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Trail Chef: Bacon Cookies! 'Nuff said.

No, seriously: This meaty confection packs major punch on grueling days.

Bacon, like fine wines and espresso, inspires a special fervor in people. For them, it's not just any old food item, but a greasy, crispy platform to higher consciousness. Bacon bits in your rice or precooked strips on the camp stove—I get it. Hey, I like my bacon-and-eggs-in-a-bag as much as the next girl. But bacon cookies? I was skeptical. But web producer Katie Herrell proved the doubters wrong on a freezing hut trip last winter. These uber-hearty snacks (really, more like explorer-era hardtack than cookies) were actually kind of tasty—and they were loaded with the energy-giving calories you need for cold-weather exertion. Try 'em; I'll bet you'll be surprised, too. Read Full Story...

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Thursday, November 19, 2009 in: Trail Chef
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Trail Chef: Dinner & Dessert to Warm a Chilly Evening

What to scarf when the weather turns nasty

Winter camping. I'll be honest: Those two words strike a (ha!) chill in my heart. All that snow ... all those fingers and toes to freeze. But ever since we produced our winter camping opus in the Fall Gear Guide, I've been inspired to give it a try. One very convincing reason: You have to eat—a lot, and often—if you want to make it back unpopsicled.

When you're exercising in the cold, your body needs calories, stat. The colder it is, the more this is true. And when you break for the night... well, you'd better start shoveling in some nutrients to keep your metabolic fires stoked. So I asked someone who knows—Buck Tilton, our Medicine Man and coauthor of NOLS Winter Camping—about his favorite cold-camping dinner and dessert combo. Here's what he shared: Read Full Story...

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Thursday, November 12, 2009 in: Trail Chef
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Trail Chef: 8 Dirtbag Dinners

Quite possibly the easiest meals you'll ever make with three ingredients or less

There are two kinds of backpackers: those willing to haul fresh veggies, backpacking ovens, and a French press in service of gourmet cuisine, and those who would rather just rehydrate their peas and be done with it. I'm a card-carrying member of the former group—and not surprisingly, this blog has catered to hikers with foodie tendencies. But not today.

'Cause, let's face it, there are some nights where you're so bone-tired, you can barely work your jaw. You just want food—anything will do, as long as it's hot (and even that's debatable). The easier, the better. For those nights, try these ultrasimple dirtbag meals, all with three ingredients or less. No chopping or filleting required, we promise. And yeah, they still taste good. Read Full Story...

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Thursday, November 05, 2009 in: Trail Chef
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Trail Chef: Readers' Favorite Breakfasts

Kick off the morning with cheesy bagels and gourmet oatmeal.

The season's first epic snowstorm has been pummeling us here in Boulder for two days now—and, not coincidentally, my usual cold cereal jones has been replaced with a craving for something hearty and warm. It's the same on the trail: When it's summer, you can snarf a handful of peanuts and call it breakfast. Winter? Not so much.

Luckily, you guys have a new solution—make that two solutions—for chilly mornings. Roll outta your sleeping bag, pull on your booties, and try these two satisfying breakfasts submitted by BACKPACKER readers. Read Full Story...

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Thursday, October 29, 2009 in: Trail Chef
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Trail Chef: Quinoa-Mushroom Soup

This heartwarming soup goes hand-in-hand with fall foliage hikes and cooler camping

Our usual Trail Chef is on break this week—normally bad news for you, since my version of "backcountry cooking" consists of throwing a couple bouillon cubes in a bag of beef jerky with some hot water and calling it a day. Luckily, when she heard about my plan to share my recipe for Slacker Stew, she came to the rescue with BACKPACKER contributor Nicole Spiridakis's Quinoa-Mushroom Soup.

This soup combines everyone's favorite South American wonder grain with that most flavorful of fungi. It's perfect for the cool fall camping we all can expect this weekend and beyond. Check it:
Read Full Story...

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Thursday, October 22, 2009 in: Trail Chef, Skills
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Trail Chef: Genny's Johnnycakes

Photo editor Genny Fullerton schools you on camp pancakes.

Genny Fullerton, our senior associate photo editor, knows pancakes. And not only is she a master of the whats (you know, flour, sugar, raspberries), she'll also tell you just how to pull it off, from packing to clean-up. When I asked Genny to contribute to Trail Chef's occasional series on editors' favorite recipes, not only did she give me a top-shelf pancake recipe, she also annotated it with her hard-earned advice.
Think you know pancakes? I'll bet you a bottle of maple syrup that Genny can teach you a thing or two. Read Full Story...

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Thursday, October 15, 2009 in: Trail Chef
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Trail Chef: The Great Trail Cookie Debate

Get energized with another reader recipe finalist

Believe it or not, cookies can get pretty controversial around here. Take this reader recipe for Trail Cookies, which scored quite well in our Readers' Choice recipe test. They missed out on that final cut by a hair, but that didn't stop a spirited debate around the office. On one side: Nice try—trail cookies are cookies, not trail food. Automatic DQ. On the other: Trail cookies may operate under the name cookie, but in reality, they're hearty and packable enough to rival any trail bar. (The wildlife clearly think that cookies are suitable for the trail.) Read Full Story...

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Thursday, October 08, 2009 in: Trail Chef
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Trail Chef: Pasta with Herbes de Provence

Taste-test one of our Readers' Choice Recipe finalists

Poor editors. This gig might sound glamorous—full of on-the-clock hikes and mountaintop meetings—but the truth is that more often than not, we're working steadily at our desks, gazing wistfully out of the window at the Flatirons. That's why last week in the office was such a treat: The trail came to us, in the form of backcountry cuisine. We're deep into our Readers' Choice issue these days, and it was my task to decide which of the many reader recipes that came in truly deserved the "Backpacker's Favorite" title. You know what that means: Taste test!

It wasn't easy—but it was tasty. We narrowed the recipes down to 10 finalists, then cooked 'em all up on backpacking stoves and sampled them among our discriminating editorial palates. After three days' worth of chewing, the very best recipes were clear. And you'll have to wait 'til the Readers' Choice issue (December/January) to see them.

But of course, Trail Chef would never leave you hanging. So here's one of our finalists—it didn't quite make the last cut, but it was yummy and pleasing nonetheless. Read Full Story...

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Thursday, October 01, 2009 in: Trail Chef
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Trail Chef: Cherries Flambe

Class up your camp with these backpacker's crepes.

When executive editor Dennis Lewon comes back from a trip in Wyoming's Wind Rivers saying he's got a  brand-new recipe, you'd best pay attention. Our staff gourmand is famous for his creative camp meals—easy to make, yet always infused with a certain flavorful je ne sais quoi. So now we bring you a world-exclusive dessert a la Dennis: Cherries Flambe. Yep, you even get to torch it. Read Full Story...

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Friday, September 25, 2009 in: Trail Chef
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Trail Chef: Three Stop-and-Smell-the-Roses Lunches

Take the time to savor these midday meals.

Sometimes, lunch on the trail is all about convenience: handfuls of gorp, an energy bar or two, maaaybe some peanut butter spread on a bagel. Those times are, let's face it, less than exciting for the palate. When you're not in hot pursuit of a peak or trying to break a speed-hiking record, why not kick back and have something that involves just a little more preparation? Go ahead, dangle your feet in the stream or gaze at the clouds with one of these trail lunch specialties—some easy, some a little more involved—in your hand. You even have my permission for a little postlunch siesta in the shade. Read Full Story...

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Thursday, September 17, 2009 in: Trail Chef
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