Camping, Princess Style

[weinoo]

New Mexico never fails to...be a little, just a little...different.

[Smithy]

Spotted in a Dollar Store today: a $10 "Dutch Oven". At least, that's how it's labeled. It looks like it's about a quart, maybe slightly bigger. It also looks pretty useless, if one's used to cooking in a real Dutch Oven. 😉

 

[Anna N]

49 minutes ago, Smithy said:

Spotted in a Dollar Store today: a $10 "Dutch Oven".

If it were enamelled cast iron I would have grabbed it in a heartbeat. Makes a marvellous water bowl for pets. They can’t tip it over or push it all over the place. 

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, Anna N said:

If it were enamelled cast iron I would have grabbed it in a heartbeat. Makes a marvellous water bowl for pets. They can’t tip it over or push it all over the place. 

 

I didn't think of that. I think it's ceramic, but it's still heavy enough that it might make a good stable watering bowl. Thanks for the idea!

[Smithy]

Since we arrived in Texas we've been eating a lot of 'cue, some of it excellent and some a bit less so. I'm still working on the excellent ribeye you see in the picture below. His brisket was a bit overdone, to our dismay.

 

I think tonight I'll be working to use some of the less satisfactory leftovers in a vegetable-heavy dinner. My darling's a bit under the weather and there's no point in spending beaucoup bucks if he isn't going to enjoy it. In the meantime, I am working on a good late-afternoon salad as I type.

 

 

Speaking of being "under the weather", we were under a hailstorm last night. I've never experienced anything like it although it isn't terribly unusual for this area. The din was incredible in the Princessmobile! There's minor dimpling on the pickup. We've spotted a broken skylight over the shower that needs to be taped to get us home, and that's my next project.

 

 

Still, all the rain and humidity has its compensations. As in past years we're a bit taken by surprise to remember what "green" looks like. The flowers are far more abundant and showy than we've been seeing.

 

 

Yesterday we went into a grocery store for a few things: mostly the fruit he needs for his breakfast fruit salad, but I needed a few items also. While we were there I perused the meat counter, of course. This store is where I first saw "cookout packs" with all the fixings for specific grilling adventures.

 

 

It's also where I first saw do-it-yourself kits for jalapeno poppers and realized it might actually be easy to make them!

My technique still needs work, and I intend to avail myself of the excellent ready-to-cook setups here, but I owe Lowe's thanks for the inspiration to try making them myself.

 

[Shelby]

UGH on the hail.  We still have damage on the front of our house from not very big hail, but the wind was a zillion miles an hour.  However, when the insurance adjustor came out his exact words were "hail doesn't cause paint damage" 🙄 Um....okaaaaay.

 

Your salad looks delicious.  I'm wondering around the kitchen as we speak trying to think of something for dinner.  Sigh.

 

Hope your husband feels better ASAP.

[ElsieD]

Wow, that's some big hail.  Selling those popper kits is a great idea.  You don't see those around here.

[Smithy]

40 minutes ago, Shelby said:

UGH on the hail.  We still have damage on the front of our house from not very big hail, but the wind was a zillion miles an hour.  However, when the insurance adjustor came out his exact words were "hail doesn't cause paint damage" 🙄 Um....okaaaaay.

 

Your salad looks delicious.  I'm wondering around the kitchen as we speak trying to think of something for dinner.  Sigh.

 

Hope your husband feels better ASAP.

 

I'd like that insurance adjuster to come see what hail did to my airplane's paint one year! Still, it could have been worse here. Just before I climbed up to the roof I was talking to some RVers who are staying in a campground a mile or two away. Their hail was somewhere between golf ball and baseball sized. Punched holes in all of the air conditioner covers! We only had cracks in the one skylight, and no other visible damage to the Princessmobile.

 

Thanks on the compliment about the food! My best friend and her husband trade off cooking duties. More than once this year she's texted me: "what are your dinner plans tonight? I'm looking for ideas!" 😄

 

Thanks also for the well-wishes on my darling. It's never fun to be sick. I think he'll be better after another day of rest.

[FauxPas]

55 minutes ago, Smithy said:

Thanks also for the well-wishes on my darling. It's never fun to be sick. I think he'll be better after another day of rest.

 

Sending healthy vibes his way! And maybe a tall, cold glass of brew. 😀

[Smithy]

On 4/13/2021 at 5:40 PM, FauxPas said:

 

Sending healthy vibes his way! And maybe a tall, cold glass of brew. 😀

 

Thanks. Speaking of brew: we went to Cooper's Old-Time Barbecue again tonight for takeout. Third time this week so far, oink! This time around I asked for a Lone Star beer. The gentleman behind the counter pulled one out of the ice and handed it to me. In the excitement of paying, loading up on sides, visiting with clerks who said "welcome back, glad to see you again" I forgot the beer. I missed it only when we got back to the Princessmobile. I drove back up the couple of blocks, walked in, and the gentleman greeted me with a smile. "I kept it cold for you!" he said, and pulled the bottle back out of the ice. 🙂 Gotta love that level of customer service!

 

The story takes a strange turn, though. The bottle looked odd, and after a moment I realized it had a plain silver cap. Normally it would have a Texas star on it. 

 

 

Worse yet, when I twisted the lid off there was no rebus inside! Whaaa...? That's the main point of the beer! I need to find out whether they've dropped the puzzle permanently or are experiencing a temporary bottle cap shortage. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 hour ago, Smithy said:

 

Thanks. Speaking of brew: we went to Cooper's Old-Time Barbecue again tonight for takeout. Third time this week so far, oink! This time around I asked for a Lone Star beer. The gentleman behind the counter pulled one out of the ice and handed it to me. In the excitement of paying, loading up on sides, visiting with clerks who said "welcome back, glad to see you again" I forgot the beer. I missed it only when we got back to the Princessmobile. I drove back up the couple of blocks, walked in, and the gentleman greeted me with a smile. "I kept it cold for you!" he said, and pulled the bottle back out of the ice. 🙂 Gotta love that level of customer service!

 

The story takes a strange turn, though. The bottle looked odd, and after a moment I realized it had a plain silver cap. Normally it would have a Texas star on it. 

 

 

Worse yet, when I twisted the lid off there was no rebus inside! Whaaa...? That's the main point of the beer! I need to find out whether they've dropped the puzzle permanently or are experiencing a temporary bottle cap shortage. 

 

I suspect a lid supply problem.  I've noticed other foodstuffs now coming with plain lids.

 

[sartoric]

Oh wow, I haven’t checked this forum for ages and look what I missed !

Well, I’ve caught up now over several hours and send my thanks 🙏 

 

Safe onwards, and healing vibes to Mr Smithy.

[Smithy]

I think it's obvious that we come to Llano in part because we like the park and the area, but mostly because we love the Texas barbecue. I don't wish to imply that there are no other dining options around. There's a Chinese restaurant, at least two Mexican restaurants, at least one Italian restaurant. They may all be excellent, but they aren't 'cue. Last night I decided that we really needed to try something from someone other than Cooper's. My darling would have been pleased with leftovers from Cooper's (we have a lot) but he knew the unyielding signs of my determination. I'll show in the next post what I chose for us to eat. Right now I'm going to take you on a small walk around town to get a bit more flavor of Llano. I was on my way to Miller's Smokehouse, home of some fine house-made sausages and stuffed jalapenos of various types.

 

Oops. They're closed on Sundays. The Hungry Hunter, across the road, isn't. The Llano Crawfish Open was this weekend, hence their sign. It looked like they were doing land-office business. Cooper's, a couple of blocks away, was also open and doing brisk business. But Miller's is closed on Sundays. No stuffed jalapenos from them this time!

 

 

I spoke with someone who'd worked the crawfish festival this weekend. He said they'd cooked something like 15,000 (or was it 18,000?) pounds of the little devils. It might have been fun. It might have been a very loud scene. Given the fact that the pandemic is far from over, we weren't interested in making the drive and checking it out. 

 

Seen around town:

 

It's been cool the last few days, but the flowers are still spectacular

 

 

I generally only show the pretty stuff, but this town has a wide variety of houses, from well-tended to, er, thoroughly lived in

 

 

Creative display at an "antiques" store

 

[Smithy]

A short walk from this park is the main north/south road through town. It's a busy road, fairly easy to cross despite the traffic, but there's also a path under the nearby bridge. During the busiest times that's my preferred route to the other side. There, one finds some of the aforementioned not-Cooper's restaurants, a museum, the Visitor's Center, and a lovely botanical / sculptural garden that improves each time we visit. This curious sculpture appeared recently.

 

 

Next to the sculpture is Tommy's Mesquite-Fired Pizza. 

 

 

I've been curious about them for a long time. I'm not sure I've ever had wood-fired pizza, as opposed to what gets delivered from Pizza Hut or Domino's when we're traveling and staying in hotels. I've been wondering what the fuss is about, but they're only open on Fridays and Saturdays and we've never managed a visit.

 

We checked it out earlier in the day, when the pizza oven was getting going and the staff had their own separate grilled foods ready for snacking.

 

 

"Help yourself to some asparagus!" said the proprietor. This pencil-thin asparagus had been a bargain find at the grocery store. From what I could tell it was simply the untrimmed spears laid on foil and generously dosed with butter. I'll try that in the future.  I think I might trim the stems, but that's a minor quibble. It was good. (He didn't offer me any of the pork tenderloin!)

 

Here's their menu, printed on the business card he gave me.

 

 

When the time came for dinner, I walked back under the bridge and placed an order: Pepperoni and Italian Sausage on the entire pizza, jalapenos and mushrooms on half. He only charged me $13, since I was only using half the extra toppings! I'd been prepared to spend $14, so the extra dollar went into the tip jar. (I might note that this was an extra-inexpensive dinner, since I'd scooped up $7 in found money during trash pickup earlier in the day!) They also offer salads and drinks, but I didn't investigate them.

 

While I waited for my pizza, I took pictures of the outside dining area. It was cool and windy, and I think everyone else had done as I intended: taken their order to go. I carefully photographed around people; it wasn't as deserted as my photos seem to imply. I enjoyed watching the oven operation. In between pizzas the cook would rake coals forward over the front bricks to reheat the surface, then scrape them back and brush the bricks to clear ash before laying down the next batch of pizzas. The proprietor kept the storage area under the oven chamber filled with fresh wood. I heard the occasional admonishment to "watch the fire and don't let it go out" so it's possible the cook was in training.

 

This wood-fired pizza oven procedure may be common knowledge for most of you, but I'd never seen the process before yesterday evening. It looked easy but took a lot of attention.

 

 

I went to check out the sculpture more carefully. 

 

 

The placards made it all clear: it was a collaborative effort on the part of some local Junior High School and High School students, with guidance from very good teachers. The creativity and multidisciplanary nature of this is wonderful.

 

 

 

 

There's a solar panel atop it with LED's running in strategic locations. Maybe tonight I'll go back after dark to see how it looks.

 

 

I finished admiring and photographing this project at about the time my pizza order was ready. They handed me this box...

 

 

...I went back under the bridge and to the Princessmobile...

 

 

...and deliciousness ensued.

 

 

The pizza had a thin crust, crisp on the bottom, with a bit of charring that seems to be the main goal of our die-hard pizza fans. I liked the bite. I loved the tang of the tomato sauce beneath the topping. There were no leftovers for breakfast this morning. 

 

Edited April 19, 2021 by Smithy
Small correction in the description of the wood stove management. You won't notice unless you compare with the quote! :-) (log)

[Shelby]

52 minutes ago, Smithy said:

A short walk from this park is the main north/south road through town. It's a busy road, fairly easy to cross despite the traffic, but there's also a path under the nearby bridge. During the busiest times that's my preferred route to the other side. There, one finds some of the aforementioned not-Cooper's restaurants, a museum, the Visitor's Center, and a lovely botanical / sculptural garden that improves each time we visit. This curious sculpture appeared recently.

 

 

Next to the sculpture is Tommy's Mesquite-Fired Pizza. 

 

 

I've been curious about them for a long time. I'm not sure I've ever had wood-fired pizza, as opposed to what gets delivered from Pizza Hut or Domino's when we're traveling and staying in hotels. I've been wondering what the fuss is about, but they're only open on Fridays and Saturdays and we've never managed a visit.

 

We checked it out earlier in the day, when the pizza oven was getting going and the staff had their own separate grilled foods ready for snacking.

 

 

"Help yourself to some asparagus!" said the proprietor. This pencil-thin asparagus had been a bargain find at the grocery store. From what I could tell it was simply the untrimmed spears laid on foil and generously dosed with butter. I'll try that in the future.  I think I might trim the stems, but that's a minor quibble. It was good. (He didn't offer me any of the pork tenderloin!)

 

Here's their menu, printed on the business card he gave me.

 

 

When the time came for dinner, I walked back under the bridge and placed an order: Pepperoni and Italian Sausage on the entire pizza, jalapenos and mushrooms on half. He only charged me $13, since I was only using half the extra toppings! I'd been prepared to spend $14, so the extra dollar went into the tip jar. (I might note that this was an extra-inexpensive dinner, since I'd scooped up $7 in found money during trash pickup earlier in the day!) They also offer salads and drinks, but I didn't investigate them.

 

While I waited for my pizza, I took pictures of the outside dining area. It was cool and windy, and I think everyone else had done as I intended: taken their order to go. I carefully photographed around people; it wasn't as deserted as my photos seem to imply. I enjoyed watching the oven operation. In between pizzas the cook would rake coals back over the front bricks to reheat the surface, then scrape them back and brush the bricks before laying down the next batch of pizzas. The proprietor kept the storage area under the oven chamber filled with fresh wood. I heard the occasional admonishment to "watch the fire and don't let it go out" so it's possible the cook was in training.

 

This wood-fired pizza oven procedure may be common knowledge for most of you, but I'd never seen the process before yesterday evening. It looked easy but took a lot of attention.

 

 

I went to check out the sculpture more carefully. 

 

 

The placards made it all clear: it was a collaborative effort on the part of some local Junior High School and High School students, with guidance from very good teachers. The creativity and multidisciplanary nature of this is wonderful.

 

 

 

 

There's a solar panel atop it with LED's running in strategic locations. Maybe tonight I'll go back after dark to see how it looks.

 

 

I finished admiring and photographing this project at about the time my pizza order was ready. They handed me this box...

 

 

...I went back under the bridge and to the Princessmobile...

 

 

...and deliciousness ensued.

 

 

The pizza had a thin crust, crisp on the bottom, with a bit of charring that seems to be the main goal of our die-hard pizza fans. I liked the bite. I loved the tang of the tomato sauce beneath the topping. There were no leftovers for breakfast this morning. 

 

Sunday is usually some iteration of chicken around here but now I want pizza!

[FauxPas]

On 4/14/2021 at 4:52 PM, Smithy said:

Worse yet, when I twisted the lid off there was no rebus inside! Whaaa...? That's the main point of the beer! I need to find out whether they've dropped the puzzle permanently or are experiencing a temporary bottle cap shortage. 

 

This is a disappointment, I was looking forward to some more puzzles!  🙂

 

[Smithy]

5 hours ago, FauxPas said:

 

This is a disappointment, I was looking forward to some more puzzles!  🙂

 

 

It seems I'm not the only one asking what happened. So far, Lone Star ain't telling.

[Smithy]

It's difficult to believe that we left the desert only 2 weeks ago. The memory of being out in the open and tracking the sunrise and sunset seems distant already. The water and greenery are beautiful, of course, but the desert had its own beauty.

 

 

It's cool here (despite the view) and frost is forecast tonight. We're taking advantage of electricity in the park, and I'm about to fire up the Instant Pot for some soup. I'm amazed at much asparagus I've collected in the freezer by saving the trimmings! That's chicken broth in the upper left corner. I took out another container after taking this photo.

 

 

We're still working on leftovers from Cooper's in Llano. He's looking forward to getting them out of the refrigerator. I'm not; it will be the end of a treasure. We have options here in Mineral Wells for one last hurrah, but it won't be Cooper's. Tonight, though, will be something warming from our oven - most likely breaded and baked pork steaks. He's been hankering for them again.

 

Dinner last night:

 

 

Breakfast this morning:

 

 

One small freezer project I have going is avocado preservation. My best friend had gotten a windfall of them earlier this winter and had saved them using this method: mash them up, mix with a little lemon juice to prevent browning, stuff into freezer bags and squeeze out all the air. Freeze. The resulting guacamole, with addition of salsa after thawing, was quite good. I decided to try it for myself when I spotted avocados in New Mexico at bargain prices, and I loaded up.

 

 I realized in Llano that I didn't have a good way to mash the avocado. A blender or chopper seemed a bit much. I don't have a potato masher aboard the Princessmobile. I did what I could with forks until I ran out of patience, then loaded it into the storage bag and mashed and squeezed the pulp while it was confined. Here's the beginning and result (so far):

 

 

This avocado adventure may seem a bit of a shaggy dog story, since I won't be doing anything with the stuff until after we get home. It's still a kitchen project. If I like the results, I'll post about it someday in the What Are You Preserving, and How Are You Doing It? topic.

 

 

[Smithy]

Leftovers for lunch today, in an effort to start clearing the freezer and refrigerator. 

 

He pulled out the container of potatoes from our last ham. We have ham slices left, but have been using them in sandwiches. The spuds are surrounded by a salty, smoky ham goo. 

 

 

I almost changed my mind about what to eat when I saw that, but had already started thawing my own choice: leftover rice from some recent roasting exercise - chicken, I think.  

 

Our refrigerator door shelves are littered with dribs and drabs... small containers of ketchup from takeout, little mustards. Two small containers with the very last of my Little Green Dress. A mystery jar with, er, oil? Garlic? Roasting juice? I was so sure I'd remember that I didn't bother labeling it. My bad.

 

 

No matter. The rice, along with a spoonful of that mystery juice and a container of LGD, was peppery and lemony and a bit salty and flavorful. Delicious. 

 

I'm glad I didn't opt for the potatoes. 

[ElsieD]

@Smithy  I just looked up your location on a map.  You are quite a ways away from home.  How long will it take you to get there?

[Smithy]

24 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

@Smithy  I just looked up your location on a map.  You are quite a ways away from home.  How long will it take you to get there?

 

We could be home from here in 4 hard days of driving, or even 3 very hard days of driving. We plan to stay here a few days and give the cold weather to the north time to move out. If all goes according to our loose plan, we'll move at the end of this week to Kansas, spend a few days there, and then drive longish (but not arduous) hours the last 3 days. 

[Shelby]

1 hour ago, Smithy said:

 

We could be home from here in 4 hard days of driving, or even 3 very hard days of driving. We plan to stay here a few days and give the cold weather to the north time to move out. If all goes according to our loose plan, we'll move at the end of this week to Kansas, spend a few days there, and then drive longish (but not arduous) hours the last 3 days. 

It's coooooold here and we got an inch of snow this morning (all melted now though).  Your husband wouldn't be a happy camper here today lol.   I just got my potato and onion sets from Burpee (even though I ordered right after Christmas they are a month late due to the flood of people buying for their gardens apparently due to pandemic).  Won't be able to get into the ground for a few days.  And another hard freeze tonight will wipe out our lilacs and plum bushes sigh.

 

I've spent time worrying that you don't have a potato masher in the PrincessMobile.......

 

 

 

 

[Smithy]

@Shelby, I'm torn between giving a "sad face" over your gardening and weather issues, and laughing over your potato masher comment!

[ElsieD]

15 minutes ago, Smithy said:

@Shelby, I'm torn between giving a "sad face" ove your gardening and weather issues, and laughing over your potato masher comment!

 

Me too.  I chose to laugh.

[Shelby]

4 hours ago, Smithy said:

@Shelby, I'm torn between giving a "sad face" over your gardening and weather issues, and laughing over your potato masher comment!

No one should go this long without mashed potatoes.

 

😁