Limoncello

    This is definitely a drink people either love or hate, you don't really see anyone in the middle.  I knew from the moment that I tasted this that it would be a drink that I would love.  It was about 7 years ago when I tried it for the first time and I became very intrigued so I did a little research on this beverage to find out more. 
     Limoncello came to be out of a desire to not waste lemons that were so carefully grown.  There were fields of lemon trees in Italy and far too often the farmers would have more lemons than they could sell.  Trying to figure out what to do with these extra lemons to make a little more money off of them, they started to experiment with pickling, brining, and preserving.  All of these application worked and the farmers were able to sell these items to keep them afloat. 
     No one really seems to know exactly where the idea of Limoncello came from other than it was a cultural tradition in Italy for quite some time before a few individuals decided to sell it.  Grain alcohol was fairly common and used in many applications but when the zest of these extra lemons is added to the alcohol and left to mature, the results were astonishing.  The trick, to find some way to alter this concoction to make it easier to swallow.  Who wants to sit around and drink straight grain alcohol?  Not I. 
     A very simple solution followed, add water and sugar, or simple syrup to the mixture and enjoy.  The process in which Limoncello was handled back in the day is slightly different than now given the increased issues with food contamination.  Unless you buy organic lemons, far too often you're going to see two common practices, pesticides and wax.  We know what the pesticides are for but the wax serves various purposes, one of which is to help preserve the lemons but to also make them more eye appealing.  We've been brainwashed into thinking that if those lemons are shiny, those are the ones that we definitely need to buy.  That practice is so flawed and it's scary how little people know about produce selection.  Anyway, getting too off track here.
     I try and buy organic lemons when they're available and personally economical.  After washing them well, I zest the lemons add it to grain alcohol in an airtight container.  Place the container some place away from light and as close to room temperature as possible.  I tend to put my jars in the back corner of the closet behind our clothes.  It usually takes some time before the flavor of the lemons is fully incorporated. 
     After a couple of months, your mixture is ready for the next and final step.  Adding the simple syrup balances the flavor and makes it pleasing to drink.  A couple of things to always remember, properly sterilize the container and bottles you're going to use and strain the mixture before transferring it to the bottles.  I prefer mine to be stored in the refrigerator but some prefer using ice.  Whichever you decide is up to you.  This will definitely be a strong beverage so drink with caution and an open mind.

Pumpkin Ginger Bread

     This is very much a Winter/Christmas style bread but if you ever find yourself looking through your pantry and you come across Pumpkin Puree, why not enjoy a little bread.  It's a very simply quick bread with the basic ingredients of sugar, butter, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin puree, eggs, vanilla, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger. 
     What I like to do with my sweet quick breads is to cream the fat in the sugar, just as you would a cookie mix.  Then I added the wet ingredients, once they were mixed, I added all of the dry ingredients.  It's very important to remember to never over mix these breads, if you do, your bread can become tough.  You also have to keep in mind what altitude you are at.  I'm so used to baking breads in Georgia that coming to Colorado has really made me relearn what I need to know as a baker.
     Not much to this entry, just wanted to share what I did tonight.

Camp Food

     If you've ever gone camping, you know that real camping involves very little in regards to modern home-comforts.  My wife and I decided that if we were going to camp, we were going to keep it as low maintenance as possible, in regards to packing.  Given that, we decided to not buy a gas powered camping stove to cook our food, neither did anyone else that we camped with.  We used our campfire to cook all of our meals, heat water for oatmeal, coffee, tea, and of course, S'mores. 
     Since it's a National Forest, we were not allowed to gather fallen wood from the surrounding grounds.  In fear of receiving a fine, we had to buy what was supplied by the Park Rangers.  It started to get cold fairly early so we would get the fire started to warm up and eventually cook some food.  When out in the middle of the woods, it would be an unwise decision to eat a very large meal of foods that can potential upset your system.  At the same time, you have to be very smart in your decisions.
      As you can see in the photos below, we had a mixture of items on the fire brought by different people.  One brought the sausage, another the beans, and we brought the corn in the husks.  Yes, the beans were in a can but who cares, it was very easy to cook while still in the can and just as easy to eat.  One less pan to clean as well.  Same for the corn, still in the husks to keep the corn kernels from burning and it all came out great.  We finished the night sitting around the fire telling some crazy stories, as per usual for this type of setting.
      Having ready-to-eat foods are also a necessity.  When hiking, we had various items such as trail mix, granola bars, peanut butter sandwiches, cliff bars, and a lot of water.  Same as mentioned before, it's important to not eat a lot of food before starting a hike that began at an elevation of 9,520 feet with an incline of 600-700 feet.  You need something light and nutritious but satisfying at the same time.  Difficult, yes but you have to know what works best for you.
     All in all, great camping trip.  The first photo below was the view that we woke up to each morning and it was breathtaking to say the least.  In my opinion, it was very fulfilling to wake up in the morning and start that fire you see in the second photo to be able to eat or make coffee and the same goes for dinner.  If it had rained during our trip, we more than likely would have never had hot food, and there's only so long that you can go without that.