Camping, Princess Style

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2 hours ago, Smithy said:

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

 

Mix it with creme de cacao for a Reese's lover? That's about all I've got.

[MaryIsobel]

2 hours ago, Shelby said:

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.

I do quesdillas the same way - with shredded (by me, not preshredded) - no oil.

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, Porthos said:

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. 

 

Yes. It's a handheld pump with reusable bags, intended for sous vide although I've just used it for freezer package. This is the one I have (eG-friendly Amazon.com link). It's no longer available but there are lots of sets like it. I carried a FoodSaver with us one year, but decided it wasn't worth the real estate in our situation.

 

I love peanut butter too, but I simply can't imagine peanut butter and whiskey. If there were free samples, given out with plenty of water, I might try it.

[Shelby]

I read somewhere about someone making bacon in their panini maker.  I remember thinking it's easier to do in a regular skillet but what do I know lol.

[DesertTinker]

5 hours ago, Smithy said:

 

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

I was offered a “taste to see if you like it” at a friend’s house. It was… interesting. Not offensive, but also not something I would seek out to consume again. My memory of the experience is the initial whiskey flavor and burn, followed by a peanut butter aftertaste.

[Smithy]

4 hours ago, ElsieD said:

@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!

 

Let the discussions begin!

[blue_dolphin]

5 hours ago, Smithy said:

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

 

I really can't imagine what it would taste like but all this conversation has made me curious.  I looked it up at Total Wine and the stuff has an amazing number of positive reviews.  My store has the mini bottles available for a fairly nominal cost so maybe I'll spring for one and find out.  If I do, I'll be sure to let you know!

[Smithy]

5 hours ago, Porthos said:

Do you carry a vacuum sealer for portioning/storing?  

 

 

Here it is in action.

 

Before:

 

After:

[Smithy]

Well, I haven't had any more time to try out the panini press or do much cooking, beyond dinner salads. Today I was treated to this pre-sunrise sun show this morning (2 different exposures):

 

 

I took the opportunity yesterday to go back to Shawarma Vibes, first described in this post. This time I took time to photograph some of the wonderful wall art. I particularly like the one on the right, below:

 

 

Others:

 

 

I ordered the Shawarmaholic platter: chicken and beef shawarma atop a bed of rice, with fattoush salad, hummus, tahineh, garlic sauce, and a pita:

 

 

It's a LOT of food.

 

 

The rice and meat were delicious:

 

 

The fattoush was pretty good. In all honesty, I prefer my own salad dressing, garlic sauce and tahineh...in fact, I had to ask what the reddish stuff was (their version of tahineh). The garlic sauce was essentially mayonnaise with garlic stirred in: at that point, it really is affected by the quality of the mayo and the garlic. Meh.

 

Not shown: their stellar lentil soup. This time I remembered to ask about the soup base. It's a vegetable base. Their pita chips are great, too. I also brought home a small serving of tabbouli, since I haven't had time to make my own. Again, it isn't bad -- but I like mine better when I have time to make it.

 

So...I'd still recommend this place to anyone looking for Middle Eastern food around Yuma, but maybe I have it out of my system for a while. Besides, I'll be eating on this particular meal for quite some time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 29 by Smithy
Wordsmithing: changed "as told" to "first described" (log)

[Shelby]

I've been so hungry for a fattoush salad but.. I was too lazy over the summer to make it.  Ugh.  What I would give to eat your leftovers right now  

 

I also love the signs...especially the women are always right and your opinion wasn't in the recipe.  I might need those in my kitchen lol.

[gfweb]

On 2/18/2024 at 7:36 PM, blue_dolphin said:

 

I really can't imagine what it would taste like but all this conversation has made me curious.  I looked it up at Total Wine and the stuff has an amazing number of positive reviews.  My store has the mini bottles available for a fairly nominal cost so maybe I'll spring for one and find out.  If I do, I'll be sure to let you know!

 

I use minibottles for cooking wine. 

[Smithy]

29 minutes ago, gfweb said:

 

I use minibottles for cooking wine. 

 

I have a minibottle of cinnamon-flavored whisky, which is pretty good in a strange way if you're in the mood. I've been wondering what sort of thing I could use it on to flambé and make a complementary sauce. Any ideas?

 

 

[liuzhou]

I have a few mini-bottles of vino collapso for cooking. I don't mean I cook with them but that they are intended for cooking. They were gifts.

 

Edited February 26 by liuzhou (log)

[Smithy]

3 hours ago, liuzhou said:

I gave a few mini-bottles of vino collapso for cooking. I don't mean I cook with them but that they are intended for cooking. They were gifts.

 

 

Great label!

[blue_dolphin]

On 2/18/2024 at 10:43 AM, Smithy said:

...

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.

 

On 2/18/2024 at 4:36 PM, blue_dolphin said:

 

I really can't imagine what it would taste like but all this conversation has made me curious.  I looked it up at Total Wine and the stuff has an amazing number of positive reviews.  My store has the mini bottles available for a fairly nominal cost so maybe I'll spring for one and find out.  If I do, I'll be sure to let you know!

 

Well, I went to Total Wine to get some dry cider for a couple of recipes and, as promised, I checked out the little bottle section and brought home a bottle of this Screwball Peanut Butter Whiskey. 

I gave it a sniff and it smelled pleasantly peanut buttery. I took a sip and was shocked at how sugar-y sweet it is.  I'm surprised it's not labeled as a liqueur.  Way too sweet to sip on its own.  

I decided to try making a Manhattan with it. That's a pretty hilarious notion right there but I thought the vermouth might balance out the sweetness and the cherry garnish might offer a little PB&J vibe.

It was not good.  Not good at all.  Even the nice Amarena cherry wasn't good after spending time in the glass with it. 

If someone were a lover of sweet drinks, I suppose this could be used in one.  The peanut/honey flavor isn't bad, it's just overwhelmed by the sweetness.  The young woman at the register told me that her boyfriend liked to use it to make frozen chocolate milkshakes.  That's not my kinda cocktail.  

The helpful cashier suggested that if I liked this, I should check out the various flavors offered by another company, Skatterbrain, and specifically recommended their Dark Chocolate Banana Whiskey.  Good grief!  What is the world coming to? 

[Smithy]

Oh, @blue_dolphin, that's hilarious! Thanks for taking one for the team. 🙂

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

@blue_dolphin You'll never have to prove your courage in any other way 😄.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Sounds like something aimed at the middle school market.

[Katie Meadow]

2 hours ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

Sounds like something aimed at the middle school market.

Yeah, but it's peanuts, so you can't take it in your lunchbox. Maybe best for a homework cocktail while mom and dad are having their martinis.

[Kim Shook]

I’ve got a couple of tried and true panini that we like a lot (please excuse the jankiness of the pages – the website is currently being updated and some things aren’t right yet - and the pop up ads are a new thing 🙄- just close them and the recipe will come up):

 Pear, Pecorino, and Prosciutto Panini

Raisin Bread w/ Ham, Turkey & Swiss

 

And regarding PB whiskey – it is all the rage at everything from upscale to hipster to chain restaurants and bars here in VA.  Everyone I know is appalled at the idea of peanut butter in whiskey.  I, on the other hand, am appalled that someone would pollute my beloved PB with nasty whiskey. 😄😄😄

[Smithy]

2 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

I’ve got a couple of tried and true panini that we like a lot (please excuse the jankiness of the pages – the website is currently being updated and some things aren’t right yet - and the pop up ads are a new thing 🙄- just close them and the recipe will come up):

 Pear, Pecorino, and Prosciutto Panini

Raisin Bread w/ Ham, Turkey & Swiss

 

Thanks!

[NadyaDuke]

My sister makes a decent peanut butter old-fashioned with that PB whiskey and chocolate bitters. She had one at a bar somewhere and experimented to come up with a version of it. The PB whiskey adds sweetness and nuttiness and if you don’t know what it is you might not guess. I think the bar version used black walnut bitters which sounds better to me.

[NadyaDuke]

To be clear, she uses the PB whiskey in place of simple, with plenty of regular whiskey!

[blue_dolphin]

6 hours ago, NadyaDuke said:

To be clear, she uses the PB whiskey in place of simple, with plenty of regular whiskey!

 

I'll remember that if I'm ever tempted to try it again!  

[Smithy]

We never expected or intended to be there so long. We finally left yesterday, and these pictures show just how much the sunrise had shifted from its position at the winter solstice.

 

 

Our campfire ring, which we were so pleased to find unmolested when we arrived last November, was just as pristine when we left...not because we did a fine job of cleaning it up, but because it sat unused and forlorn all season. Wind was a frequent interference. Medical issues were the other.

 

 

I dislike dropping a narrative abruptly, as I did over a month ago, so I'll do a bit of catching up and wrapping up in the next few days. What happened was, my darling was a guest at a hospital, then a rehab hospital, for nearly a month. During that time I drove back and forth from the Princessmobile to the various facilities watching over him. I took care of the Princessmobile, animals, bills, my own self...checked in here on eGullet and continued hosting duties...but did very little in the way of interesting eating. In fact, you could say my cooking was minimalist and perfunctory. I now understand folks who really want good food, but only a little of it, with minimum fuss and cleanup. @MetsFan5 and her Tovola Smart Oven come to mind. So do folks who participated in the topic @ElsieD started: Help! I've lost my cooking mojo and I want it back! Well, except in my case I was too busy, tired and dispirited to even want it back at the time. Things have turned around since then.

 

I ate a LOT of salads and leftovers. The leftovers were from when my darling was in the hospital and had very little interest in food. I can't say there was much good food to come out of there, although I had an excellent pork chile verde one evening. Even my darling had liked it, but he'd had too little appetite to eat much of it. The rehab hospital, on the other hand, had excellent food at an astonishingly low price. For under $5 I could get a full lunch or dinner, if I wished, while I ate with my darling. i didn't usually want that much, but their green salads were generous and delicious, and their tuna salad was at least as good as anything I could make. I often came home with a clamshell containing the remains of a lunch salad, and ate that for dinner if I hadn't already had enough.

 

One thing I learned at the rehab hospital is that there actually is a bottled dressing that I like. It came in plastic packets in their dining hall, but I discovered I could buy it in a grocery store.

 

 

Well, it's ALMOST the same thing. I'm a bit surprised and mildly disgruntled at the difference.

 

 

The bottle needs shaking, and the individual packets don't. I think that's interesting, but haven't really investigated why it is.

 

I also ate, and continue to eat, a LOT of hummus and tabbouli. It took at least one bunch of neglected and thrown away cilantro and parsley before I finally found the mojo to try making the tabbouli,  but it's become a staple.

 

 

Makes a pretty good salad topping,...

 

 

...and goes well atop a tortilla chip, with or without hummus. Sometimes this was dinner.

 

 

The recipes for tabbouli and hummus both come from the cookbook Balaboosta (eG-friendly Amazon.com link), which I bought way back in 2018 and quite forgot until I began looking for tabbouli and hummus recipes from my onboard Kindle collection. I recommend this book. These particular recipes have become my gold standard for the foods in question. My only problem with the tabbouli is that it makes enough for a crowd, and when I'm eating it alone the bulgur gets mushy before I've finished it off. I need to remember to scale down the recipe.

 

During the time we languished in the desert, waiting for my darling to recover enough to travel -- and then waiting for trailer repairs! (but that's another story!) -- I saw the entire bloom-to-seed life cycle of some of our beloved flowers. A few hardy late bloomers like the paloverde trees are just starting to blossom. I don't have any photos of them in their full, frothy yellow glory, but they've been a welcome sight on our road trip. 

 

 

I learned a few things about easy cooking, and will share them in future posts.

 

 

 

Edited April 19 by Smithy
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