Souvenirs:
open fire cooking

stopping in the garden to add fresh herbs

while the open fired chicken is still cooking, we raked the coals under the grill to be able to put the pan ontop of them while nice and hot

the chicken was still blazin' while the focaccia was cooking slow

when the chicken was nice and golden brown, we removed it from the fire and kept it warm indoors by just placing it in the oven... but next time, I will make sure I start the bread sooner

you can see from the above photograph that it is rising from the baking happening underneath
I knew if I added aluminum foil it would cook quicker on top, but I was avoiding using it for this dish

here the bread is cooked almost on the bottom — you can see the golden crust forming yum just make sure you keep turning it and move the logs near the bread in order to capture the most heat

Focaccia alla Farm Style
Mix 3 and 1/2 cups unbleached flour + 1 teaspoon instant yeast + 1 tablespoon salt in a large bowl add 3/4 warm (110 degrees F) water a bit at a time + 2 tablespoons of olive oil -mix thoroughly
Add enough warm water (about 1/2 cup) to make a soft dough that forms into a ball (use your muscles and a wooden spoon)
Turn out onto a floured surface and knead... If the dough is too dry, add a bit of warm water by the teaspoon If the dough is too sticky, add a bit of flour by the teaspoon
Knead for just about 4 minutes is all — just until it forms into a ball that is held together nicely, not smooth and elastic like most bread recipes
Place dough ball into an oiled bowl, place dry towel over the top of bowl and let rise at room temperature until doubled (about an hour) *you may also place this dough into the refrigerator overnight and return to room temperature before proceeding the next day*
After bread has risen, transfer it to an oiled 18" pizza stone or 2 — 9" round pans (may use pie pan if that is only thing you've got)
In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of olive oil + 1 teaspoon sea salt + 3 tablespoons of room temperature water and pour mixture over the focaccia... spreading to the edges of the dough Dimple the dough with your fingers Let rise for 45 minutes
Sprinkle with sea salt, if desired, fresh rosemary and thyme
if using the open fire... Place pan(s) onto hot raked out coals for 30 minutes -making sure to rotate pan every 10 minutes-
Place pan(s) on its side of the campfire ring -rotating every 10 minutes until cooked on top-

if using the oven... Bake in a 425*F oven for 20 minutes or until golden on top

Don't be surprised if the bottom gets a bit crisp when cooking on the fire it's still delicious
and makes a great leftover bread to use for a breakfast idea I'll share another time...
as far as the spiritual activity... there is more time I am devoting to this and will most definitely share this with you soon but thank you for all your emails regarding this... I have not forgotten to share my heart and soul with you
xo+fired up blessings,

I must confess, I played it safe with my first open fire meal to show you, by cooking chicken

There are a number of reasons why... the first being expense

I am appalled at how the chicken farming industry (even organic) has chosen to charge such an insanely expensive amount for chicken breasts — de boned -

appalled I say!

$17 was the most expensive for a large family pack — but the average while shopping around was $15...

appalled

Being that our freezer did not have any more chicken (which will soon be remedied) I don't just shop around for the cheapest meat... I just can't... not after seeing so many video accounts of the conditions they treat chickens or what they feed them... If I am in a 'pickle' and can't find organic (which is exactly what happened to me when shopping for this dish) then all natural — no added hormone meat/etc, is what I end up with.

I am sorry to say, that I wasn't pleased with the chicken... but if I hadn't raised our own heritage birds and primarily only eat that humanely treated truly free range chicken I wouldn't have 'scoffed' at the store bought.

You could just say I just made an extremely long excuse for not preparing one of our own chickens instead of going to the store... eh hem...

At any rate, this open fire chicken recipe was a huge hit and we had enough to add to salad the following day with that homemade ranch dressing... I even threw in a few strawberries, hard boiled eggs, some sunflower seeds, and chopped green onions from the garden.

To prepare your chicken — even if it is from your own farmyard — make sure you rinse and pat dry...

Make sure you have your grill set up before starting the fire.

For the fire:
1) start with putting your logs in place... leaning the tops together (to form a tepee of sorts)
2) gather some kindling (twigs and pine needles) and put those under the logs
3) light the kindling (blocking the wind with your body if need be) and gently blow onto the kindling to keep the fire burning
4) add more kindling if necessary in order to catch the logs on fire as well
5) once the logs are burning well, let them be on fire for at least 30 minutes until you start seeing that lovely gray ash form on the logs
6) start moving the logs under your grate to disperse the heat as evenly as you can

when putting the chicken onto the grill, put the center one on first... now, I'm not just saying this to make it look nice, or cook the middle... I am saying this because it is quite possible that if you lay one on the edge of the grill, well, it could flip off and land into the hot ashes as you yourself flip out that you just were so stupid... it's possible you know...
Start your grill about 12" from the fire.

open fire chicken

drizzle olive oil onto (bone in) chicken breasts — pick some thyme and rosemary, rub it over the chicken and then leave it on the top of the chicken to add flavor — sprinkle with sea salt and pepper if desired

let cook on bone side down for 20 minutes — keeping an eye on that underside -

flip the chicken over when a golden brown and continue cooking the skin side down until golden also

(if you are using de-boned chicken breasts, the cooking time will decrease, but so will your wallet)

keep an eye on the fire, and move around your logs in order to try and get the heat consistent under all the chicken... if need be, use a pair of tongs to move the chicken around if one is browning too much in one spot... you may also have to raise your grill or lower your grill depending on the intensity of the heat

the chicken is done when it is golden brown on both sides — to double check, remove from the heat, and slice through the thickest part of the biggest chicken breast and if no longer pink, it's done

yum
so good
and worth every last moment soaking up the time outdoors... having the children around me... under the trees overlooking the fields... thankful for the hardworking husband to bring home the money to purchase this chicken... for the storm that took down the tree in order to fuel this meal... for the herbs growing abundantly in the garden to enhance this dish...
so good

To go along with this chicken dish, my home made fresh herb focaccia bread was a must. Over the fire, it made the most delicious flavor... sharing that recipe this week too.

I am also wanting to share something with you that has been very near to my soul... a project I am working on internally that seems to have crept out... I just can't hold it in any longer, and am working on writing more about that... no, it's nothing for the world... but for me... for you... for others...
A spiritual enhancement that is a life altering way of being.

xo+fired up blessings,

thousands of years man has cooked on the open flame
thinking of that is surely humbling isn't it? we have so many modern conveniences that sometimes we wrap ourselves up and then get caught up in that wrapping and don't remember how things "used to be" for our fellow brethren before the late 18th century
if you count wood burning ovens, then you're still not that far away
think about that for a minute
wood fired cooking was the predominate source of cooking up until about 160 years ago
that's it... 160 years is all
my grandfather is 95, so it was just 65 years before him (roughly speaking of course)

this is not the type of cooking for everyone, and I understand that, but doing it once and awhile is an extremely eye opening 'event'

and I mean event! The children and Jason all heard of me reading to them aloud some passages of books like psalms or something about wood fired cooking... recipes that were found in this awesome 1970's camping/cookbook... and some much needed modern day inspiration for using foods in healthy ways. Our oldest son is always willing to please my culinary challenges, so he went out there with me to 'start the fire' at about 5pm...

We eat late in the summer to avoid cooking in the heat, and this area is shaded by the mature pine trees on the north side of the kitchen garden...
After a tree fell from a storm we have used the thick pieces of the trunk for our seats -

by 5:45 the fire was ready

a tripod with a grill is all I have used thus far
just make sure you set it up before you start the fire, or it will make your job alot harder:)
also a point of note... wearing long skirts without a thicker apron on front to hold it down is not a smart idea... thus I would highly recommend if wearing a skirt, wear your thicker denim one, not the light airy one that could quite possibly get very very close to setting your skirt on fire... though this would help flame the fire, burns are nothing to joke about!
the wood was started with using pine needles and some twigs once it got going, we added some smaller logs he had split and some left whole
another point of note... he did all the splitting with an axe he looked about 24 when splitting that wood
it wasn't hard because the wood was very dry and the axe sharp
this was another way for children to be a part of the cooking even back before stoves

cooking with your children doesn't always mean they are slicing the produce, but it goes back farther than that with the gardening, the preparation, the setting of the table, the hand picked posies from the gardens...
all this week I will be featuring open fire cooking and different techniques
all by trial and error...
xo+fired up blessings,