I’m off to Big Sur this week and taking a break from blogging, cell phones, laptops, music and such! So I’m reposting two of my favorite posts about Big Sur, cast iron cooking, camping, nature and #glamping! Enjoy! See ya Friday!
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What’s “glamping” you might ask? It’s glamorized-camping, silly! I stole this hashtag from my friend Meadow who camps with wireless, iPhones and computers. Not me.
Think camping in the most beautiful part of California, Big Sur, and in tow you have a husband you call ‘handy’ Andy, who happens to be a chef that pairs great wine/good beer with his food, and who can put up a tent within nine minutes flat! And now that I’ve found the wonderful world of baking, I plan to bring some glamping snacks in the form of blondie bars and prepared foil pouches with apples and rhubarb, plums and apples and broccolini and onions and veggies galore!
These foil pouches are so easy to make and you can prepare them ahead of time and toss them in your cooler until it’s time to BBQ. I just picked a bunch of tomatoes, peppers and greens from my garden so I’ll be using those ingredients with fresh fruits and spices for the pouches. I’m also making Blondie Bars, that are gluten and dairy free, and are Paleo! Surprise, surprise. Instead of refined sugar, why not start substituting honey and agave in their place? You don’t need as much of it and will save you money and calories in the end! I just made this recipe up so let me know how you like it!
Traditionally, Blondie Bars are rich and sweet containing flour, brown sugar, butter, eggs, baking powder, chocolate chips and the like, and they should have a taste reminiscent of butterscotch. I wanted to make my Paleo so here’s my version with the emphasis on the butterscotch with the chips added! Great snack for camping, I mean glamping!
She’s a Fake Blondie Bar- makes 13-15 bars, depending on how small/ big you cut them
Ingredients:
-1/4 coconut oil
-1/4 cup honey
-1/2 cup almond butter
-1 egg
-1/2 tsp vanilla
-1 and 1/4 cups almond flour or gluten free flour
-1/2 tsp baking powder
-1/8 baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp nutmeg
-1/4 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 cup butterscotch chips
- Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 8×8 pan and set aside.
2. In your food processor, mix wet ingredients together.
3. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients throughly.
4. Add the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients and process again.
5. Mix in butterscotch chips lastly and pour into pan.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool and pack in foil for camping, trying not to eat them all at once!
Now onto the foils! These pre-packed foils are an easy way to prepare lunches and sides for your BBQ later on. I’m not much of a sandwich eater, so I prepared veggie packets to warm on the fire-pit in the afternoons. These are also called Hobo Packets and you can literally put just about anything in them, oils, honey and seasonings included.
To prepare your Hobo Packet, lay two sheets of heavy-duty non-stick aluminum foil down on a flat surface. Put your ingredients in the center of the foil. Bring the short ends of the foil together and fold twice. Fold the other two sides together to seal, leaving room for steam. Cook these babies for 15-30 minutes depending on what you have inside. Easy peesy! Make sure to label them so you know what they are later on.
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Strawberry Rhubarb Compote- makes 2 packets and is great for dessert!
Ingredients:
-2 stalks rhubarb
-1 pint strawberries, quartered
-2 T honey
-half lemon squirted on top
Directions:
Cook for 15 minutes.
Leave an opening at the top for steaming purposes.
Baby Beets- makes one packet
-3 baby beets, peeled and chopped into thick bites
-1/2 red onion
-fresh thyme
-fresh basil
-salt and pepper
-drizzle olive oil on top
Directions:
Cook for 30 minutes.
Baby Carrots and Pepper Medley- makes one packet
-3 large carrots or a 1/2 cup of baby carrots
-1 green bell pepper, chopped finely
-fresh thyme
-salt and pepper
-place a small wedge of butter inside
Directions:
Cook 15 minutes.
Broccolini or Broccoli Rob Medley- makes one packet
Ingredients:
-1 bunch of broccoli rob
-fresh parley
-2 cloves garlic
-10 almonds chopped finely
-red pepper flakes
-salt and pepper
-drizzle olive oil on top
Directions:
Cook for ten minutes.
Portobello Mushroom Cap Italian Style- makes one packet
Ingredients:
-1 Portobello mushroom cap, de-stem
-1/2 red onion
-2 cloves garlic, smashed
-red pepper flakes
-fresh parsley
-salt and pepper
-Italian seasoning and olive oil sprinkled on top
Directions:
Cook for 10 minutes and turn once.
Plum and Apple Compote- makes one packet-great for dessert
Ingredients:
-2 Granny Smith apples
-6 baby black plums
-fresh mint
-brown sugar sprinkled on top
Directions:
Cook for 12 minutes.
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Looks at all the pre-made foil meals!
The car’s all packed up and we’re ready to go! We’ve got our horseshoes, Smashball, Dominoes, books and games along with our pals Corduroy and Sugar. I’m trying to convince Andy into buying me a Volkswagen bus, but in the meantime, I’m willing to take this tent in its place! I found this on Amazon for $599! Maybe for Christmas Ma?!
Can you dig it?!