VACATION DAY 5-BLOG 4: DINNER!

I used my new dutch oven today. I told you in the prior blog that dinner would be steak, squash casserole, baked potatos (all cooked on the open mesquite fire), and iced tea.


So I started the fire: I used a lot of the oak I picked up this morning plus a little mesquite.

Then I came inside and prepared my squash casserole:

1 lg zuchinni lightly boiled with wild garlic; pepperage farms seasoned bread crumbs mixed with melted butter, 1 can of cream of mushroom soup mixed with sour cream.

I layered each starting and ending with the bread crumbs in the dutch oven.

Scrubbed the potatos and wrapped in foil.

Ready to go!

Still waiting for the fire to burn down to coals. That oak even though it was dead branches burns very slow and good.

I scooped coals into the wide part of the little pit and set the dutch oven on top; then I put 3 large coals on the lid.

Put the potatos nestled against the coals.

Soon it was time to put the steak on...with just a little seasonings.

Here is my steak turner. I bought it from a black smith at Canton.

Then I just had to sit back and wait and drink iced tea..and look at the view...here is what I look at when I cook.

And this...turkey vulture.

Soon the steak was done...total cook time including starting the fire...1.5 hours.

The nosey neighbors had to come see what was cooking.


Little Red snuck up behind Baby and ate all his food.

The casserole gave no signs that there was cooking going on inside. When the steak got done, I checked the squash casserole. The top was a little toasty but the casserole was bubbly like it should be in the middle. I will get better at that but how cool???





I think I am loving this dutch oven.

I am posting this with a full tummy. One steak, 2 potatos and a small dutch oven of casserole was enough food for 3 meals.

PS: look what I found when getting the mesquite wood---yep sneaky devils. Now they have 3 secret nests.

When I picked up the eggs though I noticed one small very brown egg...then I remembered something yesterday! I saw the gunea hen jumping down off of the wood pile. Now I know what she was doing. They gave me the evil eye while I was picking up the chicken eggs, so if she abandons the nest I will put this little guy in the incubator. (second from the left)