You have to choose carefully where to travel with your RV in January in the Pacific Northwest. There may be some frost and ice and snow, but along the coast, the chill never lasts long. The maritime air off the ocean is warm most of the time, even in the dead of winter, and the grass stays green.

Whether you are traveling in your RV or at home for the holiday season, it is a time for special events, parties and foods, and a time when we often match green and red in our decorations, clothes and foods.

November is here, and before settling into the traditional foods of the holiday season, now is a good time to try things a bit new. If you generally opt for chicken breasts because they are low in fat, maybe it’s time to try drumsticks or thighs. They are a little higher in fat than the breasts, but 60 percent of that fat is the healthier mono and polyunsaturated kind.  And dark meat is so flavorful with extra moisture, and a great choice for a strongly spiced ethnic dish such as this:

October is a beautiful month most everywhere for it is then when nature stages her finest production. The warm days of September often linger into October, reminding us not to wait too long for another RV outing.

September is a golden month in the Pacific Northwest. Ponds lie calm and clear, the air is still, the haze gives a golden glint to the harvest moon, and new snow begins to whiten the highest mountains.  Even though school starts up, clubs resume, and summer relaxation is drawing to a close, one cannot resist heading out some place for a few end-of-the-year trips to enjoy the beauty of September.

Lucky for us that John Montagu, better known as the Earl of Sandwich, didn’t want to take time away from the gaming tables, so he slapped some meat between two slices of bread and ate as he played. He no doubt was not the first to pile meat on bread. The Arabs have been filling the pockets of their pita bread with various meats for centuries.  And for over 2,000 years the Jews have eaten chopped herbs, nuts and apples between two slices of matzo. Even so, the Earl of Sandwich takes credit for starting what has become a thriving culinary institution.

There may be sprinkles here in the Northwest in July, and it almost always rains on the Fourth, but, all in all, it is shirtsleeve weather. And roadside stands and farmer’s markets are full of fresh garden greens. Once the poor relatives of the vegetable family, greens have become trendsetters. Cold, crisp and fresh greens are the basis for most salads.

June!  Summer arrives this month. In fact, the summer solstice is June 21, which is the longest day of the year. What a wonderful time to be on the road, or settled into a beautiful corner of nature, whether it is by the sea, in the mountains or on the desert.

May is a magical month— full of promises and long stretches of morning and evening twilight. Most days are sunny, pleasant and fairly dry. Fields are a tender green and the new grass smells sweet. Everywhere you look along old country roads there are flowers in bloom.