Easy Strawberry Pie - RV Recipe

A terrific Easter dessert or an everyday sweet treat...

With spring comes luscious, juicy strawberries. One of my favorite ways to celebrate strawberry season is to make a tasty strawberry pie. If you haven't had this easy dessert (I know it's easy because me...a non-baker can even make it!) I strongly suggest you get yourself to the local farmers market, find some just picked strawberries and make this easy no-bake pie recipe...complements of your friends at the RV Cooking Show.

Here's the Easy Strawberry Pie recipe:

2 cups water
1 large package of strawberry jello
31/2 -4 T cornstarch
1 cup sugar

2 pints of strawberries - sliced (green caps removed, of course)

6 or 7 stunning strawberries for garnish

baked pie crust (holds together like a real pie)
OR
Oreo Cookie crust from the grocery baking aisle (slices of pie more like a crumble but oh so good!)

whipped cream (make your own with my recipe below)

Combine first 4 ingredients (water through sugar) in a medium sauce pan and heat over medium high heat. Stir well to dissolve. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened - no more than 5 minutes. Remove from stovetop and cool (in sauce pan).

When gel mix is cool to the touch add sliced strawberries. Mix well and fill pie crust. Allow pie to cool completely.

Whipped Cream recipe:

1/2 pint of heavy whipping cream
1 t real vanilla extract
1-2 T powdered sugar - to taste

Place all ingredients in a small cool metal mixing bowl (if you have - if not any small mixing bowl will do). Using your electric beater beat on high or using a hand whip beat vigorously until the cream forms medium to stiff peaks.

Serve the pie with a side of whipped cream topped with a strawberry to garnish.

Give this a try and let me know what you think. I already know what my neighbor Kenny thinks!! It's delicious!!

Happy springtime,

Evanne
RVCookingShow.com

Top 10 RV Kitchen Storage Solutions

Guest contributor Kay Hasty

As a longtime fulltime RVer (12 years), I’ve found that organization in the RV kitchen is key to easy meal preparation as well as very helpful in keeping everything in its place and a snap to find. It also makes RV cooking fun! Over the years I’ve collected a wide variety of plastic containers – mostly rectangular – to store pasta, rice, sugar – even cereal. In my experience, the rectangular containers store in cabinets more efficiently than round containers do.

In this RV Cooking Show blog entry I thought I’d share with you my “top 10” RV kitchen storage solutions, tips and tricks:

1. Sugar and flour stores really well in plastic rectangular containers. I like the Tucker brand found at The Container Store.

2. My spaghetti is kept in a round Rubbermaid container with a lid that actually measures servings. I keep it in the pull-out rack of my pantry.

3. Tupperware comes in many shapes and sizes and seems to last forever. I’m still using some very old Tupperware containers for dry food storage.

4. Wal-Mart sells containers that are specifically designed for storing dry cereal. Having had ants sneak into cereal boxes prompted this choice. Have you had THAT RV experience yet?

5. Another Container Store find was a multi-sectioned plastic box. I keep various types of crackers in this box. This container, accompanied by a dip, transports nicely to an outdoor neighborhood “happy hour”.

6. While I have several spice racks I just don’t seem to have enough spice rack storage space. I use plastic baskets (rectangular, of course!) for storing additional spices. The height of the basket sides helps me quickly identify and locate what I’m looking for.

7. One basket that I use is just the right size for storing all my kitchen wraps and bags. Love that!

8. Many RV kitchen cabinets are tall inside and there is so much wasted space. I use rubber-covered metal shelves with legs and secure them inside the cabinets to provide extra, usable shelving for pots and pans, dishware, etc.

9. When I put a food product into a container I snip the directions off the box and tape it to the top of the container.

10. I label the visible front of my containers according to its contents using a piece of masking tape and a black Sharpie marker.

I’m amazed at how many utensils, gadgets, staples, herbs and spices, etc. I have found space for in my 5th wheel kitchen. Kitchen organization has been an on-going, fun project.

No matter how long I’ve been on the road I’m always on the lookout for new RV kitchen ideas. What do you do to take advantage of your galley space or to organize your cupboards? Share a comment below so everyone sitting around this “virtual campfire” can benefit from your experience!

See you on the road,

Kay

PS - Check out the RV Pots & Pans & Warm Tortellini Salad RV Cooking Show episode and peek inside Evanne's RV kitchen! She even has an RV Pots & Pans Checklist for you!

Green RVers Encouraged to Participate in Earth Hour 2009

On Saturday, March 28th at 8:30pm (your local time) individuals, businesses, and major landmarks in 2,500 cities in 82 countries will turn off non-essential lighting in what will be the largest climate event in history - a global event calling for action on climate change.

During Earth Hour in Las Vegas, the iconic "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign will go dark and exterior lights will turned off at many popular on- and off-strip hotels and casinos. New York City's Broadway will dim their lights and the Empire State Building will go dark. In California, the sets of CSI, Dancing with the Stars, The Price is Right, and Entertainment Tonight will turn off their lights as will the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. Washington, DC's National Cathedral and Judiciary Square will participate. From Chicago to St. Louis to Atlanta to Miami and more, these cities support climate change legislation.

8:30pm local across the globe Earth Hour 2009 iconic participants will include Paris' Eiffel Tower, Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, the Canadian Niagara Falls, Hong Kong’s Symphony of Lights, the Great Pyramids of Giza, and the Opera House in Sydney, Australia - the city that started it all in 2007. Even China and India are getting in on the action.

So what can we, the average citizen do? To begin, make a conscious decision to turn off all non-essential lighting for one hour - from 8:30-9:30pm your local time on Saturday, March 28th. Next join the World Wildlife Fund's (Earth Hour 2009 sponsor) Conservation Action Network and send a message to your state and federal representatives asking them to address climate change at a legislative and global level.

Several cities will be hosting star-gazing parties, drinks and dinner by candle light, and more. If that's interesting to you call around and find the "lights out party" that fits you. If you want a more nature-esque experience, after you extinguish your lights Saturday night go outside and look up into the sky, stare at the stars and reinvigorate your sense of wonder.

Go green RVers and drop a comment below letting us know how you celebrated Earth Hour 2009.

Evanne
www.RVCookingShow.com

RV Travel Journal - Track Your RV Trips

If you’re like me you can hardly remember what you had for dinner last night much less the details of your last RV or camping trip. But no worries, there are a number of ways that you can remember your RV trips and they can be as general or detailed as you desire. Let me point out four ways that campers I know record their RV travel memories (and one new thought – at least on my part). Perhaps one of these will work for you or perhaps their ideas will be a springboard for your own unique manner of RV trip tracking.

· The Calendar Method: I’ve been full timing since 2000 and can tell you where I was on any given day during my RV travels. The way I maintain my RV memories is in a general manner with a 12 month calendar. When I’m in traveling mode I make sure to record the name of the campground, the town, and state that I stayed at the night before using the ever-handy sitemap I received at check-in. (You might even consider rating the park for future reference.) If I’m in a location more than one night I wait until I leave to record my stay just in case I remain longer or leave early. I also note any visitors I have – whether for dinner or overnight, any cool places I’ve visited including National Parks, museums or city spots, events I’ve attended, rig and road anniversaries and more.

· The Photo Log: Some new friends, Kevin and Cheryl, use their digital camera and computer to keep track of and serve up plentiful memories of their RV travels. They bring their camera along most everywhere they go and upon returning home they download the pictures. Their photo program automatically records the date in the file information and they give the photos descriptive names. When they leave a location they create a folder named after the place visited and store all of the pictures taken while there. They then arrange them in month folders (March 09) which are eventually moved to annual folders (2009). Very organized and a wonderful trip down memory lane at the click of a mouse.

· The Cost Tracking Planner: Bill and Susan are smart, love to travel, and are methodic in all they do. When they take an RV trip they record many details in a small monthly planner. They are known to return to several favorite locations so the data they track is not only a memory jogger but a way to budget their trip. Some of the items they record are each day's starting and ending mileage, mpg, campground, town and state, cost of camping, meals out, and fill ups. Their handy-dandy planner stays in the glove box for ease of use.

· Blogging: You might consider a blog (short for web log) an electronic diary – except it’s often shared with friends and family. Connie and Larry have a super RV blog – Happy-Wanderers.com – that details where they’ve camped and observations along the way. They even blog about their non-RV trips. Folks that are interested in hearing their stories from the road can sign up for alerts whenever a new blog entry is posted. They include photos, stories and “articles” about their RV and any modifications they’ve made, and even have a live “RV cam” that’s turned on whenever they are parked. This type of RV travel journaling really lives the “world wide” part of the web.

· The Artist’s Way: I recently came across a class being offered at a local college titled “Miniature Watercolors” and a light went on. I’m no artist but for those of you that are how about creating an RV travel journal using an art pad and recording your journey in miniature watercolors? These nifty little pictures are considered a unique souvenir for European travelers and seem to be a perfect way to express a perfect day. Not only will it help you track your travels but these mini watercolors of your RV adventures will provide you and your family with a visual keepsake to share and perhaps even pass along to your kids and grandkids.

Whether you choose to keep track of your RV travel memories using one of the above methods, good old fashioned handwritten journals or modern-day podcasting, do make sure to keep some type of journal. Next week, next year or a decade from now you’ll be delighted you did!

Do you have a RV travel journaling method that works for you? Leave a comment below so we can all benefit from your experiences.

Take note...happy travels,

Evanne
RVCookingShow

RV Pet Food Recipe

Guest Contributor Dr. Amy Cousino, DMV

Hello everybody. I am a new contributor to the RV Cooking Show blog.
My name is Dr. Amy Cousino and I am a veterinarian – a graduate of Michigan State University, the College of Veterinary Medicine. Currently I’m living in Sebastian, FL with my husband Pete and our two cats Angel and Star.

In addition to being a vet, I am a professional cook, a pet nutrition expert, and an RV traveler. I’m also the author of numerous articles on pet nutrition and have a new pet food cookbook – How to Cook for Your Pet – out.

I will be writing occasional articles for the RV Cooking Show blog
about traveling with pets and will be including recipes for homemade
pet food you can prepare right in your RV.

Today I am in a beautiful palm tree filled RV park in Sebastian, FL.
Sebastian is a very well known fishing area on the Indian River Lagoon. Here in Sebastian the Indian River is quite wide and is a fish estuary, a place where fish from the Atlantic Ocean come to spawn and make more
little fishes. Cobia can be fished here and is likened to lobster
in flavor. Grouper is also being caught and it is a delicious white fleshed
fish with a mild flavor similar to halibut. Grouper can be giant at 80 lbs
or more but local fishermen tell me that the smaller grouper are the most
prized for eating. The Indian River lagoon contains part of the Intracoastal
Waterway so we can see sailboats, trawlers, and other boats traveling
south at this time of year in preparation for continuing on to the islands in the Caribbean this winter.

Winter in Florida is also time to harvest citrus fruits such as oranges and
lemons and Hale is the big name here, shipping fruit all over the U.S.A.
But, to my knowledge, most dogs and cats do not like to eat citrus. However, they do like fish. The following is a recipe for dogs that you can make with fresh fish filet.

Fish Patties Recipe for Dogs
by Dr. Amy Cousino

1 lb fish
3 slices bread
1 egg, beaten
Olive oil

Soak the bread in enough water to cover. Squeeze the bread to remove the
liquid and place in a mixing bowl. Poach the fish, remove skin and bones,
then mince fine and add to bowl. Add the egg and mix. Form into four
patties. Heat oil in sauté pan over medium heat, add patties to the pan and
brown lightly on one side. Flip over and brown the second side.
Cool before feeding.

Feeding guide:

Toy Dog - ¼ to ½ patty
Small/Medium Dog - ½ to 2 patties
Large/Extra Large Dog - 4 patties

For more homemade pet food recipes go to http://www.amiespetcuisine.com/shop/to order my pet food cookbook.

Until next time,

Dr. Amy
Author, How to Cook for Your Pet