Canned Comfort

A Foodie Must

Glorious, wonderful roads take us many places. How we travel them is a choice. We prefer going where others don’t. If hoards of tourists gather we will go in an opposite path. Nuggets of golden information and joy pop-up in unpredictable places.

Saturday was such a time. Traveling on a day trip with friends and without my silver coach we tasted wines from a barrel, savored great small plates of food paired for us in the 92 degree heat. So what was so unusual? The chef. We sat and spoke with Chef Mark Linback who works with Six Sigma Ranch and Winery, gave us his recommendations of the “must haves” for our Airstream Galley! His suggestions: 1 lb of flour, regular salt, salted and unsalted butter, olive oil-either EVOO or VOO, your favorite spices and baking power. Why? To make pastry, scones, coat fish or chicken, be able to fry anything and add the spices you like to make new finds your kind of yummy.

I have often wondered how long you can keep spices before they loose their taste or get yukkie. Here is what I found walking about in Los Gatos California’s Napa Style store! A cardboard cylinder with stacked small containers with screw lids on them! Not only is it small, about 1 inch in diameter, the containers have spices in them. The label states these will stay useable for up to 4 years if stowed in the cardboard tube in a cool place. It was $29 plus tax and I really am liking that is does not take up precious space in my galley and I have lots of choices to add to local food finds in our travels. Wow! This fits nicely into my galley pantry and is a first must for cooking or grilling as we travel. I like the fact it can be stored for a long time . The portion sizes help keep thing fresh and we can replace spices with our favorites if needed.

On the way up to Six Sigma Ranch we stopped at the St. Helena Olive Oil Company to pick up our favorite rosemary infused oil. We asked the sales person how long we can store our olive oil? Her answer was for up to 2 years from the press date! So now we know how long we can store our spices and olive oil and the sizes we use fit nicely in our galley.

The following Monday we hooked up our Airstream for a day trip to Pietro Santo Winery just south of Hollister California and on the way to the Pinnacles National Park. We were to meet one of the marketing staff to discuss a nice place to visit on our way to the new beautiful national park. This is not a well traveled “wine trail” so it may be a nice side stop on our travels. It was an overcast day but balmy and comfortable. The directions from the winery took us south and away from the main roads to Hollister and Tres Pinos, California. The Cienega Road is a lovely, quiet ranch road. It is a paved 2 lane road. The scenery is breath taking. It is like being dropped into the 1800’s. The time when cattle was king and hard working cowboys may appear on horseback at any moment. It is a winding quiet road, occasionally bumpy but no one is behind you honking, because you are slow. Occasionally vehicles just passed by and people waved.

The wine trail is home to approximately 6 wineries, all closed on Mondays or have tastings by appointment only. The tasting rooms all seem to be about a mile off the main road and there is very little signage to direct you. Our appointment never materialized but the winery grounds are beautiful, clean, green and bottling was in progress. They have an olive press in the tasting room building. This is what I wanted to see. Although the interview never came together the journey was beautiful. Taking a wrong turn almost got us to the Pinnacles instead of homeward bound. Airport Hwy is quiet and as we turned around we approached Tres Pinos, Balado Park and a small, good Mexican restaurant for a homey lunch. This little community of 500 is very reminiscent of the old California I new growing up. Had I not had my appointment on a new trail I would have missed the scenery we often dream about and it is nearby in the Gabilan Hills.

What is luxury trailering?

What do you think of as luxury trailer travelling? I thought about that a long time. I know where to go to find good food but it is how we live while we venture out; ‘are we able to sleep cozy and warm, is there a beautiful little touch to have my morning coffee and toast seem as though we are in a B & B, or are we camping?

We get so caught up in the prep, stowing, time frame and destination we forget why we have such a nice trailer. We decided on an Airstream to learn to enjoy the journey, explore the little off the busy tourist trail places we missed as we served our country all over the world AND be very comfortable. We need to have the means to make the adventure a cut above and EAT VERY WELL as we learn to savor the journey not just the destination. With this in mind. . . . I love great foods, great wine, comfy cozy evenings and the knowledge we have the tools to take advantage of yummy things we come across as we “press on” in a fun way! We are always on the hunt to bring these items to you and let you know how to get them.

I have changed my focus. I will look for the items we can use on our travels that make it that much more luxurious yet are beautiful, lightweight and have multi-uses! The easy part was choosing the Airstream! It has clean lines and lots of well thought out storage spaces. I will start with the empty coach and then add the “things” that will help us be able to relax and really feel pampered while we travel into the hidden surprises of our quests and adventures.

Here is where we start! This is the place to store the special ingredients that will enrich any foodie finds on the journey. I have measured the diameter of the adjustable shelves and use a guide to see if bottles of yummy fit, store well so we can enhance dishes, beverages and ” ?” while entertaining ourselves and friends on the road less traveled.

The Bubbles and . . . .

A long time ago I remember discovering the wonders of champagne! Today is for the savoring of the newer offerings of an old friend. Domaine Chandon! The tasting room and restaurant are in Yountville, California, the gateway to one of the best known wine a regions of California. It is a great first stop on the way to Clear Lake or other points north.

Today it is a hot early summer’s data, 90 degrees. There is a slight breeze that is gentle and comforting. So we drive under the arched entry to taste bubbly and eat oysters. We discover that there is indeed parking for the truck and trailer as well as a large RV. Very easy to drive to and no switchy curves or steep mountains.

The entrance has a beautiful arched sign high in the trees. The road is well maintained and cooling in appearance. You do not see an overwhelming structure or a psuedo italian or french chateau. It sits quietly in the hills and trees.

You walk into a darkened shop area with the registers and a concierge’s podium to get directions to the tasting room and restaurant. There were no signs that I could see, very subdued environment. When I entered a large glassed area I was not sure if this was the tasting area, take out ordering or entry into an outdoor restaurant. Finally a young woman at another podium told me I had just left the tasting room.

Back to the glass and windows area and then waved a staff person down to help. The menu outside stated there was a special of a bottle of champagne with dozen oysters! My friend and I decided wow lets order a dozen each because the price was so reasonable. The staff person was funny, intense and directed us to the patio area to await our bucket of champagne and goodies. We were not sure if we were supposed to wait for our bucket and take it outside or if they were to be served to us.

Again a section with a waterfall and linen table cloths was on one side with reserved signs and a lot of regular tables and chairs in a beautiful spacious patio area. The area was so comfortable with a warm breeze and music playing from the speakers. Not too loud and somewhat comfortable. The champagne was etoile Brut!!! so crisp, new to me and worked wonderfully with the oysters. The oysters were very fresh, no foam! We ate 3 and half-dozen oysters each with our bottle of champagne. It was an enjoyable 2 hours on a lazy, warm afternoon. But we did not get a “taste” of the many new sparkling wines available here.

As we left the patio and were on the way out of the establishment we did learn many things about champagne. Here at Domain Chandon they have sooo many sizes of bottle of their Classic Brut and Rose that are perfect for packing in the Airstream. Single serving size, split or 1/2 bottle and regular liter size. The single serve size is one serving and fits in the pantry shelf in the Flying Cloud, the other bottle sizes are too wide. The 2 serving size is just a tiny bit smaller than the split and fits easily into the refrigerator door.

We did ask questions of the very helpful sales associate Janice Beland:

Q. Can/should you freeze champagne?

A. No, keep refrigerated for a few hours before serving. Store in a cool dark place, less than 60 degrees. Same for their still wines.

Q. What is the best way to open the champagne?

A. Use a bar towel, grab the cork after removing the wire cage, slowly twist the bottle, not the cork, slowly so you do not loose control of the cork and you do not loose the bubbly.

Q. How to serve the bubbles?

A. A chilled glass is a personal preference, slant the flute and pour down the side of the glass. This gives less foam on the top and allows the bubbles to get smaller. When the fine bubbles appear it is ready to sip.

Q. How long can champagne be stored?

A. Double the age of the bubbly and that is the gage for the length you store it. For example if etoile Brut is aged for 5+years it can be stored for 10 years ; Reserve Blanc de Blancs is aged 18 months so it can be stored for 3 years (36 months)! SOMETHING NEW I LEARNED!!!

The winery shop had many very glass looking plastic stemless glasses with their logo on them but really looked like glass. If you joined their wine club on the day we were there (Monday) we recived a 50% discount on stuff, champagne and still wines! That was great to learn after our first round of oysters!

There are only 2 RV parks in Napa and we could not find them to review. You can park your trailers and RVs while you are enjoying their treats but no overnight. There are two large parking areas that are an easy wondering to the bubbles.

where shall we wander to next? You never know what we will find….

Meandering thru the new old wine region of Lake County California

After many years of tiresome crowded wine tours and tastings it is refreshing to find great wines in hidden valleys. Lake County California boasts many small gems. This Monday we rolled into a bucolic, picturesque setting that held a reward. A jewel in the search for great California wines that offers you great vistas, warm friendly care and flavors that match the newer tastes in wine is SIX SIGMA Winery and Ranch!

We pulled our little silver bullet from Scotts Valley California over 150 miles to Lake County California. We traversed the Santa Cruz mountains to get to the Lake County wine region. Our little 6 cylinder engine was truly the little engine that could. We drove along the Silverado Trail up the winding St. Helena mountain road that would scare anyone pulling a trailer. Crawling up the mountainside at 20 miles an hour we finally found Middletown and got a sandwich to get us the rest of the way to our destination. . . . . Six Sigma Winery and Ranch (only 20-30 minutes later).

Six Sigma is located on Spruce Grove Rd. just off Cal Hwy 29. The road winds around dry hills and homes to the turn off to the wine tasting “room”. Our little Airstream was going bumpity bump down a dusty, gravelly road. It was in the 90’s, the wheels stirred up dusty puffs, cattle and sheep were grazing freely in the fields and the vines were green and well cared for. At the end of a 2 mile slow crawl we came upon the Six Sigma Winery tasting room.

I had arranged an interview with one of the winery’s owners, Christian Ahlman, to have him walk through the Airstream and give us his ideas on how to properly store wine while we travel about. We don’t have space to put a built in wine refrigerator so we had learn some basics.

Q- What is the best temperature to store wines?

A- Wine should be stored at a minimum of 60 degrees F or less. He suggested whites be stored in the frig and if unsure of a potential raise in the inside temp, put a couple of reds in the frig too.. Take the reds out about one hour before opening to get to room temperature before serving.

Q- Is a wooden wine box any better than the cardboard case boxes for storing?

A- Christian felt both were good. The separations in case boxes keep the bottles from rattling and possibly breaking in transit. We find that the under bed storage area in our Flying Cloud is the coolest spot in the trailer.

Q- Do you really need to decant or aerate wine to help it quickly mature for a better taste?

A- The oxygen is what helps its flavor and a simple trick is to open the bottle, pour a glass, then re-cork the bottle and gently shake the bottle. The air in the bottle helps it mature and smooth. Hmmmm one less gadget to stow but an effective action to make your wine more enjoyable.

We found the history of the 4,300 acre ranch lands, the Six Sigma philosophy of always searching for the best quality in all they do on this sustainable ranch and winery impressive but the real find is the wine and the staff. If you like your reds smooth but not in your face, rich and flavorful the Tempranillo is my favorite. You know you want a great steak or lamp chop to compliment your glass or is that the other way around? The real challenge is Pinot Noir vs Cabernet vs Diamond Cuvee! With so many great choices just have a bottle of each to take on your travels.

A wow is their Sauvignon Blanc and Marianne’s Blush, both refreshing with a great crisp flavor just right for hot summer evenings and picnics. We chilled ours in our ice bucket and sat outside the silver suite to enjoy our favorite summer wine.

We thought how wonderful to be able to pull our Airstream to the winery and park it under a great wonderful oak without a problem. Of course we are only 20 feet long! We appreciate the time Christian and his staff spent with us at Six Sigma and plan on returning often. For a real treat take the time to experience old California hospitality and outstanding wines.

NOTE: Did you know they were growing more wine grapes in Lake County than Napa County before prohibition?! The vines were torn out and the famous California Bartlett Pears were grown and shipped all over the world. Now Lake County is producing great wines again.

Sooooo where do we go next to find more fantastic people, wine, and tastey tidbits to make the trailer travels even more luxurious?

Why We Are Here

The learning curve to get the galley ready for your travel experience is steep. I obsessed about the how to, flow, ease of use, what to use and the permanence of tools and staples (spices etc.).

My military experience taught me heavy stuff makes it harder for the truck/car to pull the trailer. Also I did not want lots of stuff but multipurpose items/tools/plates. The trailer moves along behind me and things can get thrown around, breaks and makes messes. Don’t like those kinds of surprises!

I know what my research lead me to for my galley and now I am going to have some fun with it. I love to eat good food, drink yummy wine and experience nature’s beautiful scenery. Now let’s see what the great California chefs say is a must have for your little cooking area and what/how to store precious wines, spices and serving dishes.

You can spend hundreds of, ok thousands of dollars, on stuff but it may be too big, too heavy and you find out it doesn’t work for you or your travels. I planned for dinnerware etc for four. This is easily expanded with all the friends you meet but remember, your galley is your pivotal launch for entertaining and luxury. But less is truly more!

I find inspiration everywhere especially stores like Napa Style, Williams and Sonoma and Sur Le Table! No I don’t get money from these guys but they sure have nice stuff that really meets the needs of traveling light!

Whew that is how this blog got started! The Silver Suite will be posting the interviews and lists of the “stuff” the chefs recommend!

Here We Go

Now we have the Silver Bullet so how do I fill it? I obsessed about my galley more than anything else. I did not want paper plates and left over kitchen utensils! So I measured every cabinet, mapped out “zones” and then made a strategic plan of action then re-did it over and over again.

That was five years ago. Today I am smarter and on an adventure to interview chefs and vintners to get their ideas for the perfect, gourmet galley and mobile wine cellar! This will either validate my planning or I get a whole new traveling, luxury galley, hmmmm I like that option.

Follow our travels and interviews, get great ideas for your travels!

The Silver Suite

A small bundle of potential that will follow you anywhere. It’s up to you, let’s explore the possibilities together.