Time is Slipping By

Pennsic is coming up so fast! With only a little over two weeks left before I leave, I still have quite a bit of sewing, a little bit of cooking, and a bit of food shopping left to do. Plus, you know, that whole 'working' thing.

I have completed one new dress, from drafting the pattern, checking the size with a muslin, sewing the final dress, and attaching a bunch of tiny buttons. I'm going to create another new dress, using the same pattern and I'll attempt to chronicle that process with photographs so I can do a step by step sort of thing on here. I'm not going to show the drafting process: it's long and tedious and not very interesting. I also have a bodice, a couple skirts, and a gown to do repairs on and to refit before I go, but those will be small projects. I also have to make a coif (a little fabric cap). I made one for last year, but I made it so quickly that it didn't turn out very well, so this year I've altered the pattern and I'll be taking my time with it. I'll try and document that, too.

I'm planning on making some mead and possibly some rhubarb liqueur to have at camp, too.

I terms of cooking, I always make a big batch of boeuf bourguignon a couple days before I go, freeze it solid, and let it slowly defrost in a cooler while camping. After about 3 days in a cooler, it's defrosted slightly and is ready to be reheated in a pot over the fire. I use Ina Garten's recipe from her "Barefoot in Paris" cookbook. Her recipe turns out very salty, so I try to use low sodium broth and I don't add any salt until after the whole thing as stewed for a while. Last year, someone (I think Megan) had the wonderful idea to bake spice cakes in orange rinds over the fire. They turned out very well, and this year I saw a recipe for doing a similar thing with cinnamon rolls, so I want to try that this year. I'm going to be doing at least one more dinner for everyone, but I haven't decided what to make yet. Ideas, so far, include a pancake and bacon dinner, spaghetti, chicken chili, or curry. I'm leaning towards chicken chili, because it can be made ahead and it's a crowd-pleaser. When I went away for a camping weekend at the beginning of this month, someone made pita pizzas. They were super awesome, so I might try for those, but they require a lot of ingredients and can't be made ahead.

Does anyone out there have any good camping meals/recipes to share?