Eating Well While Camping

Did I mention that Giz is an anxious mother?

Evidence #1: I thought Giz wouldn't have any nervousness about our upcoming trip to Australia and New Zealand (leaving mid-April - SO EXCITED). We finally booked our tickets and I sent the itinerary to Giz. Her response: "...it sounds pretty intense to me. Wouldn't you rather spend the night in LA and then continue on after a good sleep?

Am I crazy or does that make no sense at all? Why would I want to be well-rested in preparation for a 14 hour flight? You'd think it would be the opposite. My current plan is to take some night time cold medicine and sleep for as much of it as possible. Any other recommendations are welcome!

Evidence #2 of Giz's being an anxious mother - here's a recent telephone conversation:

PG : We're going on an overnight xc ski trip this weekend.

Giz: Oh yeah? Where will you stay?

PG: In a yurt, like usual.

Giz: Won't it be cold?

PG: No, it's fine. It's actually really warm in the yurt with the wood oven.

Giz: Are you going to take food?

PG: No. I'd figure we'd just rough it.

Giz: WHAT!?! No. You need to take food.

PG: I'm sure there will be wild animals out there. We can just hunt for our food.

Giz: Are you serious? I really think you should take some food with you.

PG: Seriously mom? Do you think I'm going to go on an overnight trip without food? Have we even met?

Giz: Well... I just wanted to make sure.

Rest assured mom. No one went hungry.


It started with picking up a sandwich from DiRienzo's, a xc ski tradition.


I know I've talked about DiRienzo's on here before. It's an Ottawa institution. You go into this corner store that looks pretty run down on the outside. Quite often the line wraps around the aisle of the store. But, the staff working behind the counter are so fast, you'd think they were moving in fast forward. As you work your way closer to the front counter, you pick up a bun (not my favourite aspect to have to select a bun from a bin that hundreds of people root through). You then select a sandwich number, based on the option posted (I always get #6 -- proscuitto, turkey and havarti cheese). The meat is sliced fresh and you tell the staff your preferred toppings (e.g., lettuce, tomato, mayo, mustard, pickled eggplant). All of that for $4 (prices increased from $3.50 this year, but it's still well worth it).



After making our way to Gatineau Park, we set off for the yurt (our home for the evening).


This year, we decided to switch it up from the usual hot dogs and salad and make chicken fajitas.

Having everything cut up ahead of time makes this a really quick, convenient and tasty meal to make on a wood stove. Sorry, not a great picture, but it was dark out by the time we ate.

Breakfast was also delicious -- home made hasbrowns and omlettes stuffed with sausage and veggies.



By splitting up the meals between 6 of us, it was really easy to ski in carrying a good variety of food that was more interesting than the usual camping fare.

You can read about a previous ski trip here.

Chorizo Parpadella in a Tomato Sauce

Thank you to Giz for carrying the blogging load for the past week or so. I've been up to my eyeballs in work. It seems that productivity in one area in life means falling behind in other areas. Here's a meal that I made a couple of weeks ago now...but have been intending to post for a while.

I got sucked into the spending pit - the Italian grocery store...again. This time, R came with me (rather than waiting for me outside). Since discovering that the buns and lunchmeat he buys at our regular grocery store pale in comparison to what you can find at the Italian grocery store, he seems to be more tolerant of the time we spend in there. Among a basket-full of things we took out of these, I picked up some fresh chorizo sausage.

UPDATE: Guess who went to the Italian store this weekend (while I've been out of town). I nearly fainted when I heard that R decided to stop in because it was "on the way" and picked up foccacia bread, buns, lunch meat and pancetta.

Chorizo Parpadella in a Tomato Sauce

1 box of parpadella
3 fresh Italian chorizo sausages
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
10 cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 can of chopped tomatoes (used a large can - maybe 600-800 grams)
chili peppers, pepper, fresh parsley, basil, oregano (to taste)
olive oil

I partially cooked the chorizo sausages whole to harden the outside of the sausage before slicing it. I'm still working on the best technique to cut sausage. I would guess that a sharper knife would make the task easier and perhaps cutting slightly frozen sausage.


After slicing the chorizo, I added it back to the pan along with garlic and shallots. A couple minutes later, I added sliced mushrooms.


Then, I added the chopped tomatoes and chili peppers.


Around that time, I starting boiling the pasta


Then, fresh herbs.


A bit of parmesan...


Easy to make, tastes good. Yummy leftovers for lunch.

This post is going to Ruth's Presto Pasta Night.

Linguine Ratatouille with Italian Sausage

I've been cooking up a storm this evening. I'm sure you'll see the product in due time. But first, I need to catch up on older posts.

A week or so ago, I picked up a cookbook I hadn't given much attention to since Giz first sent it to me.



When I'm going through a cookbook, I'll usually sit with little sticky notes to mark the pages that look interesting to me. Maybe I was hungry when I sat down to look through this cookbook, but almost half of the pages have been tagged. I'd say that makes for a good cookbook. I think the trick is attractive and plentiful pictures. Like my food blog preferences, I like to see the food. It tells me what kind of product I can expect if I make the recipe (correctly) myself.

Since basil is one of my favourite herbs (parsley is another favourite), I decided to go with Linguine with Rataouille Sauce. I added spicy Italian sausage.

Linguine Ratatouille with Italian Sausage



3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, cut into thin slices
1 green or red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 small eggplant (about 1/2 pound), cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 zucchini (about 1/2 pound), cut into 1/2 inch dice
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 2/3 cups canned cursshed tomatoes in thick puree (one 15 ounce can)
2tsp wine vinegar
3/4 pound linguine
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp thin sliced basic leaves
3 hot Italian sausages

1. Cut up sausage into smaller pieces. Cook the sausage and then remove from pan in order to cook the remaining ingredients.

2. In a large frying pan, heat the oil over moderate heat (I added less oil since there was fat from the sausages remaining). Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the eggplant, zucchini, garlic, salt and black pepper. Reduce the heat to moderately low and cook, covered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.



3. Add the tomatoes and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the vinegar. Toward the end of the 10 minutes, stir the sausage into the tomato and vegetable mixture.



4. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the linguine (I used spaghettini) until just done, about 12 minutes. Reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta-cooking water. Drain the pasta and toss with the vegetables, the 1/2 cup basil, and if the pasta seems too dry, some of the reserved pasta-cooking water. Serve topped with 2 tbsp of basil.





I'm submitting this to Ruth's Presto Pasta Night roundup.

Farfalle with Sausage, Artichokes and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Slowly, but surely, I am making my way through the list at the bottom of the sidebar. I have another 50 or so recipes starred in my Google. At this rate, I'll need 3 lifetimes to get through all of the amazing recipes I see on your blogs on a daily basis.

The inspiration for my submission for this week's Presto Pasta Roundup comes from Confections of a Foodie Bride. It is originally a Giada recipe.



Farfalle with Sausage, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

1/2 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced, 2 tablespoons of oil reserved
1/2 lb mild Italian sausage (I used spicy)
8 oz artichoke hearts, quartered
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
8 oz farfalle pasta
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan, plus additional for garnish
2 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley leaves, chopped
8 oz mozzarella, cubed (optional - I didn't include)
Salt and freshly ground pepper (with the sausage, artichoke and parmesan cheese, I don't think this recipe needs more salt)

Heat the oil reserved from the tomatoes in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and cook until brown, breaking up the meat into bite-size pieces with a fork (I cut the sausage into bite-sized pieces to begin with), about 8 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a bowl. Add the artichokes and garlic to the same skillet, and saute over medium heat until the garlic is tender, about 2 minutes. Add the broth, wine, and sun-dried tomatoes (I also added sliced mushrooms at this stage). Boil over medium-high heat until the sauce reduces slightly, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta in boiling water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta (do not rinse). Add the pasta, sausage, parmesan, basil, and parsley to the artichoke mixture.



Toss until the sauce is almost absorbed by the pasta. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve, passing the additional parmesan cheese alongside.



Verdict: This recipe is great! I used artichokes packed in oil. I'd like to try this with fresh artichokes in the future. I find that pasta dishes aren't always well-proportioned with the sauce recipe. This wasn't a problem for this recipe. The chicken soup and white wine base combined with the other ingredients make for a perfect combination, consistent flavour but not greasy. As someone who doesn't tolerate cream sauces well and is getting tired of tomato-based sauces, this combination is a great option.

Artichoke and Sausage Stuffed Shells

After seeing Smells Like Home's Artichoke and Sausage Stuffed Shells (a variation on a Giada recipe), I had to add it to my "to try" list. It'll be my submission for Once Upon a Feast's Presto Pasta Night Roundup





1 (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (I used less)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound ground turkey (I used spicy sausage)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon
1 (8 to 10-ounce) package frozen artichokes, thawed and coarsely chopped (I used marinaded)
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan (I used less)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (I couldn't find any at the grocery store, so I used about 1/2 tsp of dried)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
5 cups Arrabbiata Sauce (I used regular ragu)
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella (about 5 ounces)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still very firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and the garlic and cook until the onions are soft and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the ground turkey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is slightly golden and cooked through.



Add the artichoke hearts and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.



In a large bowl combine the cooled turkey mixture with the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, and the remaining salt and pepper. Stir to combine.



To stuff the shells, cover the bottom of a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish with 1 cup of Arrabbiata sauce. Take a shell in the palm of your hand and stuff it with a large spoonful of turkey mixture, about 2 tablespoons. Place the stuffed shell in the baking dish. Continue filling the shells until the baking dish is full, about 24 shells.



Drizzle the remaining Arrabbiata Sauce over the shells, top with the grated mozzarella.



If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 1 day and up to 1 month.

To bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until the shells are warmed through and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 60 minutes (20 minutes if shells are unfrozen.)