Blather

Cooking for Guys

Live to Camp
Camp to Live

Poetry
and Other Lies

Spam Pudgies

Spam Pudgies

Dave was a little skeptical of the lunch menu- Spam pudgie sandwiches cooked in the pie irons. Straight from the can, Spam is unappealing, pallid, pink and soft. The prevailing flavor is salt. Heated, it darkens, becoming almost brown. The texture gets firmer, even...

Kentucky Mule

Kentucky Mule

  I don't care for vodka, so never acquired a taste for Moscow Mules. Bourbon, however, is an entirely different story. In camp or on the back porch, the Kentucky Mule is sure to refresh. Go ahead, have another. You deserve it. Ingredients   1 oz bourbon-I...

Robert’s Cast Iron Bread

Robert’s Cast Iron Bread

Robert disappeared into the longhouse and emerged a little later with a beautiful loaf of fresh bread. It seemed so simple, and according to Rob, it pretty much was. I asked him for his recipe and this is what he gave me.Ingredients  about 2 1/2 cups flour more or...

Taco Things

Taco Things

Taco-things are made from left overs, salsa, and cheese wrapped in a flour tortilla folded closed and fried in oil with a little picante sauce splashed over them. Sounds like a burrito, right? Well, when I worked at La Clinica years ago, my co-workers told me it...

Pork Roast with Morel Gravy

Pork Roast with Morel Gravy

This was a slow cooker recipe I adapted to the Dutch Oven. You can use any mushrooms and any large hunk of pork.  Ingredients   3-4 pound pork roast 4 large cloves of garlic, minced 1 large white onion peeled and cubed 3-4 cups morels, if you can get them 2...

A Morning Walk

A Morning Walk

6/8/25 9:00 75f (28.8c) Walter and I  took a short walk up Swyers Drive this morning,  while it was still cool enough to enjoy it.                                      ...

Camp Chef Compact Fire Ring

Camp Chef Compact Fire Ring

          I have had this Camp Chef propane fire pit for several years now. I use it when fire season bans prohibit traditional wood campfires.       When I  hooked it up last week the regulator was leaking gas, so I  ordered a...

Good Afternoon

Good Afternoon

6/4/25 2:30 Clear sky, breezy 70f (21c). Some photos from this afternoon.                                                      ...

Pretty Not Bad

Pretty Not Bad

Amy and I  drove up to Disappearing Lake. The water level is dropping fast; I think it will be a short season. We talked about  paddling the beaver pond but the shore was teeming with mosquitos so we went back down to South Prairie and put in.      ...

Good Morning

Good Morning

  8/18/26 7:00 59F (15C) AQI 55 Blue sky. No wind. The sun has topped the ridge. I hear a sprayer's whine.  I wonder what they are spraying - maybe stop drop? There is very little haze this morning. The Grasshopper fire has crept over 91,000 acres and is now 49%...

Good Morning

Good Morning

  8/15/26 6:15 61F (16C) AQI 68 It smells cleaner today, and the haze is barely discernable. A brief rain squall blew through last night. This morning scattered clouds dot a windless, blue sky. Good morning.                ...

Good Morning

Good Morning

  8/14/26 5:15 58F (14.4 ) AQI 94 It is a dark, still morning. It smells of smoke. The days are noticeably shorter now, and take longer and longer to get started. No stars can be seen, falling or stationary. I sit here in the haze, sipping my tea and watching the...