Campfire Treat - Doughboys

For some families the kids are already back in school; for others the start of the school year is just around the corner. Either way, all across the country the upcoming Labor Day weekend is a big summer weekend to go camping America. Plan to enjoy quality together time hiking and exploring, geocaching if that’s your thing, grilling some mighty tasty chops, and capping the perfect day around a roaring campfire (find campfire tips here).

Top it off by trying a delish fireside treat that’s sure to be a hit...doughboys. These little toasted tubes can be filled with your choice of fillings - chocolate syrup, jelly, pie filling, whipped cream - you get the picture - and enjoyed on the spot. Here’s how to make your own doughboys:

You’ll need a “stick” about 1 ½ inches in diameter and about 2 feet long (pick up an untreated wooden dowel at your local home improvement store and cut to length). Decorate the holding end with permanent markers (this makes a great campsite craft).

At the campfire, butter the doughboy end of the stick and using refrigerated biscuit dough roll a single biscuit into a snake shape. Spiral wrap the dough on the buttered end of the stick making sure the dough is sealed on the sides and end - creating a “tube”. Rotate/toast over the fire for about 5 minutes - until it’s brown and easily slips off the stick (careful - they’re hot). Fill and enjoy - bet you can eat more than one!!

Find more kid-friendly recipes as well as your perfect place to tent camp or go RVing at GoCampingAmerica.com.

Contributed by Evanne Schmarder

RV Cooking Show - St Louis for Free and Chops on the Grill

Here at the RV Cooking Show we have a thing for cities. There’s a certain buzz, an abundance of culture and cuisine, and a sense of urgency that calls to us. When the opportunity to go RVing in or on the edge of a city presents itself we are tickled. That’s just what happened to us in St Louis – a generous host offering plenty of free things to do and see. Sure, you could spend a bundle if you wish, but you can just as easily fill up your days (and senses) with complimentary admissions, neighborhood strolls, etc. Find out what freebies we loved in St Louis then join us as we grill pork chops and top them with a magical compound butter (a fancy way of saying butter with a few mix-ins).



Looking for terrific tips on Missouri? Check out the Go Camping America Missouri page. And don’t forget…getting there in the camper is half the fun. Pick up some helpful  RV driving tips here...can't hurt, right?

Here’s to a summer of great grilling and happy camping / RVing!

Evanne
RVCookingShow.com

PS – Print this delish recipe here…oh, yeah!

RV Park and Campground Libraries

Picture yourself lounging by the pool or relaxing at your campsite, lazily enjoying a really good book. It’s so good you finally finish it with a smile but that smile soon turns to dismay…you’re only into the 3rd day of your camping vacation and you've already used up your reading material. Enter the RV park / campground book exchange. Yep, most parks offer a “library” worthy of your attention.

Locate the library (sometimes in the laundry room) and you may find magazines, books, videos, games, puzzles, newspapers and more. It works like this – take one, leave one or borrow and return one. At the very least, book and magazine exchanges can be found at many, many RV parks and campgrounds. The titles you’ll find in the camp’s library may be as diverse as a big city library – magazines from National Geographic to Cooking Light to Smithsonian to Highways, both fiction and non-fiction books - medical, travel, suspense, romance, etc. and often puzzles of every challenge level.

In some parks you might even come across a selection of movies – sometimes VHS, sometime DVDs. Movies are usually not for exchange but donations to the collection are always welcome. Borrow them for a day or two – free - but please remember to return them. Games follow the same procedure and are for everyone’s enjoyment.

If this is something that interests you, before you leave home gather up the magazines, books, videos, games, etc. you’ve already enjoyed and plan to visit camp libraries at every stop along the way. Don’t worry if they aren’t the latest and greatest. The magazines may not always be current but the content is as valuable as the day it came out. Recipes are still tasty; motivational advice still stands; touching family stories still have the power to move you.

You don’t have to exchange in the same genre, either. Exchange a novel for a cookbook, a self-help book for a AAA Travel Guide, a how-to guide for a children’s book. In some parks you might even come upon a “reference library”. Please respect their rules and requests when it comes to “reference” items. These items are typically for “in library” reading only.

So, when packing up your family’s home-away-from-home, bring along your “used” books, magazines or other entertainment items and know that more often than not interesting material is at hand – add or exchange as you see fit!!

All the more reason to Go Camping America …see you on the road!

Contributed by Evanne Schmarder

RV Cooking Show Goes Green

Don't let anyone tell you that RVers are not green. There's plenty of things we do to love our Mother Earth, our fellow beings, and the great outdoors. In this Earth Day RV Cooking Show episode we'll explore a few great things campgrounds and RV parks are doing to go green, ways we RVers save, and a few earth-friendly RV cleaning techniques. And of course, we've got a fast and fine dish for you to try. It's all right here compliments of the RVCookingShow.com and your friends at GoCampingAmerica.com.



Love the clean green concept but not sure what you should stock in your green cleaning kit? Give these few household items a place in your RV and you too can clean green:

Green Cleaning Kit

Baking Soda - cleans, polishes, deodorizes

Distilled White Vinegar - cuts grease, kills mold, deodorizes, does not stain

Castile Soap - natural, bio-degradable, plant-based soap

Borax - bleach alternative, cleans, deodorizes, disinfects (can irritate the skin and should not be ingested - by people or pets)

Cornstarch - cleans, polishes, deodorizes carpeting and rugs, removes grease stains

Toothpaste - a mild abrasive polishes

Lemon - antibacterial, fragrant, stain remover, bleaching agent

Olive Oil - nourishes wood, polishes

Essential Oils - disinfects, fragrant

Tea Tree Oil - antiseptic
 
By the way, green campers, several GoCampingAmerica.com campgrounds and RV parks have gone green. Look for this "Plan-it Green" logo next to their listing:
 
 

 
Happy Earth Day...cheers everyone!
 
Evanne
RV Cooking Show

RV Cooking Show Shares Pots and Pans Packing Advice + a Delish RV Recipe

All across the country trees are budding, flowers are beginning to bloom, birds are chirping…and RVers and campers are preparing for their spring/summer adventures. One of the great things about camping is that it can be as expensive or as frugal as you choose to make it. A big financial factor is food – will you choose to eat out or dine in? Chances are it’ll be a combo.

Don’t be caught unprepared to cook a terrific meal at your campsite – it’s easy, fun, can be a great family affair, and is definitely a dollar-stretcher. In this episode of the RV Cooking Show I’ll show you what pots and pans I bring along in my RV…and a few things I carry that I really don’t need. Print a nifty RV Pots & Pans checklist here!

After a walk through my RV kitchen cupboards we’ll prepare a simple and delicious RV recipe - warm tortellini salad that can be made in advance and that is terrific for picnics and potlucks. It’s a favorite in my RV and will be a tasty addition to the ‘Movie Under the Stars Potluck Party’ this weekend at the campground I’m visiting.

Stay tuned to the GoCampingAmerica blog – soon your RV Cooking Show friends will share how we stock our RV kitchen pantry and even offer a checklist for your convenience.

Excitement is mounting…find your perfect camping spot, pick up a few helpful camping tips, and get ready to enjoy the great outdoors - it’s time to Go Camping America!

Evanne

http://www.rvcookingshow.com/