Cooking anywhere but Home
A summer of travel and meals!!
I am grateful to have spent many a summer days out of the house and running around somewhere beautiful with friends. But those friends need to eat so I had work to do!
Starting off strong with the star of the show, and my whole summer…
~ Peach pancakes ~
Peach season is a gift well worth the yearly wait. In many different houses and campsites I have whipped up this simple breakfast. Peaches cooked in butter, honey, and a pinch of salt. Simmer on low heat and mix gently with a spatula to avoid breaking the fruit apart too much. Cook until sauce is just thickened and the peaches become fragrant. I used primarily market peaches of varying sizes and ripeness. I recommend a rough ration of 2tbsp butter per large peach, but there’s lots of wiggle room. Pancakes from scratch come together quick but boxed is pretty darn good too. Homemade batter can be made in advance for trips and meal prep, it’ll keep up to a week in the fridge.
Island pan pizza and salad
In a small cabin on Anderson Island I found myself in the company of a dozen friends (and 2 dogs) who were rowdy, joyous, and hungry after a day of island exploration. Late night pan pizza with store-bought dough, a can of really good Italian tomato sauce, and a mix of whatever cheese I could scrounge up. Heavily oil the pan and spread your dough until it reached the edges. Add sauce n toppings and bake at around 400 until edges are browned and the cheese bubbles. (unsure of the specific time and temp as I was busy watching an intense game of spoons and the oven was old). Served with a side salad of lettuce, random fridge dressing, and tomatoes n cucumbers from a friends family garden!
Kitchen sink pasta
Same Island, different day, new meal! Given the doubling of islanders in our group from the original plan (4-6 ppl), I had to get a little creative. The noodles were a mix of 3 different kinds, all large and tubular. Sausages were half pork/half chicken, seared and kept separate for you lovely vegetarians~ The sauce was a mix of another can of good tomato sauce, onion, a rogue garlic, chopped sundried tomatoes, and a jar of TJ’s olive tapenade (courtesy of the cabin fridge, and the main reason for the name). Thrown together in less than 45 minutes and devoured in about the same.
Beachside sushi bowls
A day trip to the beach is delightful on its own. Add home made poke bowls?? What a treat! Easy enough to put everything in a container, I stored my oven baked tempura in foil to prevent it from getting soggy. I did my usual blend of sushi rice, salmon, imitation crab salad, seaweed salad, cucumber, and pickled ginger.
Camping burritos
Cooking on a single burner stove when camping can make for some timing challenges. Start by searing marinated skirt steak (Olive oil, cilantro, garlic, lime/orange/lemon juice, SnP), once browned take to the side and let rest. In the same pan add drained can of corn, beans, and chopped red onion. Let simmer while you prep the rest of your toppings. We had cilantro, limes, avocado, hot sauce, and the remaining 20% of sour cream and salsa containers from my fridge. Pair with barely cold beer and a walk along the California coast for dessert.
Hiking rations
Unfortunately no picture taken due to its inconspicuous nature. Across many ridges, long drives, viewpoints, and foggy forests I have eaten my favorite hiking meal:
A stick of salami, some blocks of cheese, and baguette (or Ritz crackers).
Delicious, cheap, backpack jostling resistant, and reasonably forgiving after 6+ hours at room temp. Nothing more to say.
Zucchini oat cookies
I found myself with lots of zucchini this year (more on that coming soon). As a lover of oat cookies Justine’s recipe caught my eye! I tweaked it a bit since I used frozen shredded zucchini, which after thawing is strained and has a much lower water content. For the batch I made on the island I was a bit too impatient when adding the chocolate, which melted with the heat of the freshly browned butter. Same taste but a slightly different look.
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Thanks for reading!!