Push Mixer and Great, No Fuss, Chicken Mac

Push Mixer

I was kind of looking for a cordless, stick mixer when I came across this.  It is called a Push Mixer.

It does a great job of whisking eggs, pudding, pancake batter etc. by just pushing down and up, spinning the head.  It uses no electricity and is easy to clean.  It is available here on  Amazon.com for $10.
They were selling these at the Quartzsite RV Show "Big Tent" for $20.

Here is a quick, Lo Cal meal I whip up using these ingredients:

Chicken Mac

1 Can Progresso Light Chicken Noodle Soup
1 Can Chicken Broth
8 oz Raw, Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast, Diced
1 Cup Elbow Macaroni or Pasta of Your Choice.

Put soup, broth and diced chicken in a saucepan.  Bring to a simmer.  Then add the elbow macaroni and simmer 12-14 min or until done. 

Simmering the chicken for 14 min or so is plenty of time for it to cook through.  You don't have to cook it separate and have another pan to wash.

This makes about three, two cup servings.  I added up the calorie count for all the ingredients and it comes out to 371 calories per two cup serving. A great lunch.

Total utensils to wash, one saucepan, one ladle, and one chef's knife. 

By the way, I use paper plates to cut up meat, vegetables, etc. on, so no cutting board to wash.

What is it??.............Grandma's Microwave!!

Quick Cooking, One Pot Meals

If Grandma wanted to make a one pot meal in a hurry she did not have a microwave so she used her pressure cooker.
For those of you who haven't seen one or used one, this is a Pressure Cooker:

I haven't used this one for a while but if you want pot roast, swiss steak, beef stew, pork shoulder, etc. at crock-pot like results in about 1/8the time, use a pressure cooker.  Also, with the boiling point going down about 1.5 degrees for every 1,000 foot in elevation, it will reduce cooking times at altitude.

Typical cooking times:  Pork shoulder for Carnitas or Pulled Pork 45 min, Pot Roast 45 min, Swiss Steak or Beef Stew 15 min.  For the longer cooking times, it is usually best to cook vegetables separate as they will get a little mushy after 30 minutes.  There are 100s of pressure cooker recipes on Google, etc.  One of my favorite recipe sites is Allrecipes.com   Here is my adaptation of pressure cooker swiss steak:

2-3 lbs of round steak  (thicker cuts are better)

1/2 cup broth or (shudder) water

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

4-6 red potatoes cut in half

3 carrots cut in pieces (BTW, I don't peel 'em, I just scrub 'em)

Maybe some celery

Maybe a sliced onion

1 Tbs cooking oil

The recipe is the same for Beef Stew, just change the meat.

Brown the meat in the oil.  I use a trivet in the bottom of the cooker after browning for pressuring.  Ingredients on top of the trivet.   Add all of the other ingredients and bring to pressure.  Pressure for 15 minutes and remove from heat and let pressure drop to safe levels by itself.  The gravy is just about the right consistency with the mushroom soup.

Pressure cookers are safe unless you do something really crazy like taking the pressure weight off while under pressure.  Mine and all of the others I have seen, cannot remove the lid while under pressure.  They all have safety vents so they can't "explode".  Only down side is cleanup.

Saute Pans and a Great Breakfast Casserole

I had a cheap 8" Teflon saute' pan that I used for eggs and grilled sandwiches.  It got pretty worn out so I was looking for a replacement.  I looked at the "as seen on TV Blue Diamond" but just didn't do anything about it.  Elizabeth got me these:

http://www.amazon.com/Circulon-Contempo-Anodized-Nonstick-Skillets/dp/B002CZQ7KI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361724479&sr=8-1&keywords=circulon+skillet


The 8" is great for a couple of eggs or a grilled sandwich.  The 10" one is great for omelette's or larger  saute' items.  They have a very hard surface, don't scratch and in most cases you can just wipe them out with a paper towel so no washing!  By the way, you can take a 1/2 cup of Bisquick, an egg and a little milk mixed in a paper bowl and make a couple of pancakes in the 8" one and you have a great breakfast and no dishwashing.  They nest for storage.

Here is a great recipe for a French Toast Casserole that serves 8 and is a great dish for that breakfast potluck.  If you are careful, you can prepare this with nothing to wash and just throw away the foil pan when you are finished.  I just mix everything together in the baking pan.   Dry ingredients can be measured using the appropriate spoons or cups and then just wiped out.  Some liquid ingredients can be estimated or if you use a measuring cup or spoons, you can just rinse them out.

INGREDIENTS

Nonstick cooking spray or softened butter

8 large eggs.  (I use 4 eggs and one cup of egg substitute)

2-1/4 cups half and half or whole milk

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar or more white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 12- to 16-ounce loaf French or Italian bread, cubed

1 8-oz. package cream cheese, cut into small pieces

Powdered sugar, for serving

Butter, for serving

Warm maple or pancake syrup, for serving

PREPARATION

Coat a 9- by 13-inch foil baking dish with cooking spray or softened butter and set aside. 
I put half of the bread cubes in the egg mixture in the pan and then just smoosh them down.  Then dot the mixture with half of the cream cheese cubes  (BTW, "cubing" cream cheese is not so easy) Then put the rest of the bread cubes over the top and smoosh them down so they absorb the egg mix.  Dot the rest of the cream cheese evenly over the top

 Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight. 

When ready to cook, remove the foil from the casserole and bake at 350 for 55 to 60 minutes, or the top is slightly crusty and golden brown. 
I found that I had to turn the temp up to 400 at the end and give it another 10 minutes to get it to brown.  Let it set for 5-10 minutes if you can to let it firm up.

Put a couple of tablespoons of powdered sugar in a small kitchen sieve and dust the top of the casserole with it. Cut the casserole into portions and serve warm with butter and syrup.

Here is the finished product:

My daughter observed that if I just add raisins to this we have a great bread pudding.

 Some words about egg substitute:

 

I use a lot of egg substitute in recipes.  The Kirkland brand (Costco) works very well.  For baking, I use it as a total replacement.  For omelette's or scrambled eggs I use equal parts egg and substitute.  I can't tell the difference.  2oz, (equivalent of one egg) is 30 calories as opposed to 80 for an egg.  No fat and no cholesterol.  This means larger omelette's with the same nutrition content.  This small carton holds 9 eggs.  No breakage either and no messy eggshells.  I don't know about cost comparison.  They come 6 or 8 cartons in a package, they last a while and you can freeze them.

 

Dont't Boil it..........Steam it.

More on RV adapted cooking styles for the boondocker or dry camper.  Use less water and no scrubbing.

In my last post, you might have noticed my collapsible steamer basket stored in the small saucepan in the nested cookware.  As you can see, it opens up in to a "flower" steaming basket.  It it will unfold to fit a variety of pans.

My philosophy is why take fresh vegetables, potatoes, "organic" vegetables and put them through the "washing machine" of boiling them in water and then discarding the used water with much of the flavor and nutrients.  If you steam instead of boil, you can also control the cooking time better.  Your broccoli, cauliflower and asparagus can be cooked to "crisp done" instead of "soggy".  A teaspoon or so of olive oil in the water also improves the vegetables. You can also heat leftovers this way without using the microwave or producing a pan to scrub out.  (no generator running)

This is my "pasta cooker".  It works great for pasta as it has the removable basket to drain.  By the way boondockers, save your pasta water, it can be used to flush the toilet (after it has cooled!)

It also doubles as a large vegetable steamer.  Great for corn on the cob, artichokes, larger portions of broccoli, potatoes and the like.  I got this one at Price Club, (yes Price Club) about 20 years ago for under $10.  More $ now I am sure but you don't need an elaborate or expensive one as you are just basically boiling water in it.  Doesn't work well as a dutch oven or stew pot as the bottom is thin stainless steel  and it will burn the food.  I have used it in this manner if you put a rack in the bottom to keep the food up off the the hot surface and very low heat.

A note on potatoes for mashing.  In my family I am known as the "King of the Mashed Potatoes". (a title that was passed down from my Grandfather)  I actually have two of these steamers and together they will steam about 10 lbs of potatoes.  About right for one of our family gatherings with enough left over for fried mashed potato patties the next morning.  I throw a small handful of garlic cloves, (get the already peeled kind).  They steam up nice with the potatoes and just mash them in.  A secret I learned long ago from a restaurant chef:  An 8 oz brick of softened cream cheese mashed in each batch really brings out the flavor.  Add just enough milk (not water) and whip them to a consistency that will allow you to make the "mashed potato volcano" for holding large amounts of gravy on your plate. 

Just a footnote:  I never use water for gravy, only milk.  This is even with the gravy packets that call for water.  Another great add in for gravy is a can of cream of mushroom soup.

The Cookware

My First Effort  at a Page With Pictures

I thought I would start off with my favorite utensels.  First, I use these disposable Aluminum pans for a lot of different dishes and cooking methods.  They are great for baking, barbecuing and serving.  Best part is when you are finished, just throw them away, no washing, no wasted water.  You can also cover them with foil and store leftovers in the fridge.  The larger ones replace a 9 x 13 baking pan and the smaller one is 8 x 8. 

Small one is great for single batch of Brownies, Cornbread and small casseroles.  I also use the larger ones on the barbecue for things that won't stay together such as fish, meat loaf and the like.

The smaller ones I get at WalMart.  There are two differint depths.  Be sure and get the deeper ones.  They are about .50 to .75 cents each.  The larger ones are Costco 1/2 steam pans in the mega pack for about .20 cents each.

Nesting Cookware set

This is a nesting set of cookware that I got from Camping World 2 or 3 years ago.  It is discontinued now.  The skillet is teflon coated and not a very good job as it is pretty worn out.  I have been all over the internet and called the factory with no results.  Fagor (nome stamped on bottom of pans) says they have no repacemants and no ideas.  I just use it now for skillet type meals and no frying.  The saucepans are great.  They each have a vented lid for cooking and a snap-on plastic lid for fridge storage.  There are also two snap on handles.  The whole set fits in a very small package and stores under my sink.

This is skillet with handle attached.

These are the cooking lids and the storage lids.

These are all 4 saucepans and the two handles

Here is the whole set nested together.  The cooking lids store separately. The storage lids are inside each pan to keep them from scratching while driving. 

I think I paid about $80 for the set2 or 3 years ago.  If you go to Amazon and search "RV Nesting Cookware" a similar set is listed for about $150.

I have a whole lot more and some recipes but this is enough for now.

Basic Philosophy of Rogers Ramblings

Mostly just testing this process out.  My basic cooking philosophy is to make tasty, simple and healthy meals while full-timing.  The ideal meal is prepared and eaten without having anything to wash.  In my daily endeavors, I try to follow this because it saves water and most of all effort.  After all, this lifestyle is all about relaxing and enjoying life, right?  As soon as I can figure out how to add pictures, I will show the utensels and cookware I use to make these simple meals.  I will try to feature a simple recipe or my adaptations.  I also have some great tips that I have llearned from others as well as my own experiences.

It begins

Watch this space for my efforts to create a blog dedicated to the RV lifestyle focused on simple food prep, kitchen related ideas, tools, gadgets and simple recipes.