New Tag

I recieved a challenge from Tristi Pinkston to go to the sixth folder in my pictures folder, post the sixth picture I find there and explain. Well, first, I had to eenie, meenie, mineie, and moe to decide which picture folder on which hard drive on which computer. I must have picked right, because I ended up in my Library of congress folders of Dutch oven cookers. I had to convert the image from Tiff to Jpg but here it is.
This is an old picture, taken in 1905 on a wyoming cattle drive. the caption says something about Breakfast. In the tiff version, you can see much more detail but this illustrates the idea that we've gone soft. look, no campchairs, no table, no motorized ATV's, and no motorhomes.

Just a chuck wagon, horses (the first ATV), a bedroll under the stairs or under the wagon if it's raining. Sit on the ground or your feet. oh yeah, times have changed.

Below, is my camp on the fourth of July a few years ago, We were camped in the LDS church's, Mutual Dell Campground, in American Fork Canyon, Utah

I realize, I might be tagging someone twice, but here goes. Heather, Nichole, Kim, Darvell, Gaynell, and Connie they are my ctritique group, and the LDS writer's blogck.

Recipes From the Modern Klondike

by Keith Fisher

As promised last time I have been going through recipes for your enjoyment. Since The Klondike Dutch oven Cook off is fast approaching, February 7, I thought I'd show you some recipes from previous Klondike cook offs. Keep in mind they were all cooked in single digit weather in January so you shouldn't have trouble in you garage. First, however, a brief note about Dutch oven competition cooks:

Whether you’re a novice Dutch oven cook or you prepare every meal in cast Iron. Whether you compete, or just cook in camp, all Cast iron cooks have a common bond. They relish the praise and compliments received when everything went well and dinner was great. The smiles on well-fed faces tell the whole story.

There really is something fascinating about cooking outdoors in a cast iron pot. There is a thrill in placing a few coals on the lid, and underneath. Then, if everything goes well, your creation comes out every bit as beautiful and delicious as the television chefs conjure up each week. Of course Dutch oven chefs have all the advantages. No one can quite explain it but food just tastes better when it’s cooked in cast iron.

The Cooks in the Klondike cook off are to be commended. They plan and practice, developing their own recipes. Borrowing a little from others, and inventing their own techniques. For the most part they are amateurs. They pay for the food they cook, only to watch it disappear as samples for spectators.

Why do they do it? Well, of course there are prizes and bragging rights, but they love to share the madness that is camp cooking. In the end, however, to see the smiles and hear the praise of the spectators is better than the prizes they receive.
Come to the Klondike Cook Off at the Provo, Utah Sportsman’s Warehouse. Feb 7. Cooks meeting is at 8:45 a.m., cooking starts at 9 a.m. and goes till about 1 p.m.. I will be judging so come say hi.

Note: these recipes are as written by the cooks

Saint Louis Ribs
by Ben and Debbie Auxier
use 12-inch Dutch oven. 14 coals on top 9 on the bottom
also 8-inch Dutch oven for sauce 10 coals on top and 6 coals on the bottom


3-4 pounds baby back ribs
2 cup beef broth

Barbeque Sauce
2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
4 cups beef broth
1/2 cup prepared mustard
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup (plus a bit more) Liquid Smoke
2-6 ounce cans tomato paste
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoon McCormick Hot Mexican Style Chili powder
2 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce
2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon ground cayenne


Remove skin from back of ribs and any excess fat. Separate ribs by cutting between bones. Simmer ribs in beef broth for approximately 45 minute or until tender. While ribs are simmering, prepare barbeque sauce in 8" Dutch oven and simmer for approximately 1- 1/2 hours. Drain off liquid from ribs. Cover ribs with barbeque sauce and simmer 1/2 to 2 hours or until tender. Remove ashes and replenish coals after 45 minutes of cooking time.

Braided Onion Herb Bread
by Mat and Paula Bone

1 Tablespoon Yeast
1/4 cup water -- lukewarm
8 ounces sour cream
1 egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons Honey
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup fresh chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon thyme
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons vital wheat gluten
1 tablespoon melted butter

Cook onion over a low heat until onions are glassy. In a 5 inch oven over 3 coals.
Dissolve yeast in a small bowl with lukewarm water. Allow to sit for 8-10 minutes until foamy.

In a 5" Dutch oven warm sour cream until it is 110 degrees. In a medium bowl combine egg, sour cream, oil, honey, baking soda, salt, onion, and thyme. Stir well. Add yeast mixture and stir to mix. Mix Gluten with flour. Add flour 1 cup at a time mixing thoroughly before adding more flour. Stop adding flour while dough is still sticky. Knead for 1 minute then let dough rest for 10 minutes. Knead for 4 more minutes adding additional flour in small amounts as needed. Dough should remain a little sticky.

Place in an oiled bowl and cover and allow to rise until doubled (about 1 hour). Punch down the dough. Knead briefly and separate into three equally sized pieces. Roll each piece into a 18" long rope. Braid the three ropes to form the loaf. Place in a sportsman's cooker and allow to rise for 30 minutes. Preheat lid of sportsman's cooker by placing coals on it 5 minutes prior to starting to cook bread.

Place the oven on a lid holder over the coals then place the lid with it's coals on top of the oven. Coal spacing should be about 3/4 inch gaps between coals around bottom of pan, and the same on top. On the top you will put a row of coals down the center, and on the bottom you will not.. Bake 25 - 30 minute until golden brown remove from pan to cool. Brush top of loaf with melted butter

Note: a sportsmans cooker is an oval cast iron roasting pan. Technically a Dutch oven but doesn't have legs.

Italian Cream Cake
by Carol Fuller
Two, 10-inch Dutch ovens 12 coals on top and 6 on the bottom of each

Cake

1 cup Buttermilk
2 cups sugar
½ cup shortening
½ cup margarine (softened)
5 eggs (separated)
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup mayonnaise
1 cup flake coconut

Cream shortening, margarine, and sugar together. Stir in egg yolks one at a time. Add flour, soda vanilla, buttermilk, mayonnaise, pecans, and coconut. Fold in well-beaten egg whites.

Coat two 10" Dutch ovens with Baker’s Joy. Pour half the batter into each Dutch oven. Bake 350 degrees. Use 12 coals on top and 6 coals on bottom, with ring. Rotate lid and oven separately ¼ turn every 15 min. Bake for about 1 hour adding more coals on top at the end of baking time if necessary or until done Remove cake, let cool and frost with butter cream frosting. Garnish as desired. Makes twelve servings.

Butter Cream Frosting

2 cubes softened butter
1 egg
¼ cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
1-2 pound package powdered sugar

Cream butter, and blend all ingredients together until smooth and creamy.

Well there are three. I will dig up pictures of these for next week. don't forget, everyone is a novice until the first time they have to cook in the cold. This year could be the year you try it. who knows you might win. see you there.


YourLDSneighborhood has added exciting new things to its website. Please drop by and take a look, browse around, check out our vendors, our radio station, our authors, our musicians and more. Check out the Neighborhood.

And while you're there, subscribe to the yourLDSneighborhood Newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, the newsletter brings you articles, products, services, resources and interviews from around the world-all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

My Attempt at Self Promotion

By Keith Fisher

First, I have an announcement. I told you a few weeks ago, about the Klondike Cook off I created. It was held in January each year and had the inherent challenge of beating the cold while cooking. Because my schedule is currently overwhelming, My Friend Ranes Carter found a good man to take the reins of the event this year. His name is Damon Faust, and it will commence Feb 7 at 8 am for the cooks meeting. I will be judging. So stop by and say hello. It will be held in front of the Provo, Utah Sportsman’s Warehouse. See you there.

Now, Let me express my disappointment in the current contest. I made a shameless attempt at self-promotion. My friend suggested that perhaps people don’t have time to search for the answers. When one of my Dutch oven friends posted most of them, and mentioned not being able to find one, I decided they must be too hidden.

Ranes provided many of the answers from personal knowledge, so it was easier for him. I’d like to thank Cindy Beck for playing along. She didn’t really want to compete, so she provided answers that made me laugh my socks off.

So, according to rules, I must provide the solution to the questions:

• What year did I win the World Championship Dutch Oven Cook Off with my partner? 2005 Its in the bio under the picture on this blog. Go here for an article I wrote about it at the time.
  
• What do I love to do, first thing in the morning on campouts? Flip Waffles on top of a camp chef stove. See the article on this blog.
  
• Name 3 Dutch oven manufactures. Lodge, Campchef, Maca, Texport, GSI. There are others I have also mentioned in the blog.
  
• What is the name of my Dutch oven website (not my blog)? Uvdutch.com. Technically, I named it Utah Valley Dutch Oven Days, but I lost the banner and haven’t replaced it. I also maintain the K N Fisher Writer’s website. I still need to come up with a catchy name. Maybe it can be the subject of another contest?
  
• What does the picture show on top of the picture scrapbook page? Me and my partner being interviewed by a local TV personality after winning the World Championship in 2005.
  

There you have it. Congrats to Ranes Carter for providing most of the answers I’m sorry if I made it too difficult. I promise the next one will be easier.

Next time, on the blog, I’ll post a wonderful recipe for spring. It’s time for the weather to change don’t you think?

Return to the Neighborhood.

And while you're there, subscribe to our fantastic newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, our newsletter brings you articles, products, services, resources and interviews from around the world—all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.

Neighborhood Newsletter Subscriptions are FREE, and joining is easy.

Tags

By Keith Fisher

Several years ago, I helped organize a Dutch oven gathering in Virgin, Utah. A friend of mine lived there, and he’d decided to hold a cook off in February. Our Dutch oven cooking group wanted to go south for the winter. We were tired of the weather, and it was the Olympics year. The warm weather and lack of tour buses appealed to us.

We helped the cook off by talking it up, and convincing many to enter. My friend helped us, by promoting the Dutch oven gathering we planned for the evening before. My resourceful friend persuaded the St George newspaper to run a story. Essentially it said there would be several Dutch oven cooks cooking at the resort and everyone is invited.

The article mentioned nothing about a potluck party. We wondered if it would matter. In an area the size of Virgin how many people would come anyway? On Friday afternoon, we started cooking our meals for the big potluck party. I don’t remember how many of us were cooking, or how many pots were going, but by the time the dinner bell rang, we had over two hundred-fifty people lined up to try some of the free Dutch oven food.

To this day, many of us still joke about feeding the five thousand. We wonder where we got the five loaves and three fishes. When it was over, many of the cooks had not eaten. We were stuck cleaning up in the dark and didn’t get a chance to eat what we had cooked.

Now, the purpose of our trip, other than the cook off the next morning, was to persuade the wonderful people of Southern Utah to become members of our club. We didn’t get them, The majority of the crowd was only interested in dinner, and we provided a good one. At least that’s what I heard. I ate a day old sandwich, but when you’re hungry, you don’t care.

When we packed up, it was somewhat difficult to find our own belongings. Everything was mixed with everything else. There were so many Dutch ovens it would’ve been hard to identify our own. Except most of us were smart. We had tagged out own Dutch ovens before hand.

Other than for identification, Tags are a great idea. They help with inventory when your hobby starts to get out of hand, they help you keep the lid and the pot together for a good match, and (depending on your originality) they showcase your coolness.

There are many kinds of tags that can be used successfully. Military dog tags are a popular solution. You can have them made in Army surplus stores. My dad, in his day, was a great metal fabricator and welder. He hand made tags with a ring welded permanently, to the lid handle and bail. I have seen a less bulky version of this attached with key rings.

When I started tagging mine, I used round brass key tags, scratched my initials into them and attached them with key rings. This worked fine for a couple of Dutch ovens, but after a while my scratchings faded. I got new tags and punched my initials along with a number. Now I can take inventory and know which pot is missing. Of course there is the issue of the removable key ring, but you can make it permanent with a drop of hot lead solder.

Use tags of some kind to personalize your Dutch ovens. Then if you ever feed five thousand, you will be ready. Just don’t use paper or plastic tags.

Return to the Neighborhood.

And while you're there, subscribe to our fantastic newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, our newsletter brings you articles, products, services, resources and interviews from around the world—all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.

Neighborhood Newsletter Subscriptions are FREE, and joining is easy.

Finding Peace & Togetherness in a Dutch Oven

By Keith Fisher

Did you ever wonder what happened to the family dinner hour? Do you even remember what that was all about? Long before Marge and Homer we had shows on television that promoted family values. Shows like; the Donna Reed Show, Leave it to Beaver, and Father Knows best.

One thing these shows had in common, other than being about families, they had at least one scene where the family sat down together for dinner. Friends were expected to leave, Kids rarely had conflicting actives, and Parents were always home on time.

Wow! You say. When did that happen? The stone age? It was the fifties and sixties. Even on Gilligan’s Island the whole group sat down for at least one meal together.

What happened to all that togetherness? Erma Bombeck wrote in her book, Family-the ties that bind . . . and Gag "The problem at family dinners is that no one can agree on what is considered to be a fit topic to discuss at dinner time." She said Children tend to talk about subjects that take away your interest in food. Men want to talk about money, and mothers use dinner to discuss the sins the children committed in their diapers.

It doesn’t have to be that way you know. If a man cooks a Dutch oven meal in the backyard, Mother’s love it, because they don’t have to cook. Children love it, because they think they’re camping. Dad loves it because he’s saving money by not taking the family out to eat. Really, though, he loves it, because he adores his new hobby. The reverse is also true if the mother does the cooking.

The hidden benefit to all this? If you can find a way to pique the interest of the young ones, you will have them cooking in Dutch ovens. When they find success with a black pot, they will be hooked for life. Then, Mom and Dad can really enjoy the backyard party.

Of course if it gets around the block or the extended family that someone is cooking in Dutch ovens, you won’t need to worry. Dad will have friends talking to him, Mom will be able to compare notes with other moms, and the kids . . . well, if you get enough of them interested, you can hold cook offs in your backyard.

Save me a spoonful of cobbler and put a little ice cream on it for me, will you?

Return to the Neighborhood.

And while you're there, subscribe to our fantastic newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, our newsletter brings you articles, products, services, resources and interviews from around the world—all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.

Neighborhood Newsletter Subscriptions are FREE, and joining is easy.

Update

by Keith Fisher

I wanted to update my December contest and talk about the current one. Tuesday, I delivered a Chuck Wagon Dinner bell to Nichole Giles. Her name was chosen from the draw and she won in December. As you can see in the picture, she was thrilled. Use it in good health Nichole.


So far, I’ve had two comments but nobody entered the contest for the video. Either it’s not a great prize or I wasn’t successful in my promotion. It couldn’t be that hard. Just read old blogs and go to a website. I will extend it for another week, after that, if nobody enters I’ll put my video away for another day.

I watched the deer as they came down from the mountain the other day. I wished I had a camera with a really long lens. Deer come down in the winter every year but this year, we got several deep snowstorms in a row. Snow still covers some of the roads where I live. People get stuck, and the Deer are coming down in herds.


I stood there, watching, not willing to leave. During the time when I can pursue those deer, they have the advantage. Yes, it’s true I have a rifle, but my deer have developed methods of concealment, and they are getting better at it.


During the winter, however, survival is paramount. My deer can’t play concealment games. So we humans get to watch the splendor. To admire the beauty of a majestic animal—to lament the old days when deer were easier to hunt. There’s a lesson in there someplace, but I’m going to leave you to think of one.


I thought of a great idea. Right now there are many opportunities to get out and play in the snow. There is a park and pavilion nearby to where I watched the deer. I could invite my friends to come and watch the deer and I could cook a Dutch oven meal. What a great Saturday afternoon party it would be. If you decide to try it, dress warm, take pictures, and send them to us.





Return to the Neighborhood.

And while you're there, subscribe to our fantastic newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, our newsletter brings you articles, products, services, resources and interviews from around the world—all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.

Neighborhood Newsletter Subscriptions are FREE, and joining is easy.

Moving Up the List/Another Contest

by Keith Fisher

I perused the Google images to find inspiration for this blog and noticed something. I found I was listed on the third page back, but it was my website, not this blog. The website is pretty much static, so, it should be farther back. Don’t get me wrong I’m glad to be there, but since I post on this blog twice a week, it should be listed closer to the front. It took a while, but I finally found the blog after searching several more pages.

Could you help me out? I need an ego boost. Tell your friends about this blog and encourage them to come and leave comments. If we get enough hits, this page will move closer to the front, and I will be very happy. In fact if you get someone new to visit, tell them to drop your name and I’ll put you in a drawing for a special prize.

To help out in this situation, I think it’s time to give something away. This time, in order to win, you must leave a comment here, and leave your answers in an email (unless you want to give the answers away) bloggame57 at yahoo dot com.

At this point in the game, an announcer named John comes on and tells us what prize we can win. Since we don’t have an announcer, or the money to pay one. Shoot, we aren’t even on television. I guess I’ll have to show you.


This is a never been viewed, VHS copy of Cookin’ Outdoors with Johnny Nix. He is the host of a cable program called Campfire Café and he talks the viewers through their first time experience with outdoor cooking. It’s even entertaining for old time camp cooks.

Here’s what you have to do to win. Email your answers to five questions.

1. What year did I win the World Championship Dutch Oven Cook Off with my partner?
   
2. What do I love to do first thing in the morning on campouts?
   
3. Name 3 Dutch oven manufactures.
   
4. What is the name of my Dutch oven website (not my blog)?
   
5. What does the picture show on top of the picture scrapbook?
   

All of these answers can be found on this blog, or my Dutch oven website. in the event of a tie, we will draw names from a pot.

There you have it. Feed my ego, and I’ll put your name in the drawing. Answer the questions and win a free video. Until then, the best way to beat the cold is to light a fire and cook over it.

Return to the Neighborhood.

And while you're there, subscribe to our fantastic newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, our newsletter brings you articles, products, services, resources and interviews from around the world—all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.

Neighborhood Newsletter Subscriptions are FREE, and joining is easy.