Camping, Princess Style

[Smithy]

3 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

I lived in Lethbridge Alberta for a couple of years. I remember people there going a bit crazy with the wind - as a sailor I quite liked it. It could get a little dangerous on the small bodies of water we had to sail on though. But in the winter when everything was knee deep in snow the Chinooks would blow through and you could play tennis in your shorts for a few days. 

 

The funny thing is, we're both sailors also. The wind is a lot more fun when there's water around, though.

 

After reading the comments about washing (or not) leafy greens, I've remembered another reason I do it: the greens seem to stay fresher and crisper that way. Time to do a side-by-side study, to see whether that's just my imagination.

[heidih]

47 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

The funny thing is, we're both sailors also. The wind is a lot more fun when there's water around, though.

 

After reading the comments about washing (or not) leafy greens, I've remembered another reason I do it: the greens seem to stay fresher and crisper that way. Time to do a side-by-side study, to see whether that's just my imagination.

 

Depending on state of greens you get a quick pass of water and paper towel wrap makes a difference - a re-hydration.  I was more responding to the cleanse/scrubby procedure. Some stores here do the water spritz a lot. Even a beep alert to let you avoid getting a light shower.  I have to shake them off before putting in bag. I do point to back of bin so as not to cause unwanted shower effect on other shoppers. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

7 hours ago, MokaPot said:

@Smithy, would you wash hydroponically grown lettuce? I see it at the store sometimes and have purchased it before. I'm lazy to wash lettuces & spinach and maybe hydroponic is a solution for that. TIA!

 

The hydroponically grown lettuce I've bought instructs to wash it.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

16 minutes ago, heidih said:

 

Depending on state of greens you get a quick pass of water and paper towel wrap makes a difference - a re-hydration.  I was more responding to the cleanse/scrubby procedure. Some stores here do the water spritz a lot. Even a beep alert to let you avoid getting a light shower.  I have to shake them off before putting in bag. I do point to back of bin so as not to cause unwanted shower effect on other shoppers. 

 

Social distancing.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

5 hours ago, ElsieD said:

My SIL never used to wash her triple washed greens either until the day she found  an alive worm in with the greens.

 

Once I found a live hornet in a package.  Earthbound Organic.

 

[Katie Meadow]

Recently saw a story about a delivery of firewood. Out crawled a tarantula. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

Recently saw a story about a delivery of firewood. Out crawled a tarantula. 

 

In first grade my son had a tarantula as the class pet.  I would expect an arachnid or two in a delivery of firewood.  But not in a delivery of prewashed greens.

 

[ElsieD]

8 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Once I found a live hornet in a package.  Earthbound Organic.

 

 

Eeew.  

[Smithy]

Steaks cooked over the campfire last night. No live critters were detected, but if they were present they were well-cooked by the time they arrived at the table. These steaks were great: juicy, well marbled, with a good surface sear and fairly rare interiors. (Truth to tell, they needed a bit more warming and cooking after we first pulled them. We solved that with the microwave, since we'd already moved inside.) Quite the luxury!

 

 

There are leftovers.

 

 

[heidih]

9 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

Recently saw a story about a delivery of firewood. Out crawled a tarantula. 

 

Somewhere here we discussed the stories about the snakes on the banana boats - in among the fruit. I remember my sister in Yugoslavia picking a plum off a tree and finding a lively worm inside. Put her off plums for a very long time. She was 4.

[Katie Meadow]

8 minutes ago, heidih said:

 

Somewhere here we discussed the stories about the snakes on the banana boats - in among the fruit. I remember my sister in Yugoslavia picking a plum off a tree and finding a lively worm inside. Put her off plums for a very long time. She was 4.

oh yeah....wildlife! Backyard birds. Intruder cats. These are tame times. As for worms in Eastern European plums, no doubt a few have slipped into every batch of Slivovitz. For 4 year olds who are seriously cranky. Just don't tell them what is in it.

[IowaDee]

Poor misguided worms....they made a right turn and ended up in the plum jam when they meant to land in the tequila bottle.

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, heidih said:

 

Somewhere here we discussed the stories about the snakes on the banana boats - in among the fruit. I remember my sister in Yugoslavia picking a plum off a tree and finding a lively worm inside. Put her off plums for a very long time. She was 4.

 

I feel your sister's long-ago distress. When I was about 5 my mother sent me out to pick the biggest, ripest tomato I could find on our small bush. The biggest, ripest tomato had the biggest, hungriest Horned Tomato Worm half inside it. Put me off tomatoes for a very long time.

[DesertTinker]

13 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Once I found a live hornet in a package.  Earthbound Organic.

 

Proof of its organic status, or free pet with purchase?

[heidih]

15 minutes ago, DesertTinker said:

Proof of its organic status, or free pet with purchase?

Unfortunately all I ever get is too small to see teensy snails with the living basil - which then rapidly go to monster devourer size! The above mentioned horney=t must have been "mad as a hornet"

[Smithy]

It's raining! It's raining!!! Yippee! Those who live with frequent rain or snow might not understand the joy I feel about this, but it's been incredibly dry here. Now the nearby wash is filling up with water. The plants need it. *I* need it. And yes, if it continues for more than a day I'll probably be going stir-crazy and kvetching about the weather again. 

 

Yesterday we could see the weather headed our way (I am very grateful for wireless internet) and my darling planned to make chili today. We have been carrying the cans of special ingredients (must be Joan of Arc beans, no other type) in one of the coolers since we left home. I bought them at home especially for this event, knowing that we have trouble finding this brand out here. We have been lugging those coolers around and my darling has been grousing about how heavy they are and how they never get any lighter. Now was the chance to lighten the load.

 

Except...most of it was fire-roasted canned tomatoes, coconut milk, curry paste, refried beans and enchilada sauce. What the heck?? We spent a great deal of time -- by "we" I mean the spryer of the two of us, who knows (usually) where everything is stored and can get to it -- searching all the cupboards, then the more unlikely nooks and crannies. He needs 3 cans each of Joan of Arc chili beans and JoA dark red kidney beans. I distinctly recall buying at least 4 of each. We unearthed 2 cans of Joan of Arc chili beans and 2 large cans of tomato puree.  That's it. The gremlins have hit us again. This happened to us last year. We never did figure out what happened to all the chili ingredients we had purchased and presumably packed. I wonder where the rest of the stuff I bought will turn up at home, and when?

 

Off we raced to town, amidst blowing dust and the threat of heavy rain. We refueled, dumped trash, got water, went grocery shopping. We passed up some deals. This label still cracks me up!

 

 

We loaded up on fresh vegetables, including good Campari tomatoes for my green salad. I indulged in shrimp. We got the burger and beans he needed although he couldn't find Joan of Arc brand.

 

 

We got home with high wind, but the rain didn't start until the middle of the night. This morning I established that the spinach bites crisp up very well in a 450F oven from frozen. This is a great make-ahead appetizer or emergency breakfast, now that I know how to do it.

 

 

Flash flood today, already subsiding. This will help the desert bloom.  

 

 

 

[heidih]

I saw the weather pattern reports. We are expecting quite a bit. Which shrimp did you get? My Ralphs (Kroger ) now has both types - same packages - but the Key West were $16. I got the Argents. Leftovers going into dinner soup. You made me look up Joan of Arc beans. Can you describe what makes their taste special to you esp since they are canned?  Nice result on yor puff pastry spanakopita. That is a pretty but large piece of pork. 

[ElsieD]

I vaguely recall reading somewhere that after a heavy rain, flowers in the desert come up and bloom very quickly.  Is that true?

 

 

Edited January 20, 2021 by ElsieD
Removed shrimp reference (log)

[Smithy]

 

21 hours ago, ElsieD said:

I vaguely recall reading somewhere that after a heavy rain, flowers in the desert come up and bloom very quickly.  Is that true?

 

It doesn't take much rain at all, and seeds can lie dormant for years until the right conditions arrive. I hope I'll be able to show a quick greening-up here. The water has gone almost as quickly as it came, except that the ground is damp and humidity up enough to get plant smells. Once again I wish I could convey smells through this page!

 

Yesterday we were amused that the giant firepit the neighbors left had turned into a large birdbath or small fishpond. Now it's almost dry again.

 

 

 

21 hours ago, heidih said:

I saw the weather pattern reports. We are expecting quite a bit. Which shrimp did you get? My Ralphs (Kroger ) now has both types - same packages - but the Key West were $16. I got the Argents. Leftovers going into dinner soup. You made me look up Joan of Arc beans. Can you describe what makes their taste special to you esp since they are canned?  Nice result on yor puff pastry spanakopita. That is a pretty but large piece of pork. 

 

I got the Argentinian shrimp. Now I'm not sure whether it was because it mentioned Antarctica and I thought that appealing, or the "buttery lobster flavor" tag, or simply the price or size. I didn't even buy them with a clear purpose. Skewers over the fire, maybe. Curried over rice, maybe. Shrimp Creole, maybe, or even tempura. Shrimp is delightfully versatile!

 

You're right, that "whole pork but in a bag" is a lot of pork. We've bought those pork butts before and had them cut for us by the in-store butcher. We both like the meat and there's a lot to be done with it: slow roasting like a pot roast, or souvlaki over the fire, are two favorites. That day we had neither room nor inclination to buy it.

 

You asked a good question about the Joan of Arc vs. Bush's Best beans. The last time we made chili using Bush's we both agreed the flavor was just...not right, somehow. Too bland, and a rather muddy flavor. Something missing, or something additional we didn't like. So we've stuck with Joan of Arc wherever possible. Yesterday we did a direct comparison of those beans as well as a can of Kroger's that we bought on a whim.

 

 

 

Note the difference in sauce color. I thought the JoA had a bit more tomato flavor and the Kroger's had more blunt-force heat. The Bush's tasted, well, blah and muddy (or something equally indeterminate) to me.

 

One difference is that the JoA and Kroger's chili beans are pinto beans; the Bush's is kidney. I could taste a small difference in the beans, but he couldn't. Does it matter, especially given that we add dark red kidney beans to the mix? I dunno. Looking at the ingredient labels, you can see that the Kroger's and Joan of Arc both uses tomato paste and the Bush's uses tomato puree. JoA specifies cumin (one of our favorite spices) and paprika extract; the others don't although they may be present in the catch-all term "spices". Bush's and Kroger's include sugar; JoA doesn't.

 

 

Are those little differences enough really to matter? I don't know. My darling is a rote cook, and he's exceptionally fond of saying "it ain't rocket science" as he sticks to his formulas. In the case of chili it's 3 pounds burger, 3 cans each of chili beans and dark red kidney beans, 2 large (28 oz) cans of tomato puree or crushed tomatoes. Cook the burger. Put all the ingredients into the pot, along with chili powder. (Happily, our favorite chili powder from the Co-op at home got packed.) Stir over medium heat, making sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot, until it's thickened to the appropriate consistency. Chili powder is to taste, but it has to cook with the other ingredients.

 

There's a story about that seasoning. The first time he made chili for me, he used half of a Very Large Container of mild chili powder. "I like to use mild, because I really like the flavor but I don't want all that heat!" he said. It nearly blew off the top of my head. I toned it down with generous dollops of sour cream. He's more careful about that now, bless him.

 

I still got into the habit of sour cream, and occasionally garnish with finely diced onions at the table. He prefers onions alone. Dinner was good.

 

 

Of course there are leftovers. We'll have to decide what to pull from the freezer to make room.

[heidih]

On the beans - now I get it - they are sauced so voila la difference.   Those Argentinian shrimp in my experience are delicate. Like tell the fire is ready and they are cooked.  I usually make a flavorful broth, toss them in for a blink, ten off heat to st of poach and  infuse flavor.  Tasting as you go of course;)  I can eat a pound solo. 

 

Wildflowers. Amazing blooms after rains, Hopefully @Smithy will enjoy some. Even more amazing is in fire areas - some species need the fire to come back. Land Conservancy blew their gaskets when we had rain after a big devastating fire - it was wow time for the botanists. Some pretty general views on their site  https://pvplc.org/conserved-lands/  

[Smithy]

33 minutes ago, heidih said:

 Those Argentinian shrimp in my experience are delicate. Like tell the fire is ready and they are cooked.  I usually make a flavorful broth, toss them in for a blink, ten off heat to st of poach and  infuse flavor.  Tasting as you go of course;)  I can eat a pound solo. 

 

Thanks for that insight on the shrimps' delicacy. 🙂

[robirdstx]

Regarding the chili beans. Never knew Bush’s had Kidney Chili beans. I’ve always used their Pinto Chili Beans. No sugar. I have not tried the other brands so can’t speak to that. Cumin is one of my favorite spices. A good amount of cumin seeds go into my chili. Yours looks delicious and I will have to try mine with sour cream next time.

 

 

 

 

 

[MokaPot]

1 hour ago, Smithy said:

You asked a good question about the Joan of Arc vs. Bush's Best beans. The last time we made chili using Bush's we both agreed the flavor was just...not right, somehow. Too bland, and a rather muddy flavor. Something missing, or something additional we didn't like. So we've stuck with Joan of Arc wherever possible. Yesterday we did a direct comparison of those beans as well as a can of Kroger's that we bought on a whim.

Note the difference in sauce color. I thought the JoA had a bit more tomato flavor and the Kroger's had more blunt-force heat. The Bush's tasted, well, blah and muddy (or something equally indeterminate) to me.

 

One difference is that the JoA and Kroger's chili beans are pinto beans; the Bush's is kidney. I could taste a small difference in the beans, but he couldn't. Does it matter, especially given that we add dark red kidney beans to the mix? I dunno. Looking at the ingredient labels, you can see that the Kroger's and Joan of Arc both uses tomato paste and the Bush's uses tomato puree. JoA specifies cumin (one of our favorite spices) and paprika extract; the others don't although they may be present in the catch-all term "spices". Bush's and Kroger's include sugar; JoA doesn't.

Are those little differences enough really to matter? I don't know. My darling is a rote cook, and he's exceptionally fond of saying "it ain't rocket science" as he sticks to his formulas. In the case of chili it's 3 pounds burger, 3 cans each of chili beans and dark red kidney beans, 2 large (28 oz) cans of tomato puree or crushed tomatoes. Cook the burger. Put all the ingredients into the pot, along with chili powder. (Happily, our favorite chili powder from the Co-op at home got packed.) Stir over medium heat, making sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot, until it's thickened to the appropriate consistency. Chili powder is to taste, but it has to cook with the other ingredients.

 

IMO, there's a noticeable difference between kidney and pinto beans. I grew up eating the canned kidney beans in chili & in salads. Now, I would rather eat pinto beans. IME, the "skins" on the kidney beans are thicker & tougher than the skins on the pinto beans. Black beans (for chili & just in general) would be my favorite.

 

Also, IMO, the various canned "chili" beans seem like a crap shoot as far as seasonings & additional ingredients. But, sounds like your husband has accounted for the Joan of Arc flavor in his recipe.

 

[Darienne]

22 minutes ago, MokaPot said:

 

IMO, there's a noticeable difference between kidney and pinto beans. I grew up eating the canned kidney beans in chili & in salads. Now, I would rather eat pinto beans. IME, the "skins" on the kidney beans are thicker & tougher than the skins on the pinto beans. Black beans (for chili & just in general) would be my favorite.

 

Also, IMO, the various canned "chili" beans seem like a crap shoot as far as seasonings & additional ingredients. But, sounds like your husband has accounted for the Joan of Arc flavor in his recipe.

 

I'm with MokaPot.  Never heard of pinto beans, never ate them until maybe 20 years ago, but prefer them greatly to kidney beans.  Still black beans are now my big favorite.

[heidih]

12 minutes ago, Darienne said:

I'm with MokaPot.  Never heard of pinto beans, never ate them until maybe 20 years ago, but prefer them greatly to kidney beans.  Still black beans are now my big favorite.

Kidney beans remind me of that jarred 3 bean salad. OK but not fave. I am a huge pinto fan. Black beans - all yours. As we know from what others have shared in particular about @rancho_gordo the bean world is a huge varied wonderful playground.