RE: Passport America Input
We have had a membership for over 4 years. There has never been a time when we didn't more than pay for our membership after just a few days out. We always check the PA book first when looking for a site that night, if not one then we go to the Trailer Life book. If no luck there we head on to the KOA book. We read about the location, the amenities, and the restrictions. If we still haven't found anything, we try to check the Internet for campgrounds in the area. This is all to say that we don't alter our destinations nor our travel plans to find a particular campground but are always willing to take advantage of what is available where we want to go.
RE: Has anyone tried the new Reynolds Handi-Vac Vacuum Sealer?
I had vacuum packed some steaks and frozen them. Recently I lost all the food in my freezer and refrigerator when we had no power in the stick house for over 2 weeks (thank you Ike). I was able to get to the house after 4 days to clean out the stuff. It was all ruined but I did not have to fight that horrible smell. The bags held their vacuum and were totally sealed. Some had been in the freezer over a month.
RE: Condos with RV garages
I find that as I get older I am not nearly as interested in climbing all those stairs, especially with bags of groceries or double duty stuff from the RV.
RE: Favorite Ground beef recipes, any new ones?
Here are some we like:
Cabbage Pie
In skillet, melt 3 tbl. butter
add: 1 med. chopped onion, 1/2 lb hamburger. Heat through to remove
pink color.
3/4 tsp. salt
Pepper
Put: 3 cups coarsely shredded/sliced cabbage in bottom of well greased
baking dish. Add browned meat and onions.
Add: 3 more cups of shredded/sliced cabbage on top.
Pour 1 can of tomato soup over the top of the mixture. Cover.
Bake: 350 for 1 hour or until cabbage is done.
Beef Skillet-WW
8 oz. lean ground beef
2 T. onion flakes
1 C sliced fresh mushrooms
1 C cooked (crisply) sliced carrots
1 can French green beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes (any kind) (I like Rotel)
1 C water
1 C cooked macaroni
Season however you like. We use basil, Cajun spices, salt, pepper & garlic.
Brown meat with onion in a large skillet, and drain.
Add everything else and simmer 15 minutes.
This is a Weight Watcher recipe and excellent. 1/3 skillet=5 points.
French Onion Salisbury Steak
Makes 4 Steaks; Total Time: 45 Minutes
1 1/4 lb. ground chuck
1/4 c. fresh minced parsley
2 TBS. scallion, minced
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 TBS. all-purpose flour
2 TBS. olive oil
2 cups onions, sliced
1 tsp. sugar
1 TBS. garlic, minced
1 TBS. tomato paste
2 cups beef broth
1/4 cup dry red wine
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
4 tsp. minced, fresh parsley
4 tsp. Parmesan cheese, shredded
Cheese Toasts
4 slices French bread or baguette, cut diagonally (1/2" thick)
2 TBS. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
Pinch of paprika
1/4 cup Swiss cheese, grated
1 TBS. Parmesan cheese, grated
Combine chuck, parsley, scallion, salt and pepper. Divide evenly into 4 portions and shape each into 3/4"-1" thick oval patties. Place 2 TBS. flour in a shallow dish; dredge each patty in flour. Reserve 1 tsp. flour.
Heat 1 TBS. oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add patties and saute 3 minutes on each side, or until browned. Remove from pan.
Add onions and sugar to pan; saute 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato paste; saute 1 minute, or until paste begins to brown. Sprinkle onions with reserved flour; cook 1 minute. Stir in broth and wine, then add the salt and thyme.
Return meat to pan and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 20 minutes.
Serve steaks on Cheese Toasts with onion soup ladled over. Garnish with parsley and Parmesan.
For the Cheese Toasts
Preheat oven to 400ยบ F.
Place bread on baking sheet.
Combine butter, garlic and paprika and spread on one side of each slice of bread. Combine cheeses and sprinkle evenly over butter. Bake until bread is crisp and cheese is bubbly, 10-15 minutes.
2-Alarm Chile --Lowfat
Serves: 8 Servings
Ingredients:
* 1 lb Extra-lean ground beef (581)
* 1 md Onion -- chopped fine (46)
* 8 ts Garlic -- finely chopped (18)
* 1 lg Green pepper -- cut into 1/2 " (32)
Instructions:
2 cans 28oz Crushed Tomatoes (650)
2 teaspoons Oregano
2 teaspoons Cumin
3 tablespoons Chili powder
2 tablespoons Unsweetened cocoa powder (40)
2 teaspoons Sugar
1 teaspoon Crushed hot pepper
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 can 15oz kidney beans -- rinsed in a strainer (350)
In a 2 1/2 quart saucepan cook the meat over medium heat until it is well
done, about 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently to crumble the meat. Pour off
the fat. With a slotted spoon transfer meat to paper towels to absorb extra
fat and wipe the remaining fat residue from the saucepan. In the same pot,
saute the onion, garlic, and green pepper with 1/2 cup of the crushed
tomatoes for 3 minutes. Add the oregano, cumin, chili powder, cocoa powder,
sugar, hot pepper, and Tabasco sauce, and continue cooking for 3 minutes
more. Add the beans, meat, and the remaining crushed tomatoes, and cook
together for 25 minutes over low heat. YIELD: Makes 8 1-cup servings
215 cal. per cup
RE: It starts tonight !!!..Waiting on night II
Kim Kardashian was last weeks boot. This week I suppose there won't be one since Misty May Treanor is out of the competition with the torn hamstring. Imagine, going through the rigors of training to win an Olympic Gold Medal only to be felled by dancing the Lindy Hop! Who says dancing isn't an athletic event??? :) I think Derek and Brooke are getting stronger, but I am still amazed at how well warren Sapp is doing. He looked elegant doing the Viennese Waltz last night. Please someone put poor Chloris out of her misery. "They shoot horses don't they?"
RE: NY to Grand Canyon - Do I need the Dingy?
We spent the first 2 years of our RV'ing with a smaller Class C and no toad. Once we added the toad our whole experience opened up. We saw much more, went more, and explored more. I found that more often than not, we opted to stay in the campground rather than unhook, stow everything away and drive someplace. We also never used the option to rent a car because it just never seemed convenient. The end result was that we simply missed out on a lot that first two years. I would never want to travel without the toad again.
RE: License plate seen on an RV
Nice! I saw a MH that had a sticker that said "Roughing it, Smoothly!". I liked it!
That is the Tiffin slogan. It is also the name of their monthly magazine. Our Allegro Bay has this on the rear.
RE: KOA starting to require their CG's to conform
I like the KOA's just fine. They usually have the amenities I want as well as many I don't care about. I always look for WIFI included, I don't like to pay extra. Easy access is important too. I don't agree that they are usually the same price though. My experience is that they are almost always on the high end of surrounding campgrounds and often are close to double per night. The 10% discount helps but most campgrounds offer 10% for Good Sam, AAA, AARP, or something.
RE: Convection Microwave Replacement
Hey Wife of Vacation Bound, you can get yours fixed! They are not throw away units. Find your owners manual, in it will be model No., probably a owners card that was never returned, and your factory customer service center contact information. Give them a call and set up a service call. They should ask you what happened and what your unit is doing; that way they'll bring the right parts when they come to you coach.
Now, if your not satisfied with you present Microwave, let me lead you to a better product. We have the GE Advantium Speed cook which is light years ahead of the standard microwave. It will do all functions of a microwave but even better with the addition of Speed Cooking by light. Once you have a Advantium and use it you won't use a microwave again. And it's not that much more expensive then the microwave.
Wife, the sizes are all the same. One smart idea all the manufactures had was to match sizes so they are pretty much universal. If there is any difference it would be the built-in hood vent and if I were anyone putting in a new microwave or Advantium in the coach or rv I would VENT IT OUT, which is easy to do.
For more information about any brand of microwave just go to their website. The GE Advantium at GE.com
I hope that helped.
Where was your SURGE GUARD during all these surges? The cost of a TRCI Surge Guard would have saved you a lot of problems. If your microwave is out, that's not all that got zapped. Your in for some heavy expenses. You might check you insurance policy also.
Good luck!
amore
I know this is not the information you asked for but i just wanted to add my two cents. We have the Advantium in our stick house and use it 3 times a day or more. It has it all, a good baked potato in less than 10 minutes, browns rolls, bakes chickens, broils steak and fish, and acts as a regular microwave as well. This is truly a great appliance. I can't imagine living without it, although we don't have one in our motor home yet.
RE: Niagara Falls Don't be a sucker like me
Just got back, we went down early in the am to just look around and found that if you park up the robert moses highway a couple miles north at the whirlpool state park (for free) there is a great walking biking path that takes you right to the falls. We rode the bikes in and just locked them up. Biking around goat island was a great way to see them. We went in Sept during the week, a packed summer weekend could prove different.
We also parked for free at the information center (across the walkway to the aquarium) for nothing and walked the 1/2 mile to the falls.
We were there in May and also parked at the information center for free. The package we bought in the information center also included a trolley pass that picked up and dropped off right at the Center. We thoroughly enjoyed the whole trip.
RE: Winter Olympics
Thanks everyone. I think I have enough information to get him started. I really appreciate all the help. Gary Haupt, I think you especially gave him a great set of tools and ideas.
RE: It starts tonight !!!..Waiting on night II
I couldn't believe that Ted got voted off and Cloris got saved. Yeah, she is funny as all get out, but she just can't dance, ballroom or latin. Ted only left because he doesn't have the fan base some of the others do. I was really begining to worry about Misty May for awhile there.
Next week I would love to see Toni Braxton go if they mention her heart problem one more time. Even some of the morning show host were commenting on it being brought up everytime they talk to her or about her.
Cloris should be gone last night, but I would settle for next week.
I totally agree. Remember Marie Osmond? Never made any excuses and in fact even insisted that her fainting was nothing to worry about. I really don't like someone trading on an infirmity or a disability.
RE: It starts tonight !!!..Waiting on night II
They are making me crazy having Julianne wait until almost the end to be declared safe. I do think we all did okay last night, although when the bottom three scores are passed through it makes me nervous. I am wondering if the young people don't watch this show much so Chloris gets the geezer vote while Cody has few Hannah Montana aficionados to back him. Derrick and Brooke get stronger and stronger don't they?
RE: Son's class rank dropped
As long as he doesn't drop below 40 he is good. The top 10% is what the best colleges look at, that and his SAT scores. It is probably worth the money to invest in some SAT prep classes if he is wanting to go to one of the major Universities.
RE: Winter Olympics
This is what i was most afraid of. They are already booked, well over a year in advance. I haven't tried to look for a campground yet, but it already seems futile.
RE: response from reno mayor
This is a copy I sent to the mayor. I also sent a copy to the newspaper so they would see how many of us are writing.
"In regard to the ban on motor home parking in Reno. I have not yet been to Reno, although it was on my list to visit on our next trip west. I am sorry that I will have to miss your fair city and bypass the Alamo Truck stop as well. I am quite sure by now, that you have regretted your unfortunate decision and wish you had handled it any number of ways. My own personal choice would have been to fire the "city official" who saw the act and chose to do nothing rather than summon the authorities and have them punished appropriately. The light bulb statement was simply the irrational spewing of a man who opened his mouth before engaging his brain. Granted, this has become popular during the reign of our present federal administration, but you can see how his popularity is doing right now. There are many choices for us to spend our tourist dollars, and many of us now choose to spend them elsewhere. Your citizens will be voting soon, I am voting now by taking my dollars elsewhere.
Steve Ruff"
This is what I just got back in response.
"Dear Mr. Ruff:
I would like to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to
write and let me know your thoughts on my recent comments regarding the
City of Reno's Overnight Parking Ordinance. If I offended anyone by
my off handed remark, I sincerely apologize.
Please let me start by informing you, at Wednesday's September 24,
2008 Reno City Council meeting I will request the Overnight Parking
Ordinance item be placed on the next available City Council agenda.
Placing the item on a Council agenda will allow the Council and me to
have a full and complete review of the ordinance.
A copy of the e-mails will be forwarded to our code enforcement staff
for their review. I will request they provide Council and me with a
report of possible recommendations for appropriate amendments to the
ordinance.
Over this past weekend I spent a number of hours reviewing the comments
from many RV enthusiasts that visit the City of Reno. It was gratifying
to learn of your love for our City and all the attractions we have to
offer. I was also impressed with the many suggestions for amending the
ordinance and the professional manner in which you wrote your comments.
Please feel free to provide me with any additional comments or
suggestions you may have.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Cashell
Mayor, City of Reno"
Maybe we are getting to them a bit.
RE: Meerkats!
DW and I frequently search out the zoos on our travels. Omaha has a world class one. We love the San Diego zoo, and have found very interesting ones in many places you wouldn't think of. Our most recent one was the Smithsonian Zoo in Washington D.C. very nice and free!
Winter Olympics
I have a friend who wants to go to the winter Olympics in Vancouver. He has checked and found the hotel rooms are going for $1500 a night. Knowing that we RV they asked about renting an RV and staying in it. I know nothing about the harshness of the winter, the availability of RV spaces, or even the availability of a rental RV there. Their idea is to fly in, rent the RV, attend their events, then fly home. Can any of our Canadian friends help with some ideas about this? The dates are Feb. 12 - 28 in 2010. Thank you in advance.
