Summer’s Perfect Food
Here is photographic evidence that I seriously need a fire pit in my backyard.
I made this perfection of a confection on a recent family camping trip in the Wind River mountains of Wyoming. Observe the perfectly toasted marshmallow—tawny and puffed and oozing out of its graham cracker confines. And the chocolate. That’s two squares of Hershey’s Special Dark, softened on a hot rock until it reached the consistency of frosting. It was, perhaps, the best thing I ate this summer.
My mom’s innovation of the toasted marshmallow brownie bite S’more took 2nd prize.
We also marinated the trout my dad caught in the lake in limejuice and garlic, dipped them in flour, and cooked the little guys up in a cast iron skillet over the fire.
Seriously, I think food tastes better when you eat it outside. So, with summer’s days dwindling, I’m going to be eating as many meals as possible on our back deck. It doesn’t have a fire pit or a mountainous backdrop, but I’ll take it.
Wow, Willi, looks like a GORGEOUS spot! Oh how I miss the Rockies. I must say, that s’more does look perfect. The melted chocolate is key; the texture is all wrong if you have to bite through a hard Hershey’s bar and miss out on the delicate crunch of the graham cracker.
August 25th, 2009 at 5:21 pmof course, the backdrop is as good as the photo of the smore! I have been contemplating an outdoor kitchen. Not fancy schmanc, but small and workable.
August 25th, 2009 at 7:00 pmGo buy a GIANT wok at a restaurant supply store and put it on some bricks. Makes the best instant outdoor fire place marshmallow toastin’ machine ever!
August 25th, 2009 at 7:57 pmWell I stumbled upon your blog from another I was reading… and the smore looked so wonderful that at lunch I went and got fixin’s to make a few in the microwave… lol… they were not as wonderful as I am sure yours was – nothing beats a marshmallow over an open flame… but they were quite tasty… thanks for this post – the beautiful scenery was a pleasure to see on an otherwise 9-5 day in the rat race… Cheers! Andra
August 26th, 2009 at 12:04 pmOk, the view and the atmosphere must have been amazing. Having said that (and this is said with love):
Are you KIDDING me? An entire garden full of the most rockin’ veggies I have seen in a long time, fresh trout and you say a s’more is the best thing you ate this summer? Clearly, either the lack of oxygen in those mountains did a number on you, or we must re-fresh your recipe files, or I’m moving into your place!
.
August 26th, 2009 at 12:50 pmLeigh–I agree. Melted chocolate is key. If only because it makes eating the S’more that much more sticky.
MA–If you get an outdoor kitchen, please throw an opening party. I’ll come and help barbecue!
Flower–Your idea is ingenious. Plus, I’ve been looking for an excuse to buy a gigantic wok. Have you seen the size of the ones they sell at restaurant supply stores? You could bathe triplets in them.
Andra–I’m happy to know I inspired a lunchtime sugar binge. The world needs more smore eating.
Nathalie–your comment made me giggle. You’re right. I think perhaps it was the altitude (10,200 feet) or the fact that I had just come back from Cuba where I ate beans and rice every day, twice a day for three weeks. Chocolate had really never taste quite so good as that night.
August 26th, 2009 at 1:06 pmDude, seriously, that last entry should be rated XXX because soft, oozing S’mores bathed in the burnt peachy glow of a Western sunset = food porn! Mmmmmmm…
August 27th, 2009 at 1:56 amAfter about a 2 hour period in the blog world, I stumbled across yours and it perked by interest- and my heartbeat
My husband and I own a 106 acre sustainable, grass-fed, pasture raised livestock farm in Corvallis Oregon and are passionate about what we eat and in striking this same passion in others.
I absolutely LOVE your blog!!! I posted a link to it on my blog-roll http://www.highheelsinthebarnyard.wordpress.com (hope you don’t mind
)
Keep up the great work! I’m excited to follow you on your food journey!
August 30th, 2009 at 9:53 pmYum! I agree–everything does taste better outside. Thought I got my camping fix last weekend, but see your pictures made me feel eager to get back out into the sticks.
August 31st, 2009 at 1:47 pmWilli – I have tagged you with a Meme award!
August 31st, 2009 at 5:49 pmShould you want to accept it, pop by my blog … You are chosen because you walk your talk and live your walk!
XOIvette!
I put a firepit in our yard this summer, and was shocked by how easy it was (if you have space already)!
It took 40 minutes to:
(a) remove the flagstones covering the spot I turned into my firepit
(b) pull up grass, weeds, and anything burnable within 1.5 feet of the pit-to-be (this went quickly since they were just growing up between flagstones) plus chop down some large, unimportant plants that were close enough to be a fire hazard.
(c) dig the pit. I am not well-built and was pregnant at the time, plus the dirt was hard and clay-ish – but my DH bought me a really good shovel just before I got started, and the work went quickly.
(d) line the pit with rocks and fill a bucket with water in case things got out of hand.
It’s a small pit, but it’s worked great! I roasted a hot dog for myself before heading in to tell DH and the kids “We’re eating outside tonight!” It’s easily the best value for time and money out of all the summer projects I did this year.
I’m just mentioning this in case anyone has been toying with putting in a firepit and procrastinating because it sounds like too much work
It’s really not! Do read up on your local fire regulations first – our county has restrictions on the depth and width of the fuel pile for outdoor burning to be considered “recreational”.
September 2nd, 2009 at 3:02 pmHey Ethel! Wow that does sound easy! You don’t happen to have any before and after pics do you?
September 2nd, 2009 at 3:58 pm