Camping Cuisine Part 3: 'For Goodness Steak'

Well, I was in the process of sharing some camping cuisine recipes when I so rudely left in the middle of the sharing to go.....ahem.....camping. So here I am...ready to share some of my ideas for good grub when you are camping in the wild.

So,  if you missed Camping Cuisine Part 1, where I shared the recipe for our favourite picnic sandwich {shown below}, please click here.

For Camping Cuisine Part 2, where I shared the recipe for 'Chicks on Sticks' {shown below}and food prep suggestions,  please click here.

The next recipe I want to share for easy camping fare is a recipe for an asian-flavoured steak marinade called

 'For Goodness Steak'.

Again, this recipe comes from those crazy, goofy Canadian sisters, Janet & Greta Podleski, and their book 'Crazy Plates'. It just requires you to mix up a quick & easy marinade to toss on steak in a ziploc bag to freeze for later use on the camping trip.

For Goodness Steak

1.5 pounds boneless top sirloin steak, about 1.5 inches thick

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce

3 tbsp. steak sauce (use whatever is in your fridge)

2 tbsp. lime juice and packed brown sugar

1 tbsp. grated gingerroot

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. sesame oil

1/4 tsp. black pepper

Trim any excess fat from meat. Pierce meat in several places with fork. ( I had my 9 yr. old do the fork piercing.) Place steak in Ziploc bag.

Combine all  marinade ingredients in a small bowl and pour over steak in ziploc bag, and smoosh all around. {My 9 yr.old did this.}

Toss into freezer until ready to take camping. Then place in cooler when you leave for camping. Let steak thaw on top of the cooler for same day cooking.

To Grill: Remove steak from marinade and grill over hot coals or gas grill for 4-5 minutes per side, or until desired doneness is reached. Brush with leftover marinade while grilling.

When done, remove steak from heat and let 'rest' for a few minutes before slicing.

The steak turns into this wonderful meal. We had our steak with a caesar salad. The steak was really tasty and juicy. Everyone had happy tummies!

And of course, the whole reason for camping....the happy pink glow in the childrens' cheeks.

Here is my 'sous chef' enjoying his morning fried egg sandwich with bacon....made by Dad.

Did I mention that while I do all the food prep for camping, my husband then takes over and does all of the actual cooking while we are camping?

Yes. I love him.

Food eaten in the fresh air is so very good!

To Read Part 4: Camping Cuisine: Blueberry & Cream Cheese Dessert, click here.

 

If you liked this recipe, here are some other amazing camping recipes:

Potato Boat Dinners

Warm Cheesey Dip

The BEST Picnic Sandwich

Lumberjack Breakfast

Super Easy Upside Down Pineapple Cake

Tortilla Dessert

Great For Travelling Bean Salad

10 Best Camping Tips & Recipes

11 Best Camping Tips & Recipes

The Best Pasta Salad

Bananagram for you....

I have been absent around blogland lately. No reason. Just savouring summer. We just spent a better part of a week hosting some friends from Nova Scotia who stayed with us. We had so much fun sharing meals, visiting parks and water slides and playing fun games like this one: Bananagrams.  My mother gave one of the children this quite awhile ago and we just started playing it. And....

this game is so addictive.

Every night, as least 3 of us would spill out the chips to play a game or two. It was so curious to me that my friend's 11 year old son could beat us with his three and four letter words.

I highly recommend this game to anyone who likes the challenge of word games. It's also an excellent size for travelling....it barely takes up any room...it can be squished into a shoe!

Next week I will be back with the rest of our camping recipes. And soon I will be featuring a week of posts on school lunch planning and recipes. Yes...it's that time again!

Have a great weekend!

Camping Cuisine Part 2: Food Prep & Chicks on Sticks

Before I get to the recipe portion of this post,

I want to mention how food prep for camping is a girl's best friend.

I start with a menu plan for each meal that will be required for our stay.

And I create a grocery list based on my meal plan.

Pretty basic planning...but it helps the trip go smoothly.

 I make sure to wash and prep all the vegetables and store in ziploc bags.

On the left are vegetables for dipping for snacks. On the right are vegetables for chicken kebabs.

Here are onions and mushrooms prepped for our steak night.

I also take containers of other meal ingredients that we will need.

Fruit washed and cut up for quick camping snacks.

I don't waste money buying small sizes of condiments from the grocery store.

I just scoop out different things from the big sizes already in our fridge and store in small containers to put in the cooler.

And I am sure to label, label, label!!

And now for 'Chicks on Sticks'.

Seriously. That is the name of the recipe.

I didn't come up with that name on my own...it's comes from those crazy Canadian sisters Janet & Greta Podleski who co-wrote a series of cookbooks that I love.

It's basically a marinade for chicken for kebabs.

One reason I love their cookbooks is that many of their recipes require ingredients that I usually have on hand. No special trips to the grocery store needed.

The marinade is a really tasty asian mix.

Chick on Sticks

 

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. each sodium reduced soya sauce and brown sugar

1 tbsp. each olive oil and grated lemon zest

2 gloves garlic, minced

1 large shallot, minced ( I used red onion)

1-1/2 tsp. grated ginger

1 tsp. each cumin and ground coriander

4 chicken breast halves.

Directions:

Combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl.

Cut chicken into kebab size pieces.

Place chicken pieces in a ziploc bag.

Pour marinade over chicken pieces.

Have your 9 yr. old son smush the marinade all over the chicken.

Place in freezer.

Now your meal is ready to go into the cooler for your camping trip.

When preparing this meal, simply thaw the chicken by placing it on the top of the cooler.

Thread the chicken pieces with the washed and ready-to-go-veggies on skewers.

Grill each side about 5-6 minutes or until chicken looks cooked and juices run clear.

If you liked this recipe, here are some other amazing camping recipes:

Potato Boat Dinners

Warm Cheesey Dip

The BEST Picnic Sandwich

Lumberjack Breakfast

Super Easy Upside Down Pineapple Cake

Tortilla Dessert

Marinated Steak

Great For Travelling Bean Salad

10 Best Camping Tips & Recipes

11 Best Camping Tips & Recipes

The Best Pasta Salad

 

And check out these boards on Pinterest:

Camping Recipes & Food To Love

Cottages To Love

Vintage Campers To Love

Salads To Love

 

a bistro set at a bargain price...

I have lived in this house for 5 years and I have always wanted a little bistro set for my small front porch.

I have looked many times, but the price just never seemed to be in the range I was willing to pay.

I did find a cute little folding tray table at Goodwill for $10.

I brought it home and it worked fine with 2 chairs I already had...until it broke.

{Sigh}

Then yesterday, my mom and I were trolling around The Bay. {A Canadian Department Store}

We happened to come upon some bistro sets.

Made of painted metal with each piece folding flat for easy winter storage...they were perfect.

The color choices were: black, white, green, blue & pink.

Regular price was $129.99.....wait for it...on sale for $49.99.

I was giddy.

Super perfect.

It was just the set I was looking for and at a steal of a price.

My mom reminded me that it was Seniors' Discount Day and she could get an additional 15% off.

Super-dee-duper perfect.

I love Seniors' Discount Day.

This made the bistro set $42.00 each.

Sweet!

It was such a good price that I made the decision to get *2* sets.

One set for my front porch and another set for the deck at the back of the house.

I decided to go with classic black sets, even though I admired the other choices.

The sets came flat-packed in a box...no assembly required, and fit easily into my trunk.

We unpacked our bargain as soon as we got home.

Then we had some fun accessorizing.

I added the pink peonies in the jar and the books.

My mom added the pillows.

My daughter was in favour of this very simple look...a green vase with some peonies.

The kids ate lunch on the bistro set on the back deck..in fact there was a little squabble over who was sitting where first.

Both children completely ignored the big patio table with 6 chairs around it.

My mom and I had a little chuckle over this.

Then we sipped some iced tea at the bistro table at the front.

This post is linked to:

Show & Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

I'm Lovin' It Fridays @ Tidy Mom

Home & Family Friday @ Home is Where My Story Begins

Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest

Deals of the Week@ It's a Blog Party

Do It Yourself Day@ A Soft Place to Land

It's so Very Thrifty @ It's So Very Cheri

just bloomed....

The peonies in my yard have finally bloomed. I have missed them for the last 2 years since I left for Nova Scotia for 6 weeks before they flowered. I absolutely love peonies....and they remind me of my beloved Grandmother.

I picked a bouquet for the white pitcher.

 

And cut a small bouquet for the powder room.

 There is nothing like fresh flowers.

just home....

I am just home from a 9 day trip through the Canadian Rockies with my family.

We traveled 3101 km by car.

We went through Jasper, The Fraser Canyon, Kamloops and onto Whistler.

We returned through Salmon Arm, Kelowna, Rogers Pass, Lake Lousie & Banff.

The scenery we encountered was breathtaking. Coming from Nova Scotia, almost all of this beauty was a first for us. We are very used to ocean beauty.  However, the newness of the mountain beauty was quite captivating to us.

Many of these pictures were taken from the inside of the car.

"Love of beauty and of all lovely and wonderful things is indispensable for our growth."

~Julian Huxley

This post has been linked to:

Friday~Finding Beauty @ Dipity Road

freak lunchbox....

One of our favourite things to do when we visit a city is to scope out  the local 'candy' store. Some places have fabulous candy stores. Our very favourite store is "Freak Lunchbox" in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

This store has punch. This store has flavour. You absolutely cannot miss it's "big personality" streetscape. It's fun and unsual name...it's bright colour scheme and it's party atmosphere inside make it a must see destination. I have been in candy stores in other big cities...but this one is unforgettable.

My kids love, love, love it here. Look at the inside...the candy glued to the ceiling....cool!

Inside is an amazing riot of colour and pattern that goes perfectly with the "kid in the candy store" adventure.

I am not sure which is more fun...choosing candy or just looking around.

We always make sure that a visit to a candy store is part of our summer fun!

6 weeks vacation....