Upcoming trips, plans, and prep

Its been a boring Summer so far. Dennis got a new job and has been too exhausted on weekends to leave town, and I was in the middle of the move when backpacking season began. There are plenty of awesome backpacking spots here in Southern California so I could go solo, but weekends are really the only time I have with Dennis, and he'd be trapped at home without the car. Huge bummer.

So without any backpacking to actually do, I've been spending some of my free time preparing meals for our upcoming trips in August and September. For our long trip, I'm doing all homemade food. My intention is to experiment with more vegan dishes, and because our mileage will be on the low side (in the company of a friend who is new to backpacking), we'll be having more full breakfasts. 

Kimchi Tofu Noodle Soup

Boulder Lake, Trinity Alps Wilderness

Flavor: 8/10

Ease at home: 7/10

Ease at camp: 10/10
Heat level: 8/10

Times made: 1

Two years ago, my husband and I ate our very first bowl of soondubu jjigae, a spicy Korean vegetable soup with soft tofu. It was 3AM, and we were decked in Halloween costumes after a long night of partying. My recollection of that evening is hazy for the most part, but the soup memory is crystal clear. I remember the nourishing richness, the custardy texture, the steaming, tangy, spicy flavors, served with a dizzying variety of accouterments. I've replicated it at home a number of times, and while nothing has matched that first bowl, it's always a richly savory experience.

Ratatouille with Pasta

Well, I dunnit, god damn it, I waited too long to post the recipe so I mostly forgot the amounts of each ingredient. It would figure that this was my best batch too! Oh well. Ratatouille is pretty improvisational anyway- depending on the sweetness of the tomatoes, the flavor in the vegetables, it can turn out like bland veggie poo or heavenly ambrosia, all else equal.

Food Reviews, Trinity Alps Trip: Cheddar Jack Cheese Spread from Packit Gourmet, Organic Garlic Pesto Frybread from MaryJane's Farm

A few weekends ago, my husband went on a weekend trip to the Trinity Alps with his friend Duncan, and puppy compatriot Guinness. He was hoping to reach Foster Lake on a ~17 mile loop over the course of 3 days. I'd packed him some homemade pasta with ratatouille, boxed macaroni and cheese for breakfast, homemade korean tofu soup (soondubu jjigae) for breakfast 2, homemade Thai curry soup, and other ready-made food to fill the gaps. I was excited to hear how the trip (and food) went on his return and asked him to take photos.

Food Reviews, Desolation Wilderness trip: Organic Chilimac from MaryJane's Farm

Looks better than it tastes, unfortunately

Macaroni and Cheese for breakfast. Why not? Calorie-rich, full of carbs and easy to prepare.

MaryJane's Farm Chilimac has tons of positive reviews all over the net. Our feeling: not bad, but not great either. For how delicious Annie's Organic Macaroni and Cheese boxes are, MJF is surprisingly lackluster. This could be done so well, so easily- why is the cheese so flavorless and the texture so floury?

It's not bad, but not worth the price, either, when such a simple dish is so easy to put together with a base of Annie's Mac.

Food Reviews, Desolation Wilderness trip: Organic Spuds w/Spinach & Cheese from MaryJane's Farm, Southwest Black Bean and Corn Salad from Packit Gourmet

A vivid blue gradient and a paintbrush-swipe of clouds just before the top of the Crystal Range. At this point, the terrain on the other side is a mystery. Just like the mystery that is dinner.

I was raised on mashed potato flakes. In fact, I think I preferred them to real mashed potatoes for a while. I'd have mashed potatoes with ketchup and fantasize about the french fries I was almost never allowed to have. I remember my grandfather, a self-proclaimed "gourmand" bitching to my parents at the Thanksgiving dinner table about me putting ketchup on his homemade mashed potatoes, shaking his head. I also remember buying the cup-o-mashed potato cups all throughout middle school. I'd rehydrate them with less water than recommended and somehow I really enjoyed the kinda crusty, kinda dense, concentrated flavor, not fully rehydrated quality of the whole thing. Anyway...given all this backstory, it's no surprise I really liked the MJF potatoes. And Dennis, who I didn't expect to like them, was enthusiastic too. "Getting back to my Scottish roots," he said.

Food Reviews, Desolation Wilderness trip: Copper Canyon Mudslide from Packit Gourmet

Horchata 'n' Vodka

So when I think mudslide, I think of a creamy, kahlua-flavored, chocolatey, boozey, milkshake concoction, the kind of drink a 10 year old would come up with.

As such, it was with the slightest disappointment and some curiosity that I opened the packet for Copper Canyon Mudslides and smelled cinnamon and rice. This is no mudslide, it's horchata. Organic horchata actually, which is pretty cool, kudos to Packit Gourmet for making this one organic.