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Those of you with smaller rigs and therefore smaller fridges, how do you plan for potlucks and happy hours ? That has always been a challenge for me in our Sprinter.
Do you count on a nearby grocery?
Bring crammed or packaged stuff to fix?
Stuff the fridge of course!
Velda

That's been on my mind as well, good question Velda.
I'm gonna follow this thread, maybe I'll learn a few things

I have a tendency of keeping boxes of Zatarains Red beans and rice on hand... It's my go to these days for pot lucks. Time to find another.... Sometimes I make a meatless chili that worked really well the first time I made it for a pot luck for one of our gtgs. Neither of these really require refrigeration before hand... The second is healthier, but the first is one processed food I haven't crossed off my food list yet.

Even though I have a relatively large refrigerator, I don't tow and I am often in places not convenient to grocery stores--like right now where the nearest grocery store is 50 miles away. So my refrigerator was absolutely crammed when I left civilization last Sunday. I've been trying to clean it out by eating old stuff.

I like to bake, so I keep all the baking basics, including powdered milk and mixes. In a pinch, I can bake a loaf of bread if I need it and extend the milk with powdered stuff. I also try to take canned things that I can throw together into a meal.

One trick I learned is that those little packages of lunchmeat you buy at grocery stores usually have MUCH longer expiration dates than the stuff you get at the deli counter--like two months instead of 7 days. I take the sealed plastic bags out of the boxes or plastic cartons they come in. I also buy chunks of cheese that are sealed. They take up very little space once you take them out of the cartons. Eggs take up more space but do last quite a while and can be used for a lot of things--like deviled eggs, etc.

I take meat out of the package as soon as I buy it and put it in ziplock freezer bags. Vegetables and fruit are a real problem because they take up so much space and spoil so quickly. So is bread and milk. Apples and bananas can sit on the counter for a few days, at least.

Anyway, you will get the hang of it by experimenting and finding a couple of emergency meals you can keep on hand that don't require refrigeration.

Oh, and don't forget the first rule of RVing--all chocolate goes in the refrigerator or it becomes a puddle! And prescription medications should go in their own little cooler so they don't degrade in the heat. You don't usually need ice, but a cooler will keep things closer to room temperature.

I usually like to take makings for a cold salad (usually Jell-o instant pudding as starter) canned fruit, Cool whip, nuts, etc. - make it hours before potluck and then refrigerate. Delicious and is always completely eaten. I know this needs fridge but it has fit nicely in my Class C smaller fridge. I can take premade deserts - cookies, cakes, pies etc. and premade appetizers or snacks. There's usually way too much food anyway.

Linda

bluepinecones wrote: mostly microwave as I cannot get down to light gas oven.

Seems they could make an easier way to light the pilot on the oven Even the backyard BBQ have an ignitor on it. Some people have hooked up BBQ ignitors to light the pilot.

When we are feeling lazy we pickup a cheese cake from Walmart. Otherwise we try to make something that mostly comes from the pantry. Since we normally camp in the same location we normally have a Walmart nearby.

I try to cook at home and freeze or refrigerate things. Most of the time I boil a dozen eggs to bring in case I want to make something or eat for breakfast. I usually have a chili mix and freeze ground meat in a zip lock bag. I flatten the meat as much as I can so it defrosts fast. I don't cook much on the road. I still don't get along with my convection oven. The light up panel is going out so it's hard to see what it's set on.

Martha

My fridge is a bit larger than those in the smaller rigs. But since I full-time it makes it a little more of a challenge on what to keep in the fridge for pot lucks. I do cook a lot using my propane stove. I grew up with propane so it doesn't scare me like it does a lot of folks.

For potluck my go to is usually white chicken chili. I use either chicken from the store that has been roasted or canned and shredded. If I can't find the WC seasonings in the store I use taco seasonings. I normally put extra hot sauce on the side. If there is any left overs I love it and will freeze for later too.

White chili sounds good! My son made a white chicken chili a long time ago and it was one of those where you sat exclaiming how good it was with tears running down your face from the heat! But it sure was good. Easy to keep most ingredients on hand and not in fridge either .

I thought of another no fridge. Hummus using canned chickpeas, tahini, garlic and lemon juice.
Velda

What to eat/prepare always stimies me too. Right now I am looking for slo-cooker receipts as I bought a 2 qt slo-cooker for the little trailer! Lyn

Lyn we like chicken most any pieces with our favorite salsa dumped over it. Quick and simple and cn be used with tortillas, over rice, on a salad.
Velda

I've got one of those little ones too Lyn. Haven't used it in
a long time but I used to put a few pieces of chicken right from
the freezer, pour some ragu over it and go back to work. Dinner
was ready when I got home.