Greek Beef Casserole while camping!

Towards the end of summer, I was fortunate enough to attend a demonstration on Dutch oven cooking at a campground where we were staying. I was already familiar with Dutch oven cooking having inherited one from my father-in-law last summer. I bravely made my son's birthday cake in it last summer while camping!

However, attending the demonstration was an eye-opener for me at how easy Dutch oven cooking could be! I had always thought of my Dutch oven as sort of a fun thing to occasionally wow people with while camping and to show off a little. I had seen it as this bulky pot that I could barely lift and that had to sit under my feet in the car for lack of space. When I told the demonstrator that I had inherited a 14 inch deep Dutch oven, his response was, "Whoa, that's 10 quarts of food!" It was his disbelief that I was actually using a pot that big that inspired me to go buy a "baby" 10 inch Dutch oven. This pot completely changed the way I feel about Dutch oven cooking. The techniques I learned made the Dutch oven a joy to use, and with the smaller pot it is completely manageable! For our last camping trip of the season, a six-day trip to Fort Stevens, OR, I used the pot 4 times!

Here is one of the dishes I made, a greek beef dish called Stifado inspired by Beatrice Ojakangas' book, The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever, that I adapted to work in my Dutch oven. Hands down, it was the best dish I've ever made while camping.

Greek Beef Casserole in the Dutch oven by Joie de vivre

Ingredients:

1/4 c. canola oil

2 1/2 lbs. top round beefsteak, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

3 Tbls. red wine vinegar

1 c. water

1 tsp. rosemary

2 Tbls. tomato puree

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 cinnamon stick

5 whole allspice berries

2 small onions, chopped roughly

4 potatoes (I used white ones) cut into large bite sized pieces

Directions:

1. To make cooking while camping easier, chop your meat at home before placing it in a doubled Ziplock baggie in your ice chest. Also, pre-measure and place the rosemary, salt, pepper, cinnamon, and allspice in a little ziplock baggie prior to your trip.

2. Preheat your Dutch oven by placing it over your chimney starter while your coals are lighting. Make sure to leave space for oxygen to get to your coals and be careful of your arms! Make sure Dutch oven is steady. When the Dutch oven is pre-heated, add the canola oil and the beef. Stir the beef until it is browned.

3. Drain the beef and add all of the remaining ingredients. Place the lid on the Dutch oven and cook at 350 degrees for about an hour and 15 minutes. (*A Note about Dutch Ovens* You can get 350 degrees in a 10 or 12 inch Dutch oven, by placing about 7 coals underneath, and about 10-12 coals on top. Use long handled tongs to move the coals from your chimney starter to the bottom and the top of your Dutch oven. Every 15 minutes or so, turn the pot a quarter of a turn clockwise, and turn your lid a quarter of a turn counterclockwise to ensure even heat distribution. After 45 minutes, you will need to add fresh, hot charcoal briquettes to the bottom and top of the oven to ensure even heat as well.)

4. When dinner is getting close, saute some sliced green, yellow and red peppers.
5. Expect some hungry and nosy neighbors to come calling when you pull the lid off this masterpiece! Enjoy, and if you try this, let me know how it goes for you!

Ode to the summer peach

I feel a little rusty being back in the blogging saddle after taking a needed break over the summer. I am finally back in a routine though and will be updating much more frequently. Thank you all of you who stuck with me and continue to read my little ramblings.

This time of year always comes with some trepidation for me. When my husband and I first moved to Washington six years ago from Sacramento, CA, people assured us that winter would be "mild". But in the six years since, I have realized that no winter is mild in comparison to a California winter (unless you're from the south I suppose) and that first crisp morning, when everyone else is rejoicing over a break in the heat, my mind immediately flashes with horror to short, cold winter days and long, long, frozen nights. Because of this, I must take a minute to mourn the passing of summer before I can begin to live life to the fullest and embrace fall. Hence, my ode to the summer peach...

With school back in session, and a slight chill in the air, we must bid goodbye to our sweet summer friend, the peach. Goodbye sweet friend, you will be missed.



Stay tuned for upcoming posts on Dutch oven cooking while camping!

Experiment: Freezing Rice Krispie Treats

Two weeks ago, we were all ready to set off on our longest family camping trip to date. We had our bags packed, I had packed all of the food up, and we were ready to go. That was when our oldest son started vomiting! Fortunately we were able to reschedule our trip, and it turns out the vomiting was just a by product of an ear infection, but I was left with a weeks worth of camping food to try and preserve until our rescheduled trip. Everything was easily freezable except a pan of Rice Krispie treats. I had never tried to freeze Rice Krispie treats before. Were they even freezable? A quick internet search revealed that there wasn't much information available on the subject. Those who did try it stressed keeping out the moisture from the freezer as that would make the Rice Krispie treats soggy.

In order to keep out the moisture, I cut the pan of Rice Krispie treats in half and wrapped each half in three layers. First, I wrapped the halves in Saran wrap. Next, I wrapped them in foil. Finally, I took each half and placed them in a freezer bag taking care to get as much air out of the bag as possible. This past weekend we tested the first of the two packages. I let the Rice Krispie treats thoroughly thaw at room temperature while still in the freezer bag before cutting. While my husband detected a possible freezer taste to them, the kids and I thought they tasted the same. They had the same crunch as freshly made Rice Krispie treats as well.

The verdict?
While this wasn't an ideal way to consume Rice Krispie treats because of the possible freezer taste and the waste in packaging in order to keep the moisture out, I would say that it was a success!


Personal note: Thank you to all of you who have written to me concerned about my personal welfare because of the lack of new posts. I am well. Summer has just taken the wind out of my sails! I've had both boys home from school and have really concentrated on spending time with them and enjoying the weather. I must confess also that I have not cooked very much this summer. Summer in eastern WA is hot, hot, hot, and our dinners for the past six or seven weeks have consisted of salads with pre-cooked meat from Costco, fresh fruit, and ice cream cones! With summer winding down, I will be throwing myself back into cooking and my blog. Thank you all for sticking with me during my little mental vacation.