This Picture

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This picture.

My roommate took it.

We were on a trip adventuring up the Maine coast. I don’t remember her taking it; I just stumbled across it after the trip. I’m pretty sure it was in Acadia National Park.

It was the summer before my last semester at school; the summer before Chuck and I started officially dating.

I was single. I had no bills. I had no job. I had no responsibilities.

We camped, slept in the car, hiked, rock climbed, ate and adventured.

I miss the simplicity.

Hiking Cascade & Porter

By Jessica

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Recently Chuck and I ventured up a couple of the Adirondacks High Peaks, Cascade & Porter.

View of Cascade from the car

The hike in total was roughly 6.2 miles, 2.1 miles to the trailhead to Porter .7 to the peak of porter, then back and .3 to the peak of Cascade and back. The terrain was, rocky, and most of it was just like walking up stairs. Even though these are considered two of the easiest peaks in the 46, they can still be quite tiring. Be sure to bring lots of water.

We went to Porter first, which I definitely suggest. The views there are good, but next to Cascade it really isn’t exceptional. I think hitting this one first allow you to enjoy it for what it is without being overshadowed. I honestly think that the .7 miles there and back were probably the easiest of the entire hike up to the trail head, which was a nice break.

Cascade was rather beautiful. It had a 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains and lake placid. We could not have asked for a better day on the top of the mountain; perfectly blue and nearly cloudless skies. The .3 miles from the trailhead were nothing to write home about, and most of it was just a little scramble on the bald rocky summit, which in itself was really rather simple.

We did take note of the rock paths everywhere and a sign that thanks those who are willing to carry up a rock. The rocks are used to outline a pathway for visitors to walk without disturbing the little foliage that is on the top. This helps curb erosion control, and is an excellent way to help preserve the mountains natural beauty. I only wish I had known to carry up a stone at the bottom.

Cascade from Porter

Top of Porter

Overall it was an easy hike that I suggest everyone attempt, as it is totally worth it for the views. And don’t forget to bring up a rock!

Challis Pond Camping

By Jessica

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The path from the lake side

Chuck and I decided to take advantage of the long Labor Day weekend and venture up north to one of our favorite spots. It felt great to spend the days lazing around reading, collecting firewood, fishing and chatting. I really love being able to unplug from society for a while and just enjoy our time together.

I spent most of my time reading, and cooking (surprise!). Chuck spent a lot of his time wondering the woods with his hatchet chopping at trees for our fire or fishing in the beautiful lake. We planned well and only had to go into town once to pick up some more water, which was more due to our laziness in carrying it all into the woods. We may look into a water purifier for future trips to alleviate this. Water is probably our heaviest item! It was only .6 miles in, but still every little bit helps.

We could not have asked for better weather. The skies were blue and the sun was warm. It was pretty chilly at night but a regular sleeping bag was plenty to keep us warm. We had a few visitors on Sunday, which is to be expected with the holiday weekend, but all were pleasant enough.

This boat has been here as long as i can remember. Last year we got to meet the guy who brought it in back in the day and he proposed to his girlfriend that night. Sooo cute!

I think it made Chuck feel better that everyone who came in to fish didn’t catch anything either. We ran into some chaps coming back from another lake with similar luck. I guess the fish are full and happy and don’t need to bother with our silly games.

Fisher Chuck

This recipe is perfect for an evening meal while hanging out near the camp fire, it does take some cooking time, but the results are well worth it. It can be made with simply 2 ingredients, or 15 depending on what you have on hand. This is my favorite version.

Best Ever Hobo Stew

1 lb stew meat

1 largep otato chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 large carrots chopped

1 package brown gravy mix

Brown stew meat in large skillet, with oil, butter, or bacon grease (whatever’s on hand). Add about 3 cups of water, and all other vegetables, and cover with foil, or pot top. Allow to simmer for about a half hour or until the vegetables are soft. Stir in gravy mix, and simmer of another minutes or two, stirring until all clumps are gone and mixture thickens slightly. Serve hot.

I also had some leftover parsley I threw in as well as a clove of garlic. Aromatics aren’t necessary, because of the gravy mix, but I had them and decided to throw them in this time around. This was perfect for the chilly nights, so warming and delicious!

Brown Sugar & Mustard Glazed Grilled Salmon

By Jessica

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Here is a fairly simple recipe that I really enjoyed, I think even better than the Maple Salmon one I posted recently, though Chuck doesn’t agree, then again being a Vermonter he has a special affinity for anything maple flavored.

This recipe is pretty quick and simple, though there are a number of ingredients. I paired it with what was supposed to be summer vegetable risotto (I’m still working on perfecting that one).

Brown Sugar & Mustard Glazed Grilled Salmon

3 tbsps brown sugar

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsps butter

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

2 tbsps soy sauce

2 tbsps olive oil

1 tbsp finely grated ginger (or 1 tsp ground ginger)

Vegetable oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 salmon fillets, 6 ounces each

Melt the brown sugar, honey and butter in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the mustard, soy sauce, olive oil and ginger. Let cool and pour over salmon. Allow to marinate for roughly 20 minutes. Grill on medium for 6 to 8 minutes to medium doneness, turning once after 5 to 6 minutes.

Fresh Tomato Sauce & Clams

By Jessica

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Sometimes when Chuck is out of town I treat myself. He’s not a HUGE fan of seafood like I am, so I take the time when he’s not home to indulge. I actually made this dish for my friend Amy who came over for the evening but since I have also made it for just myself a few times I decided to make it part of my Dinner 4 one Series.

This recipe I love for summer because I can so easily walk out to my garden and collect nearly everything for the sauce. In fact this time around everything in this recipe came from my garden or someone close to me. There is no lying when they tell you fresh is better. It is! And the delicious smell that continued to waft through my house the rest of the evening and into the next morning could not be more welcome.

The recipe for Fresh Tomato Sauce is below, for the clams I simply grilled them on medium heat until they opened up. It’s the same idea as steaming, or boiling them, but this is perfect for summer because it doesn’t heat up the house, and there is way less mess.

Once everything is done cooking I lay down some fettuccini, the warm clams and drown them in sauce. The recipe can be a little on the garlicky side for some (I can’t ever seem to get enough), so some may want to reduce it down to 1 or two cloves depending on taste. I really hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

Fresh Tomato Sauce

1 large tomato, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

½ a small onion, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

2 sprigs fresh oregano, chopped

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 cup dry white wine

Melt the butter in a skillet, add onion and cook until the onion has softened. Add garlic, and cook for roughly one minute. Deglaze with wine, and allow some reducing. Stir in fresh herbs, and simmer roughly 3-5 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced to half. Serve over prepared pasta.

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