Hearty Breakfast Skillet

Oh man, this was the best breakfast EVER. Says the husband as I type this, "This was the best skillet I've ever had." I mean, you can't beat that kind of feedback, right? It was a blast, because we made it together - Joef taking charge of the bacon and veggie-chopping, me watching the potatoes, eggs, and putting it all together.

We both agreed that, considering all the different elements involved, it wasn't too much mess, either; and certainly, not difficult, especially with a cup of coffee in hand. I almost always order a skillet if it's on the menu - so why not make 'em at home?

Here's all you need (this would serve four if you added two more eggs - we had copious leftovers):

1 lb (or so) potatoes, cubed - we used these tiny little round guys, about the size of a bird egg, that came in a mix of purple, Yukon gold, and red! 

Butter

1/2 white onion

4-5 Thai green chiles

2-3 smallish bell peppers - we had purple, green, and yellow heirlooms, which were awesome - but you could substitute bells 

Rosemary, pepper, and salt for seasoning

1/2 lb bacon

1/2 large (green heirloom) tomato

Sharp cheddar cheese (Wisconsin, of course), shredded

2 eggs, over easy

Start by boiling the potatoes until they've softened, but still retain some firmness. In the meantime, you can chop the veggies and cook the bacon (here's where it's nice to have a helper!). When your ingredients are prepped, generously grease a large pan with some butter, and add the onions and chiles. Cook them on medium-high heat until the onions start to soften, adding a couple spoonfuls of bacon grease (oh yeah) from the bacon that's cooking. Add your peppers and let them saute and soften a bit as well. Add a few torn rosemary leaves, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir from time to time. Stir in the potatoes. A couple more spoonfuls of bacon grease sure doesn't hurt.

Cook until the potatoes and onions start to brown a little. Add in the bacon. Add the tomato at the very end. Remove from heat, then top with cheddar and a fried egg over-easy. Enjoy the glory of a full-on food coma!

La Piccina: Camping Edition

This year's trip to the Boundary Waters was quite the culinary adventure, mostly thanks to my fellow campers/portagers. We had fresh-caught bass and northern pike, steak, bacon, fresh raspberry and blueberry pancakes, and - blueberry compote (or, in camping terms, blueberry "sauce"). Of course, we had our fair share of pastaroni and grilled summer sausage (delicious, actually), too. But considering it's a pack-in, pack-out kind of deal, we did pretty well. Well enough to deserve a special camping edition post.

Dinner: Steaks with Carrots, Potatoes, and Onions
Pat had the brilliant idea to bring some fresh foods in for the first night. He devised a freezer system using a brown box, ice, and plastic garbage bags to keep the steaks and bacon cold. We sauteed - or directly grilled - the steaks over the fire, then ate them with a side of potatoes and carrots sauteed with onions and a little cajun seasoning. A perfect way to round out a day of canoeing!

Breakfast: Bacon
There's not really anything unique about bacon, and there's certainly no recipe. But there are no WORDS for how delicious bacon is when you're camping.

Breakfast: Pancakes
We could've had pancakes every day if we hadn't run out of Hungry Jack and Krusteaz towards the end of the trip. The best part was picking fresh raspberries and fresh blueberries to put in the batter (all you need is water to make a great pancake). And of course we packed syrup. Innovation of the trip: summer sausage cooked INTO a pancake.









Breakfast: Blueberry Compote


But we didn't need syrup when Justin and Joef figured out we could make our own from fresh blueberries, sugar, and water. Proportions are about 1:1 for the blueberries and water, then add sugar to taste. Wash the spider eggs off the blueberries, then combine all ingredients in a pot over the fire and bring it to a boil. Boil it down, occasionally mashing the blueberries against the side of the pot. Add a splash of whiskey with a couple minutes left to boil if you're feeling adventurous.


Lunch and Dinner: Fried Fish
Catch a fish, gut it, bread it in Shore Lunch, and drop it in extra-hot oil and you're done. On the last night, we used the oil we fried the fish in to make crispy tortillas (just drop the tortilla in the oil, watch it puff up, flip it, then put it directly on the grill for a couple minutes). Tony divided his up into wedges and actually made tortilla chips.




























And finally - well, this isn't exactly a recipe, but...Joef made a sauna. Yes, a sauna. Using downed tree limbs gathered from a neighboring island, tarp, twine, some tape, and large granite rocks heated for two hours in the fire. Just pour water over the rocks and you're good to go.