That time of year is here, sunny warm temps and trips up to the cabin in Crosslake. Last weekend was the first of the season. I think that cabin trips are a great challenge for my cooking skills and keeps me on my toes. There is limited cooking gear and a set of horrible knives. I have traveled with spices though, and think that is a best practice.
One of my favorite things to cook up there is chicken fajitas (or burritos or whatever we want to call them). I marinate the chicken in garlic, lime,cumin (I like a lot of that), cayenne, cilantro and tequila(if I have it). I let that sit for a couple of hours to infuse the flavor, but not much more than that. The citrus really starts breaking the chicken down.
I also have a new love, tortillas from Costco. They come uncooked. So throw them in a pan and heat them up. They come out chewy, soft and flavorful. They are NOT, I repeat, NOT good for you in any way. BUT delicious.
I throw the chicken on the grill and start carmelizing onions on the stove. I really like the addition of the sweet onion flavor with the spicy chicken. I don't like green peppers so I leave them out.
Then you can serve it with all the mexi-fixins and people can dish up their own stuff.
The other favorite meal (besides "all the time") is breakfast. My Mom has made this egg bake for years. I started making it myself one of the first times I was up at the cabin without my family. It is a huge hit, most people have made or have had a variation of the egg bake. I think it is yummy and it is a great brunch standard. It is the night before, butter the bread on both sides. In a baking pan, lay the buttered bread flat in the pan, then add sharp cheddar and shaved ham (same Boar's Head ham from Mother's Day). Then add the second layer of buttered bread. Add to it a quasi custard of eggs (6-8) and half and half (about 3-4 cups). I season this mix quite a bit with dry mustard, cayenne, salt and pepper, garlic salt and sometimes onion. Pour the egg mixture over the bread and let it soak over night in the fridge. The next morning, crunch up some cornflakes and spoon some melted butter over it. Just to cover the cornflakes. Otherwise it is SO much butter!It bakes in a 350 degree oven for about an hour. I also dice Yukon Gold potatoes and shallots and season with smoked paprika, cayenne and salt and pepper. I drizzle with olive oil and pop in the oven for about an hour as well (depends on the oven, the cabin oven is not super so takes longer).
So even if the weather wasn't wonderful, we ate lots and jumped in a very cold lake.
One of my favorite things to cook up there is chicken fajitas (or burritos or whatever we want to call them). I marinate the chicken in garlic, lime,cumin (I like a lot of that), cayenne, cilantro and tequila(if I have it). I let that sit for a couple of hours to infuse the flavor, but not much more than that. The citrus really starts breaking the chicken down.
I also have a new love, tortillas from Costco. They come uncooked. So throw them in a pan and heat them up. They come out chewy, soft and flavorful. They are NOT, I repeat, NOT good for you in any way. BUT delicious.
I throw the chicken on the grill and start carmelizing onions on the stove. I really like the addition of the sweet onion flavor with the spicy chicken. I don't like green peppers so I leave them out.
Then you can serve it with all the mexi-fixins and people can dish up their own stuff.
The other favorite meal (besides "all the time") is breakfast. My Mom has made this egg bake for years. I started making it myself one of the first times I was up at the cabin without my family. It is a huge hit, most people have made or have had a variation of the egg bake. I think it is yummy and it is a great brunch standard. It is the night before, butter the bread on both sides. In a baking pan, lay the buttered bread flat in the pan, then add sharp cheddar and shaved ham (same Boar's Head ham from Mother's Day). Then add the second layer of buttered bread. Add to it a quasi custard of eggs (6-8) and half and half (about 3-4 cups). I season this mix quite a bit with dry mustard, cayenne, salt and pepper, garlic salt and sometimes onion. Pour the egg mixture over the bread and let it soak over night in the fridge. The next morning, crunch up some cornflakes and spoon some melted butter over it. Just to cover the cornflakes. Otherwise it is SO much butter!It bakes in a 350 degree oven for about an hour. I also dice Yukon Gold potatoes and shallots and season with smoked paprika, cayenne and salt and pepper. I drizzle with olive oil and pop in the oven for about an hour as well (depends on the oven, the cabin oven is not super so takes longer).
So even if the weather wasn't wonderful, we ate lots and jumped in a very cold lake.
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