Sourdough English Muffins

I love English muffins, and I think they turn out best when made with sourdough. They are cooked on the stovetop in a skillet, so they can be made readily when camping as well as at home. However, they are best toasted, even though they smell wonderful when fresh cooked.

English muffins are easy to make. The first step is to prepare a sponge. For this, mix a half cup of starter with a cup of hot water, then add approximately a cup of flour and mix into a thick, doughy batter. I like to use the plastic containers my yogurt comes in to mix the dough and for rising. Let the sponge rise until double in bulk. Dump the sponge onto a floured surface, add a half teaspoon of salt and a quarter teaspoon of baking soda and the remaining flour and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. Poke your finger into the dough and if it springs back it should be good to go.

Most recipes call for you to roll the dough out and cut the muffins with a muffin ring. I prefer a different approach so that I am not rolling the dough out and then re-rolling it to use up the excess dough once I have cut the muffins. The way I do it is to form the dough into a thick log, then cut it into sections/slices about half the size of the finished muffin I want. This way, I can cut the slices, or lumps, of dough evenly. Pat each slice into a disc about half to three quarters of an inch thick. Next, sprinkle the cornmeal over the bottom of the skillet and set the dough discs on top, being sure to leave room between them for the dough to expand. Cover and let rise until the dough has doubled in bulk.

When the dough has risen, put the skillet over a medium flame to heat up, then turn the flame down to low so the muffins will not burn. They should rise some more as they heat up, and the cornmeal should give off a wonderful aroma as it bakes. After about seven minutes, the muffins should be browned on the bottom and ready to turn over. Use a fork to turn them. (You can life them slightly with a fork to determine if they are brown) Cook then on the other side until the muffins are none and golden brown on both top and bottom. You may want to turn them a second time to insure they are done on the inside. They should feel light when you lift them with the fork, and they should cook about fifteen to twenty minutes. This may take a little experience, since cooking time will depend on the size of the muffins and how hot your skillet is.

Remove the muffins when done and let them cool on a wire rack. For the final stage, use a fork to separate the halves for toasting. You can also cut the muffins in half, but inserting a fork all the way around the muffin allows you to pull the halves apart with all these nooks and crannies to capture the melting butter and jam or honey you add to complete the delicious process. Don't forget the hot coffee or tea, and enjoy.

Ingredients for Sourdough English Muffins:
1/2 cup sourdough starter
1 cup hot water
1-2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cornmeal

Jim's Sauteed Garlic Potatoes i

Malware on my computer and a burst water pipe in ten degree weather has not made my day, but my Android and and some experience at being a handyman just might save the day. It seems like ages since my son Jim and I went camping. I remember it was definitely warmer. I also remember the fabulous garlic potatoes he cooked as part of his share of the cooking. They are sauteed in butter and olive oil rather than being boiled or baked. I really like the resulting texture and flavor. You really should give this a try. These were great over a campfire, and they'll be terrific at home. Even good enough for Thanksgiving! Just cut up a couple of cups of small red potatoes into chunks an inch or so in size. While you're at it, cut up a small onion and peel two or three cloves of garlic. Put a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter in the bottom, of a saucepan and heat over medium temperature with the potatoes, onions and garlic. Add a half teaspoon of salt and a quarter teaspoon of pepper. Cover the pot with a lid and turn the heat to low. Uncover and stir frequently to keep from sticking. Add more butter and olive oil if necessary. The potatoes will saute nicely, and the moisture from the vegetables will help them to steam to perfection. When done, you can add a little cream and mash them, or serve them as is. These potatoes go great with steak, roast beef, salmon or ... Turkey! Oh, by the way. Sourdough bread is an appropriate side here as well. Thanks for visiting my blog. Hopefully I'll have my computer back up and running soon. I did take care of the leak in the basement.

 

Impossible Coconut Custard Pie

You don’t have to settle for a melted, messy candy bar if you discover you have a craving for something sweet and you’re all settled-in at your campsite. You can indulge that sweet tooth with a piece of coconut custard pie. What could be better?

Actually, the way this pie is made offers a real plus to campers that makes it even better. You don’t have to roll out a pie dough on the picnic table with a beverage container, or what have you. You don’t have to roll out a dough at all. This amazing pie does all that for you. It’s called the impossible pie for good reason. All you do is throw the ingredients into a bowl, beat them into a smooth batter and pour the contents into a greased and floured pan. Stick the pan into whatever you have to simulate a 350⁰ oven and bake it for about a half hour, or until you can stick a knife blade into it and the blade comes out clean. Believe it or not, the pie makes its own crust and custard filling.

The recipe below is intended for camping, and is appropriate for a pan about six inches in diameter, like the pan in a traditional Boy Scout mess kit. To grease and flour the pan, rub the sides and bottom with butter, place a spoonful of flour in the pan, then tip it and tap the edges while rotating the pan. The flour will coat the sides and bottom as you tap and rotate the pan. Dump out whatever is left over when you see the inside is coated. Hopefully, your camp cooking gear includes a short whisk, since you probably don’t have a hand mixer with you. I find a short whisk can be handy from time to time and doesn’t weigh much or take up much room. I suppose you could use a fork if you really did so vigorously, but I haven’t tried that yet. To make the batter come together readily, melt the butter before you add it to the other ingredients, but don’t pour it in while it’s hot.



Impossible Coconut Custard Pie

This can be a fun thing to throw together, and the resulting pie tastes really good. You should give it a try. Maybe you're already familiar with impossible pies. Let me know, and thanks for visiting my blog.

 

 Ingredients:

1 cup milk
½ cup shredded coconut
2 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons butter
¼ cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg.

Talking Camping Gear

Men are all boys at heart, and boys love toys. Or, so we’re told. Personally, I have to admit I do. Lately, one of my sons and I have been talking about camping gear. We both love to camp, and did some together this fall. We also both love cooking, and that includes cooking over a campfire. Of course, there are times when that is impossible or impractical. That’s when a stove becomes essential. Naturally, some of the gear we’ve been talking about involves cooking. My son just bought a new backpacking stove. To be honest, I guess I’m jealous, but I’m not ready to follow suit just yet. I have been having fun talking with him about his acquisition and giving some thought to what I think would have to go into the ideal stove for me.

 

My son’s stove burns twigs. If there is no wood source available, the alternative is an alcohol burner. This outfit reflects a current interest in stoves that do not require fossil fuels—little canisters of butane that are partly full—but no one knows just how full—or canisters of white gas. Our discussion brought back memories for both of us of when my sons were much younger. I had an alcohol stove then. The popular interest at the time was in miniature stoves operating on white gas. I ended up with one of those too. I later acquired one that used propane, and seemed to answer everything—it was quick to put into operation, worked reliably, produced a hot flame, and was light to carry. Of course, I did feel I had to carry an extra canister of fuel because I didn’t know how much burn time I would get off the one I was using.

 

My son’s memories included another approach altogether. He talked about the coffee can stoves I introduced them to as a reasonably safe means of doing some backyard camping and cooking. The design was inspired by something I understood to have been a standard with the Girl Scouts. Basically, it involved a coffee can with an opening at the bottom to put in the twigs and holes at the top to let out smoke. A pan could be set on the top for cooking. Actually, it worked pretty well. That’s the way my son remembers his experience as well.

 

Of course, things evolve. The stove my son just bought is a very high-tech updating of the coffee can stove design. It does not have the hole in the bottom—you put twigs in from the top—and, the burn design is technically improved. Basically, it relies on a double-walled canister design that uses a twig fire, but draws the smoke up for a second burn cycle. It’s highly efficient, and works very well to produce an impressive amount of heat from a handful of dry twigs.

 

Other than being high-tech and new, what’s the attraction? Well, for me, camp cooking has to do with the challenge of seeing what you can accomplish with a minimum of modern kitchen equipment and convenience. Making an apple pie in a small pan over a bed of hot coals is hugely rewarding. Sometimes a stove is necessary (fires may not be allowed) and sometimes it’s simply convenient enough to warrant its use. Some campers want to visit the wild without leaving any more trace of their having been there than can be avoided. A small stove leaves no half-burned sticks, scorched ground or ashes. The stove my son bought seems a reasonable compromise. It uses twigs, not logs, and it’s fast and efficient.

 

In addition to the need for carrying fuel, I have complained that camping stoves, especially small ones, produce a very hot flame over a very small area, and seem primarily suited to cooking soup or making tea. Will my son’s new stove work better for cooking other things? That’s the twenty-four-thousand dollar question. It looks as though it might. I’ll be even more interested in getting one myself if it does. After all, it’s very hard to meet the outdoor cooking challenge if all you can readily do is boil water. Love to hear what others have to say about camp cooking stoves. Thank you for visiting my blog.

Men are all boys at heart, and boys love toys. Or, so we’re told. Personally, I have to admit I do. Lately, one of my sons and I have been talking about camping gear. We both love to camp, and did some together this fall. We also both love cooking, and that includes cooking over a campfire. Of course, there are times when that is impossible or impractical. That’s when a stove becomes essential. Naturally, some of the gear we’ve been talking about involves cooking. My son just bought a new backpacking stove. To be honest, I guess I’m jealous, but I’m not ready to follow suit just yet. I have been having fun talking with him about his acquisition and giving some thought to what I think would have to go into the ideal stove for me.

 

My son’s stove burns twigs. If there is no wood source available, the alternative is an alcohol burner. This outfit reflects a current interest in stoves that do not require fossil fuels—little canisters of butane that are partly full—but no one knows just how full—or canisters of white gas. Our discussion brought back memories for both of us of when my sons were much younger. I had an alcohol stove then. The popular interest at the time was in miniature stoves operating on white gas. I ended up with one of those too. I later acquired one that used propane, and seemed to answer everything—it was quick to put into operation, worked reliably, produced a hot flame, and was light to carry. Of course, I did feel I had to carry an extra canister of fuel because I didn’t know how much burn time I would get off the one I was using.

 

My son’s memories included another approach altogether. He talked about the coffee can stoves I introduced them to as a reasonably safe means of doing some backyard camping and cooking. The design was inspired by something I understood to have been a standard with the Girl Scouts. Basically, it involved a coffee can with an opening at the bottom to put in the twigs and holes at the top to let out smoke. A pan could be set on the top for cooking. Actually, it worked pretty well. That’s the way my son remembers his experience as well.

 

Of course, things evolve. The stove my son just bought is a very high-tech updating of the coffee can stove design. It does not have the hole in the bottom—you put twigs in from the top—and, the burn design is technically improved. Basically, it relies on a double-walled canister design that uses a twig fire, but draws the smoke up for a second burn cycle. It’s highly efficient, and works very well to produce an impressive amount of heat from a handful of dry twigs.

 

Other than being high-tech and new, what’s the attraction? Well, for me, camp cooking has to do with the challenge of seeing what you can accomplish with a minimum of modern kitchen equipment and convenience. Making an apple pie in a small pan over a bed of hot coals is hugely rewarding. Sometimes a stove is necessary (fires may not be allowed) and sometimes it’s simply convenient enough to warrant its use. Some campers want to visit the wild without leaving any more trace of their having been there than can be avoided. A small stove leaves no half-burned sticks, scorched ground or ashes. The stove my son bought seems a reasonable compromise. It uses twigs, not logs, and it’s fast and efficient.

 

In addition to the need for carrying fuel, I have complained that camping stoves, especially small ones, produce a very hot flame over a very small area, and seem primarily suited to cooking soup or making tea. Will my son’s new stove work better for cooking other things? That’s the twenty-four-thousand dollar question. It looks as though it might. I’ll be even more interested in getting one myself if it does. After all, it’s very hard to meet the outdoor cooking challenge if all you can readily do is boil water. Love to hear what others have to say about camp cooking stoves. Thank you for visiting my blog.