Grilled Peaches & Serrano

I am looking back on summer. I had no time for blogging and even little time for experimenting with food. This is one of my favourites from August. I wish I had put it together earlier in the season. Nectarines would probably work as well. This clear white honey is acacia honey and has a decidedly neutral flavour that complements both the tartness and sweetness of the peach and the saltiness of the serrano. A few sprigs of fresh tarragon add a pleasing complexity. Even the burnt skewers add another layer of flavour.

I no longer peel my peaches in most uses. I like the added texture and appearance of the fuzzy skin. This is a nice addition to a charcuterie plate or a first course at a barbecue. Perhaps even brunch. I think I'll serve it at brunch. And yes, the peach has a tartness that comes with grilling.

Grilled Peaches & Serrano

fresh peaches, cut in thick wedges
serrano ham, thinly sliced
honey
fresh tarragon
short wooden skewers

Wrap each peach wedge in serrano and secure with a wooden pick that has been pre-soaked in water for 30 minutes. Grill over medium hot charcoal on each side until grill marks appear. Plate and drizzle with your favourite honey. Garnish with fresh tarragon leaves.

Backyard Barbecue Ribs

Honey apricot jam is delicious with ribs.

We are enjoying the summer and sunshine with a backyard barbecue with the Cooking Club this month. It has been screaming hot and turning on the oven is not an option today. Ribs are a favourite barbecue meat yet something I rarely make. As is my habit, I have tweeked the Cooking Light recipe. I have converted it to a dry rub rather than a paste. I have eliminated the slow cooking in the oven by keeping the ribs on the barbecue.

Barbecue is nicer when using charcoal but if you have a gas grill, soak purchased barbecue woodchips. Place them in a foil pan with holes poked in it and cover with kitchen foil. The smokey flavour is so tasty. You won't want to do this any other way. 

Ribs are to be tender but not with the meat falling off the bone. Low and slow heat is key. Brown over the coals and then move them to a spot on the grill that is cooler. Keep the lid on the barbecue and cook the ribs for up to 2 hours on the cool side of the grill.

Here is the rest of the menu

Susan - Amuse Bouche of Pan Seared Salad Bite with Paradise Cocktail
 
Shelby - ClamsCasino. I am so envious. In the middle of the prairies I never find fresh seafood. And I love it. 

Jerry –  FarroSalad with Cherry Tomato, Onion, and Almonds. I love farro salads and this sounds divine. Can't wait to try it. 

Val –Summer BerryMedley with Limoncello and Mint. Yhummy! That's all I can say.

Backyard Barbecue Ribs

Rib Rub

2 tsp. ground ancho chiles

2 tsp. ground morasch chiles

1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. Spanish smoked paprika

2 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne
3 lb. rack pork loin back ribs, trimmed

Soak wood chips in water for an hour, if using. Drain well. Place them in a disposable foil pan with holes poked in it. Set aside. Preheat grill to medium high heat using only the burner on one side of the barbecue.

Combine all ingredients, except ribs, in a bowl. 

Prepare the ribs by removing the silverskin on the back side of the rack. This will never tenderize with cooking and is best to be removed. Slip a sharp knive under if to loosen then take a towel in your hand to grab the skin. It will pull off quite easily. Discard.

Rub both sides of the ribs with the seasoning mixture. Let sit at room temperature for an hour before grilling.

Place foil container of wood chips on the cool side of the grill. Grill ribs on both sides on the hot side of the grill. As they are finished move off the direct heat. Reduce heat a little and let ribs slowly cook for about 2 hours. Keep the lid on.

When tender, remove from grill and serve.

Oven Back Ribs with Baked Beans

Real ribs are made in a smoker cooking low and slow. It is winter and I don't feel like lighting up the barbecue. These ribs made in the oven are pretty darned good, too.

Baked beans are an excellent side dish. I made them in a slow cooker.  Rather than soaking the beans overnight and slow cooking them all day I did the opposite. It was mid-day before I thought to make them. I put them to soak and before I went to bed I assembled all the ingredients in the slow cooker and let them cook all night. The only drawback is that around 2am I was awakened by the wonderful aroma. If they had been ready I would have eaten a meal then and there. Glad they weren't done!

Oven Pork Baby Back Ribs

Rub

1/2 tbsp. smoked paprika

1/2 tbsp. ground coriander

1/2 tbsp. ground cumin

1/2 tbsp. kosher salt

1/2 tbsp. black pepper

1/2 tbsp. ground ancho chiles

1/2 tbsp. dry mustard

1/2 tbsp. dried oregano

1/4 c. canola oil

Mix all spices together in a small bowl. This makes enough for 2 racks of ribs.

Prepare the ribs by removing the shiny thin skin on the back called the silver skin. Trim off  2 or 3 ribs from the small end and 1 rib from the large end to make a more even rack. It will cook more evenly. The cut pieces can be cooked along with the racks.

Brush ribs with oil and rub with spice mixture. Place in a plastic bag for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

When ready to cook, preheat oven to 300F. Place ribs on a baking sheet and bake in oven. After the first hour, baste with the 'mop'. Baste again after an hour. After 3 - 4 hours baking they should be ready to serve.

Mop

This is a basting liquid to keep the ribs moist while they slowly cook. It is traditionally applied with a brush called a mop.

1/2 c. barbecue sauce

1/4 c. apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp. light brown sugar

2 tbsp. apricot jam

1/4 c. apple or apricot juice or water

Bring to a boil over medium heat to melt all ingredients and cool to room temperature.

Baked Beans

Panela is a Mexican unrefined natural sugar. It has a molasses flavour. Substitute with 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon molasses.

3 c. dried navy beans

1/4 c. panela brown sugar

1 c. low sodium tomato juice

1/2 lb. pork belly or thick cut bacon, chopped

2 c. chopped yellow onion

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1 dried chipotle pepper

2 tsp. salt

Pepper, to taste

Water

Soak the beans overnight in enough water to cover by 3 inches. Drain.

Add tomato juice, panela, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, dried pepper and dry mustard in slow cooker set on high with the lid on until the sugar is dissolved.

Layer the soaked beans with the bacon and onion. I make about 3 layers. Add enough water to cover the beans. Cook on low for 6 - 7 hours or until tender.

2013 in Review

In January I found this amazing recipe for a faux sourdough rye bread. It is delicious.

'Tis the season for looking back and looking forward. Bloggers, cookbook authors, chefs and columnists are publishing their 'bests' of 2013 and 'hopes' for 2014.

These lists humble me. After all I didn't travel in 2013, at least not internationally. I don't have innovative and exciting restaurants at home.

Rather than wallow in self pity for too long I decided to take a looked back through my pictures of the year. Surprising to me my year was interesting and eventful with thanks to the many people who contributed to my culinary journey. I am amazed at how many people I met personally or virtually via food this year. All of you have added to my food adventures.

Thank you to Val at More Than Burnt Toast and the Virtual Supper Club crew, Justin at Justcooking in NYC, lovely Hutterite lady at McMahon Colony, Elisabeth at Prairie Infusions foraged foods, Val from A Canadian Foodie and all the other Slow Food delegates from across Canada, Jennifer CK who runs the Okanagan Food & Wine Writers' Workshop, writer Rosalyn, Calgary Food Tours Karen Anderson, wine writer and guru Shelley Boettcher, cookbook author supreme Jennifer Schell and all the writers I met there, Monika the baker from Kelowna, Chef Jenni, Chef Simon, Angie Quaale of Well Seasoned and all the other barbecue fanatics including Rob Reinhardt of Prairie Smoke and Spice, pit boss supreme winning at the Jack Daniels Invitational, Barbara the Cake Witch and all the other new vendors at the Swift Current Farmers' Market, Penny McKinley and all the Saskatoon Slow Food community. The problem with thanking is that I may have forgotten someone. Please forgive me and leave a message so I can acknowledge you, too.

I have chosen one picture per month to take you on my 2013 culinary tour. Many months it was difficult to choose the top picture. This post is riddled with links and unfortunately sometimes I cannot make them come out in another colour. Just pass your curser over and you will find all the recipes and sources.

January
 I made this recipe for a faux sourdough rye bread. The picture is above. It is amazing and I make it as often as I can. In January I was also cooking with veal shanks à la Dorie Greenspan and making festive layer cakes for my Western Producer article (see p. 24).

I was looking for more structure to my blogging and came up with a couple of ideas. I began my Cooking Class Monday's on my blog. I kept it up for 2 or 3 months. By far How to Clean Your Pasta Machine was the most visited. And I started Casual Friday's. Ditto, I only did it for about 3 months. My favourite recipe was Cold Sesame Noodles from the blog and new cookbook Appetite for China.  I have been much more successful with another initiative and that is joining the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club. I don't think I have missed a month yet.

Pancetta with local pork belly.

February
I made my first ever charcuterie. I cured a pork belly and made an impressive pancetta. I even won the cookbook Salumi: The Craft of Italian Dry Curing by Michael Ruhlman, one of my favourite chefs. This was a Daring Cooks challenge.

I won a nice basket containing among other things a vintage bottle of Dom Perignon at our Lyric Theatre Valentine's Day brunch. And I won another wonderful cookbook, Tacos, Tortas and Tamales. This was thanks to Justin at Justcook NYC.

I was cooking with Saskatchewan wild boar, lake caught pickerel in tacos from the aforementioned cookbook and local Black Welsh lamb.

Cow's milk feta.

March
I searched the town over and finally found rennet. Acquiring raw milk in a farming community is not too difficult. I made this tasty feta with raw cow's milk. I had a lovely chat with a woman from the Colony who also makes cheese. I hope to meet her and chat more about her cheese making.

I experimented with sea buckthorn, Saskatchewan wild foraged fiddleheads, dried wild mushrooms, wild rice and farmed steelhead trout.

A bevy of amazing chefs.

April
I drove to Osoyoos for the National Slow Food Conference. You can catch it this year in Nova Scotia. It was a 'to die for' food experience featuring the bounty of local foods and wines. It was 3 days of the best and all thanks to the local producers, makers and chefs.

The highlight of the conference was learning about the return of the sockeye salmon to the Okanagan Lake. You can read Jennifer Cockrall-King's article in Canadian Geographic for all the details. I met and visited the gardens and vineyards of the Harkers' from Keremeos, who were name top young farmers of the year in 2012 and finally meeting a few of the Canadian bloggers I follow.

En route to Osoyoos I passed through some of Alberta's best agricultural areas producing sugar beets, bison and much more.

Bread and croissant baking class with Monika from the Okanagan Grocery in Kelowna.

Immediately following Slow Food in Osoyoos I arrived in Kelowna for the Food and Wine Writers' Workshop. Click on the link to find the information for 2014. Oh shucks, another 3 days of the best in local products, wines and chefs. Tasting caviar, fresh oysters, Summerhill Pyramid wines (and several others) and learning about the formation of the lakes, valleys and benches during the ice age. Driving home through the Rockies I stopped in Field, BC for lunch at one of my favourites The Truffle Pig.

Low and slow cooked half of lamb.

June was a busy month. Activities included my annual barbecue with the kids at the Hutterite Colony school where I am a substitute teacher, 3 women cycling across Canada stopped for a couple of nights and made a dinner including a beautiful asparagus soup, the farmers' market opening, and another wonderful bread recipe.

The highlight was attending my university friend's 40th wedding anniversary. Their daughter ordered a half of a local lamb and did an amazing job on the barbecue with it.

Kids' Cooking Camp.

July
I had 6 delightful young ladies spend 2 full days in my kitchen making real food from real ingredients. The bundt cake in the planning stages above turned out perfectly. They were so proud!

Interesting day trips were made to Schmidt Organic Mills, Cypress Hills Vineyard, Claybank Brick Plant National Historic Site with outdoor brick bread oven and the Avonlea Badlands.

Chef Jenni from Saskatoon telling us about her sea buckthorn focused meal.

August
I attended a workshop at the Indian Head Agricultural Research Centre to learn more about sea buckthorn. And I became an official barbecue judge. Farmers' market is in full swing.

Shaggy Parasols in my neighbour's front lawn.

September
Farmers' market continues. Picked my first foraged mushrooms and I didn't even have to leave home. I wonder how these traveled to this location? They made an awesome soup and an even awesomer risotto.

We had the first ever block party on my street. That is amazing because all the homes were built in the 1960's. I made Black Welsh lamb burgers stuffed with brie on my homemade foccacia. Yummy.

Sour cherry jam made with SK Evan's cherries.

October
Making my exotics for the Christmas market - sour cherry jam, haskap jam and sea buckthorn jelly.

I finally found buffalo berries. They are a local favourite and look a lot like sea buckthorn. I cooked with fresh wild pheasant (saltimboca) and grocery store quince (membrillo).

Flank steak with black bean sauce.

November
I finally acquired some wonderful flank steak. It is difficult to find it locally. We placed a group order  from Pine View Farms all natural meat.

My friend, Hannah, brought back artisan black bean sauce from the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto. I enjoyed it with the flank steak above and a pork tenderloin, also from Pine View Meats.

My three closest university friends and I celebrated our birthdays with a few days in Saskatoon and took a cooking class with Simon's Fine Foods. We were hoping that Ayden Kitchen & Bar would be open but we were just a couple weeks too early. Next time.

I made decorated sugar cookies with my children at the Hutterite Colony and in November I bought a pair of skates.

The Bar Humbug Ranch take off of A Christmas Carol

December
And I am ready for a new year! There are no big culinary adventures this month. I had a few Christmas markets. I didn't cook for Christmas. I just enjoyed myself!

My most memorable taste experience was the Plum Pudding at the annual Dicken's Festival in my hometown of Carlyle, SK. They put on a good show and family event. It is definitely worth a visit.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!  MAY 2014 FIND YOU IN GOOD HEALTH, HAPPY TIMES AND THE BEST IN LOCALLY GROWN AND PRODUCED FOOD.

The Best Lamb Burger Ever

Last Sunday was the first ever block party for my street. Some residents have lived on this block for 50 years. So hats of to neighbour Hannah for getting this going.

It was great. Odd house numbers brought salads and even numbers brought desserts. We have way more odd numbers so we had a lot of salad choices. And no repeats. How does that always work?

We each bring something to barbecue and my big decision was what do I make for myself? My first stop was the freezer. Emptying the freezer is on the agenda before purchasing more food. A lone bag of ground lamb was the answer.

This is Black Welsh lamb and is ever so flavourful. I am choosing to use only salt and pepper so the beauty of this meat is not masked. Mint pesto will compliment the flavour perfectly.

This burger is simple and delicious. At the party I served it on foccacia with a thick slice of heirloom tomato and a thin slice of red onion. Oh, yes, and with the homemade mint pesto. The real trick to take it to the next level is to hide baby bocconcino inside the burger. This cheese melts like a dream.

Best Lamb Burger Ever
1 lb. ground lamb
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
Baby bocconcino
Foccacia
Mint pesto

Season ground lamb with salt and pepper. As you shape the burgers, hide the bocconcino inside. Grill as usual. Spread the bottom of the foccacia bun with mint pesto. Top with burger and layer on sliced tomato and red onion. Top with foccacia and serve.

Mint Pesto 

1 c. (packed) fresh mint leaves
1/2 c. (packed) fresh cilantro leaves
2 tbsp. pine nuts
2 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 medium garlic clove, peeled
1/2 tsp. coarse kosher salt
1/2 c. (or more) extra-virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth. Serve. Can be refrigerated for up to 4 weeks in covered container.

Tailgate Food for Virtual Supper Club

Football season is in full swing and tailgating is one of the fun things to do on game day. Susan is hosting dinner this month.

I am bringing the appetizers. This really doesn't have a recipe. You can use whatever you enjoy or have on hand. It can be vegetarian, like mine, or not. Add prosciutto, smoked sausage and cheeses.

If you have a barbecue for tailgating, just make these on site. If not, they can be made ahead and served at room temperature. Both are tasty.

Fire Roasted Antipasti

red peppers
tomatoes
potatoes
baby carrots
eggplant
head of garlic
fresh peaches
corn on the cob
mushrooms
fresh lemons
block of feta cheese
olive oil for drizzling
sea salt

Red Peppers - blacken with skin on over hot coals. When fully blackened put in a sealable bag and let sit for 20 minutes. Then peel the skin off, remove stem and seeds and slice.

Eggplant - slice about 1/2 inch thick, rub with oil and grill over hot coals. Turn when browned, about 6 minutes.

Garlic - cut off top of head to expose the cloves. Rub with oil. Place cut side down on hot coals to carmelize. Remove from grill and drizzle a little more olive oil. Place back on grill, cut side up and roast until tender.

Corn on the cob - Trim the cob on both ends and remove outer leaves. Soak for 15 minutes in water. Place on hot grill and turn when blackened. Occasionally remove charred leaves and grill until tender.
Mushrooms - slice and toss with oil. Place in barbecue basket and grill until tender. Cut into small coblets.

Baby carrots - if they are fresh, scrub until clean. Otherwise peel. Toss in oil and place on grill until tender.

Potatoes - scrub and slice about 1/2 inch thick. Toss in olive oil. Grill over hot coals until done and turn as necessary.

Lemon - slice in half. Place cut side down on hot grill until there are grill marks.

Arrange all on a platter. Drizzle with olive oil. Crush sea salt over all. Squeeze lemon juice over all. Add prosciutto, cheeses. Serve.

Find the rest of the menu here...

Val at More Than Burnt Toast has  Apple Streusel Cupcakes
Sandi at The Whistle Stop Cafe made  Sweet Potato Chips
Jerry at Jerry's Thoughts, Musings and Rants has  HeirloomTomato Salad  with Herbs and Capers
Susan at The Spice Garden  Slow Cooker Pulled Pork with Coleslaw
 

Low and Slow Beef Brisket Makes Amazing Chili

I have been holding out on you with this recipe. A couple of weeks ago I became a registered barbecue judge. Yep, I can judge anywhere in the Pacific Northwest in both Canada and the USA. Yeah! I will try to get and see some good 'cue.

The same weekend I jumped right in and judged at the North Battleford 'Those Were The Days'. What I find interesting about judging is that any meat I don't eat, I can take home. We each bring our own personal cooler. My low and slow barbecue brisket became this amazing chili.

I don't know if this authentic Texas chili but it is loosely taken from a recipe by that name. I had a squash on hand. Bonus! I love the flavour of it in chili and would never have thought to use it. Usually I find beans of some sort in chili.

Low and Slow Beef Brisket Texas Chili

1 lb. fully cooked barbecue brisket, cubed
1 c. chopped onions
6 slices bacon, diced
1/2 butternut or kabocha squash, seeded, peeled and cubed
1 can whole tomatoes
1 fire roasted poblano chili, finely chopped
2 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro stems
1 dried ancho chili
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. cumin
2 large garlic cloves, peeled

Soak dried ancho chili in 1/2 cup boiling water for 30 minutes or more.

In a Dutch oven, cook bacon until tender but not browned. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add beef.

In a blender, puree the ancho chili, garlic cloves, chili powder, oregano and cumin. Pour over beef. Add can of tomatoes and remainder of ingredients to the beef mixture.

Bake in a 350F oven for 1 hour. Serve. Garnish with sour cream, diced avocado, fresh cilantro leaves and shredded Monterey Jack cheese. Serves 6 generously.

So You Wanna Be a Barbecue Judge...

Barbecue competitions are an addiction. That is my final conclusion. I was accepted into the PNWBA sanctioned judging class and that is my final answer. There is no money in it. The judges can be somewhat inexperienced but the adrenalin rush of winning overrides all. That is what I call an addiction.

Today was my 5 hour class to qualify me to judge throughout the Pacific Northwest. It was way more knowledge than I ever expected. I had no idea how picky it would be. A piece of tin foil can be a tell?! Huh? Any foreign object in the box presented to the judges must be pointed out to the head judge. If you can see it right away, it could be a signal from a competitor. Therefore, that entire box of food is disqualified. If, and it is a strict difference, the tin foil is stuck underneath the food and is only exposed by the removal of the food, it is not disqualified. Picky details.

Here are the steps to winning in a BBQ competition -

Step 1 - hand in your food in the provided compostable clam-shell container. The computer scans the code and provides a number for the box. If you are  more than 4 minutes and 54 seconds late, so sad, too bad.

Step 2 - The sample is passed by each judge for a visual inspection. The judges will determine if there are any foreign objects, the correct number of pieces and grade the visual presentation.

Step 3 - The food is passed to each judge. The tongs are passed from one judge to the next. Take what is easy to remove and take everything that your tongs grasp. Take the correct number of pieces.

Step 4 - Smell the food. That will prepare the judge for the flavour.

Step 5 - Taste with your eyes closed. Determine points for flavour and texture. Water is the only beverage the judge will consume during the competition.

This is a package of food leftover from the judges. See the beautiful 'money muscle' from the pork butt and some shredded pork. This part of the shoulder looks like a tenderloin but it isn't. Notice how the fresh parsley garnish enhances the appearance of the presentation.

The competitors do this for the fame and love of the game. Fairness is of the utmost. Without the training to be a judge it would never cross my mind that a teeny tiny piece of foil would sway the scores. Fascinating.

In the class we were fed samples as follows... 2 x pork. One was slow cooked and one was slow cooked and shredded. 2 x beef brisket. 2 x chicken. One was thigh and the other leg. 2 x pork ribs. Only pork ribs are allowed. Never beef.

This is the class food. Not as pretty as above!

The 'kick me down and make me spit on the dirt' crappy thing about this class is that we were served meat that would never win in competition. We were served the worst of the food likely ever to be presented in competitions. We had to learn what the best is by seeing and tasting the worst. Now, if you were only here to eat the meat that would be downright disappointing.

This is another picky little detail. They are specific about which and what cut of meat is allowed. An experienced judge knows everything about every cut of pork and beef.

There is only one free card and that is Chef's Choice. That can be determined by the hosting committee.

Count them up and it is only 8 pieces of meat that we tasted in the class. I was so full but then at times I was so hungry so I ate the whole thing. You know the saying that if you eat too fast the brain doesn't catch up when you are full? It's true. In an actual judging situation you would be judging 6 samples of each category. The categories are pork, beef, chicken and ribs, then the Chef's Choice, in that order. 6 x 5 = 30 tastes of meat. But get this, each judge has a doggy bag. The left overs of your tasting is swiped into a ziplog bag and you can take it all home. Imagine the gumbo you could make with all that meat. They suggest that each person bring their own cooler to keep the meat chilled.

In the end I was mentally exhausted and digestively clogged. I have decided that the only way to know if I am up for the challenge is to jump right in. Next Sunday I have volunteered to judge in North Battleford. We thought it was only a 1 hour drive from Swift Current but it is actually 3 1/2 hrs. If I could put numbers in caps I would. 3 1/2 HOURS? Are you kidding me? I have to be sitting in my chair at 10am sharp or I will be at risk of being kazumped by some other qualified person wanting to do it. Don't even mention that I will be at the Farmers' Market on Saturday selling my heart out and coming home totally exhausted the night before.

Have I inadvertently acquired their addiction? I'll tell you next week.

Hot BBQ Weekend in Saskatoon

Check back. Tomorrow is the big day when I will learn all about judging barbecue. Southern barbecue, that is. Not this grilling that we call bbq. I walked through today to see the set up. These guys spend serious payola on their rigs. See that commercial kitchen equipment? Wait 'til you see the full displays. Y'all come back now.

Teaching on a Colony in June

June and the school year is all but over. I am a substitute teacher at some of the Hutterite Colonies. Last year's barbecue was a resounding success and now I am probably branded to do it every year. The children range from Grade 2 through 9 and there are 8 in school. We make everything from scratch and spent the entire morning getting everything ready. I wish I wasn't so picky. I didn't want any sticky fingers on my good camera and as a result we have no pictures of food! Next time I am going to designate a photographer so we get pictures of the great food they make.

Mostly it is from scratch. The menu today was BBQ chicken wings that we grilled first and then tossed in some purchased sauce. It worked so much better than last year when I marinated all the wings in a sauce. They just got crusty and black. We're learning!

We made a buttermilk dressing to serve with fresh veggies. We enjoyed radishes and asparagus from their garden plus a few from the grocery store, like jicama. If I had a dollar for every time that one of them asked me the name of that vegetable I'd be rich.

Then there were hamburgers and hotdogs with the fresh made buns from their kitchen. Our side dish was coleslaw.  The meal was completed with banana boats or banana split as the kids described it, filled with milk choccolate, wrapped in foil and grilled and then with vanilla ice cream. Oh, and we made fresh lemonade.

The girls were so amazing. Without even a hint from me they carried the dishes to the sink and washed each and every plate and fork. We swept the floor. Got the camera ready. I put on my hiking boots and we went to the coulee.

These pictures are the product of putting a digital camera in the hands of a child. 306 pictures later I have selected these to share.