This view from my cooking rock, though not what most would find spectacular, was particularly wonderful because of what you CAN'T see...other people, mostly. We had an entire inlet and bay all to ourselves, and our nearest camping neighbors were an entire island away. This was a very pleasant surprise, since when we put in at the beach that morning, we were surrounded by dozens of other kayakers and canoers...including an entire Boy Scout troop and their whole adult entourage. What a huge relief to find that 99% of the entire population staying on the lake that night chose to go east; two of us chose to go west.
On the menu tonight was one of my favorite things ever -- Beef Wellington. You can't really do it justice over a backpacking stove, so instead I chose to deconstruct it at home, and then reconstruct it (to a point) on the plate at our campsite. Recipes will follow in the coming week, but this spin on Beef Wellington might (MIGHT) even make Gordon Ramsay, the king of Beef Wellington, proud -- or at least not make him drop ten F-bombs over the sight of my rustic camping version. The squash puree and roasted Brussels sprouts are regulars on our fall camping menus; both are always reliable, they travel well, and they're easy to pair with just about anything. Recipe links will be live this week.