Camping Food

Now that I've (I hope!) convinced you how much fun you'll have camping, let me tell you about what we'll be eating. Everything tastes better when camping! We'll start off with the big camp breakfast. Pork fat is essential. We'll fry the bacon until perfectly crisp (yes, go ahead and have a slice while you're waiting for it all to be ready.) Then we'll leave some of that grease on the frying pan, because your bagel needs to be toasted in it. The eggs will be scrambled, and we've left those yummy brown bits behind from the bacon, so you're having what we call “dirty eggs.” (Don't worry, you'll work off all these calories on our hike later.) Would you like some more of the coffee, percolated in a ceramic coated kettle? Careful though, it's very hot.

I packed you a hiking lunch. The sub roll won't get soggy and squished like regular bread. I think you'll love the combination of ham, salami, and turkey. I even managed to save some of this morning's bacon, so that's on there too. You need all this protein because we're hiking Steam Donkey, at Grand Lake. It goes all the way around the lake, and there's quite a bit of uphill. As we're sitting on the bridge, dangerously dangling our legs, I think you'll appreciate the finishing touches of pickles, banana peppers, lettuce, and tomato. Don't worry, the tomato is sandwiched (haha, good pun!) between the meats so it won't soggify your bread. I've wrapped it in tin foil to give it some structure, and a bit of insulation. Go ahead and have some cheetos, too. They don't crumble like potato chips. Apple slices? Chocolate chip cookie? Let me know if you have room, otherwise we'll save those for our stop at the actual Steam Donkey. The view is spectacular there, so we'll sit for a while.

How was your little snooze in the shade of that big tree? I saw you with the book still in your hands, nodding off. Hiking is hard work! Dinner will be ready soon. Here's a glass (ceramic coated mug, actually) of chardonnay while you wait. Those pocket potatoes smell so good already! I'll tell you how I made them since you didn't see me do it, sleepy head. I chopped those fresh, red potatoes into dice size chunks, and then tossed them in a ziplock bag with slivered onions, rosemary and garlic herb seasoning, and salt and pepper. They're double wrapped in the heavy-duty aluminum foil and nestled there in the fire, right along the edge of the fire pit. Doesn't that grilled chicken look delicious? I know it's kinda picky of me, but yes, I do cover each slat of the grate over the fireplace with my own foil every single time. I just like knowing for sure that my food doesn't contain any potential animal “droppings”. You never know what they're up to when we're away hiking. The spices? That's super easy. It's just cheap, off-brand italian dressing. I had those boneless breasts marinating in it since this morning. Ziplock bags are my friends! Would you like a salad? I love having a fridge when camping, you can have some of the things that don't do well in a cooler. Yes, I do start with a bagged salad, but I add three colors of bell peppers, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and croutons. That's freshly grated Parmesan on top. Too bad there's no bacon left, or we could crumble it on top, too. I'll try to hide some from tomorrow's breakfast. How about some of my homemade garlic ranch dressing? (Ok, ok, semi-homemade. I do start with the Hidden Valley Ranch dry mix, but I add some extra stuff. Top secret though!)

Did you save room for dessert? I've brought my new favorite popsicles. Yup, they do stay frozen in that tiny freezer part of the fridge. Amazing, isn't it? These are the whole-fruit variety, blueberry and acai berry. Of course there will be s'mores later once it gets dark. And as you know, my day isn't complete without popcorn. I'll be making that, too. With butter. After all, we're camping!