Beef & Veggie Camp Oven Stew

Beef & Veggie Camp Oven Stew

The only camp oven stew recipe you will ever need! Delicious, easy and cooks while you chat around the camp fire. Perfect!

Ingredients:

  • 1 kg diced beef
  • Chopped/cubed veggies (as many as you like/will fit)
  • 3 tbsp. arrowroot flour
  • Oil for browning beef
  • 1 cup red wine (optional)
  • Beef stock/bone broth (liquid or powder)
  • 4 cups water (total including liquid from broth)

Seasoning

  • 2 tsp. turmeric
  • 3 tsp. salt or Herbamere or to taste
  • Cracked pepper to taste
  • Garlic powder to taste
  • Onion powder to taste
  • 2 tsp. curry powder

 

 

  1. Chop the veggies and put them into a bowl for later.
  2. Preheat the camp oven.
  3. Place the beef into a bowl, add 1 Tbsp. arrowroot flour and seasoning (including stock if it’s a powder) and stir to combine. Or place in a large ziplock bag and shake to combine.
  4. Place camp oven on hot coals and heat oil and then brown meat for a couple of minutes, stirring regularly.
  5. Add veggies to the camp oven and stir. Leave on hot coals.
  6. Pour in water (and stock if using liquid) and wine, leave the lid off and let simmer for 30mins. If bubbling too much, remove from the direct coals.
  7. After 30 mins check and top up the water if needed. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Cover and leave for a further 30mins. Sometimes we leave it on the coals, other times we set it aside as it’s already hot enough. Each time it’s different.
  8. Remove the camp oven from the heat, stir well and make sure everything is cooked to your liking.
  9. Add remaining arrowroot flour to a cup with a little water to make a slurry.
  10. Add to stew and stir to combine. Let it simmer until thickened.
  11. Optional: add some sour cream to serve
Front Loader or Top Loader Washing Machine for a Caravan?

Front Loader or Top Loader Washing Machine for a Caravan?

Which washing machine should you get? A top loader or a front loader? A lot comes into play when making this decision such as space, layout, water consumption and capacity.

SPACE & LAYOUT

In our previous 3 large caravans (all 22.6) we’ve had top loading washing machines and they worked really well for us. At first I was hesitant to change to a front loader, but I’m so glad I did! The top loader did a great job, but it used a lot of water and took up too much space for our liking. We had ours located in the ensuite under the bench. Our washing basket used to sit on top of the bench and our rubbish bin sat on the floor in front of the cupboard door that was hardly ever opened as the washing machine was behind it.

With our current van we went with the NCE wall mounted 3k washer/drier machine and absolutely love it. Because we chose to wall mount, we gained enough space in our ensuite to add a slide out rubbish bin, a large cupboard that holds our dirty clothes basket and a lot of other things plus a smaller drawer. We have nothing on the floor anymore as the rubbish bin is hidden and we gained bench space that we can use for our air fryer and thermomix etc. Sure, we had the same bench space with the top loader but every time we wanted to use the machine, what was on the bench would have to come off.

WATER CONSUMPTION & CAPACITY

We found the top loader would use 50+ litres for a medium wash and 70+ for a full wash. You could do a wash and then stop it before it drained the water and add more clothing, and you could also fill the machine with water from a river or lake etc outside, but generally speaking, it used a lot of water. We could wash all the bedding in 2 loads in the top loader but as yet haven’t tried it in the front loader. I think we could do it over 3-4 loads but we prefer to use laundromats for the big stuff where possible.

The NCE uses less than 9 litres on a quick wash, which is the only cycle we use when off grid. I always do an extra spin cycle as it doesn’t do it very well on the quick wash. I can’t remember how much it uses for a full wash, but it’s not much! We can do 3 (quick) loads of washing and use less than 30 litres of water. To do a similar wash in the top loader we would use almost double the water.

NOISE

People often ask how noisy the wall mounted machine is which is a fair question! It spins quite fast, the van definitely moves and it is a little loud, but it only last for about 2 minutes on the spin cycle and is not an issue at all. If it gets out of balance, it can be quite loud but the machine re-balances itself which is pretty handy! The top loader also used to be very loud and jump around a lot on the spin cycle if there were heavy items like towels or jeans and the machine was imbalanced.

DRIER FUNCTION

As a drier, the NCE is very handy, but doesn’t work like a traditional drier. It’s more of a ‘finisher’ and has a 1kg capacity.  As a test, we tried drying a hoodie straight after being washed and it took 10 hours which was fine as we were plugged into power. Generally, we use it more to finish things off if they don’t quite dry completely, or for small items. It was a Godsend when we were at the Gold Coast Holiday Park for a few weeks visiting family and it rained every day! We would hang the clothes on the Slide n Dry Pegless clothesline under the awning to partly dry and then finish them off in the drier for the remainder of the day or at night. As we were plugged into power, it was simple. Would I suggest a washer drier to everyone? No. I don’t think it is necessary, but it has definitely come in handy for us on a few occasions.

POWER CONSUMPTION

As I mentioned before, this didn’t start out as a comprehensive comparison, it was originally going to be a comparison of water consumption. Because of this I have no idea how much the top loading machines draw. In our last van we had 720w of solar and 400ah in lithium and power was never an issue – and that’s all the current power info I have on the top loader. But I can throw a few stats at you about our front loader from the load that I’ve completed right now. We have to keep in mind that the solar was pumping in and we have 600ah of Enerdrive lithium BTec batteries.  On a quick wash while the water is being pumped in, it draws between 14 and 22 amps. During the washing part of the cycle it draws about 7. This is looking at the common loads so anything else that is drawing power is included (nothing else large was running). At the end of the cycle not even 1% of our battery was depleted. From our very rough calculations we figured out that it uses about 10 amps per hour on average.

After reading this post and watching the video, I hope you have a bit more of an idea on what washing machine will best suit your caravanning experience. No matter what you choose, I’m sure just getting away in the caravan will be enough to make you smile!

Camp Oven Stuffed Pumpkin

Camp Oven Stuffed Pumpkin

My prize winning stuffed pumpkin recipe is now yours to replicate 🙂 This delicious recipe came about at Burrum Heads when we were staying on our friends property, Burrum Shores (which you can book on Hipcamp!) It’s so good it came in second place in the weekly camp oven cook off! Be creative and stuff it with whatever veggies you have on hand. Let me know how you go.

Ingredients: (I’m not giving exact amounts as it will vary according to taste, size of pumpkin, how many pumpkins etc)

  • Butternut Pumpkin, halved with the seeds and the insides scooped out (scoop more if you want to stuff it more, less if you want more pumpkin)
  • Thinly sliced potato
  • Thinly sliced carrot
  • Green beans
  • Cream
  • Crushed garlic
  • Herbamere (or salt and pepper)
  • White wine

Method:

  1. Layer your sliced potato, carrots, and beans in the pumpkin
  2. Combine cream, garlic, wine, herbs & spices
  3. Pour cream mixture over the veggies
  4. Cook in camp oven with coals on top for about 45 minutes. We pop it onto the coals for 5-10 minutes at the start and then remove it and set it aside, leaving hot coals on top
  5. After about 45 minutes, check and if soft and browning well, add cheese
  6. Put back in camp oven with coals on top for further 30 minutes or until cheese is brown and bubbly
Perfect Grain Free Avocado Waffles

Perfect Grain Free Avocado Waffles

This is the PERFECT waffle recipe when you have a surplus of avocados or a couple that are just a little bit too ripe. These waffles are healthy, fluffy, crispy and so easy to make. Do they have a green tinge? Yep! That would be due to the 2 full avocados in this creamy waffle mixture. What are you waiting for? Get out your waffle iron and let’s go!

Ingredients:

  • 6 large eggs
  • 250 g cream cheese (full fat)
  • 2 ripe avocados, skin off, seed out
  • 1 tsp bicarb soda
  • 1 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1 1/2 cups arrowroot flour/tapioca flour
  • Splash of water (maybe 1/2 a cup)
  • Sweetener if desired. I usually don’t add any as we often eat these with savoury toppings.

Method:

  1. Preheat waffle maker
  2. Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Check and add more water if necessary.
  3. Allow to sit and thicken while the waffle maker is heating up.
  4. Add a dollop of butter (Optional – sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t!)
  5. Pour the batter in and cook until your liking.
  6. Serve straight away to get that crispy, fluffly texture.

Tips:

  • Omit the avocados if you don’t have any. This recipe is great without them.
  • Use less tapioca flour for a lower carb count.
  • Add extras like sugar-free chocolate chips, blueberries, banana or whatever you like to spice them up a bit! Why not add some allspice? 🙂
  • I store extras in the fridge and to reheat, use the air fryer for about 4 minutes at 180C.

 

The Old Barn Paddock – A Must Stay Campground!

The Old Barn Paddock – A Must Stay Campground!

written by Karen Mace

Callum and Natalie Murphy – A Couple with a Vision

The Old Barn Paddock is a must-stay campground near Hobart, Tasmania. It takes it’s name from the very old barn that Callum and Natalie have painstakingly transformed into a superbly rustic function venue. Don’t miss this beautiful spot!

Located around 53 km north of Hobart on the B31 between Richmond and Oatlands, the small hamlet of Colebrook is nothing more than a blip on the map for many.

 It was for us too until I decided to attend a retreat in the unlikely town. I thought it was too far to travel down and back to our home in the north of the state in one day – well, for me it is too far – so I suggested to Ross (my husband) that we take the caravan down and find somewhere to stay.

 I had it in my head that we’d probably stay at Richmond as I couldn’t imagine there would be anything in or near Colebrook. But … when I want to know about great places to stay, my go-to person is Miriam of ADU. It helps that she is my daughter :). Miriam was quick to message back with details about a place called the Old Barn Paddock.

 ‘Mum, you need to download the Hipcamp app. It’s on there.’

 So, it was thanks to Miriam, and the Hipcamp app, that we found ourselves parked up by the Craigbourne Dam that laps at the edges of The Old Barn Paddock.

 Just outside of Colebrook, Callum and Natalie Murphy have made their home a delightful place of rest for weary travellers. The Old Barn Paddock takes its name from the very old barn that Callum and Natalie have painstakingly been transforming over the past year into a superbly rustic function venue.

BEFORE

after

I ask them how they came to live on such a beautiful property.

‘I’ve always wanted to live on the Craigbourne,’ Callum says, ‘and Nat’s brother was going on at me about when we were going to buy a house, so I told him I would when one came up on the Craigbourne, and just a short time after that, this place came up.’

They both laugh as they recall the first time they looked at the property; they bypassed the house and headed straight to the barn. They shared a vision for making it into something lots of people could enjoy, although anyone else who looked at it would have been considering how quickly they could pull it down!

 ‘We took out 300 bags of sheep poo and couldn’t believe it when we saw an intact concrete floor underneath it all.’

As they talk about the transformation, the excitement is obvious. It’s taken lots of hard work, with more to come, but they have persevered and it’s beginning to pay off. They are sought out now as a wedding venue and are excited to continue to grow that part of their vision.

So where does that leave people like us, I ask? People who want to camp here and enjoy the beauty it offers?

Fortunately, they plan to balance the two. They’ll run events for a few months each year but will still open up in between for those who are self-contained campers. In fact, Callum and Nat have some great ideas for transforming the old barn, when there isn’t an event booked, into a communal meeting place for campers. Callum’s face lights up as he talks of music nights, pool tables, and a general coming together of people.

‘It’s always been about the community’, he says. Nat nods as Callum waves a hand towards a group camped in a corner of the paddock. ‘They were some of our very first campers. They’ve been really supportive and come back regularly. We consider them friends now and I dropped over there last night for a beer and a bit of a chat. I’d like to see the barn become the meeting place for campers to do that.’ 

A little later I chat with another couple. It’s their first trip in their new Jayco. They had a look at Richmond Caravan Park and also at Oatlands. Both parks were full. For them, The Old Barn Paddock was an unknown and they love it.

‘We live just down the road in Howrah,’ they said, ‘so we’ll be here again soon.’

Natalie and Callum love people, and it’s evident in the way they greet you when you arrive, and in the way they are always open for a chat or to help with anything you might need. So, next time you are in Tasmania, plan to stop for a night or two, parked up in The Old Barn Paddock, by the water of Craigbourne Dam. You won’t regret it!

Bookings: If you haven’t already, download the Hipcamp app! It works well for the Natalie and Callum, as you can quickly see which days are blocked out.

While you’re there make sure you don’t dismiss Colebrook. There’s a lot of history in the little town. Take a look at the following website for a few ideas of what to see.

https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/colebrook-tas

This post was written by my mum, Karen Mace. Mum & Dad live in Grindelwald Tasmania and travel in their Titanium Caravan whenever they can. Karen is a published author and writer and you can check out her work at https://karenmace.com/  https://www.facebook.com/karenmacewriter/ and https://www.instagram.com/karenmacewriter/