Camp Food...

It's not just beans and wieners anymore.

Balsamic Bruschetta Mix

We're leaving for Yellowstone in the morning...and other places. (The TestyFest-- www.testyfesty.com is on the itinerary!) The van is packed with my down comforter and 300 thread count sheets and my sleep mask.

Oven-Baked Extra Thick Bacon

The cooler is filled with chardonnay and camping gourmet delights. I prepared some of the food ahead of time so I don't have to slave over a hot campfire all day.

Hopefully Enough Wine-If It Doesn't Rain.

If I am going to sleep in the Great Outdoors at my age I want my espresso and Baileys, thank you very much.

Blueberry Pecan Waffles

If a bear doesn't eat me there will be more posts.

"I'm smarter than the average bear!" Yogi Bear

Blueberry Pecan Waffles for Campers

Before you leave:

• 1 1/3 cups flour 
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• Blueberries-handful or so
• Chopped pecans- as many as you want.

1.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.
2.  Separate the eggs, adding the yolks to the dry ingredient mixture, and placing the whites in a small mixing bowl.
3.  Beat whites until moderately stiff; set aside.
4.  Add milk and melted butter to dry ingredient mixture and blend.
5.  Fold stiff egg whites into mixture.
6. Add blueberries and pecans
7.  Ladle mixture into hot waffle iron and bake.

When done and cool, place in a Ziploc and freeze. When you are camping take them out of the cooler and place them in a fry pan on the camp stove to warm or if you're really screwed, wrap in foil and place on the fire. Add butter and syrup and pretend you're at the Hyatt.

My Friend Julie Makes Better Cookies....

BUT these turned out pretty damn good!

It was a long day of writing and I had a sudden urge to make cookies- ADD can be fun- so I wandered away from the computer and started searching for ingredients.

I had a serious hankering for peanut butter and chocolate but the peanut butter was almost gone so I came up with orange chocolate chip cookies.

The batter tasted sooooo good that I'm lucky to have kept some for the actual cookies.

But I did.

I ate a few before remembering I haven't worked out very much this month so I sent some to my daughter, froze some for my son who visits next month and had The Husband hide some for me later.
And I'm mailing some off to my friend Julie.

"Sometimes me think what is love, and then me think love is what last cookie is for. Me give up the last cookie for you." Cookie Monster

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon orange zest or OJ or dried orange peel
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into and set aside. Cream butter, sugars, orange zest and vanilla extract together in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at a time beating well after adding each one. Add dry ingredients and stir until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and mix until well blended. Try not to eat all the cookie dough.
4. Drop dough by slightly rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten slightly. Bake cookies for 15 or 16 minutes or until golden. Cool on the cookie sheets. 
5. Hide most of the cookies so you don't eat them all at once.