Last blog post we were camping at Lake Minatare just outside of Scottsbluff, Ne. Before leaving this lovely state park (on day 3 ), Robert and I went for a short walk around the lake to see the only lighthouse in all of Nebraska (with no light in it!):

After a quick breakfast, we drove from Scottsbluff en route to mid-Nebraska. About halfway there, we had a special welcome to this area from a “County Mounty”:

81 in a 75 mile per hour zone  – while pulling a trailer – qualifies for a ticket in Nebraska!

Around an hour later we arrived at the beautiful Johnson Lake, for an overnight stay on our way to Omaha:

Johnson-lake

The campground was lovely – there were lilac bushes throughout the campground, making the entire site smell fabulous:

lilac bushes at Johnson Lake

To celebrate our first speeding ticket in over 6,000 total miles with the airstream, we started our evening with Robert’s delicious martinis (using our stainless steel martini shaker and matching glasses!) while watching a beautiful sunset over the lake – right from our campsite:

Robert_making_martinis

Sunset-at-johnson-lake

Dinner was Grilled Dijon Pork Chops with Arugula (from A Well-Seasoned Kitchen) leftover from my KOTA TV cooking demo the day before, served with sliced tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella cheese topped with chopped chives and balsamic vinegar. Yum!

Dijon_pork_chops_with_arugula

Day 4 we drove to Omaha, stopping at the Apple store to purchase the connector for my computer I forgot to bring. We motored just a bit east of Omaha, to Council Bluffs, Iowa where we set up camp at Lake Manawa. The lake is beautiful, however the campground is a bit tired – needs a definite facelift. Dinner was chicken breasts with sundried tomato sauce and Zucchini and Yellow Squash Salad. For the latter, I adapted the recipe and added in some Parmesan cheese to the thin slices of zucchini, pine nuts, olive oil, fresh lemon juice and chopped herbs. My apologies, I forgot to photograph it! But I did have this photo of the zucchini ribbons from the last time I made them:

zucchini_ribbons

Day 5 (Friday) we woke up and I made Scrambled Egg and Ham “Crepes” for breakfast. I scrambled egg whites with chopped green onions, then rolled them in a slice of Virginia ham that had been spread with a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese. Easy, fast, delicious – and healthy! I served them on our new “happy RV”  acrylic plates, a gift from good friends Tom and Cynthia Ballantyne:

scrambled-egg-whites wrapped-in-ham-and-cheese

At lunch later that day I spoke to a group of around 30 executive women leaders at CSG Systems in Omaha, which was set up by my good friends Karen Eckmann and Julie Wohlers (Karen is in the photo below) who work there.

The meeting started off with a lunch that included the Grilled Chicken and Green Bean Salad from my cookbook, prepared by the catering department of the local grocery store Hyvee. They did a great job – it was delicious! Then I spoke to the group for around 45 minutes on the creation of the cookbook, and my journey “from the cable business to the culinary arts”. After I was done speaking, I sold cookbooks!

Lee-Roper-Speaking_csg

After a quick stop at Whole Foods and Camping World for a few supplies, it was back to Lake Manawa for a 10 mile bike ride in the park surrounding the lake. We saw a wild turkey and two deer on the bike path – unfortunately I didn’t have my camera with me. Back to the airstream for a delicious dinner of grilled salmon cakes with lemon-herb mayonnaise and broccoli slaw:

 Salmon_cakes_and_broccoli_slaw

More adventures to come as we continue our journey in the airstream!

 

 

 

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  1. Your blog is great and inspires me to better camper cooking! Sorry Stan and I missed your call from the banks of the Mississippi!

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About the author

Hi, I'm Lee.

I am inspired by my mother, Sally’s, love of cooking and entertaining to gather friends and family together over great meals and conversation. In fact, I held my first dinner party at the age of 16. Throughout the years, I’ve provided recipes, menu advice and cooking tips to friends seeking uncomplicated and delicious ideas for home entertaining.


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