Campground cooking, camper storage and our third trip out

I had some hospital appointments in Portland at the end of June. Since it was just before the 4th of July, I was afraid we would end up parked at Cabela's. I was so happy to see that they still had three nights open at Wild Duck, in Scarborough, Maine. That is where we stayed at the beginning of June, and we really liked the peacefulness there, so we reserved a campsite for all three nights. The last time, we were in #27, and it was a really nice site, but this time, we had #28, and it was even larger better! We were also right across from some friends we had made there on our previous trip.

We had our friends over for shish kabob on the first night. I had originally planned on three different kinds of shish kabobs. One with lemon and shrimp, another with shrimp, kielbasa, veggies and cajun marinade, and a third with veggies and lemon. As I was par boiling the potatoes, I decided that it would be more fun to have a shish kabob buffet, and let everyone customize their own. I put the shrimp into one bowl, chunked up the kielbasa into another one, and cut up potatoes, summer squash, zucchini, mushrooms and vidalia onions, and put all of these into their own bowls. Then I made up the marinades in separate bowls. The shish kabobs were great, and we had so much fun talking and cooking! You can't see the grill in this photo, because it was behind the picnic table.

The next day was the day of my appointments, and it was rainy, so we decided to go to a local fishing co-op, and have dinner there after we got back from Portland.

On the third day, we were planning on sauteeing up the leftovers from the first night. I was going to grill some chicken to go with it, but our friends came over and said they had lots of leftovers too, so we did a leftover buffet with them instead. I had put all the leftover veggies and things into a bowl along with the marinades, after we ate on the first night, so I fried up some bacon and added all the leftovers to that and sauteed them up in my outside kitchen. (There are two skillets, because one of them doesn't eat meat). Then we brought them over to our friend's camper, and stuck them on the warming shelf inside their smoker/grill while their leftovers were cooking. There was a nice smokey taste to everything, and we had another great meal!

The worst part about camping, is having to leave. I have always been envious whenever we stopped anywhere and saw a camper on the back of a vehicle, so when we stopped for gas on our way home, I had to get out and take a picture of my Sonic behind my Sierra! Yeah, those are dents on the side of my Sierra. We went for years without ever getting a scratch on our vehicles, but Portland Maine parking lots, including the one at the hospital are like meat grinders. Someone is always running into your vehicle while it's parked, and not leaving a note. I think next time, my husband will listen to me about taking Uber. This happened to us twice.

We were storing our camper at the dealership, two hours away. I hated not being able to go in and do things in there when we were at home, and it was a pain to have to drive al the way to Glenburn, Maine, and make an appointment to pick her up every time we wanted to use her. We finally found a spot in Stonington, right across the street from were my mother and I have our gift shops. I sure wish we had hookups, because it would be a beautiful camping spot! I love being able to go into it whenever I want.

On the various camper groups I belong to, people who don't have covers for their slides are always asking if it's worth it. I would definitely say it is. When you are packing up in the rain, you don't have to get up there with a ladder and sweep it off. All I have to do is to stand on the tailgate of the truck, and look to make sure there isn't anything big or sharp up there. Just open your slide when you get home to dry the cover off. It's also great when the trees above you are "raining" down seed pods and things. Remember, anything on top of your slide is going to fall down into your camper on the way home, if you don't have a cover. The angle of this photo makes the cover look a little weird, but it doesn't look that way in person.

This is the view out the door where we are storing our camper.

This is the view out the kitchen window. You can see part of the old clam factory where we have our shops, as well as some of the beach and cove.

Our first camping trip!

Since this blog is really supposed to be about camping, I will resume posts of our trip south later on.

We picked up our camper and took our first trip on Tuesday, May 1. We decided to go to Christies Campground. It was only 22 miles from where the camper was, and we wouldn't need to go through congested areas, or onto the interstate to get there. They technically don't open until May 15th, but when I called, they said to come on down anywyay! They didn't have the showers or bathrooms open yet, but that didn't matter since we have all those things in our camper anyway. We loved the campground, and it is right on Sebasticook Lake, in Newport, Maine. It's a small, family owned campground, and is very friendly and laid back. Just the way we like it!

In this photo, they are showing my husband how to hook up the Blue Ox WDH and sway control.

The other side of the Sonic and Sierra. It towed very well!

This is when we first unhooked the camper. My husband is checking out the outdoor kitchen.

This is a view with things partially set up inside. It's looking a lot more homey now! I used command hooks to hang the small cutting board on the side of the entertainment cabinet. It is within easy reach, and if the command hook lets go, it won't fall into the stove! The pot holders are on another command hook on the outside of the cupboard in front of the sink, and add a spot of color there. You can see one scenic calendar hanging on command hooks over one side of the slide. I have another one on the other side. I'll probably replace one of them with photos of us with the kids and grandkids later on, but for now, these add pretty pictures!

This is taken looking toward the bathroom. You can see where I am hanging a flashight, umbrella and a narrow basket. It worked great, because it was easy to reach from the doorway. The clock is hanging above the entertainment cabinet, and I hung a dish wiping cloth on a command hook there as well, because I still haven't bought an over the door towel rack for it.

This is our couch with a pretty throw my sister-in-law bought for me over the back. It matches my rug! The three drawer Sterlite cabinet things work really well on either side of the couch. They make great storage areas, plus they work well as end tables. I'm really glad I bought them. They also come in a wicker look, rather than white and clear, but when I bought the first one to try it, our Walmart was out of the "wicker" ones.

This is my first photo of our Murphy bed, all made up and ready for the night. You don't have to make and unmake the bed morning and night, but it works better if I put the pillows into the wardrobes when I fold it up. I'm really glad our camper came with the Murphy option! A lot of people put foam mattress toppers on their Murphy beds, but we were perfectly comfortable in ours without one.

This shows what I did under the kitchen sink. It is command hooks, with Dollar Tree baskets. They work great for storing sponges and things. I'm using hospital pans for dish pans, because that sink is really tiny. The hospital pans just fit. I can see why so many people have changed to a single bowl stainless steel sink, because as much as I love my camper, the sink is ridiculous!!!

Inside the end cabinet next to the door, is where I have hung the dustpan and little broom, plus the fly swatter.It's a great place for them, and they are easy to grab from outside. You can see the cover that goes over the sink in that cabinet as well. The Sonic 220 VRB actually has a decent amount of counter space for such a small camper, and I found it much easier to just leave the sink open, rather than having to move the cover every time I use a faucet.

The second day was really warm there, and we got a chance to have a campfire, and use the grill. There was a lot of really gusty strong wind, so we didn't leave the awning up.

All in all, it was a great trip. The camper towed well, the weather wasn't too cold the first day, and it was quite warm the second day. The third day, even though it rained, we were cozy and comfortable in the camper. We learned how to use a lot of the features, and I got to make it more homey.

For dinners, I had made a big baked spaghetti thing at home the night before we left, because I wasn't sure what time we would get to the campground, and how long it would take us to set it up. This way, all I had to do was heat it up in the microwave. For the second night, we made foil packets over the grill. We used chicken, onions, potatoes and carrots. My husband wanted his marinated in Italian dressing, and I marinated mine in BBQ sauce. They were yummy! The third night was a bonus. We hadn't planned on staying for three nights, but we weren't ready to come home yet. Fortunately, we had lots of leftovers!

Camper Orientation Today

Today we went for our orientation. We loaded up the truck with all the things we have bought for the camper so far, plus our clothes and things for our trip to Savannah and St. Augustine.

My husband has never towed anything, and we are supposed to get another storm this weekend, so he is really nervous about taking the camper on such a long journey. At the last minute, we decided not to take the camper, but to make it a road trip by truck instead. I have cancer, and have an appointment at the hospital on April 5. We don't know what we will find out, and we keep putting off our trip for various reasons. (Last year, I spent all summer and fall in the hospital). It just seemed like if we don't do it now, camper or not, we may not get the chance. Plus, in April, we will owe the IRS lots of money because I didn't qualify for Obama Care, and I decided to see the doctor instead of sending money we didn't have to rich insurance companies. (Last year, I missed four months of drs appointments because of not being able to afford Obama Care, and I might have been better off if I had seen the doctors instead of sending the money to the IRS). We still can keep making hospital payments and camper payments, but we really shouldn't be spending money on taking a trip. Anyway, This may be our last trip together, and IRS or not, and camper or not, we are going to do this. We just hope we will be able to use the camper together at some point this summer.

Anyway, this photo is our camper together with our Sierra. It's the first time they have met each other! You can see the Furrion Observation Camera installed up there next to the lights!

Here are the Sonic and the Sierra from the other side. Today I found out the dealership has upgraded us to a Blue Ox WDH for no extra money!

After the orientation, we put all our new things into the camper. I didn't get everything organized the way I wanted to, because it was pretty cold in there, but at least I got to spend time in the camper, and I loved it. I hated leaving her!

This is the first time I got to take a picture of our outdoor kitchen. It's small by most standards, but it actually was much larger than I remembered it as being!

Getting ready for our trip!

Yesterday we went to Dollar Tree and Walmart to pick up the rest of what we needed. I didn't take photos of the tools, black tank stuff, slide conditioner, a few plastic dishes and glasses, fly swatter, zip lock bags, toilet paper and stuff like that, just the more interesting things. Today I will have to go downtown and register the camper. That's going to be scary, because we live on an island, and registrations and taxes are terrible here.

We have a cap on our truck, so I am leaving the things in the first photo in the truck, and will be loading everything else in during the week. Our camper has a Murphy bed that raises up and there is a couch there when it's up. Those three drawer things at Walmart fit on either side of the bed/couch, and will provide storage, as well as acting like night stands/side tables. They have to be pulled out a bit to open the cupboard, but that won't be a big deal. Our Walmart only had the white ones, and not the "wicker" ones, but I figured I'd buy one white one, just to see how we like it. If we do, we will get two "wicker" ones, (one for each side of the bed), and I'll use the white one at home for crafts.

Next is my pretty outdoor plastic rug. I am really happy to get that, since it will keep my floor much cleaner. (I know my husband will try to sneak in and out without taking his shoes off)!!! I really like the blue one, since there is already so much brown in and on the camper, even though the brown ones probably would have looked new longer.

Then there is my water hose. Not much choice there, only drinkable ones, and different lengths, so I got the longest one. We will be carrying bottled water to drink, at least on our first trip.

Then there is charcoal for our el-cheapo BBQ grill!

You can see part of two bathroom towel bars in the picture. I'm still not sure whether or not I will use these. For one thing, there were only four towel holders for sale in the whole of Ellsworth, Maine, and they only sell one style at Walmart, so there wasn't much choice. It seems like most people don't like putting screws in their camper walls, but I got some really pretty turquoise towels, and I want to display them. I just don't want to be without towel bars, and there is a great big blank wall for them, so I will be using at least some kind of towel bars!

You can also see part of two folding chairs. We've had those forever, and leave them in the truck all the time so we can have tail gate picnics whenever we want!

This is my clearance sale at Walmart BBQ grill. We may like it and we may not. We do have an outdoor kitchen, and most camp sites have either a fireplace or a fire ring, so I'm not worried about it. There were more important things to spend money on at the beginning, like the observation camera, WDH/sway bars, and things like that. I can always upgrade the grill later, if this one doesn't work out.

All of these came from Dollar Tree. The basket on the top left looks like it will be handy for plastic silverware and paper plates. I can carry it in and out easily using the handle!

My four Dollar Tree coffee mugs will make our morning coffee taste much better than plastic, and if I break a cup, it won't be a big deal!

The over the door rack is about 17" long. I think it will work well on the bathroom door, and will be a great place to hang our clothes quickly while in the shower or changing.

Here is my pretty Walmart rug. It is about 20" x 30", and it will be in front of our couch, as you come in the door. It will help make the camper more cozy, and will be easy to shake outside when it needs it.

The big clock came from Walmart too.

The two racks will work in the cupboards over the sink. We want to put adjustable shelves in there eventually, but these will work for our first trip.

The little turquoise oval is my plastic Dollar Tree soap dish. It matches my bathroom towels!

Keep your fingers crossed for us that the weather is okay for us to leave on Friday. Now it looks like we may get a storm with lots of snow through Thursday night, and the weather doesn't look wonderful for the weekend further south of us.

Made an appointment to pick our camper up!

A few minutes ago, I called the dealership to check on the things we ordered, and to ask a few questions I had. The last things we needed to order from the dealership were the vent covers, so we can open the vents when it rains. The observation camera and weight distribution hitch/sway bars are in. The awning for over the slide hadn't come in, but should be there at the beginning of the week. They already have the vent covers in stock, so I don't have to worry about those not getting there. The few other things we need we will get at Wally World for less money when we go in on Sunday.

After checking on the stuff we ordered, I talked to our sales person, and set up an appointment to pick up the camper at 10:00 am on Friday, March 9. One week from today!!! Keeping my fingers crossed that the awning gets here!

Towing Mirrors for the Truck

We are hoping to take our camper to Savannah and St Augustine in a week or a week and a half, so yesterday, we took the truck in for an oil change, tire rotation, and multi point inspection. The truck is ready, and the guys at Varneys were excited for us!

I sent for mirror extensions from Amazon on Tuesday, and when we got home from the truck dealership on Thursday, the mirrors were sitting on the back doorstep! We ordered these rather than buying expensive towing mirrors, because they had excellent reviews, and quite a few people on one of the online groups I belong to love them. We also will have the Furrion observation camera as well, and that will act like a rear view mirror. Now we have almost all the big things we need! It's scary, but exciting to think that we may be heading out on our maiden voyage in a week or so! Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Took more pictures in the camper today!

Today we went and got more things we needed for the camper. I had originally planned on bringing most of the things I had bought, and putting them inside. Unfortunately, there is a lot more snow in Bangor, (where the camper is), than there is here on the island, so I only put the things I bought at the dealership today inside.

I had also planned on measuring the cupboards and closets, so I would have a better idea of what to buy for organizing. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the pen to the camper with me so I couldn't write down measurements. To get from the truck to the camper, you had to wade through a maze of RVs being stored, and I was knee deep in snow, with no boots. Our snow on the island is gone, because we had a couple of days of rain, but apparently, Bangor got more snow instead.

Anyway, I was amazed at how big the cupboards were. I remembered them as being much smaller!

The other thing was, of course we couldn't open the slide. You actually can get to the bathroom and kitchen with the slide closed, but it isn't exactly roomy! The guy from the dealership took the table off the dinette for me, so I would have more room to get around in there.

This is my photograph of the linen closet and clothes closet in the bathroom. I'll update my post about the bathroom with my new pictures.

This is my photograph of the insides of the closets. I love them! It's one of the biggest reasons I decided on this camper.

This is my photo of the sink. Between the storage under the sink, the little box thing on the counter, and the medicine cabinet, there is really quite a lot of storage for a camper of this size!

This is my photo of the shower closed. A dry bath was on my list of things a camper had to have in order for me to buy it! If these photos look a little weird and distorted, it's because even though there is a lot of room for a camper of this size, it's still pretty small, so it's not easy to take pictures of some parts of it.

This is my photo of the inside of the shower. Not too bad for a small camper!

This is my photo of one of the closets on either side of the bed. Nothing surprising here. I do want to add shelves inside of it though. You can't tell from this picture, but I also see that there is enough of a ledge in front of the door so we can set coffee cups there when we are reading in bed at night, as long as we don't open the closet doors!

I didn't see this when we looked at our camper, because it isn't an obvious door. I noticed it in a picture on the internet. The end of the kitchen cupboards near the outside door opens, and there are two narrow shelves with an outlet and two USB ports inside. What a wonderful place to store and charge our phones safely! Since this is not an obvious cupboard, it will also be a wonderful place to hang things like the truck keys, inside, and put our wallets when we are on a beach or at a pool.

This is the bottom cupboard next to the outside door. To the right of that, is that nice big area, protected by the ledge of the countertop. Here, I'm going to put some command hooks, and hang at least one of those narrow baskets, so we can keep a few things, like sunglasses, within easy reach of the outdoors. I may hang two there, depending on how much room I have. I also want to hang a collapsible umbrella and a flashlight or two there.

The cupboard over the sink is kind of a disappointment to me. It is pretty wide, and quite deep, but there is only one shelf in it. Once we start using the camper, I will decide whether to have my husband build a second shelf, or whether I want to buy one of those wire shelf things at Walmart.

This is the microwave/convection oven. I hope I like it. I will probably be cooking outdoors more than inside, anyway

This is the pantry. It's pretty typical, but I like how deep it is. I'll have baskets in there to make it easier to use. There is shallower storage in the entertainment center, right in front of it, but you can't see that when the slide isn't out.

Here is the refrigerator/freezer. It's pretty big for a camper of this size!

This is a shot of the counter top, with the sink and stove. I like that they both have covers on them.

The last photo is a bad one of the front of the cabinets. I don't know what that is in the upper left, it's not supposed to be there. :-D Anyway, you can sort of see the lower cupboards and drawers in this photo.

I'll update my earlier posts of the interior with these photos, that way all the photos can be together.

Miscellaneous things I have

Here are a few things that don't really belong with the other things.

First are Camco leveling blocks. I may buy a set of the orange half round ones too. Those look easier to use. I got these at the dealership. I also got the surge protector. Those are really important. The only problem with this one is, that I asked for one (an EMS), that protects against low voltage, as well as high, and this is what they gave me. I was stupid, and didn't know the difference at the time. At least this is a very good brand. We still need chocks, a backup/observation camera, (it will be a Furion, because our unit is already wired for it), a level, a good sewer hose thing, (stinky slinky) with a clear elbow thing, a water regulator, a rug for outside the door, and a few other things. Our salesman said a weight distribution hitch and sway bars are included in the price. Now that I know more, I've got it on the list of things to ask him about, to make sure it is a good one, and really does have sway bars. I don't want it to be like the surge protector, when I wanted an EMS. I also need an awning thing to go over the slide, so things won't be falling on it. I need the gasket sealer stuff too. More things I need are roof vent covers, maybe an extension cord, water hoses, a 50 amp adapter, truck mirrors, a tire gauge, a tool box, and a ceramic heater. I need other things as well, and have a list in a notebook that I add to whenever I think of something.

I should have put that dish drying thing that goes into the sink in with the kitchen stuff, but I forgot about it until now. As I was checking out at Dollar Tree, I saw collapsible umbrellas on the end of the checkout counter, so I decided one of those would be handy hanging near the door. Then there is the LED flashlight I found for a dollar at Walmart. I should have bought more than one for that price, especially since it came with batteries. The Dollar Tree ones don't.

Linens I have so far

I didn't photograph the bed pillows I got, those don't look very interesting. I also have two throws at home, that I will probably put into the camper. I use them in the house in the winter, but won't need them here during the summer.

I should have bought the blankets at Walmart, they were the same blankets, at about the same price as the salvage store, but they had more colors at Walmart. I only got one, but may get another if they still have them next time I go in. The grey thing in the middle is a fleece sleeping bag. We have two of those, and have had them for years. If we have a rainy day, those might be really nice to wrap up in on the couch, with a good book! They also are part of the reason I didn't worry about another blanket. Those will work as extra blankets, since they open flat when unzipped. On the right, is a 400 count queen sized sheet set, that I got for a steal at the salvage store. Yeah, I know, our bed is a short queen, but the price on these was unbeatable!

I also got four really beautiful fluffy turquoise bath towels at the salvage store for $2.39 each. I love those! I got two ordinary blue bath towels for $1.39 each at the salvage store too. The ordinary towels will go to the pool or beach with us for drying off. The fluffy nice ones are for showers! I also got a set of those cheap wash cloths at Walmart. My husband grabs wash cloths for everything, including washing the truck. He grabs the nicest ones first, before the cheap ones, because he says they do a better job. In 47 years of marriage, I still can't get him to stop doing that, so I gave up on nice wash cloths years ago.

I have a train case with duplicates of all of my shower stuff that I take with me whenever I go anywhere. I just replenish the stuff in there as needed. My husband does the same with his personal stuff, so we don't have to buy those. It will be easy to keep our separate cases in the linen closet. We still need first aid supplies for the camper though.

Cleaning and bathroom things I have so far

So far, these are the cleaning and bathroom supplies I have.

I don't really like this toilet paper holder, but it was only a dollar at Dollar Tree. I'll mount it with Command strips, and change it out if I decide I want a different one later. I just know that if I had tried to buy all of the things I have bought so far, it would have costed a fortune at regular prices. Buying at Dollar Tree and places like that have given me a good start on outfitting my camper for very little money. That way, I can more easily afford the things that will keep us safe, but cost a lot of money, like observation/backup cameras and weight distribution hitch/sway bars, and things like that. Those are the things that really matter as far as buying quality items goes.

Now that I have the toilet paper holder, I need to decide whether I want towel bars, or am going to hang them some other way. I haven't decided that yet. I did buy those bar soap saver things at Dollar Tree, and need to buy a soap dish. (My husband prefers bar soap to liquid soap). I also bought those red cleaning cloths there. When I went to the Salvage Store, I found a huge box of microfiber cleaning cloths for $5.00, so I bought a box of those for the house and camper. I love them! I grabbed 10 of them to start us out in the camper. Those are the yellow ones.

I didn't take pictures of the mop and broom I got at Dollar Tree, they are pretty ordinary, but did photograph the dustpan and brush. I also got a toilet brush, paper towels, and two small waste baskets at Dollar Tree.

The dishwashing liquid came from the salvage store, but the window cleaner, all purpose cleaner, laundry detergent, liquid hand soap, and bar soap all came from Dollar Tree.

Kitchen Things

On this page, I'm showing what I bought for the kitchen so far. I don't know how useful this will be, but maybe someone who is outfitting their new camper will see something they never thought to buy. Anyway, I'm excited, and can't wait until I get a chance to put it all into the camper!

When I was in the Salvage store, I saw this set of pans for something like $5. They are very lightweight, and I didn't have any pans for the camper yet, so I snatched them up!

I knew I needed at least two cast iron skillets, and I wanted a cast iron Dutch Oven. Originally, I was planning on bringing my own cast iron, which had been passed down through the family for generations. Then I found out what those Eries, Very early Griswolds, Iron Mountains, WAPAK Indian Logos, and early Wagners, and others I have are worth. I guess they will be staying safely at home, so I can pass them on to my grandchildren!

I was planning on buying a Lodge combo cooker, and a Lodge Dutch oven, but apparently the Walmart suppliers don't think people in Maine want those things, so they don't send them to our Walmart. Anyway, they did happen to have this five piece set there for $39.00, which is a very good price! I would rather have Lodge, because it is made in the US, but shipping would be so high on them, and I do know that there is actually nothing wrong with cast iron from Taiwan. It doesn't contain lead, or any other bad metals, that is an internet rumor. It also is of a decent quality, and cooks very nicely. If something happens to these on a camping trip, they are at least easily replaceable!

The other day, I realized I don't have anything to use in the camper's microwave. I rummaged through the cupboards, and found this Corning Ware I've had since around 1970. I need to find the covers, I haven't used it for years! I probably shouldn't bring all of those sizes, but I'll thin it out when I figure out which ones we like best.

At Dollar Tree, I saw this cutting board, a set of measuring cups, measuring spoons, and a silicone basting brush. If you go to Dollar Tree, don't buy that small red vegetable grater with the "catcher box" attached, it's so fine, that the vegetables won't go down into the "catcher", they just turn to mush and get stuck in the holes. Everything else I bought works fine. Needless to say, that particular vegetable grater won't be going with us. I'll get a better one!

At the same time as I bought the stainless steel pans in the salvage store, I saw this set of stainless mixing bowls with plastic covers for $3.00. That was a great deal, they are light weight, and the covers will be great!

I got four forks, knives, spoons, and soup spoons at Dollar Tree, as well as a set of four steak knives, and a set of four paring knives. I also got a large cutting knife, which appears quite cheap and flimsy, a set of kitchen shears, and a can opener. At the salvage store, I got a vegetable parer, because they didn't have any of those at our Dollar Tree.

In the party section, I got two sets of plastic silverware. Those will be really good for when we don't have full hookups, and to take on side trips for picnics.

At Dollar Tree, I got a strainer, aluminum foil, a long lighter thing, and a big spoon, fork, and spatula. I've had that Stanley cup and water boiling thing for quite a few years. I'll put that in the camper too.

Our salvage store had a ton of MLB plastic cups they were almost giving away because we are in New England, and they aren't Red Sox ones. I'm not into baseball, so I bought a set anyway. I'll just have to keep them sort of hidden from all the Red Sox fans!!! :-)

At Dollar Tree, I got oven mitts, kitchen towels, dish cloths and dish scrubby things. I thought the oven mitts and kitchen towels were quite pretty!

Here are more assorted things I picked up. Dollar Tree had the sink drain strainers. I didn't need the big one, just the little one, but they came in two packs for less than a single one at other stores, and I can always use the larger one at home. I also grabbed the salt and pepper shaker, so I wouldn't forget to get a set later. (I never add salt and pepper to my food, so I tend to forget about it). I got the grease spatter thing for the microwave at Walmart.