Teardrop City 2018

The main camping event for us this year was Teardrop City held in Max Meadows, Virginia on July 25-29. There are so many activities to choose from, new friends to meet as well as old friends to greet. I would say that a good time was had by all! It's always fun to see what people have done with their teardrop campers and new things that they have added. This event is put on by volunteers through the Tearjerkers website. Thank you to Eric, the creator of this event.

I should also say that thanks should also go out to Karin and all the people who volunteered their time to make this such a fun event! At this event, you share a campsite with another fellow Tearjerker member. It can be with someone you know or a newbie. You get to choose and if that makes you uncomfortable or you bring a larger camper, you can have a campsite all to yourself. Sharing a spot makes a tight community and hence the term Teardrop City. It's all great fun! There were lots of activities from which to choose. We had hiking, kayaking, board games, card games, cornhole tournament, community meals, swimming, needlework, beer can stove making, how to conserve your ice in your cooler, dutch oven cooking demonstration, silent auction and we toured all of campers! The list goes on and on as to the activities!

This is a shot of our galley during the event. Take note of the Ohio State Banner because it will be important in just a minute.

We shared our campsite with this Tab made my Little Guy out of Ohio. It's a teardrop you can stand up in! It's owned by newbies to the Tearjerkers group.

Meet Mike and Cindy! They are a great couple in which to share a campsite! They were great fun and we hope to see them again soon at another Tearjerker event.

This is John and Ida. We met them at Teardrop City 2016 where they camped beside of us. We quickly became friends when I saw them setting up their campsite with an Ohio State camping chair. I shouted O-H and Ida replied I-O and the rest is history! You never know where you will meet Ohio State graduates! We have camped with them at several Tearjerker events and once again at Teardrop City 2018. The camper in the background with the red stripe belongs to John and Ida. John designed and built it himself.

This year they shared their campsite with Mike. The funny thing is that during the last Teardrop City we shared a campsite with Mike. I believe he has a Polar Bear Teardrop made by Rustic Trail Teardrop Campers out of North Carolina. Mike has added lots of new things to his camper since we last saw him!

 That about wraps it up for today's post but rest assured that I will be sharing much more from Teardrop City 2018 in the near future!

Teardrop City 2018 Dutch Oven Cooking

Once again we headed to Teardrop City 2018 located in Max Meadows, Virginia at the Fort Chiswell RV Park. It was held July 25-29 and I taught a Dutch Oven Cooking Class. It was popular enough during the Teardrop City 2016 event that Eric asked if I would do it again this year. I willingly signed up to do it again. I share those recipes with you now and hope that you enjoy them as much as I do. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find out what cookware etc. that I use.

Join Tearjerkers to join in the fun!

Dutch Oven Cooking 2018

Roast Chicken

4 chicken legs or thighs                                         Olive oil

Dry ranch dressing mix                                         3-4 Carrots, peeled and sliced into ½” pieces

1-2 Potatoes , cut into 1” pieces                            1  Onion, sliced into ½” thick wedges

3 cloves garlic                                                          Salt

Any other root vegetables such as parsnips and turnips may also be added.

Place onion in a bowl with a drizzle of oil and mix. Add a sprinkle of ranch dressing seasoning and place in the center of a 2 qt. dutch oven. Repeat with the remaining vegetables and place around the sides of the dutch oven to the outside of the onion. Rub oil on chicken and sprinkle with ranch seasoning and salt. Place chicken on top of onion and bake at 425 degrees for about 1 to 1 ½ hrs. Until chicken juices run clear.  Serves 2.

8inch oven- 17 top coals and 5 bottom coals.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

3 Jalapeno Peppers, seeded & minced                    3 Cups Mexican shredded cheese

12 oz. Bacon cooked crisp & chopped                     ½ teaspoon Salt

8 oz. Cream cheese                                                    Black pepper to taste

8 oz. Sour cream or Greek yogurt
(Itend to use Greek Yogurt)                                     1 onion, chopped fine

1 tablespoon butter or olive oil                                Hot Sauce, several drops if desired

In a 2 quart dutch oven, saute onion in oil. Add the remaining ingredients except for a bit of bacon and pepper which you will use as a garnish. Heat to 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes and stir every few minutes to prevent sticking and burning. When melted and well mixed, add the garnish. Serve with vegetables or corn tortillas.

8 inch oven- 12 top coals and 4 bottom coals.

Camper Galley Travel Tips

Hello happy campers! In an earlier post I told you I would talk about how I stow and go with the galley. I do this without breaking the glass fronted cabinet doors during transit. All of the hanging cups are removed from their hooks and stowed in the main cabin while on the move. The upper shelf gets packed so that everything is snug and it doesn't move left or right. Pretty much as you see here and I pack cups in the center hole. The glass canning jars do not break. I have plastic netting on them and this keeps them from clanking together. The electric burner stows in the top drawer along side the induction burner and the water jug sits on the floor in front of the cabinet doors. Amazingly things stay put even though hubby races down the back roads of America! I swear that sometimes the camper goes airborne!!!!

Behind the glass door is a box insert that hubby made. I can move most of the vertical slats to change the size of the cubby holes. Sometimes I change my gear out between hot and cold weather. I have a cutting board, cast iron griddle, cast iron pots, enamelware pots and pans etc. in these cubbies.

When it is time to travel, I simply place this thin piece of plywood in front of the opening, close the cabinet doors and add extra security by using a bungee cord around the door knobs. This helps prevent the doors from opening during a sudden stop. After three years of camping, everything has stayed put pretty well!

Do you have great ideas to keep your galley secure during transit? Share them with me here!

Grilled Seafood while in camp

While camping in Charleston, South Carolina this past spring, I grilled a seafood meal consisting of scallops and fresh caught shrimp. I seasoned the shrimp two ways. Some were seasoned with chili lime garlic seasoning and some were seasoned with Old Bay. I grilled corn and slices of  zucchini which were seasoned with Canadian Steak seasoning. Some sliced tomato and cucumber sprinkled with garlic salt rounded out the meal.
For those of you wondering...yes, I do carry a small stainless steel charcoal grill with me when I camp in the teardrop. It's small and stores easily in the under bed storage on my rig. Many RV parks do not have grills and we like to use them when camping.