New Year’s Black Eyed Peas Soup

It is almost the holidays and my family has a few traditions for Christmas and especially New Years. Usually though we have forgotten to pick up black eyed peas until that time period after Christmas and before New Years so I’ve learned to keep the dried beans on hand year round now!

In some cultures, eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day is considered a tradition that brings good luck and prosperity for the coming year. This practice is particularly common in the Southern United States. The peas are thought to symbolize coins or wealth, and the tradition has been passed down through generations as a superstition associated with ensuring a prosperous start to the new year.

Black-eyed peas are a nutritious food with several health benefits. They are a good source of protein, fiber, and various vitamins and minerals. Some potential benefits include:

1. **Rich in Protein:** Black-eyed peas are a plant-based source of protein, which is essential for muscle repair and overall body function.

2. **High in Fiber:** The fiber content in black-eyed peas promotes digestive health and can help regulate blood sugar levels.

3. **Vitamins and Minerals:** They contain vitamins such as folate and vitamin A, as well as minerals like potassium and iron, contributing to overall health.

4. **Heart Health:** The fiber, potassium, and folate in black-eyed peas may support heart health by helping to manage blood pressure and reduce the risk of cardiovascular issues.

5. **Weight Management:** The combination of protein and fiber can contribute to a feeling of fullness, potentially aiding in weight management.

In addition to their nutritional value, black-eyed peas are versatile and can be used in various recipes, making them a healthy addition to a well-balanced diet.

Over the years, I’ve tried a few different versions of black eyed peas until one New Years a couple years back, I asked to take over duties and made this recipe that has now solidified me making it for my family every January 1!

This past summer, since I like the recipe so much, I thought to try out on my friends while camping. I usually make some kind of soup the last night and thought this could be the option. I am happy to report it was a hit with my friends in the wilderness just as much as my family warming up to it on a cold New Year’s Day around a bayberry candle watching the Rose Parade!

Ingredients –

• 2 cups black-eyed peas, dry (or 2 cans not dry)
• 8 oz. Bacon chopped (or more) – I love to go to Kinder’s or Diablo Foods for this!
• 1 cup white onion, diced
• 2 tsp. Garlic, minced
• 4 c. Chicken broth
• 1 – 2 Bay leaves
• 1/4 tsp. Red pepper flakes
• Smoked salt – I use Cherrywood Smoked Salt from Oaktown Spice Shop – best ever!
• Pepper

New Year’s Black-Eyed Peas

1) If using dry peas, soak 6 hours or overnight. For camping, I brought a Tupperware and soaked them in that overnight.

2) In cast iron skillet, cook bacon until crispy. Drain on paper towels and chop. Set aside

3) Add onions to cast iron with bacon and cook until translucent

4) Add garlic with onions, cook until fragrant

5) In a large pot, add peas, onions, garlic and chicken broth, bay leaf, red pepper, and smoked salt and pepper to taste

6) Bring to a boil

7) Move to indirect heat if camping over fire, or low heat if at home, and simmer 20-30 minutes

8) Garnish with bacon, more salt (if desired), and a few dashes of Tabasco (if desired)

9) Enjoy and cheers to the new year!

The Goose Hangs High!

Campfire Chilaquiles

I just recently tested out this new take on camping breakfast and it was a huge hit!  I might test with different ingredients over time but this recipe was so great, I don’t need to.

Ingredients –

• Corn Tortillas
• Oil
• Yellow Onion, chopped
• Salsa verde (1 1/2 – 2 small cans)
• Eggs
• Queso fresco, crumbled
• Cilantro
• Radishes, sliced (optional)
• Avocado, sliced (optional)

Directions –

1. Add oil to a small skillet.  Once heated, add one corn tortilla and fry until crispy (about 3-4 min).  Flip and fry other side until crispy.  Remove and place on plate with paper towel – *Note: This step was done on my propane grill just for convenience but can be done on a campfire in a cast iron
2. Cut each fried tortilla into 8 triangles
3. In a cast iron pan over a campfire, heat oil and then add onions and saute
4. Add salsa verde to pan and put over direct heat of the fire
5. Once it begins to bubble, stir in beaten eggs – Since I pour my eggs into water bottles before the trip, this just requires pouring into pan
6. Stir eggs periodically until thicken
7. Add chips and toss gently until they are covered in sauce
8. Remove from campfire
9. Sprinkle with cheese
10. Top with extra onions, cilantro, radishes and sliced avocado

Teriyaki Marinade with a Kick

This was a new one for last season and since then, I’ve been messing around with my homemade teriyaki sauce. I love spicy and this one definitely has a kick. But if you don’t want spicy, omit the cayenne and red chili peppers.

Ingredients –

• 2/3 cup soy sauce

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar

• 1/4 cup seasame oil

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 4 inches garlic, grated – I bought one of these at an Art & Wine Festival and it has been great for grating garlic and ginger!

• 3 to 4 oz. pineapple juice

• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper

• Green onions, chopped

• Skewers

Directions –

Blend or whisk all together

• Add green onions to bag
• Add cut chicken in cubes, veggies (red onion, bell peppers, mushrooms) and cubes pineapple
• Add marinade
• 
• Marinate for a few hours or preferably over night before leaving on your camping trip. (Another fun tip, if you don’t plan to have this until the second or 3rd night of your trip, marinate a few hours and then freeze. It helps keep your ice chest cool!)
• Also another fun tool that makes coring a pineaple so easy to cut is this! One of my favorite purchases that I didn’t think I needed but now am so grateful to have
• 
• When ready, alternate chicken, veggies and pineapple on skewers like these and place on grill. Grill for about 4 minutes on each side.

Remove, serve with some sides like the garlic bread I previously shared and enjoy!

A Camping Staple – Tri-tip!

I spent last week in Austin. I love Austin. Great food, delicious cocktails and don’t even get me started on Torchy’s breakfast tacos!! In any case it made me start thinking about the bbq season. It’s finally warm and the rain has stopped here so time to clean that grill!

One of my first night staples when camping is tri-tip. Why is it a staple? Always a hit, I can cook different levels for different people’s preferences, and it makes for great leftovers in breakfast burritos!

So living in California where I do, we have an local bbq place that has amazing tri-tip so I won’t lie, I cheat on this recipe. However I thought I would do the post for anyone who wants a sure proof tri-tip!

If you live in the Bay Area, you can just cheat and go get an already marinated bag of Kinders tri-tip and throw it on the grill once you are set up at campsite. However if you don’t have a local one or need it to be cheaper given a larger group my suggestion is this –

• Go to Costco and buy their large tri-tip – rule of thumb is 1/4 – 1/3 per person but I like leftovers for other meals so go 1/3 – 1/2 per person
• Find at least 2-3 Kinders bottles of original marinade

• Add meat to a large ziplock bag and add Kinders marinade
• Seal bag and shake around to fully coat the meat
• Marinate for at LEAST 24 hours

So for camping, I always marinate the night before the trip so it is ready to go when I get to the campsite the next day

For grilling – (I always do this on my small portable grill to control heat but if I was to do on a campfire, I would do in a large cast iron to control and even out heat)

• Preheat grill or start campfire – if grilling, put cast iron over heat until hot to touch
• Add meat fat side down to grill or campfire grill – if grilling on campfire put pan very close to fire for searing part and then move to indirect heat
• Sear fat side down for 5 min and then flip for 5 more minutes
• Continue to cook for 10-12 more minutes for medium rare, 20-25 for medium, 30-35 for medium well
• Normally most my friends like medium rare so I cook to that, remove, cut the ends and add those back into a skillet and cook to medium well for the friends who want that

Serve with garlic bread, corn, salad and/or potatoes!

Also a personal favorite is pairing with a local wine from Buon Vino 🙂

Campfire Chili

Usually by the last night of camping, I try to either make a meal out of everything we have leftover or a meal mostly from cans. My last camping trip I decided to try making a chili based off of both because it’s usually what we have at the end – even some beer!

Ingredients –

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 5 cloves minced garlic
• 1 green bell pepper chopped
• 2 jalapeño peppers chopped
• 1 can of Chipotle chili’s in adobo sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 16 oz can chicken broth
• 1 12 oz beer
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinse
• 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tsp Tabasco
• Any leftover items you might have – cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onions…

Directions –

1. In a Dutch oven or cast iron pan, add a couple teaspoons of oil and create a thin layer on the bottom. Last summer I bought this pan from Macy’s and it worked great for this meal and fed four people easily!

1. Move pan closer to the flames and heat
2. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic until onion is soft
3. Add a bit of the adobo sauce from the chili can, tomato paste, peppers, cumin and Italian seasoning.
4. Stir and cook for about 3-5 minutes until peppers have softened
5. Add tomatoes, broth, and beer with the sugar and mix to combine
6. Move the pot away from the heat towards the edge of the campfire grill
7. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes
8. Add beans and re-cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes
9. Remove from heat and serve into bowls
10. Add the toppings you have (sour cream, cheese) and serve with campfire cornbread – recipe to come!

The Best Garlic Bread

I love to make at least one pasta dish on a camping trip (see previous lasagna recipe) and what goes best with pasta? Garlic bread! It also just make a great snack or side dish for many meals. Warning – this garlic bread is highly addicting and I usually triple the portion you think normal people would eat when planning for the meal.

I think the first time I did this recipe while camping was at Mary Smith campground up near the town of Shasta. It’s a bit of a drive from the Bay Area but a pretty drive and the campground has nice hiking. Sadly when we went it was too cold to get into the water. Maybe next time!

Ingredients –

• Loaf of French bread
• 2 to 2 1/2 sticks of butter – accept it, love it, trust me!
• Garlic – I use at least 8-9 cloves
• Italian seasoning
• Parmesan cheese – shredded
• Foil

Directions –

1. Cut french loaf in half longwise
2. Mince garlic to fine pieces
3. Mash room temp butter, minced garlic, a little bit of shredded Parmesan cheese and a couple teaspoons of Italian seasoning in a bowl until well combined
4. Spread garlic, cheese, butter mixture evenly on the two layers of bread
5. Top with more shredded Parmesan cheese
6. Put each loaf separately in a piece of foil and fold up so foil creates a boat and top of bread doesn’t touch top of foil
7. Place on indirect heat on campfire and cook for about 10 min or until bread is warmed and cheese on top is melted
8. Remove from heat and slice into 2 inch pieces or eat as whole (just kidding but you’ll want to)

Campfire Lasagna

Happy Sunday Funday everyone!   I thought today I would bring to you another entrée and crowd pleaser for dinners while camping.  I have to give my cousin Chrissy thanks for this one as she gave me the original recipe and some tips that I have added on to over the years.  For example, I’ve added spinach because I like some greens.  I’ve also played around with the type of meat I’ve added or don’t add at all.

I also have to mention that the last time I made this was this past July at my favorite camping site – Letts Lake.

The place is beautiful and the last five miles are unpaved to get there which is always a roll of the dice with my Prius but I’ve made it at least 3 out of the 4 times I’ve tried.  I was fortunate to go literally two weeks before the Mendocino Complex Fire (specifically Ranch Fire) started and the campsite was evacuated and later burned in the same fire.  I cried a good amount after learning it burned.  But why do I even remember this so specifically?  Because this was the first time I had the genius idea to add Italian sausage to my lasagna.  The bees were so incredibly bad this past summer in California and the second I opened the sausage packet, hundreds of bees swarmed on me and the meat so quickly, that I had to abort the mission and ended up kicking the sausage a few feet away from the campsite.  So next time, I will cook and cut the meat prior to going camping so I can quickly assemble and hopefully not have the swarm of bee issue.  On the other note, while I won’t be able to enjoy Letts Lake this upcoming summer, hopefully it will be back open in 2020.  I also pray all the animals and especially baby ducks are ok but the bees I will say I hope they won’t be returning (wishful thinking I know!)

So here you go – my and my cousin’s much loved combined lasagna recipe

Ingredients –

• Oven Ready Lasagna Noodles
• 2 jars of Rao’s Marinara Pasta Sauce (this part is VERY important.  Trust me – splurge and spend the $8 on a jar of delicious sauce – it makes all the difference)
• 1 bag Mozzarella Cheese
• 1 bag Cheddar Cheese
• 1 bag Parmesan Cheese
• Any kind of cooked meat you would like
• Any vegetables you might like (I like spinach and zuchinni)
• Italian Seasoning
• Cast Iron Pan
• Foil

Directions –

Line the cast iron with double foil (spillage of the marinara sauce in the cast iron is a real pain to clean when camping)

Make a layer of oven ready lasagna noodles

Spread a portion of sauce over noodles

Add a part of the vegetables that you want evenly over sauce/noodles combo

Add any meat if you are having meat for the next layer

Add a layer of mozzarella and cheddar cheese

Add another layer of oven ready noodles

Add another portion of sauce over noodles

Repeat vegetables, meat and cheese layers

If you are now at the top of your cast iron, add sauce to cover, remaining mozzarella & cheddar cheese and as much of the parmesan cheese that looks good to you. Top with

Italian seasoning and cover pan with foil

Put cast iron pan on indirect heat over the campfire

Cook for about 45 min – an hour or when cheese is melted on top

Enjoy!