Cooking and baking in a RV

“I could never live in a RV full-time because I’d get bored living on hot dogs and hamburgers”. Al patiently listened to this comment. Then in a somewhat perplexed tone, he looked at the guy and asked, “What are you talking about?” The guy quickly responded, “Isn’t that what you eat when you’re camping?”

With a chuckle, Al quickly responded by rattling off a list of meals he had enjoyed that week – all lovingly made by his dear wife …. Chicken Marsala, Shrimp Pasta Primavera, Fish Tacos with homemade guacamole, T-bone steak topped with sautéed mushrooms, Chicken Enchiladas, and of course, Hamburgers, but not just any old hamburger, a Hatch Chili Burger.

Then hubby went on to list a few delectable treats that he had the pleasure of devouring (also made by the love of his life). The guy was in total shock and exclaimed, “Wow, if that’s how you eat, I could live in a RV full-time. As a matter of fact, can I move in with you?” 😆

The bottom line is, if it can be made in a sticks and bricks home, it can be made in a RV. Now don’t get me wrong, there are some challenges to overcome cooking in a RV. First and foremost is the size of the RV which dictates the size of the kitchen, the size of the appliances, and the amount of storage space available. But with good organizational skills and thoughtful planning, anything is possible. Just ask my family and friends.

Last month I baked a delicious birthday cake for my daughter, and all from scratch. No box mixes that day. Her millennial girlfriends (non RVer’s) were surprised this was all done in an RV.

According to my daughter, it seems I may have redeemed myself from last years mess of a birthday cake.

And no, I won’t be sharing a photo of that cake, too embarrassing, but she sure had fun re-posting the photo of it on Facebook. Last years cake was one of those failures in crafting –  “A” for effort and “F” for execution.

(This post contains affiliate links)  This years birthday cake was a tasty Black Forest Cake with a Game of Thrones inspired theme and actually turned out cute and tasty. My daughter is a huge Game of Thrones fan and loved the beanie baby Dragon on top. (FYI – Black Forest Cake = chocolate cake covered in chocolate frosting with a cherry filling between layers – oh, yum indeed!) Yeah, I did good creating this birthday cake, and I had fun doing it and all in the confines of my little RV kitchen.

I’ve talked many times before how social RVing and blogging can be. We’ve developed some fabulous friendships these past several years between RVing and blogging. Usually the meet ups are centered around food and beverages. Either we meet at a restaurant or preferably at someone’s home which could be a sticks and bricks or an RV, and everyone brings something to share.

Many of us, whether we live in a traditional house or a RV do not have family close by, and this can bring on a feeling of loneliness and even more so during the holiday season. We love and miss our family during the entire year, but especially during the holidays. Al and I have lived most of our adult lives far from extended family and have learned to adjust. We turn to friends during those times when we aren’t near family for the holidays.

Holiday journey …

I recall, the first Thanksgiving Al and I ever spent together. He was a Pilot and I a Flight Attendant for a small regional airline based in Chicago, Illinois. It was the second time we had met and worked together, and we were on a three-day trip over the Thanksgiving holiday. During those three days, we found ourselves bouncing between the cities of Chicago, New York, Omaha, Kansas City and Philadelphia.

By the time we landed in Philadelphia on Thanksgiving Day, it was around 4:00 in the afternoon. The entire crew was famished after a very long second day of this three-day trip.

We scoured the airport for food, but everything was closed except for a cafeteria which was also in the process of closing down. Our only choice …. Phillie cheese steak sandwiches. We’ll take’m! Not one crew member complained as we sat in silence filling our growling bellies. This was just the beginning of a blossoming romance between a Pilot and a Flight Attendant ❤

Many years and two kids later, we were living in Colorado Springs, Colorado. With extended family more than a thousand miles away, we decided to head to the mountains for the Thanksgiving weekend. I booked a hotel room in Dillon, Colorado, so the kids, who were about 12 and 14 years old at the time, could enjoy opening ski season.

Armed with walkie-talkies, we turned the kids loose on the slopes at Copper Mountain while Al and I enjoyed the comforts of a roaring fire at the base of the mountain accompanied by hot toddies.  (Al and I are certified flat-landers who have never been bitten by the skiing bug, but we encouraged our children to ski. After all, if you grow up in Colorado, you have to ski. It’s a rule 🎿 😄). Less than two hours later, we were greeted with a hysterically crying twelve-year-old daughter, whom I might add was dressed quite adorably by moi with her powder blue ski boots, matching jacket, headband and bouncing French braided pigtails … so cute, but back to the crying mess …

Through all her hiccuping cries, we had trouble understanding a word she said. She didn’t seem hurt and her hysterically laughing brother following behind her lead us to believe it wasn’t serious.

Once the crying and laughing subsided, we were briefed on the kids faux pas. You see, when they got off the chair lift, they took a wrong turn and found themselves going down a challenging slope with moguls. Those two young novice skiers didn’t even know what the term mogul skiing meant, let alone know how to navigate that slope. To make a long story short, there were a few wipe-outs and somersaults involved, but no injuries. Something to be thankful for!

To stem the hysteria, we gave the kids the choice of where to eat for our Thanksgiving dinner and they unanimously picked pizza at Old Chicago in Silverthorn.  Another turkey saved. Fun and memorable times!

For our family, it isn’t so much about the food as it is about making memories, spending time together, and being thankful. We’ve always opened our home to neighbors and friends and we’ve continued that tradition in our RVing life. Full-time RVing finds most of us many miles away from family, and this is when we reach out to our RVing and blogging community.

I’ll never forget the toast friends of ours made before sharing a Thanksgiving dinner together, “You can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your family.  Cheers … here’s to picking us”. 

Whether you’re spending the holiday by yourself, or sharing it with a partner, or with extended family, or even with a friend made the day before, remember to make your own holiday tradition. There are no rules …. well …. except for one ….. apple pie. For an American Thanksgiving meal, dinner can be the traditional turkey with all the trimmings, or a Phillie cheese steak sandwich, or even pizza, but you must have apple pie … it’s the American thing to do 😆

Easy apple pie recipe …

As I mentioned earlier, cooking and baking in a small kitchen like a RV can be a challenge. When we lived in a sticks and bricks home, I always made my apple pie from scratch, including the crust, but I have a counter top space issue in my RV, meaning I have very little room to roll out a pie crust …. sigh!

Believe me, I’ve tried every possibility including the table and even my desk, but in all cases it was a huge pain, not to mention a mess, to try to roll out a pie crust. Don’t even get me started on trying to roll out Christmas cookies. Ah, that’s another story and another sigh.

So onto plan B which includes a store-bought frozen pie crust. Hey, when you live in a RV full-time, some sacrifices are needed, but I still insist on making as much from scratch as possible, and this pie still tastes better than any store-bought version.

Hope you enjoy this super easy apple pie recipe, and be sure to let me know if you give it a try!