Tips & Tricks: Campfire Cooking

We went camping Memorial day weekend and it was glorious! I left my phone at home at there was no Facebook, no texting, no emails - yep, not even work email!

You might have guessed that I really enjoy cooking on the campfire. I love any excuse to cook. I've learned a few tricks over the years about campfire cooking and so I thought I would pass those on to you!

1. Grilling: Get yourself a primitive grill. Ours only cost about $10 at Academy Sports and it really does make life so much easier. I love to use my primitive grill to cook corn on the cob and other veggies, hot dogs, burgers, chicken, steaks, basically anything you would cook on a grill at home! I just make sure to bring along my grilling tongs and spatula.
   
   
   
   
   
   We brought along a bag of charcoals. Depending on what I was cooking, I would throw in anywhere from 5 - 15 charcoals once the fire got going. Then I'd let the fire die out and cook over the hot coals, just like a normal charcoal grill!
   
   I marinated the chicken overnight in some Jamaican Jerk marinade (store bought) then cooked the chicken the first night we were there. That way I didn't have to worry as much about the temperature in the cooler.
   
   
2. Food Safety: And on that note, by this point you probably know how crazy I am about food safety (Tips & Tricks: Food Safety). This is something you need to keep in mind, especially if you are camping for a few days. You will probably need to replace the ice in your cooler at least once per day with about 8 -10 lbs of ice, depending on the size of the cooler. Try to limit the number of times you open the cooler and keep the cooler out of direct sun light, this will keep things cool. Keep foods that need to stay especially cold (eggs, raw meats, deli meat, etc.) toward the bottom where it's coolest. If you're worried about the eggs breaking, you can pick up a special plastic egg carrying case; we got ours at Walmart in the camping section for around $3. Keep the raw meats at the very bottom so they don't drip on anything else. Every morning, drain out the excess water from the bottom of the cooler, then dump a new bag of ice in. Around dinner time, check the cooler to see if it needs more ice. This will really depend on how much food you have, the size of your cooler, and the temperature outside. It was warm but not hot on our trip so we only needed to replace the ice once per day.
   
   In addition to keeping your food cool, you want to prevent cross contamination. Even if you're not cooking raw meat at any point in your trip, the risk is still there from other sources. The way that I mitigate this risk is by bringing along some hand sanitizer wipes such as Wet Ones. That way, if I touch anything that could be contaminated - raw meat, dirt, a piece of fire wood, the dog, etc. - I can just wipe my hands and I'm good to go!
3. Frying: When frying over the campfire, you can use cast iron or just a special campfire skillet. This skillet only cost around $10 at Walmart in the camping section. It's got a special handle that doesn't get hot. If you prefer cast iron, a good pan is going to cost you around $50. But it will last you for life and is worth the investment.
   
   
   I got some hot charcoals going, just like I did for the grill, and put the pan directly on the hot coals. I made bacon and pancakes the first morning. I actually dumped out the grease and used cooking spray to prevent the pancakes from sticking. But you could do it either way. By the way, I used the Bisquick shake and pour pancakes. Yeah, I know, I generally despise Bisquick or any other boxed mix, but they make camping so much easier!!
   
   
   
   
4. Food Prep: For breakfast the second morning I made a little egg bake type dish. I cut up the veggies ahead of time at home because that's way easier than having to bring a huge knife along and try to cut up the veggies at a picnic table. I cut up the veggies pretty small - about 1/2" dice - including the potatoes. Even though you're cooking on hot charcoals, getting adequate heat can still sometimes be a challenge. So if you cut your veggies nice and small, they'll cook quickly, even when the charcoals aren't as hot as you would like.
   
   First I cooked the sausage in my skillet. Then I left the sausage and drippings in the pan and added diced red pepper, onion, and potatoes. Once those were thoroughly cooked and soft, I added some whipped eggs and cooked it all together. Once the eggs were cooked, I removed the pan from the heat then topped the whole thing with shredded cheese and sliced scallions. You could hardly call that roughing it haha!
   
   
   
   
5. Mountain Pies: I first heard about mountain pies from some friends of ours who we going camping with quite frequently. These are so fun and they're great because everybody can make their own with whatever fillings they want. You just put a slice of bread in each side of the pie iron, add your fillings, clamp it shut, then cook it directly over the hot coals. They cost about $10 in the camping section at Walmart or around $20 at Bass Pro Shop. That being said, the ones at Bass Pro Shop are a lot heavier and more durable.
   
   
   
   
   We filled ours with cheese and pepperoni then dipped them in pizza sauce which I heated up in my little skillet. Yum! We also made some for dessert and filled them with canned apple pie filling.
   
   
6. Roasting Forks: One of the best tools we've picked up so far is roasting forks. They're just metal forks with long handles. They're great for roasting hot dogs or toasting marshmallows. That way you don't have to go hunting around for a long stick and pray that it hasn't been contaminated with poison ivy or animal urine. Yuck! They range in price anywhere from $1 per fork to about $3 per fork, depending on if you want a nice handle, etc. We got the crappy $1 ones haha.
   

   

   Lola & Matt toasting Marshmallows!

   
   

   
   
7. Bug Screen: Ok, this last one has more to do with eating than cooking but it's relevant. This is another tip that we picked up from our friends who told us about mountain pies. This 12' x 12' bug screen cost us about $50 at Academy Sports and it is the best investment we have ever made! We set it up around the picnic table and it makes eating so much more pleasant. No worries about bugs and it provides some shade too. There's even a hook on the ceiling so that you can hang a lantern for when you're eating in the evening.
   

   

   
   

Believe it or not, between all of that cooking we still found time to go hiking and peddle boating haha!

Brown Sugar, White Sugar, Powdered Sugar - Oh My!

Just what is the difference between brown sugar, white sugar, and powdered sugar? Why would you use one over the other? Which one is the best? If you've ever found yourself wondering about this mystery, wonder no more! I'm going to break it down for you.

First of all, which one is best? It depends! They each have their own unique characteristics which are useful in different applications.

Ok, so what's the difference and when would you use one versus the other?

Brown Sugar

• Brown sugar was historically unrefined sugar with residual molasses left in the sugar. However, modern methods refine the sugar first, removing the molasses by spinning it in a centrifuge, then add molasses back to the sugar. This allows for more control over molasses content which creates consistency in the product.
• There are two common types of brown sugar: light brown and dark brown. Light brown is the most common type and it contains 3.5% molasses; dark brown sugar contains 6.5% molasses. The only real difference is in flavor. If you prefer a lighter more delicate flavor, choose light brown. If you prefer a stronger flavor, choose dark brown.
• Molasses has hygroscopic properties which means that it is attracted to water. This is useful in recipes that you want to keep moist such as cakes, cookies, brownies, or granola bars. Use this type of sugar if you prefer chewy cookies versus crispy cookies.
• Molasses has a slight caramel flavor to it. This makes it great to add a hint of caramel to recipes such as apple pie, fried apples, bananas foster, etc.
• The proper way to measure brown sugar is to firmly pack it down into the measuring cup. You should always assume that brown sugar should be firmly packed unless the recipes specifies otherwise.

White Sugar

• Also known as granulated sugar. 
• Granulated sugar is commonly used in cakes, cookies, simple syrup, and caramel.
• Granulated sugar tends to give the final product a crispier texture. You'll want to choose this type of sugar if you prefer crispy cookies versus chewy cookies.
• The grain is pretty large and the sugar can be pretty heavy. This sugar is not ideal for delicate foods such as meringue or whipped cream.

Powdered Sugar

• Also known as confectioner's sugar or icing sugar.
• Powdered sugar is white sugar that has been very finely ground (even finer than "superfine" sugar). It has a soft, light, powdery texture, almost like wheat flour.
• Powdered sugar is useful in recipes that require a very smooth texture such a frosting or other cake decorations. It is also very light weight and is ideal for delicate foods such as meringue or whipped cream.

Tips & Tricks: Food Safety

I know that you come to my blog for the recipes. But today I'm going to talk about food safety. This is a topic that is so critically important, yet most of us never received this kind of information when we were in school. According to the CDC, an estimated 48 million people in the US experience foodborne illness (aka food poisoning) each year.

I'm going to debunk some of the myths, discuss causes of foodborne illness, and suggest ways to prevent it. There are three main categories of food safety that I'll talk about today: cross-contamination, food temperature, and food storage.

Cross-Contamination

As the name suggests, cross-contamination is the result of harmful organisms being transferred from one food source to another. In the home, this commonly happens when a raw food, such as vegetables, comes into contact with raw meat, poultry, or seafood. This may seem obvious; don't let your lettuce touch raw chicken, right? But often times it's more subtle than that. I'll give an illustration:

You're hosting a backyard barbecue to celebrate your new promotion at work. You bring out a platter of raw chicken to the grill. You cook the chicken thoroughly; there's no more pink in the center. But in all of the excitement, you place the cooked chicken back on the same platter without even thinking about it. Your guests cut open their chicken, see that it's cooked properly, and dig in. Your guests go home and over the next three days, they all develop fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. They all have salmonella. But how? The chicken was completely cooked. By using the same platter for the raw chicken as the cooked chicken, the salmonella was able to infect the cooked chicken, even though it was cooked thoroughly according to USDA recommendations.

What can you do to prevent cross-contamination?

1. Wash your hands thoroughly every time after touching raw meat, poultry, fish, or eggs. Tip: If you're cooking at a grill and hand washing is not convenient, you can use antibacterial hand wipes such as Wet Ones to clean your hands after handling raw food.
2. Wash all cutting surfaces, including cutting boards, knives, and counter tops after cutting raw meat, poultry, fish, or eggs.
3. Do not reuse marinades. If you soak meat, poultry, or fish in a marinade, dump it out after use; do not reuse it for vegetables, or other raw foods, or for basting the meat while cooking. Use fresh marinade. You can also avoid this cross-contamination by marinating the vegetables first, then marinate the meat.
4. Do not reuse batters. If you're breading or battering meat, poultry, or fish, dump it out after use; do not reuse it for vegetables or other raw foods. This can also be avoided by breading or battering the vegetables first, then bread or batter the meat.
5. Use a clean spatula and platter every time for cooked meat, poultry, or fish. Never reuse a spatula or platter that has previously come in contact with raw meat, poultry, or fish without washing it first.

Food Temperatures

When we talk about food temperatures, there are two questions we need to ask:

1) What temperature should food be stored at?

There is a temperature range known as the "danger zone." That range is 40° F to 140° F. This means that foods should be stored below 40° F or cooked to temperatures above 140° F. When food is left at a temperature within the danger zone, this allows harmful bacteria to grow to dangerous levels.

When storing left-overs, cool them quickly and refrigerate within two hours of being cooked. When marinating meat or poultry, do not leave them out at room temperature for longer than two hours. (I've been to way too many cookouts where I saw raw meat sitting out at room temperature for hours and hours and hours. Definitely don't eat that!). When marinating fish, keep it in the refrigerator until it is ready to be cooked.

One thing to take note of here is that there is a certain window of time that is considered safe. That means that you don't have to worry if your steak has been sitting out for 30 minutes before being cooked. In fact, it's actually recommended that you let a steak sit at room temperature for a few minutes before cooking. That way it stays nice and juicy. So don't let this scare you. Just be aware of the important times and temperatures.

2) What internal temperature should food be cooked to?

This one is actually a tough one to answer. The answer depends on the food that you're cooking. Based on the danger zone, we know the internal temperature has to be at least 140° F, but certain foods should be cooked to higher temperatures. Here's a quick guide:

Ground Beef                     165 F

Steak - Rare                      135 F

Steak - Medium Rare    140 F

Steak - Medium               155 F

Steak - Well Done           165 F

Poultry                               165 F

Pork & Ham                      145 F

Left-overs                         165 F

You may be asking, "how would I even know the internal temperature of my food?!" You can find an instant read thermometer on the cheap almost anywhere. Even Walmart has them in the kitchen utensils section. You just insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat.

Storing Left-overs

Now that you know what temperature you should cook and store food at, the burning question may be how long to store the food for. Another common error people make is storing food for too long and letting it spoil. Click here for a simple guide from the FDA.

Tips & Tricks: Cutting Pineapple

If you've never worked with fresh pineapple before, you may be looking at it thinking, "where do I even start..." It may look a little bit daunting, but I promise that it's easier than you think.

First, I want to talk about how to pick a pineapple. I've read some weird things out there like smelling the leaves to see if they smell like pineapple. The best way that I've found to check for ripeness is the color. You want to see some yellow towards the bottom and maybe a little yellow in the centers of each little section. If the whole entire thing is yellow, it's probably over-ripe. If the whole thing is green, it is under-ripe. So you'll want to consider if you're using the pineapple today or later. If the answer is 'today,' then get the one that is partly yellow. If the answer is 'in a few days,' get the one that's green and wait for it to start turning yellow around the bottom.

Ok, now how do you cut this beast?! First, cut off the top and bottom.

Now, stand the pineapple upright and cut off the rough skin in strips. Once it is all off, go around once more and cut off and brown pits you may have missed. Then, turn it upside down and cut off any more skin you may have missed.

Lay the pineapple on its side and cut it in half width-wise. This step just makes the pieces smaller and therefore easier to work with. 

Place the two halves on their flat side. Cut them in half length-wise, then cut them in half again so that you have quarters. 

Now place a quarter on one of it's inner sides. With your knife at an angle, cut out the core. Repeat with the remaining pineapple pieces. 

From here, you can cut each quarter in half length-wise, then cut into chunks. Or you can cut the quarters into thin slices. You could even leave the quarters intact and place them on the grill. Yum!

Tips & Tricks: Perfect Hamburgers

Hamburgers are a super easy weeknight dinner. They're especially great during the summer. Have I mentioned that I love grilling? Haha! Anyhow, I've discovered a trick for forming the perfect hamburger patty. This method will make your hamburgers all come out the same size and shape which means they will all cook for the same amount of time. The pre-formed hamburger patties also cost more per pound than just bulk hamburger; by making your own patties, you can also save some money! So, what's my secret trick? This handy little plastic tub that contained crumbled bleu cheese at one time.

I saved the empty tub and washed it out. It's been so handy that I've had it for a couple of years now. If you need a reason to purchase bleu cheese, try making my Black and Bleu Cheeseburgers. You can get the same kind of tub when you purchase feta cheese or mascarpone cheese. Just remember to save the tub the next time you buy one of these items. In the picture, you can see that I've lined the tub with some plastic wrap. I learned the hard way that the hamburgers are much easier to get out if you use plastic wrap. If you skip this step, you'll have to really give the tub a whack to get the hamburger to come out.

Once you've got your tub lined with some plastic wrap, get the hamburger ready. For a pound of ground beef (or turkey or chicken), separate the meat into 5 evenly sized balls. Then take each ball and gently pat it down into the plastic tub.

Once you have a perfectly shaped hamburger patty, gently lift the plastic wrap out of the plastic tub and peel the plastic wrap off of the hamburger patty. Place the patty on a plate and set aside. Once all of your patties are formed, season them and cook them! It's that simple!

Here are my two favorite hamburger recipes:

Black & Bleu Cheeseburgers

Cheeseburgers with Sriracha Aioli

Tips & Tricks: Knife Skills

Kitchen safety is extremely important. One aspect of kitchen safety is knife skills. In order to stay safe, you need to know how to sharpen your knives and also how to use those knives.

One of the most dangerous tools in your kitchen is a dull knife. When your knife is dull, it causes you to put more pressure on the blade; the more pressure you put on the blade, the greater the damage you're going to do to your finger(s)/hand if you slip. Excessive pressure on the blade also increases the likelihood of slipping in the first place.

The first thing you'll need is one of these bad boys:

 This is a sharpening steel. Chances are, you already have one that came with your set of knives.

What you'll want to do is slowly run the blade of your knife along the steel starting at the top and going down toward your hand. Don't worry, the handle is designed to stop the blade before it hits your hand. This is also the reason you do it slowly. You'll want to hold the blade at a slight angle to the steel to ensure you get a good edge.

Once you've sharpened your knife, you'll want to rinse it under hot water and then wipe it down with a towel. This will wash away the metal powder that gets on to the blade while being sharpened. You'll want to sharpen your knives before each use. You will notice an enormous difference when you do.

Next up: how to hold your knife. Pretty much anyone I've ever seen who is not a professional chef holds a knife incorrectly. So don't worry if you're in this group too, you're in good company. But the time has come to learn proper technique so that you're no longer putting your digits in harm's way.

You'll want to grab the blade between your thumb and index finger, then wrap the rest of your fingers around the handle. 

You've most likely been wrapping your whole hand around the handle and placing your index finger on the top of the blade. Holding it this way is extremely dangerous because it gives you almost no control over the blade. 

Holding the knife the proper way will probably feel really weird at first. But once you get used to it, you'll wonder how you ever held it the other way. You'll also be able to actually feel a major difference in the amount of control you have over the blade.

If you've sharpened your knife really well and you're holding your knife the right way, you shouldn't need to put any amount of pressure on the blade. You should be able to cut through most foods just from moving the blade back and forth and letting the sharpness of the blade cut the food. The exception being hard food like carrots, potatoes, etc.

Tips & Tricks: Perfect Crispy Bacon

Bacon Bacon Bacon!

What's not to love about bacon? It's smokey, it's salty, it's just plain good. The only downside: the greasy mess it makes when you cook it. After some experimenting, I've found that baking bacon (say that 10 times fast!) is the best method. And here's why:

1. It makes less mess - no greasy mess on your stove and counter tops.
2. The bacon can be cooking while you're making the other parts of the meal such as pancakes, hamburgers, etc.
3. It will all be finished at the same time instead of having to make it in batches like you would with a frying pan.
4. It comes out nice and crispy without being burnt. There's nothing worse than burnt bacon!

Method:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Cut the package of bacon in half. This step is optional but I find that cutting it in half makes the bacon easier to handle. Plus, I only ever make half a pound at a time.
• Place the slices of bacon on the parchment paper in a single layer. Make sure that none of the slices are touching. Any areas that touch will be stuck together after cooking.
• Bake at 375° F for 15 - 25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bacon.
• It's best to start with 15 minutes (if you're using turkey bacon, start with 10 minutes), most bacon will be done after this amount of time. If the bacon looks like it still needs more cooking, add 2 or 3 minutes at a time and check the bacon each time before adding more time. You want the bacon to be golden brown, not dark brown.
• Once the bacon is completely cooked, remove from the oven. Immediately transfer the bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel. This will help to drain off some of the excess grease.

Tips & Tricks: Bisquick Substitute

It's time for another Tips & Tricks.

If you have a recipe that calls for Bisquick and you either don't have any or you don't like to use it (like myself) then there's an easy substitute. I prefer not to use Bisquick because it contains a pretty significant amount of trans fats. 

As a side note: I really dislike when the media (or any organization or person) use shocking terms  to get people's attention, especially when it comes to food. There's a whole lot of propaganda going around these days and it's a pretty good idea to do your research before you decide that something is really as bad (or good) as the media tries to make it sound. For example: "Our product doesn't use chemical leaveners like those other guys!!" - yeah, a chemical leavener is baking powder, not toxic sludge... ugh. But I do have to say that trans fats really are bad for you. There's no two ways about that. So, that's why I prefer to make my own biscuit mix.

Bisquick Substitute
For every one cup of Bisquick that your recipe calls for, use:
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

I'm certainly not the inventor of this substitute. It's one of those tricks that a lot of people just seem to know. And now you know!

Tips & Tricks: Measurements

This may not be my most exciting blog post ever, but it's an important one. When you're cooking, whether professionally or at home for your family, you must know your measurements. It will make your life so much easier. Knowing your measurements is especially helpful when you're trying to cut a recipe in half or double it, or if you're trying to convert ounces to tablespoons, etc. Some of these might seem obvious: 1 cup cut in half is 1/2 cup, right? But what is 1/3 cup cut in half? 1/6 cup? But how do you measure that out...? Not so easy. Unless you have my handy charts!

Tips & Tricks: Greek Strained Yogurt

Ok, this is my tip/trick of the month. Back when I was taking culinary classes, Greek yogurt wasn't really widely available like it is now. So, if you needed it for a recipe, you had to strain your own. In case you were unaware, the only difference between regular yogurt and Greek yogurt is that Greek yogurt is strained; that's why it's thicker. It's really not that difficult of a task to strain it yourself and it will save you a little bit of money.

I paid about $2.50 for a 16oz tub of plain yogurt. This will yield about 8oz of strained (Greek) yogurt. That same amount of Greek style yogurt would cost you anywhere from $4 - $5, depending on where you buy it. So, not a huge savings but every dollar counts! Plus, little savings like this add up over time.

Here's what you do:

1. Line a mesh strainer with cheese cloth or paper towel; either one will do.
2. Set the strainer in a large bowl so that there is at least 3 inches between the base of the strainer and the bottom of the bowl.
3. Dump in the entire 16oz container of plain yogurt. You will immediately see liquid start to drip out the bottom of the strainer.
4. Cover with plastic wrap (to prevent refrigerator funk) and place in the refrigerator.
5. After 30 minutes, take the yogurt out of the refrigerator. Take the strainer out of the bowl, dump out the liquid that has collected in the bottom of the bowl, then place back in the refrigerator.
6. After 1 more hour, again take out the strainer and dump out the liquid that has collected.
7. After another 1.5 hours, again take out the strainer and dump out the liquid.
8. At this point, the yogurt should be nice and thick and will have decreased in volume by about 50%. You can transfer the yogurt back to it's original container for storage. Just make sure to wash it first!
9. After step 5, you can actually just leave it in the refrigerator overnight if you don't have time to keep checking on it.

Tips & Tricks: Prepping Meat

Ok, I promised I would talk a little bit about prepping your meat on the weekends to save time during the week. This is something I started doing quite a few years ago actually. Ever since I entered into the rat race that is "corporate America," I've been looking to find ways to save time during the week. I prep all of my meat on Saturdays and freeze it. Then, all I have to prep is vegetables during the week. I buy all of my meat in bulk (mostly because it's cheaper that way). Then I'll meal plan so that I know exactly how many meals it's going to make and how the meat needs to be cut up for each meal. Then I trim the meat and cut it up according to what dish it's going into and put it in a ziploc bag. For example: if I'm making chicken tacos, I will cut the chicken into thin strips; if I'm making grilled chicken, I'll cut each breast in half lengthwise to make two thinner pieces; etc. Once all of the meat has been cut up and stored in ziploc bags, I'll label the bag with the meal that it's intended for and the current date so I know when it was frozen (this will allow you to rotate stock so that nothing gets pushed to the back of the freezer for months until it is unrecognizable).

See my nicely labeled bags.

Now, I have to give Matt credit for giving me the idea for this next tip. I always make sure the meat is arranged in the bag so that it lays as flat as possible. You can see that my chicken breasts are in a single layer and take up the whole bag instead of all being in a heap at the bottom of the bag. The hamburger has been gently pushed flat, again so it takes up the whole bag instead of in a big lump. The same goes for the pork chops, although those are double layered. Just make it as flat as you can. There are two advantages of doing it this way: 1) it will take up less space in your freezer and your meats will be nice and organized, 2) the meat will defrost much quicker because of the increased surface area.

See my neatly stacked bags.

When I'm going to use a meat for dinner, I take it out of the freezer the night before and move it to the fridge. Because the bag is nice and flat, the meat is always defrosted by the next night.

Confession time. If my old self had seen a freezer like this, I would have rolled my eyes and thought, "oh aren't you so perfect... barf." But... as a working mama, I really had to simplify my life. And this really has helped significantly.