The Dichotomy of Camping
Well, well, our final summer adventure has ended. We finished our annual week-long trek to Emerald Lake in our tent trailer, situated in E2, thank you very much, our favorite camping spot on the campground due to it's lack of neighbors. I so like not having neighbors when we camp. This little site is stuck out there by itself, surrounded by bush, one that you're likely to drive right on by, unless you know what you're looking for. And that's how we like it. Come in and visit if you're invited, kindly walk on by if you're not!
We had a good week. The weather was good, except a wild storm Saturday night. We had a nice combination of visitors and time alone. I loaded up the Kobo with lots of good books and managed to finish....(ahem)....one book.....I over-planned and under-read! Lots of good visiting with our friends. The kids swam and tubed and went knee-boarding. I actually beat Dean at a game of Scrabble. (Huh?) We sat by the campfire a lot, and drank campfire coffee and took turns cooking some pretty fabulous meals.
I think I'm getting over the "this place is so beautiful, I hate to leave" mentality that hounded me for the first several years of our trips there. Now I hate to leave, but it's because we're parting with good friends. Our time there with them has become very special, and we miss them when we leave. And I see that as a "good thing" to quote Ms. Stewart.
On arriving home I started to giggle at some of the opposing thoughts that cross my mind as the week progresses. Here's a few samples of the things that go through my mind:
Day 1 - "I'm going to do a lot of walking while we're here, and maybe get in better shape. Hey, I might even drop a couple of pounds! Right on!"
Day 3 - "I'm going to have ice cream twice a day and I don't care WHAT it does to me. Hard, flavored ice cream in the afternoon, soft ice cream in the evening. It's essential!"
Day 1 - "I am SO happy to be here in my little tent trailer. I don't care HOW humble it is. It's ours. And that's all we need. A bigger trailer/cabin would just give me a bigger headache. Thank you Lord, for my tent trailer!!!"
Day 6 - "Oh, I hate this rain...I don't care what we have to do, next year we're buying a BIG trailer. On the other hand, the cabin down the road there can't be worth much more than $250,000.00 - think of all the winter vacations we could spend here. Yup, we'll dump the tent trailer and get into something FAR more appropriate. I've had enough of tenting."
Day 3 - "I can't believe what a great tan I'm getting! Just look under my watch strap, you'll just SEE how brown I am! Can't wait to show this tan off!"
Day 4 - "Who am I kidding? I'm not going to take my watch off to show off my tan lines....?!?!?"
Day 2 - 8:30 a.m. "I'm so glad we bought all this wood. We're going to have a camp fire EVERY NIGHT!! And roast marshmallows, make smores, pop popcorn, drink hot chocolate. Let's do it all!"
Day 2 - 9:30 p.m. "Yaaawwwnnn. Fire? No thanks. I'm too tired."
Day 1 - "Let's splurge and take a bunch of junk food. That's the fun thing to eat while we're at the beach!"
Day 6 - "Ugh, chips again? I need REAL food....gross..."
Day 3 - "I just LOVE being one with nature! Hello squirrels! Hello birds! You're beautiful!"
Day 5 - "HELP!!!! THERE'S A FROG IN THE SHOWER!!!!!!!!!!!"
Day 2 - "I can't wait to try out this new recipe! I'm going to save this supper for the end of the week and we'll all REALLY enjoy this meal that we've never tried before!"
Day 7 - (five minutes before supper) - "I don't think we're going to like this.....and the cooler is empty....help."
Oh boy. You might be laughing at me, but it's true. Every statement is true. I'm blushing.
But I am glad that we can escape the usual for a little bit. A change is so refreshing. It challenges us, helps us see things with fresh eyes. We dream a little, escape reality for a while, but we land back on our feet without any major damage, other than a bit of sand in our swimsuit. I am a firm believer in the joys of camping. I have never regretted a minute that we've spent camping nor a dollar that it has cost us. Excellent investment on both sides.
I DID make a meal at the lake that was previously untried. And I DID serve it on the last night that we were there. However, we DID like it (except one young diner, who shall remain nameless, who said, and I quote: "I'm being good, because I'm eating it even though I don't really like it!" She's so very sweet; I love her spirit, even though she didn't like my supper. ;)
I've made Pulled Pork many times before but Dean and I were treated to some Pulled Pork earlier in the summer that went far beyond the tastiness that I had previously achieved. We did some research, and came up with something closer to the (new) goal of flavor that we were exposed to. The only disclaimer that I can insert here is that the "best" Pulled Pork that we've eaten was made by folks from the Carolinas, and was prepared for 24 hours in a smoker, so I don't think that I will ever achieve the exact same results in a slow cooker. The recipe that I'm sharing today comes fairly close, but a really good Pulled Pork is probably one shrouded in family secrets and there's probably some mystery ingredient that people "accidentally" forget to share in a recipe. But that's okay. Maybe mine will be MY family's favorite.
With great thanks to the Pioneer Woman and her fabulous cookbook, here is:
Spicy Pulled Pork
5-7 pound pork shoulder
1 whole onion, cut in quarters
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp cumin
1 - 2 Tbsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp liquid smoke* (aha! the missing ingredient! I'm told, though, that if you add too much, it will be too salty)
Combine everything from the onions through the white wine vinegar in a food processor and pulse until combined. (I did this step at home and put it in a jar in the cooler to use several days later). When ready to cook, add the teaspoon of liquid smoke to the paste and rub it all in to the pork shoulder. Place pork and all sauce ingredients into a slow cooker and let it cook on LOW for as long as possible. (I meant to cook mine overnight at the lake but there was an unfortunate extension cord *woops*. Mine probably cooked for a total of 8 - 12 hours. Who knows, really? I was at the lake. There was no clock on the wall to check cooking times.) Drain excess liquids off the pork about halfway through and re-add as necessary to keep it from drying out. When ready to serve, shred with a fork. Some of the previously drained liquids can be added back to the pork after it is shredded. Can also be served with BBQ sauce. I like to serve it on a bun with coleslaw on the side, but that's just me!
Or, eat it with ketchup, if you are one young diner who didn't really like it,who shall still remain unnamed. ;)
One final camping dichotomy for ya, from my heart...
Day 1 - "Good-bye Prince Albert. See ya later. Glad to see you behind me. Boy, do I need a break from you."
Day 7 - "Hi P.A.!!!! Nice to be back HOME!!!!"
We had a good week. The weather was good, except a wild storm Saturday night. We had a nice combination of visitors and time alone. I loaded up the Kobo with lots of good books and managed to finish....(ahem)....one book.....I over-planned and under-read! Lots of good visiting with our friends. The kids swam and tubed and went knee-boarding. I actually beat Dean at a game of Scrabble. (Huh?) We sat by the campfire a lot, and drank campfire coffee and took turns cooking some pretty fabulous meals.
I think I'm getting over the "this place is so beautiful, I hate to leave" mentality that hounded me for the first several years of our trips there. Now I hate to leave, but it's because we're parting with good friends. Our time there with them has become very special, and we miss them when we leave. And I see that as a "good thing" to quote Ms. Stewart.
On arriving home I started to giggle at some of the opposing thoughts that cross my mind as the week progresses. Here's a few samples of the things that go through my mind:
Day 1 - "I'm going to do a lot of walking while we're here, and maybe get in better shape. Hey, I might even drop a couple of pounds! Right on!"
Day 3 - "I'm going to have ice cream twice a day and I don't care WHAT it does to me. Hard, flavored ice cream in the afternoon, soft ice cream in the evening. It's essential!"
Day 1 - "I am SO happy to be here in my little tent trailer. I don't care HOW humble it is. It's ours. And that's all we need. A bigger trailer/cabin would just give me a bigger headache. Thank you Lord, for my tent trailer!!!"
Day 6 - "Oh, I hate this rain...I don't care what we have to do, next year we're buying a BIG trailer. On the other hand, the cabin down the road there can't be worth much more than $250,000.00 - think of all the winter vacations we could spend here. Yup, we'll dump the tent trailer and get into something FAR more appropriate. I've had enough of tenting."
Day 3 - "I can't believe what a great tan I'm getting! Just look under my watch strap, you'll just SEE how brown I am! Can't wait to show this tan off!"
Day 4 - "Who am I kidding? I'm not going to take my watch off to show off my tan lines....?!?!?"
Day 2 - 8:30 a.m. "I'm so glad we bought all this wood. We're going to have a camp fire EVERY NIGHT!! And roast marshmallows, make smores, pop popcorn, drink hot chocolate. Let's do it all!"
Day 2 - 9:30 p.m. "Yaaawwwnnn. Fire? No thanks. I'm too tired."
Day 1 - "Let's splurge and take a bunch of junk food. That's the fun thing to eat while we're at the beach!"
Day 6 - "Ugh, chips again? I need REAL food....gross..."
Day 3 - "I just LOVE being one with nature! Hello squirrels! Hello birds! You're beautiful!"
Day 5 - "HELP!!!! THERE'S A FROG IN THE SHOWER!!!!!!!!!!!"
Day 2 - "I can't wait to try out this new recipe! I'm going to save this supper for the end of the week and we'll all REALLY enjoy this meal that we've never tried before!"
Day 7 - (five minutes before supper) - "I don't think we're going to like this.....and the cooler is empty....help."
Oh boy. You might be laughing at me, but it's true. Every statement is true. I'm blushing.
But I am glad that we can escape the usual for a little bit. A change is so refreshing. It challenges us, helps us see things with fresh eyes. We dream a little, escape reality for a while, but we land back on our feet without any major damage, other than a bit of sand in our swimsuit. I am a firm believer in the joys of camping. I have never regretted a minute that we've spent camping nor a dollar that it has cost us. Excellent investment on both sides.
I DID make a meal at the lake that was previously untried. And I DID serve it on the last night that we were there. However, we DID like it (except one young diner, who shall remain nameless, who said, and I quote: "I'm being good, because I'm eating it even though I don't really like it!" She's so very sweet; I love her spirit, even though she didn't like my supper. ;)
I've made Pulled Pork many times before but Dean and I were treated to some Pulled Pork earlier in the summer that went far beyond the tastiness that I had previously achieved. We did some research, and came up with something closer to the (new) goal of flavor that we were exposed to. The only disclaimer that I can insert here is that the "best" Pulled Pork that we've eaten was made by folks from the Carolinas, and was prepared for 24 hours in a smoker, so I don't think that I will ever achieve the exact same results in a slow cooker. The recipe that I'm sharing today comes fairly close, but a really good Pulled Pork is probably one shrouded in family secrets and there's probably some mystery ingredient that people "accidentally" forget to share in a recipe. But that's okay. Maybe mine will be MY family's favorite.
With great thanks to the Pioneer Woman and her fabulous cookbook, here is:
Spicy Pulled Pork
5-7 pound pork shoulder
1 whole onion, cut in quarters
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp cumin
1 - 2 Tbsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp liquid smoke* (aha! the missing ingredient! I'm told, though, that if you add too much, it will be too salty)
Combine everything from the onions through the white wine vinegar in a food processor and pulse until combined. (I did this step at home and put it in a jar in the cooler to use several days later). When ready to cook, add the teaspoon of liquid smoke to the paste and rub it all in to the pork shoulder. Place pork and all sauce ingredients into a slow cooker and let it cook on LOW for as long as possible. (I meant to cook mine overnight at the lake but there was an unfortunate extension cord *woops*. Mine probably cooked for a total of 8 - 12 hours. Who knows, really? I was at the lake. There was no clock on the wall to check cooking times.) Drain excess liquids off the pork about halfway through and re-add as necessary to keep it from drying out. When ready to serve, shred with a fork. Some of the previously drained liquids can be added back to the pork after it is shredded. Can also be served with BBQ sauce. I like to serve it on a bun with coleslaw on the side, but that's just me!
Or, eat it with ketchup, if you are one young diner who didn't really like it,who shall still remain unnamed. ;)
One final camping dichotomy for ya, from my heart...
Day 1 - "Good-bye Prince Albert. See ya later. Glad to see you behind me. Boy, do I need a break from you."
Day 7 - "Hi P.A.!!!! Nice to be back HOME!!!!"
Good night, from E2!!!
I like your contrasts. You should see my tan under my watch strap!! :)
ReplyDeleteAnd what's wrong with a little frog in your shower! On my birthday many years ago, we collected frogs!
Anyway...fun to read and it was fun to share part of a day with you and experience your camping cooking too!
Great pic of your trailer!
Elaine (and Dwight) - we were really happy to have you visit us and share in our crazy little world there! Hope the rest of your holiday was restful.
ReplyDeleteAnd, by the way, I'd be most interested in admiring your tan line under your watch strap!