RV Tips, Trips, and Slips
By
Jim Prentice
Copyright 1995 @ Brandon, MB, Canada
Published by Keystone Publications
Smashwords Edition
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Prologue
During the fifty years that Jim and Joy Prentice have been married they have experienced many adventures in their travels. Beginning with the bare necessities they went hunting together in their 1959 Ford. With just some of Jim’s army equipment, a sleeping bag, stove, coffee pot and fry pan they set out to find some geese. Over the years they progressed first to a pup tent and gradually through larger ones as their family came along. With two daughters to keep them company they needed larger quarters, more comforts, and easier camping. A twelve-foot Beachcomber trailer was the first in a long list of campers on wheels. A twenty-five foot Pace Arrow class-A motor home appeared when Jim’s first book was published. Between RVs, airplanes, and boats the family managed to visit sixteen countries. Here are some of the adventures, lessons learned, and mistakes made during that first fifty years. Now, at this writing they are both approaching age 70 and still going strong. The two girls have grown to a family of seventeen including ten great-grandchildren.
RV Tips, Trips, and Slips is Jim’s twelfth book, an even dozen with more to come.
Index
TIPS
Coffee Stretcher
RECIPES
Panless Walleye
The Barbecue
Grilled Pork, Scallop, and Shrimp Kebobs
Mac and Shrimp
DUTCH OVEN
Ribs
Stew and Dumplings
Boil Bag Omelet
Texas Shrimp
About Solar Ovens
Spaghetti Squash Pasta
Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Baked Beans
Manitoba Tortillas
Tortilla el Roma
Tortilla Fillings
NEW RIG DECISIONS
TRIPS
The World’s Largest Cow
The World’s Largest Oil Can
Spirit Sands and Stockton Ferry
Cable Ferries
International Snowmobile Trail
The Old 8N Ford
The Red River People
A Well Traveled Dude
Wide Open Spaces? NOT!
Tire Trouble
Cheapie Handy Wipes
Comfortable Camping
Emergency Fire Starters
Tents That Leak
Let There Be Light
Dig That Refrigerator
Cure For Floating Feathers
Shore To Ship Signals
Weather The Storm
Free Hot Water
GADGETS
BBQ Lighter
Can Opener
Greaseless Hitch Cover
A scrap of Carpet
A Length of Line
Tenting Tip
Propane Overfill
Emergency Speedometer
Outrigger Table
Taste Your Coffee Not Your Jug
Holding Tank Repair
Is Your Jack A Joker
The Green Stick
TRAILER HINTS
Lights
Batteries
TENT HINTS
RV Countdown
Winter Storage
The Night before Leaving
SLIPS
When Things Go Wrong
Boondocking
Dave’s little Stove
Author Bio
Fun, Frugal, and Fancy RV Tips
Okay so I ain’t the spendiest guy on the block! But if saving a dime here and there helps put fuel in the tank and tires on the wheels then I’m all for it.
Coffee Stretcher
Any coffee lovers that have not noticed the price of coffee lately either isn’t looking or money is no object. We have come up with a couple of ways to get the last drops in the cup and our coffee expenses are now less than half of what they were.
So first of all we made a mistake that led to a near miracle. We bought a large can of coffee which, we found when we got home, was coarse grind. Well since we just happen to have mill, I ground it into very fine grind….. Guess what? The fine ground coffee would not fit back in the can! It had expanded nearly 25%. What do we do? Yes, we buy coarse and grind it extra fine, it saves $2 - $4 per can depending on price.
Now a word on price! We watch the prices on everything pretty close. When a can of coffee went from $7.00 to $12.00 we watched even closer. It seems that once or twice a month the price on our brand “Maxwell House” is chopped nearly in half. Whenever we see that we grab 2 or 3 cans. Right now we have enough on hand to last about 4 months.
Now we are no longer consumers of copious quantities of coffee. I had a heart attack some years back and we now enjoy coffee only once a day. We have 2 cups for breakfast. So if we are saving money, people that slurp coffee all day can save a bundle.
Well folks, a couple of months ago I was enjoying my second cup when a thought occurred to me. Now keep in mind we use an electric pot with a basket and filter through which the hot water is pumped. My wife was using 4 scoops of coffee for 10 cups; yes we like it a bit strong. But I thought, how much flavour is left in those used grounds?
The next morning I asked the wife to reuse the grounds from the day before and add one scoop. It tasted the same to me. So? Yes, we did! The third day we just added another scoop and ran it through again. Believe it or not it was still great coffee. So now not only do we get 30 cups from 6 scoops saving 50%, we also use 1 filter instead of 3. All right, you can believe or not, try it! But! Before you do here is a thought for you.
Some years back I was in China where some of my books were being published. During my stay I had the opportunity to meet with some of China’s top literary artists. Our meetings were almost always in a tea garden. I think this is where the seed for the coffee idea sprouted.
As soon as we were seated around a table a waiter would bring each of us a cup. Another waiter would appear and put a small amount, perhaps half a teaspoon of loose green tea in each cup. Next came an elderly gent, a wooden beam across his back, carrying two jugs of boiling water. Each in turn received the hot water.
Now these informal discussions would last all afternoon, partially because my ignorance of their language meant everything had to be repeated by a translator. Through the afternoon the old gent would repeatedly come back and refill our cups with water.
After about the 4th or 5th refill I queried the practice with my translator. His reply?
“We (the Chinese) believe that the true flavour of the tea is not revealed until it has been watered seven times. Then the harsh tastes of the outer leaf is gone and we may enjoy the inner, or true flavour of the tea”.
For two weeks I drank many, many cups of tea, and I found it to be true. There is a very delicate flavour to be experienced after multiple additions of water. I was in Chengdu, in Sechuan province and at that time there were no “Western” restaurants. I finally found a small jar of instant coffee and some sugar cubes in a grocery store. At last, after a week, I could enjoy a cup of honest to goodness coffee.
Recipes for RVers
Sometimes y’all just gotta cook what yuh brung!! And once in a while you come up with something really tasty, so here I will let you in on some “accidental” recipes that I have cobbled up over the years. Now some of you might turn up your noses after reading these, but hey, if you ain’t tried it don’t knock it
Panless Walleye
Some years ago I flew my seaplane to a remote lake in northern Manitoba. Within twenty minutes of landing I had four Walleye of about three pounds apiece.
Tonight I would feast on pan-fried fillets. After gathering firewood, I discovered I had left the frying pan at home. I had also forgotten my grill. It was time to get inventive.
After starting a fire, I filleted the fish, leaving the skin on. Near the tail I cut off the backbone so the two fillets are still joined at the tail
I made a series of slashes across the fillets, about half the thickness of the meat and an inch apart. After sprinkling the meat with powdered onion soup mix, I rubbed it into the slashes and all over the surface, except the skin. I let the fish marinate for about a half hour.
With a bit of twine, four forked sticks, and a cross-stick, I fashioned a cooking rack beside the fire. Several long sticks would support the fish. The fire must be kept even and it takes a bit of fussing to get the fish in just the right place, but then anything worthwhile takes some effort.
Each fish was hung by draping the double fillet over the horizontal stick; it takes a bit of finagling to get the meat all facing the fire. The idea is to get the fish close enough to slow cook without browning. That way it cooks all the way through in about twenty minutes.
Do not turn the skin side to the fire; the skin holds the meat together. Test the results with a fork. When it is done, move the rack closer to the fire for a few minutes to brown the surface. The slow cooking process mixes the juices with the soup powder forming a glaze to seal in the remaining moisture. In the sixty years since I cooked my first fish I have never tasted better, no matter who cooked it, or how.
If powdered soup is not available try a mixture of flour with garlic salt and lemon pepper. When all else fails just roast them Au nature’l. It's pretty hard to make fresh Walleye inedible.
Maybe you prefer some pan-fried fillets in butter over an open fire??
Of course if you are spoiled you may want asparagus with your fresh trout!
The Lowly Bar-B-Cue
Of all the outdoor appliances known the BBQ has to one of the best known. It is also the source of some of our best camping meals, but unfortunately it is also one of the most misused and mistreated.
Just to be different, raw pork ribs on a grill instead of the finished product.
There are charcoal burners, propane burners, electrics, gasoline fired, and wood burning designs. Some are truly tiny and portable while others need to be towed behind a truck. This is a subject that will fill another book so I have going to touch on it very lightly.
For our purpose here I just want to point out a couple of examples of BBQ use to get the juices flowing and introduce the most favorite subject, FOOD.
This pork roast caught fire near the end of cookin’. But none was left over later!
From Wikipedia:
Most etymologists believe that the term “barbecue” derives from the word barabicu found in the language of the Taino people of the Caribbean and the Timucua of Florida, and entered European languages in the form barbacoa. The word translates as "sacred fire pit." The word describes a grill for cooking meat, consisting of a wooden platform resting on sticks.
Just about everyone that owns a grill has done hot dogs and hamburgers. Most have cooked steaks and chops. A few of us go a little farther and get a little fancier.
Here is a quick recipe for a tasty kebob.
Grilled Pork, Scallop and Shrimp Shiskebobs
This always a nice looking meal but is remarkably simple to put together.
While in Germany we often enjoyed a restaurant meal similar to this called “Flamen Schwerte” or literally “Flaming Sword”. It was assembled on a steel sword, cooked, then doused with brandy and served flaming to the table.
Pork, scallop and shrimp kebobs from the grill.
You will need;
6 metal or wood skewers (presoak wood ones in water for an hour)
Sweet green peppers
Sweet red peppers
Medium size button mushrooms
Ripe tomatoes
Sliced zuchinnis
Pork Chops
Large shrimp
Large scallops
BBQ sauce of your choice
A marinade (optional if you wish to marinade ahaed of time)
Aluminum foil
The quantities I leave to you depending on how many kebobs you will make. Also, some folks may not like all these items so you can mix and match or change or delete as fits your needs.
The idea is to cut the pieces small enough to kind of match up, not so small they will fall off the skewers but not so large they will not cook evenly.
Slide the pieces onto the skewers similar to the picture. When one is done try to repeatt the same pattern each time.
Now some folks just go ahead and open grill them, which is fine. I prefer to wrap them in aluminum foil for the first 10 minutes to steam cook them before browning them. Also I like to put a BBQ sauce on inside the foil rather than later – again, a matter of choice. If you prefer to grill without the foil you may want to baste with a sauce while turning every few minutes.
With the foil; cook for about 10 minutes, turning every few minutes. If you grill is not uniformly hot all over you should move the center ones to the outside on each rotation so they all get the same amount of heat.
A fantastically simple meal “Mac and Shrimp”.
This recipe started out in a Perkin’s restaurant somewhere in the south west USA.
It was so good I conjured up a dish as close as I could get and man it is quick and great. And the bits and pieces are easy to find.
Mac and Shrimp ( with a bit extra)
The Makin’s
I Lb. Frozen shrimp and scallop mixture
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
2 cups coloured rotini spiral pasta
2 cups marinara or spaghetti sauce
5 cups water
Parmesan cheese
Put the water on to boil in a large pot. While that is heating heat up the frying pan put the oil in, and the frozen shrimp and scallops. Fry them onn medium until they shrimp are pink and the scallops get just a little brown, then set them aside.
Once the water boils, toss in the pasta and cook til tender, probably about 10-12 minutes, then drain the water off through a sieve or colander.
Put the frying pan back on and heat up the sauce. While it is heating throw in the pasta and the seafood. Heat and stir until it is steaming hot, serve and add parmesan if desired. Instaed of seafood you could substitute chopped up chicken or pork or beef.
The Dutch Oven,
“The Miracle of The West”
These ribs were grilled on the BBQ for colour and flavour before cooking in the
Dutch Oven. The BBQ sauce and onions etc. are yet to be added. These could
have been browned in the dutch oven but the BBQ does it much faster.
There two kinds of cooks on this earth, those that use dutch ovens and those that don’t. You may quote me on that. I was introduced to the dutch oven several years ago in Texas. Now I don’t mean the big shiny metal or glass pot called a dutch oven by pot makers. I mean the real McCoy! The kind that was first made in Europe hundreds of years ago before coming to North America.
It is said that Paul Revere had a hand in modifying the original cast iron pot to the one that helped tame the west. Now this pot has legs, three of them, so that it can sit above the coals being used to cook with. Revere also added a thick lip around the lid to keep coals on it to help get a even heat.
You don’t put a dutch oven in an oven, it is one.
You don’t put it on a grill or hang it over fire, you don’t need to.
Now being the kind of trail cook and connoisseur I am, it didn’t take long to realize the value of this pot. Trail riders, pioneers trekking west, and cattle drive cooks all carried these pots. Often several of them were on or around the cook fire to feed a bunch of hungry cowboys, especially on the trail driving cattle.
I bought a dutch oven near Austin Texas about 5 years ago. Since then I have made all kinds of soups and stews, sometimes with dumplings on top. Biscuits and pies are a cinch as are bread and rolls.
Roast beef, roast pork, BBQ ribs, chicken, baked beans, steamed fish, poached trout, and even tamales have emerged from my big black pot.
Earlier I mentioned the legs and the lid. Now this is simplicity in itself as I discovered when I purchased a dutch oven cookbook. There are no knobs to turn, no temperature controls or thermometers to watch yet heat can be controlled with amazing accuracy, and charcoal is the answer.
Over the last couple of hundred years, range cooks discovered that they could control the heat by varying the coals on top and bottom. Of course that was before charcoal briquets.
Now days, a dutch oven recipe will not tell you to use medium heat, or to bake at 350 degrees. It will tell you to place maybe 16 coals on the ground in a circle under the pot and 8 more on the lid.
Boy does it work! There is a caveat! You can get a dutch oven in some stores for $85 and up depending on the size.
I bought a six quart size and it cost me $19.95 and I am just tickled with it. Keep your eyes open and grab one if you can!
Note: Before y’all get all excited and jest jump in and go like a bronc with a burr under his saddle, do this: Git urself a book and do a tad o’ book larnin’.
I heartily recommend this book:
Texas Treasury of Dutch Oven Cooking
hereafter called ‘The Book’.
Produced by; The Lone Star Dutch Oven Society
It will give you a lot better start than my novice words here, and lots of real tasty recipes to challenge the best.
Dutch Oven Stew and Dumplings
Beef stew and biscuits with cheese slices
Folks this here is one of my favorites t o prepare as well as to eat. Of course it ain’t no different than doing it on a kitchen stove it is just plain better.
Ingredients;
always a personal choice, here’s my list;
A dutch oven, a bag of charcoal briquets and charcoal lighter fluid is a good start.
1 pound lean stew beef, cut bite size
2 Tbsp Olive oil2 medium yellow onions, sliced
4 medium potatoes cut bite sized
4 carrots, also bite sized
Spices to taste, salt, pepper, rosemary, garlic powder
2 Oxo cubes or beef gravy mix
1//2 cup ketchup
1 or 2 cups red wine OR water
Now some folks just can’t tolerate the peels on the taters and carrots.
Personally I just scrub ‘em good an’ keep all the good nutrients they carry.
But if y’all are a peeler; got to it.
Same with olive oil, I like it but some prefer corn oil, canola oil, bacon fat or plain lard. Once you have the makings all set to go you need to find a spot to cook where you won’t start a grass or forest fire. A fire ring or firebox is good if it has a hard flat bottom. The Book has over 200 pages and I am not about to infringe on their copyright. Let me just say that there are formulas and tables to tell you how to get to given temperatures. But you can use what I recommend here and adjust it accordingly.
So lets cowboy up and git that fire goin’. You will need about 28 briquets to start with. Put ‘em in a heap and douse ‘em good with lighter fluid, let that soak a few minutes then light ‘er up and let ‘er burn.
Do not be tempted to put the oven on before the flame is gone and the coals are gray. That smoke from the fluid will make your oven really black with soot and it gets all over everything. So here we go with the wannados- spread the coals out and set the oven on top, now add some oil and the chopped onion. When it starts to sizzle get in there with your spatula and stir them up so they cook some but don’t burn.
In the olden days when I was a French Chef I would have said sauté the onions until clear and lightly browned. Remove the onions and dump in the meat. You want to just sear it brown all around. Now that part is optional, some folks just like to do it the easy way and throw it all in the pot. I prefer the extra flavour by browning them first. I also like to save the spices til near the end to get the best flavour before it all goes up in steam. Now dump in some red wine, or water if’n yore travelin’ light, and stir it around to get the browning offen the bottom o’ that oven.
Now throw the onions back in, add about a cup of water, and the oxo cubes, potatoes and carrots. The tomato ketchup is also optional but it tickles my fancy so if’n I am invited to supper dump ‘er in.
Now make sure you got lots of liquid so it doesn’t stick and burn. Of course now is a fine time to tell you that you ought to have a set of tongs to move the briquettes with. But then you shoulda read all this first anyways.
Now we want to cook this at around 350 degrees F. No we ain’t got no dadburned thermomometer.
When I led the pioneers through the prairies we did it this way. Of your 28 coals, leave 11 underneath in a circle lying flat and put the other 17 coals on top. Now can you see why Revere put legs on the bottom and a ridge around the top?
You will need to replace with fresh briquettes as they burn down, try to keep the heat even. Let that simmer about 20 minutes or until the veggies are about cooked then add the spices and more water or wine as needed. Another 15 or 20 minutes and you can eat, depending on how well you looked after your heat. Once you get this recipe aced, think about a can of Pillsbury Biscuits, either on the stew as dumplings or on a pie plate on top of the stew, but under the lid to brown. Allow cooking time for these in with your stew. Enjoy
Now if you had a second oven handy you might want to bake a pie, or a cake or bread, biscuits, maybe an apple cobbler. There is no limit to what you can cook in a dutch oven.
Boil Bag Omelet
Now I would be shirking my duty if I didn’t share this dandy recipe. In all the years we led RV Caravans all over Mexico we always had this at least once. We had not one complaint from nearly 400 folks that tried it.
Hey, even my kids and grand-kids love doing this. You can make as many as you want at the same time, the only limit is the size of your pot. We have done about 25 at one time.
Necessaries:
Zip lock bags 1 per person (get good ones not cheapies – they melt)
Eggs 2 per person
An assortment of the following to taste
Chopped cooked ham
Chopped cooked bacon
Crumbled cooked sausage meat
Crumbled cooked ground beef
Chopped cooked shrimp
Chopped green onion
Grated cheese
Chopped sweet pepper
Chopped tomatoes
Salt
Pepper
Ketchup
Sharpie waterproof black marker
Big pot full of boiling water
A stove or fire of some kind
You can have as many or as few ingredients as the situation warrants,
First of all you gotta get the hen-fruit outa the shells and into a bowl. Then whip ‘em up with a whisk or a fork. Of course you got all the chopping done ahead of time and laid out in containers. So now the water is boiling merrily and of course you have enough fuel to keep the fire roaring.
Have each person take a zip-lock bag and put their name on it.
Now each to his own taste, scoop about 2 eggs worth of egg into the bag. Then add a selection of the assortment, a little of each choice, maybe some salt and pepper.
When the bags are ready, toss ‘em all in the pot –depending of course on numbers and pot size.
After 5 or 6 minutes take out a bag and squeeze it between thumb and finger, it should be fairly firm. If it still feels soft in the middle toss it back in the pot. Now if you open the bag and it ain’t cooked to ur fancy, just zip it up and toss it back in.
When it is done to ur lik’n turn it out on a paper plate and dig in.
Now a whole crowd of folks got fed, and there’s no pots and pans to wash, and no dishes except the bowls, and you got a big pot of hot water to clean up with.
Texas Style Shrimp
While we was leadin’ them carryvans all over the Mexican landscape I got kinda famous for my “Peel ‘n Eat Shrimp Parties.” Fact is, I think word got around and folks just hooked onto my coat tail hopin’ for a feed o’ them tasty critters.
A heapin’ helpin’ o’ them tasty lil’ critters
The only limiting factor to the success of a big helpin’ of shrimp is of course the shrimp. In Mexico I got to know a few places where I could get the biggest jumbo colossal shrimp you ever did see. In most places in the US and Canada you might have to depend on Walmart or some other store. But I am going to let you in on a real secret.
Now I am hoping as a reader of this book you will keep this secret ‘cause we don’t want the whole world too know.
If you should happen to find yourself in Texas, along the gulf coast and over in the Port Lavaca area, do me favour and find a place called Seadrift. It is just a little spit of a town on highway 185. When you get there take a dive down the main street toward the Gulf. On the left you will see a fresh seafood store with a sign out front that calls the place ‘The Chunky Monkey”.
Friends I want to tell you that woman has the biggest, freshest, tastiest, and cheapest shrimp I have found anywhere. Oh she also has lots of fish and oysters and stuff but any time I am within a hundred miles I just naturally head for the Monkey.
Now for cooking shrimp, it is pretty simple. If bought them with the heads on you jes wanna rip ‘em off’n their little bodies.
Right? Now again you need a big pot and a hot fire, I have a big propane burner that does just fine.
While y’all is waitin’ fer that big ole pot to bile yuh need to make some seafood sauce. Now don’t get fancy! Jes kinda guess how much y’all’r gonna need. Dump some ketchup (some say catsup but there ain’t no cats in it) in a bowl, maybe a cupful, and throw in a couple of spoonfuls of horse radish. Mix ‘er up and giv’r a taste, adjust it to yer lik’n, y’all might throw in a few drops o’ tobasco if’n y’all wants to hot it up a tad.
So by now the water is boiling and everyone is droolin. Again depending on the crowd size and the pot size, you might only want to cook a dozen at a time. In my big 5-gallon pot with a big crew I’ll do 30 or 40 at once. But then for our big caravans I usually buy about 50 pounds. You want to keep them on ice until you cook them.
Let them cook for 12 minutes or so depending on your fire. Dip them out and throw them on a tray. Everyone peels their own. An hey Enjoy!
Note: If you did keep all them shrimp heads, some folks really make a fine soup from them, kinda Cajun style.
About Solar Ovens
Another gem we have picked up is a solar powered oven. It is a folding device that uses only the power of the sun to cook just about anything. To begin with you could do as I did, build one!
Two loaves of banana bread comin’ right up!
Search the Internet for solar ovens, solar cookers, and solar stoves until you find something that you can handle. There are dozens of designs to choose from. My first effort was cut from a large cardboard box and covered with aluminum foil. I was so amazed at the results I built a better one.
After my third building project I decided this was no joke and definitely not a toy gimmick. So I bought a Sun Oven. As usual my wife was skeptical about the claims made for these contraptions. And as usual I set out to prove her wrong. I have been making baked beans in a crock-pot for years so that was my first trial. The beans were perfect.
Next I tried Sweet and Sour spare ribs, again, they were great. I continued my experiments with 15 bean soup, green pea soup, and beef stew, all with great results. I turned to the Pillsbury products and bought a can each of biscuits, hot dog wrappers, sticky buns, and croissants. These all came out deliciously golden brown.
Well now Joy was interested. Her first test was a batch of her famous banana bread. Her eyes almost popped when she saw the results. It was fantastic. When the loaf was eaten she decided to do the absolute acid test. In her world one of the most difficult things to make is a really good Angel Food Cake.
Well, she did here magic with the mixer while I set up the oven. Now over the course of the previous few weeks we had numerous visitors, curious about this “thing” we had beside the RV. As time passed and word spread we had more and more visitors and of course folks appreciated samples.
The glass door of the oven is hermetically sealed with a rubber gasket. While it is cooking the heat and moisture is trapped inside. The temperature inside gets well over 300 degrees F. When the door is open there is a cloud of steam carrying the most delicious aromas away on the wind.
Of course there are curious neighbours down-wind and our group of sniffing curious grew daily. The day she made that Angel Food Cake was no exception.
One of our neighbour ladies had been over earlier and knew what was coming. Just after Joy removed the cake our charming friend arrived with a huge pot of coffee.
Again Joy was ecstatic! It was the most beautiful Angel Food Cake she had ever made. It was light and fluffy, a delicate golden brown, perfectly shaped and had risen higher than normal. Her satisfaction with the solar oven was now beyond doubt.
The coffee lady was a little piqued because Joy said we had to wait for it to cool but she accepted that, almost drooling over the cake. I managed to get a small slice but before we knew it the cake disappeared amid rave reviews from fellow campers.
Now to be fair I have to say the neighbours were good about our sharing treats with them. Often someone would come over with a carafe of coffee, or a bottle of wine, or maybe some beer. Then someone else would appear with nachos and dip, or cookies, a bowl of nuts or popcorn. The next thing we knew we would have an afternoon happy hour going.
Okay so I have explained the successes of cooking with the sun. But there are other advantages. Since it uses no power, wood, charcoal or propane it is free to operate. Of course it has to be outside in the sun, it does not heat up the house like a regular oven, so the air conditioner is not going crazy trying to keep up. Of course there is always a down side to anything and for sure this oven will not work at night, cloudy days and rain also put it out of action.
But of you think about it there is another plus that is not so obvious. Lets say you want to have a roast of beef for supper, but you also want to go shopping or hiking or visiting or whatever. Since you know by now about where the sun is, and when, you have a solar timer.
Put the roast on the oven as you normally would and calculate how long it will take to cook. If it is frozen it will probably thaw before cooking time starts. Now assuming you want dinner at 5:00 PM and the roast needs 2 hours to cook, you just point the oven to where the sun will be at 3:00 PM and that is when it will start to cook.
Yes, the oven still has to rotated to follow the sun, but at least it gives you time to go and do something beforehand.
Over the years we have been asked if we have ever cooked “such and such” in the oven. In each case we have endeavored to cook that particular dish or item and the next time it comes up we can reply with a honest yes. In nearly 10 years of use I cannot think of one thing, which would normally be cooked in a household oven that we have not cooked with success.
We have also cooked a great many things that are not normally done in an oven. In fact we have witnessed ice fishermen cooking their catch in a solar oven while still out on the ice. Beat that if you can! In fact it is just handy to leave a pot of water in it when not in use.
Hot water is so handy for so many things.
Here is a look at our main event.
We installed this catalytic propane heater instead of using the furnace.
We always had toast for breakfast in the morning and fired up the generator to run the toaster. Well I got to looking at this heater, which we put on each morning to take the chill off, and had a thought. I cut up a couple of wire coat hangers and soon had places to hang two slices of bread. The world’s best damned toaster was born.
Then one chilly day it was raining out and we had planned to barbecue hot dogs. The heater was on so I put the wieners in the rack and a drip pan on the floor and now we have a vertical barbecue. Not content to stop there, I did steaks that night.
Not just wieners and steaks, we have grilled chicken breasts, pork chops, bratwurst, hamburger patties, fish steaks and fillets. No smoke no mess.
And once in a while you come up with something really tasty, so here I will let you in on some “accidental” recipes that I have cobbled up over the years.
Sometimes y’all just gotta cook what yuh got!!
Now some of you might turn up your noses after reading these, but hey, if you ain’t tried it don’t knock it.
So, tonight we need to conjure up some new way to present spaghetti squash. If you have never tried it because you don’t like squash, well you are really missing something.
For newcomers to this fabulous vegetable here is a simple way to prepare it. This squash is named for its coarse stringy texture, very much like spaghetti. The flavour is unlike any other squash and a pleasant change for those that do not care for Acorn, Hubbard, or other traditional squashes.
Spaghetti Squash a la Pasta
Ingredients:
1 Spaghetti squash
1 jar spaghetti sauce
Parmesan cheese (optional)
Garlic bread (optional)
Red wine (optional)
Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds, put a bit of butter or margarine
and a little water in each half. Put these in a plastic bread bag or large zip lock
but don’t seal it completely.
Cook in the microwave for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Meanwhile heat the sauce on the stove in a saucepan.
Now you can serve in the shell or scoop out the squash, your choice. Either way,
once it is on your plate top it off with the sauce, sprinkle on some parmesan
cheese and enjoy with a slice of garlic bread and a glass of wine.
Spaghetti Squash Casserole
A little fancier than the pasta recipe, and a lot tastier
Ingredients:
6 slices of thick bacon
1 spaghetti squash
2 thick slices of ham cut in strips
4 slices of mozzarella cheese
1 jar spaghetti sauce
parmesan cheese, red wine and garlic bread,
grated mozzarella and cheddar cheese
First pan fry the bacon until it is cooked but not really crispy.
Next microwave the squash in a plastic bag with butter or margarine
for about 10 to 15 minutes then scrape the cooked squash out of the shell.
Put the sauce in a pan and heat it.
Now, arrange the bacon in the bottom of a casserole dish.
Next add layer of one half of the squash.
Now a layer of the ham strips, followed by more squash
Add a later of mozzarella (optional)
Pour the spaghetti sauce over the top
Add parmesan and/or mozzarella cheddar mixture
Cook in the oven at 350F until the cheese is nicely browned.
While you are waiting, enjoy a glass of wine and a piece of bread.
Enjoy!!
Chillies Rellenos
I have literally eaten Chillies Rellenos in every state in Mexico and I can guarantee you there are no two places the same. I grew to enjoy them so much that I developed my own recipe and folks just gobble them up and hope for more. It takes a bit of fussin’ but then anything really worthwhile usually does.
Now for the purist, the Relleno is usually filled with a little cheese, dipped in a batter or beaten eggs and either pan fried or deep fried. These are totally different.
Ingredients:
4-6 Fresh Poblano peppers (or Anaheims)
½ lb lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped,
1 can chopped tomatoes and chilies
1 lb. Shredded mozzarella and cheddar or jack cheese
2 tsp. Dry cilantro
¼ tsp cumin
Tobasco sauce to taste
Aluminum foil
Medium heat salsa
Sour cream
The first time around you may want to go easy on the spice and hot sauce, the poblanos have some heat of their own.
So brown up the onions and remove, then fry the beef, add the tomatoes and chillies and let simmer, cover on low heat.
While that is simmering (or you can prepare it ahead) you need either a very hot barbecue, an open fire or perhaps a 400-450 degree oven. I prefer to use a fire.
The peppers have to be quickly burned black until the outer skin blisters and starts to peel. Then place them in a plastic bag for about 10 minutes to steam.
Now the easiest way to remove the burned skin is under running water. Next slit down one side and remove all the seeds.
Next add the cheese to the meat mixture, add more or less to your taste. Mix it over slow heat until the cheese melts.
Spoon this mixture into the poblanos and shut the slit, then wrap in aluminum foil.
These may be heated and served, or frozen for a later date. I like to heat them over a fire or a barbecue, turning every couple of minutes until they are hot. Serve them in the foil, then guests can unwrap and add salsa and sour cream as desired. Enjoy!
Baked Beans
This beans recipe was originally cooked in my crock pot. It is a winner every time in the dutch oven and when we bought the solar oven it just seemed natural to cook them the free way. This recipe works well either way.
So here is your shopping list
2 ¼ cups dried white navy beans
6 cups water
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 tsp baking soda (optional if you have hard water it helps soften beans)
½ cup ketchup
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
½ tsp salt
Put the beans, water, and onions in a 3 or 4 quart crock pot (slow cooker) cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or high heat for 4-5 hours.
Then add the rest of the stuff, stir it up and cook on high for another 30 minutes to let the flavours mingle.
This works as well or better in a 3 ½ quart pan in the sun oven.
Manitoba Tortillas
During the first 7 years of our retirement we spent our winters in Mexico leading caravans of RVers throughout the country. From Mazatlan to Puerta Vallarta, Oaxaca to Palenque, Tuxla Guitarez, to Belize and then on to Cancun. Northbound through Merida, Villahermosa, Vera Cruz, and Tampico then on to Victoria before arriving at Phar, Texas.
The interior trips found us driving through Chihuahua, Zacatecas, Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Puebla. We were fortunate in that we eventually visited every state in Mexico. During those years we grew fond of numerous Mexican foods and beverages. One of my favorites was Chillies Rellenos, followed by Tamales, Tacos, and of course a sample of the local beer.
My wife preferred Margueritas but that is another story, I never cared much for Tequila.
Back in Manitoba one summer I was, as usual, thinking of something different for supper. This a combination of several Mexican dishes and it shows how adaptable everything is when you get creative. The size and number of servings depends of course on the number of diners but this was for two of us with leftovers the next day. We love leftovers, the flavours have a chance to meld together.)
Ingredients
4 medium flour tortillas
several pieces of sliced ham
Medium salsa (depending on your heat tolerance)
Several slices of Swiss cheese, or Oaxaca or Mozzarella
1 small can of chopped tomatoes with chilies
Sour cream (optional)
Grated cheese mix (Cheddar, Mozzarella, Monterey Jack etc)
On each tortilla place a slice of ham and one of cheese about in the center, if they are very thin slices you may want to add more. Add about a tablespoon of salsa to each then roll them up and place in a casserole or bread pan.
Cover with a layer of tomatoes and chilies. Cover the tomatoes with a layer of grated cheese 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.
Now here I usually use a Dutch oven over charcoal or our solar oven. Lacking these you can use a regular oven at 350 for about 30 minutes uncovered. I like to leave it until the cheese is nicely browned.
Each roll may be served whole with optional salsa and sour cream. Enjoy!
Note: Here is how to make great simple tortillas.
Tortillas el Roma
I named these because of the Italian flavour of olive oil I used instead of shortening. These are really first class tortillas.
Ingredients;
2 Cups white flour
1 1/2 Tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp Salt
1/4 Cup olive Oil
1/2 Cup Water
Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the olive oil, then with knives or a pastry cutter, cut it all together until it resembles gravel. Next add the water and continue to mix until it is fairly smooth. It will be a bit sticky but almost like a pie dough.
Now cover the dough and let it sit for a good 10 minutes! This is important!
Put cast iron frying pan or griddle on over medium heat. Next divide the dough into 6 pieces and begin to roll it out, the thinner the better. I like to use a bowl or a plastic pail of about 7-inch diameter. Put the bowl on the dough and cut around it with a sharp knife.
Now carefully lift the circle and put it flat in the pan. As soon as you see little bubbles, turn it over. You may need to turn several times to get a uniform pattern of brown, not black, spots where the bubbles were.
Remove from the pan and wrap in a clean dishtowel, cook the next one and stack it on the first
You may have to experiment with the heat and timing to get it just right.
These may be refrigerated or frozen until required. For a Mexican type treat add some sugar, or brown sugar, or maple syrup to the dough. After cooking sprinkle with powdered sugar or jam, jelly, or peanut butter.
Tortilla Fillings
Tortillas have been used as a native bread for thousands of years. There is virtually no limit to the fillings that may be used, or, they can be eaten as is or as a plate scraper. Here are just a few ideas.
Huevos Rancheros; scrambled eggs with tomato and chilies and sausage meat
Frijoles; refried beans
Carnitas;steamed, fried grilled or broiled shredded pork
Burrito; any combination of meat, cheese, and beans rolled up in a tortilla.
A tortilla can be turned into a taco, chalupa, flauta, or tostada. They can be deep fried in triangles called nachos, or added to soups. You may also make Fajitas.
Our favorites are usually a mixture of onions and sweet peppers in red, green, and yellow fried in olive oil, then a can of tomatoes and chilies added. Next fry up ½ pound or so of ground beef in olive oil and add it to the veggies, add maybe ½ cup salsa, a pinch of cumin, some cilantro, garlic powder, and maybe 1/2 glass of red wine.
Simmer on low heat until the excess liquid is gone, you want it a little dry. While you wait you can drink that other half glass of wine.
Put a spoonful on a tortilla, fold one edge in then roll from the other edge to form a pocket, eat from your hand like a sandwich?
Ground pork, ground chicken, or ground turkey will work, as will fish.
Yuh must eat what yuh brung!
NOTE: the crispy U shaped Taco is not Mexican. It was invented in the USA.
For a change of pace – lets try some Egg Rolls.
These beauties are just waiting for a dollop of plum sauce….
Easy Egg Rolls.
The “Stuff”
1 package of egg roll wrappers
2 cups of bean sprouts ( home grown preferred)
½ head cabbage (or bok choy) chopped fine
1 can sliced mushrooms chopped fine
1 medium onion copped fine
½ lb cooked shrimp chopped fine
1 medium chicken breast chopped fine.
2 tsp soy sauce
¼ tsp 5 spice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp water
Chop the ingredients and just cut the bean sprouts in half or so. Chicken breast is easier to cut in fine slices if it is partially frozen.
In a wok or very large frypan, fry the chicken until it is turning white, then add the onions, sauté until they start going clear. Add the sprouts, cabbage, mushrooms, and shrimp. Stir fry together for 5-7 minutes and add soy and 5 spice powder. And remove from heat.
In a small dish mix the flour and water, this is a paste.
Remove a wrapper from package and lay in on counter with a corner pointing at you, place about 2 tbsp of mixture on wrapper. Now the point towards you is picked up and folded over the mixture to about ½ way. Now the left and right points are folded inwards to the center. Smear some paste on the far point and continue to roll it up. After a few you will be an expert.
Once they are all rolled, deep fry in 350-400 degree oil, four at a time, until golden brown. They may now be eaten, served, or frozen. Serve with plum sauce condiment. One package usually has 25 wrappers.
A Canadian sunset, in Manitoba.
The New Comers Big Decision
This book on RVing wouldn’t be much without some information on the RV itself. For folks just starting out, or those that are contemplating a change let me point out a few things as I see them. There are many things to consider before laying down the cash for an RV.
A Recreational Vehicle can be more expensive than a house, or, conversely almost free. The first consideration then should be cost and budget. This may not mean what you can afford to buy, but rather what you need to buy. I you are looking at a few weekends in summer and maybe a trip for a couple of weeks it makes little sense to spend mega-bucks on the latest and greatest. On the other hand perhaps you are retired and want to sell the house, buy a big rig, and travel full time. Then a larger more comfortable rig would be the better choice.
If you are thinking of a first outfit, how big do you need? Are you a couple or a family with several kids? Then what can you handle? I don’t mean in budget or the size of your driveway. Have you ever backed up with a trailer on? What is the tow rating of your car or truck? If you are looking at a motor home, again, please consider the size. It may look simple but I have seen a lot of ashen-faced white-knuckle drivers in rigs that were way beyond their comfort level.
Maybe you would be best to start with a tent? They are fairly inexpensive, usually pretty simple to erect and reasonably comfortable. A step up from that might be a” pop-up” camper trailer. If you own a pick-up maybe a slide in camper would be your best choice.
NOTE: Last year, in 2011, I found a slide-in camper for my truck. It was FREE! Yes it was in rough shape but I fixed it up and now we use it for short trips and fishing and leave our 37 foot fifth wheel at home. It has lights, three-way fridge, furnace, a table, sink, water pump, and a bed . ? What more do you need? Keep an eye on the paper and local internet classifieds.
Ok so lets get back to my personal observations. We have had every conceivable type of RV known to man. They include every kind of trailer in almost every size from a 7’ by7’ Kombi-Kamp to our 37 footer. Motor homes in both classes A, B and C. By the way Class B used to be what they called Vans.
Our travels have also included several antique aircraft and boats ranging from 10’ to a 22’ Cal-Glass cruiser. For tents we actually started out with army issue ponchos snapped together to form a shelter.
Our first actual tent was a tiny pup tent. When our first daughter and a dog came on the scene we bought a 5 man mountain tent. A few years later while living in Europe we bought a large multi-room tent for our family of four.
So, first of all I love tents but they are young persons delight. As you get older it gets harder to sleep on the ground and get up and down. Then you need camping equipment. A stove, pots and pans, dishes, lantern, air mattresses, sleeping bags, water containers, and probably a couple of lawn chairs.
Motor homes are great for many reasons but they have their drawbacks. For one, unless you are towing a car, you need to pack the rig up whenever you want to go shopping or sightseeing, or visiting. Next, and my pet peeve, if you are driving all day and you stop for the night or for a week you are in the same place you were in all day.
On the plus side, your partner and family have access to the facilities while you are driving. Any books or maps are readily at hand. Then of course you can see if anything is coming loose on the road before it gets broken.
If you are towing a car, or “Toad” it is almost impossible to back up and unless you have a rear camera you cannot see it while traveling.
Now lets look at trailers. In particular fifth wheels versus straight tow trailers. The fifth wheel is generally more expensive and it needs a truck to tow it. Conversely a straight trailer may be towed with a car, but it may need an equalizer hitch and a sway bar. A fifth wheel is much easier to hook up and unhook. In my opinion the “Fiver” is easier to back up in tight spots, it handles better on the highway, and usually has more space and comforts than a straight tow. Another point in favour of the fiver is that you can tow another trailer or a boat on behind.
Regardless as to what type of rig you choose there are other points to consider. Are you going to stay in RV parks exclusively, or will you be boondocking? Will you be using the RV in hot weather or cooler times of year? Do you stay on highways or tend to get off in the sticks on rougher roads?
These decisions will tell you if you need a generator to supply power, either one or two air conditioners. Awnings are nice and lawn chairs are almost a must. A screened in add-on room is nice if the bugs are bad where you want to go. Will you need a TV and a dish to get a signal, perhaps a computer and Internet satellite dish? Maybe you would be wise to invest in solar panels, a rack of large batteries, an inverter and maybe even a wind driven generator.
Batteries Can Make A Bad Day Worse
While we are discussing batteries, and before I forget, here is a thought; unless you are plugged into commercial power, your batteries are the lifeblood of your rig. Once they are dead you have no lights, water, toilet, furnace, or refrigerator and you cannot even start your generator.
Yes in a motorhome if you have a separate battery bank the main engine generator should charge your coach battery. In a trailer your tow vehicle should do the same in an emergency. But how can you stretch your battery life?
Many newer rigs seem to have far more lights than are really necessary. They are not really set up for boondocking or overnighting without power. But there are some simple steps to reduce your power consumption.
Vanity lights; these bathroom lights often have 3 or 4 large bulbs. Only one is really needed most of the time. The Cure? Either remove all but one bulb, or install a switch to turn on the extras when needed.
Kitchen table; now many of these are like chandeliers with 5 or 6 bulbs, again most of the time one will do. Here also, remove bulbs or put in a second switch on the fixture.
Your furnace is a power hog. Use it only if you have to, a sweater is often a good alternate. Think about a catalytic propane heater – just remember to leave a window open a little bit.
The water pump cycles on and off as pressure bleeds off, each time it comes on burns power, it is not needed all night. Besides make a habit of turning water off when traveling, a leak or broken pipe can make a very large mess.
Outside lights, leaving these on all night burns power
Reading lights; if, like us, you like to read in bed, consider a couple of dry cell powered LED lights that stick to the wall or ceiling. Two AAA batteries last for months.
Ceiling lights, in older rigs it seems the ceiling fixtures had two bulbs and a switch, to switch one off. Newer ones just run both bulbs, so I remove one bulb from each fixture.
Lastly is just a matter of common sense, if you aren’t using a light, turn it off. It seems most folks always leave a bathroom and/or a kitchen light burning. Why?
Batteries are expensive and require some maintenance. Keeping them clean, connections tight, and topped up with water will pay dividends over the years.
There are dozens of other questions and possibly better viewpoints than mine. Talk to a dealer and friends with RVs. It could save a lot of money and frustration if you buy a rig that fits your needs the first time around.
Trips:
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(Pages 1-31 show above.)