Camping and Cooking

It's been three months since I've been in the studio and I think it may be a while longer before I can go back.  I've hit a bit of a rough season but I'm not going to force myself, that will only make me hate the work.  So... I'll wait it out, hopefully things will be looking up soon enough.  These days I find pleasure in the smallest things.  A bright moon on a dark night, or food I've never tried before... and I'm still cooking.  Food is good! 

I spent a few days camping with friends at Floyd Fest, it was a great adventure and I managed to make some good food along the way.  Wolfie (my host) does not eat gluten, so putting together a menu was a welcome challenge and I learned a LOT along the way.

Spicy grilled shrimp with fettuccine Alfredo.  These were rice pasta instead of semolina, the taste is good but they sure do make the consistency of the Alfredo a little strange. 

Adobo chicken and veggie bobs

Leftovers for lunch... Grilled chicken summer salad with strawberries, blueberries, almonds and raspberry vinaigrette... spicy grilled shrimp, some grilled veggies and that's either leftover Alfredo.

I cooked the fish and beans on the grill in foil and the saffron onion rice inside the RV on the stove.  That really heated up the RV, so I didn't cook much inside after that.

Curry chicken salad with cashews and spring onions.

I learned to cook using a little bitty charcoal grill... believe me, that took some getting used to but once we got the hang of it it was great!

Me holding a fish skeleton.  I love it when the bones come out cleanly, and skeletons are really cool!

This is Wolfie, my host.  He is Stuart Mercer, a jewelry designer who mines stones, cuts and polishes them, then sets them in gold or silver.  I was there at his invitation and enjoyed the time with him and the rest of the Wolf Pack a great deal!  They are really neat people!

This shows his set up, the jewelry under the tent and then a demonstration area in front where he and I both worked at a lapidary grinding wheel shaping and polishing stones.  I really enjoyed learning the process from him!

Me with one of the stones I worked on.

 

And I learned to hula hoop and it made me feel like a kid all over again!  It was SO FUN!  So now I have a lovely new hoop that I picked out from ones that were a variety of weights and sizes.  This one just seemed like it was made exactly for me and I knew it from the first twirl!  Since then I've been doing some hooping on my back deck, trying to get better at it.  It is good exercise and very fun!

I'm indebted to Wolfie and his pack for their hospitality, I learned a great deal from them and had a blast at Floyd Fest!

Savor the flavors and the moments of delight along the way,

-Carmen Rose

Cooking with Ina Garten

I was hungry today for curried chicken salad and I looked up Ina Garten's recipe and tried it again. The recipe can be found here and it's very simple (and VERY good!)

 Roast the chicken with salt and pepper.  That's easy, I roasted it at 350 and left it in until my meat thermometer comes out at 150 degrees.  I saw that Emeril Lagasse cooks chicken until 140 and most places say 165 (just a liability issue) but Emeril said he liked his chicken moist.  I can't stand underdone chicken but 150 was perfect for this and the meat really did retain it's moisture.  No more over-cooked chicken for me! 

Then let it cool and chunk it up.  It crumbles some as it gets stirred up so there is no point in going overboard on this step. 

Then ya throw in the good stuff:  Mayo, Major Grey Chutney, curry powder, and celery for crunch.  Oh, and don't forget the salt and freshly ground black pepper.  I had red wine but no white wine, so instead I just included the rest of the broth from the pan I baked the chicken in.  A good vinegar would work here also.  Ina puts this all in the food processor and makes it all smooth before adding it to the chicken.  And that is ideal.... however...  Life is short, and I just threw it all right in and gave it a gedge.  (That's a Rachel Ray term for stirring, can you tell I had Food Network on in the house yesterday?) 

Ina Garten's recipe called for scallion, raisins and cashews... I garnish it with grapes (instead of raisins) and spring onions (close enough.)  I sprinkle those on top mostly because they look lovely, but also because these ingredients don't hold up so well if there is some left for the next day so I prefer to have them separate.  I ate all the cashews in the house, so sadly I could not pile those on top yet.  They really are wonderful in this recipe.  If you want to know how much of something to throw in, consult Ina Garten's recipe.  I tend to dump till it looks right and then make adjustments as needed.  Which reminds me, I should add curry powder and cashews to the grocery list.

This would make a lovely main dish for a picnic, then add veggies, crisps and other fun picnic foods.  This time I just served it as a one dish wonder.  (With iced tea made from garden mint and lily of the valley from the poison ivy patch on the table.)  The only comment from the peanut gallery was that it "needs bread or something."  (G, think he's spoiled?!)  It would be good in a wrap or as a chicken salad sandwich, no doubt about that.  I love the combination of the sweet Major Grey Chutney against the curry flavors... YUM!  And yeah, I meant to make fresh biscuits to go with it and just didn't get it done.  But I have leftovers, so there is still time for that.

Best Dishes, (with a nod to Paula Dean)
-Carmen Rose