Camp Food...

It's not just beans and wieners anymore.

Balsamic Bruschetta Mix

We're leaving for Yellowstone in the morning...and other places. (The TestyFest-- www.testyfesty.com is on the itinerary!) The van is packed with my down comforter and 300 thread count sheets and my sleep mask.

Oven-Baked Extra Thick Bacon

The cooler is filled with chardonnay and camping gourmet delights. I prepared some of the food ahead of time so I don't have to slave over a hot campfire all day.

Hopefully Enough Wine-If It Doesn't Rain.

If I am going to sleep in the Great Outdoors at my age I want my espresso and Baileys, thank you very much.

Blueberry Pecan Waffles

If a bear doesn't eat me there will be more posts.

"I'm smarter than the average bear!" Yogi Bear

Blueberry Pecan Waffles for Campers

Before you leave:

• 1 1/3 cups flour 
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• Blueberries-handful or so
• Chopped pecans- as many as you want.

1.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.
2.  Separate the eggs, adding the yolks to the dry ingredient mixture, and placing the whites in a small mixing bowl.
3.  Beat whites until moderately stiff; set aside.
4.  Add milk and melted butter to dry ingredient mixture and blend.
5.  Fold stiff egg whites into mixture.
6. Add blueberries and pecans
7.  Ladle mixture into hot waffle iron and bake.

When done and cool, place in a Ziploc and freeze. When you are camping take them out of the cooler and place them in a fry pan on the camp stove to warm or if you're really screwed, wrap in foil and place on the fire. Add butter and syrup and pretend you're at the Hyatt.

Working Backwards or Hardly Working?

So I haven't posted in a while which is not to say I have not been cooking. Because I have. Just ask my jeans. But I took on a new work project and I was caught up in the snow-of-the-century and I went to an island and, blah, blah, blah. Excuses.

But I was actually creating like crazy! I baked and I canned and I cooked and I poached and I invented and I borrowed recipes. And then I wrapped and I mailed a bunch of it to family and friends. I filled my Jeep with goodies, drove through a snow storm, jumped on a ferry and I ate and I ate all Thanksgiving weekend.

And now I must stop eating for a few weeks to gear up for the Christmas Holiday. But I won't stop creating. Maybe I'll feed the bears. I don't know, but here's a great recipe for Cashew Brittle that I cooked up last week and mailed to my friends in San Diego and gave to my friend Tracy here in Chelan. Me? I want to keep my teeth, so I only tasted a tiny bit. They said it was great so I believe them You should too!
More recipes from the past few weeks to come later. That way I don't have to eat.

Chelan Cashew Brittle

Ingredients:

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup butter
• 3 cups cashews
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Preparation:

In a large saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil; blend in butter. Begin to stir frequently when syrup reaches the thread stage, about 230°. When temperature is 280°, or soft-crack stage, add cashews. Stir constantly until hard-crack stage, 300°, is reached. Remove from heat and quickly stir in baking soda. Mix well. Pour onto two buttered baking sheets or jelly roll-size baking pans. As the candy cools, stretch it out thinner by lifting and pulling at edges with forks. Loosen from the pans as soon as possible and turn over. Break hardened candy up and store in an airtight container.
Makes about 2 pounds of cashew brittle.