A short list for tall orders

In the hectic world of heroes dinner must be ready on time, less you have uninvited monsters rolling around in your potato salad. This, paired with no real refrigeration to speak of can make for an interesting time getting meals on the table, because honestly, I have a lot to do patching up my company's 'battle wounds'.

I am the queen of can I-do-it-ahead-of-time?

For instance, I season my meats and marinate veggies before we head out, bag everything in zip-locks and even freeze somethings to help prolong the life of everything in the cooler. I actually only keep three things with me for seasoning on site: brown sugar, sea salt and Worcestershire sauce.

But this isn't to say I do EVERYTHING ahead of time! Some foods just don't do well reheated, and some are best freshly cut or cooked. (For the record, nothing I make is prepped sooner than the day before game-on)

Good example of this is breakfast:

Bacon: Cooked ahead of time. Take a baking pan, something with a lip on the edge that can handle heat. Line it with foil. Place the bacon (as much as can fit with just a little overlap) on the sheet and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until desire crispiness. Remove from pan with tings and drain on paper towel. best part? once the grease cools just peels off the foil, roll it up to keep it trapped and throw away.

On site, I just toss it onto the griddle for a minute or so until heated. It gets crispy again realy fast and is just as good as if I'd done it there, and there is almost no greasy mess.

Eggs: Cook on site, reheating scrambled eggs just isn't as good. My trick for a big group? Use a pitcher to mix up a large batch of eggs with some milk, salt and pepper. the more milk the fluffier your eggs. You can only pour a small amount for each batch, but a crock pot on low will keep them warm and moist until even your latest riser is ready to eat!

Fun fact: My group requires four dozen eggs, two pounds of bacon and three dozen bagels each event for breakfast.

Knowing what kind of things can save you  time and hassle by doing before you're knee deep in nature and guests is an important bit of knowledge with any kind of meal.

And now, an easy treat for the summer months when you have a grill on hand. The perfect blend of do it ahead and right on site!

Wen and Rye's Grilled Cinnamon Apples

• Four apples, cored,peeled and sliced into six pieces or so (I prefer gala apples, but a tart granny smith is excellent here too!)
• Skewers
• 1 c brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 lemon

1. At home, peel and slice the apples into about six pieces. Place these in a zip-lock bag and drizzle with a little lemon juice. This keeps them from browning in the bag.
2. In a second zip-lock, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Seal up both bags.
3. On site, soak skewers in water for a few minutes (I do this when cooking the proper meal). 
4. Place apple slices in bag of brown sugar mixture, seal shut and give a good shake, coating the apples. Skewer the slices, as many as will fit, onto wet skewers.
5. Place on grill for about five minutes, turning as they brown. Cool before serving!

These are dynamite with a little whipper cream, or just as is! Make sure you let them cool a bit before serving, hungry adventurers don't always think before they bite :)

Joyous Journey!