Covid Cookery

 

 

That's an "Ugly Steak" from Dickman's Deli in Tucson, AZ.  I'm not sure what cut of meat it is, but it seems to be the equivalent to a marbled flank steak.  Great with fajitas, or marinated and then grilled, cut into thin slices and served with Fettuccine Alfredo. 

Short RV cooking video:

With Limited Dining Choices, we Cook

This post includes some cooking we have done. With the CCP covid lockdown in most blue states, travel has been difficult.  Certainly, going to a restaurant has been impossible in certain locations such as NYC, Chicago and so on.

We decided to spend time in a resort in a state with less onerous rules.  It isn't perfect because local politicians can ruin everything and seem inclined to do so. Nevertheless, we have been able to dine in the resort restaurant or on the restaurant patio throughout the season.

With reduced restaurant choices cooking becomes more important. We enjoy cooking and our site is set up for that.  It is true that the Roadtrek is small for certain types of cooking.  But we do a lot of outdoor grilling and we use cast iron on a portable inductive cooktop.  Baking or oven cooking in the Roadtrek is determined by the dimensions of the convection microwave. However, our AZ site includes an air conditioned shed with hot and cold running water.  Cooking within is definitely okay.

We did visit nearby restaurants which remained open despite the best efforts of some Pima County Demagogues. We did our best to support smaller, local businesses. And, we did a lot of cooking. We are currently in a city which was named by UNESCO as the first city of gastronomy in 2015.  That's a good place to be for good and varied food and a variety of grocers.

UNESCO - creative cities - Tucson

 “Located in the Sonoran Desert, Tucson has the longest agricultural history of any city in the United States of America. It has a 300-year tradition of vineyards, orchards, and livestock ranching that have forged the wide array of the local heritage foods, a source of identity and vitality for the local population of 1 million inhabitants. The distinctive cuisine of Tucson has developed from a culturally layered history, a variety of heritage food ingredients, and a continuity of traditional food preparation techniques. To maintain its thriving culinary sector, the city focuses particularly on innovative programmes and regulations for food security and sustainable local food production and distribution.“

Don’t take my word for it, Fodor’s Travel agrees.

fodors - Tucon UNESCO city

This was but one reason why, after purchasing a Roadtrek 210P in December 2013 we visited Tucson in and spent some time there in early 2014.  It is also why we made an annual commitment at a resort and have a spot waiting for us throughout the year in this wonderful city.  In that manner we can come and go as we please and stay here for a few weeks, or months each winter, or throughout the year.  This became essential in 2020 when the CCP covid-19 shut down large portions of the U.S. economy.

One of the advantages of staying planted in a location for a few months is the opportunity to really get to know the neighborhood.  That also means we can find good places to purchase all manner of things to cook.

The Tucson site includes a 10 ft x 10 ft air conditioned "shed" with running hot and cold water.  It can accommodate a larger refrigerator, a washer-dryer etc. That means we can cook inside using electric cook top, inductive cooktop, crock pot or whatever (we use them all).  A shelter even allows grilling in inclement weather, and the resort has a central area with gas BBQs.  

However, baking is limited by the size of the convection oven in the Roadtrek, G recently made Eggplant Parmesan, which would not be possible but in very small quantities in the Roadtrek convection oven.  The issue is not simply the size of the oven.  It takes as much time to make a 9x15 inch pan of this dish as a 10x10 inch pan.

 With a little cool weather, an opportunity was created to use the 15 inch wide x 15 inch deep oven in the larger RV.  But first, G had to make the sauce.  Crushed tomatoes, mild and hot Italian sausage, homemade meatballs and spare ribs, all seasoned and cooked in three different skillets and then combined.  Several days later she made the Eggplant Parmesan.  Really good!  Here it is fresh from the oven.

For  fun, G bakes all kinds of cookies. 

Being good neighbors, we share all of the above.

Of course, there is the day-to-day cooking of shrimp & rice, steak fajitas, BBQ chicken, BBQ steak, baked ham, roasted potatoes, roasted asparagus, roasted sweet potato, grilled sausage, mac-n-cheese with chili, grilled cheese sandwiches, fried rice, baked ham, roasted chicken and so on.

We cook using cast iron on a portable inductive top, or over propane.  We cook outside the rig for most meals, from bacon and eggs to BBQ. Outdoor BBQ is a frequent approach. We like the convection oven in the Roadtrek, but can't cook the larger quantities we prefer. For pasta, etc. we boil water in a pot on a resistance electric two-burner range-top we purchased for about $29.  We like propane cooking, but in the Roadtrek we conserve it to heat hot water or for that occasional use of the furnace.

This year I have not yet made my famous cinnamon buns.

It has gotten so ridiculous that over breakfast we discuss what to cook for dinner. LOL.

We recently went to the Viva Cars and Coffee and we like to support local businesses.

 https://www.facebook.com/VivaCoffeeHouse

 A few things cooked recently

Marinated Steelhead Trout, ready for the grill:

Ham ready for the electric roaster:

Grilled steak with rapini, grilled squash and baked potato:

Crock pot chicken soup:

French Toast:

 Original material http://roadtrek210.blogspot.com/




 

 

Slow Cooker Chicken Soup

serving suggestion: parsley and parmesan cheese

Chicken soup is something I could make in the Roadtrek. At present we don't because we don't take a slow cooker with us. However, here's the soup I made recently in a larger RV and the counter space available was similar to our 210P. I would probably put the cooker outside if the weather was dry....

One adjustment I would make in the Roadtrek is to braise the chicken in a cast iron pan. We don't carry a large stock pot, so cast iron would be the way to go.



Original material:  https://roadtrek210.blogspot.com/

Useful RV Gadgets

Originally posted January 25, 2018.... I'll expand the list from time to time.  This is one of three related posts.

I've found some useful gadgets and a few essential ones. I've been adding stuff since our first trek in October 2013. That was a rental Class B and very educational. When we purchased a 2013 Roadtrek 210P we began adding things or expanding our list of stuff to carry.

This post is a companion piece to the others about modifications and tools.


Energy Management (Protection):
Here's a link to a 30A Power Protection device. This protects your RV from overvoltage, undervoltage, open neutral, missing ground, energy surges, etc. It's money well spent considering the cost of repairing RVs when power surges, etc. damage equipment such as heat pumps, air conditioners, appliances, refrigerators, furnace, power inverter/charger, etc.

Click for post on Power Protection

Exterior power protection

Interior mounted power protection

Leveling
We're more comfortable when the RV is level. That 3-way refrigerator operates better when it is level and if too far out of kilter, it may not work at all according to the manufacturer.

We carry levelers which can be assembled like legos to adjust the height of the Roadtrek. We use Lynx levelers, but there are others to choose from:

Lynx Levellers

Levellers and wheel chocks stowed in the outside compartment of our 210P

First Aid
I've updated this post to include the medical kit I carry with me. We do supplement this with additional items, but having a good first aid kit is smart and is a good building block, IMHO.  I prefer a "backpackers" model because it is pretty all inclusive. I also carry a tick remover, and the photo indicates my preferred tool.  To this one can add better bandaids, etc.

Morning Coffee
I like a good cup of coffee in the morning. Space is limited, so we purchased an Aeropress.

Comfort - Heating and Cooling, etc. 
We  have Reflectix in all but the side door window. Really makes a difference on fall or winter nights. Also very useful if parked in full sun:

We added a front side screen; I made it but there are purchase options. It  is held in place with embedded magnets. The Roadtrek has rear and side door screens. The rear is handy, but we don't use side door screen. Adding the front window screen provides "cross through" ventilation:

We added a fan to move interior air, usually to cool the front of the vehicle and a 12VDC extension. The fan has side air entry and sits in the shelf immediately above the side door:

12V interior fan

I added a solar sail to provide additional shade. Very helpful in full sun with the outside temp going into the 90s or higher. Note the Reflectix in the front window:

We carry a dual control electric blanket and with a woolen blanket G prefers this to a sleeping bag.  The one we chose has illuminated controls; less fumbling in the dark and no need to turn on lights to adjust:

We carry a 750/1500 watt 120V heater. This is very small and makes a wonderful difference when temperatures are below 40F, at which point the heat pump doesn't function very well:

I added a flat panel heater, this is intended for use in the front window of the vehicle. The photo is of a larger version which we use in the TT and 5th wheel. The one for the Roadtrek is 18x23 inches and 1/2 inch thick. It is rated 250 watts. Must be kept away from flammable things. It includes an Off-On switch, but I added a digital thermostat:

After spending a lot of time in low humidity regions (14% RH or lower) we added a small humidifier/vaporizor. This is a TaoTronic which measures about 8x10x5 inches and has sufficient capacity to run all night:

Temperature Monitoring: 
We added interior/exterior thermometers. Our first was appropriated from home but I upgraded to a very small with single remote. The small one goes a year on batteries and has a much better display (higher contrast):

Refrigerator:

I added an interior thermometer and one of those battery operated fans to improve distribution. We also added single and dual refrigerator bars to help keep stuff from bouncing around. We always keep an open box of baking soda in the refrigerator to control odors:

Refrigerator thermometer

Refrigerator or cabinet spring-loaded bars to immobilize containers and jars, etc.

Cooking and BBQ:

The Roadtrek includes a convection-microwave over and a two burner propane burner. But we do a lot of cooking and so we added a few things:

I prefer a small Weber propane grill because it has a taller lid and easily accommodates baking potatoes, corn on the cob and so on. But due to space limitations we carry a Coleman. A digital thermometer is essential.

Coleman portable propane BBQ

Meat thermometer for cooking and grillling

We also carry a small induction electric cook top. This can be used indoors or outdoors (when dry) and we use it a lot. It works very well with cast iron and so we carry two sizes of cast iron skillets, a small and a 12 inch, as well as a griddle. The cast iron also works well with the propane range top:

cooking with cast iron and portable electric induction cooktop

The induction top can be used with stainless steel if a ferromagnetic plate is used, but that isn't very efficient. We prefer the cast iron but can't boil water in it, and prefer not to make acidic soups in the cast iron.

For steaming vegetables in the microwave we have a silicone vegetable heater. Works well.

steamer for vegetables - for microwave

Dealing with water:

We use a water pressure regulator and a filter at most campsite with  a splitter so I can attach a second hose. I also added an improved water inlet spigot, which screwed into the plastic fitting on the Roadtrek and makes attaching the hose easier. I carry two potable water hoses. One is a standard 25 ft. and also a 50 ft. "handi-hose" which folds flat on its own reel (does need to be carefully laid to avoid kinks, which reduce pressure). After an extended stay in an area with very hard water I purchased a small, portable water softener. It goes a couple of weeks on a box of table salt. Really made a difference as we were getting hard water deposits and that actually messed up the water inlet check valve on the rig!  We like a small Brita jug, which uses carbon filters, as well a a jug to place on the counter..

Added exterior fresh water shutoff

On-the-Go water softener

Disposable water filter

one version of a water pressure regulator

90 degree hose connection - I don't need this on my Roadtrek, but this can reduce the strain of the hose and water filter on the potable connector of the RV

potable water "Y" hose connection - it is smart to put a cap on any open connector. Mud daubers may move in!

rollable hose

pitcher with carbon water filter to improve taste of drinking water

portable container for drinking water

Supplemental Lighting:

I purchased a 5-pack of these hockey puck style AA powered lights. We put them in some of the overhead bins to help in dim lighting conditions. We also carry two AA powered Maglite flashlights and some campgrounds recommend portable lights so when walking at night vehicles are made of the presence of pedestrians.  We picked up two flashing/steady red with a clip which can be put on one's belt, purse strap, etc.

battery operated LED light for cabinets

maglight flashlight

clip on flashing safety light - use when walking on roads in campgounds

Space Utilization

That can be a challenge. There are all manner of bins to keep canned goods in place, etc. We also have several varieties of "washline" with clips, which we use for hanging our hats, etc. 

Electrical

If you don't have a digital voltmeter for monitoring the 12V coach battery then find a socket in the coach and a  plug-in digital meter. Here's a couple of photos:

Plug-in 12V DC Meter

Location of 12V socket in a 210P

Miscellaneous

I lock the tire carrier in position and I have a small diameter steel cable which also locks the tire to the carrier. I also use a small water meter (turbine style), useful when filling fresh water tanks. It includes a removable valve, and I use it with all of the rigs.  I also have a toilet tank wand, which is helpful for knocking crud off the sides of the tank. 

Lock on tire carrier

water flowmeter. Helpful when filling tanks

Last, but not least is a wand to rinse out the hot water tank. Really amazing how much crud accumulates in a hard water environment:

Original material:  https://roadtrek210.blogspot.com/