Day 2 of The Rambling Larder’s Week in Food

Today is an unusual day, it is a layover day.  We have only had a handful of these since we started our travels.  A layover day means that we do not move Lola (we camp in the same location) and we may try to catch up on housekeeping, or just relax from driving every day.

I know, we’re on vacation and we still want a weekend day?  YES.  Being on the road is relatively easy, but trying to find a new campsite each night can be a little taxing.  We usually choose to layover when we’ve found a beautiful location.  This spot along Lago Argentino, just outside of El Calafate is remote and like a postcard.  The water is a turquoise-emerald blue with breaking waves in the late morning and evening, but “Patagonia-relative calm winds” at night and in the afternoon.  To top it off, ¾ of the lake is surrounded by views of several snowy mountains.  We really wish you could see this with your own eyes….

After shopping the larder is fully stocked and we can have almost anything we can imagine.  So for breakfast, we strayed a bit from the usual oatmeal.  First of all- WE HAD COFFEE!!!  I purchased a trusted choice-La Virginia brand, because it seems to be flavorful and fresh. Usually we have a pour over style coffee, but today was a day for celebration!  So I made coffee in the mocha pot.  It’s usually a great way to go if we have the time for several cups of coffee.  As for actual calories, I finished off some salad from last night and we both had cereal and granola with milk- Todd’s typical breakfast (I usually have oatmeal).

Lunch was an “Easy Going Weekend Lunch” that we would make in Seattle, melted cheese sandwiches with tomato soup.  This might be the second time we’ve made melted cheese sandwiches in Lola.  We used a very soft gouda cheese.  Most cheese in Argentina seems to be very soft…it goes very well with lomo sandwiches… I don’t blame them.  Making meals that we would have at home makes us feel that we are at home.  It’s an essential part to Luxuriously Overlanding Latin America (L.O.L.A.- thank you Heather!!!).  If we skimped on this trip I wouldn’t enjoy myself as much as I am.  I’m down for sleeping in gas stations and taking a shower in not-so-clean-bathrooms, but it must be balanced with luxury!

 

Of course there were snacks before dinner.  Snack #1: day old pan (white bread) dipped in chimmichurri spice.  We also had a fractura (sweet) each…day old medialunas (half moons/crescents).

Snack #2: Cheese board a la Todd: cherries, sausage, gouda cheese, and Gancia aperitif.  I really wanted to try the Gancia because it’s an aperitif, AND only $5 for a 950ml bottle (at 14%).  It’s a slightly bitter but sweet, refreshing grapefruit peel, clear colored aperitif.  It would be awesome on a hot day over ice or mixed with fresh orange or grapefruit juice.  It tastes really good in Patagonia too.

Dinner was unusual as well, we had meat (two days in a row!!!).  We enjoy the Argentinian beef quite a bit, but it is hard for us to get fresh meat when traveling in remote parts of the country.  So, when we do purchase it, we usually cook it within days of our purchase.  Todd made a nice pressure cooker beef, mushroom, onion thing.  With white rice.

We’ve had a hard time figuring out what the cuts of beef are, but they’re really good.  To cook the beef and save on propane, we usually start our dinner in the morning and put the pot in the wonderful Wonderbag to slow cook for the rest of the day.  I didn’t realize it in the beginning, but the Pressure Cooker & Wonderbag Duo are really key to having awesome slow cooked dinners.

Beans, stews, soups, pretty much anything that comes out of those two is GREAT.  This is a wonderful thing after you’ve been driving all day and maybe you’ve had a hard time finding a campsite….really great.