Timesharing Meals

[slip]

Believe it or not, my wife actually packs some extras (and buys most locally) and makes a delicious Thai meal for one of our weeks.
Grilled fresh pineapple and fish or Kauai shrimp.
Black and blue AHI with sesame seed crust and wasabi mustard.

Making me hungry.

We’re going to be grilling some Kauai shrimp in a couple of weeks.

 

[Glynda]

We usually eat out before we go back to the timeshare for the evening. Otherwise, we might not go back out. Some nights we bring home something to reheat or that is easy to cook. Breakfast for dinner is always an option. Or BLT's. Unless the unit has its own grill, we don't use one.

If I bring anything, it's packets of Old Bay Salmon Classic Cake Mix and pouches of salmon. Follow directions on Old Bay pack and sauté. I might bring a mixture in small zip lock bag to pat on a whole chicken, inside and out, then stand the chicken upright on top of a cookie sheet or shallow baking pan. I either bring a rack or use a beer can to stand it up and slowly bake at 325 degrees, basting now and then. The mixture: 1 tsp. Allspice, 1 tsp. Black Pepper, 1⁄2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper, 1 tsp. Cinnamon, 1 1⁄2 tsp. Salt. Cinnamon Pepper Chicken is surprisingly good! And provides leftovers.

 

[mdurette]

Hum....it all depends. Driving or flying? Warm weather or cold? Either way - it will all be easy cooking. Heck, I'm still on vacation! We usually will eat breakfast in, lunch out and most dinners in.

Driving and cold: I bring a few Omaha Steak Crock Pot meal boxes. Love those things!
Driving and warm: I will sign up for one of those meal delivery plans for a week (like Hello Fresh, Blue Apron) and get 4 meals and take them with me. (this is a great option for those of you with just burners, no stove - most meals are skillet)

Flying and warm: Chicken or steak on the grill

Staple no matter the transportation or weather:
* Shake and bake boneless/skinless chicken breast with veggie, cranberry sauce and knorr noodle side dish.
* Pasta with meat sauce, bread and salad.
* Tacos
* Stir fry - meat, frozen mixed veggie bag, sauce and rice.
* frozen chicken pie with sweat potatoes, corn and cranberry sauce

If a really get adventurous and we are driving so I can bring the oil - I bring a box of brownie mix and make up a tray for the week!

Don't think I have ever cooked seafood while away.

 

[VegasBella]

We eat a lot of the same stuff that we eat at home. But there's often a bit of wine (rarely drink alcohol at home).
Things we eat:
- Weekend waffles
- Breakfast smoothies
- Vegan mac and cheese
- Taco soup
- Baked potatoes with chili
- Bean burritos and qusadillas
- Pizza
- Avocado sandwiches
- Giant Asian salad with tofu
- Cajun red beans and rice
- Take out Thai, sushi, or Veggie Grill

 

[Timeshare Von]

We rarely get to drive to a timeshare vacation, due to living in Wisconsin and the places we general travel to. That said, we try to always eat a good breakfast in the TS unit (eggs/meat or cereal) . . . and carry snacks throughout the day . . . and then dinner in, unless we're out late and then we'll eat out.

Our dinners are also pretty simple largely due to the limitations of ingredients (spices, etc) and kitchen equipment. Spaghetti, burgers, pizza are generally what we have. We do like dining out too, however, so we typically have dinner out at least 1 or 2 nights per week on a TS vacation.

This summer, my sister & I will be doing the Myrtle Beach thing and I'll be driving (as will she from NoVA). We may do a bit of cooking in plus at least one nice seafood dinner out.

 

[DaveNV]

We rarely get to drive to a timeshare vacation, due to living in Wisconsin and the places we general travel to. That said, we try to always eat a good breakfast in the TS unit (eggs/meat or cereal) . . . and carry snacks throughout the day . . . and then dinner in, unless we're out late and then we'll eat out.

That's pretty much what we do. Solid breakfast in the t/s or close restaurant, lunch/snacks somewhere out and about, and dinner is a coin toss. If we're out, we'll eat out. If we're heading back to the t/s, we'll often stop and get something to eat/heat up there. If it's a t/s in a warmer location (e.g. Hawaii) we'll likely already have fruit and light snacks at the t/s, which often works for dinner. We're easy to please, and vacation life is too short to make a big fuss about cooking. We don't do that at home, so why do it on vacation?

Dave

 

[Magic1962]

once or twice for the week we will have egg casserole. sausage and eggs for breakfast.... something quick for lunch when we are around..... sandwich and chips etc.... and USUALLY eat out for supper.... we are simple people lol Dave

 

[WinniWoman]

There are so many convenience foods today- even healthy one- more expensive than cooking but less expensive sometimes than eating out

 

[Elan]

We cook/eat about the same as we do at home. Maybe a little more consideration toward minimizing or consuming leftovers, but even those can be brought home in a cooler.

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[sushitex]

I have 4 words as far as my new planning for cooking in timeshare units go: Instant Pot and slow cooker! Last Christmas, we brought my first Instant Pot (electric pressure cooker) with us when stayed in our timeshare rental unit in Branson, Missouri. I had purchased the Instant Pot the weekend before Thanksgiving, so I was still rather new to learning how to cook using the appliance. There were 6 people in the unit, including myself, spouse, daughter, her husband, and their two young children. Even though there were a few hitches involved with the cooking in the pot (I hadn't learned how to avoid the dreaded "Burn" message yet) we still enjoyed the convenience and speed of the pot, especially after a long day at Silver Dollar City or shopping. I didn't bring the slow cooker on this trip because I was so newly enamored with the pot and I wanted to "show it off" a little (ha ha.)

Fast forward to our upcoming timeshare rental week this July in Kissimmee, FL. I plan on bringing the Instant Pot, and possibly the slow cooker, with us. This time, it will be myself, hubby, and my other (elder) daughter, her husband, and their 5-year-old. My daughter bought her husband an Instant Pot for Christmas (although she states that she actually uses it more) and maybe her pot will be there with mine. I know that they like spaghetti ( very, very good in the pot, noodles and all) and she has even made lasagna in the pot, which I haven't tried yet. So I hope that maybe she and I will collaborate and use our pots to our advantage, while eating well and keeping the costs of a Disney World vacation to a more manageable level.

I have a couple of recipes that I like in my slow cooker, so that is the reason that I may bring it along. Of course, if I figure out how to convert these recipes to the Instant Pot, hey, it may stay home.

Obviously, we are driving on our Florida trip, just as we did when we went to Branson.

 

[hararou]

We usually eat breakfast in our unit, have lunch (sometimes dinner) out most days, and dinner back in the unit. Our go-to meal is a rotisserie chicken from the closest supermarket. Just after checking into our unit, or even just before if it is a home resort, we stop by the supermarket, pick up a rotisserie chicken and some accompaniments, such as fresh or frozen vegetables, and anything else we’ll need for the first few days, including eggs, milk, cereal, bread, and wine. We have usually been driving for several hours and look forward to relaxing in our unit. We then have another meal, lunch or dinner, from the chicken 2 or 3 days later. There are usually just two of us but if children or grandchildren are with us, the plan may change slightly (2 or 3 rotisserie chickens, or pizza and salad).

 

[cafeirene]

Length of stay and whether we drive or fly can modify this, but generally we plan oncooking part of the time and plan most of that ahead.

If DRIVING, i keep a non-perishable items box and bring coolers with some items thawing on way. Spices, tea, cocktail kit and tools (knife sharpener, microplane, juicer, whisk), often my small wok and chuan. Rice or japchae, onions or shallots, ginger, garlic. In cooler will be something done sous vide, milk/cream/yogurt, limes and lemons, veggies (unless we stop at farmstand on the way, like picking up artichokes for Carmel or stonefruit onway to Tahoe). A can of coconut milk and some chile peppers always are handy. Parcel some constarch or flour or mochiko if you think you may have a spur of the moment meal that needs those items for sauce or dredging. I don’t bring my own knives tho I always miss them. Maybe at least pack a picnic knife and small cutting board.

Most recent trip: sous vide corned beef for breakfast hash one day, home-cured bacon, country pate from local butcher, nuts, ginger-rhubarb, picked up yogurt and carrots locally to complete stir fry with leftover T-bone from large breakfast meal out. Brought small amounts of olive oil, balsamic, soy and smoked maldon salt.

If FLYING (especially Hawaii), i pack a few spices and pick up local staples like soy and rice, then plan (OK I actually totally count on this) fresh poke and ahi on island and take great advantage of local fruit and veg variety. I try to reduce meals out to maybe one a day but am not rigid on this. I like a mix of eating in, and visiting great restaurants (great doesn't always have to be expensive). I try to minimize waste but eat local. For some people vacation means no kitchen duty, but we both cook by choice.

I plan, but leave some flexibility. If we have other people joining us, we plan in advance so there are no overlaps that cause too much food to arrive or be disposed of. Sometimes it means making an effort to communicate. And some plans don't survive reality.

For beverages, if driving, we pull something from our cellar and plan one type of spirit plus Pellegrino. When we fly to Hawaii, if we are on the same island for 10 days or more, we might buy rum at Costco, if there are enough of us. Otherwise, Tamura’s on Maui is great for wine, spirits and outstanding poke, or visit one of the island distilleries (we buy local no matter which island).

 

[SandyPGravel]

I used to sell Wildtree products (don't anymore so it's not advertising) so I got used to bringing sample sizes of spaghetti sauce seasoning (easier than jar sauce tastes better too). Now I just put some in snack size ziplock bags. Also the scampi seasoning is easy to pack and is AWESOME! Also bring the steak/chicken seasoning for whatever meat we end up grilling. We also grab " Best Creek", not sure if those are available everywhere, dry pasta/sauce bags. Just add to boiling water for a side or add meat for a main dish. Great because you don't need extra ingredients for a filling dish.

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[tomt73]

If we drive, we bring a box with staples, knives, plastic wrap, spices, and dried stuff (pasta, rice, etc.). We usually eat dinner out for 3 or 4 of 7 nights. Dinners in will be chicken or beef on the grill (or sauteed if no grill), sides of pasta or rice, and fresh veggies bought locally. Breakfast will be eggs in some form with toast. We'll normally eat lunch out. Oh, and wine..... plenty of wine.

 

[vactime+]

One fast and easy breakfast tricks I do is prior to driving on our resort I pre cook a bag of bacon. This makes it really easy to just microwave what you want without all the ness and smell of actually cooking them at the resort.

 

[Krteczech]

Baby back ribs are a favorite of ours to cook while away. Cook low and slow in the oven for about 5 hours on 250 covered in tin foil. Easy and yummy.

Meals should be easy so you can enjoy your time off.

We love to buy store-seasoned baby back ribs in any place we vacation. Different seasonings, local flavor and easy to make. St Maarten, Winter Park CO .....

 

[mdurette]

One fast and easy breakfast tricks I do is prior to driving on our resort I pre cook a bag of bacon. This makes it really easy to just microwave what you want without all the ness and smell of actually cooking them at the resort.

I just buy the precooked stuff for home now - it isn't as good - but you can't be 1 minute in the microwave!

 

[jmeninga]

Timeshare Casserole

This appeared on tug many years ago – – don’t know who posted it. It is surprisingly good and very easy. If you are driving you can bring it all with you or simply stop at the store and stock up on the ingredients when you get there.

2 cans of chicken
2 cans mixed vegetables
2 cans cream soup
2 cans French fried onions

spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl except for one can of French fried onions and put in pan. Sprinkle remaining can of onions on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.

 

[LauriBuck]

Last week, I found a preseasoned pork tenderloin that I baked for about 1/2 hr. It was good, but I should have checked the # of servings as it said 8 & there were only 2 of us, so we got a little tired of it. I added a boxed mix of Au gratin potatoes corn on the cob, and a salad.

 

[TUGBrian]

had to comment on the mexican lasagna....its one of my favorite meals myself!

fits perfectly into those cheap aluminum baking pans from the grocery store! layers of flour totillas, refried beans, cheese, beef, and chopped onions/peppers/jalapenos!

think im going to make that this week just because im hankering for it now =)

 

[marijalas]

As I've shared with you folks before, I am and Educational Technician by day and a Target softlines team member by night. Cooking meals is something my husband does as a general rule...I work 50-60 hours a week, and just don't have time. BUT, when we are timesharing, life slows down, and cooking becomes part of the vacation. I know that some of you choose to eat out when you're on vacation, but there must be others of you in my boat! We only go to drive-to locations at this point in life...so I bring some groceries from home.

Here are some meals that we look forward to enjoying...would love to hear what you make on vacation!

We buy a large family pack of ground beef and make
1) Tacos
2) Spaghetti
3) Burgers

We often buy fixings for homemade pizza another night. Tonight is baked pork chops, corn on the cob, and stuffing. Another kid favorite is roast beef...I buy one of the McCormick bag and season packages, which makes it wicked easy to cook with potatoes. If I'm cutting it close on time, we'll pick up a rotisserie chicken, some rice, and salad fixings. This meal gets me another lunch, because I like shredded chicken on top of a green salad.

Lunches tend to be leftovers, salads, or things like soup/grilled cheese. Admittedly, nothing here is gourmet quality, but my kids eat it, and it's much cheaper than eating out. WIN.

I've never been good with a crock pot...many timeshares have them in the condos (Smuggs, for instance)...I should really do some recipe research before we go there this summer!

Glad to hear I am in good company, we too cook on vacation. Part of it is just that we are very fussy at what restaurants we choose. When we are in a new place it is hard to find a good place to eat. And, somehow, the reviews here, Trip Advisor and Yelp are all great or bad, and I have never met these people!
I don't know if I can add to all the great choices. We do salads if in a hot climate, rotiserrie chicken, BBQ grilled chicken, corn, pork chops, accompanied by potatoes, & rice, you know the drill. I make my own sauce for pasta, so again, nothing seemed comparable to homemade, but found Rao's and it is good. We (me) like to go out a least once a week on vacation to a "nice" restaurant, but honestly, by the time I check the places out, I could have cooked a meal!

Fun to read. A lot of people that I know are on a high horse and the woman "would never" cook on vacation, so I have to get defensive when I say I do cook.

 

[toyo]

I don't cook fancy, but I do cook good. I found this crock pot recipe to be very simple, and it tastes awesome. If you have more than two of you in the timeshare, it works well. If there is only two of you, try cutting the recipe down. I choose medium salsa, as opposed to mild or hot. Totally worthwhile: http://slowcooker.cooktopcove.com/2...assic/?src=fbfan_51341&t=fbsub_cooktopcovecom
Is
Dave

Thank you for the link, it looks delish. Already printed to try next weekend for a potluck.

 

[Bxian]

I typically bring along the dry ingredients in a Ziploc bag for this recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/218098/ranch-style-fajitas/. We swap out chicken for the beef and omit the tortillas. We fly to timeshares most of the time-so when we get there, we buy the chicken, veggies, a fresh lime and the vegetable oil (which can be used to make brownies too . Other nights we have steak with Montreal Steak seasoning that I bring along or grilled shrimp in a foil packet with veggies. We typically eat breakfast at the timeshare 6 days out of 7 (cereal/fruit/yogurt and perhaps some muffins if there is a good farmer's market nearby), with one day reserved for a breakfast out . We almost always eat lunch at the timeshare or have a big breakfast followed by a mid day snack of fruit if we are out. We are about 50-50 with dining out vs. eating in. Our home timeshare (Charter Club on Marco Island) has a wonderful large outdoor gas grill, and meat, shrimp and veggies always taste better cooked out there. We tend to do "high=low" when dining out-we'll do a higher end meal at one of the better restaurants, and then will look for a little inexpensive dive with good reviews another night. I obsessively pour over restaurant reviews before our departure. When in Florida, I look for the well-known "early bird" meals, and have located some great finds (particularly in shoulder season).

 

[CO skier]

2 cans of chicken

Please do not serve anyone cat food. Buy chicken breasts and grill or pan fry them for the Maillard reaction to build some flavor, if nothing else.

"Casserole" brings tears to the eyes of any good cook or chef, although I must admit to liking the French's Green Bean dish. But toast the French's onions separately in a fry pan versus sogging them in the dish.

 

[VacationForever]

Please do not serve anyone cat food.

Canned chicken is fit for human consumption but not for cats.