Lunar new year

Whether you want to call it the Year of the Sheep or Goat or Ram (or, for that matter, Year of the Gazelle, apparently true to some translations), the Lunar New Year is again upon us.

To celebrate, we had a feast of dim sum treats, most of which were from the freezer section of our local Asian produce market. We also had a bowl of stir-fried vegies (bamboo shoots, mushrooms and baby bok choi) so there'd be something homemade.

And part of that celebration was to do a posting -- after a long absence -- here on my once-upon-a-time daily blog.

Already it seems as though it's going to be a very different kind of year, with several good things happening already. Maybe I'll have to start paying attention to suppers yet again.

Gung hay fat choi! 

Back to improvisational cooking

After two days of not cooking (a wonderful meal at a Mexican restaurant one night, the next night a supper of burgers and corn dogs on the midway), we’re back in The Rattler again.

The Dear Man used the barbecue to put the finishing touches on some thick-sliced smoked pork hocks. I doctored up a packet of scalloped potatoes by adding little bunches of broccoli and then cooked it in the microwave, as tonight was definitely not an oven night.

The salad was a mix of Greek and Italian –- tomatoes and cucumbers and onions tossed in with a few spikes of romaine. The dressing was the last of some Greek roe spread (Taramosalata) mixed with olive oil and lemon. I sprinkled some garlicky crumbs and plenty of Parmesan over top. Maybe I'll have to call this Greco-Romano salad.

Fiesta Cubana

Well, maybe not terrifically festive, but the supper was built around a packet of supposedly ‘Cuban’ rice and beans.

I’d taken some chicken breast cutlets from the freezer and we doctored those up with the basil/ginger chicken rub then sautéed them in the big iron skillet.

With green salad alongside, the supper was bueno.

Cheesy macs with railway tracks

The plan had been for a barbecue, maybe even a campfire so we could cook hot dogs on sticks. But once again, it was too darn cold – yet another night for making supper in the oven.
The dogs were a given, a pack of New Orleans smokeys. The mac part was another story, as we’re down to mostly exotic sorts of cheeses.

There was a bag of big fat ‘cut ziti’ so noodles weren’t a problem. But all there was in the way of cheesy sauce was a jar of mushroom Alfredo.

I grated down some nubs of Parmesan for sprinkling over top, then stirred the chunks that were too small for grating into the noodles and sauce.
The smokeys? Split in half and laid side-by-side they made a cozy topping. And leaving the oven door open while we ate meant that all that leftover heat could make The Rattler cozy too.

North meets South

When we were travelling through more southern parts of the U.S., we had occasion to try biscuits and gravy. What they call gravy there is different than what I'm used to. Their 'gravy' is more what I'd call a white sauce, only it generally has bits of sausage in it. At least, that's my northern perspective on understanding it.

Because I thought we might sometime want to try this 'white gravy' (maybe even with grits), I cheated and bought a tin in North Carolina, I suppose for just such a day as this.

I made a chicken meatloaf (ground chicken, onion, egg, crumbs from some seasoned pita chips) and when it was almost ready, I arranged packaged biscuits around it. I heated the 'gravy' on the stove, along with a tin of corn.

I suppose if this were really a Southern meal, the greens in the salad bowl would have been fried -- and maybe even the meatloaf would've been. Still, it's a fun reminder of some of the places we've been.

A supper for keeping us warm

We're camped on the east side of Glacier National Park at St Mary Campground. Despite the fact that it's nearly summer solstice, there's plenty of snow on the ground and the wind is mighty cold. That meant that supper had to be an oven affair.

Happily, I'd taken a seasoned pork tenderloin out of the freezer in the morning, so all I had to do was pop it into the oven and make accompaniments.

A packet of sour-cream-and-chive scalloped potatoes looked interesting. Nonetheless, I decided to doctor them up. Besides adding chopped-up onion (pretty much routine to spice up these boxed side dishes), I sliced a soft tomato and arranged it over top.

Fresh greens for salad rounded out the main courses, though we actually had a 'real' dessert as follow-up.

During the afternoon, I'd used a lot of strange ingredients to make a rhubarb crisp (with fresh stalks from the friends in Red Deer). The recipe was weird enough, it will likely get its very own post one of these days.

In the meantime, all this baking went a long way towards making The Rattler cozy tonight, as it's pretty darn gusty and cold beside all those mountains looming above us.

Cornivorous

After an afternoon spent wandering through the Royal Tyrrell Museum, I've still got dinosaurs on the brain -- all those herbivores and carnivores...

The leftover baguette looked promising towards a couple of sandwiches, but the question was -- what to use as filling?

I opened an odd container of emergency rations, a packet of camper's food, pulled pork. Because I thought it looked and smelled a little dull, I started it off with a skillet full of onions. I then added the meat, along with chili sauce and -- because it seemed kind of dry, some tomato juice. After all that, it wasn't half bad.

But the star of the show was the corn on the cob -- amazingly sweet for June. Slathered in butter, it tasted like a true Prairie treat.

Cool/hot and easy

After three days with friends in Saskatoon, the road beckoned, and so did the need for a grocery store.

Because we're on the way to see other friends, we only needed to grab a few things, and were able to be in and out of the store in a flash.

Among our grabs was one of those reliable convenience foods, supermarket-cooked chicken. This one was supposed to be a 'Stampede Smoked' variety, though it turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. It seems they'd slathered it with some sort of 'smokehouse' barbecue flavouring, but only at the last second, so the sauce hadn't even been absorbed into the meat -- just floated on the skin like thickly applied too-red make-up.

Whatever. Thick slices of the chicken worked just fine as part of big individual salads, one of the nicest one-dish meals around, especially in warm weather.

As for the hot part of this cool supper was the improvised salad dressing. I thinned out the last of the wasabi mayonnaise with olive oil until it was a good consistency for pouring. Cool and hot at the same time!

With homemade homous (made by Robert, our host in Saskatoon) and a baguette, this was a wonderfully easy Saturday supper -- perfect for while we watched the hockey game.

Not quite according to plan

Although I've been trying to use things before we reach the border, I hadn't planned on needing to cook everything from the freezer. Unfortunately, our little fridge has had a hiccup of a glitch (at least, I'm hoping that's all it is). It's decided to go on holiday and stop being cool.

This has meant a meal that's much too big for two, starting with appies of crab cakes from Carolina. With slices of cuke and wasabi mayo for dipping, this dish was probably enough -- only, uh-oh, there was still all that other stuff, thawing and getting soggy!

The main course was spicy Italian sausages with fries (not recommended for heart patients), with a not-quite-Greek salad of onions, peppers and feta cheese.

For 'dessert', there were still three Angus beef burgers staring at us, but we decided to set them aside for tomorrow's lunch.

After this crazy cookout, all I had to toss from the freezer was the too-soft-to-take-a-chance-on peas. I reckon the border guards should be impressed.

PS Luckily enough, we can let the fridge rest, as the next few days we'll be staying with friends, so there won't be any need for RV cooking.

Yet another wild combo-nation

Now that we're here in the midst of lake perch country, what do we eat but ocean perch. That's the fish that conveniently happened to be in the freezer, and with the weather being blustery and winterish, I knew that this was an oven night -- yet again.

Because the range of my spices is quite limited, I had to think hard about how to season the fish. Lemon juice and butter made a good start, but for more flavour, I dug around and found something called a 'chicken rub'. Not a feathery massage, but a combo of ginger and basil. A sprinkling of this and the fish were ready for baking.

My little casserole dish filled with packaged scalloped potatoes fit right alongside the pan with the fish. For colour and fun, I tossed a few of those little carrots in with the potatoes. Because they're so small, they kept perfect time, cooking right along with the taters.

My extravagance? A spinach 'souffle', one that -- by the time we ate -- had absolutely no puff to it at all. But still, it was rich and delicious.

And the salad's single concession to all this weirdness was the last of the pickled beets chopped into it.

Hard to classify such a strange meal as this. Still, it kept the cold out, and left us hoping the change of calendar page tomorrow will bring some warmer days.

Emptying the freezer

(Okay, almost. I suppose there's still a bit on reserve in there.)

Last night was supper out at a restaurant, quiet conversation with a family member I hadn't seen in years. Food for the soul as the main course.

But today saw us drive the breadth of Upper Michigan and the top of Wisconsin, so by the time we stopped, I knew that supper had to be something easy.

When we'd visited my sister, she'd given us a big container of delicious beans she'd made as taco filling. They rode in the sink during the day, and were thawed to just the right degree for spreading in a pan so they could heat through in the oven.

The last two beef burritos (from where, Oregon? Washington?) curled up next to each other in my casserole dish and I poured about half of a little tin of V-8 juice over top of them. The rest of the juice went into the rice pan on top of the stove, along with a whack of chili powder and beef-bouillon (from packets).

Yesterday's lucky tomato convinced me of the value it could add to any meal, so when I saw a beauty near the checkout in a filling station, I had the sense to buy it. With a bit of onion and olive oil, it made for a just-right salad for the meal.

Oh yes, how could I forget? The magical ingredient that makes just about everything better: cheese. What would we ever do without it?

Lucky detour

As so often seems to happen, our reliable trailblazer, Simon, led us to something we hadn't expected to find -- morels.

Although we've been keeping our eyes open as we hike around, we haven't yet spotted a single edible mushroom out in the bush. But because Simon took us on a roundabout route when a road was blocked, we passed through a neighbourhood where a woman had a roadside stand, selling morels in little containers. Naturally, we were sold and took 'em along.

I was also in a nostalgic mood, as tomorrow we'll be going to Sault Ste Marie, the place where I learned to make "Betty's Mac 'n Cheese." The night seemed to demand I make a stab at re-creating her famous casserole. Since onions and tomatoes are components of her version, in the morning, I'd compromised in my mind and decided I'd have to forgo the tomatoes. Only when we stopped at a gas station for sub-style sandwiches, the server asked if I'd prefer the tomatoes in a container, so the sandwiches wouldn't get soggy before we ate them. When I asked her to please do the same with the lettuce, she agreed and made an even bigger container of same. Perfect. One batch of tomato (and pre-cut at that) ready in the fridge for the final touch to the pre-packaged mac 'n cheese. And even the base for a tiny green salad.

I rounded out the salad with plenty of purple onion and the ever-reliable green peas from the freezer. Really, for living out of the larder, I'd say we're doing pretty darn well!

Using up the last of almost everything

Because tomorrow's the day we should make it to Niagara and the border, we're pulling out the crisper and shaking out every last drop of vegetation.

Supper started out early in the day, riding in the sink as it thawed and we drove. And no, it isn't olives, the container just worked for some tomato sauce that went into the freezer, probably as long ago as Utah.

The salad was crazy -- and yes, it did contain olives. Also feta cheese, onions and the last scraps of anything green I could scrounge up.


Biscuits are hardly the traditional garlic bread accompaniment to pasta, but as they baked, they warmed the unit nicely and besides, there were enough for tomorrow morning's breakfast.

P.S. Because we'll be staying at our auntie's, who is one of the world's champion cooks, there probably won't be another posting for a week or so. And who knows, with the food she makes, we might just decide to stay!

Easter, belated

There wasn't a posting for supper on Easter Sunday. We splurged and went out for Chinese that night -- and even went so far with our spree that we stayed at a motel.

Because the last two days were big driving days, they haven't been conducive to fussing with a meal.

But today has been a day for catching up on things like laundry and emails. And with the rain pelting down (in Louisville, KY), it was a good time to turn on the oven.

Again, because I was without my usual seasonings (fresh rosemary and dill), I decided to make do with what was at hand. I've always seen recipes suggesting mustard as a way to prepare lamb, and the exploded bottle of Dijonnaise that got squished in the fridge door seemed to present a good opportunity.

The 99-cent cheesy scalloped potatoes worked well. Heck, I even fooled around with a packet of the mysterious 'brown' (what flavour is 'brown'?) gravy.

Vegies and a salad, and even a little bowl of pickled beets. Happy Easter, despite the fact that it's a few days late.

P.S. There won't be any supper postings for a while, as I'm heading off to Montreal for a few days.

Easy Friday

We spent the day driving and exploring, so by the time we set up for the evening, supper had to be something easy.

I'd found some frozen burritos way back in California, and tonight seemed to be the right night for pulling them out.

While they heated in the microwave, I chopped up some lettuce, tomato, and an avocado. But then, because they looked too dry and white, I sliced some cheddar and melted it over top.

With salsa, they turned out to be more than pretty all right. And really, the whole prep took all of ten minutes. Just my kind of Friday night supper.

Round and round and round

It's not so much the food going 'round -- the ones going 'round today -- that was us. We're barely 30 miles from where we stopped last night.

We wanted to check out some ruins (worth it) and another national park, and the route worked out to be pretty much a circle.

When we finally circled the wagons (okay, parked the unit) for the night, supper was something that had to come together fast.

I'd had a packet of 'garlic Alfredo' sauce mix in with our camping supplies for almost forever. If it ever had an expiry date, it had worn off.

Cooked up some fresh pasta, whipped up the sauce (with butter, cup of milk) and added chunks of chicken from the other night's bird (the ones left after the big wraps we'd had for yesterday's lunch). Some fresh green beans and salad and we were diggin' in!

Friday night feast!

Half the time on the road, I lose track of what day it is. But when it comes to Friday, I always seem to know.

We covered a lot of ground today, both in the truck and on foot. Hiking, especially at altitude this high above sea level, works wonders for the appetite.

The Dear Man whipped up a feast on the barbie. Steak, with onions and mushrooms.

While he prepped food outside, I fiddled indoors -- with a pack of microwave chips. Four minutes, and presto! Though it probably took as long to work out how to fold their magic 'crisping' box as it did to cook 'em.

With a big bowl of fresh green salad, it made for quite the Friday night feast.

Greeky?

Or, is that geeky? After all, two computers on the table with the supper, like, get us a life.

Still, it's a bit of a celebration, as we've made it to Arizona. The plan for tomorrow is to get to the Grand Canyon.

Tonight, it's a night to kick back a bit.

Lazy, pre-cooked chicken from the supermarket is some sort of lemon-herb variety. That seemed Mediterranean enough to get me to pull out those last few pieces of spanakopita from the freezer.

And though it isn't really a Greek salad, there is a fair bit of feta tossed into it.

So, the heading is right, when it says we're sort of Greeky tonight.

Using things up

Tomorrow night is going to be some kind of restaurant meal (after all, we're in the land of big buffets, Las Vegas), so tonight it's a mishmash that uses up what's around.

And because we have water hook-up, I get to use the nice cast-iron skillet.

I started with olive oil and cooked up garlic cloves and onions, including some of the onion that had been on the barbie the other night. After that, I added a packet of spicy Thai seasonings (Thai basil and other delights) and added the sliced up bits of leftover buffalo from the too-big steaks we'd chowed into the other night. The leftover birthday potatoes also went in, but then, because the mixture seemed too dry, I added a pouch of premade palak paneer and then let that all simmer while the rice finished steaming. With a last-second addition of a handful of frozen peas, it was starting to look like something edible. The last of the Naan bread added a nice touch, and helped scrape up the sauce on our plates.

Because salad greens were gone, we made do with a lot of fresh cilantro sprinkled over top, and a plate with the last pear and a few dates.

Leftovers, with leftovers

For fun, we ate lunch at a funny little old-fashioned diner. While we were there, sitting at the counter, we heard all about last week's evacuation for the tsunami. While there was some damage here (Orick, CA), things were worse up the coast, where a few die-hard (I'll say) photo-seekers were lost.

But back to the source of the leftovers. Because the lunch was too huge to eat, I took my salad-bar salad home to the fridge. Adding the last half of avocado turned it into a yummy salad for two.

And then there was all that chicken from last night (we'd only eaten the legs, the bird was so big). So, with the chicken and a companion packet of wild rice mix, we had plenty to eat.

And plenty to think about as we continue our route down this wildly beautiful but perilous coast.