matstaley

What is that contraption under the table with the dutch oven lid on it in the first picture?


.

flyfishexpert

That would be our Camp Chef 'Lift-N-Grill'. It is the same design as the Volcano 2 grill.



I brought it along on that trip to use as a fire pan if we didn't come across a fire ring.

matstaley

Thats a spendy little guy. I use a steel oil drain pan for the briquettes and the dutch oven. That way I don't monopolize the fire pit. Thanks for the info.

toyospearo

That is a Sooty Grouse with Grey Squirrel in there!

That is Blackbear stew!

flyfishexpert

You can't post pictures and not provide a recipe! Both of those look wonderful!

flyfishexpert

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound campanelle pasta
• 1 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large shallots , chopped fine (about 1 cup)
• 2 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
• 5 ounces shiitake mushrooms , stems discarded, caps wiped clean and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 5 ounces cremini mushrooms , wiped clean and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves , plus 1 additional teaspoon
• 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Ground black pepper
• 1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese (1/1 cup)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

Serves 2



Pre-Trip Preparations
To save on preparation time when on the trail, chop the shallots, mince the garlic, slice the mushrooms, and grate the cheese at home and place in individual containers. If the meal will be prepared a couple of days into a trip, the shallots and mushrooms will keep longer in a cooler when uncut. To reach a creamy consistency, finely grate fresh Parmesan cheese to make it easier to melt. Measure out the pasta and liquid ingredients and place in plastic storage containers as well.

You can find the entire recipe on our website www.LivingOverland.com or by clicking here.

flyfishexpert

Can the material our wineglasses are made out of add unwanted flavors to our favorite Sauvignon Blanc? We set out to set out to see if there was a difference contacting GSI Outdoors and having them send us two of their plastic (co-polyester) and two stainless steel stemless wineglasses.



The Test
We headed down to Marigolds Wine and Delicacies for their weekly 5 for $5 wine tasting event with our GSI Outdoors wineglasses in hand. Both of us would sample each wine out of a traditional glass wineglass, to be used as our 'control point', and then out of both the stainless steel and plastic stemless wineglasses. We compared how flavor of each wine was affected by the materials, and how they compared against our glass control point. Between each test we ate a cracker or two and took a sip of water to cleanse our palate. The following wines included in this test:
Red Heads Studios Yard Dog White
Walnut Block Wines Collectibles Sauvignon Blanc
Pillar Box Red
Red Heads Studios Yard Dog Red
Morse Code Pathway Shiraz

You can find our entire review on our website www.LivingOverland.com or clicking this link.

flyfishexpert

Don't let the cold of winter deter you from enjoying the great outdoors! We spent New Years snowshoeing into one of the U.S. Forest Service cabins located in Southeast Idaho. The temperatures dipped to -15F at night, but we stayed nice and warm inside thanks to the cabin's propane heater. One of the benefits of winter camping is...Ice Cream! The benefit of camping with ice cream is wowing your friends by igniting a pan of Bananas Foster!



Ingredients
•3 Bananas
•2 tablespoons banana liqueur
•2 tablespoons rum
•1/2 cup brown sugar
•1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
•2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Serves 2

Pre-Trip Preparation



Preparation for this dish is quite simple. Measure out the liquid ingredients into reusable plastic containers and set aside. Next measure out the required amount of brown sugar and cinnamon, placing them together in a zipper bag. The liquid and dry ingredients can be stored in your 'dry food' box. Finally, place the required amount of butter into a reusable plastic container and place in the cooler.

You can find the entire recipe on our website www.LivingOverland.com or by clicking here.

flyfishexpert

It has been a while since I have posted a recipe on the website, due to travel and professional exams, so here you go!



Ingredients

• 1.25lb chicken breast cut into 3/8" thick pieces
• 2-1/4 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup Parmesan
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp oregano
• 6 Tbsp lemon juice
• 4 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 cup white wine

Cooking Instructions
In a zipper bag combine all ingredients, reserving 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, and marinate for up to 4 hours. Cook chicken and sauce over high heat until chicken is cooked through. Serve over your favorite rice and garnish with the remaining parsley.

flyfishexpert

Whether you are taking a bottle of your favorite balsamic vinegar with you to camp or are returning from a trip to California's Sonoma Valley with a bottle of your favorite Syrah it is important to protect them from being damaged during transport. We were once forced to wrap our bottles in an extra T-shirt or bubble wrap, place them in our chuck box or luggage and hope they made the journey undamaged. No matter how well we packed, there was always the possibility of a bottle breaking and leaking onto and damaging or ruining the the items around it.



Specifications

We no longer have to worry about bottles breaking and leaking with our VinniBag. Retailing for $28, the VinniBag is designed to securely hold a standard 750ml wine bottle but can be used for a multitude of fragile items. Instructions are printed on the bag and are clear and easy to follow. Bottles are inserted into the bag, the bottom is rolled up and secured, and the air chambers are inflated.



The air chambers provide a thick cushion around the wine bottle, protecting it from the abuse of airline travel, while the dry bag like seal keeps the contents of a broken bottle in the bag and not on your clothing.

To read more or our thoughts on VinniBag, visit our website at www.LivingOverland.com, or by clicking here.

flyfishexpert

Ingredients

• 1.25lb chicken breast
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped fine (about 2/3 cup)
• 6 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 pound broccoli florets, trimmed into 1" pieces
• 1/2 lb penne pasta
• 3 ounces Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley
• Kosher Salt
• Ground Pepper

You can find the entire recipe on our website www.LivingOverland.com or by clicking here.

aviator

Great recipes fish... you could add some firm strawberries and or melon to that fruit kebab dessert... and for an additional hit of flavour some blackberries to the pear dessert...

can't wait to try some of the other dinner recipes...

flyfishexpert

Great suggestions! The beauty of these recipes is their adaptability. Be sure to post up suggestions for the typse of recipes you would like to see!

flyfishexpert

Tapioca Parfait Topped with a Strawberry and Fennel Compote



This is the perfect desert for relaxing after a long day of exploring. The dessert can be quickly assembled on the trail by performing much of the prep-work at home. The tapioca can be made prior to the trip and stored in a reusable plastic container, ready for use.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup small pearl tapioca
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 quart strawberries, trimmed
• 1/2 lemon
• 3 TBSP sugar

Serves 4

You can find the entire recipe on our website www.LivingOverland.com or by clicking here.

flyfishexpert

Review of GSI Outdoors Pinnacle 10" Frypan


As we prepared for our trip to Chile, it was apparent we needed a new frypan, our 12" cast iron just wasn't going to cut it, so we contacted our friends at GSI Outdoors and they sent us their 10" Pinnacle Frypan. Since its arrival, the frypan has followed us on our snowshoeing, Chile, and Yellowstone trips tucked away in our backpack or in the back of the 4Runner.





Specifications
Major Dimension: 10"
Weight: 17.8 oz.
Dimensions: 11.1" x 10.6" x 2.8"
Material: Non-Stick Coated, Hard Anodized Aluminum
Product Use: Car Camping

For our full review, visit our website at www.LivingOverland.com, or click here.

flyfishexpert

Freezing Beer for Your Cooler


If you are anything like me, you read the title of this post, tears welled up in your eyes, and you screamed expletives up to the heavens. I assure you no (good) beer was severely injured in the making of this post.


Background
A couple of long-time river rafting friends of mine and I were discussing coolers and keeping food cool when they mentioned 18-day trips they had taken down the Colorado. "We would just freeze our beer," they said, "and we could make the entire trip without ice." " I am sorry," I said to them, "you lost me at 'We would freeze our beer.'". The two of them proceeded to explain how they would utilize two sets of coolers for their river trips. One set would be filled with cans of beer, which would then be placed in large commercial freezers.

The other set of coolers would be used to store their perishable foods. Frozen beer would be used to keep these coolers cold and as the beer began to thaw they would replace these cans with fresh ones from the 'beer coolers'. Now, I remember my roommate in college forgetting about some beer he had placed in the freezer to chill and when we discovered it the next day, several of the cans had exploded. They explained to me how they had made the same discovery and said we would be fine as long as I did not freeze 'Light' beer.

The Experiment



As we contemplated how we would test this technique, we knew we wanted to keep this relevant to the beer we, and our friends, typically drink. We chose to experiment with New Belgium's Fat Tire, Cerveza Tecate, Pabst Blue Ribbon, and Coors Light to show 'what not to do'.


Before we got started we contacted New Belgium Brewing to inquire into the possible ill-effects of freezing beer and we got this response back:

"...unfortunately it will only keep your food cold, it will not keep the beer flavor. When you freeze beer- it basically turns the solution back into a mixture of frozen highly alcoholic beer and ice. So when you thaw, you will have high octane beer and water mixture- no bueno. But, if you were REAL thirsty, I bet you would not mind that much."

We pressed on in the name of 'Science' to determine how well this technique really worked. We established a test plan for the experiment:

1. freeze individual cans
2. freeze a 12-pack and a Starbucks Coffee Traveler bladder
3. place the 12-pack and bladder in two separate coolers
4. measure the temperatures in the coolers, seeing which of the two coolers stays the coldest
5. determine which, the beer or the water, thaws the fastest.

Individual cans, of each of the four beer brands, were frozen one at a time in a plastic container to ensure we wouldn't end up with beer on the inside of our freezer.

For more information on this technique and to find the results from our testing, visit our webiste at www.LivingOverland.com, or click here.

flyfishexpert

We are attending the 2011 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market bringing you the latest in outdoor cooking gear. These are some of interesting items we discovered today.


Nutriom makes OvaEasy, a powdered egg product that is easy to prepare tasted great. We think this product might be perfect for those campers who have limited space in their cooler.


Reliance Products now offers a line of eco-friendly water containers; the Green Glacier Cooler and Water Bottles are insulated with straw.


Camp Chef is improving on their popular Rainier Stove by now bundling both the griddle and grill grate. Now it is even easier to prepare a great breakfast and dinner while on the trail.


Byer of Maine manufactures an innovative wash basin that incorporates both the wash and rinse stations as well as a drying rack. The stable platform also converts into a camp stool.


EcoQue has created an efficient portable grill that uses fewer charcoal briquettes and has the ability to bake.


Journey Bar is filling a niche in the energy bar market by creating a savory line geared toward those tired of the same old sweet-flavored bars.

For even more information on the cooking items we have seen, be sure to check out our website, www.LivingOverland.com, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter

flyfishexpert

Primus Camping is updating their Profile Stove with some nice features including an integrated light/timer and it is now even easier to setup.


NaviSafe has a cool boating light that we think has some applications for overland travel. Be sure to check back as we review the many applications of the light.


GSI Outdoors' new Wine Glass Gift Set incorporates a reusable bladder and a place to store two glasses all within an insulated neoprene case. This would be perfect for those outdoor concerts where glass containers are not allowed.


GSI Outdoors' new Kung Foon integrates a pair of chopsticks with a foon, and the name is cool!

For even more information on the cooking items we have seen, be sure to check out our website, www.LivingOverland.com, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter

aviator

Powdered eggs that actually taste good? I have my doubts...

that navi 360 light looks like a good buy and I like that primus stove with the light built in.

that straw insulated cooler looks like a good green buy too but how is the weight compared to a "normal" cooler?

flyfishexpert

We weren't sure what to think, but then the guy made some up for us and they were quite good. He said their proprietary drying process doesn't degrade the structure of the egg.

According to the Reliance website, the 2.5gal weighs 6 pounds. According to Igloo's website, their 5gal weights 5.5 pounds. So the design is quite heavy.