Explorer Stoup.....

This past weekend, I went on a Girl Scout training for overnights and camping. I must say I was not expecting there to be a foot of snow to camp in, but all in all we did quite well. One of the things we got to do was to figure dinner with the ingredients given to us. We were given typical camping recipes we could have used, but I wanted to steer clear of the recipes with cornflakes and hamburger type combinations.

After looking at what we had available and being given freerein to make up our meal, Explorer Stoup was created! Named so after the camping area it was made in and "stoup", since it was thicker then a soup...


Explorer Stoup
3 lbs ground Turkey
1 lg onions chopped
1 lg red pepper chopped
5 large carrot chopped
1/2 lb green beans cut into bite sized pieces
1 TBS adobo seasoning
1/2 TBS salt
1/2 TBS pepper 
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
1 32 oz can red kidney beans with juice 
1 cup water 
3 cups instant rice. 

Brown the turkey in a cast iron dutch oven over a campfire with good coals.
Add the veggies, seasonings and beans - cook for 10 min
Add the rice and cook for 5 min until done then serve.

Our instructor made her own adobo seasoning - here is her recipe: sea salt, granulated garlic, oregano, black pepper, turmeric.

I did not take photos while we were camping, and I do not recommend saving the leftovers, since they never taste the same the next day. It must be something with the way the campfire ash changes it overtime.
I will be making this again for my family, to see if it is as good as we all thought it was. There is something about camping, which makes anything you eat delicious! Must be all that fresh air!

Quinoa w/ Peppers.....

Last night while looking around for what to make for dinner, I was stumped for a side dish. Recently it was made known I did not cook enough with peppers.  You know how it is, you cook the things you like, and I personally am not a huge fan of peppers.... red, orange and yellow I can do in small quantities, but green - GROSS!
So to surprise my family I opted to use those colorful peppers. I found that I had some Quinoa in the cupboard as well and decided to test my fate. Much to my surprise it was a huge hit! My youngest gobbled it up, forgoing corn to complete this dish instead! I even enjoyed it enough to promise to make it again.

Quinoa w/ Peppers

1 cup White Quinoa

2 cups water

Bring both to a boil in a sauce pan, then cover and let simmer for about 15 min until they have cracked off and are fluffy and soft.

Meanwhile.... Add to a saute pan and saute over med heat until soft:

1 small onion chopped

1 tsp Herbs De Provence

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp butter
1 tsp olive oil

2 Peppers chopped - I used red and orange

Salt and Pepper to taste

Once cooked then combine and enjoy.

Herbs De Provence is an herb mixture consisting of dried marjoram, basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary, fennel, and sometimes sage, summer savory & lavender, is added. If you do not have this mixture just add the underlined seasonings in equal parts to make up the tsp.

Spaghetti Squash with Mushrooms...

I love squash, any type of squash... Hubbard, Acorn, Butternut, Yellow, Green and Spaghetti. There is something about the way they are able to stay in storage for awhile with out loosing their flavor. They are hearty, just like me.

Now may family, that's a different story. They like squash mainly when it is roasted and covered in butter and brown sugar. I think I am the one "savory" person, with the rest loving "sweets".

Needless to say this recipe was not a crowd favorite - it has no sweet to it and it has mushrooms, which are loved somedays and others not. 

Spaghetti Squash and Mushrooms
Open and de-seed a medium sized Spaghetti Squash.
Roast on a baking sheet, open side up for about 40 min - the "strings" will pull from the sides easily with a fork.
Remove the "strings" from the pasta shells.

For the mushrooms, slice thin and place in a shallow frying pan. Add 1/4 cup water and simmer over medium for 10 min until the water is evaporated. Add 2tsp butter and salt and pepper to taste.
Place over the spaghetti squash and enjoy!

Fettuccine Alfredo.....

Did you know you can use evaporated milk as a heavy cream substitute in recipes? I make my Fettuccine Alfredo with low fat evaporated milk to help save on the calories.
I actually did not even know that it was out there until a couple years ago, but was very happy when I found it!
How often do you have heavy cream in the fridge? I don't unless making homemade whipped cream, but I usually always have a can of evaporated milk in the cupboard. This is a great recipe to have for those nights when you need a quick and delicious meal and your kitchen is bare!

Fettuccine Alfredo
1 box fettuccine
8 oz evaporated milk (low fat is preferred)
4 oz Parmesan cheese
1 small onion diced
1tsp garlic powder
Salt & Pepper to taste.

Cook the pasta as per the packaging. Saute the onion until it is soft, add the evaporated milk, cheese, garlic, salt & pepper till combined then add in the cooked pasta.

It's really simple and easy to prepare!
I'm making this tonight with sauteed chicken, which I am just cooking with the onion. You can add in cooked broccoli, mushrooms, shrimp etc.

Enjoy!