Who says you can't camp in style??

Every year about one third of our population goes camping. There is quite an extensive list of "must take" when you go on a camping trip. Of course, food is a very important part of this trip away. On Memorial Weekend, my husband and I decided to take a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. We were thrilled to immerse ourselves into nature. And to finally put all our collected camp gear to use.

We made the couple hour drive to Estes Park, met up with some friends for lunch. After a couple of Elk burgers our group decided to take a hike with friends. We witnessed a beautiful waterfall, as the winters last breath was leaving the mountains. Before nightfall sprang upon us we needed to set up camp, get our fire going and start dinner. Our campsite was incredible, the campground called it the honeymoon suite and after arrival, we understood why. We had a large site are with gorgeous Longs Peak puffing it's chest at the valleys below. Tall pine trees kept us privately tucked away and we were in heaven. We set up camp and started to ready our evening.

We brought most of the "typical" camping foods but tried to jazz it up a little bit. Instead of regular burgers, we brought turkey burgers. We brought sandwich thins, instead of giant hunks of bread. But of course we couldn't help ourselves with bringing bacon and eggs. (They make everything better.) I wanted to relish being out in the middle of nowhere and not have to have fancy food. But I knew there had to be more creative ways to prepare the food. So as my husband collected firewood, I started with our cocktail for the evening.

I found this awesome peach bellini wine freezer...perfect for camping! All I had to do was fill it with wine, water and then freeze. Talk about simple! I poured each of us a glass and felt excited for the camping trip to unfold. Once I had my cocktail to sip on, I started to prepare dinner. We were having bacon-cheese-turkey burgers. We wanted to use the grill that came on the fire pit, so I had to figure out an easy way to keep all the food on the grill. Obviously the turkey burgers and buns would be fine but the bacon, if left alone would probably fall through the cracks into the fire. I had seen people create a bacon lattice on turkeys and chickens and felt this would be a perfect way to cook this bacon for our burgers. I cut a few slices and laced them together creating a bacon patty.  Then we put everything on the grill and waited patiently. As the flame hissed with bacon grease, we enjoy our mountainous bliss. We watched as the sun faded behind the pine trees and scarfed down our healthy yet hearty camp fire meal. We sat by the fire for quite awhile staring into the flames and talking about how much we'd miss Colorado. (We were moving back to Texas in a few short days.) We would miss the smell of the mountains, the chilly summer rains, being the first ones on the ski lifts, grabbing a local brew at the Dam Brewery, being able to spot the mountains from almost any activity we were doing, the color of the autumn leaves and our cousins.

 

The next day we hiked six miles straight up to Green Mountain. I remember my hands swelling up so much I thought my pinky finger pad would pop. Hydration was important. Thankfully we were mostly shaded by the towering trees. Once we reached the top we sat down to enjoy the panoramic view of mountains and valleys. Tiny, social chipmunks scurried up to see if we had any bits of food for them to munch on. Then we found the seal and took a picture of our wedding rings on it to symbolize our exceptional year in colorful Colorado.

When we returned from our hike we realized there were no showers at our campground. We made a discovery trip into Estes Park and found some showers at a Laundromat. Unfortunately it was cash only and our pockets were empty AND to top it all off the place closed in 10 minutes. We were sweaty and desperate for a shower before hunkering down in our tent. The nicest girl doing laundry must have saw the looks of exasperation on our red faces and paid for our showers. We gratefully accepted, offered a Starbuck's gift card (which she refused to accept) and hurried into our cleansing stalls. After a good scrub and rinse we were as good as new, but hungry. We made our way back to the grounds and cheffed up some good ole freeze dried camping food. I chose beef stroganoff and I served Evan cheesy chili mac n cheese. We cuddled next to our fire and ate in silence.

This may have been our last camping trip in 2013 but we knew we'd be back for more.

 

Have a great end of your summer! xoxo Lo

 Oh and if you see a bear locker on your camp site...use it!

Indian Made Easy

How many of you love Indian food but when it comes to cooking it at home you have no clue where to start? I LOVE Indian food, the powerful flavors, punchy spices and health benefits keep me coming back for more. Recently I've been trying to incorporate more turkey into our diets, it is low in fat and high in protein. Plus like chicken it is very versatile.

This night in particular I had a package of turkey cutlets, I also had jasmine rice, Greek yogurt and plenty of spices. I combined them altogether for an easy, healthy, delicious Indian meal.

Easy Curry Turkey & Rice

4 turkey cutlets
1 cup Greek plain yogurt
2 cups jasmine/basmati rice
1 1/2 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp salt + 1 tsp salt
pinch pepper
2 Tbsp butter
3 cups water

First you want to combine your Greek yogurt, salt and curry together into a thick paste. Then chop up your turkey into one inch chunks, add the turkey to the curry paste and use your hands to make sure every piece of turkey is covered. Then cover and let marinate for one hour in the refridgerator.

When the turkey is done marinating, add to an oven-safe pan and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. While the turkey is baking, boil three cups water, add salt and rice. When the rice absorbs most of the water, add in the butter.

When the turkey is done, plate a big spoonful of the rice in a bowl and smother with the turkey and curry sauce. This plate will have your mouth saying "Dhanyawaad!"(Thank you in Hindu).

Enjoy! xo Lo

Laisser les bons temps rouler!!!

As the Cajun's like to say...let the good times roll! New Orleans is a great place to visit, when you live in Texas it feels like a grand vacation! Delicious food, great sights, drinkable hurricanes...what else could you ask for?! 


I felt like bringing a bit of New Orleans into our kitchen so I grabbed my leftover turkey cutlets, butter beans and brussel sprouts out of the fridge and worked up a 'magnifique' Cajun concoction! 


Cajun Turkey

turkey cutlets (or chicken)
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder
a pinch of cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp salt
a pinch of pepper
1/8 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp oregano

Rinse the turkey and mix the spices together, sprinkle the spices over the cutlets, place on a saute pan with olive oil and cook for 20-25 minutes.

Creamy Butter Beans


I love beans, they are high in protein, filling and go with any meal. Lately I've been exploring more bean options (I'm a sucker for black beans), I found butter beans (if you don't have butter beans use Great Northern beans, cannelini beans, kidney beans or black beans). They are larger and very creamy in texture. I added them from the can to a sauce pan with a touch of olive oil, milk and a sprinkle of flour on medium-low heat. The combination of milk and flour will create a luscious, creamy sauce with the beans. 


Brussel Sprouts with Red Onion and Garlic

I had frozen brussel sprouts in the freezer, I threw those in a saute pan with a bit of olive oil along with sliced red onion and crushed garlic. Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper and let saute for about 10-15 minutes.

This meal is easy to prepare and sensational on the palate! Pair this dish with a chardonnay, rum hurricane or red zinfandel.

Bonjour mes amis! xo Lo

Lunches On The Go-Go!

During the week most people think of lunch last. I'm here to help you make a fast yet healthy lunch that you can grab on the go or take to work.

Beans & Rice with Cheese

1 can of black beans
1 cup Basmati rice
1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Boil your water and add your rice with a pinch of salt. Put beans in a saucepan and heat up until they are nice and bubbly. Shred your cheddar cheese, set to the side for final topping. Once rice is done, spoon into a bowl, top with beans and finally, top with cheese. The cheese will start to melt and create a cheesy, bean goodness. This meal is stacked with protein, calcium and a healthy dose of carbs.

Grilled Italian Panini

two slices of bread
leftover veggies (cooked, from a previous meal)
sliced turkey
swiss cheese
olive oil
almonds
cookies

For this panini, my husband was on his way home for lunch and he was super hungry. I knew I had leftover zucchini, squash and onion, along with a little bit of swiss cheese, whole wheat bread and sliced turkey. I started by lightly drizzling the outside of the bread and placing on the panini press. I heated up the leftover veggies and turkey in a saute pan. Then I placed slices of cheese onto the slices of bread, added the veggies and the turkey- combined both slices and put the press on top of the sammy. After a few minutes the cheese had melted, which glued the sandwich together. I plated the sandwich with some almonds and homemade Snickerdoodles. My husband loved the panini!

Follow these recipes and surely you can create a homemade fast, delicious lunch when you've got to go-go!

xo Lo