 | Discount Code camping See details below. |
| ChefShop.com | Aisles | Pantries | Recipes |
 Camping in the Northwest has many variations. When I was young, it meant driving north into the White Mountains, hiking in for hours, and then setting up base camp. We would then climb up some peak, like Mount Washington via Huntington Ravine. Then, after scaling the peak, we would find a route to race down so we could fire up our little camp stoves, add water to our NASA freeze dried food, and pretend like it was a gourmet meal. I always wondered why I endured such pain, carrying a 70 pound pack for two or three torturous days, while the rest of the world drove to the top of the mountain, took in the scenery, and then drove back down in bug free comfort to eat a decent meal and, no doubt, a wonderful slice of blueberry pie. Well, as we age we dispel our foolish ways, and make sensible adjustments. This past weekend, we packed up a truckload of comfort, including a new air mattress, and drove four hours to the Olympic Peninsula to our favorite campground near Forks, Washington. (Yes, as in, THE "Forks," for you Twilight fans.) The advance party, including my niece who still goes hiking like I used to, had the campground all set up and was waiting, with a fire for smores and cheese quesadillas for us - just in case we arrived wanting a late night snack before turning in. For the kids, camping is the time that they get to eat "boxed products", like animal crackers, triscuits, wheat thins, and, of course, oreos and fig newtons. All this "processed" food is fun, but for me camping means I get to cook over a wood campfire. So, Saturday night I made five kinds of chicken breasts, along with a veggie dish and yams.   Fennel Pollen ChickenChicken #1 is always one of the favorites: salt (Sea Salt from Trapani), pepper (Peppercorns - Black Tellicherry), and enormous amounts of fennel pollen spread on both skin and bone side. This time I encased the seasoned breast in two layers of foil, a 1/4 stick of butter, and put it on the grate over the fire. The chicken cooks in its own juices and came out perfect! (Works great on the BBQ and in the oven too.)  Salt & Pepper ChickenChicken #2 was almost the same as chicken #1, but without the fennel pollen. Plain and simple for the kids. Red Pepper Chicken Chicken #3 is also a favorite with the kids. Rub chicken breast with olive oil, and place it and a healthy tablespoon of Mustapha's red pepper salt in a ziplock bag and shake. Then, wrap chicken and butter in foil and place on the grate.  Rub with Love Ginger, Pineapple Teriyaki ChickenChicken #4 was made with Tom Douglas Teriyaki marinade... always a winner and super easy. This was cooked directly on the grate as well and it got a wonderful char on the outside. No butter though.  Maple Syrup & Cocoa Nib ChickenChicken #5 was by far my favorite... I rubbed the chicken with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, then poured a healthy dousing of maple syrup and a shaking of cocoa nibs, and butter. All then wrapped up in foil - and put on the grate to steam in its own sweetened glory of juices.  The yams were wrapped in foil and thrown directly into the fire .... Make sure you double wrap them - or there won't be much left to eat. Veggies were a simple dish of chopped bell peppers, Walla Walla onions, and zucchini, all cooked in a stick of butter and olive oil in a skillet over the fire. A splash of Zinfandel Vinegar to finish makes all the difference. Last was mushrooms sautéed over the fire with a stick of butter and olive oil - and salt to taste.
Breakfast at the campground is always a favorite of mine: Dairy-free pancakes with blueberries and organic Vermont-made maple syrup, veggie omelets (that were more like "scrambles") and some of Rick's amazing artisan-smoked bacon - both plain applewood-smoked and pepper bacon - yum! Always wonderful, but especially so when cooked over the campfire. We have never offered Rick's bacon before - although we have had many requests to do so.  Many an ex-Seattleite have called looking for both his breakfast sausages and smoked bacon. So, now, finally, we are doing just that - selling Rick's wonderful, sliced bacon. Now, there are a lot of great bacons out there and we have spent many cycles trying and tasting them in an effort to determine which one is the very best. In the end, we decided that there is no one best bacon - there are, in fact, many great bacons out there. But, Rick's is certainly near the very top of the list.
Like Rick's smoked ham and smoked turkey, he starts with the best pork he can find, not too much fat, and not too much meat - a great balance. Then he smokes it just right - enough that you can taste the smoke, but not so much that is overwhelms your taste buds. Consistent and perfect, every time. Oh... one last thing. As we were striking camp and getting ready to leave, we tried a new twist to the classic smore -- by adding peanut butter. What a killer treat! And a great way to top off a great camping trip and get us ready for the long drive home. We had a great time. To see a few snaps of the amazing rain forests and beaches that we visited click here. |
Special Offer  Get an annual subscription to Food and Wine MagazinePlace any order of $69 or more at ChefShop.com in the month of July and you'll automatically receive a one-year subscription (12 issues) of Food and Wine Magazine from American Express Publishing. One subscription per household. Read the fine print. |
|
See What You Missed In Previous Newsletters
| |||||
|
HEALTH HEAT HEART! MEGAN'S ALL-TIME FAVORITE HONEY TRADITION MADE IN BARRELS 100 YEARS OLD |
Special Offer  For each order (for any amount) you place during the month of July, 2009 your name will be put into the hat to win a super delicious, extravagantly luxurious, hoopee-doopee-whooping box of mouth watering ingredients for health, wealth and good being from ChefShop.com (Total value to be determined — but worth a minimum of $250.)No fillers or big packaging with lots of air here. Just wholesome, yummy (and I never use this word lightly!) for your tummy foods and ingredients. All of the products we sell here are the best of the very best - and we are pretty sure once you try 'em you'll be hooked on them for life! Read the fine print. |
|
Newsletter Subscriber Discount Code
| |||||
Take 5 Percent Off! Enter this code in the "coupon code" box on the Shopping Box page, just below the "Checkout" button. Our thanks for subscribing! (Valid through Tuesday, July 28. Discount not valid on fresh/perishable items or already discounted products.)  |
|
Forward to a Friend
| |||||
|
Do you know someone who would enjoy this newsletter? Forward it to a friend by clicking here. |
| www.chefshop.com - toll free: 800.596.0885 |
|
You've received this email because you have purchased from us or subscribed. We respect your privacy online, and will never share your email address. To unsubscribe just send a request to info@chefshop.com with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line. Hard copy requests may be sent by mail to: ChefShop.com, 1415 Elliott Avenue West, Seattle, WA 98119. To view our privacy policy, please click here. |