The Best BLT in the World!

This past weekend-ish, (Sat-Wed) Kevin and I went camping at beautiful Topaz Lake. We stayed there earlier this year in June and really enjoyed ourselves!

We decided to go camping for our 34th wedding anniversary. Yes, that is just who we are!
We had the most amazing views from our picnic bench for meals...

...to the views out of the window over our bed in the morning.

We also had several memorable meals!
I try to make every meal special and delicious- even though I am primarily using a camp stove or BBQ.

One of our breakfasts turned out just fantastic. Kevin and I are fond of BLT sandwiches for breakfast once in a while. We both just like the combination of flavors. I recently found a recipe for a new twist on a BLT and it really brought the WOW factor!

I subscribe to a daily email site called, "Tasting Table". I love the recipes and frequently try them out. This version of a BLT sounded very interesting... The Best BLT in the World.

I had to make a couple of adjustments, since Kevin is not a big fan of lemon, and the mayo in the recipe is a lemon mayo...and of course, I forgot the lettuce, but I did bring an avocado.

I also used Trader Joes' Sheepherder's Bread on my griddle on the camp stove- but the results were delicious!

First, of course, I fried the applewood smoked Neiman Ranch bacon from Trader Joe's...then, I wiped the griddle clean and spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on one side of the bread. I fried it on the griddle until it was GBD (thanks, Alton Brown for the acronym for Golden Brown and Delicious). Next, I layered homegrown slices of Prudence Purple tomatoes, sliced avocado and the bacon on the bread and topped it with another GBD mayo fried slice of bread- I sliced it and voila! Amazing BAT (Bacon, Avocado and Tomato) sandwich!

I bet it would have been even better with some crisp lettuce in there...but, we were camping and the nearest store was in Gardnerville 20 miles away.

We also spent a lot of time kayaking around the lake.

Bridget the Yorkie was on the lookout for pirates...

and Kevin drowned worms and happily paddled around.

We also had a magical night watching the beautiful harvest moon at night.

We would love to go back again to Topaz Lake- there were only 3 couples camping in the RV Park at the same time- it was quiet and very peaceful. I also got a lot of reading done...I'm trying to read as many books as possible in 30 days with my free Kindle Unlimited account. I've managed to read 12 since August 15th...I've got 4 more to finish by September 15.
Hope you try the mayo fried BLT!!

Ribfest

We went to the JA Nugget Ribfest today for the first time! It was a lot of fun with great food and wonderful entertainment....here's the link if  you 'happen' to be in the Reno, NV area through September 1, 2014...JA Nugget Ribfest
This is an annual event that attracts over 500,000 people each year. All of the big BBQ winners are here...and the competition is fierce to get that first place trophy!
We got to go because Kevin's company, Sportsman's Warehouse, Carson City NV bought a table for the Corporate lunch and Kevin was invited to attend as one of the Carson City representatives! Apparently, they like him :)
While Kevin was chowing down on free ribs from top BBQ places around the country and washing it down with free suds, I was walking around. This event is HUGE!
I got a couple of photos of some of the competitors...

The Carson City Sportsman's Warehouse carries BJ's sauces and rubs....they are pretty good!! They are a Nevada BBQ place.

That's Kevin in the brown shirt in front of 'Back Forty'...we laughed because there is a great restaurant in Klamath Falls called, "the Back Forty" and St. Pius X parish in Klamath Falls calls the grassy area, 'the back forty'. We thought it was funny!

 Kevin thought these were the best ribs, overall...Rasta Joe's

We also were proud to see Carson City represented...their sauce and rub is fantastic...and presently in our 'fridge and pantry...

MY favorite booth was the Fried Artichoke Booth...they had crab and shrimp stuffed deep fried artichokes, fried artichoke hearts and GARLIC fried artichoke hearts...guess which ones I ordered?? Ha ha...no contest, you all know I LOVE garlic fries- so, why not garlic fried artichoke hearts?

With a little Parmesan cheese; why, yes, thank you very much!
It was a very fun and delicious/smelicious event! Some of the BBQ booths had giant fans blowing the scent from the cooking ribs into the crowd!

This roasting pig was my favorite 'optic' of the day...

This band was my favorite entertainment of the day...

This was the one place I would not try....alligator? Eeeewww!

And this is for my friend, David O'Neill....Aussies are pretty Aussom.

Summertime Camping

I've neglected my blog a bit since Summer has hit the Great Basin; Kevin and I have been camping and kayaking every spare minute we can! Our little Aljo trailer has been getting quite the workout!

The reason we switched to a trailer from tent-camping,honestly, was comfort. I was tired of sleeping on an air mattress that usually was flat, and on top of ROCKS, by morning. I also love the fact that I have my own bathroom available in the middle of the night. I am not a big fan of going out in the dark in bear country in search of a restroom! Just ask all the folks camping in Zion 10 years ago....yes, I pretty much woke the entire campground with my screams when I ran into a giant deer unexpectedly....

We didn't change our cooking techniques, though. Well, not much. I have to admit the microwave has come in very handy on a couple of rainy nights!

This year we 'upgraded' to a Camp Chef 2 burner propane camp stove. It has amazing control on the burners, which has resulted in much less torched food. The ol' Coleman just didn't have the control I like to prepare meals!

I also made a cool chalkboard menu for the trailer...it's a nice touch to remind myself in the morning what needs to be defrosted- and it helps me to remember what I made when I take a photo of the chalkboard!
Here are a couple of examples from the last trip...

These two dinners were awesome. Kevin loves the fact that camping dinners can rival home dinners! All it takes is some menu planning, strategic use of the refrigerator/freezer in the trailer and a combination of a charcoal BBQ and the propane stove.

Santa Maria style steak is very easy to prepare. I always have a batch of Santa Maria seasoning made up...equal parts of table salt, ground black pepper and granulated garlic. Be sure you DON'T use kosher salt or freshly cracked pepper or it won't be the right consistency! Sprinkle your meat with about 2 tablespoons of the mixture and smoosh it all around in a gallon size plastic baggie. I also added 1/2 cup of red wine to the baggie and let it marinate all day. (I added a couple of lamb chops to this batch since I LOVE lamb and Kevin hates it- it's a good opportunity for me to have lamb while he's happy with a steak)

Hobo-pack au gratin potatoes are easy to prepare, too. I sprayed a little cooking spray on a large piece of foil and layered thin sliced potatoes and onions, flour, cheese and about 1 tablespoon of butter, chopped into bits. Wrap well in the foil and add to the BBQ. I usually put the potatoes on as soon as the coals are ready since the meat doesn't take as long. We hobo-pack a lot of veggies while camping; might as well use the heat from the BBQ!

The potatoes take about 30 minutes to get lovely golden brown and tender.
I added a green salad with tomatoes from the garden and corn on the cob for a complete and lovely dinner.

I also made a delicious spaghetti dinner on another night- I found that if I pre-cook the spaghetti at home and store it in a gallon plastic baggie in the fridge, I can portion it out with some homemade sauce and cheese into hobo packs and toss it on the BBQ also. 12 minutes later, we had a hot, cheesy pasta dinner!
The cheesy biscuits were biscuits in a can that I baked in our little toaster oven.

I hope this gives your some good ideas for easy meals that taste wonderful while camping!

Camping in Hope Valley-"God of Wonders"

I've been neglecting my blog because, well, frankly, I've been busy having fun.
Kevin and I are determined to cram as much fun into the summer as we did into the winter...and it seems to be working, in spite of some technical difficulties.
I just realized I haven't posted anything since Mother's Day! Oh, my!
I'll get up to date with other things later, but I wanted to tell you about this amazing trip we took last weekend in our little Aljo trailer to Hope Valley Resort.

It's about 40 minutes from Carson City, in Hope Valley CA on Highway 88.
It's hundreds of miles away from cares, worries and fears and filled with joy, beauty and serenity. Oh, there's a little road noise during the day ....but mostly it's just beautiful and peaceful.
I tried to post the photo above, which was our view from our campsite, but they really meant it when they said there is no phone or internet reception at all!
This view was just so breathtaking that I had to take a picture...it reminded me of the song, "God of Wonders". I just love that song because it reminds me of the beautiful world that He has asked us to steward and enjoy...well, this place is gorgeous! "Lord of all creation/of water, earth and sky/the heavens are your tabernacle/ glory to the Lord on high"

Even though it's a drought in the area, we could have a fire at night. Fire is so magical in a campsite- you sit, and watch the flames, warmed by the fire and dream about all kinds of things. Kevin and I talk about our dreams around the fire when we go camping- then next place to go camping, the future, things we'd like to do and places we'd like to see...."when I stumble in the darkness/I will call your name by night"

We could hear the Carson River rushing over rocks from our site at night. We visited it several times, in different spots- hiking with Bridget, finding a secret swimming hold, and seeking out the best place to fish...
"Lord of Heaven and Earth"

And of course, cooking in camp is my specialty! I try really hard to make amazing dinners on our little campstove and BBQ...

Butternut squash ravioli with BBQ sweet italian sausage and a homemade tomato/pesto sauce ....

 Camp-made BBQ sauce with chicken...

 broccoli, carrot and cabbage slaw with vinaigrette...

potato, onion, squash and pepper hobo packs...

 cabernet sauteed mushroom burgers...

with local corn on the cob with coal roasted potatoes...

all served with gorgeous views! "Precious Lord reveal your heart to me/Lord of Heaven and Earth"

Although a bear came through the camp at night (our cooler was locked away in the truck EVERY night) we didn't hear a thing- we slept so soundly in such a beautiful area.