So It Goes

It's been a wacky week here and I want to update you about lots of things: First, Devie the hound in trouble is doing very well after surgery yesterday to remove her left eye.  We are keeping her heavily dosed with pain medicine to let the eye heal and will taper that off in the next few days.  Stitches will be removed in about a week and then we'll have a counter-surfing, baying pirate dog!

We are still planning on having a Cider Pressing Party tomorrow from 2 - 4 pm.  It will be COLD and the press will be outside, so please dress warmly if you are stopping by.  We'll also have some apple bread and apple slices to enjoy around the woodstove to warm up.

Cathy Krist from Carousel Watergardens Farm let me know that they are offering a Thanksgiving Dinner CSA with six free range antibiotic free turkeys left.  Visit their site for more details on the Thanksgiving CSA or their winter vegetable, egg, and meat CSAs.

In bloggy news, I am thrilled that the CEO of the Columbus Metro Library, Pat Losinsky, mentioned my 'vote for CML' post in his last newsletter to supporters.  If you are here because of his link, welcome!

I think I'm participating in NaBloPoMo, the challenge to write a post each day in the month of November.  So far, I've written every day and I have lots of topics in the queue, so expect a little more frequency here for awhile.

I am not participating in NaNoWriMo, the national novel writing month, but I am hard at work on an manuscript about eating and cooking with children.  I have some anecdotes from participants in my classes but I want a more scientific understanding of children's eating habits.  I am working up a survey that I hope those of you with children will complete when the time comes.

Next week is Dine Originals Restaurant week.  Participating restaurants include most of the best independent restaurants in the city.  Each offers at least one menu that costs $10, $20, or $30, viewable online through the above link.  There are some fantastic deals among the offerings.  Unlike some restaurant weeks where the chef is just looking to get guests in the door, my impression is that the Dine Originals chefs are truly showing off their very best.  Take advantage!

Just before picking Dev up from the vet yesterday, Lil and I said goodbye to my college cat Kilgore.  I found him abandoned in front of the Ohio State University football stadium and took care of him during his first six months.  My parents adopted him ten years ago when I married cat-allergic Alex.  Kilgore was a feisty tom cat, frequently roaming the neighborhood and returning with wounds.  He purred loudly, showed displeasure with his claws, and whined to be let out as if a dog.  His behavior became more mild in the last few months as cancer took hold.  Rest in Peace, my furry friend.

Now, if I could ask something of you: Next weekend, my parents and Alex's parents are giving us a weekend away at a bed and breakfast in Versailles Kentucky near bourbon distilleries.  My parents are watching Lil for the weekend and I am so very eager for some relaxation.  I have two bourbon tours on the itinerary but am struggling a little bit deciding which restaurants to enjoy.  If you have any suggestions in the Versailles/Lawrenceburg/Frankfort/Lexington area, comment please.

Be well,

Rachel

P.S. Kurt Vonnegut is one of my favorite authors, hence the title and Kilgore's name.  I recommend you start with Breakfast of Champions if you have never read a Vonnegut story.  Your library undoubtedly has a copy.

Campfire Potato Packets

I mentioned in the Labor Day camping post that our campout menus are generally very simple.  There's grilled meat, cold veggie salad, fresh fruit, and always potato packets.

The 'packet' method of cooking is a standby because it can use a variety of ingredients, virtually any method of cooking, and cleanup is easy.  You can cook fish in parchment paper packets, meat and veggies in aluminum foil for packet stew, and many more combinations of ingredients.

After years of refining our method, here's how my family makes campfire potato packets:

Slice russet and/or sweet potatoes into 1/4 -1/8 inch rounds.  Try to get them as thin and uniform as possible.  If you are doing this at home, you could use a mandolin.

Cut onion into thin rounds too and chop a mess of fresh garlic.

Lay out a two foot length of aluminum foil.  Dot it with butter or olive oil.  Stack potatoes, onions, and garlic alternately.  Sprinkle seasoned salt and pepper between the layers and on top.  Dot with butter on several times and on top.

When the vegetables are three to four inches high, it's time to wrap up the packets.  Fold the long sides towards each other, crimping ends tightly.  Flip the packet onto another piece of foil and crimp again.  Depending on how stuffed the packets are and whether the foil is heavy duty, we often add a third layer of foil.

Place the packets on a wood fire.  Ideally, the packets will get low even heat for 40 - 50 minutes.  If there is room on the grill top, place them there, turning every 15 minutes.

Sometimes the packets need to be placed into the fire ring so the grill is free for other things.  Keep them away from the hottest part of the fire and turn every 10 minutes.

You can generally tell when the potatoes are fully cooked by gently squeezing the packets.  You should feel no resistant uncooked rounds.

Open the packets gingerly because they are hot and steamy inside.  Dump the potatoes into your serving container, in this case the cookset's largest pot.

Don't forget to enjoy the cook's treasure - the crispiest bits stuck to the foil.  Yum!

Campfire Potato Packets

makes one packet to serve four

1 - 2 pounds (about 4 - 5 large) potatoes, sliced into thin rounds

1/2 onion, sliced into thin rounds

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons seasoned salt (Lawrey's or Old Bay are our favorites)

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

6 - 8 feet aluminum foil

1. Spread a 2-3 foot length of aluminum foil on work surface.

2. Dot foil with 1/2 tablespoon butter or olive oil.

3. Layer half of potatoes, onions, and garlic onto foil.

4. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon seasoned salt.

5. Dot with 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil.

6. Layer the rest of potatoes, onions, garlic, and seasonings.

7. Finish with the rest of the butter or olive oil.

8. Wrap the foil, crimping on all sides.  Flip onto additional foil and crimp on all sides again.  Repeat a third time if you wish.

What is your favorite camping recipe?

Perch, Peach, Pierogi & Polka Festival

When I heard about the Perch Peach Pierogi & Polka Festival in Port Clinton Ohio, I had to go. Sometimes I am drawn to things for unexplainable reasons, although alliteration always appeals. My family was already planning to be in the area for our annual Labor Day campout.  We often take at least one day trip away from East Harbor State Park and this year the festival became our outing.

On Saturday September 4, my mom and I battled 15 - 25 mph headwinds to bike our way there, a little over 8 miles.  The rest of the troops arrived by car.

The festival was just getting started when we arrived so we took the opportunity to order food in short lines after paying $3 per adult admission.  The menu was limited to nearly exactly what was advertised: perch dinner or sandwich, pierogis, peach cobbler, a few beverages, and, strangely, pizza.  Patrons bought tokens for each food item and then delivered tokens to the cafeteria style service tables.

The pierogis were delicious, if only of the standard potato and onion variety.  Very uniform in appearance, they were either frozen from a big manufacturer or possibly fresh from a smaller place. I found myself wanting for pepper to cut the heavy butter sauce.

The perch was fresh caught Lake Erie Yellow Perch, perfectly deep fried.  The accompanying fries were fresh too.  The complimentary side of coleslaw was over sweetened but edible.

We debated the homemade-ness of the peach cobbler.  The peaches were undoubtedly fresh and probably from a local grower.  The pie crust tasted less homemade, but thick and buttery to be sure.  The dessert large enough to share was topped with your choice of vanilla or peach Tofts ice cream, a creamery local to Sandusky Ohio.

I would never consider myself a judge of polka music, but the band playing when we were there was well synched, in tune, and fun to listen to.  Surprisingly the polka was the most enjoyable part of the festival for me; there were some serious and perhaps competitive dancers who were a joy to watch.

Will I hit up the 'quad P' fest next year? Most likely not. It was an entertaining afternoon but no part was so outstanding or exciting that I feel a need to return soon. However, if you happen to be near Port Clinton on the first weekend in September, it is worth a stop at least once.

Berryhill U-Pick Farm in Xenia Ohio

Our frozen blueberry stash was not replenished this July as in years past.  To remedy this situation I have been hunting for an opportunity and location to pick berries.

The timing worked out this past weekend when we were visiting family in the near-Dayton area.  Searching through PickYourOwn.org revealed Berryhill Farm south of Xenia Ohio.  We made plans to stop there before lunch at The Winds in Yellow Springs and dinner with relatives.

Picking at a new farm is always a bit of a risk.  Will the fruit be tasty and low chemical?  People friendly?  Prices reasonable?

Berryhill delightfully exceeded expectations.  Blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries were all abundant, ripe, and extraordinarily tasty.  Signs labeled the bushes pesticide free, which I have to believe based on the diversity of plant and insect life in the field.

The fields were very well maintained with wide rows for easy picking.  Blackberries and raspberries were trellised up off the ground.  There were only two other parties picking last Saturday morning.  Even with many families the spacious farm would not seem crowded.

The Elliot blueberry variety planted at Berryhill is relatively small in form, yet easy enough to pick with a little stooping.  It actually is the perfect variety to tag-team as a parent-child group where the child sits on the ground below picking the low fruit and an adult can stand over gathering berries from above.

In less than an hour's time we picked eight pounds of blueberries and three pints of raspberries for a total of around $20.  Cash and checks are accepted.  Pre-picked berries and a small variety of other fruits are also available as are raw honey and ice cold water.

Berryhill has abundant parking and a friendly staff.  They are lacking public restrooms.  If you are traveling a distance in the heat of summer it's a good idea to bring a cooler with ice to keep your berries fresh on the way home.  From our home in Clintonville, we arrived at Berryhill in just under and hour.  They are just 20 minutes from Dayton or Yellow Springs.

Raspberries and blackberries should be in season for another three weeks or more.  Blueberries are likely to only last through the next week.

Lillian, our almost five year old, summarized the trip well: "The blueberries are very yummy there."

This post was added to Two for Tuesdays.

Camp Food Success: Chocolate Pudding

Imagine that you just canoed for two days, sleeping the night on cold rocky ground.  The lake you paddled across is shimmering and surrounded by great green pines.  Your body aches.  Hunger nags constantly, your tongue having touched nothing colder than room temperature for days.

Then, chef for the evening canoes out to the middle of the lake and pulls out a black plastic trash bag.

Inside, there are two bags of instant chocolate pudding double bagged in gallon ziplocs.

The brown goo, created with filtered lake water and cooled at depth, is served.  First it is spooned into dishes, revealing the lumpy texture of no-whisk-to-be-found mixing.

Later, the server does what needs to be done: he cuts off the corner and squeezes out the last of the pud'.

Inevitable jokes about the dessert's resemblance to excrement begin.  Hilarity continues after campers wipe their bowls with tissue to pre-clean them.

Overall, the camping crowd is surprised: a whim of a dessert, cheap and easy, was not only tasty, but a source of amusement.  Back Country Chocolate Pudding is a delightful success, sure to be repeated on future trips.

Our Canada 2010 trip was exhausting and challenging but the food was great.  This is the first of a few posts detailing what and how we ate.

PS.  The above 'sink in lake' procedure could work for any flavor of pudding including butterscotch, vanilla, or pistachio.  The entertainment value, a.k.a. poop jokes, will be lost if chocolate is not used.

Guest Post: Go Geocaching with Your Kids!

As the Hounds in the Kitchen are cooking over a campstove in Canada right now, we've invited some of our favorite bloggers to come fill the space here.  Today's guest post is from Kristin Marks, the awesome CbusMom.

“We found it!” Cheers and excitement filled the air as we held our first box full of hidden treasure. It was a small gray box placed inside a tree log and inside the box were small gifts left behind by someone named namaste98. My children, a good friend, and I traipsed through Whetstone Park of Roses for almost three hours on our “Family Stroll in the Park” mission in search of this gray box. We were hot, sweaty, and tired, but determined to find that box to complete our very first Geocaching adventure.

Geocaching is basically high-tech scavenger hunting. Seekers use their GPS device (be sure it offers longitude and latitude) to locate a “geocache” which could be a box, bag, tube, or whatever the hider uses that is weather resistant. The website offers all the information you will need to go hunting: www.geocaching.com.

My experience was a really great one for the first time. I went online to sign up for a free membership and began searching for a geocache in my area. Turns out there are tons of geocaches hidden around Central Ohio and people have been doing this for years! I phoned my friend and asked her to come with me because I was a little apprehensive doing it alone with two kids. We chose the mission I mentioned above “Family Stroll in the Park,” mainly because namaste98 stated it was family friendly and had trinkets for children in the box.

We tried using only the google map we printed off the site’s page, but it gave a very loose frame of location for the geocache. So, I downloaded a free app for my Droid that told us where we were in regards to longitude and latitude because the basic GPS on my phone did not. Once we understood how to read where we were in regards to degrees North and West, we were on our mission.

The search lead us into the woods, we crossed over streams, patted nice dogs…and kept retracing our steps. The satellite signal to my phone kept bouncing off the trees and giving us incorrect longitude and latitude numbers; but, we reached the correct area, incredibly determined to find that geocache. Now, these geocaches aren’t always found. Sometimes you can search and search and not find it – and that is okay. It is the adventure of trying to find it that is fun.

After we knew we were in the correct area and not finding the hidden geocache, I was almost ready to call it quits. My friend asked “are you sure you checked every hollow log?” So I pouted a little and checked again. Wouldn’t ya know it?! I found it! Hidden by a broken branch in a hollow log was the little gray box we had spent hours trying to find. We opened it up and gazed at the little treasures inside. My daughter chose a piggy and my son chose a car; and if you take something you need to leave something, so we left a pirate figurine and some beads. We all felt accomplished and my kids got rewarded for their scavenger hunting abilities. When I got home I went to geocaching.com and logged my experience. The hiders sent me a congratulations email for finding their geocache. I’ll definitely do it again, and try not to pout next time.

Read Kristin's website, CbusMom for more fun family friendly ideas.

Meal Plan: 19 People 6 Days in Backcountry Canada

We are traveling in Canada right now.  I scheduled this blog post and have several scheduled guest bloggers for the time we're away.  Enjoy! As is often the case when planning an event, the people who care the most about a particular element are the ones who invest in planning that element.  In the case of our Canada trip, I care about food and therefore helped with menu planning, shopping, and packaging of foodstuffs.

The challenge is to feed nineteen people ages four - 63 for six days.  There is no refrigeration available and dry ice will likely only last two days.  All food must be carried over several long portages, therefore weight should be minimized. Food also has to be hung in bear trees overnight, no small feat, so we aimed for reduced bulk.  Fuel and stoves are at a premium, so low cooking items are preferred.

The Menu

Saturday: arriving in South River from a day of driving, camp at outfitters

Dinner at outfitters - brats, beans, green salad, and potato chips

Sunday: paddle all day, camp on North Tea lake

Breakfast - choice of oatmeal, cereal, or granola

Lunch - cold cut sandwiches, side (choose among pretzels, goldfish crackers, animal crackers, dried fruit, granola bars)

Dinner - chicken veggie stew OR penne and meatballs

Monday: paddle all day, camp on Biggar Lake

Breakfast - choice of oatmeal, cereal, or granola

Lunch -tuna salad or salmon with crackers and side (choices above)

Dinner - meat on a stick + veggie soup with dumplings OR bean and cheese burritos

Tuesday: Chill on Biggar

Breakfast - pancakes and bacon

Lunch - quesadillas/refried bean and cheese wraps and side (choices above)

Dinner - meatless chili OR cheese tortellini

Wednesday: Chill on Biggar

Breakfast - choice of oatmeal, cereal, or granola

Lunch - hummus, tabouli, pita chips and side (choices above)

Dinner - Soba noodles with peas, tuna, and peanuts

Thursday: Paddle all day, camp on North Tea

Breakfast - choice of oatmeal, cereal, or granola

Lunch -peanut butter and jelly english muffins and side (choices above)

Dinner - quinoa and madras lentils OR rice and beans

Friday: Paddle to outfitters

Breakfast - choice of oatmeal, cereal, or granola

Lunch - leftovers or couscous and veggies

Dinner - first restaurant we can find, hopefully one with poutine, that wonderful Canadian creation of french fries, gravy, and cheese curds

The Package and Poundage

Each dinner is packaged in a ziploc bag with written instructions so that any canoer can prepare the meal.  Breakfasts and lunches are serve yourself, also packaged in water tight containers.

Meal bags and containers are packed according to campsite, as the group is split into two sites and will have two cooking areas.   There are five group food bags, each weighing approximately thirty pounds.

Each person is also bringing one to three pounds of personal snacks and food items.  My snack bag contains Jerquee meatless jerky, home dried Charlie's apples, chocolate, and nuts.  The plan is that each of these snack bags will be combined into a larger stuff sack for nighttime tree hanging.

The Price

The food budget was set at $30 per person, or $570 total.  As all receipts haven't been entered, the actual spent total isn't calculated yet, but I approximate it to will be more along the lines of $650.

The toll to our personal health has yet to be determined.  There aren't a lot of vegetables on that menu, nor rich proteins.   It's a diet we all can survive on for a week, for sure, but I'm sure we will all miss fresh foods by the end.  Undoubtedly I will report back how the back country meal plans worked out.

Day    Meal    Ingredients    Amount Sun 7/11    cold cut sandwiches    bread    2 loaves brownberry meat    5 pounds cheese    4 pounds, sliced condiments    1 jar mustard

Mon 7/12    tuna salad    tuna    8 packs crackers    6 boxes melba dried salmon    4 packs relish, mayo    1 small jar

Tues 7/13    quesadillas    tortillas    4 packs of 10 cheese    2 2# cheddar beans    6 cups instant refried+ seasonings salsa    remainder of dads

Weds 7/14    hummus and pitas pitas    18 hummus mix    3 cups tabouli    3 cups

Thurs 7/15    pbj muffins    nut butter    2 16 oz containers english muffins    24 whole jelly    1 straw, 1 grape, 1 honey Fri 7/16    couscous mess    couscous    10 cups dried veg mix    2 cups

Sides (1 per day)    pringles    4 cans pretzels    utz tub freeze dried fruit    3 large tubs goldfish    1 big box animal crackers    1 tub oatmeal cookies    1 batch

Goodbye Hounds and Kitchen, Hello Canadian Wilderness!

We're off on our adventure to Canada.  The car is full of food, gear, and toys.  Guest posts are scheduled and ready to keep you entertained for the week. Tune in Sunday for our 19 person paddling meal plan.

We ate our 'last meal' tonight, a frittata of backyard chicken eggs with homegrown tomatoes, green beans, garlic, shallots, and herbs.  On the side were our very first new potatoes of the year.  (They really shouldn't be harvested yet but I was watering the other garden the other day and couldn't resist seeing how the tubers were progressing.)  I savored every fresh delicious bite, knowing that plenty of fast food and dehydrated meals are in my future.

I was reflecting that this trip will be the first time in years that I will be truly electronic free.  Because of owning the online store and writing this blog, every vacation I've taken since Lil's birth has included at least some phone and Internet communication, i.e. 'work'.  Between Sunday and Friday, no work will be done by me at least.  (Someone, ahem Alex, is bringing several communication devises...)

In the absence of the computer and smartphone, I expect to enjoy:

writing with a pen and paper

wildlife

clouds and stars, uncut by wires and airplanes

fully present family

silence

May you also experience peace this week.  I look forward to sharing pictures and stories upon my return.