TrackTown, USA: This is the day we were supposed to arrive to Eugene, Oregon... before we decided to no longer vacation due to the terrible uptick in Coronavirus cases where we were going to visit on our route to Eugene. I mean the-National-Guard-has-been-deployed bad. Cases are especially crisis-level at nursing homes and care facilities.
We have tickets for the Prefontaine Classic track meet this weekend (Friday night and Saturday afternoon). It is, of course, outdoors, and we will wear masks. We have been unable to learn if proof of vaccination is required to enter Hayward Field (as was needed for the Olympic Trials). If we feel uncomfortable, the meet is on NBC (Saturday 21st at 1:30p Pacific/4:30p Eastern). Taking it day-to-day.
Our reservation at Premier RV Resorts began today, so we packed-up and drove the 20 miles or so from Junction City to exit 99 on I-5... to our usual home during a track meet. No hitching; I just followed the Magnus Peregrinus in the Jeep. We have a front-in site facing the little pond, with a ton of freeway noise as a backdrop.
As soon as we arrived and set-up camp, I began prepping dinner and Dave began laundry. Dang, do we love having a washer/dryer - especially since we both exercised this morning (but not together).
First kitchen chore was to peel a head of garlic. My happy place:
Then I made chicken zucchini meatballs. This recipe was posted a year ago on the New York Times, but I didn't want to make that exact recipe, but just Italian-style turkey meatballs with one shredded zucchini inside.
I dropped one egg into the bottom of a medium mixing bowl, then added a garlic clove (grated on a micro plane), 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/8 teaspoon allspice, one medium zucchini (shredded on the large holes of a box grater and squeezed dry), one pound ground turkey (or chicken), minced basil leaves (four stems, or about 1/4 cup), 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs). (Not gonna lie: the parm was in a container already shredded: I'm camping here people... and if I had any onion powder in the RV, I would have added 1/2 teaspoon). This blend made 16 golf-ball-sized meatballs. Six for our dinner tonight, ten for the freezer. The meatballs need to rest for at least one hour (or all afternoon in my case) before poaching.
I had planned to poach the turkey meatballs in chicken stock and serve them in a bath of (carb-friendly) red sauce... before My Runner suggested pasta would be a much-better option. (Why do runners always want pasta???) So... we had appetizers... and cocktails.:
Fresh figs, almonds, olives, and a spread (made with the smoked salmon + cream cheese from our motel dinner in Bandon two nights ago).
Then we had the turkey meatballs, poached (never fry meatballs!) in red sauce (Rao's Marinara), served with penne (the only pasta in our RV):
Super dang delicious... and enough (now frozen) sauce (now frozen) meatballs for another dinner down another road.
There was also a tossed salad.
We have no plans tomorrow. Nothing to do and no where to go. Let's see how that works out.
RV PARK: Premier RV Resorts. Full hook-up pull-through, front-in, and back-in sites. Every amenity. $5 breakfasts some weekends, swimming pool, store, gift shop, dog-washing station and several small dog parks. We are paying nearly $60 per night.