Allan was introduced to Caribbean rice and beans many years ago when a friend brought some extra into work to share. While ours in no where near as good, here is a recipe we often make and enjoy.
While it is tempting to garnish this with cheese or sour cream, it is wonderful as is. Serve next to a simple, but colorful side salad.
Our original recipe did not call for bacon, so if you prefer not to use it, just replace it with 2 Tbl of oil to saute the onions in. Both recipes are great!
This is probably one of our top five recipes that require a lot of time. However, most of the time is “waiting”.
Allan prefers muesli to granola. I enjoy muesli, but I like the crunch of granola. So, when I discovered dehydrating granola, instead of baking it, we tried it. It is a favorite, and I make it when I have the extra time.
I use raw nuts in this recipe because I soak them and then dehydrate for a different taste to the nuts. I have also learned that soaking and dehydrated seeds are often recommended because of health benefits. If you are interested in learning more, a lot of research can be done online. I would recommend dehydrating as much as your machine will hold at one time to save on time later.
Be creative when personalizing this recipes. Macadamia and hazelnuts are good nuts to add. Cocoa nibs and dried tart cherries are great additions. Use more oats and less nuts if desired. If you want to use less maple syrup, increase amount of raisin “slurry”. If you prefer to bake this, see notes. This is a very adaptable recipe.
It is always nice to have some sort of treat while backpacking. We usually save this treat for an extra hard day on the trial or the very last night out. It does not make a lot, we usually make two batches for the seven of us, but it is enough for something special.
This also works at home. Use canned pineapple slices and skip the step for re-hydrating.
Growing up, Mom always had some sort of cheese crackers. They were her special treat, but she would share them with us.
Fish shaped crackers are a popular treat for children, but I did not like giving them too often to my children because of all the “stuff” in them. So we found a recipe for easy cheese crackers to make instead. Often we cut these into animal shapes, but they never last as long as when they are cut into squares. The squares never last very long either, but they are a lot faster to replace.
Use your favorite cheddar cheese, we prefer x-sharp. Roll the dough thin because it will puff up. If you prefer spicy, add more spices, and feel free to bake just a little longer than required, because brown, toasty ones are extra good.
This is not as good as real tiramisu, but when we are backpacking, and want a special treat, this is very easy to make. Just plan ahead to find a small jar of Kahlua. The lady fingers are often hard to find, the may be in the Italian “ethnic” section or next to the powdered espresso.
Our recipe uses vanilla pudding, but we did not like this last batch quite as well as we used too. We plan to experiment with different vanilla puddings or white chocolate pudding instead.
If car camping, let this sit over ice for a little while.
This is probably the best recipe for pizza that we have found. It is also very easy. Years ago, Andrea wrote the recipe down from memory. For the longest time we just mixed everything and used the dough immediately, but Andrea learned in culinary class to let the dough sit overnight and the crust is much better.
Mark decided to surprise us with bagels. He and Megan made them with shredded white cheddar cheese and they were wonderful.
My mom taught my siblings and me how to make pierogi when we were very little. I can only remember making cheese pierogi and there were no measurements for the filling. “Add potato flakes to cottage cheese until the cottage cheese is dry. Let sit a few minutes and season with salt and pepper.”
Grandma had many different ways to make pierogi, but sauerkraut is probably my favorite. After making, warm up pierogi in a heavy pan with butter and sau·téd onions. If desired, add sour cream before serving. This makes a great meal, but is best when served with green vegetables or salad.
Many years ago, we had a friend visit. Morsal taught Mark how to make Pekoura. These coated potato slices are wonderful. You can serve as is, but they are best with plain yogurt or yogurt with cilantro added to it.
My brother Joe used to love chicken grilled this way and often had extra in the freezer.
It is similar to the chicken we can get at the fair. It uses an easy marinade and is best if made early morning.
