Dutch Oven - S'more Pie

Rating:***
By: Haley Lorenz & Kelsey Mcclymonr

Required: Pie Tin
                 Dutch Oven

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
                    1/3 cup sugar
                    6 tablespoons butter
                    2 cups chcolate chips
                    2 cups mini marshmellows

Instructions: Either buy a premade graham cracker crust or make your own:
                    Melt butter. Mix butter with graham crumbs and sugar. Press into pie tin.

                    Heat dutch oevn about 350 degrees.

                    Cover graham crust with layer of chcolate chips.
                    Cook in Dutch Oven for about 5 minutes to melt chips.
                    Cover choclate chips completely with layer of mini-marshmellows.
                    Cook in Dutch Oven for about 10 minutes.
                    Check every 5 minutes until marshmellows are brown.

                    Carefully remove pie tin and set to cool. If you can set it in snow or shallow cold water, it      
                    will cool the crust faster.

                    Serves 8, but they'll want more.

Tips:           We would say that you should about 6-8 coals on the bottom and 12 coals on the bottom    
                   check quit often because the crust burns easily. Also before adding the marshmellows get a
                   spoon, knife, or fork and smooth the chcolate chips when they wre almost melted because
                   don't smoothen out very well.

                   Overall it was great, and if you have a sweet tooth this is great for you! 

Dehydrated Soup

By Spencer Knowles and Ryan Tomlinson

Rating ****

Preparation Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 1 hour

(6-8 hours to dehydrate the vegetables)

Serves: 8-10 People

 

Ingredients

Put the following ingredients in a Mason jar:

·         ½  cup of barley

·         ½  cup of dry split peas

·         ½  cup of white rice

·         2  tbsp. dried minced onion flakes

·         2  tbsp. dry parsley

·         ¼  cup of dehydrated vegetables – (carrots and potatoes)

·         2  tsp. of salt

·         1  tsp. of pepper

·         2  tbsp. (2 cubes) chicken bouillon

 

Directions

1.      When choosing your vegetables, choose vegetables that are soup related.

2.      Before dehydrating your vegetables cut them approximately ¼ inch thick.

3.      Set your vegetables on a baking tray with cheese cloth over the rack to absorb moisture. Set your oven at 150F and leave your vegetables cooking for 6-8 hours with the oven door slightly open.

4.      Place your ingredients in your Mason jar.

5.      When ready to make your soup, place approximately 10 cups of water in a pot with the contents of the Mason jar and boil it. Simmer for one hour or until vegetables are soft/cooked.

6.      Enjoy! J

 

Tips

1.      Blanch the vegetables before dehydrating to retain their bright color.  This also helps the vegetables rehydrate quicker when it comes to cooking them.

2.      After dehydrating your vegetables, place them in a glass mason jar to prevent the vegetables from sweating.  Glass is always better than plastic.

 

Sources

The recipe was provided by my Mom, who is a trained chef and used to sell this in her showcase in her restaurant.

http://foodpreservation.about.com/od/Dehydrating/a/Drying-Carrots-Oven-Method.htm

http://www.ehow.com/how_7709971_dehydrate-dry-potatoes-oven.html

 

 

 

fruit Leather

Dehydration Assignment

Materials

The materials you will need to complete this "fruit leather" recipe are the following (the items followed by an * are recommended, but not necessarily mandatory):

- Blender/ food processor (to blend the fruits into a sauce)

- Fruit Processor* (to blend the fruits into a sauce)

- Parchment paper (to remove the dried product from the pan, otherwise it sticks and is virtually impossible to get off without ruining the product)

- Pan (to hold the sauce)

- Honey *(to help with viscosity and flavour)

- Other sweeteners* (for the sweet tooth's)

- Oven*/Dehydrator* (one of the two)

- Spatula* (to spread the sauce evenly on the pan)

- Knife*/Spoon*/Fork* (other methods to spread the blend)

- Strainer *(to wash the fruits)

- Selected Fruits (your choice, each fruit or series of fruit may not cook as well as others, and the cooking time will vary depending on the viscosity of the blend. Also, you have to be careful with some fruits because if not done perfectly it will not turn out.

 

Instructions

(Don't forget to wash your hands!)

1. Put all of your fruit and combinations into separate bowls to keep them apart and well organized.

2. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

3.  Remove all unwanted parts of the fruits using the knife, such as strawberries stems and apple cores.  (remember to always be safe and cut away from you).

4. Wash all of the fruits before putting them into the blender.

5. Blend fruits (and a bit of honey) until it turns into a thick liquid and all chunks of the fruit are gone.

6. Spread out the parchment paper onto the pan and then slowly pour the fruit puree onto the pan. Spread it around using your spreading tool (spatula/spoon)and be sure to distribute it out as evenly as possible. Also, get it right into the corners so it doesn't waste any space. The mix should be about a few millimetres thick, but make it slightly thicker along the edges so be sure not to pour too much.

7. Once you have finished all the pans like this, having them all completely spread out evenly (1cm thick), then you can proceed to fit as many of the pans into the oven as possible. If you have more than one pan or if the fruit puree is very fluid (ie. the sauce is over 1cm thick), then you may need to wait a little longer until they are ready.

8. Keep the oven door closed, but check on it regularly.

9. After two hours check on the fruit and see if it really is dehydrated, as it should be very dry and also much thinner than when you began. You can touch it with a fork and it should be dry enough to not stick. BUT BE CAREFUL!! You don't want to cook it too long to actually burn the edges.

10. Once the fruit is completely dry and leathery, take it out of the oven (you have the option to remove the sheet if you want). After that you can cut it into strips. If you kept the parchment paper on it, it may stay nice and fresh, and won't stick together. With all your strips you can roll them up for storage and whenever you want to eat some, you simply unroll it and peel it off the paper.

Summary

Our first try was not a complete success. We made some minor mistakes on multiple occasions, whether it was having the mixture too thick or having the mixture in the oven too long.  As a result, the product just didn't work out very well. The fruits that we used on our first try were pineapple, apple and a mixture of strawberries and blueberries. We kept them in the convection oven for a little over two hours. For each solution we did something slightly wrong - the berry solution was too thick, as we ran out of pan room and the pineapple puree just dried in an odd way and was not an even dryness at all. The apple was the one that worked the best, although we over-cooked it which made it crispy and gave us apple chips.  Of these less than ideal final products, we were able to salvage some of it and get some reasonable pieces from the middle of each pan of dehydrated leather.  

We wanted it to turn out well so we decided to pick them up and try again. Since we used all of our other fruits for the first mixture we only had apples left and so we had to attempt the solution again using just these. On our second try we made sure it was spread very evenly. The outside edge was still a little overcooked, but not nearly as much as before. Overall, it was more of a leather feel and look to it and also cut relatively easily.  In the end, making fruit leather was a bit tricky, but it was a fun and tasty experiment.

                                                                                         

HONEY - BANANA CHIPS

A simple recipe to provide you with a quick energy source for your outdoor activity that is delicious and easy to make.

Overall Recipe Rating: ****

Ingredients:

-      3 whole bananas

-      ½ cup of honey

To spice up the honey banana, you may want to add the following to the honey prior to dipping the banana slices:

-      ¼ cup of lemon juice (to keep the color of the banana)

-      Sprinkle of nutmeg

Directions:

1.   Slice bananas 1/8 to ¼ inch thick on an angle. Slice on an angle to make the banana slices longer.

 

2. Pour cream honey into a small bowl. Place bowl into a pot of water. Boil water. This will make the honey flow easier over the banana slices. Remove once the creamy honey has melted.

 

3.      Dip the bananas in the melted honey. Slide the banana up the side of the bowl to remove excess honey.

 

4.     Place sliced bananas on a rack on a cookie sheet.  Covered the cookie sheet prior to placing the coated banana slices on the rack. This will in aid in the clean-up process.

 

5. Cooking (dehydrate at 130°F (57°C) for 20 hours. Check periodically. 

 

6. Cook the bananas in your oven for 20 hours, or until they become chewy. This low temperature will dehydrate the banana sections.

Additional Flavor:

-      You can dip the banana chips in melted dark chocolate at your halfway point

-      Mix with nuts and other good stuff to make your own trail mix

-      You can put the banana chips on your yogurt or cereal.

Tips:

-      If the banana chips are not dehydrated after the 20 hrs, try making smaller banana slices.

This recipe was really simple but turned out to taste amazing. The honey-banana chips are great at home as a nutritional snack or any as a snack during outdoor activity.

As  Survival food, three factors are important:

1)     Nutritional Food Value:

Banana: high in potassium, excellent source of Vitamin C and B6, and high dietary fiber

Honey: Contains Vitamin B6, 80% natural sugar (energy)

2)     Weight (has to be carried, smallest weight as possible)

Weight of the 3 bananas before dehydration = 0.54 kg

Weight of the 3 bananas after dehydration = 0.11 kg

Reduction in Weight = 83%

3)     Size / Volume (to be packed – smallest volume is required)

Before dehydration: Average Volume of 1 banana = 7.5in x 1.5in x 1.5in = 16.9in³

                                 Therefore, Average Volume of 3 bananas = 50.7 in³

After dehydration:  In bag, 9in x 2in x 1.0in = 18 in³

Reduction in Volume = 66%

Recipe Rating: (score of 1 -10)

Category	Score
Ingredients	10
Cooking Time	5
Overall Ease of Prep	8
Taste	9
Survival Food	9
OVERALL	41 / 50

Scale	Rating
< 20	*
21 – 30	**
31 – 40	***
41 - 50	****

Bibliography:

http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/10707424/honey-banana-chips/

http://eating-made-easy.com/2011/04/05/homemade-banana-chips/

Billy Hamilston's beef jerky

Ingredients required:
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp accent
2 tsp seasoning salt
3/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup soya sauce
1/2 cup worchestershire sauce

Making the brine:Mix all the ingredients except for soya sauce and worchestershire sauce. whisk well then add the last two ingredients. Mix for about one minute.

Marinade:This brine can be used for up to 3 lbs of meat (fat removed) cut into 3/8" to 1/4" thick strips. Place in glass or stainless steel pan. Cover meat strips with brine mix and marinade in fridge overnight.

Cooking:Place meat strips on the rack in the centre of the oven and cook for 6 to 8 hours at 150F.

Notes:
can be stored in air tight container for up to two years after cooking.

T Bird’s Beef Jerky

Rating: ****

Ingredients:

- 2 pounds round steak

- 2 tablespoons onion powder

- 3/4 teaspoons black pepper

- 3/4 teaspoons garlic powder

- 1 pinch salt

- 1/2 teaspoon dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
- 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Directions:

1. Cut meat into strips no thicker than ¼ inch. In a large bowl, mix together onion powder, pepper, garlic powder, salt and Italian seasoning. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and pepper sauce. Place meat into a container, and combine with marinade. Cover, and refrigerate 24 hours.
2. Place oven rack on the highest level. Place aluminum foil on bottom of oven to catch drips. Preheat oven to 150 degrees F (65 degrees C). Leave oven slightly open to allow moisture to escape.
3. Insert round toothpicks through the tops of the strips of meat, and hang them from the oven rack. Bake in preheated oven for 4 hours, or until dried to desired consistency.

Grandpa Fielden’s Beef Jerky

Rating: ****

Ingredients:

- 2 pounds round steak

- 2 cups water

-1/8 cup salt

Directions:

1. Cut meat into strips no thicker than ¼ inch. Pour water into bowl, add salt and stir. Place meat into a container, and combine with salt water. Cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

2. Place oven rack on the highest level. Place aluminum foil on bottom of oven to catch drips. Preheat oven to 150 degrees F (65 degrees C). Leave oven slightly open to allow moisture to escape.

3. Insert round toothpicks or skewers through the tops of the strips of meat, and hang them from the oven rack. Bake in preheated oven for 4 hours, or until dried to desired consistency.

What went with this recipe is that they were relatively easy and simple to make, but tested excellent and are a great snack for on the go.

One thing that I would change is to add a little bit more salt to Grandpa Fielden’s Beef Jerky or better distribute the salt water in the container because a few pieces of jerky are lacking some flavour but other than that, everything went really well.

Bibliography:

T Bird’s Beef Jerky:

All Recipies .com T Bird’s Beef Jerky Recipe

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/t-birds-beef-jerky/

Grandpa Fielden’s Beef Jerky:

Grandpa Fielden himself - Made since 1938



By Jeremy Campbell

Great Canadian Ketchup Cake

The Great Canadian Ketchup Cake

Rating: ***

Ingredients

2 cups (500 mL)              all-purpose flour

2 tsp (10 mL)                   baking powder

1 1/2 tsp (7 mL)               cinnamon

1 tsp (5 mL)                     baking soda

1/2 tsp (2 mL)                  ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp (2 mL)                  ground ginger

1/2 cup (125 mL)             tomato ketchup

1/2 cup (125 mL)             sprite

3/4 cup (175 mL)             butter, softened

1 1/2 cups (375 mL)         packed dark brown sugar

Instructions

Stir the flour with the baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and ginger into a bowl. Stir the ketchup and sprite in a separate bowl. Set aside. Beat the butter and blend in the sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in the eggs. Add the flour mixture and ketchup mixture. Beat on low, scraping down the bowl as needed, until combined. Pour the batter into the Dutch oven. Bake until the centre springs back when touched lightly. Cool the cake for 15 minutes before turning onto a rack to cool completely.

Tips

This cake could've been a whole lot better had it been baked evenly throughout.  Parts of it were burnt, while other parts were undercooked.  Take great care when baking cakes with the Dutch oven.

If the batter is too thick, don't be afraid to add some water to thin it out a bit.  If it's too runny, add some more flour.

If you are planning to use this recipe on a trip, it's very easy to mix the dry ingredients together while packing.

People will be more willing to have a piece if you don't mention that one of the ingredients is ketchup, but be sure to tell them after to see the looks on their faces!

http://www.heinzitup.com/view_recipe.asp?RecipeID=532