Thai Lunch at Mount Tallac

We had record amounts of snow last year. This year, not so much. The lack of snow has kept B and I from getting out to the mountains as much as we would like. It has also slowed down my motivation to design new camp meals. But with the renewed goal with S to finish our cookbook in 2012, and a 7 day backpacking trip to King's Canyon this summer, I have finally found the incentive (and excitement) to get back in the camping kitchen.

Our trip out to Mount Tallac on this gorgeous sunny day was a lazy snowshoe trip. Both B and I were recovering from a week-long flu. Even though we didn't climb to the summit, we got some much needed fresh air, vitamin D, and a new recipe to add to the upcoming cookbook.

This recipe is traditionally served at breakfast in Thailand, and S says she had it every morning with a mango smoothie when she visited. I think this would work nicely as a backpacking breakfast as well, especially on chilly mornings. You can even serve it with a few pieces of dried mango for a Thai-like breakfast.

Khao Tom Moo (Rice Soup with Pork) - Serves 2

1 bunch celery - dehydrated
2 Tbsp Magi seasoning
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp galangal powder
8 oz ground pork, cooked
1/2 cup instant white rice
1 clove garlic - minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp cilantro - dehydrated
1 package instant chicken broth or concentrate
White pepper to taste




At home:
Mix the cooked ground pork with 1 Tbsp of Magi Seasoning and 1 Tbsp of fish sauce. Dehydrate according to your dehydrator's directions. Here are some tips for food dehydration.
Divide dehydrated pork, celery, and rice into two Ziploc bags.
Add 1/8 tsp white pepper and 1/4 tsp galangal powder to each bag
Seal bags and write 2 cups water on each bag

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook until brown. Let cool. When cool, put garlic and olive oil in a separate Ziploc bag.

Add dehydrated cilantro to a third Ziploc bag.



On the trail:
Put 2 cups of water in a JetBoil or pan.
Heat to almost boiling and add instant broth and 1 package of pork/rice soup mix.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
Turn off heat and let sit for ten minutes.
Empty garlic and oil in to cup or insulated camp bowl. Make your own camp bowl
Pour soup over garlic and stir.
Sprinkle dehydrated cilantro on top.
Sprinkle with white pepper to taste.
Enjoy!

*If you plan on eating this meal on your first or second day out, try bringing fresh cilantro and garlic and prepare on the trail.

Off to a Good Start: Bacon & Cheese Grits

I came up with this recipe for our honeymoon trip through the wilderness in Olympic National Park. It was the beginning of August, but spring was just beginning to bloom. We hiked the High Divide trail for five days. Cold nights, lots of bugs, and a little bit of rain. All the flowers bloomed in the five days we were there. We were blessed with a wide variety of wildlife - all coming down from the hills to munch on the spring greens. Elk, goats, bears, and marmots were just a few.

It was definately a memorable trip - and not just because it was our honeymoon. Cold mornings beg for hot breakfast - something warm in your hands and in your belly to make that pack seem less heavy and help you put one foot in front of the other till the sun warms your skin and the blood starts flowing.

If you are on a multi-day trip, I reccomend having these more than one morning - you will be wishing you did.

Bacon & Chedder Grits - Serves 2
2 packages instant grits
4 pieces bacon*, cooked
2 Tbsp chedder cheese powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 sandwhich size ziplock bags

At home:
Empty packages of instant grits into each ziplock
Dice the cooked bacon and divide among the ziplock bags
Add 1 Tbsp of cheese powder to each bag
Add 1 tsp of onion powder to each bag
Add 1/2 tsp garlic powder to each bag
Add 1/4 tsp black pepper to each bag
Write 1/2 cup H2O on each bag with a Sharpie
Seel bags, compressing as much air out of them as possible.

On the trail:
Boil 1 cup of water
Pour grit mix into insulated mugs with lids
Divide water among mugs, and stir.
Place lids on mugs and let sit for 7 minutes.
Stir again, and enjoy!

*You can use bacon bits instead of fresh bacon in a pinch, but it is not as good.

A Girl and Her Burrito

Last summer my husband and I spent five days in the back-country of Yosemite. We started out in the meadows and hiked down to the fork of the Merced and back. Despite the Big Meadows fire burning the whole time - we ended up with mostly smoke-free days. The fires seemed to keep people away - it felt like we had the national park to ourselves for most of the time.



For this trip I made all of the food from scratch. Many of the recipes were a success, one was a total failure. It is really tough having to eat something that taste gross because you know you need the calories and there is nothing else around. I learned from those mistakes! Test everything before you leave for the woods!

On our first morning at Lake Evelyn I impressed my husband with breakfast burritos. I was going to make up the grits - but it was so cold that morning, I thought something spicy and hearty would do the trick. For these burritos you will need to purchase some freeze-dried scrambled eggs. I found them online at http://www.wildernessdining.com/

Be sure to buy the cooked scrambled eggs and not the egg powder! You can also find the cheese packets there.




Back-Country Breakfast Burritos - Serves 2
1 package freeze-dried cooked scrambled eggs
1 can black beans - dehydrated
1 cup of your favorite salsa - dehydrated
2 whole wheat tortillas
2 chedder cheese packets

2 16oz plastic containers with screw lids
2 sandwhich size zip lock bags

At home:
Divide the dehydrated black beans and salsa between the two zip lock bags. Gently fold each tortilla and place in zip lock bags. Place one cheese packet in each bag. Seal.



On the trail:
Prepare eggs using package directions. While eggs sit, boil 1 1/2 cups of water in a pot. Remove tortillas and cheese packets from zip lock bags, and set aside. Place bean and salsa mixture in plastic containers. Divide boiling water between the two. Screw lids on and let sit for 7-10 minutes. Lay tortillas on a flat surface and spoon dehydrated beans and salsa on to each. Divide the scrambled eggs between each tortilla. Squeeze packet of cheese on each tortilla. Roll up and eat!