Camper Cooking

Thanksgiving Table Cloth Idea

2011-11-18T12:33:00.002-07:00

Happy almost Thanksgiving!
I wanted to share a great Thanksgiving tradition I recently read about. A week ago I read an article in Focus on the Family's Thriving Family Magazine. The lady who wrote it said that some years ago she bought a big, white table cloth for the table at Thanksgiving. She put fabric pens on the table and during dinner everyone would write one thing they were thankful for with their name and the year. Then, every Thanksgiving, she would put out the same table cloth and everyone who was there that year would write something on it. She said that over the years the table cloth has gotten full and has a variety of friends and family members on it who have joined their Thanksgiving dinner through the years. There are elderly family members who have passed away and people they have not seen in years who have written something on the table cloth.
I thought it was a wonderful idea and am going to start it this Thanksgiving at my Grandmother's. What a great way to remember the things we are blessed with and to share that blessing throughout the years with whoever we might find ourselves with on Thanksgiving.

update: AFTER THANKSGIVING

Well, the table cloth idea went well. I accidentally bought a plastic one, I thought it was material. So, we couldn't use the fabric markers I had bought but instead used a permanent marker.

We plan on using the table cloth every time we have someone for a meal. It will help us remember all of the people we have met during our travels.

Smile!

Sheri's best Waffle Recipe!

2011-10-20T23:04:00.000-06:00

My amazing hubby just loves his waffles - not as much as he loves me - but still a lot. Over the years I have looked for a better recipe but just can't seem to find one better than this.

Now, usually I try to put whole wheat flour in all our recipes. This recipe can be made with half white and half wheat but sometimes I just use white flour. I know - naughty naughty. I try to put the wheat flour in it for health reasons, but every now and then I get crazy and use only white!

3 eggs - beat in bowl until thick

1 cup milk

1/2 cup melted butter

1 tbsp vanilla

Mix all wet ingredients together.

In separate bowl mix the following dry ingredients:

2 cups flour - all white or half white and half wheat - sift into bowl. In a camper I have a small sifter just for these yummy waffles.

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp baking powder

2 tsp sugar - white or another healthier sugar

Then mix the dry ingredients.
Add the wet to the dry and stir quickly.

If you want to go healthy, add a tbsp wheat germ and some ground flax seed.

After adding this to the waffle iron, we add chopped pecans.

This is great served with sausage.

When we want to go "all out", we heat up berries, apples, or peaches. Put those over the top of the pecan waffles and put some whip cream on top. We used to make the whip cream from scratch, now I just buy it.
Otherwise we just put syrup on top.

A cup of coffee with some International Delight and, oh my, delicious.

Now I have to make it! It sounds so good!

Finally, the pancake recipe I told you about!

2011-10-20T22:47:00.000-06:00

This is a pancake recipe I have used for years with my family. We tried bunches of other recipes and none compared to this.

1 1/4 cup white flour
1 1/4 cup wheat flour
(If you don't like wheat you could use all white)

4 tbsp sugar - you can use turbinado or another healthier type than white sugar. I also have used stevia, just about one tbsp as it is much stronger than regular sugar.

4 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

Mix all above ingredients in bowl.

Put all wet ingredients in a separate bowl.

2 eggs
3 cups milk
6 tbsp. oil - we use olive oil

Then by our taste and preference, we add about a cup of applesauce, a tbsp of wheat germ, and a tbsp of ground flax seed. You don't have to add these ingredients.

Sometimes I mash a banana and throw it in but I get a few groans when I do this.

1 tbsp vanilla - which is optional, too.

Mix all wet ingredients and then add them to the dry. Stir quickly so it doesn't clump.

We like our pancakes thinner so sometimes I add a little more milk to get the consistency that I want.

I then put the left over batter in the fridge and make fresh pancakes every morning for about 5 days. We try to make the batter on Monday.

Now, sometimes I just don't have time to fuss with two separate bowls for the ingredients so I throw it all in one bowl and stir right away trying to keep the clumps out.

Every now and then a put a few dark chocolate chips in it to surprise the kids.

We usually buy real maple syrup from Sam's Club. It is quite affordable there.

Enjoy!

P.S. Waffle recipe coming next!

Cooking in bear country

2011-09-20T00:04:00.000-06:00

So often I hear stories about campers, bears, food, and trouble.

But, what about in a hard sided camper? Is it a problem?

Upon arriving in Colorado Springs, our camp host told me to not even cook fish in the camper. There were two mother bears and cubs that came to the campground every day as well as a mother bear and twins and a male bear up the road.

I thought I would be fine to cook fish in the camper...not so. While we were at that campground, her home had a window broken by the bear, a neighbor had a male bear break into his home and truck, and another home was broken into down the mountain, all by the same group of bears.

The Denver news showed a hard sided camper that was broken into by a bear. It ripped the door right off!

Camping and cooking in bear country can be really tricky. I don't think we can be too safe. Bears are extremely unpredictable and ridiculously strong and determined. Add those three attributes together and you have a recipe for trouble.

One morning my husband and I were eating left over strawberry shortcake with cool whip and a cup of coffee. It wasn't long before we saw mama bear and her cub walking down the road towards our camper. Mama's nose was swinging back and forth as I'm sure visions of shortcake danced in her furry head. She made it down the road and turned towards our camper. It was at this point I got up and made a break for the camper. Shae stood up and watched as she came towards us and then changed her mind and went into the woods.

Cody, my 18 yr old, took the garbage out only to find mama and cub by the dumpster. She stood up on her back legs and gave him a good lookin' over. Cody hurried back to the camper with his heart pumping and adrenaline running on high.

A gentleman, who is a first responder, told us a bear had broken into his truck, opened up his center console, ate his granola/fitness bars, then continued to climb out the other door. The bear had to open both doors! They are smart creatures!

When we were in Yosemite, I was shocked to see signs telling us not to leave food in sight. There bears will look in the windows, apparently, to see if there is food in the vehicle!

So, I knew our van would be able to supply them with enough food for the winter! I shouldn't have been surprised when mama bear and cub came out from the back door to surprise Cody, once again, as he was getting into the drivers door.

I have said all of this to remind everyone just how serious this issue can be. It is important to NOT throw food outside, anywhere. If we do, it is like inviting the bears to a party at your camper!

We do not leave coolers outside with food in them.

When we walked around, I always had a bear bell and bear spray. Usually black bears aren't aggressive so if they can hear us coming, they will run.

But, there are hundred of stories of black bears attacking people. They are not cute, furry pets, but instead strong, fast, and protective animals.

Where we are camping now, there is a bear that comes to the dumpster at night. I try to be very careful not to leave any food outside. At dawn and dusk, no one walks alone.

We found these bear tracks right out side our camper. It was a cub, where is mama?

Bear prints by our camper.

Our first time seeing mama bear and cub at the campground.

The cub was so cute!

I took all of these pictures from our van.

Now, I must admit, they are amazing creatures to see. The cubs are so cute I just want to snuggle with them. Mama bear isn't so cute, I know she will rip my head off if I get between her and her baby! We have been thankful to see so many bears in somewhat safe environments, but I have no desire to see one again. I prefer safety over excitement!

Eating Up All Our Food

2011-09-08T22:55:00.001-06:00

When we owned our 2800 sq. ft. home I bought food in large quantities. We were members of two food co-ops that we were able to buy healthy food for much cheaper. Now, in a camper, I don't have much room to store food.

It is quite amazing how I am able to cram food in the oddest places. But recently I decided to eat up all the food we have. I have had to buy milk, eggs, butter, and bread. We are eating everything else and sometimes without the usual condiments, because we are out, and without paper plates or much seasoning.

It has made it a little more difficult to make tasty meals out of few ingredients. Creativity is my middle name when it comes to cooking, though.

I was always told to rotate our canned goods so we always have fresh ones on hand. So, we are eating up the peas, beans, sweet taters, fruit, tuna, chicken, etc.

Typically, I like to have a sizable stash of food on hand. If there were an emergency or natural disaster it is recommended to have two weeks of food.

And now with the tenth anniversary of 9-11 coming up, I am a little nervous. I think I'll run to the store tomorrow just to get enough bare essentials to last a couple weeks.

Large grocery stores are almost an hour a way. We are camped way out in the mountains and the two smaller markets are quite expensive and really don't have a large selection.

Do I spend the money on gas to go to the larger store or just spend more on fewer groceries around here?

2011-08-30T22:04:00.000-06:00

The other day I saw we had three over ripe bananas that were starting to go black in the fruit bowl. It looked like the perfect amount to make some banana bread. So, I dug around in our cook books until I found our write-in recipe book with the recipes given to us by family and friends.

This recipe for Banana bread was given to my mom by my Grandpa Pat, Grami, and Aunt Crista when she went into the Navy.

BANANA BREAD
1 1/2 c. white flour
3/4 c. wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 c.
There was no explanation for what exactly the half cup was. I figured it was probably sugar so put some in hoping that was right.
2 eggs
1 c. mashed bananas

There wasn't a temperature for the oven or a time for how long to cook the muffins so I had to guess on that also. 350 seems like a good temperature for about anything so I put them on that for about 15 minutes and thank goodness they came out of the oven fluffy and golden!

The kids love to eat them as bed time snacks. My Dad also likes them as his late night snack at 10pm...11...and 12...

Too many canned goods

2011-08-22T23:31:00.000-06:00

I stocked up on canned goods. I mean really stocked up. Yet, I have to consider the weight issue. Campers can only haul so much weight on the inside and food can take up a lot of it.

So, today I dug out all the food I had stashed under the cushions and cabinets around the camper and my family began the process of eating it all.

I was always told that canned food will last forever. Then I was told it is better to eat in within six months. Now, we are eating everything we have to help with weight and to eat it up while it is still nutritious.

Our meals aren't quite as fancy, but still delicious.

Kitchen Gadgets I Brought Along in our Camper

2011-07-28T21:31:00.000-06:00

Going from a 2800 sq. ft. home to a 42' camper with such a small amount of kitchen space has been extremely challenging.

So, what did I bring? What do I use and not use? What did I take back out? What do I wish I had?

Here are some short, bad grammar, answers.

One plate each
One bowl each
About two cups each
Two sets of silverware each, plus one larger knife for peanut butter
Two glass jars that had juice in it for water jugs. I don't like plastic, so I try to use glass or stainless steel when possible.
Stainless steel water jugs, one for each person, to take hiking or use on the table. The kids spill a lot and we have carpet under out table and cushions that have material over them. I have wanted to get rid of the carpet and cushions, but haven't been able to yet, so we try to keep the spillage to a minimal. The four younger kids all have cups with lids for the table.
Of course, a plastic spatula, metal one, a long metal one for out door cooking, mixing spoons, measuring spoons and cups, ladle, cheese shredder, funnel, small strainer, and other utensils.
Two large strainers; one for straining noodles or rinsing fruit and veggies and I usually use the other to store my fruit in on the counter
Two small cutting boards
One big cutting board that fits over the sink
Bread knife, kitchen and steak knives
Meat thermometer (which I have never used, but still bring just in case)
I just bought a toaster oven which I just love. It does 4 pieces of toast instead of two, I can use it for heating up left overs and pancakes. If it is too hot in the summer, I can plug it in outside to cook. We don't like to cook in the camper when it is hot. We only have one air conditioner and it sure can get hot!
Coffee pot, on the counter. We had one under the cabinet and it broke pretty fast, so we went back to the cheaper counter top style.
Small mixer for smoothies and protein shakes
Two larger pots; one stainless steel the other cast iron. We can use the lid of the cast iron pot as a frying pan, also.
Three medium to small pots with lids
Two regular size cast iron frying pans that are stored in the oven and one large one that is stored in a cabinet. I don't use the large one much. I probably could take it out.
Dutch oven, which I almost never use. I should try to use it more, it is just very time consuming.
Two bread pans, which I hardly use. I made homemade bread when we had a house, but just don't seem to have the time now.
Two glass pitchers for juice or homemade pancake batter that we make on Mondays and make fresh pancakes for about three days from the batter stored in the pitcher that is stored in the fridge.
Medium crock pot
Rice cooker
I took out my dehydrator and sure with I hadn't. I want it back in!
Small crock pot
Electric fryng pan. Works great when it is hot or I need an extra burner.
Popcorn popper
I use glass containers for left overs. I can also bake in them.
Pizza pan
Two cookie sheets
One medium size baking pan for corn bread or cakes
I can use some of my glass storage containers for cooking bread, cakes, or quiche also
Lemon and lime juicer
Garlic press
Two can openers
Tupperware stacking bowls used for mixing and storage
Two stainless steel mixing bowls
Basket that I keep my plastic baggies in
Three coffee cups
Two burner electric stove that can plug in outside. It doesn't seem to boil water, but works great to pan cook items.

When we first started out I didn't bring enough silverware. We use paper plates a lot, but the price adds up, so we try to use regular plates, too.

I would love more counter space, so I bought a small folding table and put it under the tv. I also have a tv tray for an extra place to sit and eat if we are watching a movie.

I brought my Bosch mixer, but have not used it as much as I would like. I will not take it out though. It is too wonderful.

I'm sure I am forgetting some things. I will add more as I remember. Let me know if you have any questions!

Bread alternative

2011-07-25T22:36:00.000-06:00

I used to make home made bread in our home. I still have not been able to find the time to make it in our camper, but I have found a great little bread stick that goes wonderfully with any food.

Shae eats it with breakfast eggs, tuna or salmon at lunch, or with dinner.

It doesn't have to be in the fridge and they last a long time.

Try them!

It works great in the camper.

This is just one brand. There are delicious ones at Safe Way, too.

Making Stir-Fry from Your Leftovers

2011-07-16T13:00:00.000-06:00

If we have left overs from previous meals we usually eat that for lunch. This usually provides us with alot of odd-mix-match dishes.
This is when we usually get creative.
Today we had some cabbage left over from dinner two nights ago, but not enough for everyone to have.
A few days ago I had cooked and froze a brown and basmati rice mix. We like to cook mass amounts of food and then freeze them for ease later on.
I broke off a chunk of the rice and mixed it with the cabbage in a pot with a little bit of oil to make stir-fry.
For meat I just opened a can of chicken and broke up some pieces into it.
I put some stir-fry sauce into it, but that wasn't enough for seasoning. I put some salt and sesame seed oil in afterwards and that made it alot better.
It's also fun to add different veggies you might have on hand from previous meals to the stir-fry. I didn't have anything besides the cabbage today, but it was still good.

Gabriel's recipe

2011-06-29T21:49:00.000-06:00

Getting children in the kitchen is a lot of fun but also takes a lot of bravery on the mom's part.

Give a child a bowl, spoon, and some ingredients and there is no telling what you may end up with.

This day, Gabriel decided that instead of cutting his apple and dipping it in peanut butter, he would spread the peanut butter all over the outside and take bites out of it.

He thought it would also be a great idea to give one to his two year old brother.

Messy is an understatement. But, the boys had fun!

Summer heat keeps us cooking outside

2011-06-29T21:24:00.000-06:00

Campers are not like houses; there is no cross breeze from large windows, heat seems to be trapped inside the tight quarters, and ovens can warm it up to a point that the air conditioner cannot cool it back down from until evening.

With 100 degree weather coming this week, our cooking plans change.

Pancakes cooked outside on an electric grill, crock pots cooking on a table outside, nothing baked or broiled.

Creativity comes into play so our meals will be healthy and enjoyable.

Breakfast might look like pancakes on a skillet outside or cooked early in the morning inside with the oven fan on. Maybe we will have cereal with fresh fruit plates or bagels in the toaster.

Lunch is sandwiches and veggies.

Dinner is soups, potato dishes - anything that can slow cook outside.

Even this type of cooking will have to change as we head into bear country. I don't want to lure every black bear within 100 miles by the smell of my bacon and eggs in the morning. So, once we are in the mountains and cooler air - the cooking will continue inside.

Big Breakfast

2010-10-14T23:09:00.000-06:00

I usually make a big breakfast. Now, not every day, but most. This morning I had no eggs, milk, or bread.

So now what?

I found some old hashbrowns in the freezer, a pound of sausage in the fridge, and some grits in the pantry. I like to make eggs with my grits and sausage, but that wasn't going to happen this morning.

The other day, I used tator tots instead of hashbrowns. They tasted great, but I really had to watch the serving sizes my family had. My husband usually has a huge plate full of tator tots, when I make them at a dinner meal. I restricted them all to four tots.

We have all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It gives us the energy to get through the rest. Protein is important, and this breakfast was lacking in that a little. I popped a spoon full of peanut butter in the little mouths around the table. Of course, my grandmother told me a story of a child that died from choking on peanut butter. So, I always make sure they take tiny licks, not big bites that can stick in their mouths.

Still no bread machine, I am going to start looking on line. I think it will be great!

An attempt to make bread from scratch, in a camper!

2010-10-08T22:28:00.000-06:00

I am excited to get back to making homemade bread. When we owned a house, I used to grind my own grain and make six loaves at a time. I used all different grains in no set proportion. If I had leftover oatmeal or mashed potatoes, they would go in. Sweetener changed depending on what I had on hand; molasses, cane sugar, stevia, honey, turbinado sugar, etc. I always added some egg for protein. There were times that pinto beans or black beans were thrown in the mixer.

Of course, I do follow recipes, sometimes. There are basic ones that help give a foundation for my creativity.

I am concerned about the size of my oven. I'm not even sure if I can get a raised loaf of bread in there! I was thinking about picking up a bread machine. Then I could make the bread before bed, set the timer, and maybe have hot bread in the morning. I'm not sure if I could use fresh eggs or milk in it if I do it that way. The other benefit to a bread machine is that it runs off of electricity and saves us money on propane. I could still use the oven if we are camping in the national forest or somewhere with no hook ups.

I plan to look on line and see if I can fin a good one, that makes a horizontal loaf.
I also have the problem of storage. I used to keep the cooked bread in the refrigerator. Homemade bread goes bad much quicker than store bought since it doesn't have all of the preservatives. I used to put three loaves in the fridge and three in the freezer. Now, in the camper, I don't have room for even one loaf in either! That is where the bread machine may be the answer. One loaf every other day. That should be enough.

I just don't like the idea of grinding grain that often. I believe fresh ground grain can last a week or so if chilled. I just don't have the room in the fridge or freezer for it. I may grind grain every other time I cook. If need be, I can use some store bought flours. Maybe I can find a place to keep the grinder handy instead in the back of the most inconvenient cupboard.

I'll try next week. Hopefully I can find some really yummy no yeast recipes and that might help me with some of my bread making problems.....

Easy Chicken Pot Pie that was delicious!

2010-09-22T23:43:00.000-06:00

Crock pot cooking is great in a camper.
I didn't have time to get fancy today. Although, I did start off with incredible sausage omelettes and homemade pancakes, which I will share those recipes another time.

About 1pm, I put in a bag of thawed chicken breast tenderloins, that I bought frozen from Walmart, in the crock pot. I didn't have time to pre-cook them. I just threw them in raw.

I added two big cans of Cream of Chicken soup.

I warmed up a bag of frozen mixed veggies on the stove, in a pot with a small amount of water in the bottom. I didn't want to put anything frozen in the crock pot. I was afraid it might take too long to cook, then.

I didn't have time to season it then, and honestly, I never did have the time to season it.

I stirred it several times over the next 5 hours. The chicken cooked nicely. When I dished up the little ones, I cut the chicken in the bowl.

Refrigerator rolls were bought at Walmart, and could have been cooked in the oven according to directions, and then placed on top of the crock pot food before serving. I decided to cook them seperate and serve them seperate. Not all my kids like soggy buns!

Of course, Shae put tons of seasonings on his. I just added a dash of salt to mine.

Easy, some what healthy healthy, and nummy.

Quiche

2010-09-02T22:42:00.000-06:00

I love quiche. I make it for breakfast and dinner. Breakfast quiche doesn't have spinach or broccoli, dinner does.

The other day, I made a sausage quiche, with tater tots! It was crazy delicious. We had people visiting and the wife had three servings and then ate her kids left overs!

I put a layer of tots in the bottom of a roasting pan. Put them in the oven on what ever the bag says, for about 10 minutes. While they cooked...

I took a dozen eggs and mixed em' in a bowl with a wisk.

I added

a little milk
salt
pepper
garlic salt

When the tots were done, I poured the egg mixture over the tots. I was a little nervous. I had no recipe and wasn't sure it would taste good. We had company, so this was a little risky.

Once the eggs were poured over the tots, I put shredded cheese on the eggs, and kind of poaked it into the eggs. Any kind of cheese would taste good, just don't get too wild on the flavor! A few different kinds would be even better. Sometimes I add a little parmesan, or two kinds of shredded. What ever I have on hand is what I use.

Put a little left over sausage from the day before.......

I covered it with aluminum foil. It cooked, well, til' it was done. I usually check it after twenty minutes and then every five until it is done in the middle.

Once it was to that point, I took the aluminum foil off and put cheese over the top. I closed the oven door, turned it off and let the cheese melt.

Wow! It was great. I will definately do it again.

I could have used ham or bacon for the meat in it. Or, just skip the meat, just eggs and milk over tots would be great, too!

Served with toast is nice, maybe some cold OJ and coffee.

Breakfast in the Camper

2010-09-01T22:15:00.000-06:00

Breakfast gets to be crazy. Well, actually every meal is in a camper with eight people! For this post, I want to talk about breakfast, though.

Life changes so much, depending where we are camping, if we are doing volunteer work, and how busy Shae is with his engineering. Our breakfast schedule changes along with it.

Sometimes we all sit down to a nice bowl of grits, eggs, sausage on the side, and coffee. I cook the grits slow with a bit of butter and the sliced cheese in the plastic wrap you buy at the store. I bring the water to a boil, then add the grits. It cooks slow, that way the grits still have a little crunch to them. As they cook I add the cheese and butter. Lots of pepper makes it taste better and a little bit of salt. I have even tried a little garlic in it, but I don't usually add it.

The eggs are well done. I don't like them runny. My Aunt Sandy says that finely chopped scrambled eggs are just wrong! She makes them light and fluffy. She puts the eggs and milk in a bowl and stirs them up with a wisk. Then, she lets them cook for a long time. She waits until the eggs are done half way through before she even turns them. At that point, we have to flip them oh so carefully. She makes the most beautiful scrambled eggs...

But we make ours a little different, well, a lot different. We put our eggs right into the pan, usually about a dozen of them, no milk added. I stir and chop the heck out of them. Shae's mom cooks them until they are almost totally done. They are still a little runny, wet. They are delicious, I just like mine cooked that little bit longer, so I know any germs are killed. We add cheese while they are still cooking, and sometimes I add a bunch when they are done. I put a lid over them and let em' sit for a minute with the burner off.

If I have left over tacos, I'll put some of the hamburger, tomatoes, onion, and salsa in it. I fry those for a minute and then add the eggs. Yummy Yummy Yummy

If I have left over fried tortilla shells, sometimes I'll put the egg mixture in the tortillas. Shae always adds hot hot salsa to it.

I usually cook the sausage seperate. I chop it up pretty small, but not tiny. When we dish up our plates, I put grits in a pile, eggs in a pile, and sausage in a pile. It gets mixed up as I eat, and boy is it good that way!

Some mornings we have cereal, but not very often. I buy granola that we add yogurt or milk to.

My younger ones don't like granola, so I make pancakes for them almost every morning. I make a homemade mix once a week and pour it out every day from a bottle of it in the fridge.

I have tried about 10 different pancake recipes, but I have found none that compare with mine. I don't mean to brag! I will share it in another post. I'm in bed and I would have to go dig it out.

Of course, Shae's favorite is waffles. I'll give you that recipe, too, later.

I cook potatoes, some. If I have some on hand I might cube them. I fry them in a little bit of butter. At the end I add cheese to the top, sometimes. If I think about it. Shredded cheese.

We don't have a dishwasher, and almost no counter space, so I am always washing dishes while I cook, trying to use the same dish for a couple different things.

Water, milk, coffee are the drinks we usually have on hand. Every now and then we have juice. I just don't have room in the fridge for it, though.

We eat breakfast together most mornings. If Shae is busy with work, he comes when he can. It usually depends on what I cooked how fast he comes!

If Cody is doing volunteer work, he makes his own breakfast before he heads out. It is usually pretty pitiful. He gets frustrated when he comes home at noon and finds out he missed a great breakfast.

More left over tacos/burritos!

2010-08-03T22:38:00.000-06:00

Once again, I took our left overs and made the most delicious taco/burritos.

I had some fried hamburger left over.

Left over refried beans.

I mixed them together and put shredded cheese in with it. Any kind of cheese will work.

I stirred that in a frying pan, getting it warm.

I took out some left over tortillas that had been fried quickly in olive oil. I only had a few left, so I used unfried tortillas for the rest.

I put in some of the meat/bean/cheese mix in the middle of the tortilla. I folded the tortilla over and put them
in rows in a baking pan.

I covered it with tons of shredded cheese and threw it in the oven on 350 for about 25 minutes.

Wow, it was delicious!

Out of my Little Kitchen and Into The Lodge!

2010-07-27T18:11:00.000-06:00

This morning I had the pleasure of cooking in a huge, industrial kitchen. We are doing some volunteer work at a camp in the Ozarks of Missouri. The hosts are being so kind and letting us use the lodge and best of all, the kitchen!

I cooked grits, eggs, and sausage on a six burner stove this morning! It was glorious!

All stainless steel counters....

Huge refridgerators.....

Extra large sinks......

Cabinets with room to spare......

And best of all.....a dish washer!

Disaster With My Taco Hamburgers

2010-07-23T00:56:00.000-06:00

Most of us do not like to talk about our failures in any area of our life. I am not afraid to do just that. In fact, I believe it is during our failures that our true character shines through, and this can include in the kitchen.

And it did just that tonight.

We couldn't find spaghetti sauce to make sketti with. I had half a thing of hamburger left and decided to make hamburgers with it. We would have cukes and maters from the garden to go with it. Hanna, my 15 yr old, began the task of making the hamburger patties. As I watched her an idea came in my creative little brain.....

HOW ABOUT TACO BURGERS?

I had her finish up some plain, thin hamburgers. I make the kids burgers thin so they will cook fast and there will be no pink in the middle. I took the burgers that hadn't been cooked and threw them in a bowl. I went to the fridge and found

left over refried beans,
left over cut maters,
left over cut onions,
left over cut lime,
and some salsa.

I threw them all together and squeezed the lime on top. I wasn't sure how much of the refried beans to put in, so I just took a spoon and slapped some on top of the meat. We added a bunch of shredded cheese and seasonings. Hanna stirred it all together. It looked delicious.

We got the kids burgers out of the pan and I threw in the taco burgers. I poured more salsa over the top of them so they would cook in it. I could hardly wait to sink my teeth into them.

I turned on a frying pan with left over olive oil in it. I used it last night to fry tortillas in. Tonight I would do the same, but use the tortillas as buns for our taco burger.

I noticed that the burger didn't seem too firm. As I tried to flip one, it fell apart. I think I may have put too many refried beans in. Aargggghhhh. (I don't swear.)

So, plan B.

Wait, there is no plan B!

I decided to mix all of the burgers together into a meat mixture. I put it on one half of the tortilla topped with a slice of tomato, a slice of onion, ranch dressing, and a few dallops of left over avocado. I put more fried tortillas, shredded cheese, and salsa on the table.

I didn't have many chips left, so only a couple of the kids got that.

We had a gentleman over for dinner. I told him I was making taco burgers and then came out of the kitchen with absolutely delicious tacos. He was surprised, but in a good way!

It was an accident, I was disappointed when my burgers fell apart, but you know, it turned out great.

Just be CREATIVE, and you never know what you might cook!