Corn Salad

Of course there is not a picture. I made this for Mark's birthday and quite frankly it was a little too hectic for me to stop and take a picture of the food. I'll give you a run down --

Brats

Chicken Sausages

Cheeseburgers

Potato Salad

Corn Salad

Boston Creme Pie

All cooked and served from our camper! While camping!

I thought the star of the show was the corn salad. Got the recipe from http://lacucinadilauren.blogspot.com/2009/05/corn-tomato-and-avocado-salad.html where you can actually see what it looks like. Mine was a little sloppier though, but, it was really good. Don't be stingy with the salt - it really soaks it up.

Just like Mark 'soaks up' getting presents for his birthday!

Beef Stew Ala Campfire

Last weekend my brother braised a chuck roast and produced a wonderful tender roast and some very flavorful pot liquor to go along with it. Beef broth with seasonings, soy sauce, garlic...it's all good. Then Monday night (while we were camping in Suwannee) he broke out the dutch oven and placed it over a fire that had been going all day.

He sauteed --

Fingerling potatoes
Mushrooms
Onions
Carrots



in some oil.

Then added the beef and beef broth to the pot. That simmered for a bit until the veg was tender and then added a slurry of cornstarch and beer.



The final result was served with chunks of crusty bread that had been toasting slowly on the grill. Both the stew and the bread had a nice smokey flavor to it. It would have been nice to get a final picture of it had I not dove head first into my bowl forgetting all about my camera!

Camping - All About the Food!

If you've ever gone camping you know that the day you arrive is a long day. Setting up camp can take upwards to 2 hours -- so when dinner time rolls around I usually want something that's quick and easy. Whether you cook this in a cast iron dutch oven over a campfire or a pan on your electric stove, this is good stuff.

Jambalaya (adaptation of Rachael Ray's 'Everything Jambalaya')

2 cups white rice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan
1 tablespoon butter
1 lb smoked sausage, cut into bitesize chunks
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped (I leave out because we don't like)
1 fresh bay leaf or dried bay leaf
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper sauce
2-3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 (14 ounce) can chicken stock or chicken broth
1 palmful of cajun seasoning (I actually used two but we're spice hounds)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 lb medium shrimp, raw,deveined and peeled
coarse salt

Place a large, deep skillet over medium high heat.
Add oil and butter to the pan.

Cook sausage for a couple of minutes until browned.
Add onion, celery, pepper, bay, and cayenne.
Saute vegetables 5 minutes, sprinkle flour over the pan and cook 1 or 2 minutes more.
Stir in tomatoes and broth and season with cajun seasoning, garlic, and Worcestershire.
Bring liquids to a boil and add shrimp.
Simmer shrimp 5 minutes until pink and firm.
Remove the pot from the heat and place on a trivet.
Ladle jambalaya into shallow bowls over white rice OR using an ice cream scoop, place a scoop of rice on to the center of the bowlfuls of jambalaya.

Boiled Peanuts

Secret -- buying fresh GREEN peanuts! They actually cook and get soft in less than 6 months! I bought a couple of packages from Publix so Mark could cook them while we're camping.

Fresh GREEN peanuts

A big stock pot

Cajun Seasoning

Garlic Powder

Red Pepper Flakes

Once again, no measuring. We boiled the peanuts for about 3 hours and pronouced them 'done.' However, we left them on the fire for another two hours just because we thought...why not? Won't they be even better? The better part is that they were easy to access while we sat out by the campfire.

Redneck Sangria

My brother and I were laughing over our versions of Sangria this weekend. We basically take a bottle of cheap (CHEAP, kick your ass in the morning with a pounding headache) red wine, mix it with some fruit, 7-Up, OJ and maybe a bit of brandy. My bro puts in a touch of cinnamon, too. There is no measurement -- just mix, stir and sip; mix, stir and sip....

I made copious amounts when Mark and I went camping recently. Sure did taste good in the hot sun!