of things...of time, of ideas....

 

Some time in the past couple of days we eyeballed the remaining half of a rack of pork ribs. My darling wants 'em, he does. But Tuesday was the first day I was sick (and cancelled a social engagement) and yesterday we had to move the Princessmobile briefly to go to a dump station, then return and set camp back up. On one of those days, I pulled the rack of ribs out, announced the we didn't have time to thaw and cook it that day, and we'd let it thaw in the refrigerator. We ate other things for dinner. Today, as I'm feeling better, I went to pull of the ribs and get them ready to cook.

 

I looked and looked...and finally found them back in the freezer. I guess today is the day we find out about cooking ribs from frozen!

 

At least, I said, I have the nice spice mix from the Deep Run Roots Flank Steak I told you about. I'll use that. And I looked. And I looked....and finally decided to use instead this combination of rubs:

 

 

The ribs are in the oven now, at 4:30 pm, the time I'd normally have put thawed ribs in. Low temperature. It will be interesting to see how this all works out. The photo below doesn't show it clearly, but the ribs were quite solid.

 

 

And then, as I was typing this, I remembered one more place to look for that spice mix. It has cumin. I looked in the freezer, and there it is. 😁

[MaryIsobel]

50 minutes ago, Smithy said:

Strange things happen when one gets sick. I've come down with something...just a cold, I think...but it really took the wind out of my sails. (I've tested twice over 35 hours. It isn't Covid.) Right now I'm losing track of things...of time, of ideas....

 

Some time in the past couple of days we eyeballed the remaining half of a rack of pork ribs. My darling wants 'em, he does. But Tuesday was the first day I was sick (and cancelled a social engagement) and yesterday we had to move the Princessmobile briefly to go to a dump station, then return and set camp back up. On one of those days, I pulled the rack of ribs out, announced the we didn't have time to thaw and cook it that day, and we'd let it thaw in the refrigerator. We ate other things for dinner. Today, as I'm feeling better, I went to pull of the ribs and get them ready to cook.

 

I looked and looked...and finally found them back in the freezer. I guess today is the day we find out about cooking ribs from frozen!

 

At least, I said, I have the nice spice mix from the Deep Run Roots Flank Steak I told you about. I'll use that. And I looked. And I looked....and finally decided to use instead this combination of rubs:

 

 

The ribs are in the oven now, at 4:30 pm, the time I'd normally have put thawed ribs in. Low temperature. It will be interesting to see how this all works out. The photo below doesn't show it clearly, but the ribs were quite solid.

 

 

And then, as I was typing this, I remembered one more place to look for that spice mix. It has cumin. I looked in the freezer, and there it is. 😁

We call that a brain cold! I love the Ajika Georgian spice mix! Hope you feel better soon!

[Smithy]

Well. That all worked out rather well!

 

The oven temperature may have been slightly higher: 300F, rather than the usual 275F, because I didn't try to lower the oven setting below its lowest mark and make the flames gutter. Aside from that the treatment was as described above and the time was about the same as always: 3 hours. At 2-1/2 hours the ends of the ribs were beginning to show, and I squirted some barbecue sauce onto one end because that's the way my darling prefers it. If I'd been feeling less perfunctory I'd have brushed it on in a smooth coating, but the heck with that noise. So... the meat doesn't look pretty in the photo below. Trust me, it was already tender and only became more so by the time I served it.

 

 

While the ribs finished cooking and we watched a couple of episodes of M*A*S*H to help him stay awake, I grated some russet potatoes I'd bought in the bargain bin ($0.49 for 3 large Irish spuds!) and squeezed out the moisture, then cooked them in melted butter and oil. I'm sure there's supposed to be more to making potato pancakes...but again, I couldn't be bothered.

 

Yet more of the cucumber/onion relish from the Deep Run Roots recipe served as a side salad. That's a dish that keeps on giving.

 

Dinner: more than either of us could quite eat, but it wasn't for want of trying. He LOVED the seasonings on the pork!

 

 

There are more potato pancakes and ribs (and salad!) in the refrigerator. The main lesson from this dinner is that it isn't necessary to thaw the ribs before cooking them the way we do. That probably means we'll stock up even more!

[FauxPas]

@Smithy, really hope you are feeling better!

 

Looking at the photo right above, I keep looking for the toast.  😄

[Smithy]

27 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

@Smithy, really hope you are feeling better!

 

Looking at the photo right above, I keep looking for the toast.  😄

 

Thanks! I'm better today. 

 

I'm pretty sure the toast was in his hand just then! 😄

 

Had a good shopping trip today with a new toy, but the holiday revelers* are rolling in and competing for internet access. It may take a while to show off my finds.

 

*It's Presidents' Day Weekend here in The States, and a beautiful time for RVers and ATVers to come out and camp...party...ride...use the cell phone towers....

[FauxPas]

3 hours ago, Smithy said:

I'm pretty sure the toast was in his hand just then! 😄

 

What do you two use for a toaster in the PM? If you have discussed it before, I don't remember. (and if so, I apologize)  🙂

 

But since your travelling partner is a toast aficionado, I wonder about his thoughts on perfect toast. 

[Smithy]

12 hours ago, FauxPas said:

 

What do you two use for a toaster in the PM? If you have discussed it before, I don't remember. (and if so, I apologize)  🙂

 

But since your travelling partner is a toast aficionado, I wonder about his thoughts on perfect toast. 

 

We have a venerable 2-slot long-slice Oster electric toaster that's been around the block, literally, more times than I can count. Its base is partly melted due to its proximity to the stove. I insist on long slots so I can toast boule slices without cutting them in half. For a time we had a single-slot long-slot toaster (which, come to think of it, we have at home) but that's inconvenient when we both want toast. 

 

A slight diversion: I know there are stovetop nonelectric toasters, but we strongly prefer not to bother with that. We need to run the generator for an hour or two in the morning and evening, to recharge batteries so that the lights, water pump, furnace and refrigerator will work. We time the generator use to coincide with our wanting morning coffee or dinnertime toast. The microwave / vent fan often also go into play when I'm making dinner, and the generator is necessary then as well.

 

He isn't really very fussy about toast, as long as it's crisp on the outside. He prefers it warm. He rarely bothers to butter it. We both prefer it golden - to medium brown, but it can be almost charred before he won't eat his. He likes the grocery store whole wheat bread, which is too sweet for me, so his toast automatically browns more than mine (sourdough, no sugar) if I bother to have any.

 

In the process of going around the block many times, the poor toaster has also suffered abuse due to its proximity to the stove. No place else to put it, though! Here's what that corner looks like, in real life -- no gussying up by moving things to get them out of the frame. 😉

 

 

[FauxPas]

46 minutes ago, Smithy said:

In the process of going around the block many times, the poor toaster has also suffered abuse due to its proximity to the stove.

 

It looks (and sounds) like a pretty stalwart appliance!  🙂

 

My husband adores burnt toast. Set-off-the-smoke-alarm burnt toast. Sometimes I have to open windows, even in midst of winter. Something about that smell is very off-putting to me, but seems to perk up his salivary glands!  😄

[Smithy]

It looks as though all the ATVers are out riding, so I may be able to get in another post or two....

 

Yesterday we went to town for fuel, groceries and my darling's haircut. The barber shop he likes is next door to a thrift store I like, and he was good enough to time our visit so I could go shop. Foolish man! I can do a LOT of shopping in 15 minutes!

 

I focused on their kitchen goods, of course. The last time I went, I passed up a lovely set of serving platters and a Descoware enameled cast iron baking pan. I went back later and they were gone, of course. The Descoware I'd have passed up again anyway, but I rather regretted not getting the platters. Even though I didn't need them. But getting back to yesterday's offerings, they had a generous offering of still-in-the-box bakeware and serve ware...

 

some beautiful dishes and silverware...

 

 

and a goodly assortment of pots, pans, waffle irons, and the like. 

 

I checked out the aluminum pot on the bottom rack. It was big. Could it possible be Club? No, it was iMusa, a much more recent brand, but it was in good condition. It was large, probably 6 quarts. See the glass lid on the next shelf up? It fit. Perfectly.

 

 

I love helping other people shop. I didn't have any victims nearby, so I went to one of the sales clerks who was busying herself at an Easter decoration / toy display. I pointed out the pot and the lid.

"Hey, if you see anyone interested in that pot, you need to point out that the glass lid fits it PERFECTLY." She went over and looked. Each was priced separately: $3, I think, for the pot; $1 for the lid.

She put the lid atop the pot, then countered, "You should get those!" She loves to help people shop, too. I responded that i already have a bunch of pots, that size and larger and smaller, and can't use another. "Yes," she said, "but that would be perfect for camping, too! You could set that right on top of the campfire!"

"No," I said, "I already have that too! And we're already camping!"

The coaxing continued. "You know, when I see something like that that I like, and I decide to walk away and think about it, I'm always sorry when I come back to find it gone. You should take that pot and lid!" She went on to tell the story of some craft items she'd passed up and then needed later. I thought about the serving platters...she couldn't possibly know that story!...but remained firm.

 

Instead, this is what I brought home:

 

I have always wanted a panini press. I can't tell you how many times I've considered buying one of the Cuisinart panini presses from Crate and Barrel, or now Amazon (here's a similar model) (eG-friendly Amazon.com link). I've always been too cheap, and too practical. I have a grill pan. I have a weight. I have perfectly good cast iron pans, and nonstick pans, and non-nonstick pans. I don't need no stinkin' panini press to take up space, either here or at home.

 

Still. An apparently new, or very lightly used, Cuisinart panini press for $8. How could I pass it up?

 

I didn't. I'm looking forward to seeing whether it manages grilled eggplant better than my sheet-pan-in-the-oven method. I'm looking forward to grilled sandwiches with those press marks. I wonder whether this will make more satisfying potato pancakes than those I made the other night?

 

Stay tuned, and feel free to suggest your favorite grilled sandwiches or griddler ideas!

 

 

 

Edited February 19 by Smithy
Added link; corrected "Le Creuset" to "Descoware"; corrected "post" to "pot" (log)

[rotuts]

@Smithy

 

an unusual and remarkable find 

 

and fir that price ?

 

 

now you can work with 

 

' pressed stuff ''

 

Cuban Sandwich ?

 

etc.

 

congratulations.

[Shelby]

2 hours ago, Smithy said:

It looks as though all the ATVers are out riding, so I may be able to get in another post or two....

 

Yesterday we went to town for fuel, groceries and my darling's haircut. The barber shop he likes is next door to a thrift store I like, and he was good enough to time our visit so I could go shop. Foolish man! I can do a LOT of shopping in 15 minutes!

 

I focused on their kitchen goods, of course. The last time I went, I passed up a lovely set of serving platters and a Descoware enameled cast iron baking pan. I went back later and they were gone, of course. The Descoware I'd have passed up again anyway, but I rather regretted not getting the platters. Even though I didn't need them. But getting back to yesterday's offerings, they had a generous offering of still-in-the-box bakeware and serve ware...

 

some beautiful dishes and silverware...

 

 

and a goodly assortment of pots, pans, waffle irons, and the like. 

 

I checked out the aluminum pot on the bottom rack. It was big. Could it possible be Club? No, it was iMusa, a much more recent brand, but it was in good condition. It was large, probably 6 quarts. See the glass lid on the next shelf up? It fit. Perfectly.

 

 

I love helping other people shop. I didn't have any victims nearby, so I went to one of the sales clerks who was busying herself at an Easter decoration / toy display. I pointed out the pot and the lid.

"Hey, if you see anyone interested in that pot, you need to point out that the glass lid fits it PERFECTLY." She went over and looked. Each was priced separately: $3, I think, for the pot; $1 for the lid.

She put the lid atop the post, then countered, "You should get those!" She loves to help people shop, too. I responded that i already have a bunch of pots, that size and larger and smaller, and can't use another. "Yes," she said, "but that would be perfect for camping, too! You could set that right on top of the campfire!"

"No," I said, "I already have that too! And we're already camping!"

The coaxing continued. "You know, when I see something like that that I like, and I decide to walk away and think about it, I'm always sorry when I come back to find it gone. You should take that pot and lid!" She went on to tell the story of some craft items she'd passed up and then needed later. I thought about the serving platters...she couldn't possibly know that story!...but remained firm.

 

Instead, this is what I brought home:

 

I have always wanted a panini press. I can't tell you how many times I've considered buying one of the Cuisinart panini presses from Crate and Barrel, or now Amazon (here's a similar model) (eG-friendly Amazon.com link). I've always been too cheap, and too practical. I have a grill pan. I have a weight. I have perfectly good cast iron pans, and nonstick pans, and non-nonstick pans. I don't need no stinkin' panini press to take up space, either here or at home.

 

Still. An apparently new, or very lightly used, Cuisinart panini press for $8. How could I pass it up?

 

I didn't. I'm looking forward to seeing whether it manages grilled eggplant better than my sheet-pan-in-the-oven method. I'm looking forward to grilled sandwiches with those press marks. I wonder whether this will make more satisfying potato pancakes than those I made the other night?

 

Stay tuned, and feel free to suggest your favorite grilled sandwiches or griddler ideas!

 

 

 

I use my panini maker for quesadillas.  Works GREAT.  No oil or anything.  Healthier and they crisp up wonderfully.

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

@Smithy

Where's the 'envy' button when you need it?

Great find.

 

[MaryIsobel]

6 hours ago, FauxPas said:

 

It looks (and sounds) like a pretty stalwart appliance!  🙂

 

My husband adores burnt toast. Set-off-the-smoke-alarm burnt toast. Sometimes I have to open windows, even in midst of winter. Something about that smell is very off-putting to me, but seems to perk up his salivary glands!  😄

My Dad would only eat toast that other people would either be scraping or scrapping - literally black. He claimed it made your teeth whiter!🙄

[MaryIsobel]

1 hour ago, Shelby said:

I use my panini maker for quesadillas.  Works GREAT.  No oil or anything.  Healthier and they crisp up wonderfully.

Me too - also for grilled zucchini and peppers in the winter.

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

Try rosti/pomme paillasson/hashbrowns.

Minimal fat and no worries over flipping.

 

[Smithy]

It looks like there'll be a learning curve on my new gadget.

 

First lesson: don't start warming it up until checking to make sure nothing is stored inside! I know there are lots of cases of people doing that with their ovens and forgetting about having used it as storage. Down the road from us at home there was an exciting Fire Department visit because Mama started the oven without realizing that her daughter's Barbie doll was resting in there. Still...who'd think to look inside a pair of flat grates clamped together? Fortunately, I caught it before the scraper and the printed "quick start" sheet had begun to scorch. 

 

Second lesson: monitor the cooking and the grease content, and consider using less cheese. 🙄

 

 

I tell you, it was an intimidating mess when I checked those sandwiches for the second time. (The first time I checked, they hadn't begun to brown.) As you can see, the cheese was running all over the plate and out the sides, down the dial face. I hadn't noticed it running out before I opened the lid. 

 

I was pleased and surprised when I went to pick up the sandwiches, though. The cheese (Tillamook Extra Sharp Cheddar) hung together quite nicely and lifted right off the grill plate. It hung together so well I had to cut it (with scissors) to separate the sandwich servings.

 

 

I piled the stuff on our plates, perhaps not artistically, but so that we could eat it. I found the concentrated, melted cheese a bit too salty. He thought it excellent.

 

 

We both loved the texture of the sandwiches: very crisp crust, that extra cheese, nicely crisped bread on both sides of the sandwich. Soft, gooey interior. It hadn't all leaked out. 🙂

 

 

 

We had to laugh, though: we'd thought that a panini press would be easier than a skillet, and I'd be able to crank out these great sandwiches on it with minimal cleanup. Based on last night's dinner, we were dead wrong...and we really did think it was funny.

 

The cleanup was easier than I expected. Despite the melted cheese flowing down the sides, most of it really did go down the sides instead of down into the works. This is a very well constructed machine.

 

 

And then there was the delicious result. All in all, we figure we already got $8 worth* of entertainment from it. 🙂

 

*(He adds that it really makes his haircut $28 instead of $20)

 

[rotuts]

@Smithy

 

if ' He ' considers the haircut was $ 28

 

then ' He ' doesn't get any more panini.

[Smithy]

I'd like more information from those of you who've used a grill press like this. I love the idea of quesadillas, which I had considered, and roasted peppers, which I hadn't. Those of you who've done it, please give me specifics or suggestions. 

 

For instance: 

-- shredded cheese inside quesadillas and sandwiches, instead of sliced as I did last night?

-- if I put slices of eggplant in that grill pan and press them, should I at least squirt them with a little olive oil?

-- what about on the quesadillas-- @Shelby, do you really mean no oil at all?

-- what about roasting peppers? Slice and seed them, or put them on whole? What about oil?

 

And @rotuts, I'm picking up some sliced meats tomorrow for something like Cubanos. I'll tell him that if he wants one it's HIS turn to wash the windows.

[Shelby]

2 minutes ago, Smithy said:

I'd like more information from those of you who've used a grill press like this. I love the idea of quesadillas, which I had considered, and roasted peppers, which I hadn't. Those of you who've done it, please give me specifics or suggestions. 

 

For instance: 

-- shredded cheese inside quesadillas and sandwiches, instead of sliced as I did last night?

-- if I put slices of eggplant in that grill pan and press them, should I at least squirt them with a little olive oil?

-- what about on the quesadillas-- @Shelby, do you really mean no oil at all?

-- what about roasting peppers? Slice and seed them, or put them on whole? What about oil?

 

And @rotuts, I'm picking up some sliced meats tomorrow for something like Cubanos. I'll tell him that if he wants one it's HIS turn to wash the windows.

Nope, not a lick of oil.  I turn the machine on with the lid open, plop a tortilla on, place the fillings, plop another tortilla on top, close the lid and that's it.  

 

I use shredded for quesadillas....and usually slices for sandwiches.  It is easy to over-cheese .....but, like you discovered, the cheese crisps up and it's one of the best parts.

[rotuts]

@Smithy

 

consider a simple ham and cheese

 

if the ham is deli ham , that's not ' boiled '  ham

 

or if its any way salty 

 

consider  brief soak of the ham in ice water.

 

the ham will be ham-er   and you will notice this in the sadwich

 

make one w/o the 'ice bath '  and one with

 

cut in /2  , and after a written statement about the dishes

 

each gets 1/2 and can comment.

 

it dies make a difference

 

and only takes a minute or two , no more

 

consider a very light brushing 

 

of the panini bread surfaces with evoo.

 

Ive had them that way.  fantastic.

 

Edited February 18 by rotuts (log)

[Smithy]

The same day we did the haircut and thrift shop, we went to Fry's "to get a few things" as usual. We actually had a list and stayed true to it -- for the most part -- but as usual I went overboard on the produce and we got meat at good prices to fill the empty spaces in the refrigerator and freezer. 

 

I still haven't done much of a grocery-store tour for y'all this trip, but I snapped a few photos this time. In the collage below, you can see:

• a very small part of the ever-expanding selection of Asian food goods in this little Southwestern town;
• the good cheap price on my preferred tortilla chips -- they're great for nachos, which we had a few nights ago, and they're also great snacks when I'm prepping dinner and already hangry;
• the astronomic "sale" price of butter -- dairy prices seem to be skyrocketing more than anything else I see;
• the bunch of green I brought home and simply couldn't fit in the refrigerator.

 

The cooler in the lower right corner of that collage has parsley, cilantro and asparagus, each in its own container of water. I move the cooler around to keep it out of the sun. I think I'll be cooking the asparagus tonight. I got all that parsley because I want tabbouleh soon, although there may not be any bulgur in the Princessmobile (I'll have to look). Also, I use parsley and cilantro A LOT.

 

The reason it wouldn't fit in the refrigerator is all the other stuff we bought: eggplant, lemons, 2 bunches of spinach, a large head of romaine, brussels sprouts, green beans, boneless skinless chicken thighs, ground chicken, pork chops and steaks, an assortment of chiles. Those filled the previously existing gaps in the refrigerator. Today I'll get around to repackaging and freezing the meat, but I was too tired when we got home and too busy yesterday.

 

 

This mural is not on the outside of our Fry's, but we pass it every time we leave town and I adore it. I've been in that store a few times. It's pretty good, but doesn't offer a good selection of the things we usually eat. Still...that mural! I think she must be some sort of Sonoran Desert goddess, or Sea of Cortez mermaid. Every animal and plant in that mural belongs to the Sonoran Desert.

 

 

 

And in a note of incongruity, but I wanted to save the punchline for...well, the punchline spot: I saw this at Fry's.

 

 

 

I cannot imagine what would induce me to try that, if I had to pay any money for the privilege.

[Smithy]

One more post for now, and I hope there'll be more commentary about panini press usage as the day goes on.

 

Yesterday I finally got (re)started on sauerkraut making. I've had 2 heads of red cabbage waiting to be treated. Thanks to @FauxPas's comments on the issue I want to experiment with different salt levels. Yesterday I more or less duplicated my previous efforts (3% salt by weight) in the interest of repeatability. Today I'm going to do batches at lower salt levels. I'll write in more detail in the Preservation topic.

 

Here, I wish to point out why it's so difficult for me to get rid of things. Way back in 2019 I bought this pan at a thrift store, thinking it looked perfect for a mini-lasagna or a terrine. @Porthos recognized it as an insert for the buffet pan adaptor for a turkey roaster. 

 

 

Well, it hasn't been put to any such use. It's been holding a plastic storage container of spices in some upper cupboard. It was slated for removal and donation to a local garage sale coming up.

 

...Until yesterday, when I realized it's the perfect size to hold 3 jars of potentially bubbling, overflowing, mess-making kraut or other fermentation projects.

 

 

When I removed the jars to photograph them separately, I poured beautiful indigo juice out of the bottom of the pan. It's already earned its keep!

 

In other news: a local group of motorized parachute fliers came out yesterday. They used to camp nearby and stay for a weekend. They've only come out for the day in the last two years, but they seem to remember that we love to see them and love a good aerial show. (We told them so, last time we had the chance.) I ran out and waved and jumped around like a maniac, and one of them was good enough to come right overhead.

 

[ElsieD]

@Smithy. Should there maybe be a topic on panini presses/grills?  I have one that doesn't get used nearly enough and I'm very interested in what all you can do with it.  For example, I would never think of using it to roast peppers!

Edited February 18 by ElsieD (log)

[Porthos]

1 hour ago, Smithy said:

Today I'll get around to repackaging and freezing the meat, but I was too tired when we got home and too busy 

Do you carry a vacuum sealer for portioning/storing?  

 

Each time I see the peanut butter whiskey I say to myself, "um, no." It has less than zero appeal, and I love peanut butter.