Brewpubs and a Terrific Grilled Turkey Reuben Recipe

Portland, Oregon turned me into a beer snob! It's true! Ever since living there I've come to appreciate thick and heavy stouts, chocolaty porters, hoppy IPAs and a good bitter from time to time. As you might imagine, this dovetails perfectly with being a full-timer - moving from place to place in search of...good microbrew?!?!? Well, there's more to it than that but when the opportunity arises I gladly partake.

Case in point. I was in Duluth, MN recently enjoying a breezy walk along Lake Superior when I came upon the old historic Fitger's Brewery building (a long forgotten brand of beer - anyone out there remember it??) housing a brewpub called Fitger's Brewhouse. It had that dark and inviting pub feel, a super menu, only served their beers (kudos) and was calling my name. The beer selection was more than decent and the brews were tasty!

I had an El Nino IPA - hoppy and a bit citrus-y. My husband had a Starfire Pale Ale - again delicious! We also split a very interesting Grilled Turkey Reuben sandwich which went great with the brews.

Here's the recipe for the Grilled Turkey Reuben. As for the beer...you'll have to fend for yourself :>

Grilled Turkey Reuben Sandwich

• hearty bread - cut into thick slices (a sourdough works well) - 2 slices per sandwich
• mayo
• smoked turkey breast
• cheese (swiss or provolone is great)
• coleslaw
• butter for grilling

• cranberry sauce served on the side (may I suggest Mom's Famous Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce?)

Prepare the sandwiches using however much of each ingredient you desire. Heat a skillet on the stovetop or heat up the bbq grill. Butter the outside of one slice of bread and put butter-side down on grill or skillet. Butter the other side while it's toasting. Flip when toasted - brown the other side.

Serve the cranberry sauce on the side - can be eaten alone (yeah, it's that good!) or on the sandwich (or both - why not).

This goes great with chips and your beverage of choice. Enjoy!

Evanne
RV Cooking Show

PS - I have some friends that love to seek out pubs when they travel and they highly recommend http://www.pubcrawler.com/.

Camping Vacation Packages Up for Bid in Online Auction

Are you up for saving some cash and having some camping fun? Me, too!

There's a camping vacation package auction online (and other neat stuff to bid on as well)!

From now until August 10th folks can log on to www.arvc.cmarket.com and bid on one or more packages that include camping nights and sometimes other extras. Park locations range from Anaheim, CA (think Disneyland) to Branson, MO to College Park, MD (Washington, DC area) to Maine and more.

And there are deals to be had. The auction site shows a retail value and a much lower opening bid. Poke around and click on any park that interests you and you'll find package and park details. Most of the package certificates don't expire until summer 2009 or later.

There are several other neat items up for bid as well - sports memorabilia, a few limited edition lithographs featuring actual film strip cels (Peter Pan, Snow White and Mickey Mouse), some really cool musical collectibles and more.

All proceeds go to the ARVC Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization established by the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC) in order to support RV parks and campgrounds through educational opportunities and promotion of the industry.

So don't miss it - take a few minutes and have a look-see. I think you'll be very happy you did. And hey, let me know if you win any of the items.

Happy bidding!

Evanne
RV Cooking Show

PS - These folks are on the up and up. I know many of them and they are good people. No worries there.

Oh Boy! Doughboys Recipe

Camping is just not complete unless you sit around a campfire and make some dessert treats on occasion. Enter doughboys. Have you heard of them?? These little toasted “tubes” can be filled with your choice of fillings - chocolate syrup, jelly, pie filling, whipped cream - you get the picture - and enjoyed on the spot! Here’s how to make your own doughboys:

You’ll need a “stick” about 1 ½ inches in diameter and about 2 feet long (pick up an untreated wooden dowel at your local home improvement store and cut to length). Decorate the holding end with permanent markers – one stick for each camper (this makes a great campsite craft).

At the campfire, butter the doughboy end of the stick and using refrigerated biscuit dough roll a single biscuit into a snake shape. Spiral wrap the dough on the buttered end of the stick making sure the dough is sealed on the sides and end - creating a “tube”. Rotate/toast over the fire for about 5 minutes - until it’s brown and easily slips off the stick (careful - they’re hot). Fill and enjoy!

Do you have a variation on this theme? If so drop a comment below...we're hungry for your recipe!!

Evanne
RV Cooking Show

PS - I'm certain I found this age old and delish recipe on the internet somewhere quite a long time ago...but it never gets old!!

RV Cooking Show Tango Report

Well, it’s been about two months since we moved into our new RV Cooking Show Tango Travel Trailer and I’m happy to report that life is very good. Truth be told, it was an adjustment moving from a 31’ double slide fifth wheel to a 23’ travel trailer – no slides. The great news is that the Tango has plenty of cabinet and storage space. We chose what to bring judiciously and have, for the most part, been happy with what we brought and what we left in the fiver. The kitchen is just as functional and roomy as the one in the fifth wheel and the bathroom/shower is plentiful as well.

Once we got used to where things were and how to navigate inside when we’re both trying to move about we began to really enjoy the nimble-ness of a smaller camper. We’ve noticed that there’s almost always room at the campground for a 23’ unit. We’re traveling smaller roads and stopping along the way at roadside attractions and parks. I am delighted to report we are getting a good 12-15% better fuel mileage pulling a lighter rig.

The smaller camper is a pleasure to drive, a cinch to park (sites seem so much larger now!!), set up is really swift – it takes less than half the time the fiver does, it’s easy to cool and heat and did I mention it’s cozy??

Lots of other campers stop to chat and it’s always such fun! When we tell them we are full-timing in the Tango they are always amused – they point and say “in that!?!”. We are loving traveling, site-seeing, meeting new friends, visiting old friends, trying local taste sensations, and cooking up a storm in our RV Cooking Show camper. We hope to see you on the road. If you happen to spy the RV Cooking Show Tango come on over and say hello…it is a small world!!


Traveling on Idaho's Lewis and Clark Trail - US Highway 12

In the meantime, we just posted another episode of the RV Cooking Show – Oh My Gosh! Steak on the Grill and Beautiful Bend, Oregon. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Evanne
RV Cooking Show

Wheat Montana a Must-Stop

If you happen to be traveling on I-90 between Bozeman, MT and Billings, MT and you enjoy fresh, delicious baked goods you absolutely must stop at Wheat Montana - a family run farm and bakery.



Located near the small and interesting town of Three Forks - full of Lewis and Clark history, Wheat Montana is a bakery and deli offering baked-on-premises breads, buns, sweet treats plus sandwiches and beverages to order. The grain used is grown by Wheat Montana, is chemical/pesticide free and, at 5,000 feet, is the highest elevation grown wheat in the US!



There's plenty of RV parking and the folks inside are friendly. I had an opportunity to speak with Steve, the bakery's production manager. During my visit they were baking burger buns and it turns out they produce 25,000 packages of baked goods daily. No slacking there!! Lucky for us, their bakery items are distributed in several states. I'm certainly on the lookout.





I picked up some amazing high fiber, flax and sunflower bread that was out of this world, some delish cinnamon raisin bread and a couple of sweet buns - all incredible.

Not only was it a fantastic stop - right off the highway - along the way but an opportunity to support a small American farm operation and treat my taste buds as well!! It doesn't get much better than this!!



If you've had a chance to visit Wheat Montana or have another fav bakery stop along the way drop a comment here and share your discovery with our readers.

Happy toasting,

Evanne
RV Cooking Show