Winter Menus For That All-Weather RVer

Winter Menus For That All-Weather RVer

There’s nothing like getting behind the wheel and on the open road.  A chance to set about on another exciting adventure.   You’re anxious, but in a good way.  After all, you’ve carefully planned out your itinerary down to the very last detail, your daily mileage allotted and accounted for, your camping reservations confirmed and your RV just got out of the shop for its end of the summer tune up.  But wait, your wife just reminded you about a change in the meal plans.  That’s right, she’s insisting on some cooler weather fare that will hit the spot just perfectly after a long day on the road.   What’s cooking for an autumn RV trip?  Let’s take a look at a couple of great fall RV recipes.

Dutch-Oven:  This should be a must have item in your trusty RV’s kitchen.  Especially in the fall.  Days tend to be warm and the nights, clear and crisp, presenting a great ambience for that cooked-over-the-coals meal.  The only problem is that you just can’t be in a hurry when you’re planning this meal, but the longer it cooks; the more savory the results will be.   When cooking with a Dutch oven you should be familiar with a briquette temperature guide and make sure you’ve got plenty of coals, and above all, bring a meat thermometer just to make sure your meal reaches a safely cooked temperature.

Here are a couple of recipes that are a crowd-pleasing hit with us and the grandkids.

Dutch oven Pot Roast:

3 1/2 to 4 lb. beef roast

2 cups baby carrots

1 yellow onion, chopped

10-12 small Yukon gold potatoes

3 cups beef broth

1 cup red wine

¼ cup flour

1 TBL seasoning salt

2 tsp. Italian seasonings

2 cloves minced garlic

1 TBL vegetable oil

Get a large Ziploc bag and add flour, seasonings and seasoning salt, mix well and add roast, shake to cover.  In the meantime, add 32 briquettes to your flames and let them start to ash over, when they are ready and glowing put your oven down and add the cooking oil as it heats throw in your garlic and stir to keep it from burning.  Add your pre-seasoned roast and brown both sides, once browned throw in your carrots, chopped onion and potatoes, pour in your beef broth and wine.   Cover with lid, once covered add about 20 briquettes to the lid, leave the other 12 on the bottom, make sure your liquid heats up to a boil before you reduce heat and plan on cooking for at least two and a half hours, or when the meat temperature reaches 140 °, check every thirty minutes to test for tenderness.

Dutch oven Berry Cobbler:

25 Briquettes

5 cups blackberries fresh (rinsed) or frozen

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 ½ tsp. cornstarch

½ cup sugar (filling)

1 ½ cups flour

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

¼ cup sugar (crust)

4 TBL chilled butter (cut into pieces)

½ cup milk

In medium sized bowl add berries, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice, pour into Dutch oven.  For the crust, mix flour and baking powder and sugar, add pieces of butter until it is crumbling.  Add milk and mix until you can roll into a ball.  Roll out dough and cut into triangular pieces to cover top of berry mixture, cut slits for heat to escape.  Add lid and put 17 of the briquettes on top.  Cook for 30 min. or until crust is golden.

Hope you enjoy these recipes and have fun traveling through the cooler autumn season.  The fall is a beautiful time to behold Mother Nature in all her glory.   Warm days spent hiking and admiring all the fall colors that paint the autumn landscape.   This is also the best way to work up a good appetite.  What could be better than a hike in the great outdoors? How about a great meal waiting for you at the end of the day.