Mindset is Ready for Fall--the Recipe Proves It!

Oh it is so very good to be home. 

RV camping is interesting— we call it camping—but it is actually very far from real camping.  We like to think we are roughing it but in reality we are not.  Two things made us feel like we were camping though—and one thing reminded that we were not camping for real. (To set the record straight, we have had our share of tent camping with cooking over the fire—so we earned our privilege of RV camping; and while I would never trade those tent camping days away—I will also never go back to it).

First thing that felt like camping was our food cooling ability.  You see, this brand new camper has a bum refrigerator, but, instead of staying home and waiting for the new refrigerator to come in, we decided to take our trips as planned.  This meant we would be using our refrigerator as a cooler—adding ice to keep things cool.  I must say it is insulated very well and replenishing the ice wasn’t too tedious. (the whole camper is under warranty, so it will not cost us anything-- the new refrigerator just came in—YaY!)

The second thing that felt like camping was the mosquito-like flies that were plentiful.  A few years ago we camped at this same place and so we knew of these flies.  But this time I was better prepared.  Day one we pulled in, but had no time to set up, because we had to race over to see DGS#1 (DS2 & DiL2-also) before GDS#1 was asleep for the night (3 months old now).  When we got back to the site the RV was plastered with flies—like every square inch—creepy, creepy.   But I was prepared and got to work.  I bought a bug zapper and hooked it at the far end of the awning away from the door.   Worked like a charm—flies swarmed to it and we could camp in peace.   The zapper said it was good for a ½ acre—Sa-weet!  I elected not to attach the special lure bait—here’s my theory why (for the few that are curious).   If I used the lure it would attract flies from who knows how far away. My goal was not to attract more flies but rather manage the ones that stumbled into our campsite.  The blue UV bulbs would attract the ones that happened into our site and would be able to handle the volume (on the previous trip the zapper could not handle the volume of pests).    We used the zapper around the clock and had zero trouble with flies—other campers had flies plastered everywhere and the folks could not even sit outside to eat or chat.  Every morning I used the blow dryer to clear out the zapper to be ready to go again (there were so many that by morning I could hardly see the blue bulbs).  I was quite pleased with my plan. DH thought I was over reacting when I bought the zapper—but after Day 1 he told me numerous times what  great idea it was.  Indiana liked the zapper too because she could chew her special chewy treats outside in the grass without being swarmed.  The poor little pooch 2 campsites over was frantically barking and trying to bite the flies away.

The thing that reminded us that we were not really camping was when the rain came.  We had no worries like when in a tent—Would it leak? Would the ground get so wet that it would seep through the floor of the tent;  Would the tent dry out before packing up? Would the tent hold up to the wind?  We just listened to the rain hitting the trailer and enjoyed how cool it sounded. So glad we were not really camping when the rain came.

This last trip I did not camper cook much.  Most of the cooking was done at DS & DiL’s apt.  How great it is to see they are into healthy foods.  The 3 of us ( DS, DiL & Me) had a great time making the dinners; DH’s job was to bring dessert and fruit each day.

I had fun cooking there, but it is really good to be home and cook in my kitchen again.  Here’s a little recipe/tutorial of what I cooked last night.

Because I do SFT I only counted 3 SP for this meal—run it through recipe builder for regular tracking SP (it was about 9 if I remember correctly)

Boneless Pork Chops with Orange Pineapple Glaze (serves 4) 

1 lb ultra lean, center boneless pork loin chops (trim any visible fat)

1 TB olive oil

Some Montreal Steak seasoning (rubbed on meat)

2 medium potatoes--cut thickly (1”) slices

½ medium onion cut in wedges (shallots if you have them are divine)

2-3 large sprigs of fresh rosemary

Glaze:

2 TB low sugar orange marmalade

½  cup severely drained crushed pineapple

½ to 1 TB Dijon mustard

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

4-6  TB water, divided

I used a cast iron skillet. 

Heat the skillet, add oil and sear the pork and the potatoes on both sides 4 min each side.

Place onion and rosemary around meat & potatoes--like this--  

Add 2-3 TB water to pan, cover tightly. My large Dutch oven lid fits the cast iron skillet perfectly-- =D  Bake 350 F for 20 minutes.

A bit  before baking finishes, steam some carrots.

Once baked—check the pork temperature (cooked is 160F)-return to oven as needed.

Remove rosemary sprigs and discard.

Remove pork, potatoes & onion to a serving dish and cover.

Make the glaze on the stove top—whisk marmalade, pineapple, mustard, vinegar until well combined. In hot skillet add 2-3 TB water and scrape bits off bottom of pan; add glaze mix and heat quickly.  Stir constantly to prevent sticking and work any bits stuck on pan into the glaze.  Cook to thicken—boil off most of the water. 

Pour a little bit of glaze over the carrots; use the rest of the glaze for the pork, potatoes & onion.

This was so tasty—I sometimes add whole carrots in with everything else and bake it all together—but all I had this time were baby carrots.  

Can you tell I am ready for fall cooking again?  

What have you cooked lately??