Camping Food, again!
This past weekend was our annual camping trip with our friends! It was my last chance to breathe before jumping into studying with both feet. Less than one week. Less than one week. Less than one week.
This time of year always finds me conflicted. Always. Without fail. At least since I started college and it wasn't marching band season. Because back then I didn't have time to be conflicted. Now, on the one hand, late summer and early fall is probably one of my favorite times of year. I love the crisp weather and the cool nights and the sound that the late summer bugs make as the evening comes. I love apples and blueberries and the camping activities that come along with August and September. But along with all these things come school and homework and stress and shorter days. Although, this summer, I think the stress level will actually go down. So, there's that at least. And the exams will be over!
But anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. It is still summer, and I still have almost two weeks before classes start. And almost two weeks of studying ahead. Last weekend was kind of our last huzzah of the summer. We've gone camping with J&KB, J&RB, J&LB, DO, KO, JK, MA and ZS for a few years in a row now. We are starting to get things down pat. It's a very different trip than our trip with our families that we are used to.
This year, RB picked the location: Cape Cod. She knows a quite nice campground that worked out really well for us! It was interesting heading back to Cape Cod more than ten years after I'd been there last. I feel like I would almost be disowned as a resident of this area if I said that too loudly. Oh well. At least I've been there now! It was odd to be camping in such a busy area and with civilization around. It was very different.
We decided that we should go with easier meals this year. Last year, we spent an awfully long time cooking. So, RB and I planned cold and simple dinners. JK brought sandwich stuff for lunch. KEB brought desserts, and everyone brought some snacks or supplies to share.
Of course, it rained while we were setting up. No, it poured. It poured while we were setting up. Thankfully we had at least gotten up a tarp before it started pouring.
Rather than hang around the wet and rainy campground, we ate RB's Caesar salad and headed to Provincetown to do some sightseeing.
Almost immediately when we got to the main street we walked by The Purple Feather. All we could smell were fresh baked waffle cones. We promptly stopped all forward progress and decided on ice cream. Well, gelato. They also had cases of cupcakes and baked goods. It all looked so good.
And then there were gelato nachos. Three flavors of gelato with canoli "chips", whipped cream and chocolate. Um, yes. NES and I split one. And it was amazing.
After we walked around, we ate dinner on our way back to the campground. JAB really, really wanted breakfast food, so we found him some. I, for one, will never complain about breakfast at all hours of the day.
After the rain on Friday, Saturday was a beautiful day. Not that even that helped everything to dry. Everything stayed pretty damp. But at least the sun came out! Of course there were board games and sandwiches and snacks for lunch. And then, we headed off to the beach!
We spent the afternoon there, winding down with a campfire in the evening. I'd never done a beach fire before. It was pretty amazing hearing the waves and not being able to see them. And the stars were absolutely phenomenal. And the sunset.
I brought what is becoming my go-to beach food for dinner: chicken gyro pockets.
It was interesting preparing food for 13. I very rarely make food for more than 4 people. I felt like I was buying so much food.
I spent a lot of Thursday morning cutting, skewering and marinating the meat and veggies.
It was a lot of food. And tripling the marinade recipe made for some ridiculous amounts, like 6 lemons and 15 cloves of garlic.
However, eventually, I did finish.
And then while I packed in the evening, NES grilled them for me. It was perfect. I may have gone a little overboard with packing.
But, apparently I did not go overboard with the food! There was a just enough chicken and veggies left over for NES and I to have leftovers tonight. I might have gone a little overboard with the condiments, but since sand got into them, it didn't end up being too, too much.
Mmmm, nothing like a picnic on the beach!
RB started the campfire after dinner, and once the bugs went away, we enjoyed a lovely evening on the beach!
KEB brought campfire cones: namely, ice cream cones with all sorts of sweet fillings like peanut butter, nutella, marshmallows, bananas, chocolate chips and much, much more. She went all out.
I might have burnt mine. Oops. But I didn't burn NES's too much!
And since it's not camping without s'mores, there were even some s'mores going on!
Before we came home at the end of the weekend, we had to get in a round of mini golf. It's just not a trip to Cape Cod without mini golf!
This time of year always finds me conflicted. Always. Without fail. At least since I started college and it wasn't marching band season. Because back then I didn't have time to be conflicted. Now, on the one hand, late summer and early fall is probably one of my favorite times of year. I love the crisp weather and the cool nights and the sound that the late summer bugs make as the evening comes. I love apples and blueberries and the camping activities that come along with August and September. But along with all these things come school and homework and stress and shorter days. Although, this summer, I think the stress level will actually go down. So, there's that at least. And the exams will be over!
But anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. It is still summer, and I still have almost two weeks before classes start. And almost two weeks of studying ahead. Last weekend was kind of our last huzzah of the summer. We've gone camping with J&KB, J&RB, J&LB, DO, KO, JK, MA and ZS for a few years in a row now. We are starting to get things down pat. It's a very different trip than our trip with our families that we are used to.
This year, RB picked the location: Cape Cod. She knows a quite nice campground that worked out really well for us! It was interesting heading back to Cape Cod more than ten years after I'd been there last. I feel like I would almost be disowned as a resident of this area if I said that too loudly. Oh well. At least I've been there now! It was odd to be camping in such a busy area and with civilization around. It was very different.
We decided that we should go with easier meals this year. Last year, we spent an awfully long time cooking. So, RB and I planned cold and simple dinners. JK brought sandwich stuff for lunch. KEB brought desserts, and everyone brought some snacks or supplies to share.
Of course, it rained while we were setting up. No, it poured. It poured while we were setting up. Thankfully we had at least gotten up a tarp before it started pouring.
Rather than hang around the wet and rainy campground, we ate RB's Caesar salad and headed to Provincetown to do some sightseeing.
Almost immediately when we got to the main street we walked by The Purple Feather. All we could smell were fresh baked waffle cones. We promptly stopped all forward progress and decided on ice cream. Well, gelato. They also had cases of cupcakes and baked goods. It all looked so good.
And then there were gelato nachos. Three flavors of gelato with canoli "chips", whipped cream and chocolate. Um, yes. NES and I split one. And it was amazing.
After we walked around, we ate dinner on our way back to the campground. JAB really, really wanted breakfast food, so we found him some. I, for one, will never complain about breakfast at all hours of the day.
After the rain on Friday, Saturday was a beautiful day. Not that even that helped everything to dry. Everything stayed pretty damp. But at least the sun came out! Of course there were board games and sandwiches and snacks for lunch. And then, we headed off to the beach!
We spent the afternoon there, winding down with a campfire in the evening. I'd never done a beach fire before. It was pretty amazing hearing the waves and not being able to see them. And the stars were absolutely phenomenal. And the sunset.
I brought what is becoming my go-to beach food for dinner: chicken gyro pockets.
It was interesting preparing food for 13. I very rarely make food for more than 4 people. I felt like I was buying so much food.
It was a lot of food. And tripling the marinade recipe made for some ridiculous amounts, like 6 lemons and 15 cloves of garlic.
However, eventually, I did finish.
And then while I packed in the evening, NES grilled them for me. It was perfect. I may have gone a little overboard with packing.
And also a little overboard with the fact that I couldn't sit still on Thursday. After I packed, I made the best potato pizza that I've ever made. Mmmm.
And then banana bread to use up some browning bananas. It was a long, busy day. But that was no one's fault but my own.
But, apparently I did not go overboard with the food! There was a just enough chicken and veggies left over for NES and I to have leftovers tonight. I might have gone a little overboard with the condiments, but since sand got into them, it didn't end up being too, too much.
Mmmm, nothing like a picnic on the beach!
RB started the campfire after dinner, and once the bugs went away, we enjoyed a lovely evening on the beach!
KEB brought campfire cones: namely, ice cream cones with all sorts of sweet fillings like peanut butter, nutella, marshmallows, bananas, chocolate chips and much, much more. She went all out.
We filled the cones with the fillings, wrapped them in foil and stuck them in the fire.
I might have burnt mine. Oops. But I didn't burn NES's too much!
And since it's not camping without s'mores, there were even some s'mores going on!
Before we came home at the end of the weekend, we had to get in a round of mini golf. It's just not a trip to Cape Cod without mini golf!
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