Camping made easy...

Like I said, we camped in a cabin in a state park so we had some amenities...like beds, bathrooms, and electricity...glorified campfire camping.  Given the challenge of getting the four younger kids all here at the same time to go away for a night this worked for us, especially since we still had to work all day Friday and do sports all weekend. 

Here is the "equipment" list: *Note- I highly recommend these bags or something similar- they are easy to carry and you can see what you have.

• flashlights/battery powered lanterns
• dish soap (unused-  I tossed my dishes in a bag and washed them at home)
• bug spray (note- we didn't need...I despise bug bites and snakes, which is part of why we camped now; also, it wasn't yet hot, the campground wasn't crowded, and there wasn't a two night minimum yet...you will find I am an "off season" kind of traveler)
• bath soap, shampoo, conditioner, towels (none used because we showered at home, something to be said about getting out of the shower in a heated bathroom when it is in the 40s)
• sheets- I brought a bottom sheet for each bed, then a bunch of comforters/blankets/sleeping bags/pillows
• lighter and newspaper for fires; candles for table (note- some parks require you buy wood there due to tree diseases)
• trash bags
• pans- brought my old school camping mess kits, one pot from my kitchen (you could do a tea kettle and a few pots and be fine), and random utensils (spatula, serving spoon, sharp knives); used plastic utensils and paper plates, hot cups for coffee and hot chocolate and Solo cups for bowls
• marshmallow roasters (yes, from Wal Mart)
• football
• chairs (I will never drag a chair to the beach, but find them to be essentials by the campfire)
• Kleenex
• space heaters (spoiled but loved it)
• paper towels and Clorox wipes

Will pack even less next time since I know we won't shower there or do dishes.

Food:  I simplified my trip by pre- cooking the Sloppy Joe meat at home, so had that to heat up, served on potato rolls; and a can of soup for veggie boy; potato salad; cut up fruit; potato chips and pretzels; Brie and crackers; of course s'mores- marshmallows, graham crackers and Hershey Bars; bagels and cream cheese (toasted over fire); cereal and milk; juice boxes; water; hot chocolate mix; instant coffee packets; and snacks (just whatever you like- I went for portable, such as Oreos, animal crackers, trail mix and yogurt).  Food fit into one medium sized cooler and one of those large bags.  To the kids we cooked dinner over the campfire, to me I was able to enjoy the dinner without a ton of work outside!  Tacos are another easy take and heat (believe me, I like the foil dinners and burgers too, but remember we got there at 5:45 on a Friday and needed something to be ready soon).

Had the car unpacked and everything put away in less than ten minutes...love it!  I think many don't try camping because they aren't "camping people" but this isn't roughing it- worst part is walking 1 1/2 mins to a bathroom.  The kids still had their phones and Ipods and such out by the end of the night (and could charge them in the cabin), but they did it all together vs. at home and in their rooms.  They laughed and we laughed, and decided it was way more fun than "Awk Bowling" (that would be the first time we all did an outing together a few years ago, when we were trying to think of things to do to appeal to 8 year old boys and 13 year old girls...the girls later coined the term when reminiscing about how awkward it was because they didn't know each other and sat next to each other texting their friends about how awkward it was)- the girls actually had a chance to reconnect, because with sports and jobs they haven't seen as much of each other lately...now they sit next to each other cackling over the texts and Tweets they are sending, laughing at the jokes they don't want us to know about :).  I <3 my blended family!

Would I have made it as a pioneer?

I think so...if it wasn't for that indoor plumbing thing...& heat...& electricity. Love cooking over the fire even if we kept it simple this time by pre-cooking Sloppy Joes this time & heating here. Soup for veggie boy (Noodle Os- he eats the broth & noodles & his step sis ate the chicken). Breakfast also simple- cereal & fire toasted bagels. Tried this Starbucks instant coffee- straight up with water ok- 8 oz each of milk & water & cook over fire even better. We did a little cabin at a state park- never done the cabin thing before but really made for an easy in & out & comfy sleeping- just enough electricity for space heaters :D! Good sleep essential because one already rolled out for a lacrosse game while our sleeping beauties still slumber. A bonus is the park is 25 mins from home so we can shower there. Roughing it- I know...not sure if we camped or just had a glorified campfire with a slumber party! & did our part to support the state park by going through 5 bundles of $5 firewood (required to buy here + you can throw in the downed pieces you find). This was our first blended family camp out & won't be our last! Later I will post my quick & easy camping list for the working mom...the kids will just remember that you went, not what you didn't cook pioneer style.

Have you discovered "Flying Nymph"?

We had Flying Nymph Viognier at Chef Geoff's last night- it was really good and light!  Will be looking for it this week in our favorite local shop!

I do believe that everything is better with bacon...

and that it is the perfect accompaniment to pumpkin pancakes for dinner!  So tired from going to see Creed last night (great fun at Warner Theatre in DC, with dinner at Chef Geoff's beforehand!), and had to be at work at 7:20 (didn't notice that til after I bought the tickets...but was worth being tired!) so breakfast for dinner is the easy answer for some comfort food.  My son is a pumpkin freak (which is interesting because he has sensory integration issues and is a vegetarian by choice, due to the texture and extreme taste of meats to him), so taking the time to make these vs. the boxed kind on occasion is worth it. His food repertoire is very limited, but he likes all things pumpkin. But yes, I just said he is a vegetarian, except for, you guessed it, he discovered bacon last year!  He would eat it by the pound if I would let him!

One recipe we like:
1 cup each of all purpose flour and whole wheat flour
6 T. brown Sugar
1 1/2 t. baking soda
dash of cloves and nutmeg (I used Pumpkin Pie Spice tonight)
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt

1 2/3 c. buttermilk (if you haven't discovered powdered buttermilk you need to for nights like this!)
3/4 c canned pumpkin
3 large eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 T. melted butter

You know the drill...mix the dry, mix the wet, fold the wet into the dry and cook :).  Makes about 14 decent sized pancakes.

Hopefully this year there won't be a canned pumpkin shortage like last year, but just in case I will be stocking up before summer...


Next up:  massive food shopping tomorrow and camping Friday night with the kids- have never done a cabin at a state park before, traditionally am a tent girl, but this is easier for a quick trip since we have a whole 17 hours between Friday after school and Saturday when sports start.  The list is made and the rain has lifted the campfire ban so we are ready for some fun :)!

Just Another Manic Monday...

Dinner prepped before work (thank goodness for homemade chili in the freezer!)- a cold rainy day where I work late...perfect evening for a chili/cheese/tortilla casserole (before imploding the boys' room after dinner...on the hunt for the poster the 13 year old says he made last Thursday but didn't make it to class on Friday and he has no idea what happened to it???)!  Easy as it sounds...flour tortillas...chili...cheese...repeat...heat...and EAT!  Definitely falls into the "not date food" category...that is messy and gloopy and meant to be eaten with those closest to you. Also just made my first fried plantains...a little oil with some Smart Balance in the cast iron skillet; sliced some ripe plantains and fried until carmelized and pretty dark, then put a little salt on them...yum! Next time will cook a little longer so they are crispier, but you know that fine line between carmelization and burnt... I can't believe I didn't discover them until my almost mid 40s, but had them at El Meson de Pepe  in Key West a few weeks ago and fell in love (now if they only came with the incredible service, sangria, entertainment and sunset they offer...but sitting on the couch watching reruns of "King of Queens" is a close second haha); next up is to master making Cuban Potato Balls a la those I had in Miami , but need to do a little more research before I take that on!

The Calm Before the Storm...

I'm really lucky to have the opportunity to go on regular dates with my significant other even though we live together, and to say this has been a blissful weekend is an understatement; much of what I write here will be geared toward the blended family and fun (and usually off the beaten path and away from the large crowds) things to do with your love when you have the time...hopefully it will spark an idea for you (and maybe you will share one with me!).  It started Friday with the amazing brick oven pizza from  Pizzeria Moto at Doukenie Winery's "Bistro Night" (my new favorite default place to spend a Friday night...paired with their Sauvignon Blanc!)...  Saturday brought Olney Ale House for dinner and "The 39 Steps" at the The Olney Theatre- good show, clever how four people did it all!  Ending the weekend with checking out the new STARZ series "Magic City" (not bad- saw female and male butts within the first minute lol) and a great dinner; I promise we did do some housework in between, but took most of today to clear our minds (ok, I should have been clearing the boys' closet but last time I checked that mess will sti ll be there tomorrow.  The calm before the storm...tomorrow starts another full week, not to mention continued much welcomed rain (hoping it will lift the campfire ban by Friday so we can do our camping trip for the night!)...but until then will enjoy each other and some Orange Ricotta Pound Cake!

Orange you glad it is a rainy Sunday?

Hokey joke (in our family we call those John and Linda jokes...)...but seriously, was one of those days where I had the luxury of taking a shower and putting on clean pajamas, and that doesn't happen too often!  Watched "Sarah's Key" (good movie!), getting ready to drink some wine and steam some shrimp with some Old Bay and homemade cocktail sauce, roast some veggies, and hang out with my love.  But then there is dessert, thus the reference to "orange..."- a heavenly and light orange pound cake- you can see the flecks of orange zest in the cake, and the ricotta makes it super moist.  Just one of those things that makes me smile!  Try it yourself!
Giada's Orange Ricotta Pound Cake Recipe from Food Network