Friday, June 28, 2013

You never know who you are going to meet....

We brought the Camping Castle to Kitsap Memorial State Park last weekend (we are still here, but more on that later!).  When we first pulled in, the people 'next door' were just unloading their truck having previously unhitched their trailer. When the 'guy' saw us he apologized for having his truck in the way and I said 'no big deal! We are camping! No rush!'. A little kindness on both parties turned out to go a long way!
So he got their stuff all unpacked from the back of their truck (cannot camp with kids without bikes!) and parked his truck in their parking space so that we could then get our rig settled in. Took the hubs about 2 minutes to get it parked ( we have often commented on how easy it is to park a 37 foot trailer compared to our 18 foot trailer. If you have thoughts, please post!), and then another 10 or so to get us leveled, hooked up to water and electric and ready to go. While I am a very independent woman, I really do play dumb when it comes to unhooking/hooking up the rv. I'd just rather not, instead saving my energy for the cooking and relaxing part of rv'ing, which for me is one and the same thing.
It didn't take long once we were all set up to meet the neighbors. They had three children, two of whom were almost the identical ages of our two, which was great...and uhhh....maybe not great? Their son was a year older than our 14 year old daughter (YIKES!) and their daughter was the same age as our 11 year old son - oh dear lord, this could be a looooong weekend! Mom and dad were so very friendly and we all hit it off right away. We talked for an hour or so, and I realized at some point that I hadn't got the hubs to light the grill. No fear! My new found friend had made a lasagna the night before (smart ass!) and kindly invited us to dinner. While she provided a lasagna and salad, I provided raw veggies and dip and chips and our families feasted.
While we were here for pure relaxation, they were here for a softball tournament for their youngest. That meant that on Saturday while we lazed around (ok, hubs worked overtime Saturday...I lazed around) they spent the day in the hot sun watching game after game. I had a few errands to run, so I ran home quickly and grabbed some salmon and prawns out of our freezer (all caught by our family this past season) to spoil them a bit when they got home.
Dinner that night consisted of grilled salmon, peri peri prawns - a traditional South African marinade I learned to make when I was there years ago - caesar salad, garlic pull apart bread, and a lovely salad that the neighbor brought over, along with delicious steaks they grilled. Just before we served dinner she came over a little sheepishly and said quietly to me "I am SO sorry. Some of the other baseball families have shown up. I am SO sorry. What should we do?". Not a problem for a foodie AND a 'who gives a care' person like me! I said 'No problem! We have a ton of food, and if we run out? I have bread and peanut butter! Bring it on!". It turned out to be an amazing evening full of fantastic food, amazing new friends, and expensive tequila.
Lessons learned? Always be patient when you are rv'ing. If someone is blocking your way, sit back and have a drink or peruse the camp site. Make friends. Don't be afraid to cook something beyond burgers, and ALWAYS have the ingredients for filling standbys! Below you will find a recipe for the garlic pull apart bread that I always have the ingredients on hand for in the rv - it is easy and feeds a crowd! If this isn't something you would make or your family would like, that is ok! Just find SOMETHING that is easy and feeds a crowd that you can always have on hand. It really can make a difference on those 'company just popped over for the campfire' evenings.

Garlic Pull Apart Bread

one can of biscuits ( doesn't matter the brand, just NOT 'flaky')
fresh chopped garlic (we are garlic whores! I use 6 or 7 cloves. Adjust to your families tastes!)
some sort of Italian spice (oregano, basil...whatever you enjoy)
Parmesan cheese  (about a 1/4 cup)
another type of cheese (I usually use cheddar or monterrey jack, about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup butter.
Bundt cake pan.

Heat your oven to 350.
Melt the butter in the pan.
In the meantime, cut each biscuit into fourths, add chopped garlic, grated cheeses, and spices in a bowl and mix till all biscuit pieces are coated with all the good things....
take pan out of oven and add the biscuit/spicy/cheesy mix to pan.
Bake till golden.

Take out of oven and turn upside down on a plate. Serve. I will guarantee you this will be DEVOURED by anyone who tries it.

As you have noticed, I cook with 'as you like' or 'adjust to families taste' measurements. This is how my Grandmother Reva cooked. This is how I have always cooked. If you ever need 'true' measurements, just comment or email me and I shall 'try' to oblige! :) And if you want the recipe for peri peri, also leave a comment. Always happy to share good food finds!

As stated earlier, when you rv you need one or two 'go to' recipes with ingredients you always have on hand. The rv life is just simply the kind of life where you will make friends. Some for the duration of your trip. Some for a long while. Just feed them. Feed them well. And most importantly, always be gracious.

Kitsap Memorial State Park overview:

Gorgeous state park on the sea. Sites are quite close together but we have found after being here for almost ten days in a row that this park is not busy or full to capacity. This time of year (end of June, beginning of July) it is extremely hard to find a site anywhere in WA state. So this is our go to spot for several reasons....it is usually always open for a site or two and it is local ( so we can camp AND go to work).
There is fishing from a nice dock/beach area. Check your fishing regulations for what you can catch and when. There is good fishing on the north side of the hood canal bridge which is but a 5 minute drive from this park.
There is a gorgeous park with play-site for kids. This park is unique in that it specializes as a wedding venue!  It has an AMAZING lodge for receptions. The lodge will cost you $856 Friday to Sunday (total fee, registration etc) and the beach, park, or spacious cleared forest area is fantastic for a ceremony. This makes it not only a very affordable wedding but a really gorgeous place for pictures. If you are looking for a really nice feel for a wedding, this is a great spot!

Fair winds....

Jaye










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