Seafood Alfredo on the Road

Good Afternoon!
Company coming for dinner tonight and I have decided to prepare one of my favorite simple dishes.  Yes! You can still have company for dinner in an RV.  I still have glass dishes, however, I have opted for nice plastic glasses...not so much rattling around when on the road!  I use paper plates frequently just to cut down on gray water use though.

We are going to be located on the Gulf Coast soon, and as a seafood lover I am looking forward to being close to my favorite seafood outlet, Joe Patti's in Pensacola, Florida! Fresh, beautiful seafood of all varieties at reasonable prices! Yeah!  If you haven't been there, you absolutely MUST if you are in the area.  Additionally, you can order online and have your seafood shipped directly to you. 

So here is my recipe for today using lovely fresh seafood:

                                           CRAB AND SHRIMP ALFREDO

1 pound Jumbo Lump Blue Crab (cooked)
1/2 pound shrimp (cooked)
1/4 cup butter
1/2 - 3/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat, gradually add heavy cream and parmesan cheese stirring constantly...once smooth, add crab and shrimp. 
Serve over your favorite Pasta or Rice!

EASY, IMPRESSIVE AND AMAZING.   BROCCOLI MAKES A GREAT SIDE WITH THIS.

We are still in Utah enduring the cold, and counting down toward our trek to the South. 
Looking forward to some warmer weather.

RV Cooking Ideas

I have always loved to cook.  It doesn't have to be complicated...just GOOD!  One of the things you see pretty quickly when you move into an RV full time, is that you MUST cut down on some of the myriad of utensils you have previously kept in your kitchen.  It becomes a time for Neccessity not excess.  Below is a list of my "must haves" followed by explanations of why.

I have decided that a simple INDUCTION COOKTOP is ideal for RV Living.  It takes up little space, and doesn't give off excess heat.  Most RV's are equipped with gas ranges, and there is nothing wrong with that.  However, they do give off fumes and heat and when you turn off the induction cooktop it is cool and OFF!  The only caveat is the necessity for induction friendly pans/pots.  They don't have to be expensive, just practical.

The next item I have found indispensable is the NINJA FOODIE! It is not only a pressure cooker, a rice cooker, a great boiled egg maker and super for soups and stews, you can BAKE in it!  I will include at the bottom of this blog an easy recipe for Baked Chicken.  Fast, juicy and delicious!
You can make the best ribs ever in this pot, or bake a cake.  Really!  and It is ONE tool with many uses...important in limited space.

I have recently become completely enamored with a Sous Vide.  This kitchen tool allows you to cook foods to your EXACT temperature with no effort.  It is perfect for everything from Steaks to vegetables.  Again, I will include some great recipes for this tool in a later blog.  Simple tool does many chores.

You will find that you don't need umpteen casserole dishes, so pick your favorite and give away or sell all the rest.  If you are going to a pot luck or event, buy a tin throw away.  Less to carry around, less to worry about storing.

I have gotten rid of glass glasses.  I have replaced them with PLASTIC glasses for easy and worry free storage.  I really don't want to hear them rattling around as we go down the road, or have to worry about how to pack them safely. 

Simplification is the ticket to an enjoyable life in an RV!  More later.

Here is the recipe for Roast Chicken I promised.

ROAST CHICKEN NINJA FOODIE

1/2 to 1 Cup Chicken Broth
1 Small Onion
1 4-5 Pound Chicken
4 TBSP Melted Butter
1 small stem of Fresh Thyme
1/4 Tsp Rosemary
(Sometimes I put half a Lemon in the cavity)
Salt and Pepper generously after rubbing the chicken down with the butter
If you enjoy Jerk or other seasoning, feel free to use instead of the salt and pepper

• Spray 6-8 quart Instant Pot® with cooking spray. Add broth to insert; place rack in bottom of insert.
• Place onion inside chicken cavity; tie legs with cooking twine. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. In small bowl, mix melted butter, thyme, salt, paprika and pepper; brush on chicken. Place chicken breast side up on rack. Secure lid; set pressure valve to SEALING. Select MANUAL; cook on high pressure 27 minutes.
• After 27 minutes Quick Release the pressure, and open lid.  Replace steam/pressure lid with Browning lid ...cook for 10 additional minutes browning.  Open lid and check to see if well browned.  If additional time is needed, add two minutes at a time until desired browning is achieved.  Internal Temperature should be 165!  Chicken will be JUICY AND TENDER!
• You can also make gravy from the juices which have drained to the bottom of the pot. After removing the chicken to a platter, To 1/2 to 3/4 cup cold water add 2 TBSP Cornstarch and create slurry to add to juices in pot.   Turn pot setting to Saute and stir until thickened.  Add seasonings as necessary.

ENJOY

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Finally Retirement!

Well, the time has finally arrived! Retirement is imminent!
We have been talking, planning and downsizing for years now and we finally made the leap to a Class A Motorhome on September 12th!  After much shopping and pricing and comparing notes with those who live the RV lifestyle we decided on a 35 foot Coachmen Mirada.  It is lovely.  Not too pricey, but very comfortable.  I had a washer and dryer installed for convenience sake, and everything else about the unit was exactly what we had been shopping for at a very reasonable price.

We moved the Coach onto a lot in Layton, Utah about three weeks ago, and moved in.  We are taking the next month to learn all we can before hitting the road on December 10th for Gulf Shores, Alabama.  I was hoping we were leaving early enough to beat the snow and cold.  However, the weather has decided to skip Fall and go directly to Winter!  We had snow yesterday (October 27th) and are expecting more tomorrow.  In the Seven years we have been here, it has never snowed that early.  The scariest part is it is supposed to be SEVEN degrees tomorrow morning.  I am NOT a cold weather person.

So far, the hardest part of the downsizing to an RV has been the clothing purge!  There really is a lot of room, but I had become too much of a clothes/shoes horse.  I managed after much careful planning to get that part under control.  I have decided that storing the opposite season clothes under the RV in the storage area is the answer.  So far, we have been sitting still and learning how the various holding tanks work.  We are hooked up to permanent stations now, but when we leave we will have to be sure how to manage pump stations.

Our only error so far was a day when I did three loads of clothes and we both took a shower. OOPS
Found out the hard way that when the Gray Water tank is FULL it all comes back up into the unit! Yikes.  No damage. Just a few scary moments with hubby screaming F words! Won't do that again.

We have done quite a bit of reading and planning about our upcoming trip from Layton, Utah to Gulf Shores, Alabama.  I have carefully planned the route and our anticipated stops along the way have all been reserved.  We will be stopping in Albuquerque, New Mexico first.  Then we will be off for Weatherford/Fort Worth area and on to Askews Landing near Jackson,Mississippi before our final destination for the Winter in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

It is my hope you will follow us on our new Retirement Adventure as we explore our new lifestyle and our beautiful Country.  I will make sure there are lots of pictures and good information.  I plan to learn from others who are also embarking on this Freestyle kind of living.  Looking forward to comments from my readers!

All for now.
Linda