RV Cooking Show's Thanksgiving Episode: How to Make Turkey Gravy (and very versatile roux!)

Happy Thanksgiving...and what would the big meal be without gravy?!? In this quick 2-Minute RV Kitchen Tip episode of the RV Cooking Show learn how to make gravy using a roux! Easy, delish, and down right good to know.

Who among us does not like gravy, that thick, rich, velvety liquid that graces mashed potatoes and makes everything taste even better? Unfortunately, making gravy has the reputation of being difficult and labor intensive. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The secret to making good gravy is in its foundation - the roux (pronounced "roo" - like kangaroo). Roux is cooked fat, in this case butter, and flour, browned to a particular color, thus imparting a particular flavor. This is the thickening agent in your gravy and you can control just how thick - or thin - you want to go.

And guess what? Roux isn't only for gravy. It's the base for sauces such as bechamal (white sauce), soups like New England-style corn or clam chowder - even a fantastic sauce for chicken pot pie.

So stop right there, put down the jar of gravy or the powder envelope, and spend a quick couple minutes watching this RV Cooking Show 2-Minute RV Kitchen Tip episode - How To Make Gravy.

We've also got a nifty little archive of turkey dinner episodes and recipes for your holiday pleasure:

Crockpot Turkey Breast
Gourmet Trash Can Turkey
Aunt Lucy's Stuffing
Mom's Famous Cranberry Sauce
Sweet Potato Fries

This RV Cooking Show episode is different from others we've produced - just barely over 2 minutes and all cooking, no travel talk. How do you like it? Thumbs up, down or other comments to share? Drop me a line, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Meantime, Happy Thanksgiving, RV Cooking Show friends. I wish you an abundance of people, places, and things to be grateful for this holiday season.

Evanne and the RVCookingShow.com crew

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

Monster Buffet Halloween Party Fun

Are you having a Halloween party and looking for something a bit out of the ordinary to entertain your guests of all ages? How about hosting a “monster buffet”…sure to satisfy monsters of all shapes and sizes. This buffet isn’t to dine on, though. Instead, it’s creepy, crawly, touchy, feely scrumptious party fun. Your guests will walk down the “buffet” line, getting a good feel of “eyeballs”, “guts”, “a shrunken head”, “snot”, and more…your imagination is the limit. 

Here’s how it works:

Prepare a station of six or seven ghoulish experiences along a rectangular table or countertop. Visit the dollar store and purchase plastic pumpkin candy totes – like children use for trick or treat – one for each station. Each pumpkin will contain one “buffet” item. Consider:

Black olives = eyeballs
Cooked spaghetti coated generously with oil = guts
Small, hairy coconut = shrunken head 
Cornstarch slime = snot (here's how to make snot - use green food coloring)
Baby carrots (leave out and allow to dry a bit) = fingers
Ripe mango - lightly oiled = heart
Cornmeal = ground bones
Ears = dried apricots
Large pickle end = nose
Popcorn kernels = teeth
Wet yarn = hair

Cover the top of each container so guests cannot see inside. Label each station with what’s inside (guts, eyeballs, snot, etc.). Have a few “crypt keepers” behind the table to help guests and discourage peeking. 

Invite guests to walk the line, reaching into each pumpkin container and getting a good feel of the contents. Be sure to provide plenty of napkins or paper towels (and perhaps even a bucket of clean water) for guests to use to clean up at the end of the “buffet” line.

Tip: Avoid using any type of meat product or other item that may be unsanitary. 

Enjoy this good clean fun…guaranteed to gross out even the most wicked monsters among us! Delish!!

Let me know how it goes...what you used...party goer reactions...right here on the RV Cooking Show blog...


I hope you enjoyed this encore blog post originally released in 2009. Boo!


Evanne
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 Cooking Show's Top 5 Ways with Tomatoes

It’s September and in most areas of the country we are nearing the end of the tomato growing season. Sure you can get tomatoes at the grocery store year-round but, with the exception of a few sweet imports, they rarely live up to our summertime tomato memories. Sweet, juicy, fragrant, huge, misshapen, petite, rosy red, striped green, yellow or orange I love fresh from the vine tomatoes (and I’ll bet that you do, too)!

As a tribute to the beloved and fleeting summer tomato I’ve compiled five of my favorite ways I use tomatoes in my RV kitchen – in no particular order...and there are a million more. Take a stroll through my tomato repertoire and please add your own comments, recipes, ideas, and any other tomato trivia below.

Caprese Salad – This delicious Italian salad is beautiful and elegant. Perfect as a starter for an alfresco meal and good enough to enjoy as a small meal with some fresh baked ciabatta bread, it’s as easy and welcome as a summer breeze. Here’s a how-to – you’ll need fresh ripe tomatoes – sliced thick, mozzarella cheese (best if you can find buffalo milk mozzarella – if not use fresh cow’s milk mozzarella) – sliced in thick rounds, several fresh basil leaves – torn, salt/pepper, and a good quality extra virgin olive oil. Arrange the tomatoes, cheese, and basil in a circle overlapping one another. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Pure heaven.

BLT – When we first began our fulltime RV adventure we stopped at my sister-in-laws – a great gardener. While there are a lot of wonderful memories from that visit the one that plays again and again is the BLT sandwiches she brought over to our camper (parked on her property) and we enjoyed in my little RV kitchen. Thick slices of fresh, grainy bread toasted and spread with a touch of mayonnaise, ample crispy, salty bacon (don’t skimp on the bacon, okay!), iceberg lettuce, and thick, dripping slices of red, ripe tomatoes from her garden. Like avocado? ‘Tis the season – add some creamy slices of the green goodness to your BLT and make it a BLTA!

Stuffed and Grilled – I’m grabbing every moment of grilling time left and have had more than my share of ooey-gooey, blue cheese stuffed, bread crumb-topped grilled tomatoes this summer. Visit this RV Cooking Show episode page and watch the grilled blue cheese tomato video, print the recipe or do both!

Pico de Gallo – No kidding, a neophyte in the RV kitchen I was in a South Padre Island grocery and struck up a conversation about peppers with an employee – a Mexican fellow - who proudly shared his wife’s pico de gallo recipe. What a treat – easy and delicious! This no-cook salsa-like dip has a fresh flavor that is perfect for potlucks or happy hours (served with tortilla chips) or served beside any Mexican dish. I love this dish so much that I included it as one of my trio of salsas in this RV Cooking Show episode. Watch, print, or both – it’s all good!

Roasted – This is my favorite method for saving and savoring summer’s tomato bounty well into winter. While it’s a challenge to roast tomatoes in my RV oven I jump at the opportunity (and share, too) to prepare these tasty tidbits when visiting a friend with a home kitchen. Here’s a how-to: Preheat the oven to 250. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Brush or spray lightly with extra virgin olive oil. Thickly slice as many tomatoes as will fit on the sheet (don’t be shy – use all types of tomatoes – even cherries halved). Roughly chop several cloves of garlic (or leave clumps of cloves whole in their “paper” to roast and use later). Arrange the tomatoes on the cookie sheet, sprinkle with the garlic, top with more extra virgin olive oil and a generous dusting of salt and pepper. Bake 2-4 hours until roasted and rather dry on the outside but still a little moist inside. Allow to cool (go ahead, pop a few in your mouth and be prepared to be swept away!), gather them up into a Ziploc freezer bag and freeze for later use.

And hey, a little trivia…the jelly-like substance around the seeds contains the highest concentration of vitamin C…or so they say… And it’s been proven that our bodies absorb lycopene – thought to be a strong cancer-fighter - found in high concentrations in tomatoes – when eaten with a bit of fat – say olive oil.

To tomatoes!!

Evanne
RVCookingShow.com