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What to Cook at a Mountain Cabin Getaway?
Good Questions

2009-12-29-MountainCabin.jpgQ: I am going to a rustic mountain cabin with 15 friends in January. We will be staying for two nights, and want to eat some delicious food! The cabin has a wood powered oven and stove top. What easy recipes with transportable ingredients can you suggest to feed a hungry 15 and keep us warm at the same time?

Thanks for your help!

Sent by Emily from PA, living in Munich, Germany

 
 

Editor: First of all...um...can we come?! A mountain cabin retreat sounds fantastic!

Ok, seriously, you'll need to eat and we're assuming that you won't exactly be next door to a major grocery store! We'd suggest making a few mixes ahead of time: spice blends for cooking, muffin or scone mixes, and soup mixes. You could also make bread dough ahead of time, bring it in a big tupperware container, and bake your loaves or buns at the cabin in your wood oven!

For perishable ingredients like meat and milk, it depends on how far you have to travel - or if you think you can pick up those ingredients close to the cabin. Assuming you're only driving a few hours, most ingredients will be just fine packed into a cooler and kept in the trunk of your car.

Here are a few recipes we'd suggest:

Braised Pork Shank
Beef Stroganoff
Roasted Vegetables
Poached Plums in Brown Sugar Syrup
Steel Cut Oats with Dates, Coconut, Cinnamon, and Pecans (for breakfast!)

Also, check out this post on cooking while camping. It might have some good ideas for you. And don't forget to take any pots, pans, and cooking utensils that you mind need!

Does anyone else have good recipe recommendations or advice for Emily?

Related: 5 Things to do in the Kitchen Before You Leave on Vacation

(Image: Flickr member ToddBF licensed under Creative Commons)

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Good Questions, Tips & Techniques, Recipe Roundup, vacation, camping food, campfire, wood fire, vacation cooking

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Comments (14)

Make a white bean chicken chili ahead of time, freeze it solid, and then reheat in a big pot over the stove for dinner. It's great with a quick and easy cornbread (bring an iron skillet to make the cornbread in).
This recipe is delicious, and I've added okra when I made it in the past: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/White-Bean-Chicken-Chili/Detail.aspx

Another suggestion- bring the crock pot and make pulled pork or pulled chicken! It cooks all day long, and then is ready when you get back to the cabin at night.

posted by eminthekitchen on December 29th 2009 at 10:37am
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Chili is great. It is a fantastic in this kind of weather and you can make and freeze it ahead of time, leave it outside in the "cooler" and it's ready to go as soon as you are. Plus this is very easy to serve to a lot of people. It can be veggie if it needs to be and it is always tasty.

I also have to recommend something with wild rice (like a fantastic pilaf). Growing up with a wood stove wild rice cooking on the stove all day was a standard and is amazingly good. Again could be veggie if needed (and turkey or chicken or sausage goes beautifully if not) and will serve a lot of people.

I'd also like to suggest you aim for 2 big meals (breakfast and supper) and a few snacks but don't try for 3 fancy big meals, it's too much most of the time. If you serve chili the first night then the breakfast the next morning can be eggs with left over chili which is really good and makes good use of leftovers.

posted by loudlyquiet on December 29th 2009 at 10:51am
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MMM, a big pot of chicken and biscuits :)

posted by stephle on December 29th 2009 at 11:22am
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We spent our Christmas in an 1820 chalet in Verbier (Switzerland)...

We roasted a goose and potatoes, and made red cabbage (with a whole bottle of red wine and spices). We also made Bolognese sauce (popular with the kids), and goulash (divine after skiing). One morning we made pancakes and bacon (with fresh squeezed orange juice).

Oh, and gluwein!! (from a box, but it was delicious -- as good as the gluwein in German Christmas markets!).

You don't want to have to bring too many things with you (like spice bottles, bags of flour, etc.), and then have to lug things back home. That is why goulash and bolognese are great -- you can make them at home, and they actually get better if allowed to sit for a day or two. The goose was great too because it doesn't need to be basted or anything (we stuffed it with apples, onion, sage and other spices). However, you do need to have a roasting pan, we lined ours with a disposable aluminum foil tray (with slits) to allow the goose fat to drain away.

Don't try to bake bread at the cabin -- I am sure that you are just a stone's throw away from a great bakery.

Right now I am making a simple soup that would be lovely on a ski weekend -- equal parts chopped turnips, onions and leeks, covered and cooked in Reisling, with added water and those new Knorr beef soup gels, pureed and finished with some cream. Add some nice bread, and local sausages, and you have a perfect meal!

posted by mschatelaine on December 29th 2009 at 12:07pm
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As Emma said, make-ahead mixes are great. They are time saving (so you can play) and easily transportable. Also nthing soup and pulled pork. Great for snowy weather and not too fussy if you are unused to cooking on the woodstove.

posted by sara jane on December 29th 2009 at 12:21pm
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A great simple breakfast: Eggnog French Toast.
Pour a quart of prepared eggnog over sliced bread and fry it up on a buttered griddle. It is simply amazing. We like it with bacon and orange juice,, and have it every Christmas morning.

posted by lindarosso on December 29th 2009 at 2:27pm
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Depending on the stove, you might have a really hard time getting the oven hot enough to bake bread or roast meat! We have an (admittedly ancient) woodstove at our cabin, and the most we can do is reheat leftovers or dry damp socks in our oven. I would stick to things that can be cooked stovetop, since that seems to heat up more reliably.

Our standbys are pancakes, eggs and breakfast burritos for breakfast. Lunch is usually leftovers or sandwiches since you will hopefully be busy enjoying the outdoors during the day! We get a little more creative for dinner; homemade bolognese with pasta (you can make the sauce ahead of time and freeze it). Chili or other filling stews are also a good option, and can be frozen & reheated if necessary. We also like to do vegetable stir-fries and rice with soy-ginger-honey sauce.

Just make sure to leave plenty of time to get the fire going nice and hot if you are unused to cooking on a woodstove!

posted by ladyson on December 29th 2009 at 3:29pm
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Nothing says 'mountain' more than a fondue meal.... one rich with cheese into which you dip chunks of country bread or veggies, the other hot with flavoured oil to cook meat - and then a chocolate one for dessert to dip with cake and fruit. It's such a 'together' meal, you all help chop something and everyone helps themselves at the table. Lovely.

I'm also reading 'Heidi' at the mo, so I'm seeing a big old wooden table full of big chunks of bread, cured sausages, local cheese, fresh butter, honey, jams, wine and milk. For breakfast lunch and dinner!

BUT, the very best thing you could take on your trip is a copy of Diana Henry's truly fabulous winter food book Roast Figs Sugar Snow. Setting aside the Amazon.com review, look at the British Amazon (.co.uk) for reviews of the book and be inspired by the mouthwatering cold-weather recipes. My best winter cookbook purchase by far. Enjoy your trip!

posted by jasminj on December 29th 2009 at 4:49pm
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jasminj--

Can I come with YOU on YOUR next getaway! That all sounds picture-perfect.

And don't forget to add some spirits to the chocolate fondue... Grand Marnier works really well. Theres' a place here in the city that does a chocolate and amarula (sp? It;s the SOuth African berry-ish liquer) fondue... amazing.

I'd also add (cabin-made) flavored popcorns to the snacking menu.

posted by patrick (the other one) on December 29th 2009 at 4:57pm
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Someone needs to post instructions on how to keep a wood fire going at a consistent temp. Do you have a thermometer for the oven?

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1216/is_n3_v180/ai_6402451/

If you have electricity, bring a slow cooker.

posted by FantasticMrFaux on December 29th 2009 at 8:44pm
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Whatever you make, cook/bake it at home and just reheat at the cabin. You want to spend the time with your friends, not cooking all day on an unfamiliar stove!

For our trecks to the hunting cabin I make beef stew, polish sausage and peppers with baguettes for sandwiches, chili, chicken and dumplings or a nice spiral-sliced baked ham. Keep the sides simple stove-top things like rice, noodles, potatoes and simple vegetables; maybe a salad, if the group likes them.

Have a great trip!

posted by JanH on December 30th 2009 at 1:12am
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I just want to say THANK YOU for all the amazing ideas! Of course you're all invited next time! It would be the most delicious get-away EVER.

Happy New Year everyone!

posted by american wolpertinger on December 30th 2009 at 5:04am
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I've also made an amazing sourdough/wild rice/pear stuffing that you could make ahead and bake:

http://www.countryliving.com/recipefinder/cranberry-pear-wild-rice-stuffing-3916

It is SO filling (in a good way) and every spoonful brings a different combination of flavors and textures.

If I had only to make one side dish at Thanksgiving, this would be it, but it's also perfect for cabin weekends.

posted by patrick (the other one) on December 30th 2009 at 3:41pm
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Fondue! Everyone loves delicious, melty cheese and a variety of dip-able sides. I like to bring potatoes (roast them in the wood stove), pickles, apples, pre-cut veggies of all kinds (but again, you can always roast them too), sausages, and bake bread once we get to the the cabin.

Hot chocolate with fresh toast or oatmeal is my breakfast staple.

posted by annie13 on December 30th 2009 at 5:13pm
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