Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake

This pound cake is easy and fast to make and is moist and sweet and delicious, and disappears as quickly as it’s made. This could be served in the evening as a light dessert as is or with maybe a little fruit and whipped cream spooned over the top. It could be added to a breakfast menu. It is simply delightful with a hot cup of coffee, tea or cocoa. It can be served as is. It is that tasty.

This pound cake is so yummy; I could start every morning with a slice of this and a hot cup of coffee.

This pound cake is simple enough to make in camp or it could be made ahead and taken to camp wrapped in plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container. It tastes just as good fresh as it does the next day. Loaves can also be frozen for enjoying much later.

If you’re making this in camp, you’ll want to bake it in a box oven or you could bake it in a Dutch oven with the loaf pans sitting on a trivet. Or you could pour it directly into a small Dutch oven and not use loaf pans at all. How you decide to bake it will determine how many coals you need.

For more quick bread ideas, check out my “Best Banana Bread” recipe and “Cookie’s Cornbread” recipe.

Equipment
2 9×5 loaf pans, 2 medium mixing bowls, sturdy mixing spoon, and measuring cups and spoons.

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Prep
Preheat your oven or prep your coals. Toss your blueberries in a little flour. This will help them integrate better into the batter and not sink to the bottom.

In a medium mixing bowl, cream butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Mix in the eggs one at a time. In a second medium mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients. By hand, gently fold in blueberries.

Divide the batter evenly between two greased 9×5 loaf pans. Bake in a 350°F oven for 45-55 minutes. Refresh coals as needed. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before running a knife around the outside the pans and turning out the loaves onto a cooling rack.

Makes 2 loaves. Servings will vary depending on how thick you slice the loaf.

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Spicy Special Sauce

I’ve written on more than one occasion how my son likes spicy stuff. When we go out to eat, he usually orders a spicy burger topped with jalapeños, habanero peppers, ghost peppers and/or a spicy sauce. He wanted to create a spicy special sauce that he could put on his burgers when we grill at home or in camp. Here is what we came up with. Keep in mind that this is tailored to his liking, this is his recipe, but I think you might like it, too. He challenged me to try it with him and I actually like it, when my tongue stops tingling.

For a milder special sauce, please read my blog post: “Thousand Island Dressing is Not Just for Salads.”

In our home kitchen, we stock tabasco, sriracha, and ghost pepper sauce for when we want to spice things up. For this spicy special sauce, we went straight to the ghost pepper sauce because he was wanting some serious heat. We like Dave’s ghost pepper sauce because the primary ingredient is ghost pepper and there isn’t much of anything else in it; however, if you have a favorite hot sauce, by all means, substitute it and adjust the amount for your heat tolerance.

We also need to include a safety warning here. When you are working with really hot peppers or really hot pepper sauces, you need to follow some safety protocols such as wearing gloves and washing your hands thoroughly after handling. For more information on hot stuff, please read my blog post: “Some Like it Hot.”

We tried this sauce on burgers and hot dogs and we like it on both. Since this was our first go around, and I think he was trying to go easy on me, we started with a small amount of ghost pepper sauce. Our plan is to slowly up it until our tongues catch fire, which I’m sure will happen to me long before it happens to him. So, here’s his concoction. Adjust it to your liking.

Ingredients
8 teaspoons sweet relish
8 teaspoons ketchup
4 teaspoons mustard (we used yellow)
1/4 teaspoon ghost pepper sauce

Prep
Combine all ingredients. We recommend storing in a glass container because we were afraid it would eat through a plastic container. Seriously.

Serves about 4 depending on how much you smear on.

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Deviled Egg Potato Salad

 

I grew up with a simple, straight up potato salad. It wasn’t anything fancy and didn’t include any “weird” ingredients, but I loved it for its simplicity. It didn’t matter what else was on the picnic table, it went with everything. Unfortunately, the recipe (if there ever was one) was not passed down so I decided to recreate it.

It took a lot of trial and error to get all the flavors balanced, but I think I got it or, at least, I’ve gotten really, really close. When I’ve made this potato salad for family and friends, they say it has a very deviled egg flavor so that’s what I’m calling it.

I’ve made it with baby red potatoes, mini golds, and russets, and I have to say that I think I prefer the russets, but the others were tasty also. The russets seem to soak up more of the dressing, which is maybe why I like them better. If you choose to use golds or reds, you may find that you don’t need as much dressing. Just eyeball it and you’ll be okay.

I make this at home, the day before we leave, and load it into a hard-sided container for the ride to camp in my cooler. If I think I’m going to set it out for more than one meal then I will portion it into smaller containers so that it’s not going in and out of the cooler.

For the russets, I like to “bake” them in my Instant Pot or I’ll bake them outside in a Dutch oven because who wants to fire up their indoor oven in the middle of summer. If you’ve got an outdoor fire pit, you could wrap them in foil and bake them in coals. I don’t recommend boiling the russets because they break down too easily and you end up with more of a mashed potato salad. The golds and reds could be boiled or baked either in coals or in the Instant Pot.

You could also pre-mix your sauce and chop your veggies at home, and then bake your potatoes in camp and assemble in camp. I like to make it at home right before we go because potato salad is one of those dishes that tastes better the next day.

So, here is my favorite potato salad and I think it’s as close to grandma’s as I’m gonna get. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 1/2 to 2 pounds potatoes of your choice (mini gold potatoes, russets, red potatoes, etc.)
3/4 cup (2-3 stalks) celery, diced
4 eggs, hard-boiled, diced
1/4 cup (2-3 stalks) green onion, sliced
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon parsley, dried or 1 tablespoon fresh
1 tablespoon sweet relish or 1 cup sweet pickles, diced

Prep
Bake or boil the potatoes and hard-boil the eggs. Halve or quarter the smaller potatoes. For the larger potatoes like russets, large dice them down to bite-sized chunks. Mix together the ingredients for the sauce. Slice and dice the celery, green onion, and eggs (as fine or as chunky as you like). Combine all ingredients, stirring gently so as not to crush or mash the potatoes unless that’s your preference. Cover and chill.

Food Safety Tip: Eggs should sit at room temperature no longer than 2 hours.

Serves about 8.

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Thousand Island Dressing is Not Just for Salads

I grew up eating salads dressed in Thousand Island. My parents always stocked it in our refrigerator. Not only does it make a tasty salad, it is widely used in fast-food restaurants and diners, where it is often referred to as “special sauce” or “secret sauce” for burgers, hot dogs, and various sandwiches.

Making dressings from scratch is great because you have complete control over the ingredients and can tweak them to your liking. Most of the ingredients are items you already stock in your refrigerator or pantry so they can be whipped up on the fly. You can make as much as you need and don’t have to fear a whole bottle of store-bought going bad in the refrigerator. And, fresh is always best!

For camping trips, this dressing can easily be made a couple days in advance and kept in the cooler. Just be sure to keep it in a plastic container that has a tight seal.

So, for your next camping trip or backyard BBQ, whip up a batch of Thousand Island for a tangy, zesty, “secret” sauce that’s equally at home on a burger or a salad. It is less expensive than store-bought and it tastes, well, a thousand times better!

For more dressing recipes, check out my Raspberry Vinaigrette and Caesar recipes.

Ingredients
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
2 teaspoons finely diced onion (I use red onion but yellow or white works also)
¼ teaspoon finely minced garlic
1 teaspoon vinegar (I use apple cider but white works also)
pinch of salt
2-3 dashes Tabasco sauce (optional)

Prep
Add all ingredients to a small bowl, mason jar, or plastic container and mix well. Add additional salt if desired. Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to marry. Serve.

Keep refrigerated for 3-4 days. It may keep longer, but mine never seems to last that long!

Makes about ¾ of a cup, which is about 6 (1-ounce or 2 tablespoons) servings.

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Cheese Spread! Don’t Forget the Crackers!

We tend to burn a lot of calories on campouts. We’re playing and/or working hard. In addition to our 3 squares a day, at the end of the day, we’re looking for that bedtime snack to tide us over until breakfast. We call it a cracker barrel. It’s also a place to gather and talk about the day and share stories around the campfire.

For cracker barrel, we like to keep things simple. No cooking and no cleanup because who wants to be doing dishes late at night? Finger foods are the way to go and this make-ahead cheese spread is perfect. It’s simple to make (about 15 minutes) and brings an element of fanciness to a campfire cracker barrel. Folks just don’t expect it and that makes it fun to serve.

To learn more about the tradition of the cracker barrel or for more cracker barrel ideas, please read my blog post: “Evening Cracker Barrel and the Art of Snacking.”

This cheese spread can be made at home before you go. It can be kept chilled up to two days, so I would make it no earlier than Thursday night for a Saturday night cracker barrel. Serve it with crackers, sliced bread or crudités, which is a fancy French word for sliced or whole raw vegetables. I like to serve it with crackers because, growing up, cheese and crackers was one of my dad’s favorite snacks, and that’s a fond memory for me.

We’ve spread it on Wheat Thins, Ritz, buttery club crackers, and plain old saltines. There really isn’t a cracker this cheese spread doesn’t go with. My favorite is the Wheat Thin or some kind of whole wheat or whole grain cracker.

For serving, you can shape it into a ball or a log, or smush it into a shallow plastic container. A shallow container will give the spread more surface area for the chives, parsley, and peppers you’re going to sprinkle on top. You want folks to be able to get a nice combination of everything on their vessel.

I use a 25-ounce shallow Glad container that holds half a batch nicely and allows plenty of room to sprinkle on the toppings (pictured above). If I need to serve a whole batch or more, I use multiple containers. I transport the toppings separately and sprinkle on when I’m ready to serve.

If you’re making this at home for a holiday party or a family gathering, you can line a small, 6-cup Bundt pan with plastic wrap and press the mixture into that and chill for 1 to 48 hours. Unmold it onto a serving platter and cover it with the chives, parsley, and peppers for a festive looking wreath. Crackers, bread, and crudités can be arranged around the wreath or served in baskets, bowls or platters on the side.

This recipe calls for pickled piquanté peppers, such as Peppadew, which is a trademarked brand. Peppadews are hot, very sweet peppers that have been pickled. The heat is similar to a jalapeño and they are bright red, which gives the cheese spread a very festive look. Peppadew peppers are hard to find, depending on where you live. I have to order them from Amazon. In a pinch, we’ve used Mezzetta sweet cherry peppers, but they’re not quite the same. Whichever you use, I recommend removing the seeds because they are very hard. Leftover peppers can be added to the crudités or you can save them and add them to other dishes. They are great on a pizza.

Ingredients
1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups shredded firm cheese, such as Cheddar, Pepper Jack or Colby
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup pickled piquanté peppers, such as Peppadew, seeded and finely chopped
½ cup fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped
¼ cup fresh chives, finely chopped
Crackers, sliced bread or crudités, for serving

Directions
In a food processor or a medium mixing bowl, if you’re mixing it by hand, combine the cream cheese, shredded cheese, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper until smooth. If you’re using a food processor, transfer the mixture into a medium bowl. Fold in all but 2 tablespoons of the chopped peppers.

Form the mixture into a ball or log and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Or, smush it into a shallow plastic container or a 6-cup Bundt pan lined with plastic wrap and cover. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

At home, if you’re using the Bundt mold, uncover and invert the cheese mold onto a serving platter. If you formed it into a ball or log, unwrap and transfer to a serving platter (in camp, you could use a large paper plate).

In camp, if you’re using a shallow plastic container, you can serve directly out of the container. Sprinkle with the chives and parsley to completely coat the cheese mixture, and garnish with the reserved 2 tablespoons peppers.

Serve with crackers, sliced bread or crudités and you’ll need a knife or spreader.

Serves 16 to 20.

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Make Your Own Meatballs

Meatballs are fun and always seem a little fancy. Whether they are classing up a simple meat sauce, serving as a tasty appetizer, or floating in a savory soup like the Miso Noodle Soup I posted last week, meatballs simultaneously add a bit of playfulness and elegance to a dish.

Making your own meatballs is easy and fun, and the flavor possibilities are only limited by your imagination. Here is a mix and match guide to making your own meatballs. And, if you’re vegan or vegetarian, you don’t have to miss out on the fun. You, too, can enjoy a little meatball madness.

You could omit or substitute the egg and/or breadcrumbs. They help hold the meatballs together, but they are not required. It will depend on your combination of ingredients. For example, the meatballs for the Miso Noodle Soup are made with ground pork, honey, sriracha, salt, and pepper, and they hold together very well.

Ingredients for a Basic Meatball
1 pound protein of your choice, ground
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 egg
¼ cup breadcrumbs

Proteins
Choose a single protein or a combination like beef and lamb or beef and pork (1 pound total): beef, turkey, pork, chicken, lamb, or 2 (15-ounce) cans beans, drained, rinsed, and mashed.

Seasonings
Add at least 2 (1 tablespoon total): oregano, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, honey, sriracha, chili powder, taco seasoning, grated parmesan, or grated cheddar.

Vegetables and Herbs
Add at least 2 (3/4 cup total): grated onion, grated carrot, minced garlic, citrus zest, chopped cilantro, chopped parsley, chopped rosemary, or chopped thyme.

Prep
In a bowl, mash all the ingredients together. I like to glove up and use my hands, which are the two best tools in the kitchen. (For the beans, if you use a food processor to mash them, be careful not to over process or they will fall apart).

Divide the meatball mix into 16 blobs (technical term) and form/roll each blob into a round little ball.

Arrange meatballs on a baking sheet and bake in a 400°F oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through, or they can be (gently) dropped directly into a simmering soup or sauce and cooked 5-10 minutes or until done.

Makes 16, nicely sized, meatballs.

Now it’s time to experiment and try different combinations. Have some fun and make some magic, I mean, meatballs!

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Best Banana Bread

In honor of National Banana Bread Day, here’s a simple banana bread recipe. You could make this in camp and bake it in a Dutch oven or in a box oven or you could make it at home and bring it to camp for a healthy snack. It works well as either muffins or a loaf. If you make a loaf, you could also slice it up and use it to make French toast for breakfast!

This is an easy recipe with just a few ingredients. We’ve been making this banana bread for many years, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 ripe bananas, mashed

Prep
Sift and measure flour. Resift with soda and salt. Cream butter and sugar. Add beaten eggs and vanilla to creamed mixture. Add flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Mix in Bananas. Pour into well-greased pan and bake at 350°F for 1 hour. For muffins, bake for 18 minutes.

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Raspberry Vinaigrette is Sweet and Tangy

I admit, store-bought dressings are a convenience but have you ever stopped and read the labels? They are loaded with all kinds of unnecessary ingredients and some of them are allergens. Cooking for others can sometimes mean cooking for allergies so I’m always on the lookout for ways I can cook from scratch so I can control what all the ingredients are. This recipe only has 3 ingredients and you could choose to make it with fresh or frozen raspberries or you could use raspberry jam and, if it’s homemade raspberry jam, all the better.

I love this raspberry vinaigrette because it has great flavor and is so simple to make. It’s sweet and tangy and tends to be well received by kids who tend not to be big salad eaters.

Equipment
Blender or mixing bowl and whisk, measuring cups

Ingredients
¼ cup olive oil
1 cup seasoned rice vinegar
10 ounces of seedless raspberry jam or fresh or frozen raspberries, mashed

Prep
Dump everything into the blender or bowl and blend or whisk until smooth and store in the refrigerator. Serve over greens. I like to add chopped nuts and a little feta cheese to contrast with the sweet and tangy dressing.

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Zesty Peppery Parmesan Aioli

Aioli is a Mediterranean mayonnaise that usually includes olive oil, garlic and lemon juice. This one also has black pepper and Parmesan and goes wonderfully with the Peppercorn Crusted Pork Loin Roast. If you’re slicing the roast and serving it hot, you could use the aioli like a sauce for the pork. If you’re slicing the roast for making sandwiches, you could use the aioli in place of plain mayonnaise. Either way, it adds a whole new level of yumminess to the roast.

Equipment
Medium mixing bowl

Ingredients
1 cup mayonnaise
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced or powdered
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup Parmesan, finely grated

Prep
In a medium bowl, stir together all the ingredients until smooth and creamy. Pour into a container and refrigerate.

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Caesar Salad Dressing

July 4^th is National Barbecue Day, National Spareribs Day, and National Caesar Salad Day. There may be others but those are the only ones I could find. To celebrate, I thought I’d post my homemade Caesar salad dressing recipe. Just so you know, up front, there are no anchovies in this recipe. I’m not an anchovy fan, which was one of my motivations for making my own dressing. Anything I found in the store either had anchovies in it or didn’t have anchovies but didn’t taste quite right. So, I did a little research and a little experimenting and I’m really happy with this recipe.

I take a chicken Caesar salad almost every day to work for lunch. My love affair with Caesar salads began when I was pregnant with my first child. I craved and ate Caesar salads and orange juice nearly every day for 9 months and you would think that would have wrecked both for me but I still love both of those to this day. So, here’s my own concoction. Feel free to tweak it to your liking and, if you add anchovies, I won’t hold it against you. If you do want to add anchovies, I’d recommend starting with 2 anchovy fillets.

 

Equipment

Blender or food processor

Measuring cups and spoons

Rubber spatula

Large mason jar or plastic container equivalent

 

Ingredients

1 ½ cups (real) mayonnaise

½ cup buttermilk

½ cup sour cream

¾ cup grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 clove garlic, smashed

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

 

Prep

Put the mayonnaise, buttermilk, sour cream, Parmesan, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire, garlic, salt and pepper into a blender or food processor and pulse the processor or blender on low speed for several seconds. Adjust the consistency if needed with a little extra buttermilk, but not too much. The dressing will thicken when you refrigerate it. Refrigerate the dressing for a few hours before using it on a salad. This will thicken it and marry all the flavors.

I use a large mason jar and I made a little label for the top so everyone knows what it is. For camping, I pour some into a plastic bottle, which goes into my cooler.