Feb 062013
 

If you are a regular reader of J5MM you may have heard me mention that wintertime is my favorite time to be with my Airstream. Spending our days outdoors in the snow to retreat into our warm and cozy trailer at the end of the day is something hubby, B and I enjoy.   Once we get settled in, the boys either read or play games while I’m whipping up our apres-ski dinner menu.  Then after dinner we typically pull down the shades and watch a movie together.  This time it was especially enjoyable since we had our little pup Oliver with us.  He fits into our “wolf pack” Airstreaming family just perfectly!

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Dec 292011
 

Ski season has officially begun.  Oh what fun it has been so far.  It has been especially fun bringing our  mobile ski lodge Airstream with us for toasty warm accommodations!  This is only just the beginning of our winter Airstreaming and we are very excited.

If you are using your Airstream in the winter, I would love to hear about your adventures!

Alpental Skiing, WA State

Summit at Snoqualmie and Skiing at Alpental, WA State

Mar 102011
 

If you are not in the mood to cook, this is an easy way to feed your family.  Everyone gets a little bit of what they like, prepared their way.   Simply grab your butcher block cutting board, place on it whatever you think your family would like in order to prepare a sandwich in addition to some nice cheeses, dips, spreads, veggies, etc. The possibilities are endless and my boys always say how much they enjoy this meal.

Bon Appetit!

Mar 082011
 

After a chilly day of skiing up at Alpental, this Mexican hot chocolate warmed hubby and I right up and took no time to make.

I’ve never made hot chocolate this way before using a solid block of chocolate, but I can tell you, once you make it this way, you will always want to make it this way.  It was really rich and delicious! The added amaretto and dark rum weren’t too bad of an addition either, lol. I did find it to be on the sweet side but since I did not sweeten the whipped cream, it really balanced out very well. Even hubby approved (and he’s not a big sweet tooth kinda guy).

 

Mar 062011
 

“B?  What would you like for breakfast tomorrow?”  I asked him as I peeled off layers upon layers of wet everything:  socks, pants, shirt, ski gloves, coat.  Ahhh, the joys of skiing.  All the wet gear that comes after — and not to mention, where to put it all?  Lucky for us, we have a nice shower on our Airstream that doubles as a drying room for all of that wet gear. I love that I can hang it all up (extra large suction cup hooks are my best friend in that shower of ours), shut the door and know that the next morning, it will all be dry and ready to go for another round of skiing and snow play.

What a silly question.  “Crepes mommy!”  — “Then crepes it is,” I replied.  “Mommy, I love you so much.”  My sweet boy.  To make him happy, makes me happy.

Crepes have been a staple in my family for as long as I can remember.  My brother and I would stand at either side of my mom at the stove as she would cook up these tender, delicate crepes.  We kept intense track of each one with our eagle eyes as she would flip them onto the plate making sure we would have our fair share.

The next morning I whipped these up in no time.  We had some leftovers so I happily delivered them to a darling couple we met at the ski park RV lot who are fellow Airstreamers.  It was a 1962 Bambi and I was so honored to be able to step inside.  What made it even more so special?  This Bambi had been passed down from father to son.  He said he remembered the many wonderful trips he took with his dad on this Airstream.  I think that is just so special to be able to carry on a family tradition in this way.

Jan 232011
 

Hubby is a ski instructor and B takes ski lessons every weekend while daddy teaches.  This typically entails early morning rising (read: 5 am) and a rushed experience to get out the door in order to get to the slopes on time for hubby’s first class and B’s ski lesson.

“Honey – the weekend will be beautiful at the pass, why don’t we take the Airstream up?” Hubby hollers to me from the office.  “…and the roads?” I reply back with great skepticism.  After all, towing the Airstream in snow and ice isn’t exactly what I would call a pleasant experience – its rather like a nail biting experience (my manicurist can attest to that).

Leaning over hubby’s shoulder and reading the weather forecast on line, I did in fact see that the forecast called for beautiful sunny weather and dry roads.  Then it dawned on me, taking  the Airstream to the pass would give us more time in the morning to prepare for our day while gaining another hour or so of zzzzz’s.  Brilliant!

Here are just a few photos from our weekend.

Jan 232011
 

Since the weather forecast called for sunny days and dry/wet roads this weekend, we decided to tow our Airstream up to Alpental ski area for a couple days of skiing.  To see more pictures of our trip, you can click here.

With us came our trusty “farm-to-table” box from Full Circle Farms.  Every Tuesday morning I wake up and open the front door to find this box (which was quietly delivered overnight) sitting on our front porch.  Inside this box I find a vast array of organic fruits and veggies freshly pulled from the grounds of Full Circle Farm in Carnation, Washington.  I immediately start planning our weekly dinner menu and am full of ideas.  Just in case I don’t have any ideas, Full Circle includes in their box a brochure with recipes specifically tailored to the produce in the box.  I have also found that their recipes are genius as they incorporate past week(s) produce into the recipes as well (just in case you have leftovers).

I decided to make the “Beet, Carrot and Citrus Salad,” in the brochure.  It called for cumin seeds which I did not have but did have caraway seeds.  I even think this would be delicious with fennel seeds.  It turned out so beautiful (probably the most beautiful salad I have ever made) and absolutely delicious.  The crunchiness of the veggies with the tart zing from the red wine vinegar was truly addicting.

Beet, Carrot and Citrus Salad (from Full Circle Farms)

You will need

2 baby beets, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 green cabbage, julienned
3 carrots, peeled, and thinly sliced on the bias (I actually just kept “peeling” my carrots with the peeler so I would have long ribbons)
1/4 large red onion, julienned
2 mandarins
3 tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (I used caraway instead — was good!)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions

Heat a small skillet and toast your cumin seeds (in my case, they were caraway seeds)

Place first six ingredients into a bowl

Add some extra virgin olive oil to your liking and 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar and combine well.  Add some crunchy salt (I really like Maldon’s sea salt a lot) and coarsely ground black pepper and top with your toasted seeds.

Bon Appetit!

 

Jan 232011
 

This really turned out to be incredible.  Probably the best french toast I have ever made.  In the end you sprinkle turbinado sugar on top of the baked french toast and put it under the broiler for about 30 seconds.  Then what happens is almost magical.  The sugar carmelizes and when left to cool for a few minutes, turns into a hard candy shell on top.  Almost like a french toast creme brulee!

You can use whatever bread you like but since I wanted my boys to have sustained energy for another day of skiing, I used multi-grain.