We spent the last three weeks of April boondocking in Utah near Zion National Park. We have solar power and as long as we have sunny days, we have enough power for almost anything we need. Except for air conditioning.
The weather is pretty mild in Utah this time of year, but we had a few days that were hot enough to warrant running an air conditioner for a few hours, which requires that we run the generator. This is not (or should not be) a problem.
We have three air conditioners on our rig - one for each room. And even though we know from past experience that the generator can supply enough power to run all three, every time we tried to turn on more than one, it would trip the breaker.
This situation was driving Steve nuts, not because we needed to run all three air conditioners but because the results did not match what he knew to be the capability of the generator.
One afternoon, he realized what the problem was. And, one trip to the hardware store and about an hour later he had all three air conditioners running smoothly.
Ever since that day, I’ve been thinking about how great it would be if we could do that for ourselves.
There are times when I don’t feel like my generator is working properly. Like, I know what my capabilities are but something’s not working right and I keep tripping the breaker. Do you relate?
Just like our generator, this is not a problem that’s going to fix itself. It requires some thought, consideration, and problem solving. It requires a willingness to understand the problem and then do something about it.
For me, I think there are three things that are required in order for my internal energy supply to regenerate and properly power my life:
Sleep. I’ve heard that you need to sleep less as you age, but so far I think that’s bullshit. I feel like I need more sleep than I did when I was younger. I also don’t recover as quickly from nights when I don’t get enough sleep. These days I am going to greater lengths to protect the amount of hours I need to ensure a good, restorative night’s sleep and I gotta say, the instant gratification of getting enough sleep is a powerful motivator.
Physical activity. Like sleep, I often allow other things to crowd out the amount of exercise I know I need to function at my best. This never works out for me because regular physical activity makes more more productive, happier, more focused, and more energetic. It is so easy on busy days to let this slip. But more and more I am learning that if balls have to drop, I’m much better off if exercise isn’t one of them.
Time to myself. I need quite a lot of time to myself and often this feels selfish and greedy and indulgent. So, I don’t create the necessary boundaries and end up feeling completely depleted and sometimes resentful. Not a great situation for anyone. Creating the space I need to function at my best is 100% my responsibility. And even though it feels selfish, it’s actually more selfish to not do this for myself and for those I want to function at my best for.
What do you need to ensure your generator is functioning properly? Perhaps a more important question is: how do you trouble shoot and problem solve the issue when everyday activities keep tripping the breaker?
I’d love to hear from you. Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
The week in photos
Oh Utah, how I love your National Parks. We had friends that are family and family that are friends come visit us while in Utah and we hiked our hearts out through Zion, Bryce Canyon, and through a slot canyon in Kanaub. Plus some rock climbing in St. George for one of us (not me, but I did wear an encouraging t-shirt).
Bryce Canyon might be the most unique national park we’ve ever been to. We rode through it on the motorcycle a few years ago, discovering it mostly by accident, and have wanted to go back ever since. It’s the kind of place where you could easily spend a week but can also cover a lot of it in just one day, which is what we had.
We hiked along the rim trail, drove all the way through the canyon and stoped at all the overlooks to see what we could see, then hiked down to the canyon floor.
Spectacular, all of it. 5 stars, highly recommend.
We parked ourselves on BLM land (Bureau of Land Management) at a place called Hurricane Flats, about 25 minutes from the entrance to Zion. Luckily we found a spot large enough for our friends to join us and how fun is it to have neighbors that you really, truly love?
Steve’s mom Debbie (the cutie in the hot pink shirt) wanted to buy an Oonie pizza oven and Char (more about her later) is working on perfecting her pizza skills, so one day, Debbie and I went to the local Ace hardware so she could purchase one. We set it up outside and had a pizza night to rival any pizza you’ve ever had anywhere and don’t even try to tell me otherwise.
One day, while walking to the truck, I spotted the rattlesnake in the photo above slithering around our fire pit and even though I had just said that snakes didn’t bother me, I started screaming like a little girl. Steve nudged it out of our campsite and, thankfully, we didn’t see it again.
That bad ass hanging from the rock in the photo above is Charlene, Steve’s aunt, who is just a couple years older than us and also my dearest friend. She is obviously a rock climber and Utah is a rock climber’s paradise, so of course that’s how we were going to spend a day. We tried really, super hard to get to the area where she most wanted to climb, but it was too early in the season and the snow packed roads won out.
No bother. We headed to Saint George and hiked to an area with climbing in the shade (very important) and a chance (for her) to test her skills (which are many). Steve belayed and honestly that made us all feel better because if you know Steve, you know that when he says he’s got you, he’s got you.
I was a happy spectator, clapping and cheering in my “we can do it” shirt and I’m pretty sure that gave her extra spiderman-y powers.
THIS DAY WAS SPECTACULAR. If you’ve never done so, add hiking through a slot canyon to your bucket list right this second. This one is in Kanaub, Utah and goes on for many more miles than we had time for but the miles we saw was just incredible.
The drive to the canyon was also an adventure thanks to us mistakenly choosing the “this route will save you 10 minutes” option on google maps which should have read “this route will save you 10 minutes if you are a mountain goat and can climb over rough terrain like it’s your job.”
An hour later, with some extra wear and tear on the truck and a few more grey hairs (who am I kidding, they were already grey), we arrived to discover that the trailhead is actually not very far off the highway that we turned off of an hour earlier to “save 10 minutes.” So. Now we know.
The slot canyon was 1000 times worth it.
Zion is a place I imagine we will return to many times. There are so many hikes, many more than we could do in our limited time, all of them sensational. I am grateful that we went in April, before the weather got any warmer and the park got any busier. I imagine the same is also true for early to mid fall.
What to make this week
Spring allergies are hitting me like a freight train this week, making me feel tired and sluggish and creating all sorts of cognitive dissonance between wanting to play in the sun and go take a nap. So, perhaps that’s why I feel like starting this week’s recipe recommendations with dessert. Like somehow sugar will save me. Which I know it won’t, but what if it will?
3 recipes to make allergy season sweeter
Berry Cobbler takes roughly 10 minutes to throw together and after about an hour in the oven you are rewarded with saucy berries bubbling up under a buttery, chewy, sugar cookie crust. It’s heavenly. Also, it might be even better eaten cold for breakfast the next day.
Coconut Cream Cake. Abandon all notions of thin, neat slices or the idea that you'll just have a bite or two. That's not how this cake works. This is the kind of cake you serve in generous portions on days when restraint is not the thing most important to you.
Cherry Crumble Bars are basically my favorite cherry pie in cookie form. They have a buttery shortbread crust topped with orange liquor-spiked cherry preserves and crispy, crunchy, sweet butter crumbs. Every bite is a little bit of everything - crunchy, creamy, fruity, buttery, YUM.
9 Taco and Margarita Recipes
I don’t feel that I ever need an excuse for tacos and margaritas but they feel mandatory on Cinco de Mayo and maybe for the entire month of May. These are my favorites, and will be eaten on repeat until we get tired of them which will be exactly never.
Shredded pork tacos with pico de gallo. These tacos are a party in your mouth, easy to scale up for a crowd, and can be prepared in the instant pot, slow cooker, oven, smoker, or in a dutch oven over the campfire.
Adobo fish tacos with citrus and crispy fried onions. These vibrant, flavorful fish tacos include flaky white fish cooked in a delicious red-chili-based Mexican adobo sauce and topped with citrus fruit, salsa verde, and crispy fried onions.
Shishito pepper tacos with chili cranberry sauce and fried cheese. These crispy fried cheese and shishito or poblano pepper tacos with chili-spiked cranberry sauce are an addicting combination of savory, sweet, sour, spicy, crispy, and creamy flavors and textures.
Tequila lime vegan cauliflower tacos with cabbage slaw. Calling all vegans, meat eaters, and everyone in-between because these tacos are serious crowd pleasers.
Grilled steak tacos with pico de gallo. The recipe for these Grilled Flank Steak tacos includes instructions for grilling, broiling, using a Sous Vide cooker, or a Blackstone Griddle. Each method produces strips of tender, flavorful steak that's perfect for tacos.
Vegan taco meat. This easy recipe makes hearty, meaty-tasting veggie taco meat that's 100% plant-based, high in protein, and so delicious you might not ever be tempted to use ground beef again.
Pomegranate margaritas are like the little black dress of cocktail hour. I have made these delicious cocktails for more dinner parties and get togethers than any other drink.
Grapefruit margaritas with jalapeño and lime. These grapefruit margaritas are a refreshing balance of fresh, tart, sweet, and salty, with a mild jalapeño kick that goes down easy.
Fresh squeezed orange margaritas. While most margaritas include a splash of orange liquor, this orange margarita also includes some freshly squeezed orange juice which makes it taste especially bright and tropical.
Creamy mushroom soup with gruyere crisps
Years ago my mom gave me the 2 volume set of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking for my birthday. Or maybe it was Christmas? Regardless, I dove into those books like they were the actual holy grail and for a while dinner at our house was all Julia all the time.
I think we all look back on those butter soaked days with a kind of sleepy satisfaction that’s not dissimilar to the hours following a really good Thanksgiving meal. It was a good time while it lasted, but I did realize the importance of relegating all that rich food to more of a special occasion category.
Still, the techniques in those books continue to influence the way I cook and there are recipes I make on the regular that I can absolutely trace back to Julia’s influence.
This creamy mushroom soup is one of those recipes. There are two genius tricks in this recipe that are plucked straight from the pages of Mastering:
Separate the mushroom stems from the caps and use them to make a rich mushroom broth.
Slice the mushroom caps and caramelize them in a skillet before adding them to the soup. This deepens and develops their flavor in a way that’s simply impossible otherwise.
You will find those techniques in play in many of my other recipes, like this creamy chicken noodle soup with garlic and mushrooms.
This is the kind of soup that will impress the socks off dinner party guests when served as a starter. Around here we mostly eat it as the main event, often on a weeknight because it doesn’t take long to make and includes a relatively short ingredient list, sometimes with good crusty bread or buttermilk biscuits and/ or a stack of gruyere crisps.
1 pound mushrooms, any kind but I like to use cremini
5 tablespoons salted butter, divided
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 cups stock - I used Better than Bouillon mushroom base mixed with water
1 bunch fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, or vegetable or canola oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (more to taste)
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream, half and half, or coconut cream
Use a damp towel to gently clean the mushrooms. Separate the stems from the caps and roughly chop the stems. Cut the caps into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and set them aside for a moment.
Add 3 tablespoons of the butter to a stockpot, braiser, or large saucepan and set it over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the chopped onion and cook until it’s soft, but not so long that it starts to brown.
Add the flour and stir constantly for 2 or 3 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and slowly stir in the stock, whisking constantly while you pour to prevent lumps. Add the chopped mushroom stems, half the bunch of parsley, and the thyme.
Set the pan back on the stovetop and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, with the pan partially covered, for 20-30 minutes. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper. Taste and add salt if desired.
While the broth simmers, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and a tablespoon of oil to a large skillet. Set it over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the sliced mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are caramelized to a deep brown. Sprinkle the mushrooms with salt about halfway through cooking.
Remove the skillet from the heat and pour in the lemon juice. Stir, the mushrooms around in the pan so they absorb most of the lemon juice. Scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Pour the broth into a fine mesh strainer placed over a bowl. Use a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon to press as much liquid from the vegetables as you can. Discard the vegetables and pour the strained broth back into the saucepan.
Stir the caramelized mushrooms into the broth and set the pan over medium heat.
Add the egg yolks and cream to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
When the mushroom soup has come to a gentle simmer, very slowly whisk in the egg and cream mixture, whisking constantly as you slowly drizzle it in.
Taste and add more salt, pepper, and/or lemon juice if desired.
Serve with more chopped fresh parsley and gruyere crisps if you like.
Gruyere crisps
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Grate 8 ounces of Gruyere cheese and place them in 5 or 6 little piles on the baking sheet, spacing them out several inches. Bake for 7-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and just barely starting to brown.
Blueberry bostock
I heard of Bostock relatively recently and I would love to tell you where but I honestly can’t remember. Wherever I saw it, it captured my attention enough to make a note to try to make it and a few weeks ago that’s exactly what I did.
Oh my. What a treat.
Bostock is a French pastry that was invented to use up leftover brioche (Brioche is the best bread to use for these, by the way. Challah is equally delicious with sourdough coming in at a close second).
The bread is drenched in sugar syrup then spread with frangipane (or sometimes almond paste), sprinkled with almonds, then baked. In this version, I’ve added a layer of blueberries, but you can leave them out if you prefer.
We like to eat it as a breakfast treat but it also makes a delicious dessert especially when served with a fruit sorbet.
This recipe makes 4 to 6 pieces depending on the size of your bread, which = 4 to 6, OR 8 to 12 servings, depending on the size of your appetites.
1/4 cup granulated sugar + 2 tablespoons water ~ OR some of the orange syrup left over from making candied orange slices (this is what I used)
1 tbsp rum, kirsch, or amaretto ~ OR 1 or 2 teaspoons of any kind of extract - vanilla, almond, lemon, etc.
Frangipane (recipe below)
Enough blueberries to cover the surface of each slice of bread ~ can be fresh or frozen (If using frozen, do not thaw the berries.)
4-6 slices day-old bread ~ I used sourdough for the bostock in the photos but brioche or challah is better
About a cup of chopped or sliced almonds ~ I used roasted, salted almonds that I pulsed in the food processor a few times to chop them into small pieces
Powdered (confectioners) sugar, optional, for sprinkling
Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small saucepan, heat 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons of water, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the liquor or extract.
Lay the slices of bread on the baking sheet and brush the syrup on both sides of the bread so it soaks in.
Spread frangipane or almond paste over the entire surface of the bread, distributing it evenly over the slices. Top each slice with enough blueberries to cover the surface of the bread in an even layer, pressing them down into the frangipane slightly.
Sprinkle chopped or sliced almonds over the blueberries and place the pan in the oven to bake.
Bake the Bostock until the blueberries look as if they’ve melted into the frangipane or almond paste and the tops are beginning to brown. The timing will vary based on how large they are and whether you use fresh or frozen berries. Just keep an eye on them.
Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. These are equally delicious served warm or at room temperature.
Frangipane:
1 ¼ cup (178 grams) dry roasted, unsalted almonds
5 tablespoons (62 grams) granulated sugar
4 ounces (106 grams) almond paste
5 tablespoons (2.5 ounces/ 71 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt - OR, 1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons almond extract
Add the almonds and sugar to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the chopping blade. Process until the almonds are roughly ground with no pieces larger than pea size.
Add the remaining frangipane ingredients and process until the mixture is a homogenous paste. (*Can be made up to 1 week in advance; store in a covered container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before spreading in the bostock.)
As you might have noticed, I used leftover syrup from making candied orange slices in lieu of the sugar syrup and they gave the bostock a very mild citrus flavor that I found delightful. If that also sounds good to you but you don’t want to make any candied orange slices, simply grate some orange or lemon zest into the sugar syrup right after removing it from the heat.
A delicious use-what-you-like recipe for beans on toast
When I mention to people that one of our favorite things to eat is beans on toast I can practically see them internally turning up their noses while externally smiling politely and nodding in agreement. They appear to agree, but they don’t actually agree.
Until they try it. Everyone who tries this recipe is instantly on my side because I tell you the truth when I say this is one of the most delicious things you can make with a pot or a can of beans.
I make a pot of beans almost every week either in the slow cooker or instant pot, or just simmering them in a stockpot on the stovetop. Cooking dried beans requires about 5 minutes of hands on time and allows me to infuse the beans with whatever herbs and seasoning I’m feeling in the moment.
(Here’s how to cook dried beans in the slow cooker and here’s how to cook dried beans in the instant pot.)
But I also always have a few cans of beans in the pantry. And that’s the beauty of this meal - if you have beans, some veggies, and a few slices of good bread, you are roughly 30 minutes away from a truly delicious and satisfying meal.
As is always the case in the No Recipe Required series, this "recipe" is really more of a formula for improvisation than a recipe. It involves little more than cooking some beans with veggies, greens, and spices and then piling them onto toast along with a few vinegary condiments like sun-dried tomatoes and banana peppers.
Here’s what you do:
#1. Cook a pot of dried white beans, or open up a can or two.
Plan on about 1 cup of beans per person. If you've cooked dried beans reserve about 1 cup of the cooking liquid because that stuff has a lot of great flavor. If using canned, drain and rinse the beans and use broth (or just water) for the liquid in this recipe.
#2. Sauté some veggies.
Chop up an onion and sauté it in some olive oil. Then add whatever vegetables you like or happen to have around.
My favorites include bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, cabbage, or carrots. The important thing with the vegetables is not which vegetables you use but how you chop them. Try to cut them into pieces that are all fairly close to the same size so that they cook evenly and at the same rate.
I also like to chop them into pieces that are somewhat the same size as the beans so that it's possible to get a forkful that includes a little bit of everything.
#3. Add garlic and spices.
Add whatever kind of dried herbs or spices sound good to you. At the moment, I'm obsessed with Urfa pepper, so that's been a given the last several times I've made this dish. Other great options are thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley, paprika, chili powder, cayenne or red pepper flakes, or any kind of seasoning blend.
#4. Add the beans and some liquid.
Dump the beans into the pan and pour in that reserved bean cooking liquid, broth or water. Let everything simmer away until about half of the liquid has evaporated, and your kitchen smells like heaven.
#5. Then add some greens.
Adding a few handfuls of greens is about more than nutrition, although the greens definitely add that.
Greens like spinach, kale, or chard add a touch of bitterness that compliments and accentuates the creaminess of the beans and the flavor of pretty much any kind of vegetable you choose.
#6. A splash of acid makes everything better.
Adding a splash of acid at the end of cooking is one of the best tricks in the book for making a dish taste bright, fresh and flavorful.
In this dish, a tablespoon or two of lemon juice brightens and sharpens the flavors of all the other ingredients, making everything taste more fresh and intense than it did just seconds before.
#7. The best part of beans on toast are the condiments.
The saucy beans and veggies are delicious all on their own but the condiments take it to a whole other level.
Spread the toast with some butter or mayo (hello, creaminess!) then
add a few banana peppers, sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, or chili peppers before piling on the beans and veggies
Briny, vinegary and/ or spicy flavors are particularly delightful. I have two favorite combinations, depending on my mood and what happens to be in my refrigerator.
Butter, Calabrian peppers, and roasted red peppers, or...
Mayo (or homemade labneh), spicy banana peppers, and sun dried tomatoes.
—> That’s really all there is to it but you can click here for the full recipe: White Beans on Toast with Veggies and Greens
Level up your baking with almond extract
I’ve got a short and sweet tip for you this week: add some almond extract to your sweet treats.
Many (maybe most?) of the recipes published on Of Batter and Dough, my baking website, include a bit of almond extract because it pairs beautifully with almost everything sweet.
Add a half teaspoon or so to cookies, cakes, doughnuts, pies, cobblers, or any other sweet or moderately sweet thing and it will be better.
For example, a bit of almond extract in traditional, super easy American buttercream and strawberry rhubarb jam transforms them in a way that’s much more dramatic than seems reasonable.
Same goes for these chewy brown sugar cookies and oatmeal raisin cookies and trust me friends, every other sweet treat you bake.
This month’s featured cookbook is Baking with Dorie by Dorie Greenspan.
If you purchased this cookbook only for the recipe for this Miso Maple Loaf, I am certain you’ll feel your dollars were well spent. This loaf is the first thing I made after buying this book a couple of years ago and I’ve made it at least 7 or 8 times since.
In the book, Dorie writes that if she had a bed and breakfast, she’d make this loaf her signature bake and I know for sure that if I had a bed and breakfast I would do the exact same thing. The cake alone would make the venture a success.
This is a sweet loaf that’s bordering on savory. It’s moist and tender, but carries some heft. It’s not heavy or dense, but it does feel like you’re eating something substantial. It’s the kind of thing that transports well and freezes beautifully.
I like to cut it into individual slices, wrap them, and then put them in the freezer so we can pull out one or two whenever we like. Slices of this cake are a frequent treat on travel days.
The buttery loaf is sweetened with a bit of sugar plus maple syrup, flavored with orange zest, white miso, buttermilk, and vanilla, and glazed with orange marmalade. It’s really one of the most interesting and addicting things you’ll eat this year. So, here’s your homework:
Get a copy of Baking With Dorie
Make the Miso Maple Loaf
Have the best week ever
The bake club is a monthly baking challenge with a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card. To participate simply bake the challenge recipe and leave a comment on the recipe telling me what you thought of it. By commenting on the recipe, you'll be automatically entered to win a $50 Amazon gift card.
Important: When you comment on the recipe, use the same email address that you use to subscribe to this newsletter. This is how I’ll contact you if you win.
The April bake club winner is Amanda Rice, who has already been notified. Here’s what Amanda said about last month’s challenge, Raspberry Muffins:
“I made these for the bake club earlier this month and have made them 2 more times since because we can't get enough. I brought them with me to work and they were gone in about 2 seconds. So good!”
Congratulations Amanda!
The May challenge recipe is Lemon Bars!
These easy homemade lemon bars are bursting with tart lemon flavor thanks to a triple whammy of lemon juice, lemon zest and lemon oil or extract. The filling is silky smooth and the shortbread crust is so buttery it literally melts in your mouth.
"I made these Lemon Bars today and I must say that they are the best I have ever made. They are soooo DELICIOUS. I have made lemon bars for many years and used many different recipes but have never used one that was as good as this one. A real winner. Thanks for sharing it." - Del
To participate in the Bake Club Challenge: bake this month's challenge recipe and then leave a comment on the recipe telling me what you thought of it! By commenting on the recipe, you'll be automatically entered to win a $50 Amazon gift card. Bake the challenge recipe and leave your comment before June 1st, 2024.
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Never heard of boondocking until today! What's your favorite thing about it?! The tacos and margarita section legit made my mouth water. And I had no idea almond extract was a thing! Will definitely be giving that a try. Love all your newsletters. So beautiful and useful.