BajaNomad

For the dirty people of Baja

yankeeirishman - 2-15-2005 at 11:41 AM

As some of you know, I am a primitive camper (no hotel, no motor home, no mommy?s house) most times. I have made a very nice discovery for all of you concerning your dirty clothes! At the El Dorado Ranch (the R.V. park across the Mex-5, NOT the beachside location), they have two great services there. A laundry room to do your clothes, and BETTER, a laundry service!
For $5.00 US you can have a load washed, folded, and wrapped. In by 9:00am and out by 3:00 pm. I left our stuff there overnight without a problem. Excellent service.
If you are a cheapo, the machines in there are great. About $4.00 US for wash n dry. Get your tokens at the office; you?ll see the location clearly. The guy in there is a snob?. don?t let that bother you. You ain?t going to marry him!
Oh?the R.V. park there?..what a dump of a joint!


[Edited on 2-15-2005 by yankeeirishman]

bajalou - 2-15-2005 at 11:02 PM

Yeah - but thats where the Swap Meet is each saturday morning - Oct to May.

Lots of interesting stuff - fresh vegies, usual Mex crafts etc dune buggies, plenty of junk . You can't afford to miss it.

:biggrin:

Cyndarouh - 2-16-2005 at 08:49 AM

They also have great Empanada's and Tamale's if you get there early enough, to the swap meet.

yankeeirishman - 2-16-2005 at 10:05 AM

Empanada's. Can you educate a green horn on what this is?

bajalou - 2-16-2005 at 10:09 AM

A filled fried pastry - pineapple, apple - beef, chicken pumpkin ???? good stuff

:biggrin:

Cyndarouh - 2-16-2005 at 10:26 AM

Now I am hungry for Empanadas guess what were having for a snack this eve?I will make chicken today. :light:

[Edited on 2-16-2005 by Cyndarouh]

Natalie Ann - 2-16-2005 at 11:14 AM

Oh Cyndarouh - Would you please please share you empanada recipe with me? I have a particular weakness for the really good ones. Is there a difference in how you make the meat ones and the fruit ones? Perhaps to keep this thread on topic you should u2u me.;)

yankeeirishman - 2-16-2005 at 11:19 AM

Wait a minute! I think she should share that here on this post. Hey...I cook too!

John M - 2-16-2005 at 04:45 PM

Don't be stingy with the recipe!

bajalou - 2-16-2005 at 06:52 PM

And just 3 more days and I can just pick a few up at the Swap Meet. A couple of tamales and a Pina Empenada make a great breakfast.

:biggrin:

Cyndarouh - 2-16-2005 at 07:04 PM

I have been gone all day and now have to cook so when I get back after DRs Thurs or poss Friday I will post. For now I have to go cook. Cynda

El Dorado ranch

MIKEMCCARTY - 2-16-2005 at 07:29 PM

Oh?the R.V. park there?..what a dump of a joint!
............My family and I have been staying at Petes camp during our San felipe vacations. I have been hearing that there has been a lot of thefts along with other issues recently. We were going to look into the ranch,just for the security purpose..we have sand toys that I really dont want to replace. Sounds like I may need to look somewhere else? any suggestions.. we have a 27ft motorhome

yankeeirishman - 2-16-2005 at 07:55 PM

I used to have a Pacearrow 34', so I know what roads you cannot take. Go here:
Campo El Pescador: A rare find! Location is north of town out by the large rock mountain. Look up location in your ?Baja California Almanac. If you hate Pete?s Camp for all the noise and crowds, this place is totally gorgeous. Hard to believe it?s so close to the city! Has an enclosed toilet, running faucet water. Take a solar shower bag with you, and some firewood. Has no trash laying about. Good fishing (I was told). This camp is the best-kept secret in this area! $8 US
It's hell alot better than any beach in SF! There IS a water hook up there for your tanks :spingrin: The road is easy. Go there at least one nite to see what I am taking about.

Campo El Pescador

MIKEMCCARTY - 2-17-2005 at 09:53 AM

My kids have spring break off. last year we did the Petes camp thing, way to crowded. do you think we could find a spot here, say around the end of March,early April....

Meat Empanadas

Bruce R Leech - 2-17-2005 at 10:27 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Natalie Ann
Oh Cyndarouh - Would you please please share you empanada recipe with me? I have a particular weakness for the really good ones. Is there a difference in how you make the meat ones and the fruit ones? Perhaps to keep this thread on topic you should u2u me.;)


Meat Empanadas

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There are tons of varieties of
these little meat pies, not only from the different regions of
Argentina, but also of the rest of Latin America. This recipe
is what I grew up with. The tomato sauce it calls for is my own
addition, and you can skip it.


Shells

-empanada shells, about 12

I'm not including the recipe for the shells because it's too much
trouble to make them (plus, it's been so long since I've made my
own shells that I've lost the recipe). Empanada shells ("tapas de
empanadas") are available at some hispanic markets. Call up
until you find one that has them. They generally come frozen,
and you must defrost them before using them. Some hours in the
fridge is probably the best way of defrosting it, if you are desperate
use the microwave, but be careful they don't start cooking.

If you have a choice of tapas, the "La Salte?a" brand, imported
from Argentina, is by far the best. It's not the most traditional, being
a little more filo-doughy than others, but it's superb. You can buy them
online at Mercado del Plata


Filling:

-1 onion, chopped
-2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
-1 lb ground beef
-1 tbsp oregano
-1 tsp paprika
-1 tsp cumin
-1/2 cup green olives, chopped
-1/2 cup raisins
-1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
-salt and white pepper to taste
-olive oil
-tomato sauce (can be omitted)

Brown the onion and the garlic on the olive oil. Add ground beef
and brown. Drain the fat off. Add the spices and cook until the
meat is done. If you'd like, add some tomato sauce (I use pasta sauce),
enough to moisten the meat. Once it's ready, mix in the olives,
raisins and the egg (I personally skip the egg).

Scoop the meat mixture (about a tablespoon worth) onto the shell.
Fold the shell, forming a semi-circle. Close the empanada by
passing a fork though its open edge, merging both sides of the shell.

Brush the tops of the empanadas with a bit of water or milk.
Sprinkle sugar. Bake in oven at 400 F. until golden.

Empanadas can be made with many different fillings. Another favorite
of mine is cheese, Monterey Jack is probably the best choice in the US.

For a dessert alternative, use quince-jam as a filling (traditional
quince-jam empanadas, however, are rather small).

Empanadas is a particularly good party dish, as they don't
require to be sitting up at a table to eat them.

enjoy

Cyndarouh - 2-18-2005 at 08:12 AM

Thanks Bruce. You did my typing for me. Here is a nice sauce. You can add any type of herb spice you want to change this sauce. Its just a basic.

4 chiles California(dried Ca chiles)
1 tomate roja
I diente de ajo (I add two garlic gloves)
Put this in a sauce pan add about a cup of water boil until tomato is simi soft cool a bit (take stem off of Chiles) put all in blender add a 1/4 of an onion blend while blending add a tsp of chicken boulion, and a pinch of Salt. Add a bit up to a 1/2 or more water if needed while blending.

Great sauce for just about anything. I also like adding cilantro, and a bit of oregano So how do you do spell ck?

[Edited on 2-18-2005 by Cyndarouh]

empanadas

Heather - 2-18-2005 at 09:26 AM

These are a speciality of my husband's. to make the masa (dough) he just uses flour, salt, and manteca (lard, butter, or oil your choice). This is the same dough that his mother would make for flour tortillas. (he still hasn't convinced me of my desire to make tortillas!)

We usually do them for leftover mexican-style beef stew or roast. Add tomatoes (or tomato sauce), chili's, and onions to your roast or stew meat and that's what I mean by Mx style!

My favorite filling is frijoles with sugar mixed/mashed in. You can add cheese to these as well.

My girls like them with strawberry jam and cheese.

He doesn't make these often, but we had the whole family cooking these up a couple of Sundays ago! We made lots so had them for the whole week, a minute in the micro, and they're ready to go! Enjoy, H.

Natalie Ann - 2-18-2005 at 12:11 PM

Thank you, thank you Bruce, Cyndarouh and Heather. It'll be empanadas at my place this weekend. Anyone wanting to make the trip in the rain to Berkeley is invited.:)

Packoderm - 2-19-2005 at 02:28 AM

What about the method of filling a large bucket with clothes and soapy water, close it with a lid, and let it ride in the back of the pickup or elsewhere for a while on a bumpy road? When you get to the next town, replace the soapy water with fresh water and continue with the traveling. When you get to camp, you can set up a clothes line to dry them. Then you can wad them up and shove them in a canvas sack. The wrinkles may come out as you wear the clothes. When I travel Baja, I wear my old raggedy underwear and just throw them away. I remember a time when I thought I had money and T-shirts were cheap, and I would just buy a souvenir T-shirt at every town, wear them once, and put them away dirty to wash when I got home. Also, sometimes you can get a wash load in at the hotel you stay at when they are not washing sheets. A beer or soft drink will usually suffice for bartering.

Eli - 2-19-2005 at 11:09 AM

I have used the bucket method and agree with Packorderm, this is a great lazy man's system for washing clothes. Except, you can't get many clothes in one 5 gallon bucket, and I have dumped the bucket a few times on those bumpy turns, so if you don't forget the bingy cord.

If I was to return to the travelers lazy mans cheapo washing machine, I think I would change over to a giant ice chest, they are pretty cheap these days, and no dumping on the turns and more capacity.

Packoderm - 2-19-2005 at 03:42 PM

"I think I would change over to a giant ice chest"

The man is a genius.