Originally posted by Jess – June 28, 2015
What a beautiful weekend camping! I am grateful that my family didn’t mind the intermittent summer rain, the weather will be warm enough to dry out anything that got wet along the way, the equipment we used kept us mostly dry and cozy, and that technology was scarce allowed me to reconnect with my family. Now that it’s Sunday and our mini nature retreat is coming to a close, what better way to check back in to the home routines than to have dinner with good friends?
You may recall these potatoes from the recent post about Kale Quiche with Purple Potato Crust. Half of them were used in the crust, and the other half were shredded, rinsed, drained and squeezed before getting a toss with some melted butter and a pinch of salt. 
A trip through the oven on a pie plate at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes makes this happen:
Delicious shredded hash browns! Onion is an option, or snip in some of those lovely chive varieties from Springdell’s herb garden!
Here’s a photo from another batch. 425 on a parchment lined cookie sheet yields a crispier crust than the version above. The choice is yours!
This delicious chicken from my Meat Subscription was just short of 9 pounds and as tender as can be. I seasoned it with sprigs of rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper, and a drizzle of Amish Roll Butter. It went into the oven at 425 for about 15 minutes before I reduced the temperature to 350. I started checking it at 2 hours and it was good to go after 2 hours and 15 minutes (when the thermometer registered 165 degrees). These fresh birds can cook much faster than the “industrialized” ones found at the store, so always good to have a meat thermometer handy.
Tonight’s star was Thursday’s rhubarb chutney, which was a tangy twist on the traditional cranberry sauce. The flavors are very tasty and strong when you first make this, but I recommend giving them a chance to mingle for a couple of days to get the full peak flavor.
We finished the meal with a helping of homemade Strawberry Ice Cream made with fresh Springdell berries. Though camping is very fun and campfire cuisine is an adventure, I must say that this was a meal worth returning home for!