SMEV is a Superstar

After watching the last episode – Port Aransas, TX and Shrimp and Asparagus, several sharp-eyed RV Cooking Show viewers have written me asking if I got a new range. Indeed, it’s true and she’s a beaut!! My SMEV “cooker” – as they call it – is Italian through and through and is the closest thing to a professional appliance as an RV can get. I understand that SMEV is practically the standard in European and Australian “caravans” (RVs to us Americans) and is getting plenty of attention here in the USA. In fact, Airstream uses SMEVs cook tops and sinks.

A single glance at the SMEV and I was in love. My model – a 400 series cooker – is stainless steel, has 4 burners on the cook top, a broiler grill just below the cook top, and a roomy oven on the bottom. The oven has a window on the oven door and a light that can be switched on and off to monitor progress. It fit nicely into the slot where my old Atwood was with only a minimal adjustment and is flush with the countertop. The “lid’ is shiny black glass and the edging all around is stainless.



There are plenty of safety features, too. If, by chance, the flame extinguishes the SMEV will recognize this and shut off the propane supply. A switch prevents the oven from lighting if the door is closed to avoid propane gas buildup. The cooker is quite a bit more fuel efficient than standard RV ranges and who doesn’t like saving “gas money”.

As you can imagine, I couldn’t wait to try it…and I wasn’t disappointed. Interestingly, the oven temps are not identified in temperatures but by numbers 1 through 6 with 1 equaling 266 degrees and 6 equivalent to 464 degrees. There’s ample room on the cook top, it’s easy to light and the performance is fantastic. The broiler grill is a dream for broiled fish, chicken, to crisp the top of a pizza or any other broiler usage. The oven heats up beautifully and maintains its temperature throughout the cooking process by decreasing then resuming the flame instead of turning on and off. Dishes come out moist and tasty.



The oven doesn’t have an unmovable shelf above the propane burner tube but instead is a full box oven. The SMEV oven is roomy enough to cook a Thanksgiving turkey! There are two rack settings and one rack. As a bonus, the broiler pan fits into the oven just like a rack.

Look for the SMEV in my next show – Historic Georgia and Sweet Potato Fries coming out soon. If you haven’t already, subscribe on the RV Cooking Show website so you don’t miss a single episode of the RV Cooking Show. And if you can’t wait to see more SMEV visit their company website at www.SMEV.com or www.SMEVUSA.com for retail information. If you like what you see go wild… live large… ask your dealer for a SMEV…it’s delicious!!

Foodscapes by Carl Warner Feed the Soul

What better art for a foodie than UK photographer Carl Warner's intricate food landscapes. If you haven't been on the receiving end of one of these photo-filled emails prepare to feast your eyes!!!

The official name of this photographic series is called Foodscapes. Warner first sketches the concept then, with his studio team of model makers and food stylists, each composition is created, lit and photographed in layers. It takes about 2-3 days to build and shoot the "set". The resulting images are then compiled via technology in 1-2 days. Please click on the photos for a larger, more detailed image.

1. Coconut Haystacks


© Carl Warner

2. Parmesan Cliffs


© Carl Warner - A sea cliff made of Parmigiano cheese, potatoes and cabbage

3. Cabbage Sea


© Carl Warner - A boat made of watermelon, peas, olives and asparagus plough through a stormy seas made of radicchio salad

4. Carl at work in his studio...



and the result...Salami Road. This shot - 1 in a series of 3 - was used as an advertisement by Negroni, one of the finest italian producers of cold cuts.


© Carl Warner

Watch an interview Warner did on the UK's Richard and Judy show in January 08:



Visit Carl's website (to use this link hover your mouse over the boxes until you find "Fotographics" then click - next hover on the cases clicking on "Foodscapes") to view all of his impressive Foodscapes.

If you happen to be in London you can even visit his studio. I'd call ahead...and definitely have lunch first!!

Evanne
RV Cooking Show

Speaking of Horses...Great Santa Fe Trail Horse Race Endurance Ride is Creating a Buzz!!

Whether you love horses or are just interested in fun, unique events and neat people the Great Santa Fe Trail Horse Race Endurance Ride might be something you'd like to attend.

RVers love to explore new territory, relive unique history, take part in events and make new friends along the way. This August 31st, in conjunction with the great states of Kansas and New Mexico, over 50 riders and horses will embark upon a 515 mile, 14 day equestrian endurance event with riders retracing part of the most famous trail in America – the Great Santa Fe Trail – and RVers and campers are invited to follow the race and partake in some or all of the exciting activities.


















August 31 – September 13, 2008 will be the 2nd Annual Great Santa Fe Trail Horse Race Endurance Ride and is designed to bring interest to this historic horse trail and surrounding communities while developing a world class equine event. 21 states were represented in the 2007 race as well as England, Belgium, and Canada.

Trail’s end each day will find Santa Fe Ride race participants and their teams at the Race Village - communities along the trail where riders and RVers can gather together reliving the day, sharing meals and experiences, and in some cases, making lifelong friends. Race organizers have compiled a unique and interesting itinerary for RVers to enjoy including stops at the historic Fort Union National Monument near Wagon Mound, New Mexico to the New Mexico Ghost Town of Yates to Dodge City, Kansas – Queen of the Cowtowns (longhorns, that is) to the World’s Largest Chuck Wagon Supper and Race Finale Celebration in Council Grove, Kansas on September 13th – all along the historic Santa Fe Trail.

There will be ample room for RVers to dry camp in the race villages with 10 overnight villages throughout the 14 days. Arrangements for water and sewer needs will be made and parks with hook-ups will be available and welcoming nearby. Reservations are appreciated but not required for overnight campsites at the race villages, running $15/night. RVers may purchase a 14-night package for $120 – saving $90 over the individual night fees. Some meals will be available for an additional charge and advance meal reservations must be made. Details, to be determined, will be posted at www.sfthorserace.com in the very near future.

Bring your RV and an appetite for adventure. Come for the fun of it or volunteer to help out as an “in- or out-timer, water distributor, traffic controller” or more. Whether you come along to marvel at the amazing endurance race, get up close and personal with some of today’s finest equestrian athletes, cheer on your favorite rider as they compete for the coveted “Spirit of Comanche Award” and the “Aubry Trophy” or to simply have a good time and make new friends chances are that in all your RVing you have never experienced anything like this before!

Log on to www.sfthorserace.com for further details or email Rob Phillips, Race Organizer, at sfthorserace@aol.com.

Photo of 2007 Great Santa Fe Trail Horse Race Endurance Ride courtesy of Maggi Rankin.

If Wishes Were Horses...

I love magazines! But, being a full-time RVer that uses a mail forwarding service I never subscribe and rarely do I buy an issue at the store. I do, however, rejoice when I stay at a park that has a book and magazine exchange. The better the exchange the higher the park rates in my mind. The other day I found a March 2008 O Magazine in the exchange basket. I brought it home and as I paged through, a photo of Bono caught my eye. Upon further investigation I discovered the article was about a group called TED and it blew me away.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. They are big into ideas. Big ideas. Each year they hold a conference - by invitation only - where "the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes)," according to the TED website. (You can see video of these talks on their site.)

Very interesting but that's not what encouraged me to read on. Instead, it was the TED Prize - given to three individuals annually. The goal is to take all that amazing inspiration and the vast resources of the attendees to grant the winners a "wish". (Winners also receive $100,000 - pocket change for that group - the wish is where it's at.) Past and current winners include Bono, President Bill Clinton and Dave Eggers. And this is no simple or self serving wish. Their wishes are "big enough to save the world".

For example,

Larry Brilliant, a 2006 TED Prize winner's wish:

I wish that you would help build a global system to detect each new disease or disaster as quickly as it emerges or occurs.

2007 winner E.O. Wilson's wish:

I wish that we will work together to help create the key tool that we need to inspire preservation of Earth's biodiversity: the Encyclopedia of Life.

Karen Armstrong, a former nun and 2008 TED Prize winner wishes for The Charter for Compassion:

I wish that you would help with the creation, launch and propagation of a Charter for Compassion, crafted by a group of leading inspirational thinkers from the three Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and based on the fundamental principles of universal justice and respect.

See, I told you they weren't your garden-variety wishes.

The winners are told of their prize quite a bit in advance of the conference and work hard to craft their "wish presentation". During the presentation they tell the audience what is needed to grant their wish. Afterwards, the networking and pledging begins amongst conference goers. TED tells us that "these wishes have led to collaborative initiatives with far-reaching impact."

Well, that got me thinking, what would my wish "big enough to save the world" be? I decided that since my overseas travel was limited but my domestic travel was vast I'd concentrate on the US. I've continued to think long and hard about this wish and the options are so many that it boggles the mind. I'm still mulling it over...and over...and over.

What about you? What would your big wish be? Leave a comment if you are so inclined.

And by the way, did you automatically finish this blog entry's headline - then beggars would ride, right? TED is certainly an organization where action follows wishes...an amazing concept, don't you agree??

Evanne
RV Cooking Show

PS - Please click on the links in the story. Chances are you'll be as captivated as I am...