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Baked Beans

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We grew up eating baked beans, the baked beans out of a can. They were pretty darn good back then. Little did I know baked beans could be even better.

I was dating a guy from another town before I moved to Vancouver. His parents had a cabin at a lake about halfway between our two little towns. Plus a boat, water skis and all the fun summer toys. We spent our summer at this cabin with his family and friends having a good old time – the summer of 1989! There was this one time his mom cooked up a big batch of home made beans for our farewell BBQ. I am pretty sure I still have that recipe since she wrote it out for me. This is how I learned beans could be more than just out of a can.

Baked Beans
Baked Beans

I became more adventurous with baked beans when I got married. Some of the recipes we enjoy are these Smoky White Beans and Salsa Baked Beans. Several years ago my father in laws girlfriend Paulette introduced us to her baked beans with all kinds of yummy extras. I’ve had them a few times and they are really good. She shared the recipe with me and I will share it with you soon. It was Paulette’s use of large canned ready to eat beans, with an added flavour boost, that inspired me to make these beans.

Baked beans are oh so popular here in Calgary around Stampede time. They are a delicious side to any BBQ fair and we love to serve them with our Beef on a Bun. We’ve made these beans for a camping potluck and in the slow cooker.

 

Camping Beans
Camping Beans

 

This recipe makes enough for a big potluck or crowd. You will want to cut the recipe in half for smaller groups.

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Baked Beans
Author: 
Recipe type: side, dinner, lunch
Serves: 12
 
Ingredients
  • ½ package bacon
  • 2 cans baked beans, 1.36L
  • 1 can pineapple tidbits
  • 1 cup BBQ sauce (your favourite)
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • salt
Instructions
  1. Cook bacon in a dutch oven or heavy bottom pot over medium heat until cooked through. Do not cook until crispy as they will continue to cook with the beans. Rough chop and set aside.
  2. Drain half of the bacon fat into a jar for later use and keep the rest in your pot.
  3. Pour both cans of beans in the pot. Add pineapple tidbits and stir.
  4. In a small bowl mix together BBQ sauce, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard and maple syrup. Add a small pinch of salt. Stir in BBQ mixture and bacon.
  5. Bring beans to a boil then reduce to low simmer stirring regularly. Let cook 30-60 minutes and sit 15 minutes before serving. They will thicken as they sit.

 

Invivo Wines Night In

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Spending time in the outdoors is a reminder for us to focus on what’s important and shut off the phones for a little while. It’s a chance to spend one on one time with family & friends in a beautiful setting to experience life while enjoying delicious food and wine. I find cooking in the outdoors very inspiring and love to create new recipes!

This is exactly what we did when we went to Waterton Lakes National Park recently with a couple of friends and their families. It’s been 6-7 years since we last visited Waterton and we were very excited to share the experience together. These are a couple of friends I hang out with regularly during our Moms Who Needs Wine Evening Gatherings. There’s usually a dozen of us at any given time and we either get together at someone’s house, partake in wine tastings or visit a restaurant while getting caught up on each others busy lives. Our trip to Waterton included hiking, camping, fishing, good food & company, lots of fresh air and was exactly what we all needed. Plus it was the perfect setting to try a new wine, Invivo Wines Pinot Noir.

Originating in New Zealand, Invivo Wines was founded in 2007 by old school friends that liked New Zealand Wine so much they started a winery to make some. Now if that isn’t a story after my own heart, and one my friends and I have discussed many times! After the trails and tribulations of running a business, Invivo is proud to announce they are available in 17 countries worldwide and have one of Alberta’s fastest growing Sauvignon Blanc brands. The Pinot Noir is an easy drinking wine and one you don’t have to feel intimidated to try.

The Pinot Noir boasts aromas of cherries, black plum, blackberries and spicy herbal notes. A long finish and bright tannins round out this wine giving it a beautiful taste. We enjoyed our first sip with dinner, then the kids went off to play leaving us to sit around the fire and enjoy the rest of the bottle. We even discovered it pairs well with chocolate as we sampled an Epiphanie chocolate, and a dark chocolate with sea salt and spice.

Last year we discovered a wine called Bella by Invivo, a Sauvignon Blanc that left a lasting memory. I reached out to Invivo on Instagram about where to find it in Calgary and they responded right away with a few options. I haven’t looked for it in 2016, but sure hope the Bella is still available! So far my track record with Invivo wines has been fabulous.

As it’s a sweeter and fruity Pinot Noir we opted to pair it with marinated pork tenderloin for dinner. It would pair nicely with duck, salmon, tuna or chicken.

The nicest thing about this wine, was sharing it with friends!

Find Invivo Wines at these select Calgary locations:

4th Spot Kitchen & Bar
80th & Ivy
Calgary Coop Wines and Spirits
Catch Restaurant
Chateau Lake Louise
Cibo
Craft Cellars
Nixx Neighbourhood Pub
Olympia Liquor Store Group
Scopa Neighbourhood Italian
State & Main
Vintage Chophouse & Tavern
Willow Park Wines and Spirits

Samples of Invivo Wines Pinot Noir were provided for a Night In, however all opinions remain my own. 

 

 

Cast Iron Mac n Cheese

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Like many people I have a never ending love affair going on with mac n cheese. The real mac n cheese, you make at home or order in a restaurant. Oddly enough I do not make it very often for my family. I tried when my kids were little, but they never caught on yet they loved noodles. Then one day a couple years ago I made it while camping (I plan ahead) in a Cast Iron pan. My kids and non pasta loving husband had an AHA moment and fell in love with Cast Iron Mac n Cheese. Ever since it goes into camping food rotation as it’s requested whenever we camp.

Cheese sauce
Cheese sauce

Cast Iron Mac n Cheese was one of those recipes I made and had to work on getting the method right. It curdled a few times but I never gave up because well cheese. And noodles. I’ve learned through trial and error whole milk works best. Using an expensive old cheddar and cold milk right out of the fridge may have caused the curdling. Now I let my milk warm up a bit before using and I opt for a medium good cheddar with a smoked cheese to enhance the flavour.

Adding noodles to the buttered Cast Iron pan
Adding noodles to the buttered Cast Iron pan

This isn’t your mommas mac n cheese and you won’t lose any weight eating it, so you might as well pour a glass of wine or a beer and enjoy!

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Cast Iron Mac n Cheese
Author: 
Recipe type: Dinner, lunch
 
Ingredients
  • ½ cup bread crumbs, toasted
  • 450-500 gram box macaroni
  • 3-4 tbsp butter
  • 3-4 tbsp flour
  • 3 cups whole homogenized milk
  • ½ tsp old bay spice
  • 2 cups medium cheddar, shredded
  • 1.5 cups smoked gouda cheese, shredded
  • butter to grease pan
  • salt and pepper
  • butter
Instructions
  1. Take your milk out of the fridge and let sit at room temperature.
  2. Cook your pasta one minute less than what it says on the box. Strain, put back in pot, add a little butter, mix and set aside to cool.
  3. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it’s melted, add your flour to the butter and start whisking. Let the flour cook out for at least 3 minutes.
  4. Slowly whisk in one cup of milk. Once thickened add in the remaining 2 cups. Keep your heat down as you do not want it to boil. Once thickened slowly add in spoonful's of the cheese, combined is fine, stirring (not whisking) after each addition until all the cheese is melted in. Stir in a pinch of salt, pepper and the old bay seasoning. Turn the heat off.
  5. Using your fingers (like our mother's before us) take some butter and rub it all over the bottom and insides of the cast iron pan.
  6. Next add your cooked macaroni.
  7. Pour in your cheese sauce and stir to combine.
  8. Top with bread crumbs. I grated a little extra gouda and sprinkled it on top.
  9. Cover with tin foil and place right on campfire grate or bbq over low flame or indirect heat.
  10. Let cook for 20-30 minutes until bubbling. It should form a nice brown (not burnt) crust on the bottom. Everyone fights over these bits.

 

Grilled Beef Satay

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Beef Satay is the perfect, light summer meal. Use your favourite marinade or try this one the next time you make these. They literally melt in your mouth. Make sure you cut your beef thin and let it marinade for at least an hour or more depending the cut of beef you use.

If you are using a cheaper cut of steak like I did (inside round), ensure you have acid in your marinade to tenderize the steak and let marinate for longer than an hour if you can. With this meal I par-boiled some baby potatoes, let them cool, skewered them and added olive oil, salt and pepper. A few minutes on the grill finished them off.

This is an easy and tasty meal to get your Summer Grilling on!

Grilled Beef Satay
Grilled Beef Satay

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Grilled Beef Satay
Author: 
Recipe type: Lunch, dinner
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • 1-2 lbs Inside Round Steak
  • ¼ cup sherry
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 1 garlic scape rough chopped and pressed a few times to soften
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • ½ tsp sambal oelek
  • 20 bamboo skewers, soaked in water
Instructions
  1. Mix together sherry, soy sauce, garlic scape, sesame oil, oyster sauce and sambal oelek. Pour into a clear plastic zip up bag and set aside.
  2. Cut your steak into thin slices. Add to marinade. Squish all together, close bag and place in fridge to marinate at least one hour or longer. Let your bamboo skewers soak during this time.
  3. Remove from marinade and thread beef onto skewers.
  4. On a preheated grill over medium-high, grill the satay skewers for 2-3 minutes per side or until done.
  5. These skewers are so flavourful they do not need any dip or sauce. Enjoy!

 

Greek Pasta Salad

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Back in 2002 I used to play on a local softball slow-pitch team. I was fairly new to Calgary and looking to get out and meet people. The same year I also joined an indoor soccer team and billiards team. It was around then I met my husband, through work of all places, and life was forever changed.

During our ball season, our team did a few weekend tournament camping trips. Let’s be honest. They are beer tournaments and lots of beverages were consumed. Lots of fun though! We planned potluck style meals and it was around this time someone from work introduced me to Club House Pasta Salad Dressing Mix. I was hooked, it was so delicious. So every camping trip that followed I would precook the pasta, store it in a zip lock bag, chop up a bunch of vegetables, store them in a plastic bag, mix up the dressing and keep it in a sealed jar and wrap up some feta as the finishing touches. Always a hit and a salad I make regularly now. Our Greek Pasta Salad was created when leftover Greek salad met pasta using the Club House Pasta Salad Dressing.

Did you know you do not have to rinse your pasta to cool it down? Last year at an event with Canadian Chef Lynn Crawford she made a delicious noodle salad. She advised not to rinse your pasta while letting it cool down – it’s not necessary. Instead lay it out on a cookie sheet and let it cool that way. I’ve been doing this ever since and it works like a charm!

 

Greek Pasta Salad
Greek Pasta Salad

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Greek Pasta Salad
Serves: 12
 
Ingredients
  • 400 gr pasta (fusilli, rotini)
  • 1 cup of peppers, chopped
  • ½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup cucumber, chopped
  • ½ cup Kalamata olives
  • 1 cup small grape tomatoes cut in half
  • ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1 pkg Club House Pasta Salad Dressing Mix
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • White vinegar
  • Olive oil
Instructions
  1. Cook your pasta according to instructions on box. Drain and lay out on cookie sheet to cool down.
  2. Whisk together your pasta salad dressing as per instructions using vinegar and oil. Mix in Dijon mustard. Set aside.
  3. In a medium sized bowl combine peppers, onions, cucumber, olives, cooled pasta and dressing. Gently toss in tomatoes and feta. Let sit in refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

 

Infused Water

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About four years ago I hosted one of our annual Mom’s Who Needs Wine Evenings. One of the ladies was pregnant so for her I filled a lovely jug with spring water and added cucumber and fresh mint. She loved it so much that when we went camping together that summer it was all she drank! We experimented more in summer with fruit and the kids loved it.

I try to encourage the kids to drink lots of water during the day. We don’t drink much juice here and rarely pop so infusing their water with good stuff encourages them to keep at it, and eat the good stuff!

There are so many combinations of infused waters the variations are endless. Put out a variety of ingredients and let the kids make up their own. It will encourage family bonding time and them to drink the water. We made three infused waters for these photos and re-used water bottles from a local juice store. Mason jars or any other easy to carry and pretty jar with a lid would also be ideal.

In these photos we made three variations. Here’s how we did it.

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Infused Water
Author: 
Serves: 3
 
Ingredients
  • 3-4 slices thinly sliced orange
  • 3-4 slices thinly sliced lemon
  • 3-4 slices thinly sliced lime
  • 4-6 strawberries, hulled and sliced thin
  • 6-10 slices cucumber
  • 6 fresh mint leaves
  • water
  • 3 bottles
Instructions
  1. To first bottle add orange, lemon and lime. Pop in some ice and fill with water.
  2. To second bottle add strawberries. Add ice and fill with water.
  3. To third bottle add cucumber and mint. Add ice and fill with water.

Infused-Water-v2

Infused Waters
Infused Waters

 

 

Gouda and Olive Tapenade Grilled Cheese

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April is National Grilled Cheese Month and that makes me one very happy camper. I grew up eating pretty simple grilled cheese sandwiches made with Kraft singles. As yummy as they were my tastes changed when I hit my twenties and my love for cheese and/or melted cheese exploded. As I aged I started adding new cheese variations to my grilled cheese and then BAM grilled cheese became cool and popular which made me even happier as there were new variations I hadn’t even thought of.

One of my favourite things to do as a teenager was melt cheese in a pan and scoop it out with fresh bread (this was how I fondued). From here I moved on to toasting the bread, pressing it into the melted cheese and this is how I’ve always made my cheese toast. My kids love it and it’s perfect camping where there is no toaster oven.

This inspired me to up my grilled cheese game one day by pressing my grilled cheese into some melting cheese that was left in the pan instead of scooping it out and burning my mouth like I usually would. So I did both sides. Cheese on the inside and crispy cheese on the outside. It was reaaallly good!

Here’s how we do it.

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Gouda and Olive Tapenade Grilled Cheese
Author: 
Recipe type: lunch, snack, camping
Serves: 1
 
Ingredients
  • 2 pieces thick sliced french bread
  • mayonnaise
  • ½ cup grated gouda and medium cheddar
  • ¼ cup olive tapenade
  • 2 sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
Instructions
  1. Heat non stick skillet over medium heat.
  2. Mix sun dried tomato with olive tapenade.
  3. Spread mayonnaise on one side of each piece of bread. Place one piece of bread mayonnaise side down in hot pan.
  4. Sprinkle on a little cheese.
  5. With spoon add and lightly spread on your olive tapenade.
  6. Top with a little more cheese and your second piece of bread, mayonnaise side up pressing lightly.
  7. Turn heat to medium low and cover.
  8. Cook until golden about 3 minutes.
  9. Flip and cook other side until cheese is melted and bottom golden.
  10. Remove from pan to board or plate and let site for a minute before eating or cutting.
  11. If you want to add the crispy outer cheese add about 1 tbsp of shredded cheese to hot pan in a small circle. As it melts place your uncut hot grilled cheese sandwich onto the melting cheese. Once the cheese has melted completely and turned golden carefully remove with a flipper and set aside.
  12. Add another tablespoon of melted cheese to hot pan and repeat with other side of grilled cheese until melted and golden. Remove and let sit. Cut and enjoy.

 

 

Gouda and Olive Tapenade Grilled Cheese
Gouda and Olive Tapenade Grilled Cheese

 

Roasted Poblano Turkey Chili

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Chili is a hearty food perfect anytime of the year. We love it in the Fall with added squash and fall vegetables. A mug of steaming Winter chili is simple comfort food. Summer suggests camping chili and chili cook offs (lots of inspiration here). And Spring brings a lightened up chili using ground chicken or turkey.

Beyond a bowl or mug of chili, here’s a few suggestions on what else you can do with your chili. Cook up a big batch at home or while camping over the fire and add it on top of baked potatoes, create chili macs in leftover burger buns or make your hot dog a chili dog. Dollop some chili into hard taco shells and add your toppers or add some to a wrap and roll it up. Ever try chili stuffed peppers? You’ll love it!

I love to add crunchy toppers to my bowl of chili while the rest of the family prefers a simple sprinkle of grated cheese. Put out some bowls filled with your favourite toppers and let everyone help themselves.

This three pepper chili has a mild but slightly noticeable level of heat from the roasted poblanos and jalapeno. If you like your chili spicier, add hot pepper flakes or additional fresh diced jalapenos with the seeds.

Roasted Poblano Turkey Chil
Roasted Poblano Turkey Chil

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Roasted Poblano Turkey Chili
Author: 
Recipe type: dinner, lunch, cabin, camping
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • 2 poblano chiles
  • 1 jalapeno
  • Olive oil
  • 1 medium red onion, or 1 ¼ cup, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp ancho chili powder
  • 1½ lbs ground turkey
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 398 ml can fire roasted or diced tomatoes
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 540 ml can white kidney beans
  • Salt and pepper
  • Aluminum foil
  • Toppers [chopped]: bell pepper, tomato, red onion, avocado, cilantro, fresh or pickled jalapeno, zucchini, jicama, crushed gluten free taco chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425F. Drizzle olive oil on poblano and jalapeno peppers, place on parchment lined baking sheet and roast until blistered, about 35 minutes, turning regularly. Remove to bowl and cover with aluminum foil. Let sit for 10 minutes to steam. Peel skin by holding stem and pulling skin off. Cut out membrane and toss seeds. Cut into large pieces. Set aside.
  2. Over medium high heat add olive oil to pot and toss in your onions. Turn heat down and cook for about 10 minutes. When onions are soft, add garlic, cooking for another minute before adding red pepper. After a few minutes stir in the oregano, cumin, both chili powders and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add your turkey and cook until browned.
  3. Make a hole in the middle of your pot by spreading your ingredients to the outer edges. Add tomato paste in the middle stirring until combined with all ingredients. Drop in diced tomatoes and chicken broth stirring to scrape up any bits on the bottom. Let simmer 15 minutes.
  4. Stir in beans, poblano and jalapeno peppers. Let cook an additional 10-15 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Pour into bowls and garnish with your favourite toppers.

 

 

Roasted Poblano Turkey Chil
Roasted Poblano Turkey Chil

 

 

Banh Mi Sliders

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Vietnamese food is one of my favourites. It’s a healthy balance between herbs, meats, spices and flavours that kick my tastes buds into over drive. The family loves it as much as I do and since it’s affordable, we eat Vietnamese almost as often as we do pizza. With several Vietnamese restaurants in Calgary, it’s fun to go out and try new ones.

There is never a dull moment when we decide to make some Vietnamese food at home. The kids love to help make salad rolls so we try to make them at least once a month. Fish sauce is a staple here so we buy the large size and use it in several dishes. And the kids adore fresh bean sprouts, cucumber and carrots.

Tips and tricks: make the patties bigger if you prefer manly sized burgers vs sliders. You should get 6 patties out of this lot. If you are short on time, don’t worry about pickling the vegetables for this burger. Fresh sliced cucumbers and peeled carrots work just fine. The sriracha mayo is pretty wicked, cut back on the sriracha if you don’t like the heat. Or add more if you like it spicy. Want to skip the bun? Use a lettuce cup to wrap up the deliciousness.

The flavours in the burger stand out so much I had to convince my 8 year old to not add any ketchup to the burger. He did add a little plain mayo and after a few bites he agreed. Then he proceeded to eat 3.

5.0 from 1 reviews
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Banh Mi Sliders
Author: 
Recipe type: lunch, bbq, snack
Serves: 5
 
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1 cup grated or peeled carrot strips
  • ½ cup cucumber, chopped
  • 2 scallions, sliced
  • 2 lbs ground pork
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp grated ginger
  • 1 cloves minced garlic
  • 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp fish sauce
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • salt and pepper
  • ½ cup fresh jalapeno peppers thinly sliced
  • sprigs of fresh cilantro
  • lettuce leaves
  • buns
Instructions
  1. Quick Pickles: In a bowl or small jar mix together sugar and rice wine vinegar, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the carrot strips, cucumbers and scallions. Set aside in refrigerator until ready to use.
  2. Preheat grill to medium high.
  3. Place the pork in a mixing bowl and add in sesame oil, ginger, garlic, rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, brown sugar and a pinch of salt and pepper. Divide the meat into 10 equal parts, and form each part into a slider.
  4. Grill the burgers until the meat is no longer pink inside about 4-5 minutes per side.
  5. Assemble: On a bun slather on some sriracha mayo if using, add your burger, a piece of lettuce and about ¼ cup of the pickle mixture onto the burger. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and thinly sliced jalapeno peppers.
Notes
To make sriarcha mayo mix together ½ cup mayo, 1 thinly sliced scallion, 1-2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, 1.5 tsp sriracha (or to taste), pinch of salt, zest and juice of of half a lime. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

 

 

Blueberry Guacamole

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BC Blueberries have arrived in the stores/markets and I couldn’t be more excited. It’s one of my favourite times of the year. Growing up in BC, my mom used to grow all kinds of berries and vegetables plus had several fruit trees in our yard. Enjoying fresh produce like this every Summer was sure a great way to grow up. I’m always giddy when the fresh BC produce arrives in Alberta.

I am excited to be attending the BC Blueberries 2015 Kick Off to the Season Launch in Calgary this week. I always get inspired and want to create new recipes with blueberries when I know this event is coming up and the blueberries arriving in Calgary. This blueberry guacamole happened almost by accident. Eating blueberries along side guacamole and I decided to combine the two into one bite. I was sold, it’s seriously delicious. Even my guacamole loving kid loved the addition of blueberries. I might try fresh cherries next.

Here’s how you do it.

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Blueberry Guacamole
 
Ingredients
  • 3 ripe avocados
  • ½ cup fresh blueberries, halved if big
  • 1 tbsp fresh jalapeno, chopped
  • juice from 2 limes
  • 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
  • 1 tbsp green onion, sliced thin
  • olive oil
  • salt
Instructions
  1. Mash avocados in a bowl.
  2. Mix in blueberries through green onion and a good pinch of salt.
  3. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with crackers, pita chips or tortillas.

 

Campfire Baked Brie

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This campfire baked brie is simply delicious. I’m not your average camper where food is concerned. Yes I love smokies, hot dogs, marshmallows, tin foil suppers, and the like. But I like to experiment. Push the limits and see what I can create. Anyone who camps with me knows there will be some tasty bites to try at least once during our trip. Some times the recipes fail, like this past camping trip….I tried a recipe and it burned to a crisp! Win some lose some. One failure, 3 successes. Pretty good odds in my book!

Pick up the largest brie you can find…trust me it goes fast. Bring along your favourite toppers (olives-tapenade , berry compote, sundried tomatoes, fresh fruit, pulled pork, nuts, etc.). Score the top of the brie, add your toppers, wrap in foil and grill carefully for about 10 minutes, turning once. While cooking grill up some sliced baguette or french bread. Winner Winner this could be your dinner. Dinner for one. Or to share. Either way it’s delicious.

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Campfire Baked Brie
Author: 
Recipe type: appetizer, dinner, lunch, breakfast
 
Ingredients
  • 1 large round of brie
  • ½ cup of your favourite toppers
  • olive oil
  • aluminum foil
  • baguette and/or french bread, sliced
Instructions
  1. Place brie on aluminum foil sheet. Score top a couple of times.
  2. Pour toppers on top and spread around.
  3. Wrap foil around brie to seal.
  4. Place in coals in fire for 10 minutes, turning once at 5 minutes.
  5. Drizzle olive oil on your bread slices and grill a couple minutes per side. Set aside.
  6. Remove brie from coals, open packet, drizzle with oil and serve with bread.

 

Campfire Baked Brie
Campfire Baked Brie

Date Energy Bites

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We are road trippers and campers. With me being from BC, my family living in SK, my husbands family living in MB and us residing in AB, we’ve toured up and down the 4 Western Provinces extensively over the past 15 years. Definitely time to discover and journey to the East and South into America!

I’ve always tried to pack a small cooler for road trips. Fill them with good stuff like cheese sticks, yogurt tubes, and cut up veggies for the road. I wash & cut up a bunch of fruit, put it into larger portable containers and this helps with any hunger that might set in on a trip alleviating the need to stop at a gas station and buy junk food. The kids just pass the container around until they are satisfied, or it is empty. If your kids love hummus, bring it along as a dip for the veggies.

Depending on how long the trip is I will bring along some home made granola or trail mix, and even prepare some Sammy’s On A Stick for the road, or for when we arrive at our destination. Popping some popcorn the night before and separating it into individual ziplock bags, with some pretzels or m&m’s thrown in is one idea the kids love.

These energy bites were created as another road trip option as they are another quick, tasty & healthy bite that can be made a variety of ways. Bites made with dates are naturally sweetened. Also nut free so the kids can take them to school.  So many ways to eat relatively healthy while on the road1

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Date Energy Bites
Author: 
Recipe type: snack, road trip, healthy,
Serves: 10-12
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup dates
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 cup oats
  • ¼ cup chocolate chips
  • ¼ cup dried cranberries
  • 1 tsp chia seeds
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp agave
Instructions
  1. In a blender, food processor or immersion blender, puree dates with water until smooth.
  2. In bowl mix dates with remaining ingredients.
  3. Put in refrigerator to allow to firm up or roll as is.
  4. Store in covered container in refrigerator.

 

Grilled Citrus Chicken

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My kid watches me in the kitchen and has been doing so since she was little. She’s 9, almost 10 going on 14. She’s a true Leo as she was so stubborn during her birth, that after 64 hours of labour, she ended up being escorted out of my belly via emergency C-section. She brings this stubbornness into the kitchen when she bakes. Always wanting to race ahead, and do things her way without reading instructions properly or sitting back to listen & learn. I do love this about her, but it can be challenging.

A couple weeks ago I gave my kids a chicken challenge. Cook any kind of (simple) chicken dish you wanted for supper. Think about it, go through recipe books, or make up a recipe. Hailey’s first idea was to make up a watermelon marinade for the chicken. Since we don’t care for grilled watermelon, and watermelon logged chicken didn’t seem to appeal, I talked her out of it (maybe a mistake?). I could have googled ideas, but I wanted this to be hers. So I suggested she think up something different. She decided on this citrus chicken. Created it entirely on her own. I directed her to the fresh herbs, she smelled & tasted and decided which she wanted to add to the marinade. She loves grilled halloom cheese (from Superstore) and knew she wanted grilled this cheese as part of her meal (she calls it the squeaky cheese), with the grilled chicken placed on top. And her favourite Tabbouleh Salad. I helped with suggesting grilled lemon or lime on top. Her dad did all the grilling.

For the first time we worked together in the kitchen (I helped with the chopping) without any battles. It was flawless and so much fun to watch her follow her vision. And she did an amazing job. While it may not happen again anytime soon, this mom is super proud.

To assemble plate place a little salad on bottom of plate in a circle. Add a slice of grilled halloom cheese. Top with a piece of grilled chicken and if using, grilled lemons or limes.

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Grilled Citrus Chicken
Author: 
Recipe type: dinner, lunch
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • 8-10 boneless/skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 orange
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 lime
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • salt & pepper
  • 2 tbsp fresh mint & fresh oregano, chopped
  • 1 pckge Halloom Cheese
  • Additional lemons or limes for grilling
Instructions
  1. Zest the orange, lemon and lime until you get about 1 tsp of each.
  2. After zesting, juice each fruit pouring all juice and zest into Ziploc bag.
  3. Add oil, a pinch of both salt and pepper, mint, oregano and chicken.
  4. Marinate for 1-2 hours in refrigerator.
  5. Preheat BBQ to medium high. Slice halloom cheese lengthwise into 8 pieces.
  6. Grill for about 2-3 minutes or until golden. Carefully flip (some cheese may stick to grill) and grill other side for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove & set aside.
  7. Grill chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
  8. Assemble plates as suggested above
Notes
Slice extra lemons or limes and place right on preheated grill. Grill for 2-3 minutes per side or until you get a nice char.

 

Grilled Citrus Chicken
Grilled Citrus Chicken

 

 

Planning dinner & making a list
Planning dinner & making a list

 

Teriyaki Pork Burger

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Since we are shying away from beef more and more lately due to the more than 18% price increase, we are buying more pork. And chicken. But those items are getting more expensive to. And the cashiers in the stores are noticing less people buying meat. Guess we will all become vegetarians. But before then we will enjoy these Teriyaki Pork Burgers!

Fresh ginger in this burger makes it taste even more delicious. Use your favourite store bought teriyaki sauce (or home made). Sometimes easy reigns supreme when you have busy activity nights and just need to feed the kids and head out the door stat. These burgers are awesome to whip up, mold into patties, freeze and take camping. Or serve to a crowd.

Toast your buns and add your favourite burger toppers. We served our burgers with some Salsa Baked Beans.

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Teriyaki Pork Burgers
Author: 
Recipe type: lunch, dinner, BBQ, camping
Serves: 8
 
Ingredients
  • 1.5 lbs ground pork
  • 1 large scallion or 2 small, chopped thin
  • ½ tsp ginger, grated
  • ½ tsp dried mustard
  • 2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • buns
  • condiments & burger toppers
Instructions
  1. In a medium sized bowl add pork, scallions, fresh ginger, mustard, teriyaki sauce and a pinch of salt & pepper to taste.
  2. Lightly mix to combine and form into 8 patties or 6 x ¼ lb patties.
  3. Grill over medium heat until completely cooked through.
  4. Build your burger with your favourite condiments and burger toppers.

 

7 Camping Essentials

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I’d like to think I’m well seasoned when it comes to camping. A 40+ year veteran of all kinds of camping, I’ve learned a lot over the years about what works, and what doesn’t. The best part, the memories, lots of memories! Like one I recall of myself out camping with the family and I’m sitting in an old canning pot, waiting to be bathed. I was so tiny!

We’ve learned lots of neat tips and tricks from my father-in-law and his girl friend Paulette who spend May through September in their permanent campsite at Rocky Lake in Manitoba, I create ever evolving lists on top of lists that work well when it comes to camping. Back in the day those lists would have diapers, potties, play pens, these days it’s all about the food and where to fit the booze (truth).

These days we have a tent trailer. It’s not fancy but it keeps us off the ground, dry and warm. We’re simple like that and take camping for what it is….a way to get out of the house, away from the electronics and get back to enjoying nature.

Camping Pie Irons

Our first year together and my then Fiancee, now husband, took me to Rocky Lake camping with his family. His dad and dad’s girlfriend had quite the seasonal campsite set up with two trailers, a deck, garden, decoration and so much more that has grown over the years. One of the most exciting discoveries that summer, pie irons. My life was forever changed. We got some for Christmas and we also purchased our own. Fourteen years later those pie irons are still holding strong. pie-irons

Use them for making pizzas, warming up leftover stew or chili, grilled cheese, and making pies of course. Leftover mac n cheese is incredibly delicious reheated in a pie iron. There are so many things you can do with a pie iron, all you need is a little creativity!

Extra Blankets or Sleeping Bags

Even in our trailer with the heat on and flannel pyjamas, sometimes when camping in the mountains, it can get chilly at night. Pick up some extra sleeping bags, keep them rolled up and within reach in case anyone needs an extra hug. Old comforters or sheets come in handy. It’s all about the layers and you just never know when a stash of toques and mittens kept in a trailer cubby will come in handy.

Roasting Sticks

There’s just something about being able to cut and widdle your own wiener stick. Since this is not always an option based on where you are camping, we also keep metal ones in the trailer at all times. Metal ones are good for hot dogs and even smokies or sausages. Wood sticks make the best marshmallow sticks since the inside doesn’t heat up like it does with a metal stick. You can also buy these in packages. Whatever the case may be, you can never have to many.

Folding Portable Plastic Table

One of our favourite items is our 4′ – 6′ table set up right outside the door of our trailer. It holds all the things, allows for meal prep to be done without taking up space on the picnic table, cooking utensils to be pass down, is the perfect vessel to prepare your morning coffee, can be used later for lanterns, cocktails or s’more set up. Having a folding picnic table allows us to use the entire picnic table for board games, activities and to eat family style.

Coffee Maker

If you love coffee, you more than likely have your own favourite method for preparing it while camping. Our cousins and my brother bring out an actual coffee maker (glampers ha ha). We went for years using a percolator, but in the end it always ended up so blackened by the fire, the mess was no longer worth it. Even stored in a plastic bag the black soot got everywhere.

stainless-steel-french-press
Photo Credit: Hammacher Schlemmer

Our obsession for the last 6+ years has been a Stainless Steel French Press. Yes you need a kettle, or to boil water which you can do easily enough on the grate of your fire or camp stove. The kettle acts as double duty for hot chocolate or tea. The morning we leave for camping I always grind my beans and store them in a plastic container.  Stainless steel travels exceptionally well and it’s pretty easy to clean.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Folding Bamboo Dish Rack

Bamboo Dish Rack
Photo Credit: Amazon

There’s nothing quite like washing your dishes outside in the fresh air. You are camping so why be cooped up in your trailer doing dishes. We do our dishes either on the picnic table or our folding table. Boil the water, add in the dish soap, one for washing, one for rinsing and hello folding bamboo dish rack. They even get to drip dry in the fresh air. It dries without molding, is sturdy, folds up flat, and has a long shelf life. Meaning we’ve had ours for at least 10 years. You can now

buy them with a utensil holder which screams upgrade to me.

Head Lamps

Every changing, head lamps are light weight and powerful lights when you need them. If you are tenting or do not have a toilet inside your trailer, you will want a headlamp for those late nights you have to trek to the outhouse or washroom with or without the kids.

There are times we are camping and want to climb a hill to watch the sunset, or walk down to the beach in the dark for fireworks. The kids enjoy having them to read books before bed. Make sure you bring extra batteries.

While looking at my lists and preparing this post, the kids chimed in to help pick out some essentials we can’t live without when we go camping. We came up with so many essential camping items, there may very well be a Part II & III in the near future. Stay tuned and enjoy exploring the great outdoors!

Bannock on a Stick | Brewers Campground at Gull Lake

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Our first camping adventure of the year found us trying a new campground, and it’s a mouthful. Brewer’s Campground & Aspen Beach Provincial Park at Gull Lake, right smack dab in the middle of Alberta. Whew, right. It’s not a long drive for us and but a lovely one through the country side.

The campground itself features several loops, but they do not identify the loops by alphabet like many campgrounds do. Rather just drive to your assigned (number) campsite after checking in, and you’re set. Our campsite was treed and private. But close to the highway and we heard the trucks going by quite frequently. We would return to this campground but next time we will try to get a site away from the highway. Also important to note there are no parks activities for families or kids here (also no amphitheater).

The boardwalk over the marsh at Gull Lake
The boardwalk over the marsh at Gull Lake

Aspen beach itself is sandy and the water surprisingly warm for this time of the year. Sometimes these lakes just don’t get enough sun to warm up in time for the beginning of July. The beach is long and shallow making it the perfect beach for minions of all ages.

geocaching at Brewers Campground at Gull Lake
On the trail to find us a Geocache at Gull Lake

The lake has fish. Which includes Walleye and Pike but according to Rob (husband) you have to go into a draw to fish Walleye in Alberta, know which lake your going to, and all kinds of other important stuff before you drop your line. We were not prepared so fishing didn’t happen on this camping adventure.

Aspen Beach at Gull Lake, camping fun
Always a little wet after the rain, but never deters. Aspen Beach at Gull Lake

But there was plenty of other things to do. Like a marsh to inspect, bike trails to ride down, pathways to explore and some geocaching to dive into. Not to mention some delightful camp food to be eaten and of course the beach!

The marsh was alive with all kinds of life. A large beaver dam was viewable as were pelicans. Red-winged Blackbirds were everywhere and we saw some baby ducklings! Off in the distance we were able to spot a Great Blue Heron. Other life in this marsh includes frogs, minnows and even muskrat.

Just beyond the marsh, is a picturesque bushed area. Our gps lead us here to find a cache. Besides the mosquitoes, it was serene and a lovely walk through the woods. We found our cache rather quickly and were on our way.

Cooking Bannock over the camp fire
Cooking Bannock over the campfire

The first time I made bannock was in Home Economics class around Grade 9 or so. It was simple, tasty and it’s stayed with me for the past 30 years. Traditional Bannock is made slightly different, sometimes with milk, or baking powder, flattened and cooked in a pan with some oil. This dough recipe is the same one we use to make our Pie Iron Pizzas giving you two snacks in one if you choose.

To ensure your Bannock holds on the stick, make sure you find and carve yourself a good solid, thick roasting stick. The dough will not hold onto a metal roasting stick very well, if even at all. You will need some patience, so if your minions can’t sit still for long (like mine), make sure you are there to step in and take over. Takes about 10 minutes or more to roast the bannock ensuring the inside is cooked.

Best way to serve it is warm, with some butter and jam. Really quite tasty. Another fun way to explore cooking outdoors with the kids.

5.0 from 1 reviews
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Bannock on a Stick | Brewers Campground at Gull Lake
Author: 
Recipe type: Snack, lunch, breakfast
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups flour
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 4 tbsp butter, cold
  • 2 tsp white sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 ziplock bag
Instructions
  1. In ziplock bag combine flour, baking powder, butter, sugar and salt. Seal and squishy the bag until butter is crumbly. Write on bag "Add ½ cup water". Put in refrigerator or cooler.
  2. At your campsite, prepare yourself a roasting stick. Set aside.
  3. When ready to make bannock, add water to bag, seal and squishy until mixture starts to form a dough ball. Remove from bag and on cutting board, form into 4-6 balls.
  4. Roll each ball and wrap around ends of roasting stick. Roast over hot fire, but not to close as to burn the outside. This part takes time since you want to cook the inside without burning the outside. Turn slowly, it will take anywhere from 10-20 minutes.
  5. When the bread is brown on the outside, has puffed up a little and feels cooked on the inside it is ready.

 

Adventures with S’mores & Camping at Ol’ MacDonalds Resort

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If you can believe it, I never had s’mores growing up. I know right…sheltered. But I did get my share of roasted, sticky, gooey, delicious marshmallows.

The word S’more appears to be derived from the phrase “some more”. According to Wikipedia, the first recorded version of the recipe can be found in the publication Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts of 1927. The exact origin is unclear but the year 1925 pops up.

S'mores while camping
Oreo Cookie S’mores

There are many ways to eat s’mores. And we have definitely experimented a lot over the years. These days it’s just the norm that we don’t go camping without a bucket (yes I said bucket) full of s’mores supplies. My kids are definitely learning there are more to s’mores than crackers, chocolate and marshmallows.

S'mores Supplies
S’mores Supplies

Ol’ MacDonalds Resort near Stettler is a private campground on Buffalo Lake that we’ve been visiting every year for over 6 years. Sometimes we even go twice during camping season, that’s how much we love it. One of our annual treks here is a family outing where there is a huge group that assembles at the end of the summer. For those who do not like to camp in tents or trailers, there are cabins.

Smores while camping
One of my personal favourites – S’mores made with Brie Cheese & Chocolate

Over the years the campground has grown. There are now a minimum of four playgrounds for the kids to enjoy. I say minimum because you never know if they’ve added another one until you return. When the minions tire of the playground you can head over to the Merry Go Round. Best to note it is not a carnival style Merry Go Round, but rather an older, fairly safe version that will set you back a mere .25 cents a ride. You can even try to toss your shoe in a special bucket while you are on the ride to see if can win a free ride. This runs at pre set times during the day.

Merry Go Round at Ol' MacDonalds
We Merry Go Round

After you’ve rode the Merry Go Round head over to the Train Ride. But first stop for a special coffee…YES I said special coffee. I’m sorry, I know..roughing it right? But this is the only campground I know of that has a coffee shop (squeee) and it’s definitely a nice treat. Important to note the train ride also runs at pre scheduled times. This costs I think $1-2 per ride and moms & dads can walk along side to keep on eye on their little train engineers as it weaves through the campground.

Kayaking on Buffalo Lake
We Kayak

Tractor Wagon Rides and the Go Karts should be on your list. The Tractor Wagon Rides are an annual ritual for us. These evening rides have a sign up sheet and it’s best to book your time early. The go karts are truly fun for kids of all ages. Although the wee ones will have to go with an adult rider and some of those hills, let me tell you, some of those hills might take the wind from your sails. It’s great when the kids get old enough to drive their own go karts. These run all day. A petting zoo, arcade and indoor mini golf really do keep the kids entertained.

Go Karts at Ol' MacDonalds Resort
We Go Kart

Buffalo Lake offers a sandy beach where you can walk out into the water for a long time. There is a boat launch and ice cream shack. Cousins of ours have a sailboat and it comes out every year. Around the corner you can drop a line and try fishing. Fantastic tunes, and a sand castle building contest on Saturdays make this beach a great place to spend a couple hours. Or more.

Floatables at Ol' MacDonalds Resort
We bring Floatables

And if that isn’t enough, you can stop into Gramma’s Kitchen for a bite or supply item you might have forgotten. On Saturday’s they have a small market and we’ve even heard some live music in the evenings.

This is a campground you need to book in advance. The beach sites are typically booked up a year in advance. But there are several great campsites all throughout the campground. If you have never been, definitely put it on your bucket list.

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S'mores | Ol' MacDonalds Resort
Author: 
Recipe type: snack, camping, treats,
 
Ingredients
  • 1 box graham crackers, broken into squares
  • Chocolate Bars, any variety (mint, milk chocolate, nuts, etc.)
  • 1 bag large marshmallows
  • Peanut butter
  • Wooden roasting sticks
Instructions
  1. Roast marshmallows.
  2. Take two graham crackers. Spread one piece with peanut butter. Place piece of chocolate on top of peanut butter. Add roasted marshmallow and second cracker.
  3. Eat immediately.
Notes
Unique S'mores Ideas:
Peanut or nut butter with chocolate, nutella, jam, bacon or bananas
Brie slice with jam, fresh fruit (strawberries) or chocolate
Substituting coconut macaroons, oreo cookies, ginger cookies or other chocolate dipped cookies
Peanut butter cups, caramel sauce
Any kind of chocolate bar, they can be sliced in half.

 

Geocaching at Buffalo Lake
We lead part of our group Geocaching

 

Pie Iron Pizzas | Bow Valley Campground Camping

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Camping season is upon us and as I was making reservations for our summer adventures, I looked back at where we’ve been while considering where we should go this year. We love being able to go camping in Kananaskis, and having the Rocky Mountains so close to where we live. I grew up in BC and I miss the mountains more often than not, so having them a short drive away is very comforting.

We love to have fun with our food when we go camping, and one of our many favourite camping meals on the fire is anything that will go into our pie irons. Pizza is one that tops the list, as the flavour of this pie iron pizza being cooked over an open fire far outweighs that of any oven. Add in some fresh air and everything just tastes better.

Important to note, if you have no interest in making your own pizza dough, buy some!

Bow Valley Campground
Bow Valley Campground & the gorgeous view from our campsite

Bow Valley Campground is a hidden gem nestled within the gateway to the Canadian Rocky Mountains. A short hop, skip and jump to Kananaskis and you are suddenly in the beauty of the mountains. We booked our site kind of last minute, and when you do this you never know what kind of campsite you will end up with. As it turns out we got the last one in the loop and it turned out to be a beauty as we had this pathway right next to our campsite and no one ventured near us. It was also not far from the washrooms and as you can see by the photo, gave the kids oodles of space to run around. We’ve definitely been lucky like this on several occasions.

You have to prepare for any kind of weather when you go camping, especially in Alberta. And it rained part of this camping trip. We’ve been fortunate we haven’t encountered several days of rain at a time while camping, just a little bit here & there. One morning we decided to go into Canmore for a couple hours to let the kids burn off some steam. It wasn’t raining in Canmore so we only had the mosquitoes to deal with as we wandered around town and along the boardwalk.

Visiting the boardwalk in Canmore while camping in Bow Valley Campground
Visiting the boardwalk in Canmore while camping in Bow Valley Campground

It took us less than an hours drive from Calgary to get to the Bow Valley Provincial Park and Bow River Corridor Campgrounds. As a family we were kept busy with all kinds of things to do; from day trips into Canmore & Banff, hiking, biking, fishing, to causal walk-abouts, playgrounds & family fun adventures.

Definitely plan ahead if you want to come and camp here. It’s a very popular family destination and as I mentioned above we lucked out and got one of the last sites, but one of the best.

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Pie Iron Pizzas | Bow Valley Campground Camping
Author: 
Recipe type: lunch, dinner, snack
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups flour
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 4-5 tbsp butter
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • salt
  • ⅓ cup water
  • ziplock bag, large
  • pepperoni sticks, sliced thin
  • bag of shredded mozzarella
  • pizza sauce
  • smokies, roasted & cut up thin
Instructions
  1. The night before you go camping, add into your ziplock bag, flour, baking powder, butter sugar and a good pinch of salt. Seal bag and massage it until it resembles crumbles. Write on outside add ⅓ cup water. Store in fridge.
  2. When you are ready to go camping, toss ziplock bag into fridge or cooler with ice. It's important to keep this mixture cold since it contains butter and you don't want the butter to go bad.
  3. When you are ready to eat, add your water a little at a time to the bag, seal and massage again until mixture becomes a dough adding more water as necessary.
  4. Open bag, pull out dough and form into 8 balls. Flatten each ball into a flat pizza shape big enough to fit into your pie iron. But before you place it in the pie iron, take some butter and rub on inside of both sides of pie iron.
  5. Place a piece of flattened dough on each side. Spoon on some pizza sauce, pepperoni and smokie slices, and sprinkle on some cheese.
  6. Close pie iron and cook over coals in fire for about 10-20 minutes turning regularly or until dough has browned a little on each side.
  7. Open, set on plate and let cool slightly due to hot melty cheesy goodness. And serve.

Bow Valley Campground Biking
Bow Valley Campground Biking

 

 

Enjoying our Pie Iron Pizza Lunch!
Enjoying our Pie Iron Pizza Lunch.

 

Sausage Tin Foil Dinner | Waterton Lakes National Parks Camping

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Growing up we used to camp a lot. But it was boring for me. I was the youngest by 7 years and most of the time the only kid for miles. We never went somewhere fun to camp, but instead we drove down winding logging roads for hours to special fishing holes so my dad could settle in for the day(s) and catch a boat load of fish. Or rather as much as he was legally allowed to bring home. I still however, loved being in the outdoors, and camping. Good times.

Waterton Lakes Camping with friends
Waterton Lakes Camping with friends

One of my favourite things to eat as a young child while camping, and a meal we had every time we went camping, was this flavourful sausage tin foil dinner. After mom started the fire and then sat by it watching and stirring the coals once in a while, she would bring out these three neatly folded packages and stick them in the coals. They took about an hour and a half to cook, were carefully monitored and turned regularly to prevent burning. The aroma that came from those packets when opened for dinner was outstanding and I’m surprised there wasn’t wildlife wandering through our camp wanting some dinner for themselves.

Enjoying our Sausage Dinner
Enjoying our Sausage Tin Foil Dinner in Waterton

As I became a teenager we stopped going camping. In my 20’s I started camping again with friends and then eventually my husband and kids. Since kids came along we always seek out family friendly campgrounds where there are tons of things to do. I am grateful my kids love to go camping and explore the great outdoors as much as we do.

Our first camping adventure in Waterton National Park took us to the Waterton Townsite Campground. Both Rob and I prefer a campground that allows some privacy. Located on the South side of town, the Waterton Townsite Campground has no privacy. It’s like a whole bunch of trailers in a mosh pit and a free for all where sometimes the wind can blow your small dog away if you are not careful. They do not allow fire pits, you have to cook your food under the shelter. And they have free roaming mule deer all over the place so if your not careful you can easily step in one of the poop piles. My husband swore one of the deers was stalking him every night he took our dog for a walk before bed.

Wildlife everywhere in Waterton National Parks. Mule Deer here.
Wildlife everywhere in Waterton National Parks. Mule Deer here.

The pros of camping in the townsite, well firstly there is nothing quite like live wildlife literally right outside your door. This unto itself is an experience. You are right by the lake which offers fun boat tours. You could bring your canoe or kayaks but beware the wicked wind. The family we were camping with did some windsurfing and yes in case you are wondering, the water is cold so wetsuits are a good idea. If you don’t have kids this might be the perfect spot to camp as you are a short walk into the townsite to explore the shops or grab an ice cream. Or even take in some of the night life.

Waterton Lakes National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, an International Peace Park (a symbol of peace and goodwill between Canada and the USA representing cooperation and stewardship with shared resources), and a Biosphere Reserve (a core protected area which is relatively undisturbed). This is the only park in the World that has all 3 of these designations. YA Canada!

Hiking in Waterton National Parks
Red Rock Canyon Loop. Hiking in Waterton National Parks

Plan to do some hiking while you are there. We managed to get in a couple short hikes, Red Rock Canyon Loop and Blakiston Falls.

I guess in hindsight, my initial exposure to camping at such a young age, regardless of the surroundings, was what caused me to love it so much today. That and the incredible food my parents used to cook over the fire that even included fresh fish, fresh crab and sometimes fresh clams caught in the formerly named Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii).

 

Little legs get tired quickly, that's why the short hikes worked best for us.
Little legs get tired quickly, that’s why the short hikes worked best for us.

 

The tradition of the Sausage Tin Foil Dinner has continued over the years, with different sausages, meats, ground burger, and vegetable variations. I love it so much I sometimes make it in the oven during the winter.

May Long Weekend is only a couple days away and with that is camping season! I’m already thinking about camping, prepping the trailer, and the delicious outdoor cooking that goes with it.

Try this simple tin foil dinner with your favourite sausage and veggies and watch it become a family favourite!

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Sausage Tin Foil Dinner
Author: 
Recipe type: breakfast, brunch, lunch
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 1 package small breakfast sausages (20-24 pkge)
  • 3 carrots, peeled and sliced into ¼ inch coins
  • 3 large yellow potatoes, peeled and sliced into ¼ inch slices
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 4 slices bacon, uncooked
  • salt and pepper
  • heavy duty tin foil
  • cooking spray
Instructions
  1. Cut or rip 4 pieces of tin foil about twice as long as the food (approx. 18 inches)
  2. Bottom layer: Spray foil with cooking spray and in the middle of each sheet place 3 sausages in a row or triangle.
  3. Sprinkle on some potatoes, carrots and onions. Spread out just a little. Lay one piece of bacon across the veggies.
  4. Top layer: place 2-3 more sausages on top, evenly distribute the rest of the potatoes, carrots and onions over all four packages. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  5. Start wrapping your packets by bringing the long sides together in the centre, folding down as you go. Make fold tight against the food.
  6. Tightly roll up the shorter ends until it touches food.
  7. Double wrap. Wrap the packet in a second piece of tin foil exactly as you did the first one.
  8. Cook over coals, not direct fire, flipping every 15 minutes or so. Cooking time will vary depending on your heat source. I tend to cook longer and open one pack regularly to check progress.
  9. When done, pull out a paper plate, remove first layer of foil and toss. Open second layer of foil, peel back, place on paper plate to avoid drips and enjoy.

 

 

Cheese Stuffed Burger

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Who doesn’t love a stuffed burger? This simple Cheese Stuffed Burger is a great way to change up burger night with the family. Or friends.

Tried making a version of a stuffed burger last year, following a luscious and tasty outing to Naina’s Kitchen here in Calgary. My burger was nothing to write home about about but Naina’s stuffed burger was the talk of the town. So much so they won the first ever YYC Burger Week, 2013.

The great thing about making a stuffed burger is, well, you can stuff it with anything. A little sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, pesto, any kind of cheese, sundried tomato and olive tapenade, almost anything goes!

As YYC Burger Week 2014 is fast approaching I was bound and determined to make a stuffed burger, again. This time it worked and it worked well. Don’t you find that happens sometimes. You make a recipe and it’s OK. Make it again another time and it just bedazzles.

In this family of four my girl doesn’t like hot dogs or burgers. I know it’s a sin. But she does like quinoa salad and tabbouleh salad so that’s a fair trade in my books. When I was growing up I was forced to eat the food I didn’t like. Tragic. Fortunately it didn’t affect my love for all kinds of food. Now grown up with kids of my own, we don’t follow those same ridiculous rules I grew up with. But we do make amendments. Our kids are required to try one bite of food at each meal, and this night was no different. So she did. And she liked the burger, or so she said. But still wouldn’t eat it. Fair enough, here’s your bowl of tabbouleh salad kid, save some for me.

We had a day or two last week where the weather was decent enough to fire up the grill and slap on some meat. So we called it Burger Night. Or the return of the Bakers Burger Blast. So many burgers, so little time. These burgers tasted so good I think we will be having them again this weekend. Although the weather forecast is dreadfully cold (-39 with the wind chill), and as such, all grilling will happen indoors, on our grill pan.

Boom Shaka Laka…here’s how you make your very own delicious stuffed burger.

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Cheese Stuffed Burger
Author: 
Recipe type: dinner, lunch, burger, entree, main
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 1.5 - 2 lbs ground beef (80 lean/20 fat)
  • ½ - ¾ cup cubed (1 inch) old cheddar cheese, or more
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Take some burger, flatten it and form it into a flat patty. You will need to form two thin patties for each burger.
  2. In the center of 4 patties, place 2-3 cheese cubes. You may get a 5th or 6th burger depending on how big you make them.
  3. Take a second thin patty and place on top. Gently push/pinch together all the edges surrounding the patty to seal the burger.
  4. Over medium heat on the BBQ, grill burger for about 15 minutes, flipping once or twice as you go. Once cooked remove from heat, cover with foil and let sit to rest for a few minutes.
  5. Get your bun ready and add your favourite condiments. Make my slaw (recipe below) or top with your favourite burger toppings.
Notes
To make the slaw combine: ¼ cup sliced cabbage, ½ seeded & chopped jalapeno, ½ cup sliced red onion, 3 julienned radishes, 1 julienned green apple. For vinaigrette whisk together 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp lemon, 1 tsp dijon mustard and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour over slaw and stir to combine.

 

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

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This is the perfect recipe for Throwback Thursday. In the 90’s I used to make this Vegetarian Black Bean Chili all the time. It was my favourite chili to eat back in those days, well that and my Mom’s 4 bean chili. Then I met husband (fussy) and our chili nights became variations of meat chili. Now I have no issue with meat chili as there are many ways to make a chili and I love to experiment. But every once and a while there is a smell or memory that comes up and reminds me about this simple but tasty Vegetarian or I guess you could call it Vegan Chili from my younger years.

I love how versatile chili is. Eat it with corn muffins, on a pizza or top a baked potato with a spoonful of chili. Occasionally I pick up some smallish round whole wheat buns, scoop out the insides and serve my chili in a bread bowl. You could even clean out a pepper or half of a zucchini, spoon some chili in and bake it until the pepper or zucchini is just tender but still holding their shape. Chili in Scoops or in a Quesadilla is fun for the kids.

My kids have never tried my vegetarian chili so I decided to tone down the spice so they don’t burn their little mouths. Since I love spice I needed to find a way to add it back in, so I made a quick, fresh jicama and jalapeno salsa as a Chili topper adding both heat and texture.

Things to remember…you can add anything into chili. If you don’t have black beans use kidney beans, red or white, or pinto beans. Omit Ancho Chili powder if you can’t find it. Add mushrooms, leeks, shallots, celery root, or yam to change up the flavour. Or try adding in some cooked quinoa.

Top with your favourite fixings or with a quick jicama and jalapeno salsa (recipe below).

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Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
Author: 
Recipe type: Lunch, Dinner
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup red onion, chopped
  • 1 cup celery, chopped
  • 1 cup carrot, chopped
  • 1 cup bell pepper, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • ¼ cup jalapeno, remove seeds & veins, chopped
  • 1 680ml can tomato sauce
  • 1 540 ml can black beans, rinsed
  • ½ cup frozen corn
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp oregano
  • ½ tsp ancho chili powder
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • sprinkle of All-spice
  • ½ cup cilantro, chopped
  • salt and pepper
  • olive oil
Instructions
  1. In a large pot, over medium high heat add a glugg of olive oil. Drop in your onions, celery and carrots. Cook for about 10 minutes or until veggie start to soften.
  2. Add in garlic, bell and jalapeno peppers and tomato. Stir and simmer another 5 or so minutes. Tomato will start to melt into mixture.
  3. Pour in black beans, tomato sauce, corn, spices, cilantro and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir and lower heat to a simmer.
  4. Let it go for about 30 minutes to marry flavours, stirring occasionally.
  5. Serve hot.
Notes
To make the salsa I tossed together ¼ cup each diced red pepper and diced jicama, 1 tbsp each diced red onion, diced jalapeno (left some seeds/membranes in) and diced zucchini, 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice.

 

 

 

Waffle Cone Fruit Salad

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A fun treat for the kids any time of the year. During Winter you may be limited to using whatever fruit is available in your grocery store. I know we definitely are here as certain out of season fruit that has been shipped in from afar, tends to taste bland and not good. In Summer fresh fruit can be found everywhere.

I’ve been making this waffle cone treat for the kids for years. When I make my fruit salad, the only thing I add in sometimes is fresh, thinly sliced mint. I enjoy the full, sweet flavours of the fruit and don’t feel it needs a dressing. I’ve taught my kids to enjoy these simple flavours as well. If you need to have a dressing with your fruit salad, by all means use your favourite. Or even mix in a little yogurt. You can also buy the mini cones and make small versions of this treat for those “mini” hands.

This recipe is incredibly simple and can be used in many ways: great for birthday parties, an alternative to the constant request of “can I have an ice cream cone”, good camping treats, a quick breakfast with a side of yogurt, make it for lunch with some cheese & crackers on the side, add a small dollop of whipping cream on top, make it for game day or bring to a potluck.

But the best part is the kids can be involved in making this enjoyable treat.

5.0 from 1 reviews
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Waffle Cone Fruit SAlad
Author: 
Recipe type: treat, summer, fruit salad, ice cream cone, waffle cone
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 4 cups of your favourite fruit, cleaned, peeled and chopped into smaller pieces where needed
  • 4-5 waffle ice cream cones, regular size
  • 1 tbsp fresh mint, chiffonade (thin chop)
Instructions
  1. Mix your fruit together in a bowl and add chopped mint.
  2. Scoop fruit into each waffle cone and enjoy.

 

Chili Lime No Tequila Chicken

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This recipe is simple with simple flavours. I created it while doing the wild rose d-tox. It was satisfying, tasty and filling. You could easily add half a cup of tequila to the recipe for some added flavour and even toss in some chopped jalapenos. But it’s not necessary.

Chicken kabobs can be made in the winter, by broiling them. The one thing about broiling meat in the oven, is there will always be smoke when you open your oven door. But they cook quickly. Fortunately when I made them I was able to open the windows as we were having a Chinook here in Calgary. As always grilling them while camping or on the deck is just as tasty.

The first time I made these kabobs I used one chicken breast. It made two kabobs which gave me two meals. The second time I prepared 2 chicken breasts and ended up with four kabobs or four meals. This recipe is for 2 chicken breasts. You could easily substitute turkey breast. I’d say it’s a keeper since the minions were picking the chicken off my plate hence prompting me to make more the second time around.

Serve it on a salad, on top of  grains or brown rice.

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Chili Lime No Tequila Chicken
Author: 
Recipe type: Dinner, Lunch,
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 2 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless cut into cubes
  • 1½ cup zucchini, sliced into thicker chunks
  • ½ red onion, cut into chunks
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Zest of 1 lime
  • Juice from ½ lime
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • salt & pepper
  • skewers
Instructions
  1. In a plastic ziplock style bag, add your olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, chili powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Squishy bag to combine flavours.
  2. Drop in your chicken, zucchini and red onion. Give bag a shake and set aside for 30 minutes.
  3. If using bamboo/wooden skewers soak for a minimum of 30 minutes before cooking.
  4. Turn oven on to Broil.
  5. Alternating chicken, zucchini and red onion, start building your kabob.
  6. Place on parchment or foil lined rimmed baking sheet and place in oven. Make sure your oven rack is as high as it can go. Broil for 5 minutes. Turn kabobs over and broil another 5 minutes. You are now ready to eat.

 

Dilly Pork Burger

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A hint of dill in our Pork Koftas not only flavours the meat but provides a delicious taste experience. So much so I decided to scale the recipe down a bit and turn it into a regular burger. How about that, a food blogger changing up one of her own recipes to create something new!

The kids and the hubs really liked this burger. I ate mine in a lettuce leaf topped with a Jicama & Green Apple Slaw. They ate theirs on buns. Husband went back for seconds. I wish I had his metabolism and appetite. This was even better the next day for lunch. Will post Jicama & Green Apple Salad soon.

 

Dilly Pork Burger in Lettuce Cup
Dilly Pork Burger in Lettuce Cup

 

We doubled the pork in this recipe so we would have leftovers the next day. Normally for our small party of 4 we use 1 pound of burger and still end up with leftovers since we make our burgers smaller. Maybe that’s why husband can down two of them at one sitting without thinking twice and then contemplate a third.

In any case add your regular fixings to your burger on a bun. You could even mix in a little dill with mayo for an added dill-elicious treat. Or change it up by adding a salsa or slaw and eating it in a lettuce leaf (do this if on Wild Rose D-Tox). Either way it’s a keeper!

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Dilly Pork Burger
Author: 
Recipe type: Burgers, dinner, lunch, grilled burgers, bbq
Serves: 8
 
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs ground pork
  • ⅓ cup fresh dill, chopped
  • 2 tbsp coriander
  • 1 tbsp ginger
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Toss everything into a bowl including a pinch of salt and pepper.
  2. Lightly mix to combine.
  3. On a heated, oiled grill, drop your burgers and cook for approximately 5 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of the burger) or until desired doneness.
  4. Grab some buns, lettuce leafs and add on your favourite fixin's. Enjoy!