RV Country: A delicious breakfast, dutch oven style

Here’s a delicious recipe sure to get your day started off right, and the family will love you for it. Simple, yet complex with flavor, we give you "French Toast Casserole". You may be wondering if you have to prepare it the night before, but the answer my friends, is no. This is the best part... You can prepare it in the morning and it's ready in about 30-45 minutes. Here’s what you’ll need to have on hand:

1 large loaf French bread
8 eggs
3 cups milk
4 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
4 Tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces
 
Tear bread into 1-2 inch chunks. Put pulled apart bread in a 12" Dutch oven. Beat together all remaining ingredients, except butter. Pour over bread. Dot the top with butter. Bake with 9 coals on bottom and 15 on top. It should be done in 30-45 minutes, when eggs are set.
 
We’d love to tell you that we came up with this yummy treat, but we confess it comes to us courtesy of Rvingoutpost.com and we’d like to thank them for sharing this recipe! It sure does sound tasty.

If anyone tries this, let us know how you liked it.

Super Cool, "Cooler" Corn On The Cob

Have you ever done it? Have you ever heard of anyone else doing it? What is it, you ask? Why it's only the newest, most innovative way to cook your corn on the cob...Coleman cooler style. 

Well, for starters corn on the cob isn’t just for summer anymore, and for those of you that enjoy camping, cooking out, simplicity, and walks on the beach (uh, scratch that last one, wrong blog) or for those of you that just want to have a good conversation piece, this way of cooking corn is for you. You’re going to want to shuck the ears first and scrub off the silk strands. Then put the corn in your trusty cooler (not the one that’s full of beverages and ice). Once the corn is in, fill the cooler with boiling water and shut the lid. You'll want to do it a bit ahead of time because it takes about 2 hours, but you can leave it in longer to keep it hot. Prepare your dinner, and by the time you sit down to eat, your corn is going to be perfectly done. 

This ingenious way of cooking corn has another perk... If it's cold outside, you have a nice toasty bench to sit on while you wait for dinner to be ready! This is also a great and super easy way to make a large batch if you're feeding a group. Your friends will be amazed at your clever corn cooking skills, and you’re likely to be the topic of conversation for quite awhile. 

You can thank your friends at RV Country for making you the hero of every one's weekend by sharing your story with us or by posting pictures of your cooler corn on our Facebook wall!

Happy Eating!

RV Travelers Spooky Cider Recipe

You’re backed in to your favorite spot at your favorite RV park for Halloween. Your decorations are up, and the RV is looking very spooky indeed. Awesome. But, this year you want to add something extra... After all, don't good neighbors offer up treats at the holidays?  Why not serve something festive, (if not slightly ghoulish) that all your friends and fellow RV'ers can enjoy, like a deliciously bewitching drink!  Imagine... It's Hallow's Eve... a dark and scary night, and everyone's senses are turned up just a notch and here you come dressed like something from the Living Dead offering them a smoldering concoction to warm their throats. Will they drink it, or will they politely decline?
Oh they'll drink it. After all, it's really an innocent warm apple cider, but adding a few raspberries and some dry ice served in a festive goblet will make it seem like the drink of Dracula himself. Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients

• 10 cups Apple Cider
• 1 (12-ounce) pack of Frozen Red Raspberries, lightly-sweetened (Raspberries will give the illusion of blood!)
• 5  sticks of Cinnamon

Method

• In a large saucepan, boil apple cider, raspberries and cinnamon together.
• Reduce heat, when the mixture starts boiling.
• Cover and let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes.
• Remove the mixture from heat.
• Strain berries and cinnamon from mixture and cover it until serving time.
• Serve while warm.
• Makes 12 servings.

***Here are a few important things you need to know about dry ice:
When putting Dry ice in any drink or container it will bubble until the drink freezes around the piece of dry ice. The ice is so cold the drink freezes and the smoke stops. To solve this use smaller pieces of dry ice, warm the drink so it does not get too cold.
Do not add the dry ice ahead of time. Wait until the guests arrive since the effect of the dry ice is short. Keep the unused dry ice wrapped as much as possible and purchase right before the party. In your freezer dry ice will evaporate and just disappear from it's packaging.
And most important - When using dry ice in punches or drinks there are some cautions to keep in mind. Accidentally drinking a large piece of dry ice could cause some serious harm. Dry ice when handled directly can seriously burn you. It's like a freezer burn or frostbite.
Thank you to Hauntyourhome.com for instructions on the dry ice.


Now, find a great serving bowl like a black cauldron (these are easy to find this time of year at any of your common department stores) and add your punch. You can also freeze tiny plastic babies, body parts, eyeballs or bugs in ice cubs and add them to the punch as well.  Have fun with it and of course we definitely want to hear all about these stories and see these pictures too! You can submit your stories here and post your pictures to our Facebook wall!

Happy Haunting!

'Trash Breakfast' for the RV Lifestyle.

Say what?! Some of you are thinking "you must be joking". While others are saying "yep! its the best thing since sliced bread!"  Well, if you're in the first group and you have not tried this favorite foil recipe yet, you're in for a treat! Its sure to be a family favorite.


Here's what you'll need:

6 eggs

1 lb sausage or ham, cooked

1 bag shredded hash brown

2 cups shredded sharp cheese

1 medium onion
Chopped red, yellow, or green peppers

Seasoning salt and pepper

And here's what ya do:

Take an aluminum foil cooking bag sprayed with pam, sprinkle with seasoning salt and put some pats of butter in the foil bag. Open a bag of hash browns, beat eggs, chop onions, pour all ingredients into the bag of hash browns, and mix by squeezing. Then pour the mixture into the foil cooking bag and spread out. Add some salt and pepper, more seasoning salt, and a bit more butter on top of the hash brown mixture. Place the aluminum cooking bag on a preheated grill (medium heat) and turn the bag every five minutes. The bag will start to puff and you can open it to check for readiness. 

And there you have it, trash breakfast prepared cooked in foil and ready to eat! Let us know how you like it and don't forget to send in those stories about your RV adventures!

A Grilled Specialty for the RV Tastebuds

Who’s the grill master of your home on wheels? Chances are it's the Mister (come on ladies, we have to let them be the king of something!), but we’re willing to bet we’ve got something up our sleeve that he hasn’t grilled yet and we’re pretty sure that once you've tried it, it’s going to be added to the favorites list. While the idea of grilling fruit isn’t new, it isn’t all that common either. That's right, we said grilling fruit. For those of you who have already tried this wonderful treat, we don’t have to convince you just how delightful it is, but for those of you who have not yet given it a go, this recipe is a must! Grilled fruit is so delectable, it can take the place of other more sinful desserts. You can have a little extra and still not feel guilty! Have we convinced you yet? Shall we just get on with the recipe already?

Evanne Schmarder, host of RV Cooking Show is the genius to credit for this fabulous recipe, so be sure to stop by her website and thank her, and don’t forget to stop by our website too! Better yet, come on over and see us here at RV Country and by all means, feel free to bring us some of your leftovers!

Ingredients:
Honey-Balsamic Glaze
1/4 c honey*
2 T dark balsamic vinegar
1 T packed brown sugar
1 t real vanilla extract
1/8 c water
Fruit
2 freestone peaches - halved, pit removed
2 ripe, sweet plums - halved, pits removed
10 strawberries - washed and skewered (2 skewers - 5 on each)
4 or 5 figs - ends cut off and halved
Goat cheese (for figs)
Foil or grilling tray for figs - sprayed with canola oil spray to prevent sticking

How to:
Preheat grill on high.
Combine all Honey-Balsamic Glaze ingredients in a small bowl and mix together well.
Using a basting brush, coat all fruit with the glaze.
Reduce grill heat to medium and place fruit, flesh side down, on grill. Baste the top of the fruit with glaze.
Grill for 3-4 minutes (strawberries are delicate - check them in 1-2 minutes) and turn. Baste the fruit once again. Grill for another 3 or so minutes until a paring knife goes through fruit with ease. Remove from grill. Check the strawberries visually and when they look soft and grill-marked they are done - 1 or 2 more minutes after turning - remove from grill and set aside.
Figs
Place fig halves on foil (that has been sprayed with canola oil spray), baste with glaze, and top with a small spoonful of goat cheese. Transfer foil to grill and grill until the figs look caramelized and the goat cheese has browned on the tips a bit - 3-5 minutes. Remove and be prepared to rave!
Serve this luscious grilled fruit warm or at room-temperature over whipped cream, vanilla yogurt, or by itself as a delicious breakfast treat or meal side-dish.

Additional Tips:
Spray your honey measuring cup with canola oil spray and the honey will slip out of the cup and into the bowl.
Choose fruit that is about one day away from being perfectly ripe. Too soft and it'll mush on the grill grate. Too hard and it's just not sweet enough.
Try grilling any type of fruit you enjoy. 
When grilling meat for a Mexican dish I always throw a couple of halved limes flesh side down on the grill for a few minutes. They get sweet, smoky, juicy and delish!

Chunky Monkey Pancakes Recipe

Now here's a delicious and easy recipe that puts a little spin on the regular pancake breakfast. This is one we wanted to share because it's nice and simple and definitely one that the kids will love!
This is taken from Dot's Back Inn in Richmond, Va.


*Makes 2 Servings*

Ingredients:
Your favorite pancake batter
1/2 Cup chocolate chips
1 Cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
2 bananas peeled
2 Tablespoons butter
Whipped cream for serving
Confectioner's sugar for serving


Directions:
1. On greased griddle or large skillet, ladle about 1/4 Cup of batter to make a large pancake. Once bubbles begin to appear on the surface, sprinkle half of the chocolate chips and nuts on top of pancake. Flip the pancake when golden brown on the bottom and cook until set. Transfer to plate, and repeat to make another pancake.

2.  While the pancakes cook, sprinkle 1/2 tsp or so of cinnamon to taste over the whole bananas. Melt the butter in a small frying pan over medium heat. When foam subsides, place the bananas in the pan and saute, turning until tender.

3.  Wrap each banana in a chocolate chip pancake. Garnish with whipped cream and confectioner's sugar and ENJOY!

Yummy!!

RV Country Cooks up Some Simple Cowboy Beans

Here’s a rootin’ tootin’ simple new recipe we came across, and we just had to share it with our fellow RVers. It’s called ‘Cowboy Beans’ and what dinner out on the trail would be complete without these fibrous legumes? Young and old cow-poke alike are sure to enjoy this tasty side dish and it’ll give both age groups a reason to sing the old rhyme “Beans, beans, the musical fruit…” Errrr,  on second thought let’s just get to that delicious recipe, shall we?

 Ingredients

1 Pound Hamburger

1 Pound Bacon

2 Cans of Large Bush’s Baked Beans

1/4 Cup of Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup of Ketchup

1 Onion Chopped and Caramelized
1/2 Green Pepper
Salt & Black Pepper

Directions

Brown Hamburger.

Cook Bacon.

Combine Hamburger with Bacon and Beans along with Brown Sugar and Ketchup.

Caramelize the onion and green pepper and then add to the meat and beans.

Season to your liking.

Simmer for ½ hour.

ENJOY!

RV Lifestyle Travel Recipes: Mmmmm...Guacamole

Looking for that perfect dip to go with your chips? Whether you’re tailgating or just craving a late night snack, you’re going to love this quick and simple recipe.

Quick Guacamole
Use a cup of salsa to make this easy guacamole. Mash a few ripe avocados, stir in a dash of lemon juice and you're done! Guacamole will turn brown if allowed to sit and is best made shortly before serving.

For a touch of spice, try adding a splash of Tobasco!

How easy is that? And it's delicious!

A Breakfast Everyone Will Enjoy!

Here's a breakfast you can prepare indoors or out, and the kids are sure to love it... It's so easy, they can even help out!

PB&J French Toast

Ingredients:
12 slices bread
3/4 cup peanut butter
6 tablespoons jelly or jam
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Directions:
Spread peanut butter on six slices of bread; spread jelly on other six slices of bread. Put one slice of each together to form sandwiches. In mixing bowl, lightly beat eggs; add milk and salt and mix together. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip sandwiches in egg mixture, coating well. Place in skillet and brown on both sides.


ENJOY!