"This Wheel's on Fire"

This past Monday was the day of all days.  We got to scoop up our Sugaree!  We had the family all at the RV service center where we were eagerly awaiting her unveiling.  We've had so much fun seeing her transformation.  To finally get her home to further make her perfect in every way, makes me so happy...YAY!!!!  

Again, Jeff had very patiently taken us through all the complicatedness of our most fabulous bus.  David had the wise forethought to have Dylan videotape all the in's and out's of our bus as Jeff explained it thoroughly to us.  There definitely is a lot to learn and still lots of work to be done.  Of course, we are up for the challenges that we will no doubt encounter.

We hardly got her home and couldn't wait to show her off.  First stop, David's parent's, Tom and Sara, whom seemed rather impressed.  Next stop was my Mom's house.  She took a tour and also seemed to be impressed with our efforts.  How can you not be?!  She's our beautiful and Darling Sugaree!  Our parents all have continually been super supportive of this whole bus idea.  Even as crazy of an idea as it is, they must've thought we lost our minds to buy a school bus in the first place.  Much less with the intention of converting her into an RV.  Thank you Mom, Tom and Sara for always loving and supporting us, especially through our latest mid-life crisis.  8-}

We headed home on I-75 and took our usual route South from North Dallas.  On the way home the kids and I were saying we need to get that exhaust thingy that Jeff was talking about fixed because a little smoke started bellowing in our bus.  David, oblivious to the smoke, was overly thrilled because he thought people were waving at us because of our cool bus.  He very happily waved back with great enthusiasm and a huge smile on his face.   We finally get home, Cassidy was moving her car to make room for Sugaree.  She had a major panicked look on her face and started flapping her arms around saying "We're on FIRE!!!"  Literally, as soon as we pulled up to our home we were definitely on fire.  Everyone was grabbing bowls of water from the house running in and out until the fire department could get to our Sugaree.  People were probably waving to us on I-75 because we were on FIRE, not because of our "Panther Pride Runs Deep" military looking bus!!!!!  

In typical UP fashion, our wonderful firefighters were here to help us out in no time.  However, not quite the unveiling we were hoping to have for our girly with our friends and neighbors.  But there definitely will be another unveiling after she's all painted and "psychodelified" and hopefully will not require another visit from our dutiful firemen.  Thank you to our UP firefighters...you guys rock!

We sat around all day today waiting for the tow truck.  They were originally going to be at our house at 9am.  Then after a lot of the typical run-around via recordings we finally got to speak to a real, live person.  One of many as it turned out, by the end of the day.  EVERY person (as the recordings) had the same schpiel.  They would begin with, "Is this an emergency, if so, please hang up and call 911."  Our response was always ,"No, we're all fine.  We've been waiting for our tow truck all day.  Blah, Blah, Blah.  The guy finally showed up after 5pm.  He told David that he had to finagle some things under the bus to make sure she wouldn't catch on fire again while he was transporting her to the mechanic.  He was very clearly not happy about David questioning his abilities regarding how close the generator, AC, etc...what seemed to be maybe 3 feet off the street.  Tow Truck Guy's response, "This ain't my first rodeo."  That sure was comforting and made us feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

I absolutely must say this had nothing to do with Jeff or McClain's as they were not expected to address any of the mechanical issues.  They were only to oversee decorating and reconfiguring the living areas.  Which again, we're happier with the way she turned out, even more fabulous than our expectations.  David had a mechanic check her out before we took her to Denton originally to Camping World.  That mechanic gave us his seal of approval.  Plus, we drove her all the way from Shreveport, so we assumed all was well.  Stuff happens and it could've been way worse than it was.  We will continue to have her checked out and do trial runs again and again before we commence on our big adventure.  AND we will be buying at least 6 fire extinguishers for every room on our bus.  The one fire extinguisher that we did have wasn't even half full and wasn't helpful at all.

On a decorating note, I'm embarking on another sewing project...the window treatments.  I've done them before for Avery's nursery 21 years ago.  They were a lacy, delicate fabric and I was very happy with how they turned out.  I would be remiss to not thank my Mother-In-Law, Sara for my love of creating...whether it's cooking and trying out new foods, sewing, decorating.  You should see the outfits she sews for herself.  And the bedding and drapes she's created for us over the years, outfits for the kids when they were toddlers, etc...  She's quite impressive indeed.  As for me, straight sewing lines for the drape project I think I can handle.  We shall see.

Bus on fire, fire trucks and neighbors gathering...Good times!!  We're thinking very positively that our bus will be repaired and in perfect shape to travel half of our country in...wish us luck!  

Our Darling Sugaree saga, to be continued...

Sugaree Update

Next week is suppose to be the moment of truth.  We are getting our bus!!  And, just in time for the Jimmy Buffett concert and the fun parking lot scene that goes with the event.  We all are beside ourselves with excitement.  Jeff said they'll be ready for electronics this Tuesday and various other things that he will install and then their work will be complete.  Then the real fun begins for us, not that this process hasn't been fun.  We get to decorate the interior and we'll custom paint the exterior.   Our Sugaree will be further hippified and gypsyfied in no time.  

David, Avery and I went out see her again last week and to take out our funky frig.  OMG!!!!  She is so amazingly beautiful!!  Already, far surpassing our expectations.  Talk about giddy with excitement...Words can't even describe.  We had a very minor delay, as there were a few issues with the plumbing in the bathroom.  As I said before, it's a puzzle for these guys to try and figure out where all the different items can be installed, especially underneath the bus.  

Isn't she turning out fabulously?!  I had originally picked out a really pretty styrofoam ceiling tile, that Jeff said should work out perfectly and he said it was good that they're so light and flexible.  As it turns out, they were a little too flexible and break easily.  He had already completed the master, and they give that room a really pretty, rich feel to it.  Given how little traffic will be interfering with the styrofoam tiles because our bed dominates the room, we left the original tiles in our room.  Sometimes things don't work out for a reason and this was one of those scenarios where we are happier with the new ones.  And if the first group doesn't work out, we can always switch them out.  David and I scrambled all over to various Home Depots to get enough of a metal ceiling tile to finish the rest of the bus and we needed at least 35 of them to complete that task.  Of course, each location would only have a few of the ones we liked.  They look unbelievable, especially the way with which they reflect our LED lights.  We can change the light color to almost a dozen colors.  Perfect for our bus.  The psychedelic piece of metal that is painted in the photos above, is the result of David and Dylan experimenting with paining techniques and colors for the exterior.  They think they've got it figured and I have no doubt in my mind that they will make it awesome.  Jeff strongly discouraged the hanging of our chandelier in the master.   It didn't take much convincing him, he wants us happy.  He told us that's the first chandelier he's ever installed in an RV in the 29 years he's been in the business.  And it's a purple one at that...I love it!

Our Darling Sugaree

This beautiful painting of Jerry was done by our incredibly talented friend, Zoey Skews.  It will be a major focal point in our bus and now Jerry will be with us during our entire journey.  Thank you again sweet Zoey for your fabulous contribution.  

At least once a week we go out to see our Sugaree's progress.  This past week we dropped off cabinets and counter tops.  I know I'm repeating myself, but everything Jeff and Bruce have been working on is turning out beautifully.  We've had kitchen cabinets that Cassidy and I painted and distressed and the butcher block counter top David stained, all of which were dominating our living room for weeks.  But I must say, we're all proud of our efforts to make Sugaree that much more special and cozy.

A funny side note is David and I were looking for a sink for the bathroom and for some reason David thought Jeff said our sink vanity should only be 21 - 24" tall.  When every standard sink is around 35" tall.  We went shopping to find something we could custom make that would be what David was persistent and saying we needed.  I kept asking him, "Why does it have to be so short?"  He never really had a definitive answer for me.  He just kept saying, "...because Jeff said so."  We go to see Jeff to drop off our stuff and I asked him, "How tall does the bathroom sink need to be?  and he said, "the standard sink is around 35" tall, so that will work."  I knew David's measurements weren't right because we all would've had to crouch down in a very uncomfortable fashion to brush our teeth and wash our face.   David and I searched at least 6 different stores all over Dallas trying to figure out how to make a miniature sink.  David even suggested that we go to a handicapped store to get our sink at the right height, the heighth David thought Jeff told us to look for.   I love my husband, but he totally needs to give into the notion that I'm usually right.  ;-)  We finally got our sink to Jeff right height and all.

Our latest project was to paint our mini frig purple.  It too turned out great.  After researching the best way to paint stainless steel I found out that the first part of the process is to sand it really well so as to help the paint adhere.  Once sanded we made sure to remove any and all remnants of dust.  We then added a coat of primer.  We let that dry and then came the purple coat of paint.  Once the purple layer of paint dried we painted a coat of light blue.  David then sanded it again and we added more purple somewhat sparingly with a rag.  We will add some molding to accent it perfectly, so tune in to see the final results of it all soon!  


To be continued...  :-)

Sugaree's Progress

Our Sugaree is missed beyond words by everyone in the family.  Not much in the way of pictures at this point.  For those of you who know us and have to hear about her progress obsessively, we sincerely apologize to you all.  Thank you for loving us anyway.  <3

A couple of weeks ago the guys started the demo-ing process of our bus.  They even said she could be ready by the end of this month.  Although, we're fully aware that that might be a little optimistic, but of course, for us, the sooner the better.  We're always eagerly awaiting to hear from our bus gurus, as our mattress was delivered, generator, A/C, plumbing and most of the electrical are all installed.  It's all we can do to not call and harass them about a progress report.  We've been exercising a lot of restraint in that regard.  Walls and the bunk room beds were to be completed today.  We will deliver cabinets and counter tops next week.  After that, it should all move rather quickly, especially the way these guys have been so on top of everything.  If any of you are as crazy as we are and consider converting a school bus into an RV, we have the guys for you.

Our dining room is piled up with all of Sugaree's accoutrements.  She truly will help us all to learn to be creatures of comfort with life's simplest pleasures in our 35 foot vacation home.  It will be a good exercise for all of us to learn to scale back in every way possible.  Although, by the looks of our dining room, we might need a little work in that regard already.

I think one of the funnest and most cherish-able moments of this project is all of the special touches David, kids and I've added ourselves.  Spending time together, picking out the decor, painting, staining counter tops and collaborating on everything...These times are priceless.  I cannot wait to share our Sugaree and all of the love that went into her conversion with our friends and family.  

For the kitchen we wanted butcher block counters.  To get them reasonably priced meant David staining and sealing them himself.  They turned out beautifully.  He truly continues to impress me everyday with his handy-man abilities.  Who knew?!  I used to panic if I ever saw him with a tool in hand and knew we would be calling a professional to fix whatever needed fixing.

The distressing of the cabinets has been stressing me out a bit because one didn't turn out like the rest.  After another few coats of paint, I got close enough to what I had in mind.  Cassidy I need your help!  That's the point of distressing them, they don't all have to turn out the same?!  David and I joke that our entire house is distressed thanks to kids, dogs, cats, snakes, fish and now our beloved Sugaree.

David and I made an agreement that he could have all the say-so for the exterior.  And, I have control with what happens in the interior.  ;-)   As my Dad said to David regarding the tuxes for our wedding, he asked that there "...Be no tie-dash.."  Dad's only request.  That's not going to happen with Sugaree.  I miss Dad so and absolutely know he's smiling down on us and all the "tie-dash" that our Sugaree will proudly adorn.  

As it turns out, our buses decor is turning out to be French Country/Gypsy/Bohemian-chic-ish.  Even better than I could've ever hoped for.  Lots of turquoise, blues and all shades of purple.  

We have wonderful friends and family who are kind enough to help us with window treatments and help piece together with all of the crowning touches.

It's coming together beautifully!  More to come soon.  :-)

Sugaree's Makeover

VOILA'!  Here she is...the finished product!!! 

No, just kidding.  Sorry...I couldn't help myself.  ;-)

We finally did get to see, hear and touch our beautiful, darling Sugaree again.  We all miss her when she's gone.  And yes, we all are completely obsessed with her.   Avery was home just in time to see her before the magical makeover and now she too is completely obsessed.  You can't help but fall in love with her.

While waiting to meet the guys that are up for this very challenging project, we got to tour some unbelievable RV's.  The one pictured above is only a mere $400,000.  The culinary classics we could cook up in that amazing kitchen, it's nicer than our kitchen at home. This RV is complete with marble floors and counters, fireplace and couple of large, flat screen tv's, outdoor frig and beverage center and of course another flat screen tv for the outside.  The amenities go on and on. It was a Miami Vice, over the top, kind-of-deal.  Call me old fashioned, but I would much rather have our Sugaree just the way we want her.  

The time came when we got to meet the man, Jeff, who's in charge of our makeover.  David and I both feel very certain we've finally found our team to do our conversion.  Jeff spent a good 2 hours with us explaining his recommendations, not rushing us through, taking his time to explain what all needs to be done, and very happy to answer all of our questions.  He has been building houses and renovating RV's for 29 years and he obviously knows exactly what he's doing.  We're overly thrilled with our girly's newest home.  She will definitely get the TLC she needs and deserves.  Now, we're in the fun process of picking out appliances, bedding and decor. 

This last week was all about choosing what big-ticket items we could purchase to help keep down on costs.  Jeff had the blue prints all ready for us and went over them very meticulously.  He has great vision and apparently it's quite the juggling act to figure out what plumbing can go where so as to not interfere with AC, drains, generators, etc...

The next order of business was to take our Sugaree to get weighed.  I can't help but think of that Little Feat song, Willin' ..."driven the back roads so I wouldn't get weighed..."  We got her inspected, registration transferred into our name.  Not so sure I would've ever thought I would find myself in a "real" truck yard waiting to get our school bus, or anything else weighed for that matter.  Jeff recommended getting all of that not-so-fun stuff done now because once the conversion is complete he said we will want to go get out and play with her right away and not have to deal with all of that and as usual, he's absolutely right.  We followed up with Jeff a few days later for the final re-cap before they go in and start gutting our bus.  He told us the transformation will take 6 - 8 weeks, with an additional 2 carpenters to help with the process.  He also told us had we have waited much longer to get our bus to them that they too would've had to turn us away because their business picks up tremendously prior to summertime.  Timing is everything and it all seems to be working out beautifully.  

The current game plan is we're going to extend the "master" so it will accommodate a queen sized bed and leave a little room to help change sheets and clothes.  We will be able to add a shower and extend the bathroom a bit.  The kitchen counter will be extended with the whole dinette area/bed moved down, with the help of removing a huge speaker behind the driver's seat.  They'll also move the couch down also to help accommodate for the additional space needed for the bathroom.  For now, we're planning on adding a dual induction burner, more cabinets and drawers.  A butcher block counter that we are in the process of staining.  I'm going to paint and distress our cabinets as soon as we get measurements finalized.

We had another tye dye session this weekend.  All of our kids and David got to dye their sheets for their and our beds on the bus.  That's always great fun.  Thanks Marty for teaching us your fabulous techniques.  By far, between all of 5 of us, our favorite color is "Robin Egg Blue."

So, we're wrapping up another week of obsessing about our bus.  It's been so fun having everyone home to help collaborate on our newest, family vacation home.  Our entire family is so incredibly talented and artistic.  I cannot wait to see our end result.  Happy Sunday my friends!  xoxo

Inside the Bus

The newest love in all of our lives is our school bus, whom we've decided to name Sugaree.  All 5 of us are completely obsessed.  The worst thing is that she has sadly been neglected up in Denton for going on 4 weeks now.  David and I can't stand letting so much time go to waste, because time is of the essence.  We want our darling Sugaree where we can make her the most awesome bus conversion ever.  And we would like to do a few test runs before venturing out for the major "Jamily" extravaganza.

Unfortunately, the folks in Denton said they couldn't do our conversion and that they only work on luxurious RV's.  We continually thought we found our people to do this massive conversion only to be rejected time and time again. It was a little discouraging to say the least.  Although, we (mostly David) never gave up hope.

After numerous phone calls and much consternation, David felt certain we had finally found our guys.  They were one of the only ones out of dozens that truly seemed to be up for the challenge and were even excited about it.  Our newest friend told David the soonest we could get the bus to them, in Rockwall, the better because with spring break coming up business would be picking up and he had guys that could start working on her right away. He didn't have to ask David twice, we were on the road in no time, that same day, on our way, to pick up our newest baby.  David was very eager to get her to her temporary destination because we're expecting ice and snow today...again, for the second time within a week.  One never knows if it will be 70 degrees or 20 degrees in Dallas these days.  Either way, we've all missed our Sugaree...even Dylan, our almost 16 year old, commented the other day that he misses her too and was asking the infamous question of ..."When will we get her back?"  

So, David and I start our adventure up I-35 to Denton, rain, pot holes, massive traffic and all.  Will they ever really and truly ever fix I-35?!  It's so hazardous...Semi's were all but getting in our lane...literally, there was no wiggle room whatsoever.  We finally got to our destination safe and sound, after white-knuckeling it with all the crazies out there.  I'm sure the folks in Denton were happy to get rid of us and our bus.  We were so excited with anticipation to see our girl.  She's been at an RV sales center with only the finest of RV's in their rather large parking lot.  And our Sugaree was nowhere to be seen...obviously hidden in the very back.  Oh well, we love her and that's all that counts.

After squaring up with the folks in Denton, it was time to move our girl to her new destination...where she is going to have the makeover of all makeovers.  We were taking her to Rockwall.  

Another funny tidbit is while I'm trying to keep up with David, following him in his car on a 2-lane highway, concrete barriers on either side (again) with no shoulder.  I thought surely he would be moving at a snails pace, like he was when we were caravanning to Denton. Apparently the Denton crew got a few mechanical issues fixed for us, because he was hauling a**.  Thank goodness for the white, blinking light on the top of our bus as it wasn't too hard to spot him.  Dylan is absolutely not a fan of the blinking light because it blinks whenever the bus is up and running. Dylan would like to have the blinking light removed ASAP.

Again, I-35 being the biggest nightmare...while driving you don't know if there are two or three lanes because of the poorly marked roads and potholes galore.  But my sweet David drove his newest love like a pro, blinking lights and all.

We feel very good about where our Sugaree is currently residing.  Hopefully we'll get her home soon.  It definitely won't be soon enough.

In the meantime, we'll get to plan her decor, while keeping up with her transformation with those who seem very passionate about this project.  Finally we feel like these are our guys to take on this challenge.  Have I mentioned how much we already love our Sugaree?!  <3<3<3

WE BOUGHT A BUS!!

Bus # 1

Our Bus!  <3

Yes...you read right!  We finally bought a school bus and fulfilled a lifelong dream of my husband, David.  He's been talking about buying a bus for as long as I've known him, which is going on 30 years.  

I will be switching gears back and forth between posting recipes and posting all the progress we're making on our new, old home...our newest member of the family...our beloved bus.  

The catalyst that made this dream come into fruition is that the Grateful Dead announced their last 3 shows together and they play in Chicago July 3 - 6.  In addition to the bus, it has been a dream of ours to tour with the kids around this beautiful country in which we live.  Now is the time too, before our girls graduate college and start careers and families of their own.  And Dylan will be heading off to college in the blink of an eye as well.  David has decided to take off a month or so, so our "Jamily," can have a fun-filled, family vacation.  A side note is our friend, Treavor came up with the name Jamily for the 5 of us crazy McQuaids....which, I must say suites us all quite well.  :-) 

The process started with us looking at an old '79, 40-foot commuter bus that was outside of Austin.  David and I drove the nearly 3 hours to check it out.  A little interesting tidbit about the owners of this bus is that they're expecting their 17th child...his wife is only 38.   He's a pastor at a Baptist church and his wife home-schools all their children.  It makes me tired just thinking about that.  Anyway, the kind pastor proceeded to show us this behemoth of a bus.  What attracted us to this bus initially is that it had all the bells and whistles...or so we thought.  The kitchen has all the appliances including a washer/dryer combo...I was sold on this bus right then and there.  It also has a full bathtub with shower and nice sizable sink.  The bathroom connect the bunk room that houses 4 bunks to the "master" that has a queen sized bed.  It had some major work that would need to be done but the configuration is do-able, as we we're planning on gutting the whole thing and starting with the bare bones.  It was a bit concerning when he started off by telling us we'll have to let the bus warm up for at least 15 minutes.  The pastor then walked behind the bus where he had part of the exterior that was "cattawhompusly" rigged and wired shut.  The exhaust was moved from facing the bottom, as is usual, to facing upwards and in an awkward location no less.  None of the windows opened...I could go on and on.  The pastor explained to David that there is no fuel guage so you have to knock on the tank to get a feel for what the level might be...he told us "...it's always better to be on the safe side."  Now came the moment of truth, it was time for David to do the test run.  The pastor got the bus out onto the main road as it is a challenge getting the bus out of their white, picket fence.  I was following in David's car as the exhaust was spewing fumes from the back of the bus.  Not even 5 minutes into our test run, David had to pull over so that the pastor could add 2 containers worth of oil.  We try it again and not much longer we had to pull over again because the bus needed anti-freeze as well.  The plan was to take the bus to a mechanic that David found about 30 minutes from the pastor's house.  After winding and weaving around in the tightest of service roads of whatever highways, with concrete barriers due to construction on either side of us...David amazed me with his ability to maneuver the bus as well as he did.  There's no way I could've done that.  One of the most funny visuals of my lifetime was David behind the wheel of this massive bus, looking like Lily Tomlin's bit where she's on the huge rocking chair with her feet hanging off...David's right foot barely was able to touch the gas pedal as the left one dangled in the air.  Hilariousness!  

Anyway, we FINALLY found the mechanic's place of business and David took out their make-shift mailbox while trying to turn into their driveway.  Not bad for his third or fourth time driving a vehicle that size.  We decided to leave the bus there overnight and dropped off the pastor before venturing back home.  During the drive home David and I were discussing the bus and we finally came to the conclusion that this was not the bus for us.  David has always envisioned converting a school bus into an RV.  This was a 40 foot long, 14 feet high beast.  We both agreed that was not our bus.

The following week our 15 year old son, Dylan found a 1990 35-foot school bus on Craigslist, which is totally what David had in mind. I however, was not too sure.  It was in Shreveport, which also is about a 3 hour drive.  We rented a car at the airport so if this was the bus for us that we could enjoy the maiden voyage together.  Super nice guy showed us his bus that he, himself converted into an RV.   Brad, the owner, truly put his blood, sweat and tears into this bus.  He and his 4 year old daughter loved taking road trips together during the 4 years he had it.....his wife was not a fan.   After a test drive we decided this is our bus.  Brad was quite sad as we drove off, which made us sad and now I totally get that.  We miss our bus and it's only been in Denton for her makeover for 2 weeks.

A major item that needs immediate attention is the wiring.  It's a little scary because it was wired with extension cords throughout   There's no plumbing as of yet, but we really like the configuration Brad has working.  We knew we would be pumping some money into our new vacation home on wheels to get it just the way we want.  A lot of the windows are covered, which we plan on exposing all windows.  As best we can tell at this point, it will end up comfortably sleeping at least 8 people.  There's a table with 2 benches that makes into a bed.  There's a futon-like sofa that also makes into a bed.  We're hoping to reconfigure the bathroom so we can add a shower in addition to a toilet, etc...  The kitchen already has a brand new small frig and decent cabinet space.  We hope to extend the counter just a bit and add some drawer space and butcher block counters.  I will use my trusty toaster oven to cook in and we will have a 2 burner, induction stovetop installed as well.  Beyond the kitchen is the bunk room that sleeps 3 and we will add a dresser to help with our lack of storage  The very back is big enough to fit a queen-sized bed perfectly.  We would like to try and push the wall back between the bunk room and "master" so that we will have a little more wiggle room. 

David had the biggest smile on his face the whole way home.  We pull up to our house in the Park Cities with our old, silver school bus with "PANTHER PRIDE RUNS DEEP" boldly displayed on both sides of our vacation home.  We enjoyed her for our first weekend before taking her to Denton to begin the transformation and address any and all mechanical issues.  Of course, David and I head out the following Monday to drop her off and she wouldn't start.  Oh yes, I forgot to mention that a screw driver is the key Brad gave us.  David tried to jump start it with his car only to have the jumper cables melt.  Luckily we already had our bus insured so we were able to use road-side assistance.  We finally got to Denton and dropped our newest baby off.  Almost 2 weeks into it, they've done a lot of the mechanical stuff, replaced tires, oil, hoses... the works.  This week we get to go up and discuss what we have in mind for the interior.  The shop it's at is an RV dealer and they've never converted a school bus before.  How much different can it be from upgrading an RV?!  I guess we're about to find out.  Wish us luck!  To be continued...

Shabu-Shabu

David's and my newest food obsession is Shabu-Shabu.  Our first encounter happened when we stumbled upon a restaurant in Plano called Mister Shabu-Shabu.  It piqued our interest enough to where we tried it at home and now we've perfected our own version of this fun and fabulous new find of ours.

Shabu-Shabu (also spelled shyabu-shyabu) is a Japanese dish featuring thinly sliced beef traditionally boiled in water or dashi (which is a type of broth), both made with konbu or kelp.  However, we use beef broth because we haven't had much luck with the customary bonita flakes and kelp method to start the broth, ours didn't turn out flavorful enough.

This delicious dish was originally made with thinly sliced beef, but some versions use pork, crab, chicken, lamb, duck or lobster.  Typically, rib-eye steak is used and is what we prefer.  Shabu-Shabu is served with a variety of vegetables including Napa (or Chinese) cabbage, onions, carrots, an assortment of exotic mushrooms and tofu...of course you can add any vegetables that you like.  In addition to all the wonderful veggies it is served with noodles.  I like udon noodles because they hold up better, but you could use rice noodles or any kind of noodle you want.

The dish is prepared by submerging a thin slice of meat or vegetable in a pot of boiling dashi or broth.  We use an individual burner so that we can control the temperature just perfectly and also so that we can serve it as is customarily done, which is in the middle of our table, kind of like fondu.  Just be super careful, the broth can get very hot.  The meat and vegetables are dipped in a ponzu sauce and/or a sesame seed sauce before eating (recipes to follow).  Once the meat and veggies have been eaten, the leftover broth from the pot is combined with any leftover noodles and the last of the broth is eaten and it is beyond description how wonderful the broth is after having been flavored even more by the meat and vegetables.  

I think most any foodie would love this one pot meal, although a little labor intensive, it's worth all of the work.  Happy Cooking my friends!

For the Broth:
12 cups beef broth
4 cups water
1 onion, quartered
3 carrots, roughly chopped
3 celery ribs, roughly chopped
5 cloves of garlic, smashed
2" of ginger, skinned and sliced thin
12 whole peppercorns
8 whole cloves
any bones or fat leftover from the sliced rib-eye
3 beef bouillon cubes

For the Beef Broth:
In a large saucepan set over high heat, combine the broth and all of the broth ingredients except the bouillon cubes.  Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low to let it simmer for at least 30 minutes.  Remove the saucepan from the heat and strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the solids.  Return the pan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.  Skim the fat off the top of the broth.  Add bouillon cubes.  Turn heat to low.

For the Meat:
Vegetable and Noodle Plates:
1 head of Napa cabbage with stalk and ribs removed and leaves separated
1/2 cups enoki mushrooms, trimmed
1 - 1/2 cup shitake mushrooms, stemmed
1 small vidallia onion or yellow onion, sliced thin and cut in half
2 bunches green onion, sliced in 1" slices cut on the diagonal
2 carrots, sliced thin
4 cloves of garlic sliced thin
1 jalapeno, sliced thin and seeds removed
1 - 14 oz package firm tofu, cut into bite-sized squares
3 - 8 oz udon noodles, prepared as directed on the package

Arrange the meat on a large platter, the vegetables and tofu on a second large platter and the cooked udon noodles in a large bowl.

Set a portable stove in the middle of the dining table and place a Dutch oven over the burner.  Pour some of the strained broth into the Dutch oven and bring to a very slow simmer (don't let it boil).

As the broth warms, bring the meat, vegetables and noodles to the table along with 6 soup bowls.  When the broth reaches a light simmer, let your diners add some broth to their soup bowls and then begin cooking: working in batches, add the vegetables and cook until tender, a few minutes.  Add 1 slice of meat with chopsticks and cook for a few seconds, until just cooked.  Dip the cooked meat and vegetables in a Ponzu sauce and a sesame dipping sauce (recipes to follow).  Repeat with remaining meat and vegetables.

When everything has been cooked up, add the udon noodles to the broth and stir until warmed through.  Divide the noodles and remaining broth between the 6 soup bowls.

Ponzu Sauce:
1/4 cup lime juice
1 TBSP rice vinegar
1/3 cup beef broth
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp hot chili sauce
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
pepper to taste
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1" ginger thinly grated

Mix all ingredients well.

Miso-Tahini Sauce and Chile Oil:
1/4 cup water
3 TBSP mirin
3 TBSP tahini
3 TBSP soy sauce
1 - 1/2 tsp red miso
1 - 1/2 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP sake, optional
1 tsp sesame oil
roasted sesame seeds for topping

Mix all ingredients well.  Top with sesame seeds for a garnish. 

*Serve with Sriracha to spice up to your liking.

This recipe is adapted from TastingTable.com.