Big Bend Ranch State Park - An Off-Roading Adventure: Day 3
After a good nights sleep and morning coffee, it was time to cook up another breakfast. If you're like me, coffee is a very important part of the day, so it's essential to bring along freshly ground coffee beans and a foolproof way to make a good cup. I've tried a lot of different methods, but the one that consistently tastes the best is the
drip method. I can make several cups out of one filter, I just add another scoop of coffee for each additional cup. Perculator and French press methods are close seconds.
Always a crowd pleaser, Migas is a Mexican scrambled egg dish containing cripy corn tortillas and vegetables. My camping partners williingly jumped in to help with the prepwork while I fried up the bacon.
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After doing our dishes using what I like to call The One Pot Method (refer to Camping Tips page), we headed out to explore the park's backroads, check out some of the nearby campsites, and do some hiking.
Here's some visuals of driving around and hiking in the park. Driving can be slow and a little nerve racking at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's a thrill ride. Just be aware that your vehicle will get some scrapes from driving through the thorny brush.
Migas Breakfast and Smoked Salmon Smorrebrod
We came to the park at a good time of year, as it wasn't too outrageously hot during the middle of the day. The topography changes quite a bit from open desert to mountainous vistas. We did a quick stop to at the Javelin Pens to check out the ruins and campsites and then went on Madrid Falls Road past the turn off to the Mexicano campsites. We got to a point on the road where we couldn't make it up a hill with the car, so we decided to park and start hiking. The hike took us to the Vista del Chisos campsite which sat at the edge of a dry creek bed. We stopped for a break, took in the scenery, and then headed back to the car.
By the time we made it back to our campsite at Tascate, we realized we were starving.
I find most lunches when camping are more of a snack meal. Activities usually take precedence over meal preparation and so an easily prepared, nutritious snack is essential. Today, the featured snacks were Smoked Salmon Smorrebrod and good old fashioned celery stuffed with peanut butter. Add raisins, and you have what's called ants on a log.
Hi! I'm Nedra! Food tastes better when it's enjoyed in the great outdoors. Life's an adventure, so travel, explore, and go cooking!!
Never heard of Smorrebrod?? It's Scandinavian for open faced sandwich. A popular lunch item throughout all of Scandinavia, the possibilities of topping combinations is virtually endless. On this occasion, I used smoked salmon, a semi-soft buffalo milk Italian cheese similar to Tomme (Brie or goat cheese make a good substitute), slivered red onion, and fresh dill. The type of bread is the key to the sandwich. It's a prepackaged, well sealed rectangular shaped loaf that's thinly sliced. I used sunflower seed bread, but it comes in other varieties such as pumpernickel, rye, multigrain, etc. Delba is a popular brand, but there are several others originating from Scandinavia and Germany. A variety can be found in most well stocked grocery stores. The beauty of the bread is that it remains fresh for several weeks, so it makes for a great camping store. It also is delicious toasted.
One of my camping mates had brought along some classic venison pastrami from our local deer processor, Hudson Meats, in Austin. It was the ultimate snack combination.
After we had regrouped and satiated ourselves with the snack meal, my camping partners decided to hike up one of the mountains behind our campsite. I elected to stay behind with Elmo, get the fire going, and start prepping for dinner. Here's a panoramic shot of our campsite from the top of the mountain. Soooo cool!!
I, in turn, took a picture of Loren from below. He kinda looks like an alien up there.
I didn't include dinner recipes for this posting as I didn't really get the photos to support the recipes. I will make the meal again and post it another time, but in the meantime, here's breakfast....
Serves 4 Prep time: 15-20 min Cook time: 15-20 min
For the Pico de Gallo:
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1 ripe plum tomato
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¼ c yellow or red onion, small dice, about ¼ of a small onion
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½ -1 jalapeno pepper small dice, depending on the heat of the jalapeno
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1 tbsp lime juice, about ½ lime
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1 tbsp rough chopped cilantro leaves
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Pinch of salt
Cut the tomato in half, squeeze out the seeds, and cut into ¼ inch (small) dice. Place in a bowl and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Set aside.
For the Migas:
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4 corn tortillas cut in half and then in ½ inch wide strips
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4 tbsp butter
Use any or all of the following vegetables:
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8 mushrooms cut into quarters or sixths depending on the size of the mushroom
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1 small zucchini cut in half lengthwise, then in half lengthwise again, then into ¼ inch pieces
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2 good handfuls of fresh spinach
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Pico de gallo (see recipe above)
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6 large eggs beaten with a pinch of salt and pepper and 2 tbsp water
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½ cup shredded Mexican cheese
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2 avocados
Heat 2 tbsp butter in a cast iron pan or large sauté pan over med high heat. When melted and hot, add the tortilla strips and cook stirring often until they are crispy and golden. Remove from pan and set aside. Add another 2 tbsp of butter and add the mushrooms and zucchini. Sauté stirring often until they are cooked through and wilted, about 5 minutes. This may take longer depending on the wind situation. A strong wind can cause the flame on your stove to lose strength. I recommend situating your stove so the back lid blocks the wind. Tip: I cook my bacon off before starting the migas and put it in foil to the back of the stove to keep warm.
Add the pico de gallo and cook stirring for about one minute, then add the spinach and cook until it’s just wilted. Add the eggs and scramble them with the vegetables until they are almost set. Add the tortilla strips and continue cooking stirring the ingredients together until the eggs are completely scrambled. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the eggs and divide between four plates with a serving of ½ an avocado per plate.
I recommend serving with a side of bacon and warm tortillas. It’s also good topped with your favorite hot sauce.
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Migas
If you’re from Texas, you’ve definitely eaten your share of migas for breakfast. A staple of Mexican food trucks and restaurants, it’s basically eggs scrambled with vegetables, salsa fresca (otherwise known as pico de gallo), and crispy corn tortilla strips. Top with some cheese and avocado slices and plate it up with a side of bacon and some warm tortillas. If you want to take it to go, just throw it all in a tortilla for the ultimate breakfast taco. This is the perfect dish to use up any bits of vegetables you may have in the cooler so use your imagination. A basic version with just pico and cheese is a favorite kid friendly version.
Here is a pic of the cool skull that was attached to the table shade at our site. This would be the final night as the next day we had to pack up everything and head home. What an amazing adventure! I was sad to leave, but I know that I will make it back. There's also uncharted territory in Big Bend National Park. Hmmm, so many options and so little time.....
