ENDING OUR DAY
(Continued from yesterday’s post.)
With gentle waves lapping against our toes, Brandi and I walked along the shoreline of Lake Michigan after our swim. A soft breeze kissed our skin. Though it was a bright, sunny day well into the 80s, our dip into the refreshing water cooled us down and the soothing waves rippling over our feet kept us comfortable.
People lined the shore clustered into groups. There were families of moms and dads watching over their little ones splashing in the water, as well as larger groups of multiple families and friends. Some were in the water swimming, playing volleyball, and floating on rafts. One raft looked like a miniature hut holding at least a dozen people splashing and shrieking in delight. Others on shore spread out on blankets sunbathing, talking, and laughing. Occasionally children raced by us in a hurry to get in the water or on an excited dash to some other urgent destination.
Engaged in our own conversation, paced appropriately to our slow saunter along the lake’s edge, we nodded to others who smiled back as we passed. We walked for at least a half mile up the beach and, of course, a half mile back. Prompted by a few rumbles in our stomach, our discussion on the way back centered mostly on what we’d prepare for dinner.
Camping and cooking complement each other in a very symbiotic way. Just being outdoors seems to enhance the appetite. So, by the time we packed our beach bag and returned to the popup camper, we were pretty hungry. Tonight we planned one of our favorite camp meals cooked over an open fire. It’s a beef and vegetable gravy casserole baked in our camping Dutch oven.
A camping Dutch oven is a lot like one you’d use to bake in your oven at home. It’s a heavy cast-iron pan with a heavy lid that fits snug. The big difference is the lid on a camping Dutch oven has a raised lip all around it. This keeps any hot coals placed on the lid from rolling into the pot when removing the lid.
I grabbed some firewood, arranged it in the pit, peppered the pile with fire starters, and lit them. In just minutes the familiar crackle of a campfire roared. It’s actually the coals formed from the red embers of the burning firewood I use for cooking this meal. So, I let it burn down while I went inside to prepare the food.
Inside the camper I cut up the meat, onion, carrots, potato, sweet potato, red pepper, spinach, and mushrooms, then tossed that into the Dutch oven after lining it with foil. Brandi busied herself with making salad. I added spices, heavy on the garlic, then added the ingredient that really turns this camping meal into haute cuisine — powdered gravy mix! You can use any flavor you like, I chose country gravy. Feeling a little adventurous, I also put in a squirt of balsamic vinegar and to give it a tomato-ey flavor I doused it with ketchup — the camper’s quick tomato sauce.
I fit the lid onto the Dutch oven and took it outside. By now the fire burned down, leaving a mountain of red hot coals to cook with. Using my shovel I scooped some out and made a small circle around three flat rocks arranged into the points of a triangle. I set one leg of the Dutch oven on each rock, raising the pot a little above the coals. Then I scooped more coals to lay across the top of the lid. This creates an even heating environment to bake the meal both from below and above. I let it cook, removing the lid periodically to stir. I also tossed more wood onto the campfire.
Brandi finished making the salad and grabbed two ears of fresh picked sweet corn soaking in a bucket of water. We bought the corn during our trip to Traverse City (described in my post From Bears To Berries). There is nothing in the world that compares to the taste of Michigan sweet corn picked in August! I wrapped the ears in foil and laid them over the fire.
I then mixed together olive oil, water, vinegar, and a pakage of spices to make salad dressing. When the corn was tender and the casserole cooked through, we laid out our feast and gorged ourselves! After we finished, we washed and put away the dishes. We let our food digest a bit before we broke out the chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers to enjoy a sweet treat of gooey s’mores melted over the fading campfire!
We were full from dinner and tired from the day. We got ready for bed and hunkered down for the night, falling asleep almost as soon as our heads hit the pillows.
We enjoyed a full day of fun activities, good food, the pleasure of conversation, and the love engendered in a family camping trip. Tomorrow would be a new adventure, but today was an absolute joy.
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