Camping, Princess Style

[Smithy]

5 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

 

Wow, these last comments make me wonder: when do you folks think something from the freezer is too old to be cooked?

Or is it only based on freezer burn? 

 

I admit I have thrown things out that are over a couple of years old, but maybe I am being overly careful?  🙂

 

 

I think you are. Unless the freezer isn't really keeping things frozen, I think the loss of quality is the first and most likely outcome of overlong frozen storage. The USDA agrees, so far at least. This is what their website has to say about frozen food storage.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/freezing-and-food-safety

 

I did have some sort of frozen seafood -- was it lobster? shrimp? -- go off in my freezer one year, but that was about 40 years ago with a refrigerator I'd bought for $10. It had come from someone's hunting shack and had a bullet hole through the side that had been plugged with solder. The aroma of the overlong-kept seafood was intense. Cooking didn't improve it. I threw it away.

[FauxPas]

16 minutes ago, Smithy said:

with a refrigerator I'd bought for $10. It had come from someone's hunting shack and had a bullet hole through the side that had been plugged with solder.

 

This made me laugh! I was going to joke about what a frugal shopper you are, hahaahahaha

[Smithy]

So. Yesterday after turning on the A/C and lying under the fan for a while, then taking a shower, I girded my figurative loins and went to work chopping the washed produce. I learned -- and this was news to me but maybe it won't be for those of you who routinely live in hot climates -- that even a few hours of lying on the counter is enough to start wilting herbs, leafy greens, and even carrots! My latest bouquets of cilantro and parsley got a few hours of soaking in water, then they were put back into the refrigerator with their stems in water. I'll deal with them later. The previously cut herbs made their way into last night's stir fry.

 

This was a clean-out-the-produce-drawer stir fry. Red bell pepper, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, kale, green onion, jalapeno, mushrooms, chopped parsley and cilantro from a few days ago. Some of the shredded chicken I'd originally bought for the Peruvian Aji de Gallina.

 

 

The sauce was the package of stir fry sauce you see above. (Incidentally, its "best by" date was in 2024. I know I bought it over a year ago, on our last trip out here.)

 

If I'd had a package of cooked rice ready to hand I've have put this concoction over the rice. I wasn't interested in actually cooking any rice. I wasn't interested in rooting through the belly box storage to see if any such packages were lurking in there. I decided that if I needed a starch I'd use bread.

 

 

 

It was plenty as it was. No bread, rice, potatoes or other starch needed.

 

Well, of course there was wine. 🙂

 

Edited April 23 by Smithy
adjusted distorted photo (log)

[Shelby]

1 hour ago, FauxPas said:

 

Wow, these last comments make me wonder: when do you folks think something from the freezer is too old to be cooked?

Or is it only based on freezer burn? 

 

I admit I have thrown things out that are over a couple of years old, but maybe I am being overly careful?  🙂

 

My feelings are that I don't care how old it is as long as it still tastes good.  I'll know by smelling these ribs when they're thawed if they are good or not.  

[liuzhou]

4 hours ago, Smithy said:

I learned -- and this was news to me but maybe it won't be for those of you who routinely live in hot climates -- that even a few hours of lying on the counter is enough to start wilting herbs, leafy greens, and even carrots!

 

Indeed. I live about 10 minutes drive north of the Tropic of Cancer - I used to cross it every day driving to work back in the day I did anything so undignified as work. The line is marked on the expressway. So, I believe that counts as 'hot climate'. 

 

All vegetation is kept in the fridge (except tomatoes - I'm not a complete philistine) or dies rapidly. It's not a big problem for people here; most only purchase what they will use that day. Chinese fridges are usually fairly empty.

 

 

Edited April 23 by liuzhou (log)

[Porthos]

On 3/22/2025 at 6:37 PM, Smithy said:

Yesterday's culinary adventure: I finally got around to making the Sopa de Lima I've been raving about from the San Diego Peace Corps Association's "Taste the World" event that I attended in January. This recipe came from chef Matt, who graciously gave me the recipe and permission to post it. Here it is, as he sent it to me. At some point I'll post it in RecipeGullet.

 

Lime Soup (RPCV).docx 17.82 kB · 35 downloads

 

The recipe calls for both a skillet and a pan, and I opted instead for my enameled cast iron pot for both steps. That meant digging it out of its hidey hole inside the bench I'm currently sitting on. (Of course, that space didn't remain empty for very long.)

 

 

My stash of Penzey's Spices was still easy to find! I opened the jar of Mexican Oregano. That's very nice stuff. It isn't as full of stems as the Rancho Gordo version I've used before. I'm going to like using this.

 

 

Then there was the question of juicing the Key limes. Of course I was going to use my trusty juicer, but I decided to test the methods suggested above by @Margaret Pilgrim and @KennethT 

 

[Porthos]

I'm intrigued by this recipe. I'll run it by my Sweetie, and is she gives me the go-ahead I'll give it a try.

[Smithy]

I need to be packing up and heading out. Originally I'd planned that for tomorrow, but at the rate I'm going it will be Thursday instead. Here's my to-do list:

 

 

...and here's a glimpse of what has to be stowed, after weeks of the Princessmobile's being in one spot and connected to electricity, and my just having unpacked from a weekend trip:

 

 

Yes, it's looking pretty well lived-in by now. It won't take long to stow all those things, but I didn't get to them today and I only got to a few of the trailer inspect/service items.

 

On the back side of that sheet of paper is the town errands: final grocery shopping, really-truly-final laundry (I thought I'd done that already, but events conspired against me), refueling the pickup and topping off its fluids. i did get those things done...this afternoon, when I should have been packing.

 

I'd thought my final grocery shopping list would be shorter than this, but I just got back from visiting my best friends in San Diego again and came away with More Things I Must Have. I'll tell more about that later. For now, here's the list:

 

 

While the laundry was going, I marveled at the emptiness of tthe parking lot. During the peak season, it was packed.

 

 

By now I should know myself well enough to know that if I do all that running around in the afternoon I won't be interested in long cooking. I should also be disciplined enough to get in and do the running around in the morning. But NOOO...that was my darling's department. If he were still here, we'd be packed and ready to go. On the other hand, if he were still here we wouldn't be here at all. So it goes.

 

My original plan for dinner goes back to something I cooked in San Diego. I'm sorry I don't have pictures of that dinner, but I was so busy cooking and managing the mess afterward that I didn't take any. I had taken along a package of pork tenderloin tips (from 2022! and it was a bargain even then!)...

 

 

and cooked half of them there. I'd used only half the package, given that there were only 3 of us, and we still had enough leftovers for lunch the next day. I had cut the pork into chunks and marinated it in my favorite marinade of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, onions, parsley, dried oregano and a touch of salt and pepper. In the same mixture I'd also marinated slices of red bell pepper, onion and mushrooms. All that had been skewered and grilled outside, along with cherry tomatoes. I was quite pleased with it and the others liked it well enough. My BFF thought the meat too chewy, although Mr. BFF and I didn't. My darling had also always thought this cut of pork too tough, so there you go. We served the whole shebang over wild rice, and had my friends' usual (delicious) green salad on the side.

 

There are two schools of thought on what to do with lean meat: cook quickly at high heat (flash-sear, or grill), or cook low and slow. As I recall, the current wisdom is that low and slow works well for things with a lot of fat and connective tissue: pork shoulder, for instance, but not lean meat like pork tenderloin. I've always gone the fast-hot route. But hey, I'm willing to try new things. I might learn something.

 

So today I set the remaining bits of pork up in a marinade of soy, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, a little lime juice, and vinegars. I say "vinegars" because I exhausted my rice wine vinegar today and refuse to buy more before getting home. I instead opened a bottle of maple vinegar, purchased Heaven knows when. It's pretty good stuff. A slight sweetness, but plenty of vinegar punch. 

 

 

After loading the meat into the marinade I decided it needed to be cut down to size. I cut it into chunks of one or two bites' worth, stuck it back in the marinade, and finally decided I'd better go do those last running-around errands. That's where my plans went awry.

 

 

By the time I got home, crazy hungry, and unpacked groceries and tended animals and the trailer, I needed food. Quick food. Crackers, olives, salami. I don't even have salad made at the moment. So I did those, thought guiltily of the pork marinating in the refrigerator, and left it there. It can keep until tomorrow. I'm glad I refrigerated it before leaving for a few hours.

 

I'll tell more about San Diego, where we went and what we ate, in other posts. I'll close this post with this final-packing-before-leaving-home -in-January checklist that I discovered in my wallet while I was away this weekend! I really don't clean out my wallet often enough.

 

[ElsieD]

That maple vinegar sounds intriguing.  I've never seen it.

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, ElsieD said:

That maple vinegar sounds intriguing.  I've never seen it.

 

I don't remember where or when I bought it. Its label says it's made in Ottertail, MN, where my husband's daughter and her family live. Odds are I picked it up there on some visit to the local farmer's market when we were making salsa together. We egged each other into buying a lot of experimental products!

 

Edited to add: the link above goes to Buehler's Produce, the place we like to frequent. If you wish to see a glorious place during the height of the Minnesota growing season, see this post.

Edited Wednesday at 04:52 PM by Smithy
Added final paragraph (log)

[Margaret Pilgrim]

I have a Maple Balsamic from Amphora Nueva.    Excellent product that has both savory as well as sweet applications.     Warning:  all of their flavored balsamics are enticing and delicious.  

[Smithy]

Breakfast. Urrp.

 

 

I'll give myself a little time for that to digest before getting back to work, and tell you a bit about the San Diego trip. Working backwards, for the moment. I make no promises about chronological sequence.

 

On my way back here on Monday, I stopped at Barons Market, near my friends' house, in hopes of scoring more of that great Bread & Cie bread. No luck this time: there were baguettes and a few other loaves, but none of the type I wanted. That's all right, though: this market's bakery also offers sourdough bread. I came away with:

 

 

You can see some of the kalamata bread slices under all the avocado in the first picture. I don't know yet what I'll do with that lavash, but it looked too good to pass up. Other lavash offerings contained a dough conditioner, sodium citrate or some such. This doesn't.

 

I didn't buy anything else at Baron's. I got back on the freeway for a few miles, then found my way to an H-Mart. H-Mart! A Korean superstore!! I've read about H-Mart from some other eGers but had only visited one for the first time during my previous trip to San Diego with my friends. That time, I'd picked up some soap dishes and some massively useful adjustable suction cups with hooks for the shower. I was hoping to find more of those suction devices. No joy. I didn't buy anything at H-Mart, but during my blitz through the housewares department I snapped a few photos for your enjoyment.

 

 

 

 

Their produce and meat departments are wonderful too, but I didn't want to take time to be tempted.

[rotuts]

@Smithy

 

Lavash , when fresh a pliable , makes an interesting Wrap.

 

thank you for the [pics of the H-Mart.

 

love wandering around stores like that.

[Smithy]

I'm back inside after some 2 or 3 hours of exterior work. Air up tires, clean and lube glide seals, check generator, mount bike back on rack, clean interior of pickup. It's a good thing I started when I did, because it's getting hot outside now and the black surfaces (ladder, stair rail) are almost too hot to touch. I've plenty to do inside where the air conditioner is running.

 

Before I forget, I want to show you a wonderful salad I had at my friends' house. It's based on Feasting at Home's Asian Slaw recipe. It's easy to make, once you shred / chop the cabbage. The main ingredients are cabbage, cilantro, a few green onions although we used finely chopped "regular" onion instead. The dressing is olive oil, a touch of sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, a bit of sweetener. We topped ours with peanuts; the recipe calls for optional toppings of chopped nuts or sesame seeds. The recipe writer notes that it's also a very forgiving and adaptable recipe: other elements can be added to the slaw (carrots or kohlrabi, for instance) so it's a pretty good clean-out-the-fridge salad recipe.

 

 

We ate a LOT of this stuff, and it's something like tabbouli that I'll be able to eat again and again. It also made a nice topping for other salads, or for meats. It took well to having nut pastes added to it. It'll probably lend itself well to the wrap idea that @rotuts mentioned. I intend to do that with tabbouli, too. Tabbouli is on my list of interior chores for today.

 

Oh, a comment on the finely chopped onion: my friend likes the flavor but it irritates her mouth and gut when she eats it raw even in small quantities. She tames the onion's bite by soaking the chopped bits in vinegar for a half hour or so. It did seem to keep the flavor but blunt the bite.

[MaryIsobel]

53 minutes ago, Smithy said:

I'm back inside after some 2 or 3 hours of exterior work. Air up tires, clean and lube glide seals, check generator, mount bike back on rack, clean interior of pickup. It's a good thing I started when I did, because it's getting hot outside now and the black surfaces (ladder, stair rail) are almost too hot to touch. I've plenty to do inside where the air conditioner is running.

 

Before I forget, I want to show you a wonderful salad I had at my friends' house. It's based on Feasting at Home's Asian Slaw recipe. It's easy to make, once you shred / chop the cabbage. The main ingredients are cabbage, cilantro, a few green onions although we used finely chopped "regular" onion instead. The dressing is olive oil, a touch of sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, a bit of sweetener. We topped ours with peanuts; the recipe calls for optional toppings of chopped nuts or sesame seeds. The recipe writer notes that it's also a very forgiving and adaptable recipe: other elements can be added to the slaw (carrots or kohlrabi, for instance) so it's a pretty good clean-out-the-fridge salad recipe.

 

 

We ate a LOT of this stuff, and it's something like tabbouli that I'll be able to eat again and again. It also made a nice topping for other salads, or for meats. It took well to having nut pastes added to it. It'll probably lend itself well to the wrap idea that @rotuts mentioned. I intend to do that with tabbouli, too. Tabbouli is on my list of interior chores for today.

 

Oh, a comment on the finely chopped onion: my friend likes the flavor but it irritates her mouth and gut when she eats it raw even in small quantities. She tames the onion's bite by soaking the chopped bits in vinegar for a half hour or so. It did seem to keep the flavor but blunt the bite.

I really admire your dedication to RV life. Not sure I would have the gumption to do it without my husband. I would definitely have to downsize both truck - a big Dodge Ram 350 with duallies     and 35' fifth wheel. A friend of mine who recently lost her husband, sold their huge motorhome and bought her self a small one - 24' I think. It is just perfect for her on her own but has enough room for one or two more people.

[Smithy]

One day in San Diego we went to North Park Produce, a Middle Eastern grocery store where I could get lost for days. My friend needed halal meat for a dinner party she was throwing. She knows my love of shopping and browsing, and she suffers from no such predilection herself -- at least, in the grocery store, she's more of a buyer than a shopper. We indulged each other: I aimed for the things I most wanted to see but skipped a lot else I'd like to have seen; she let me wander a bit and called my attention to things I might have missed.

 

Her aim was the meat counter, for halal chicken. I admired a lot of other items there too.

 

 

 

 

 

Look at that beautiful meat! I had to ask what a banana shank was. Have you heard of it? Know what it is?

 

I wanted to look there for sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, for the dipping sauce I intend to make at some point. I found 3 different brands. Couldn't decide. One has sunflower oil; one uses olive oil; one had sugar added. That one was the cheapest, of course. I left it and took one jar each of the other two. I'd thought that the one with sunflower oil also had olive oil mixed in. I see now I was mistaken. That's what happens when I hurry.

 

 

 

Speaking of olive oil: there was a wonderful array of the stuff, as well as canola, canola/olive, sunflower, avocado, avocado/olive oils, and so on. I couldn't remember the status of olive oil here in the trailer. I knew the open bottle was getting low. Did I have any in abeyance? I decided to err on the side of caution.

 

 

There was also a wonderful array of canned fish, smoked or otherwise. I have quite a few cans of anchovies and sardines, but this caught my eye and my curiosity, and made its way into my basket. I've heard of sprats but never had them as far as I know.

 

 

Then there was a the produce section. Amazing! Huge, fresh ginger as big as my hand; sour melons; sour plums; tomatillos and carrots and other familiar produce that all looked fresh and good. 

 

 

I bought a largish piece of ginger and have already used most of it. Should have bought more. Ditto for the herbs, but I settled for mint since I knew I needed it.

 

 

This is the first time I've seen green almonds or raw garbanzos. If you'd asked me, I'd have guessed that garbanzos / chickpeas come in pods more like peas. I'd have been wrong.

 

 

I didn't take photos of the restaurant section, the breads, the spreads, the cheeses, or the kitchen gadgets. As I said, she was trying to hurry without hurrying me too badly. I bought some Danish white cheese.

 

And now that I'm back "home" in the Princessmobile, I see I already had two, count 'em two, unopened bottles of olive oil. I'm sure there are two because I bought twice, forgetting what was in the belly box storage. I should make it home safely without needing to buy more. 🙂

[Smithy]

14 minutes ago, MaryIsobel said:

I really admire your dedication to RV life. Not sure I would have the gumption to do it without my husband. I would definitely have to downsize both truck - a big Dodge Ram 350 with duallies     and 35' fifth wheel. A friend of mine who recently lost her husband, sold their huge motorhome and bought her self a small one - 24' I think. It is just perfect for her on her own but has enough room for one or two more people.

 

Thank you. I considered a motor home but since I already had an excellent tow vehicle I decided to stick with the pickup and fifth wheel. For the money, I get more space. What is comical to me is that, large as this trailer is for one person, it still can seem crowded sometimes. (Well, you've seen what I'm doing with the space - that is, filling it up). Given the 2 cats and large dog along for the ride, I think my darling and I would find it too cramped for months on end. It should suit more than one person in the shorter term, though. I am considering going home by way of Nevada so my sister can stay with me a few days. The couch folds out into a Queen-sized bed. I haven't decided the route home yet. If she does come stay with me, we'll see about the claims that this place can sleep 4!

[MaryIsobel]

45 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

Thank you. I considered a motor home but since I already had an excellent tow vehicle I decided to stick with the pickup and fifth wheel. For the money, I get more space. What is comical to me is that, large as this trailer is for one person, it still can seem crowded sometimes. (Well, you've seen what I'm doing with the space - that is, filling it up). Given the 2 cats and large dog along for the ride, I think my darling and I would find it too cramped for months on end. It should suit more than one person in the shorter term, though. I am considering going home by way of Nevada so my sister can stay with me a few days. The couch folds out into a Queen-sized bed. I haven't decided the route home yet. If she does come stay with me, we'll see about the claims that this place can sleep 4!

Having had our 5th wheel for 5 years now - I could certainly suggest some improvements. We have little to no counterspace in the kitchen area once the dishrack takes up counter space. However we have a huge space between the kitchen and the sitting area - large enough for 3 couples to dance. I get that it is about the slideouts, but still...And who ever thought it would be a good idea to carpet the stairs, the dining area and the bedroom? Sand, dust, dog hair - we are considering ripping all the carpet out.

[blue_dolphin]

8 hours ago, ElsieD said:

That maple vinegar sounds intriguing.  I've never seen it.

If you want to try making your own maple vinegar you could check out this post from @Nyleve Baar and the following discussion.  

Also, in this post in the 2017 Recipes that Rock topic, @Anna N shared another recipe link. 

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, MaryIsobel said:

Sand, dust, dog hair - we are considering ripping all the carpet out.

 

I am delighted with the vinyl flooring in this trailer. I may see about adding a small vacuum cleaner to collect the loose fluff (I kept the old stick vacuum from the previous trailer) but in truth a broom and mop (Swiffer) do most of what a vacuum could do. 

 

1 hour ago, MaryIsobel said:

we have a huge space between the kitchen and the sitting area

 

Depending on the layout, might you add a drop leaf to the counter? That's what we did with the last trailer. My darling very carefully measured the thickness of our Boos Block cutting board, then mounted two very sturdy drop-down shelf brackets to support it. That made a huge difference in the working space for the previous Princessmobile. You can see an end view here (scroll down a bit) and a couple of top views here and here to see what I mean. We had to remove the board and drop the supports in order to bring the kitchen glide in and move, but once we were in place we kept them up all the time.

[Smithy]

This may be too many updates at once, but I'm getting ready to move and want to follow up on the remaining pork tenderloin tips. They'd been marinating since yesterday, and I absolutely, positively had to cook them today. This despite the heat and my getting-ready-to-go activities.

 

In the collage below: a layer of mushrooms (purchased yesterday on my final, really final local grocery shopping trip that I haven't shown yet) covered by the marinated meat. On further reflection I decided to add the marinade to the cooking mix instead of cooking it down for later use. I put it in my Descoware dish, brought it briefly to a boil on stovetop, then put it into the oven at the lowest possible temperature. Then I went off to do other chores.

 

 

The lower right image in the collage shows the cooked meat, but doesn't really show the sauce well. I had cooked rice on the stove. The sauce and meat went atop the rice, and some of my chopped chopped herbs went atop that. 

 

 

It also needed more soy sauce, then lemon and butter. Not bad. Not one for the "must repeat" books, but it has promise.

 

The interesting thing is the texture of the meat. Nobody would accuse this of being tough. It was fork-tender.

 

 

Was it mealy? Some might say so. I dunno. I didn't object to the earlier high-heat fast-cook treatment of a few days ago. My darling and my best friend might prefer this texture. I'll have to try side-by-side treatments with a broader jury.

Edited 20 hours ago by Smithy
Adjusted final paragraph (log)

[liuzhou]

I was shocked to see your jar of Baltic sprats contains fish!!

 

 

🐡

 

[Smithy]

12 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

I was shocked to see your jar of Baltic sprats contains fish!!

 

 

🐡

 

 

What would you expect instead?

 

(I don't see a discussion of sprats in your topic about Fish Etc. in China, so i'm in the dark.)

[liuzhou]

4 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

What would you expect instead?

 

(I don't see a discussion of sprats in your topic about Fish Etc. in China, so i'm in the dark.)

 

I was joking. Why do they have to point out a jar of fish contains fish?

 

 

Edited 21 hours ago by liuzhou (log)

[Smithy]

1 minute ago, liuzhou said:

 

I was joking. What do they have to point out a jar of fish contains fish?

 

 

 

Ah, I get it! Slow on the uptake. Sorry!