Crockpot Meals on the Road

We haven't even left Kodiak yet but I've been doing some major thinking.  We will be on the road for over 2 months and cooking in this small space may become a little boring if we're not creative.  After some searching, I've discovered that many travelers like us use their crockpot.

Now, I've used a crockpot frequently but never in the motorhome. And then, the question arose of how we can cook on the road. We don't want to run the generator for electricity too much. Besides using more fuel, the generator isn't too quiet when you're parked. So, a little more "googling" was necessary.

Here's what we found....use an AC/DC inverter. We would need at least a 300 watt inverter to be sure there wasn't an overload. You certainly don't want to have insufficient power to the crockpot while going down the road and finding that evening an uncooked, food filled crockpot.

Next would be finding recipes that work for us. Needless to say, or repeat, is that we have very limited space. So, of course, we will have fewer condiments and spices to use in our recipes. We will plan to pick up the basics like meats and canned goods regularly at grocery stores. But with a 3.8 cu.ft. refrigerator, and enough space in the freezer for a couple of ice trays, we will basically keep our sandwich makings and produce in that area.

Now, I am always one that has to plan, and then revise and plan again.  This hasn't changed on coordinating this trip.  My idea over the next couple of weeks, before we hit the road, is to try some of the recipes in the apartment first. This way I can have alternative meals if I hit a real dud some evening.

So, today I am trying my first "travel type" recipe. It actually isn't a meal, but bread that is cooked in the crockpot. After mixing, rising and baking, it should be ready to eat in 2 1/2 hours. You can find the recipe here if you want to see it.

It started easy enough....just mix and let rise for an hour. Of course finding a warm spot is a little difficult in Kodiak but today is rather warm with a temp of 58 degrees outside. It is a toasty 70 indoors.
This is what it looked like after mixing and leaving to rise. I certainly hope it rises a little bit.

Of course, as usual, the bread didn't rise too well. So, after about 45 minutes I put it in the oven for awhile. That helped a bit but it didn't rise too much more. I went ahead and placed it on the parchment paper lined crockpot and turned it on Low heat.

I waited the necessary 1 1/2 hours and could smell the delicious scent of the bread during that time. Nothing like getting the tastes buds into an anticipatory stage! It really smelled good.

It did make a very small round loaf of bread but it was certainly enough for a meal. And it tastes a lot better than the store kinds. Half of it was consumed before dinner was even ready. It just slithered down so easily. I can feel it already attaching itself to my hips (sigh).

At least I can say that my first attempt has been a success. Stay tuned for my next attempt.  It will include an entire meal.  Keep your fingers crossed.

Living in Small Spaces

Having a home with only 120 sq feet gets a little cozy at times.  We have a 24' long motorhome that is only 6' wide (on the outside).  So, with loss of space for a motor at the front, you are left with this confined space.

It is amazing how much you can fit in this small space.......

I'll post a new picture of the inside of the van when I get it cleaned up a little.

On the other hand, you do decide what is essential when you try to pack or shop.....

Over the next 2 weeks we will be packing this small space to the maximum limits without overflowing. Of course we did have to get rid of a few things beforehand.  So far we have 2 bags of clothes that we will be donating. When we travel, we try to have a maximum of 7 days worth of clothes with a trip to the laundromat at the end of that time.  We've also learned to use the laundry sheets that have detergent and fabric softener in them.  It avoids spills and messes when someone doesn't put a lid on tight enough and certainly weighs much less than liquids. And when the box gets mashed underneath things, it still works.

Our packing for this trip, of course, is still a little different than others since we are packing a few extra things that will have to be moved to our new residence.  Unfortunately, our printer is taking a lot of our floor space and I'm not sure it will make the final cut. As it is, I've had to get rid of some of my shoes! How is it that guys can live with just 2 pairs of shoes and I have to have a minimum of 5 pairs?  Something just isn't right.

I'll post more after our next packing session.  I guess that the smaller the space, the more time it takes to pack.

Our Planned Itinerary

We are getting the motorhome packed with all the essentials. Carlos has mapped our route and it now comes to a grand total of 8,009 miles!  That's amazing!

We plan on leaving Kodiak and spending a couple of weeks between Denali National Park and Fairbanks, Alaska. That will also allow us to take a short detour and arrive on June 21st (the summer solstice) at the Arctic Circle.

There are so many things that we plan to see and do in our "home" state before we finally leave it,  we will be sure to post photos of our adventures as we travel.

Here is our planned route:

Our final stopping point in August will be a cabin in Colorado.  Even though we will become Texans again with retirement, there is no way we want to suffer through the high summer temperatures down there.  We'll have to re-aclimate a little slower.

We would love to hear of suggestions of places to visit before we end this phenomenal trip. 

Ready to start our adventure

As of June 10, 2013 Carlos will  "officially" retire.  We will stay on the island of Kodiak, Alaska however, since the ferry to transport us to the mainland won't arrive until the end of the week. It seems that the Tustemena Ferry was having repairs and won't be ready to come back until July.  Instead, we will catch a ride on the Kennicott Ferry.  It doesn't travel as often but it has a vacancy for us. This is lucky since all the departing Coast Guard families are also leaving about the same time.

Thankfully, our landlord has allowed us to say in our apartment for the few extra days before the new tenants arrive.  We will be spending a lot of time together in very close quarters over the next few months. This will truly be a test of how we will be able to deal with both of us not working (for pay).

More later as our journey continues.