Answers To Questions About Life On The Road + Southern Recipes
Issue #26, Let's Get Lost, October 19, 2024: Answers to questions about life on the road + Shrimp and grits casserole + Southern apple cobbler + Roasted garlic aioli + Book and podcast recommendations
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Last week I asked if any of you had questions about our life on the road and one reader commented with a list of 6 questions, which just made my day. I also received a couple of emails with a handful more, some of which I’ve combined, and I’ve tried to answer them all in this week’s issue. So here we go…
(And if you’re just here for the food, scroll on down because this week’s new recipes are full of southern goodness, y’all.)
Is it hard to find “in between” spots to park while you’re traveling?
Sometimes. I plan our entire year in advance and try to arrange things so we only have one travel day from one place to the next. But sometimes two back-to-back days of travel are inevitable. We have a membership to Harvest Hosts, a network of businesses and people who will let you park in their parking lot or on their land for the night. I always check there first to see if there’s any place we can stay that’s on our route.
If not, we look for rest stops or RV friendly parking lots. I use Campendium to plan our year and they also mark parking lots where other campers have reported staying overnight.
How busy are the Rv parks you frequent especially in off camping seasons?
One of the reasons I plan our year in advance is so we can get a reservation. If I want to make a reservation during peak season at a popular campground, I set a calendar notification so I can make our reservation the minute reservations open or I won’t get a spot. And sometimes that doesn’t even work.
It’s much easier in the off season. We are from Colorado, and that’s where our daughters and the rest of our family live. When we visit during peak season, I have to make our reservation far in advance. This is totally unnecessary when we visit in the winter for the holidays.
We almost always boondock in when it is considered the “off season”. Boondocking involves just showing up and finding a place to park and we don’t want to risk not finding a place during busy months. Also, the weather is usually more mild in the the off season months. Mild weather is much easier to manage when we are not plugged into electricity and relying on solar for power.
Do you encounter other full timers often?
Not very often, actually. It kind of depends on the type of park we are at. We really like State Parks and campgrounds where everyone is on vacation. There’s a very fun energy because everyone is just so happy to be there. It’s nice. In those types of places, we rarely meet other full timers.
We are more likely to see other full timers in parks that are popular because of their proximity to cities. Also, we tend to see more full timers in RV parks than we do in campgrounds and state parks.
Do you think the Rv/van life lifestyle is growing?
This is hard to say… It seems to us that the majority of people living in RVs and vans are either young or retired. Younger people are usually trying to live very inexpensively and don’t spend a lot of money on campgrounds and RV parks. We do some boondocking, but the majority of our year is spent at campgrounds and RV parks so the full timers we see the most often are retired folks. It’s very rare that we meet people our age that are working remotely.
Technology make it easier than ever to be a nomad but it’s difficult for most people to detach themselves from a location.
We meet people all the time who say, “I would love to do that” but they don’t work remotely or have other obligations that keep them in a specific location. Even though more people are working from home, I think it’s rare to find companies who allow their employees to be 100% remote. So, I’d guess that most working nomads are entrepreneurs or freelancers.
I also think that a lot of people try it and find out it’s not for them.
All that to say that yes, I think the RV/van life lifestyle is growing, but I think most people do it for a set amount of time and then settle back down.
If so or even if not, what are some industry wide or country wide changes would be beneficial or would you like to see to better foster nomads? More Rv parks? More highway parking for rvs? Things I can’t even think of?
This is an interesting question…. It used to be much easier to park in public parking lots when traveling across the country. Now many big box stores that use to allow overnight parking no longer do. I think it’s a situation where a small number of people have ruined it for the rest of us.
But it would be fantastic if there were more public parking spaces that allowed for overnight stays.
Also, I think that people are both fascinated with nomads but also resistant and skeptical of us. I’m not sure that most people see it as a reasonable and acceptable way of life. They think it’s interesting, but it’s not really what you are supposed to do.
Most people don’t want RVs, vans, or campers in their neighborhoods and aren’t crazy about new RV parks being built close by. And most cities are already crowded with parking shortages, so understandably, don’t allow RV parking.
I think there are ways that our cities could embrace and support nomads in a way that benefits everyone but I don’t know that I see that happening any time soon.
Even though we are just passing through, while we are here (wherever here is), we shop, eat, buy groceries and gas and spend all kinds of money in the local economy. I think, if more cities recognized that they might look for ways to attract us.
How could a non-nomad better assist their traveling friends or strangers?
This is such a great question! If you have space for people to park, you can sign up as a host on Boondockers Welcome. This is a network of people with land, or just a long driveway, who welcome RVers to come and stay for the night.
One idea that probably relates more to the earlier question is that it would be amazing to have a nationwide network of people who love their city and volunteer to answer visitor questions. For example, if we roll into a new city, how amazing would it be to go online and ask a local for restaurant recommendations? Or where to get local produce? Or the best place to buy new tennis shoes? Or what local activities are happening that we should check out?
Years ago, we were in New York City and met a couple who had created this incredible document for their friends and family that listed all their favorite restaurants (grouped by price and location) and other useful things like where to find public restrooms in any given part of the city. They shared it with us and we used it constantly when we took our kids to NYC the following year.
This is the kind of information that’s difficult to come by as visitors. If someone could create a network of insider info that you’d only know if you lived there, that would be gold.
How do you decide where to go next?
I plan our entire year in advance to ensure that we get to visit the places we want to see at the time of year we want to go there. A lot goes into each year's travel plans! So much so that I've written a whole article about it: RV Trip Planning One Year at a Time
How often do you move and how long does it take you to pack up and get on the road?
We generally stay in one location for at least two weeks to allow one full weekend when we can get out and explore the area. In some cases we’ll stay longer. For example, right now we are in North Carolina for the entire month of October. And last year, we parked ourselves in the Seattle are for 5 months. So, it varies.
We’ve been living in our RV since early 2020 and so far we’ve been averaging 15-20 different locations a year.
Packing up and getting on the road takes us 2 hours - we can do it faster if we need to, but on a normal moving day, 2 hours is the right amount of time. Many RVers try to minimize the amount of packing and unpacking they do so they can get on the road faster.
For us, we enjoy being fully settled and at home wherever we are. I love having books on my bookshelf, candles on the table, pictures everywhere, and vases filled with flowers scattered all around. We live here and we both like feeling at home wherever we are.
That means packing and unpacking more stuff, but it’s something that we honestly don’t mind doing. This is our home and we want it to feel homey.
Do you have a question about life on the road that wasn’t answered here? Please leave it in a comment (hit the comment icon at the top or the bottom of this post) or reply to this email. I am always happy to hear from you!
Quick links:
You can read this and every issue by going directly to rebeccablackwell.com
Scroll through the recipe index where every recipe published in Let’s Get Lost is listed
Check out my notes, where I share thoughts and ideas throughout the week including things from other people that I find interesting and think you might too
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New on the blogs
Navy Bean Soup: I mentioned this in last week’s newsletter but am bringing it up again because it’s just the perfect thing to make (in my opinion) this time of the year. Get the recipe —> Navy Bean Soup
Cream cheese chocolate chip cookies: These little cream cheese chocolate chip cookies are so tender and buttery that they literally melt in your mouth. Get the recipe —> Cream cheese chocolate chip cookies
Chocolate chip brown sugar cookies: These chocolate chip brown sugar cookies are buttery, chewy, molasses and vanilla spiked, with the nutty flavor of brown butter and plenty of melty chocolate chips. Get the recipe —> Chocolate chip brown sugar cookies
Shrimp and grits casserole
Growing up in Colorado, grits is not something I grew up on. I honestly can’t recall the first time I tasted grits, but I’d guess I was an adult. Regardless, I’ve eaten them in many ways and I like them all.
Grits are a fascinating food because the historical roots extends from many cultures. It is both a humble food associated with thrift, poverty, and survival and something you’ll find on fine dining menus throughout the south. Also, it’s a breakfast, lunch and dinner food. It’s all things from many people.
If you are the kind of person who enjoys learning about the history of food (because the history of food is the history of people), this article by Erin Byers Murray who literally wrote a book on the subject (Grits: A Cultural and Culinary Journey Through the South) is an interesting read: Shrimp and Grits: A History
Many delicious recipes for shrimp and grits exist and this recipe is not my attempt to improve upon them. If you are a southerner, I’m sure you already have a favorite recipe or way of preparing this dish and should I ever find myself in your home, I’d welcome the opportunity to taste it.
This recipe is for all of us non-southerners who love southern food but do not get to spend much time here. It’s a one-pot meal made from simple ingredients you can find anywhere, and is easily adaptable to your personal tastes.
*Make 4 - 6 servings
1 medium shallot
1 large red bell pepper
1 jalapeño pepper
2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
4 cloves garlic - minced
1 can (10-ounce) diced tomatoes
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1 - 3 teaspoons cajun or creole seasoning (See note below)
2 cups chicken broth (or Better than Bouillon chicken base mixed with water)
2/3 cup corn grits; do not use instant grits (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste (see note below)
1 large egg
1 pound large shrimp - 16-20 count, peeled, deveined and cooked; tails cut off
6 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Peel and dice the shallot. Remove the stem and seeds from the red pepper and dice. Remove the stem and seeds from the jalapeño and dice.
Add 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon of oil to a braiser, a dutch oven, or another oven proof pan with a lid. (You can also prepare this in a large saucepan and then transfer it to a casserole dish before placing it in the oven to bake.) Set the pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the diced shallot, red pepper, and jalapeño. Cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 4 minutes.
While the vegetables cook, peel and dice 4 cloves of garlic. Add the garlic to the pan along with the diced tomatoes, green chiles, and cajun seasoning. Bring to a boil and cook for a minute or two then add the chicken broth.
Slowly, stir in the grits. Bring the mixture back to a boil then reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes, until the mixture is quite thick. Remove from the heat and taste for seasoning.
Crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk with a fork to break it up and combine the yolk with the white. Slowly pour the beaten egg into the grits, stirring constantly. Stir in the shrimp and half of the cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the shrimp and grits and place the pan in the oven to bake.
Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes, until the grits are bubbling all over. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with some fresh parsley before serving, if desired.
Notes:
There is a lot of variation from brand to brand in the amount of salt in cajun seasoning so be mindful of that when deciding how much to add. This is also true of chicken broth. I used Better Than Bouillon chicken base, which has a high sodium content. Between that and the cajun spice blend I used, there wasn’t any need to add any additional salt. Just taste and add more only if you need it.
Substitutions and adaptions:
Instead of cajun seasoning: Cajun seasoning is generally a mix of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, cayenne, thyme, salt, and pepper. If you like, use any combination of those spices to achieve a blend that suits your taste buds.
Instead of pepper jack cheese: Sharp cheddar and smoked gouda are my other two favorite choices in this dish.
Instead of shrimp: Any kind of cooked protein or shell fish can be substituted for the shrimp. I mean, it obviously won’t be shrimp and grits if there isn’t any shrimp, but it will be delicious.
Add some cooked bacon along with the shrimp: even better if you use bacon fat instead of vegetable oil to cook the vegetables
We ate this with my favorite buttermilk biscuits, which I keep in the freezer at all times. They can be baked from frozen, and I love being able to pull a couple from the freezer any time I like and pop them in the oven to bake,
Southern Apple Cobbler
Soon after arriving in North Carolina, Steve and I hopped on the motorcycle and headed to Tallulah Gorge State Park in Georgia. The owner of the RV park we are staying at mentioned that it was a beautiful drive and that you could hike down into the gorge to view a large waterfall. That was all the encouragement we needed on a warm, sunny fall Saturday.
After gawking at the waterfall, we headed to a local BBQ joint where we enjoyed piles of tender pork doused with sauce and a bowl of peach cobbler.
I have been trying to replicate the crust of that cobbler ever since.
Cobbler is one of those things with a thousand variations. The topping can be pie crust, puff pastry, cake-like, cookie-like, or biscuit-like. I have published three favorite cobbler recipes, all three of them with a chewy sugar cookie crust that I find absolutely delightful:
But the crust on the cobbler we had in Georgia was something totally different. It was more on the pastry side of things, almost like a pie crust, but softer and sweeter, and more gooey than flaky.
I’ve read hundreds of recipes and experimented with several different methods but, friends, we’re not there yet. This cobbler still doesn’t have the kind of crust that we had at that restaurant.
But, it IS still really, really good. It’s not what I was intending, but it is delicious.
I do still want to figure out how to make a cobbler that’s similar to what I ate in that BBQ joint. When I figure it out, you’ll be the first to know. 🙂
And, dear friends, especially those of you who are in the south or who grew up in the south, if you have a recipe that you think might be close to what I’m talking about, please share it with me!
For the filling:
¼ cup lemon juice
3 pounds of apples - I used Honeycrisp
⅓ cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, OR 1/2 teaspoon table salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
For the topping:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup of sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C).
Pour the lemon juice into a large bowl. Cut the apples in quarters then peel, remove the core, and cut each quarter into slices that are roughly 1/2 to 1/4-inch thick. As you cut, peel, and slice, add them to the bowl with the lemon juice, tossing them around in the juice to coat. This will prevent them from browning.
Add the rest of the filling ingredients and toss everything around until the apples are evenly coated. Transfer the apples and any accumulated juice to a 8 or 9 inch square baking dish.
Rinse out and dry the bowl, then add 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1 cup of sugar, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt to the bowl. Stir to mix.
Pour the melted butter into the flour and sugar and stir to mix it into a dough.
Press handfuls of dough into thick palm-sized disks that are roughly 1/2-inch thick. Lay the disks over the apples. If you have any extra topping, just crumble it over the cobbler.
Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the topping is starting to lightly brown and the filling is bubbling all around the edges of the pan.
Let the cobbler rest inside the pan for 20 minutes before serving. Serve the cobbler warm, at room temperature, or cold. Store the cobbler, covered, in the refrigerator.
Super easy roasted garlic aioli
There is a fantastic olive oil shop in Bryson City, North Carolina, where we are spending the month of October and I have definitely done my part to support them. 😂
Last week’s issue was all about olive oil with recipes for roasted carrot soup with olive oil, olive oil chocolate cake, and fresh herb oil. And this week, I have one more for you… Roasted Garlic Aioli.
I listened to a conversation on a podcast where two people talked about how much they hate mayonnaise but love aioli. I wanted to scream into my phone: THEY ARE THE SAME THING!
Aioli just sounds cooler than mayonnaise.
And, ok. There are some differences. Aioli is almost always made with garlic and olive oil. Mayo can be made with any kind of oil. But otherwise, they are basically the same thing.
Both mayo and aioli are simple to make from scratch, especially if you use a blender. But you can make an even easier version of aioli by just starting with prepared mayonnaise.
Call it a cheater aioli if you like. Here’s what you do:
Step #1: Roast a whole garlic bulb or two. This is something you might want to do all the time and add it to everything because roasted garlic is SO GOOD and ridiculously easy. Simply cut off the bottom of the bulbs so that each clove is exposed. Place the bulbs in the center of a piece of foil and drizzle some olive oil on top. Wrap the foil around the bulb to form a tight pouch and roast at 425 F for 25 - 35 minutes, until the cloves are soft and golden brown. Unwrap, and let the garlic cool.
At this point the roasted garlic will just squeeze right out of the cloves, all soft and creamy and delicious. Try spreading it over crusty bread with a sprinkle of salt.
*Whether you use one or two (or even three!) roasted garlic bulbs in your aioli is up to you and depends on how much garlic flavor you want in there and how large the bulbs are.
Step #2: Make the aioli. Add 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper to a bowl and stir. Once the garlic has cooled, squeeze the roasted cloves onto a cutting board. Chop and smash them into a pulp then stir them into the mayo. Taste and add more lemon juice and/or salt and pepper if you like.
That’s it. Spread aioli on sandwiches, serve it with seafood or vegetables, or as a dip for french fries which is exactly what we did earlier this week.
One note: The quality and taste of the mayonnaise you use really does matter here. My two favorites are Sir Kensington’s Organic Mayo and Spectrum Organic Olive Oil Mayonnaise.
Recommendations
I have three book recommendations for you this week - two that I read and one that I listened to!
I recently finished reading two books that were both very good but also very different. Force of Nature is a book I picked up at a little free library after dropping off a handful of books. I had never read anything by the author, Jane Harper, so I’m not sure why I grabbed it, but I’m glad I did.
It’s a mystery/ thriller set in Australia where a group of coworkers go off on a team building weekend in the wilderness and one of them goes missing. The book kept me guessing and interested until the very last page. Have any of you read any others of Jane Harper’s books? If so, would you recommend them?
The other one is Run by Ann Patchett. I adore Ann Patchett so when I saw this new release on a bookstore shelf I bought it without even opening the pages to see what it was about. As are all her books, this is a thought provoking story exploring the messiness of culture, race, family, privilege, poverty, and the humanity of mistakes, regret, and trying to do our best. I loved it.
And finally, I recently listened to Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty. I have read every single one of her previous books and love them all. Liane’s books all take place in Australia and the readers of the audio version have a delicious Australian accent. As with several of her other books, I listened to this one first but will also end up reading it so I can devour some of the language and dialogue at a more leisurely pace.
Finally, Tim Walz was on the We Can Do Hard Things podcast earlier this week and it was a compassionate, optimistic, and encouraging listen. I needed it and if you are a podcast listener, I highly recommend seeking it out.
See you next week, friends. If you make something from this issue, have any questions or anything you’d like to share, add a comment below. I ❤️ to hear from you.
Wow, amazing answers!!! Thank you for all that insight friend!
Re: cobbler recipe. Try Carla Halls recipe on her website. It’s a combination of pastry and biscuit crust. It is heavenly.