Category: RV Cooking

Easy Chocolate-Cherry Cake

This is another Paula Deen recipe that I love. It satisfies my need for chocolate in the most delicious way, plus, it’s extra speedy! It’s a dump cake in black forest fashion, so that means lots of cherries and chocolate and absolutely no mixing required! Woo hoo!

2 (21 oz.) cans cherry pie filling
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup sugar
1 (18.25) box chocolate fudge cake mix
1 cup finely chopped pecans, I skip the nuts
1 1/2 cups butter (12 T.), cut into teaspoon-pats
fresh whipped cream or ice cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Lightly grease a 13 by 9 baking pan.

Spread cherry pie filling over bottom of prepared baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips and sugar. Spread dry cake mix over sugar, covering pie filling. Sprinkle evenly with chopped pecans, if using. Place butter pats over cake mix, covering cake mix as evenly as possible. Bake 1 hour; let cool 30 minutes before serving. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.

Spinach and Tortellini Soup

This quick and healthy recipe, adapted from Debbie Wilson in North Carolina, is a great one to have for a speedy supper or a light lunch! Fallon and I love it and Creed eats the pasta, so we are all happy with this one. 😉 This can easily be made vegetarian by using vegetable broth instead of the chicken broth.

1 tsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can Italian style diced tomatoes
3 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 pkg. (9 oz.) refrigerated cheese tortellini
4 cups fresh baby spinach
Shredded Parmesan cheese and freshly ground pepper

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add garlic; cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, broth and Italian seasoning; bring to a boil. Add the tortellini; bring to a gentle boil. Add a little salt and cook, uncovered, 7-9 minutes or just until the pasta is tender.

Stir in the spinach and adjust seasonings. Sprinkle servings with cheese and pepper.

*I always think, I might course chop the spinach before throwing it in, but for time’s sake usually don’t. But if you want smaller bites of the spinach, that might be a good idea! And the addition of cooked Italian sausage would be delicious too, I think!
Makes 4-6 servings

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Campers’ Favorite Dip

This chili cheese dip is absolutely perfect for when you need something yummy and you need it fast! It’s great for a night of grilling outdoors or even for a cozy night indoors, just bake it in the oven! Serve with Fritos. Valorie Ebie from Bel Aire, KS shared this recipe with Taste of Home. This is so delicious.

1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese
1 (15 oz) can chili, I use Hormel brand chili with no beans
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, I shred my own and use colby cheese
2 thinly sliced green onions or diced jalapeños for garnish
Tortilla chip scoops or Fritos

Prepare campfire or grill for medium-low heat. Spread cream cheese in the bottom of a 9 inch disposable foil pie pan. Top with chili; sprinkle with cheese.

Place pan on a grill grate over a campfire or on grill until cheese is melted, 5-8 minutes. If desired, garnish with green onions or diced jalapeños. Serve with corn chips.

This can easily be baked in the oven at 350 degrees until bubbly and melty! Enjoy!

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Cucumber Sandwiches

I cannot express how delicious these little sandwiches are! They are the perfect comfort food after heartbreak, the perfect food to celebrate with, such as baby showers or wedding showers, and they are just the perfect light and tasty bite on any day of the week, and for any reason whatsoever! This is a recipe from Southern Living’s Comfort Food Cookbook.

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and grated
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 T. mayonnaise
1 small shallot, minced
1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
1 (16 oz.) loaf sandwich bread
Garnish: cucumber slices

Drain cucumber well, pressing between layers of paper towels.

Stir together cucumber and next 4 ingredients. Spread mixture over half of bread slices. Top with remaining bread slices.

Trim crusts from sandwiches, and cut in half diagonally. Garnish, if desired. Store sandwiches in an airtight container in refrigerator.
Yield: 16 sandwiches

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Turkey-White Bean Chili

It has been really cold and windy here the past couple of days and this turkey chili has been just what we’ve needed to warm up from the frost! My kiddos love this and it is a healthy recipe too that is thrown together easily in the crock pot. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping. This recipe is adapted from Amy C.’s out of Phyllis Good’s Stock the Crock cookbook.

2 lbs. ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 to 3 teaspoons chili powder, depending on how much heat you like
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground oregano
2 (15 oz.) cans great Northern beans, drained and rinsed (I skip this step.)
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin
2 cups chicken broth or turkey broth
salt and black pepper, to taste
Garnish: 1/3 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, sour cream, black pepper, lime wedges, shredded mozzarella cheese
Tortilla chips, for dipping

Grease the interior of the slow cooker crock with butter or nonstick cooking spray.

Brown the turkey in 1 to 2 T. vegetable oil in a skillet over medium, breaking up with a wooden spoon. I always think it is best to season the meat with a little salt and pepper before browning, to really make sure it has good flavor from the start. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the turkey to the prepared crock.

Add the remaining ingredients, excluding the garnishes, and stir well.

Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 4 hours.

Remove the bay leaves and discard. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Top individual servings with cilantro, sour cream, black pepper, cheese, and lime wedges. And don’t forget the chips!

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Club Sandwich

I was raised on Sunday night bacon and tomato sandwiches. Nothing beats fresh bread, good mayonnaise, salty bacon, and fresh sliced tomatoes with a nice sprinkling of salt and pepper in my mind! And I’m very much picky about it. But somehow this is one of my favorite sandwiches, toasted bread, deli meat and all! I’m thinking the secret’s in the sauce.

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp. Italian flat leaf parsley minced, or dried parsley flakes
1 tsp. green onion, minced or onion powder
1 tsp. sweet pickle, minced (I use dill relish.)
2 tsp. vinegar
3 slices bread, toasted
4 thin slices cooked chicken (I use chicken sandwich meat.)
3 slices tomato
3 slices cooked bacon
salt and pepper to taste

Blend together mayonnaise, parsley, green onion, sweet pickle and vinegar until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate until chilled. When ready to prepare sandwich, spread mayonnaise mixture to taste on one side of each slice of toast. Refrigerate remaining spread for additional sandwiches. Layer on chicken, a toasted bread slice, tomato slices and bacon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with last toast slice, cut into quarters diagonally to serve. Makes 1 sandwich. Serve with chips, pickles, and fresh lemonade.

I have found that the sauce makes enough for 4 sandwiches.

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Maine Blueberry-Cream Cheese Pie

Cool and creamy, oh my goodness, this pie is so delicious! It has a dense cream cheese feel to it, that is absolutely addicting. The addition of fresh grated nutmeg (a must), in the sweet, but not too sweet cream cheese filling, is quite yummy! Plus, the crunch of the graham cracker crust and the fresh lemon juice in the pie filling, just send it over the edge to me. This is an awesome choice for RV cooking or any time you need a quick dessert that everyone will love!

2 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. nutmeg, fresh grated
9-inch graham cracker curst
21 oz. can blueberry pie filling
1 tsp. lemon juice

Blend together cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg. Spread evenly into crust; set aside. Combine pie filling and lemon juice; spoon over cream cheese mixture. Chill until serving time. I think this pie is best served after it has chilled at least 3 to 4 hours. Serves 6 to 8.

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One-Pot Spaghetti

One of my very favorite things to do is to go camping. We have a 5th wheel travel trailer and take it to Colorado mostly, and besides decorating my camper, cooking in my camper is the highlight of the trip for me! Others are dreaming of fly fishing, hiking, and white water rafting, while I’m deciding what flowers for the picnic table and what’s for supper! I always seem to be on the opposite end of the spectrum as compared to most. Ha! This One-Pot Spaghetti is sure to please the fishermen in your life, when they come home to gather round the picnic table! It is super easy and only requires one pot! Can’t beat that while you’re out in the wilderness and needing to just poke the fire instead of wash dishes! I bet, even if you are not a camper type person, this meal will come in handy on busy days. It is delicious!

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, diced
2 (14 oz.) cans chicken broth
6 oz. can tomato paste
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
8 oz. spaghetti, uncooked (Yay!)
Garnish: grated Parmesan cheese
Recommended side idea: Italian Garlic Salad, below

Brown ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium heat. (I like to season my meat with olive oil, kosher salt, and Montreal Steak Seasoning as it browns. To me, this is the best time to get flavor into your meat no matter what you are cooking.) Drain on a paper plate lined with several paper towels. Return meat and onions to the skillet.

Stir in broth, tomato paste and seasonings; bring to a boil. Break spaghetti into short lengths and add to skillet.

Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, for 15 minutes, adding more broth or water as necessary, or until spaghetti is tender. (If you are cooking in higher altitudes, you may need to add more liquid as it cooks, because more than likely, it will take longer than 15 minutes to cook your noodles.)

Sprinkle with cheese. Serve this with Italian Garlic Salad and crusty bread.
Makes 4 servings.

ITALIAN GARLIC SALAD
Tear ice berg lettuce into pieces and mix with shredded mozzarella. Dress with olive oil that has been seasoned with garlic powder, seasoned salt, and fresh pepper.

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