We arrived at our Maine (get it?) destination this week - the Augusta/Gardiner KOA. The folks are doing something called "workamping" here this year. We aren't sure what that is except they've been playing with leaves and branches for a few hours each day, and they came back with yellow polo shirts today, its the same shade of yellow that Blue put on Uncle John's sock and shoe.
The best part (some of us think) of this campground is that there's a big Fromm store just 3 miles down the road. They stock lots of duck and sweet potato vittles - perfect! Of course, Bentley thinks the best part is the lake or pond the campground is on. It's where he learned to swim 2 years ago.
The folks think the best part is that we're centrally located for all the things they like to do in Maine, like shopping in Freeport, touring and whale watching in Boothbay Harbor, several golf courses, lobster that they steam for you at the grocery store, and other great Maine things. They are also not too far from Rangeley so we can visit there several times this summer instead of just once. Another place for Bentley to swim and maybe we'll even get to taste Red Onion's pepperoni and pepperocini pizza this year.
The other night it got pretty cool and the winds picked up. The trees still haven't leafed out, so it's kind of like winter in Texas. It was so windy in fact that two trees in the park fell down, one missing our home on wheels by inches. Before the wind hit, Dad was able to set up the satellite dish and find a sweet spot between two trees, under a distant branch, over a mountain ridge and bingo we have Dish! The new setup was based on Mom's research and although trees fell in the wind the mobile tripod dish setup held its ground. All that excitement has made Bentley a tired boy today!
The cool weather put the folks in a soup mood, so Mom thawed and heated some Tortilla Soup for dinner. It's a recipe from the Houston Junior League Cookbook, Stop and Smell the Rosemary. We often stop to smell the rosemary at home and often for some strange reason we come in with out undercarriages smelling like rosemary. Anyway Mom wishes she had tried the recipe a long time ago - she says it's the best tortilla soup she's ever had (we wouldn't know, all we got were a few tortilla strip bits...)
Tortilla Soup
6 Tablespoons vegetable oil (I used 3)
8 corn tortillas, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 Tablespoons ground cumin
1 Tablespoon chile powder (Penzey's medium hot is great)
3 bay leaves
6 cups chicken stock or broth
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
4 to 6 cooked chicken breast halves, shredded
1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add tortillas, garlic, cilantro, and onion. Saute 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes. Bring to a boil and add cumin, chili powder, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Return to a boil. Reduce heat. Add salt and cayenne. Simmer 30 minutes. Remove bay leaves and stir in chicken. Reheat.
Garnish with shredded cheese, sliced or diced avocado, sour cream, and oven-crisped or fried tortilla strips
Servings: 6
Source: Stop and Smell the Rosemary
The day before yesterday we got to visit the folks' friends, John and Linda, in northern Virginia. We had to stay in the coach (something about us "exploring" where we shouldn't) so we didn't get to bounce on their furniture, but the folks had a great time catching up with their friends. One nice thing was the free range pooping, since they live in the country it was nice drop and go situation. We did get to meet and greet the human friends - they seemed to be very dog friendly. It wasn't Cocker Spaniel but maybe Cavalier King Charles that we detected on the pants legs?
And for some reason, there are 3 ginger heart dog cookies missing from our stash ....
We arrived in upstate NY yesterday evening, after what turned out to be a longer drive than the folks expected. Pennsylvania certainly is very bumpy! We are staying for a few days at Brook n Wood in Elizaville. This is the first time we've stayed here, but the folks checked it out last year after the challenge that the previous years campsite presented. This campground is much more big rig friendly. The sites are as wide as they are deep, even though they are basically part of a grass field.
The best part is that we are now in Carb Heaven! Last night Mom ordered a pizza from a place called Salvatore's (recommended by the camp host). She ordered a large and the thing was HUGE! Bigger than Blue's banana tail is long! We think it was at least 20' diameter. That meant lots of crust for us. And a huge box they let us check out.
Today we went to visit our cousins, the Corndogs. Cooper is recovering from surgery, so he spent a lot of time resting in his "house". He has what looks like a memory foam mattress in it, so Blue was jealous. So jealous, in fact, that he "expressed himself" on Uncle John's sock and shoe ... while he was still wearing both, that boy is just not right, perhaps the Pennsylvania roads jarred some brain cells loose.
The folks and Uncle John and Aunt Sue then had some more carbs, bagels to be exact. We remember them from last year - except this time no one shared. It might be time for more "expression" if things don't pick up. Later in the day Dad and Uncle John went to the local RC airfield and did some flying, well John did, Dad needs some more time on the simulator if you know what I mean.
Aunt Sue gave Mom a recipe for shrubbery that Dad would actually eat, too. He doesn't like cooked broccoli, but this was a salad with bacon (pork fat rules) in it, and he ate seconds. Here's Mom's version (which she says it's perfect for a pot luck):
Broccoli-Cranberry Salad
8 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite-size pieces
1/3 cup finely chopped or diced red onion
1/3 cup dried cranberries
8 slices cooked, crumbled center cut or turkey bacon (or 1/3 cup Hormel low fat real bacon crumbles)
Dressing
1/3 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup fat free or lowfat plain yogurt or light sour cream
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon sugar
Combine salad in a large bowl.
Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
Add the dressing to the salad and toss until evenly coated. Refrigerate for at least an hour to let flavors blend.
The RV Season is here! The RV Season is here!
We are on the road again for more than just a service visit to Foretravel in Nacogdoches, Texas (land of two suns, no shade to be found anywhere!) or to McKinney, Texas to help the folks (mostly Dad) install new day/night blinds in the coach.
It's our second day on the road, and we find ourselves at the Buffalo KOA in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. Just an overnight stop on our way to Maine. We're enjoying the newly-recovered sofa, although I tasted it today and it does NOT taste like "salsa", which Mom says is the color. I think it tastes like pleather which I did not like, so now I'm not sure how I will pass the hours on the road without my trust old couch, aka the salt lick.
Bentley was worried that the folks would forget him, so he packed himself in the new "bling box". That's where the folks keep the fragile, decorative items while the coach is moving.
One of the other improvements to the "home on the road" is the tiled kitchen backsplash which Mom is quite pleased with. She got to admire it up close and personal today while making some homemade flour tortillas that she said look like amoebas but taste much better (we didn't get any so have to take her word on that).
She made them because of the quick dinner choice for the evening, Dad chose a package of carnitas we had in the freezer.Carnitas means "crispy bits of little meat" and it's something Mom makes lots of in the slow cooker, then freezes the extra portions. Here's her recipe that she found on the Cooking Light board and modified to use the roasted Hatch chiles she keeps in the freezer:
Crock Pot Carnitas
For the carnitas:
6 to 9 lb pork butt roast
oil for browning
1 very large or 2 medium yellow onions, sliced into rings
6 to 8 garlic cloves
1 Tablespoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
1 Tablespoom ground cumin
6-8 roasted Hatch green chiles, chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped, leaves only
12 ounces beer, preferably Mexican like Bohemia or Dos Equis
salt and pepper
To serve:
2 onions, sliced and sauteed until golden brown
flour tortillas
various toppings such as shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole, etc.
- Insert garlic cloves in roast
- Season with salt and pepper and brown on all sides in a stovetop pan with olive oil
- Place in slow cooker with onions, herbs, chile peppers, and cilantro. Pour in beer. Cook on high 4 to 6 hours until fork tender.
- Shred meat and remove any bone and visible pieces of fat. Season to taste with more salt and pepper if needed. You can turn the slow cooker up to high to evaporate off some liquid or transfer some of the contents to a skillet to brown further, if desired.
- Serve with warm tortillas, caramelized onions, shreddded cheese, sour cream (especially Crema Mexicana Agria) guacamole, salsa, etc.
Ree