survival skills

We had such a blast camping at Mt. Tamalpais this weekend! I never realized how much work it is to plan & pack for a few nights in the great outdoors. We're not the hard core outdoorsy type and we'd never before gone camping as just the two of us, so there were plenty of supplies we had to purchase beforehand. We found some great deals on quality Coleman & Eddie Bauer gear at Target. Cheaper, that is, than REI. My absolute favorite piece of equipment: our new propane stove. For me, this was and always will be a must. The hardest part of the trip was figuring out all of the meals and supplies necessary for making said meals. My friend Becca is the ultimate outdoor-gourmet aficionado and I definitely needed to channel my inner Becca to get my grocery list beyond the hot dogs. Um, well, I'll be honest...I called her and whined about it. But in the end, we didn't starve. In fact, we arrived home with a cooler full of lefties (leftovers). I made this ravioli + ragu one night and it was tast-y and definitely share-worthy. The delicious factor definitely lies in the fresh rosemary and tomatoes.

Things I've learned while camping:
1. The great outdoors makes food taste so much better
2. All of the work + play involved in camping makes you really hungry
3. Just because you are camping doesn't mean your meals are restricted to roasting hot dogs on a stick. Sticks are made for kabobs and marshmallows. And those foods are a must.