Happy Thanksgiving

Black Friday is upon us!  I hope your Thanksgiving was a wonderful day of family, friends and food.  Take it slow and easy today.

Let's do a quick recap of the goals, then check out camping photos!

• Camping.  We went camping with the Full Moon Bus Club.  There was some last minute scrambling to get the bus ready, but camping in a bus feels extremely luxurious after years of tent camping.
• Start a batch of Drifter clone beer. Fail.  However, I got some Chilean Malbec wine (kit) going this month that should be ready just in time for my birthday.  I can't wait.
• Get dirt for my raised bed garden. Also fail.  But we bought supplies to make two more raised beds and I think dirt will be on hold until this spring.
• Meet some new people.  So many new people!  We were accepted as family into the Full Moon Bus Club, and also met a few other new people this month!
• Complete a class I started taking on Coursera.  I started two classes, for the first one I'm on track to watch my final lecture tomorrow, and the exam is more like an "exam" but we'll see how that goes.  My other class still has a couple more weeks left.

I also had a few "admin" tasks that I needed to get done, and I'm sorry to say I got those done...yesterday.  Still, done.  But only because I knew I had to report about it here.  Let's move on to December.

• Christmas will undoubtedly involve travel!  It's always nice to have a trip to look forward to.
• We've got visitors coming for NYE.  I can't wait to see them!  Who knows what the weather will be like, so I need to prepare some options for things to do.
• Bottle the IPA that's been chilling in the kitchen for a while.
• Bus stuff.  I think that I'm pretty well decided on the layout and color scheme, but I'd love to sketchup the whole thing so I have an idea of what it will look like first.  Also the front seats have no padding and the 40-year-old seat covers are starting to shred, so they definitely need to be redone.  I think I can do it myself?
• Eat better.  I mentioned last month that I don't feel like cooking, and as a result I've been eating crappier food.  Oops.  Should have seen that coming.  Buy-two-get-three-free ice cream didn't help.  Nor did FOUR Thanksgiving potlucks.
• Start thinking about our next big trip.  It's been a year since we went to Mexico, so it'd be fun to take an international trip sometime next year.

Heeding my mother's advice, I watched a documentary called "What Plants Talk About."  The film posits that plants behave like animals, when corrected for time (ie sped up, viewing a time-lapsed glimpse into plants behavior).  It's really fascinating stuff - first they have the wild tobacco plant, which completely changes its bloom's timing, scent and sugar content in order to attract different pollinators, then there are the spotted knapweed plants, whose roots give off harmful chemicals in order to kill off surrounding competition, followed by the sand rockets who recognize 'kin' plants and grow smaller roots to allow their kin to survive (or, conversely, grow much bigger roots when competing for space with non-kin sand rockets), and finally, the Douglas fir, who grows massive networks in the forest and transfers nourishing carbons to baby plants in order to help them survive.  If that isn't enough to pique your curiosity, you're also privy to the film's witticisms: "but the wild tobacco plant has more than one trick up its leaves..." and "the knapweed is the plant equivalent of the Terminator."  If the social behavior of plants sounds interesting to you, check this movie out - you can watch the whole thing for free on this site.

Other than that, I really didn't take any photos this month that weren't bus related.

The morning we left to go camping, Kyle built a frame for the back of the bus so that we could fit our spare bed's mattress in there and still have lots of storage space.  He did a great job.

This summer, we picked up both a campstove and a coffeemaker for a steal.  However, we never tested either.  Thankfully, they both worked great - the first night dropped to just about freezing, so hot coffee in the morning was sooooo good.

Of course, nothing tops a nice campfire when you really need to warm up.

I don't think we've met a single person who hasn't commented on the paint job on the bus.  I think Sixer was the best-looking bus there, although there were two Vanagons with really fantastic artwork.

It was a very interesting crowd, both bus-wise and people-wise.  It's a great community that I'm happy to be a part of.

On to December!  It's hard to believe we're here already, but...cada dia is mejor.  Bring it on.

Thanksgiving Leftovers Shepherd's Pie

Thanksgiving is always feast!  The turkey, the potatoes, the rolls, the veggies, the gravy - the GRAVY!  Personally, I could eat Thanksgiving leftovers for a week and not get tired of the mashed potatoes and gravy, but if you need some creative ideas, read on.

I think Kyle's favorite was the open-faced turkey and gravy sandwich.  I'm a big fan of soup, which is a great use for the leftover turkey (especially if it got dry) and possibly even some steamed/roasted veggies.  But if you want a dish that really combines everything, Shepherd's Pie is the way to go.

This version is a poor excuse for the traditional shepherd's pie (traditional ingredients include beef/lamb, carrots, peas and onions, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and rosemary), but a great excuse for using Thanksgiving leftovers.  

It starts with the veggies.  Some leftover French green beans supplemented with a bag of frozen mixed veggies will do the trick - also note that I have doubled the recipe listed below (making a 9x13 pan rather than a 9x9 pan).

Top with leftover shredded turkey.  Add in the spices.  I made a citrus-sage turkey so I used fresh sage, but also the traditional thyme and rosemary.

Add in the gravy and a little more salt and pepper.

Mix everything together then try to smooth down the top of it in preparation for the mashed potatoes.

Spread the mashed potatoes over the top of the dish, sealing all the delicious flavors in.

Bake until the tops of the mashed potatoes start browning.  I took mine out a little early because the gravy was bubbling up over the top.  I couldn't wait to get a helping of this shepherd's pie!

Thanksgiving Leftovers Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients:*

• 2 c. veggies: green bean casserole, steamed mixed veggies, roasted fall veggies, etc.  I'm not sure how squash would work out, but don't be afraid to give it a try.
• 2 c. shredded leftover turkey
• 1 c. gravy
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 to 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 to 1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 c. mashed potatoes (can use mashed sweet potatoes but NOT candied sweet potatoes)

Instructions:
1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 
2.  Put the everything but the mashed potatoes in a 9x9 pan.  Stir everything together.  Use a spatula to push everything down and smooth the top to prep for mashed potatoes.
3.  Spread the mashed potatoes over the top of the turkey/veggie mixture.
4.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the tops of the potatoes start browning.

*There are lots of substitutions you can make here.  If you don't have enough veggies left over, supplement with a bag of frozen mixed vegetables.  If you didn't roast a turkey, use whatever meat you have around.  No leftover gravy?  No problem.  Add a little chicken broth instead (1/4 to 1/2 cup) or maybe a can of cream of mushroom soup.  If you have LOTS of leftovers, double the recipe and put it in a 9x13 pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.  I roasted a citrus-sage turkey so I added a little fresh sage to my Shepherd's Pie.

 

Have a great Thanksgiving!  It will be a quiet holiday for me this year, but we might make some last-minute plans just to get out of the house.  Thanksgiving dinner is probably going to be bar food - or better yet, tacos.  We'll see!  I still got my turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy, so I don't mind a bit.

Citrus-Sage Roast Turkey

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Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Homemade enchilada sauce is made out of pantry staples and takes hardly any time to make (in fact, it can be done simultaneously while cooking the meat).  It tastes better than the canned stuff and doesn't contain any unknown ingredients, especially if you do some home-canning of tomatoes.

This recipe works with fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes - so versatile!  Make it how you want it.  I used canned tomatoes from last year's harvest.

Here's the stuff that keeps it tasting amazing: spices galore.

Mix it all up and simmer.

Use on your favorite enchilada recipe, bake for 25-30 minutes, then sprinkle with your favorite cheese and some minced cilantro.

Homemade Enchilada Sauce (adapted from this)
Ingredients:

• 2 tbs oil (bacon grease or butter work great)
• 2 tbs flour
• 2 c. canned diced tomatoes*
• 1 tbs chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 to 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1.  Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Mix in the flour. 
2.  Gently stir in the tomatoes, then the rest of the spices
3.  Simmer for ten minutes.  The sauce will thicken as it cools. 

*Here are other options:

• One can of tomato sauce + 1 cup water (makes a nice smooth enchilada sauce)
• 1 can of tomato sauce + 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 2 cups of diced fresh tomatoes (gives it a little more texture)

So there you have it!  The sauce can be stored in the fridge for a few days or the freezer for a couple months.  A basic enchilada recipe is to take 8 burrito-sized tortillas, fill them with anything you want (meat, beans, cheese), roll them up and place them seam-side-down in a 9x13 pan.  Pour enchilada sauce over the tortillas.  Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350* and immediately sprinkle shredded cheese over it when done.  The cheese melts, the enchiladas are awesome, you have an easy meal that feeds a crowd.

Goals update

I spent all month saying "why do these people have pumpkins out, they're so out of season....  Wait.  It's October?!"  Which is to say that it does not feel like October.  I wore shorts and a tank top last weekend. 

So my loosely planned goals for October didn't all happen, but I got a lot done and had a few adventures too.

• Bus work - time to start working on the interior.  I don't think any interior work was done (Kyle swept, does that count?).  We took it places though!
• Visitors!  My little brother and fiancee (!) spent a weekend here.  It was great!
• Find a couple inspiring recipes.  Fail.  If anything, I'm even less excited about cooking than I was at the beginning of the month.  We'll see how this plays out.  If I could justify the ingredients and expense of processed food, I'd do it in a heartbeat.  Just. not. feelin' it.
• Gut the garage. Done!  And it feels so good.  And it looks great.
• Start some wine. I started an elderberry port.  I briefly mentioned elderberries in this post, and I started wine from those berries, but this month I started a port using the spent berries from the wine as well as some fresh (frozen) berries.  I wanted to start a kit but Kyle claimed the last carboy for beer.

Also, I should have mentioned another goal to start working out regularly again.  In my August/September funk I pretty much stopped exercising (sooo helpful - let's kick the endorphin habit while I'm down), so October was my month to get back on track.  So far so good!  And I'm really pleased with my current routine - for some reason I'm loving the P90X yoga, in addition to some strength training and cardio.

So here's some November stuff:

• Pretty sure camping is on the docket.
• Start a batch of Drifter clone beer.  Widmer Bros used to brew a fantastic pale ale called Drifter, but has discontinued it.  Some great homebrewers made a clone recipe and we just bought the ingredients.
• Get dirt.  Kyle made a raised bed, and dirt is all that's standing in between me and fresh arugula.
• Meet some new people.
• Complete a class I started taking on Coursera - free education available online?  I love it.  I can learn about topics I actually want to learn about! 

That should keep me busy.  I also have a few "admin" tasks that I can't seem to kick off my to-do list.  I'm hoping to get a burst of motivation to get those done too.

On to the photos!  The garage was a nasty project with old shredded insulation filled with lots of rodent droppings and the like.

Surprisingly, the only live thing we ran into was a snake!  I expected more of the mouse / cockroach variety.  Our neighbor came to the rescue and helped us relocate this fellow.  Snake experts at work tell me this is a rat snake, which is a good one to have around.

That same weekend, we really put the house together - hung the art, unpacked all the wine onto the wine racks, etc.  Really made it feel like home.

Kyle built some sawhorses, a raised garden bed, and has started on a large workdesk for himself.  So handy!  The raised bed was made with like $4 worth of lumber, because we got almost all of it from the 70% off rack at our local home improvement store.  Score.

Of course BunBun was on the scene offering his company for the outdoor work.  Sadly, BunBun went to live on the happy bunny farm out in the country this month.  It was especially traumatic for me, as I saw it happen.  I still miss that little guy.  I was well on my way to adopting him, and the yard feels really empty without his presence. 

We took the bus on a longer trip (where 'longer' means 'more than five miles from home').  First to our fav brewery to show her off, then to another brewery for an event they were hosting.

The owner promptly offered to trade us a brewery for the bus.  We probably should have taken him up on his offer.

The weather here has been so nice that we took a picnic lunch down to a local park on Saturday (first photo of the post).  Even when we can't get away from home, it's still so nice out that tacos on the porch are a weekend staple.  We might have to huddle indoors for warmth this weekend though.

Suddenly, November!  I keep trying to make plans then completely changing my mind, so it's really hard to say what November will bring.  I've been feeling a little unsettled lately and in need of some direction.  Time management is a big part of that, but at the same time I recognize that I need some downtime to recuperate from long, frustrating days.  Balance.  That's what I'd like to see in November.  Balance and some turkey.

Bus Brakes Round Two

So a while ago we replaced the brake lines on the front brakes.  After we got those done the only major work we had left to do was fix the exhaust leak.  When Kyle's car died, we started rearranging our priorities and having a functional bus became a little more important.  So while we were in Michigan we hired the professionals to fix the exhaust leak.  On the way home from the shop, Kyle hit the brakes pretty hard when someone slowed down unexpectedly in front of him, and my vantage point in the chase car allowed me to observe the cloud of smoke that emanated from the rear driver's wheel.  Okay.  More brake work.

Actually the shop had let us know we had a problem with brake fluid leaking in the rear wheels so it was already on our list.  So right after we moved, instead of unpacking boxes we spent our days out in the garage.  The shop had torqued down the lugnuts with power tools so it took Kyle at least an hour to loosen all the lugnuts.  After that, he promptly bent the jack trying to get the rear tires off the ground.  That was a frustrating day.

We bought a new jack and went in for round 2.  Progress at last - the bus on jack stands and the rear wheels off.  Since everything had just been disassembled by the shop it was pretty easy to get it all apart.  Everything got sprayed down with brake cleaner and scrubbed down.

The good news is that there seemed to be plenty of material on the drums and shoes - they weren't too worn down.

The bad news is that the replacement shoes that Kyle ordered came with four of the shoes on the left and zero of the shoes on the right in the photo below.  They look pretty similar but the shoe on the right has an arm for attaching the parking brake, which is a pretty crucial detail.  As I write this Kyle tells me that they actually did ship us the correct shoes, but this is a new style.  So we'll have to drill out the rivet so that we can install that parking brake arm on the new shoes.  Gah.

Kyle replaced the wheel cylinders - they were the cause of the brake fluid getting into the drums (that's bad!).  We ended up just cleaning up the old shoes and reinstalling them.

We also replaced the rear brake lines.

Mechanics eye view of the old vs. new lines.  Then we had to bleed and adjust the rear brakes (so that each shoe was engaging the drum at the same time). 

And lastly, we replaced the parking brake cables, which run from the rear brakes to the front of the bus.  This was a pain because I had to evenly tighten the square nuts that you can barely see in the photo.  One of them I could get a quarter turn on, the other an eighth of a turn.  I was down there for a while.  Kyle was running around the back of the bus so that he could tell me when the brake was fully engaged (per the manual, we were to pull the parking brake out six clicks then tighten the cables until the rear wheels could not be turned).  The vice grips are to prevent the cables from twisting.

Some of this stuff was new to me, so for the sake of others I'm including some pictorial clarification.  Click the photo to make the text readable.

This project was drawn out over several days, so it was nice to have it back together even if we did have to use the old shoes.

We took it for a test drive around the neighborhood and everything seemed to be working fine.  Then we took an extended trip at higher speeds and heavier traffic and the braking didn't seem to be consistent.  Then it felt like something shifted and it was breaking evenly again, although it is apparent that the drums are out of round (ie it feels a little bumpy when braking).  So yay, more bus parts to buy.  Even so, every project means we get to know the bus a little better, get to trust our skills as mechanics a little more, and get more excited about the adventures we can start taking!