Quesadilla RV Recipe and Saguaro National Park

Tucson, Arizona is bookmarked by the two units of Saguaro National Park. On the east you'll find the Rincon Mountain District and on the west it's the Tucson Mountain District. I wintered just a few miles from the gorgeous East District and spent many a day at the park - hiking, taking photographs, and simply sitting quietly atop a stone outcropping surrounded by silence and beauty.

The park's namesake - the giant saguaro cactus - can take on many shapes but the one it's most known for is the classic 'two arms up' version seen on many a western sign. You know exactly what I mean, don't you :>

In this episode of the RV Cooking Show: Saguaro National Park and Quesadillas, I'm delighted to have you as my guest as I take a turn around the park and a closer look at the remarkable saguaro - found only in the Sonoran Desert.

Later, we'll head back to my RV kitchen and make one of my go-to dishes - perfect for an easy meal after a full day of hiking or driving - quesadillas. In fact, they are such a snap to make once you watch this show you might never order them in a restaurant again!

Watch the video here, learn more about the park and the recipe at RVCookingShow.com and get ready to go to the grocery. I couldn't help myself...had these last night for dinner.

Enjoy and happy camping - Evanne - RVCookingShow.com 

RVing, Regional Foods and My Trailblazer Chicken Recipe

One of the simple joys of RVing is exploring the different and delicious regional food specialties that our great country has to offer. From the north to the south – the east to the west, everywhere has a specialty. Often times, you’ll even find a “local” willing to share their recipe simply for the asking. Be sure to carry a pad of paper and a writing utensil for just those occasions. These recipes are priceless souvenirs.

I love to chat with the locals, make up a shopping list, pick up the items needed, and try my hand in my own kitchen. I have a few favorites – direct from the road. For instance, the New England Fish Chowder recipe I got from a real Maine native – a fisherman’s wife who overheard me asking the clerk in a lobster market how many cans of evaporated milk were needed for a good chowder (the answer is one), the unbelievable and authentic Cuban Black Bean recipe I got from my Cuban neighbor while visiting the Florida Keys or the wacky but fabulous Trailblazer Chicken that will have your guests raving about the dish and guessing about the ingredients (don’t tell them until they begin eating) that came from a Trailmanor RV rally in South Dakota.

And then there are the regional specialties that are better left to the pros – soft serve custard at the old Victoria’s Sweet Cream in Glens Falls, New York, gulf shrimp fajitas at San Juan Taqueria in Port Aransas, Texas or barbeque at the Whole Hog in Little Rock, Arkansas – each one a small gem not to be missed (in my humble culinary opinion).

Don’t be shy to ask around about the local specialties and the best places to enjoy them. In most cases, if you talk to those that live in the area they’ll point you towards the lesser advertised, more reasonably priced places – some you’d never find on your own. Some are dives, some are posh – but all will be authentic. It’s a good idea to ask specifics about recommended restaurants. A friend of mine was told about a well regarded (and rather pricey) lobster pound in Maine, looked forward to it all day, dressed for a fancy dinner out, and arrived to find picnic tables near the saltwater boiling pot overlooking the ocean – a typical lobster pound. Who knew? Wonderful but not ritzy. 

When you find something you just love, haunt the groceries and specialty food shops for spices, marinades, or sundry ingredients to take home with you. Chances are the ingredients needed for a regional dish won’t be available in a store halfway across the country. Don’t be afraid of ethnic stores – see something interesting? Ask, they’ll be happy to help you learn. Bringing home recipes and ingredients can make your vacation memories rich and oh, the stories you’ll have to tell to guests when you serve your unusual dishes.

Try this Recipe

To get your juices flowing and your imagination running wild, here’s a recipe for Trailblazer Chicken I know it sounds a little different but trust me – it’ll turn into a “company dish”. Case in point: We were visiting cousin Jeanne and offered to make dinner for the four of us one evening. As I prepared the dish, everyone looked on – drinking wine and chatting. Once dinner was served Jeanne’s friend took a petite portion, tried it and came back for a more manly sized scoop. He joked that when he saw the ingredients he thought, “I’ll be polite, have a taste and say it was very good…no matter what.”

But the joke was on him…it’s a keeper…try it…everyone will like it!

Trailblazer Chicken

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (or stoke your camp cooking fire). Can also be prepared in a crockpot but be careful not to overcook the swift cooking chicken breasts. 

6-8 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 small (8oz) bottle of catalina french salad dressing
1 envelope of french onion soup mix
1 can (16 oz) whole berry cranberry sauce

Combine salad dressing, onion soup mix and cranberry sauce in an oven proof dish with lid (or dutch oven) or high-sided tin pan. Mix in chicken breast being sure to coat and if possible cover each piece. Cover cooking vessel and cook approximately 25-35 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees.

Serve with rice topped with a ladleful of sauce, a salad with french dressing and crusty sopping bread.

Surprise…it's delish!!

If you give this a go, leave a comment below with your experiences and that of your other diners. I'd love to hear about it.

Evanne
www.RVCookingShow.com

Zucchini Mock Apple Pie RV-Easy Recipes

Not too long ago we toured the Norcold RV refrigerator factory in Sydney, Ohio for an upcoming RV Cooking Show episode. It was there that I met a terrific lady named Jana. We traded email addresses and not long after I arrived back at the camp I had an email from my new Norcold friend. In it Jana shared that she's been making Norcold RV refrigerators for 20 years and has worked in almost every department at one time or another. She's presently building the 1200 and 2117 models. Maybe she's had a hand in building your RV fridge!

Married 36 years, Jana has 4 daughters and 5 grandchildren. Aside from loving her life as a mom and grandmom, she loves to camp and enjoys finding ways to use the fruits of her husband Don's gardening labors. It's this last love that prompted her to send along two mouth-watering, tried and true RV easy zucchini recipes. If you have an overflowing zucchini patch excellent. If not, visit your local farmer market for a fresh crop. Either way, try them in your RV kitchen (I used my toaster oven for these)...I suspect you're going to like them!

Jana's Zucchini Mock Apple Pie

6 c zucchini peeled, cored and chunky sliced 

1/4 c fresh squeezed lemon juice 

1-1/4 c sugar 

1-1/2 t apple pie spice 

2 T minute tapioca or flour

9-inch unbaked pastry pie shell 

Streusel Topping:

1/2 c brown sugar 

1 c flour 

1/2 c butter

In a large saucepan combine zucchini with lemon juice, sugar and apple pie spice.

Simmer over medium heat until zucchini is fork tender but not mushy (about 20 minutes).

Remove from heat and add tapioca or flour.

Pour into prepared unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle with streusel topping (combine brown sugar and flour and cut in butter until crumbly).

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until pie is bubbly and browned.

Serves 8 

Jana's Plain Ole' Zucchini Pie

3 c peeled, cored and diced zucchini

1 can evaporated milk 

1-1/2 c sugar 

2 t vanilla 

3 T cornstarch 

2 T butter 

3 eggs

2 pie shells

cinnamon

Cook zucchini in slightly salted water over medium heat until tender and drain. Combine remaining ingredients in large bowl.

Add zucchini and divide into two unbaked pie shells. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Each pie serves 8

Enjoy Jana's Zucchini pies and look for the Norcold RV Refrigerator factory tour this fall. Meantime, happy camping everyone - it's the very best time of the year just about everywhere!

Evanne

RV Cooking Show

RV Cooking Show Interviews Two Oil Barons, Creates Two Delicious Dishes

RV Cooking Show features Baked Goat Cheese Salad and a Walnut Honey Sauced Brownie in this Local and Luscious Food, Fun & Friends at Flying Flags episode

Not too long ago I was fortunate enough to be able to visit with two dynamic women that play a major part in the Santa Ynez Valley culinary scene - I call them the 'oil barons'.

For this Food, Fun & Friends at Flying Flags episode called Local and Luscious I was searching for a premier olive oil maker and came across Theo Stephan, founder of Global Gardens, and her amazing gourmet collection of oils, vinegars and more. Long story short, that lead me to the Solvang Farmers Market and Mary Jane Edalatpour of La Nogalera Walnut Oil.

Both ladies are a foodie-force to be reckoned with and create some spectacular oils! In this RV Cooking Show episode we'll learn a bit about their groves and their oils and make two show-stopping dishes...one to start the meal and one to finish it.

After visiting with Theo we'll prepare an easy and elegant Baked Goat Cheese Salad with a simple vinaigrette. We'll take Mary Jane's walnut oil for a spin with our Walnut Honey Sauced Brownie after stopping by her organic walnut grove. Watch the Local and Luscious episode here, print the recipes and try them yourself...delicious!

We've got five more sensational shows in this Food, Fun & Friends at Flying Flags series. Look for them every other week...I think you'll really enjoy them.

Summer's officially around the corner...get ready to roll,

Evanne 
www.RVCookingShow.com

RV Recipe - Salt Potatoes

Want an irresistible dish to wow your family and friends? Careful...they're addictive!

Many moons ago – way before we began our RV adventure – we visited my husband’s childhood friend in central NY and were treated to an easy picnic dish that I have not seen anywhere else – salt potatoes. A wonderful addition to bbq fare, this tasty little side dish is a staple in this part of the country. Almost every grocery store in the area carries a 5 pound paper bag of

Hinerwadel’s Famous Salt Potatoes – small potatoes and a bag of salt.

Why salt potatoes here? Turns out Syracuse, NY was a major salt producer. According to http://www.ilovethefingerlakes.com/:

“Commercial salt production from brine wells began in the Finger Lakes on the shore of Onondaga Lake in Syracuse when it became difficult to obtain salt from abroad during the War of 1812 with England. The refining of salt was Syracuse's largest industry at the time, and it supplied salt to much of the country. The building of the Erie Canal allowed the bulky and low-priced Syracuse salt to be transported to Chicago and beyond relatively quickly and inexpensively by way of the Great Lakes. Although the Erie Canal was known by many names, those in Syracuse called it ‘the ditch that salt built.’”

Many of the workers were Irish and brought potatoes for their meals to be boiled in the salty water from Onondaga Lake – thus the humble beginnings of the salt potatoes we know and love today. The going salt to water ratio is 4 ½ pounds of potatoes to 1 ½ cups of salt but those numbers can be adjusted to your personal taste. If, by chance, you get the water too salty you can rinse some of the potatoes to mitigate the salt.

Here’s how it’s done:

Salt a large pot of water using the ratio noted above and bring to a boil (you could do this on an outside burner), add the scrubbed potatoes (peels left on please) and boil until cooked but still firm – about 10-12 minutes. Serve with plenty of melted butter. If desired, sprinkle and mix with chopped parsley or rosemary.

Cook the whole batch at once – you’ll save propane and if you have leftovers for the next day all the better.

I enjoy salt potatoes even when I’m not in the central NY area by picking up a pound of small white potatoes and using kosher salt in the water. Try it and don’t be surprised if salt potatoes become a family favorite in your RV!

Evanne
http://www.rvcookingshow.com/