Food

This cold or virus that I brought home from Las Vegas is just about to do me in. 

It has been either a very strong cold or a milder dose of the flu but in either case--I'm tired of it!

(I just happened to park next to a car that had this in the front seat. Suppose he have a bad case of the flu?)

And speaking of cars--note the plate on the front of this one...."HORN BROKEN, Watch for finger." It made me smile.

So, when you are cooped up, not out sightseeing and can't think of anything better to write about --then talk about food.  

I am loving my stove top oven more and more. 

The above creation is a veggie quiche complete with a pie crust.  It was oh so good but the recipe is mostly --whatever you have on hand.  Over a pie crust, I did a layer of yellow squash, some chopped spinach, some finely chopped onion, sprinkled some Cotijo (or Feta) cheese crumbles then poured a quiche batter of eggs, milk and two or three tablespoons of whole wheat flour over all.  Garnish with cherry tomatoes and bake on medium until a knife inserted comes out clean.

This one is now my favorite.  Fresh produce seems to come in bags large enough to feed a family of starving teenagers and I am always throwing away veggies that I couldn't eat up before they turned to mush. (If you have a starving teenager you may send him my way).

One time I bought a bag of the miniature colorful sweet peppers and, even though I was eating them at every meal, I knew I was going to have to throw many away.  Then I wondered if this would work:

I took some Hot Italian sausage and Andouille sausage meat (removed from the casings and crumbled), mixed it with some crushed croutons, chopped onion, celery, and garlic; and moistened with an egg, a bit of ketchup and a dash of chicken broth.  Cut the peppers in half lengthways, scoop out the seeds and fill with a good dollop of the sausage mix. Bake on medium till done. Wow!  These were really good and were easy to reheat for a quick lunch. Especially good with breakfast.

I think any stuffing mixture would work as well and I plan to try more variations in the future.

And now for the easiest cobbler (upside down cake?) ever!

First I sprayed my little oven with butter flavored pan spray.  Fill the bottom of the 'oven' (or a large baking dish if you are using a regular oven) with a goodly amount of berries--any kind, mixed or not.  Then take one can of unsweetened berry flavored seltzer water and stir it into.... 

....one cake mix (any brand, any flavor).  Do not overmix--stir only till moistened throughout.

Pour the batter over the berries and bake until knife inserted comes out clean.  It was not overly sweet because no sugar was added to the berries, and it was especially good with a dollop of greek yogurt.  Next I plan to make one of these with sliced apples and pears in the bottom and a spice cake on top. (Will someone please send me a hungry teenager)

 And now for a 'Toni Tip'.  I have mentioned this in the past but, now that winter is here, thought I would remind you again.  A clay flowerpot turned upside down over a very low flame will heat your RV (or your kitchen if you don't want to heat up the whole house) very quickly. Spirit's heater is very good but I find the flowerpot is faster and the heat seems to radiate throughout without the cold spots and noise of the heater. 

I am in this RV park for two more weeks before I take off again for San Diego and points west during the holidays.

 My daily rant-- "I hate being in a park."  Note the maintenance man above, making noise and stirring up dust.  Ugh!  Enough already.

But even an RV park can have a great sunset.