I grew up in Florida and just love oranges. We had 3 orange trees growing in the back yard so we were never in short supply. During those years, we learned to enjoy oranges in many ways besides just good old juice or jelly. Oranges belong to the group of citrus fruits, but they differ from both lemons and grapefruit in that they contain more sugar and less acid. Probably no citrus fruit is used so extensively as oranges. Because of their refreshing sub acid flavor, they are much eaten in their fresh state, both alone and in combination with other foods in numerous salads and desserts.

Here are some of my favorite orange recipes, including one for the holidays:

ORANGE PIE

Take half a dozen Seville oranges, chip them very fine as you would do for preserving, make a little hole in the top, and scope out all the meat, as you would do an apple, you must boil them whilst they are tender, and shift them two or three times to take off the bitter taste; take six or eight apples, according as they are in bigness, pare and slice them, and put to them part of the pulp of your oranges, and pick out the strings and pippins, put to them half a pound of fine powder sugar, so boil it up over a slow fire, as you would do for puffs, and fill your oranges with it; they must be baked in a deep delft dish with no paste under them; when you put them into your dish put under them three quarters of a pound of fine powder sugar, put in as much water as will wet your sugar, and put your oranges with the open side uppermost; it will take about an hour and half baking in a slow oven; lie over them a light puff-paste; when you dish it up take off the lid, and turn the oranges in the pie, cut the lid in snippets, and set them at an equal distance, to serve it up.

ORANGE CREAM

Take two Seville oranges and peel them very thin, put the peel into a pint of fair water, and let it lie for an hour or two; take four eggs, and beat them very well, put to them the juice of three or four oranges, according as they are in goodness, and sweeten them with double refined sugar to your taste, mix the water and sugar together, and strain them through a fine cloth into your tankard, and set it over the fire as you did the lemon cream, and put it into your glasses for use.

ORANGE ALE

Take forty Seville oranges, pare and cut them in slices, the best colored Seville you can get, put them all with the juice and seeds into half a hogshead of ale; when it is tuned up and working, put in the oranges, and at the same time a pound and a half of raisins of the sun stoned; when it has done working close up the bung, and it will be ready to drink in a month.

ORANGE BRANDY

Take a quart of brandy, the peels of eight oranges thin pared, keep them in the brandy forty-eight hours in a close pitcher, then take three pints of water, put into it three quarters of a pound of loaf sugar, boil it till half be consumed, and let it stand till cold, then mix it with the brandy.

ORANGE WINE

Take six gallons of water and fifteen pounds of powder sugar, the whites of six eggs well beaten, boil them three quarters of an hour, and skim them while any skim will rise; when it is cold enough for working, put to it six ounces of the syrup of citron or lemons, and six spoonfuls of yeast, beat the syrup and yeast well together, and put in the peel and juice of fifty oranges, work it two days and a night, then tun it up into a barrel, so bottle it at three or four months old. Get personalized wine gifts here.

ORANGE FLOAT

Heat one quart of water, the juice of two lemons, and one and one half cupfuls of sugar. When boiling, stir into it four tablespoonfuls of cornstarch rubbed smooth in a very little water. Cook until the whole is thickened and clear. When cool, stir into the mixture five nice oranges which have been sliced, and freed from seeds and all the white portions. Meringue, and serve cold.

ORANGE EGG NOG (For the Holiday Spirit in You!)

Take 2 oranges, 1/4 c. cream, 1/4 c. milk, 1 egg and 1 Tb. sugar. Mix the cream, milk, egg, and sugar, beat well with an egg beater, and continue beating while adding the juice of the oranges. Serve in a glass over crushed ice.

Oranges are so versatile, there is even a home beer out, Blue Moon, that has hints of orange in the brew. I hope that you will enjoy these orange recipes and benefit not only from good tasting, tangy foods, but also get your daily dose of Vitamin C in the process!

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Good Camping Recipes

Meals are one of the most memorable aspects of any camping trip and if one meal is a disaster you will never hear the end of it. I will show you how to avoid spending half the day in the kitchen and still deliver a meal that will knock their socks off. Pre planning and pre prep are a great way to buy more time for doing what you came for “Camping”. Later I will share a recipe that includes a great way to pre cook pasta. There are two methods for meal planning, the ration method and the recipe method. Today I will focus on the recipe method. I will go into depth on the ration method in a later issue. A small group in a camp setting will find the recipe method much easier to implement. If you have a very large group or need to be mobile the ration method is desirable.

Choosing your best camping recipe.

An efficient and fun way to plan your menu is to gather up all your favorite recipes and make a daily menu centered around your planned activities not worrying about space or supply restrictions. For example if you are planning some hiking, sandwiches will do the trick. If you plan to stay close to the site you can afford some more elaborate meals.

Once you have your menu, figure out what supplies you will need, then depending on your space and weight requirements adjust your menu and/or your equipment accordingly. Otherwise just creating the menu can be a real challenge. Our goal here is to have fun. This method for meal planning is an easy way to figure out what supplies you will need without a lot of size and weight calculations. There are plenty of complicated formulas you can use for meal planning and in some circumstance like backpacking or extended trips these are essential, but for the average campsite certainty not necessary.

When planning your menu include plenty of fresh water, high-energy snacks and trail foods like fresh fruit, beef jerky and granola. Stay away from things like chips, soda and cookies unless you plan on sitting around the campsite wishing you had a TV to watch.

Outdoor activities require a lot of energy and burn a lot of calories. The best way to plan healthy meals is to use the USDA’s Food Guide Pyramid. Keep in mind appetites will be up so plan accordingly. Click on the link above to visit the USDA’s site. Do as much pre planning and pre prep as possible. (Say that 5 times fast) I use a lot of zip lock bags, cutting up and cooking as much as I can before I get to the site. Use a cooler to keep your perishables like milk, condiments and fresh vegetables. I use powdered milk in all my camp recipes because it is convenient to carry and easy to convert your recipe to fresh milk if you have it. I usually use fresh milk for the first few days then go to the powdered milk after we have run out. At least that is the plan.

The nice thing about the recipe menu planning method is most home recipes can be converted to outdoor recipes with very little effort. This next recipe is a perfect example of something that is equally delicious at home or out on the campsite. Note the pre planning tips that make this a quick fix without compromising on taste.

Campsite Pasta Italiano

7 to 8 oz pasta 4 Tbsp olive or peanut oil 1 lb Italian sausage cut into ½ inch pieces 1 28 oz can Italian Style crushed tomatoes (do not substitute with regular crushed tomatoes) 1 tsp garlic powder Salt and pepper Parmesan cheese

Do Ahead Tip: Cut sausage before hand and store in a zip lock bag.

Do Ahead Tip: Cook the pasta at home as directed on package. Drain and rinse with cold water. In a large bowl add pasta and 2 Tbsp oil. Toss until evenly coated, seal in a zip lock bag and store in cooler until needed.

Do Ahead Tip: Plan several pasta dishes and cook all the pasta at once. Store each portion in a separate bag. Use a permanent marker to write the name of the recipe each bag is intended for.

Before you prepare your meal remove the appropriate pasta bag from the cooler and let it reach room temperature.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet on medium high. Add sausage and brown evenly until cooked through. Drain grease; add crushed tomatoes and garlic powder. Stirring constantly bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Simmer until thickened about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add pasta. Mix well. If your skillet is too small to add the pasta you can mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. The heat of the sauce will reheat the pasta. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with parmesan Cheese.

Whala! A simple delicious meal whipped up in a flash. Guaranteed to stick to the ribs after a hard days play. Don’t forget to leave some room for the S’mores. I am an avid camper with a passion for the simple life.

P.S. If you decided to put all travel burdens - meals including - on the shoulders of others, then think about getting bargain cruise deals.

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