The first camping trip of the year

Daily Gratitude

I'm shining today because I'm grateful for:

• An extra hour of day light in the evening. Not loving loosing an hour in the morning, but know that I will adjust in a couple of days.
• Warm showers and washing machines. These were the two things I ran to immediately upon returning from my first camping trip of the season! 
• The safety of both of my kids. Both Sarah and Morgan took trips and came home with great memories. I'm so thankful they've returned happy and sound.

Ah! The great outdoors! 

When friends learned that Mountain Girls Adventures Genia and I were going camping this weekend, they shook their heads like I was nuts and told me to keep warm.  Even the cashiers at Walmart and Winco Foods had funny, wondering looks on their faces. Why in the world would anyone want to go camping in early March?

Because there's adventure in going and doing! 

Camping is something I've done since I was a kid. Most of the time I've wilderness camped. That is, going into remote locations where there isn't another human in sight. Nor are there water and power hookups, restrooms, showers, or tidy tent pads. Occasionally, I will camp in a campground. Usually not by choice. However, this trip it was a great decision.

Genia has a long history of summer adventures at Farragut State Park in northern Idaho. And, while we packed plenty of gear for tent camping, she thought one or two nights in one of the cabins would be fun. She made a good choice!

This little cabin is just great! It includes bedding and a log table with two small benches. It's wired for power, so there were lights and a heater/air conditioner unit. It sleeps five, however we thought it was just great for two people with a dog. Fortunately, Genia is small, so she could fit the little bunk bed. Eddie and I were grateful for a full sized lower bunk. 

So, maybe it wasn't wilderness, tent camping. But, it was pretty close! We still had outdoor cooking and outhouses. We packed in our water and used our flashlights. And, campfire smoke permeated our clothes. It was camping.

While hot dogs, hamburgers and smores are the mainstay of most camping trips, I like to fix up healthy and fun food ahead of time. This trip I thought it would be fun to try new camping recipes. Here are a few:

Pumpkin Apple Pancakes

1 large egg

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

1/ cup canned pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 apple peeled, cored, and shredded

2 tablespoons butter, divided

Syrup

Mix together all ingredients except butter and syrup in a bowl. Melt 2 teaspoons butter in a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Spoon batter by 1/3 cup portions into pan, making 3 or 4 pancakes at a time. Cook turning once, until cooked through, 8 to 10  minutes. Continue making pancakes with remaining batter, adding more butter to pan for each batch. Serve with syrup and more butter. Camping note: Mix dry ingredients and place in small ziploc bag. Mix all wet ingredients except apple and place in small ziploc bag. Place the two small ziploc bags, the whole apple, and measured butter all in a large ziploc together. Before preparing to mix and cook, peel, core and shred apple. 

Mexican Squash

3 Mexican Squash

1/2 heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

Coarsely chop squash. Place in pan with cream. Cover and simmer until squash is soft. Add salt and pepper. Serve!

Salade aux Trois Légumineuses (3 Bean Salad)

1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
8 ounces of fresh French green beans
1 1/2 cups garbanzo beans, cooked and drained
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 shallots, chopped

1 tablespoon Herbs d'Provence

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon olive oil

Bring a large pan of water to boiling. Add edamame and green beans. Cook 4 minutes. Rinse with cold water and drain. Combine edamame, green beans, garbanzo beans, and red pepper a bowl. In a small bowl, combine shallots and remaining ingredients, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzled dressing over bean mixture and toss. Camping note: Place bean salad in a large ziploc bag or plastic container.

Curried Lentils

2 cup dried lentils
6 cups water
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 teaspoon garlic chili paste
Sour cream
Fresh cilantro

In a medium pot, bring water, lentils, and bay leaf to boil. Cover and turn reduce heat for 20 minutes or until lentils are soft. Drain and discard bay leaf. In a separate pan, add oil, onion, and tomato. Saute until tender. Add garlic, curry powder, cumin, salt, and chili paste. Add lentils and cook and additional minute. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.  Camping note: Place lentils in a large ziploc bag or plastic container. We topped the lentils with a bit of shredded cheese rather than sour cream and cilantro. 

Chipotle-Lime Mashed Yams

4 large yams (about 2 pounds)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped chipotle chile in adobo sauce

1 tablespoon adobo sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

Boil quartered yams in a large pot of water until soft. Drain and remove skins. Mash yams in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Camping note: Place mashed yams in a large ziploc bag or plastic container. 

I didn't get a picture of this, but it was sure yummy!

Mashed Avocado with Hummus

2 cans drained garbanzo beans
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup tahini
1 lemon, juiced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon salt
1 large, ripe avocado

In a food processor, make a coarse paste with the garbanzo beans. Add oil slowly as the processor continues to make the beans a thick paste. Add tahini and mix in. Add lemon, garlic, cardamom, and salt to make hummus. If serving immediately, smash avocado separately and stir into hummus. Camping note: Place hummus in a plastic container. Wait to mash and stir in avocado right before serving.

There were several more, but I'll post them on Mermaids in our next issue in May.

What a wonderful, beautiful, adventure-filled time! Coffee by the fire in the morning. Stars shining brightly against the dark, frozen sky at night.

Hiking around the hillsides and along the beaches.

Sharing the invigorating air, spectacular sights, and excellent conversation and laughter with a great friend.

What an exceptional way to start the season!