RE: Want to impress newbies
I don't think you need to try to impress them. If they aren't used to eating outdoors, just the smell of the food cooking, and the wonderful taste of it when they eat, will knock them off their feet. Stick to the things you like best and the rest will follow as the night the day. :)
RE: New York to LA!
Out of curiosity, are campsites expensive in the US?
That depends on how you want to camp. National Park campsites are very inexpensive; maybe ten dollars or a bit more, but they mostly have no showers, electricity or sewer.
Then there are the bigger family campgrounds like Jellystone or KOA and those have facilities and fun stuff for the kids, but are more expensive, from $18 to $45.
And then, there are the big RV parks. Sometimes these don't even want children at all, and most of them can be very pricey. I avoid these like the plague as (1) I cannot afford them; most are over $50, and (2) they have nothing to do with nature or seeing the US. This is my opinion only. (That said, some of them, especially in the West, do have some nice tentsites for a reasonable price and I've used those on occasion. When you are anxious to stop and it's getting late, it doesn't hurt to ask.)
Some places have free camping; you might check out the Boondocking forum here for places that interest you.
As suggested, do get the Golden Eagle pass; one fee will get you into all the parks and also gives you a break on camping fees.
RE: New York to LA!
On the fuel; I've always preferred Flying J. Steer clear of Love's and Pilots; they are rip-offs in many cases and they don't like rv's. Flying J does! Also, for a relatively small amount of money, maybe $7 or so, you can get a great shower with a clean room and towels and all the hot water one could want.
Stopping overnight in WalMart parking lots is all right in most places. Always clear it with the manager in charge, and park out of the way. This is a good way to save money if you're stopping late just to sleep and will be gone early. You'll see many vehicles doing the same, from little "b"'s to big trucks.
You're right not to take children across the desert (Death Valley) in the summer. It is beautiful, but very wild and remote and if you (God forbid) broke down, there would be no shelter from the sun and the up-to-126 F temperatures.
RE: Need easy Halloween receipes for kids
Something else you can do is when you make ice cubes for punch, put gummy worms or other candy bugs into them. Kids love this!
RE: Need easy Halloween receipes for kids
I like the witch's fingers...for a really good effect, color the cookie dough green!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v463/heathertee2002/Pics%20for%20Forums/FOOD/witch_fingers.jpg
Here's another one that is easy and fun, and almost everyone likes devilled eggs. Use your favorite devilled egg method, and black olives for the spiders.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v463/heathertee2002/Pics%20for%20Forums/FOOD/untitled.jpg
RE: Does anyone use the outside shower?
I have a question about those showers since I boondock a lot and I've been thinking one would be nice. Since as the above posts indicate, some use it to wash off dog (or elk) poop or wash their dogs, some to rinse after shampooing, and some for full showers...then, what happens to the runoff of grey (or in the case of dog poop, black!) water?
Do all campgrounds allow this? I don't want to get something I cannot use. Is there some way one drains the shower into the sewer hookup?
RE: Favorite homemade gizmo for your B
I did what JulieV did and got a new mattress, only I ordered a piece of custom-cut 4" latex foam. There never was such a fine mattress!
The other thing I did was to buy some wide, black elastic material and cut and sewed it to fit around the visors. This holds my park passes, toll tickets, and cash to pay the tolls, plus an occasional map, and my sunglasses.
RE: The Braun Stick Mixer
Well, John, the stick mixer may be stellar at what it does, but nobody can convince me to give up my Braun food processor! I just know you cannot make cole slaw or chopped leftover meat or pie crust with a stick mixer.
My Dad had one, it hung over the stove and he rarely used it. When he died and I moved in to take care of Mom, it was so stiff-starting and heavily coated with grease, I threw it out. (It wasn't a Braun; I forget the brand. Sunbeam I think).
I may get another one some day but for now I love my food processor (for making relishes, cole slaw, chopped meats and great piecrust), Kitchenaid mixer (bread and cookie dough, cakes), and my blender (milkshakes, eggnog, custard pie fillings like pumpkin). :)
RE: Texas Fire Crackers
And by the way, please give a thought to Danny and his family (and others living on the Gulf coast) during this very bad hurricane season!
RE: Texas Fire Crackers
This is a great recipe, it has been posted before with a different name.
I should say it has, but quite a long time ago! Danny (Cajun Cook) first posted it.
Yes, you have to be conservative with the amount of pepper! Danny and his friends have ironclad digestive systems!
Here's the original recipe:
Cajun Crackers
RE: Grilled Corn Relish
Well, thanks, Bearnkat; let me know what you think when you do try it. It's loosely (VERY loosely) based on a recipe that was in the Hartford Courant and few days ago. Theirs used wine vinegar and cayenne but I thought cider would go better with the sweet peppers. I also increased the cooking time. My mother and sister certainly liked it!
(My sister copied the original recipe I'd cut out of the newspaper. I wonder if I should tell her the truth? http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v463/heathertee2002/Animated%20Gifs/smiley_whistle.gif )
RE: Sweet Corn on the Cob
"Steaming 7 to 15 minutes is Earth friendly," but boiling isn't? How does that work?
Because it takes at least 1 gallon of water, maybe as much as two, to cover 12 ears of corn. It takes much longer to bring that water to a boil, than it does to boil 1 pint of water and steam your 12 ears. Try it!
In fact, if you're not in a hurry and you REALLY want to save energy, you can steam it 2 minutes and turn the heat off and let it stand 10 minutes, using no power at all. And when you do eat it, you'll like the flavor better.
Grilled Corn Relish
I didn't feel like firing up the grill so cut the raw corn off the cob and "toasted" it in a hot skillet with just a bit of corn oil until the kernels started to brown. It worked fine.
5 or 6 ears sweet corn, grilled and cut off the cob, or cut off the cob and toasted as described above.
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper or to taste, or you can use a few drops of Tabasco
2 large ripe sweet peppers (I used one red and one gold) cut in thin strips
1 red or sweet onion, peeled and cut in thin strips
Put the vinegar, sugar and spices in a medium-sized, non-reactive pan (enamel, stainless steel, or glass) and bring to a boil; simmer for five minutes. Add the slivered peppers, onion, and the corn. Bring back to the boil and simmer until the onion is translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes. Cool and refrigerate.
RE: Sweet Corn on the Cob
Wow! Everyone so far has said they BOIL corn. That takes a lot of water, and a lot of time and energy to heat the water.
I have never boiled it. Steaming is much more earth-friendly and much quicker. You just put a rack in the bottom of the pan with about an inch of water, add your ears, and steam them about 7 to 15 minutes, depending on the age of the corn. Steam comes up almost immediately, as opposed to waiting for a huge pot of water to boil, and steam cooks it just as fast as water would. Also, the corn tastes much sweeter and is never soggy from being submerged in water.
Adding sugar to cooking corn just toughens the skins on the kernels. Anyway, you shouldn't need to do this at all with the super-sweet corn of today.
RE: How do you cook for just one person?
Sunday .... Fried chicken with mashed potatoes, veggies and fresh rolls
Monday .... Cold chicken leg with fresh salad and day-old dinner roll
Tuesday ... Homemade chicken salad sandwich on two day old dinner roll
Wednesday . Left over chicken salad on wilted lettuce leaf and hard dinner roll
Thursday .. Chicken ala-king served on croûtons made from extra-hard dinner roll
Friday .... Chicken bones and rice soup served with day old croûtons
Saturday .. Chicken bones and rice soup served with saltine crackers
Sunday .... THANK GOD....!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v463/heathertee2002/Animated%20Gifs/funnypost.gif
Whatever happens, John... never buy a ham! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v463/heathertee2002/Animated%20Gifs/rotfl_gif.gif
RE: DANGEROUS CHOCOLATE CAKE-IN-A-MUG
OK, well, I read this and just HAD to try it. Had no cocoa in the cabinet so I made it anyway, substituting 1/4 cup shredded coconut and 1/4 cup chopped chocolate, mixed it in a small bowl and put it in a sprayed 1-pint baking dish.
I have a small, one-speed Sharp microwave, not a big 1K watt one, so baked it for 5 minutes and it was just right.
Of course the top doesn't brown, and the texture is more like an English steamed pudding than a regular cake but it's quite passable. Not bad at all!
I'd like to try a variation with a good apple, chopped, and some walnuts. Seems to me that would be spectacular with ice cream....
RE: Sportsmobile it is
I prefer to do my cooking outside. So I would want a portable stove.
It sounds as if we camp the same way. Just a thought; you might be interested in the way I had my fridge set up, because I also do all my cooking outside.
The fridge is set up so it opens to the left, and is accessible from just outside of the van. I can also get into it from indoors and will the doors closed, though it can be a little awkward. But I usually don't need to.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v463/heathertee2002/SMB%20and%20Other%20Campers/th_JulyWest2007002.jpg
There is room under a 3 CF fridge for a drawer. I had them install this opening towards the outdoors and find this extremely handy! I keep all my cooking tools, can opener and corkscrew, gas lighters, potholders and such things in it.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v463/heathertee2002/SMB%20and%20Other%20Campers/th_JulyWest2007003.jpg
RE: Quick and easy using fresh peaches?
I always peeled, sliced and bagged in freezer Zip-Loc bags with the medium syrup from the recipe on the Fruit Fresh container.
That's almost the way I've always done it, only this is a bit easier: just slice the peeled peaches into a big bowl, sprinkle them with a lot of dry Fruit Fresh and a little sugar and stir them gently. They make their own syrup right away; then ladle them into ZipLoc freezer bags and take care to press all the air out before sealing. Lay the bags on a cookie sheet to freeze so they'll be flat and uniform.
There will never be any freezer burn and the peaches will be as bright and delicious when they thaw out, as they were the day you froze them.
RE: how /what do you cook while camping
Usually camping is done in nice weather and you want to be out there enjoying it, not tied to the stove for hours every day. Also, you want to keep it flexible in case you catch some good-eating fish, or find some wonderful peaches or Golden Bantam corn on the road somewhere. And it heavily depends on where you're camping and for how long!
When beginning a trip, I always want something prepared at the house and frozen or refrigerated for that first busy night. This can be spaghetti (with the pasta cooked and mixed with the sauce ahead of time), a frozen stew, or whatever you like. Have a bag of baby greens for a salad on the side. For a salad later on, romaine keeps better than other lettuces (cut the stem ends off, rinse it in cold water and put it in a Ziploc bag).
Cans of tuna keep forever and are a Godsend when food runs low. I don't need to tell you all the things you can do with tuna!
Fresh fruit is good too. Don't bring more than you can eat in two days, though, because you'll probably end up throwing it out. Fruit and salad veggies don't travel too well. I do depend a lot on those little roadside stands.
Lunches can be anything. I really like peanut butter and honey on whole-grain bread, some lettuce with leftovers from the night before, with a good dressing (you can call this a chef's salad if your famnily is gullible, LOL!); maybe a cream cheese and jelly sandwich and a glass of milk; green grapes and oatmeal-raisin cookies for dessert.
For later in the trip, I depend on cheese, pasta cooked on the site, frozen hamburgers or hot dogs, maybe a steak, then revert to canned stuff like a small canned ham, Spam (Ok, I lIKE it!), eggs, cheese, and other things that keep well.
I used to bring beans and canned Dinty Moore stew but I never opened them. So much for that! Choose what your family likes and go from there.
RE: Dessert Bananas over the Camp Fire
I learned that in Girl Scout Camp in the 50's! But we used only the chocolate bars and quartered marshmallows; no topping, and we called them banana boats.
For sheer calories and carbs, they aren't bad....
