08 May 2009
Tomorrow is Mother's Day Eve. You know what that means right? It means that you should be thinking (or panicking) about what to do this weekend.
This is the perfect time to give the Mother in your home a day off from cooking as well as show her some fun. Let's start with the fun part of Mother's Day. Mother's Day Eve is a great day to go outside and enjoy the back country. How about taking your mom to the local nature preserve to enjoy a relaxing afternoon listening to creeks, birds, well just nature in general. If she is the fishing type, go fishing. There is something relaxing about being outside for moms. Maybe it's the fact that they aren't looking at all the work that "needs" to be done in the house. The point I'm trying to make here about Mother's Day Eve is to get outside! It's Spring, everyone has been couped up and Mother's Day Eve is kind of like a "get ready for Memorial Day" kind of weekend.
Okay, so now that we are done talking about what to do on Mother's Day Eve, let's discuss Mother's Day itself. Mother's Day is really secretly known among men as "Show Off Your Manliness Day." That's right, Mother's Day is secretly a day to show off your manliness. It's time to crack open the grills and make the neighbors jealous with the wonderful aroma's coming off your manly cooking machine. What an awesome weekend. We get to recognize the wonderful women in our lives AND we get to be manly about it. Who could ask for more?
26 February 2009
The other night I was watching TV and saw a commercial for Bisquicks new Shake and Pour pancake batter. I thought to myself, "Wow, now that's something a camper can appreciate!"
When I go camping the thing I hate the most is cleaning up after making pancakes. With this new item you can just add water, shake, and pour out the pancake batter. No more mess from stirring too fast. When the bottle is empty, you throw it it in the trash, or recycle bin if you are watching your carbon footprint.
Not only does this make it easier to clean up, but now the kids can "help" make breakfast. I love finding things to help wear out my children, or atleast something for them to do so I'm not multi-tasking by making breakfast and making sure they aren't getting in to something they shouldn't.
My bet is that this bottle of pancake mix is a little over-priced. Easy enough, just get your own bottle with a cap, pour in the pancake mix, add water when you get to camp and start shaking things up.
Who knows what they'll come up next? Maybe shake up soda pop.
19 December 2007
Dutch oven cooking can be one of the most enjoyable experiences of winter camping, or any camping for that matter. There is nothing better than a hot meal that tastes like heaven on a cold winter night. Then to follow that meal up with a fresh baked Dutch oven cobbler is like reaching the highest level of heaven. When you are done basking in the joy of your meal, you are brought back to real life when you realize you have to clean the Dutch oven. Here are a few tips to help you, when cleaning your Dutch oven:
- NEVER, and I repeat, NEVER use dish soap or detergent when cleaning a Dutch oven. The soap or detergent will soak into the small pores in the metal and the next meal you eat will have a NASTY soapy taste to it.
- The first real step in cleaning your Dutch oven is to remove as much of the food as you can. This may mean letting the boy scouts finish off the meal, or letting your friendly dog lend a helping tongue.
- Once most of the food is removed from the Dutch oven you may find you still have harder to remove chunks of food. DO NOT use a metal scraper or pad. The abrasiveness of metal pads may remove the seasoning on your oven. Place some warm water in the oven and heat it up until it is almost boiling. Then use a plastic scraper to scrape the stuck on food off.
- Drain off the rinse water and rinse down the Dutch oven with some warm water.
- Dry the Dutch oven as best as you can.
- Now use a paper towel to rub a thin layer of vegetable oil over the inside and outside of the Dutch oven. I like to pour a little bit of salt into the oil as I rub the inside of the oven because it helps to remove any additional food that step 3 may not have completely removed and adds flavor to the season of the oven.
- If you have any excess oil, be sure to wipe the excess oil off.
- Now fold up a dry paper towel and place it on the brim of the oven.
- Place the lid on top so that the dry paper towel is both on the inside and outside of the oven. (The dry paper towel will help to remove excess moisture/oil from the oven and helps air flow within the oven during storage.)
- Store your oven in a clean, dry space and start planning your next Dutch oven meal.
14 November 2007
Food and water are essential to survival when it comes to winter camping. The food and water you eat and drink is what keeps your body warm. It also gives you the energy you need to play and work in the cold. When winter camping here are some suggestions to make your food and water more enjoyable:
- Don't let your water freeze. This can be done by keeping a bottle of water on your person.
- If you must melt snow for water, poor in some liquid water before trying to melt snow. This will help prevent the burning of the snow. Burnt snow water tastes nasty.
- Bring insulated utensils, cups, and plates. Wooden spoons, plates and cups are great for winter cooking and eating. Most of the food you cook will feel extremely warm to your hands while winter camping so it is a good idea to insulate before grabbing.
- Plan meals that are high in protein. Milk, Eggs, Steak and other meats are great fuel and taste great for winter camping dinner meals. Lunches may consist of nuts, trail mixes, and peanut butter & honey sandwiches.
- Use lots of margarine for cooking. Vegetable oil fat in the body causes the body to release heat and energy more slowly.
- Drink plenty of water. Dehydration causes your body to lose it's heat producing ability.
- Plan meals with fast cooking food. Obviously you won't have a microwave, but planning meals that can cook fast will help you stay warm. The more time you stand around cooking, the cooler your body will get. If you plan on cooking hamburger or other meats, you may consider cooking them before you get there and just warming them up at your campsite.
- Drink soup and hot drinks for warmth. Soups and hot drinks will not only bring your body core temperature up, but will also provide you with much needed liquids. If you are not a fan of hot chocolate, bring some jello and drink it hot. (Who knows maybe the jello will jell up during the night and you won't have to get out of bed when nature calls.)
- Never drink alcohol! (I'll go as far as to say even when you aren't winter camping.) Alcohol causes your blood to cool faster and messes with your head. You will need to be able to think clearly while winter camping. Thinking clearly could be the difference between life or death.
- Use a cloth or tarp to stand on when cooking. The tarp or cloth will catch items you may drop. Snow is one of the best winter magicians. If you drop something in it, it disappears.