Camptime

I had two days off in a row (this being the second) and frankly its not something I'm used to.  I just spent the past 3.5 months working a 40-55 hour week so the shift to a 25-35 hour week has been neck cracking.  Among other things it led me to starting this blog and trying to do other things with my free time than laying waste to wayward monsters.

One of the big things that the significant other (SO) and I have been getting ready for is camping.  And not as SO enjoys to say "modern camping."  Modern camping would entail what anyone else might refer to as "Camping, regular camping, go out in a tent and sleep in a sleeping bag camping."  No no, our great and glorious scheme involves canvas tents and funny clothes.  That's right, historical reenactments.

Now since we're both history people this may seem quite normal....ok not normal but somehow expected that if we insist on being bizarre that we express it in this way.  But the thing is that because we're history people (both history majors in undergrad) and she's getting her PhD in the stuff, the historical reenactments are sometimes a little hard to take.

We were at a reenactment for the battle of New Town (Revolutionary War) down in southern NY.  Not as participants but just out for the day looking for amusement.  And we came across these white guys dressed like Native Americans, holy fuckin shit it was cringe worthy.  Not that they were white guys as Native Americans because as someone with experience I will attest to skin color as a shitty way to determine Native ethnicity.  But how they were acting, talking in pidgin, they ordered a goddamn Little Ceasar's pizza for lunch, fake crepe hair scalps on cou sticks, and the list goes on.

Anyway the reason I mention it is because that camping should be fun, but sometimes you meet knuckleheads like those.  Which is...less fun.

I had started this post intending on talking about projects that we're working on related to said camping but I'll leave that for next time.

Oh recipie, something quick and dirty (Such as I may be making tonight)

Fried Beef Stirfry

Ground Beef, 1/4 lb.
AP flour, 1/3 c.
Black Pepper, 1 tbsp.
Kosher Salt, 1 tsp.
 Short grain rice, 1/2 c.
 Vegetable Oil, 1/4 c.

 Start the rice going, however you do (Rice Cooker is my lifeline but may be too kitchen-gadgetesque for some).  Set up to small bowls one with the ground beef and one with the flour, salt and black pepper mixed together.  Working the ground beef into small pieces about 1/2 in. to 1 in. diameter, drop it into the flour bowl and roll it around getting good coverage.  Fish out what pieces you can get easily and set them aside.

Once you're mostly down get your fry pan hot hot hot (wasn't that a Ricky Martin song in my childhood?.....or maybe it was in a Chili's commercial...) get the oil in.  Do it quickly if you're working with anything besides cast iron, the cast iron should get hot before having oil added.  Next start carefully dropping the beef into the fry pan get as much out of the flour bowl as you can and if you feel the need you can dump the whole thing into the pan but you'll need to add a lot more oil.  (Plus you need to be ready to make the rue you just started.)

Anyway, once the ground beef has started to brown move it about try to get it cooked crisply on all sides and once it is pull it out to drain on something appropriate with some appropriate tool.  I'm vague because I hate it when recipes make assumptions about what you have in your kitchen.

I mean paper towels, a cooling rack, slotted spoons?  What am I made of easily acquirable kitchen ware?!?!