Dutch Oven

      Is it just me or does everything taste better from a dutch oven? Anything that can be made either in a dutch oven or elsewhere seems so much more flavorful from the dutch oven. What's even more to consider is the fact that dutch oven tastes better when you're camping.

     One of my specialties is a simple yet delightful dish of Potatoes and Bacon. For this you will need:

                1 package bacon
                20 potatoes (or however many will fit in the dutch oven)
                Salt
                Pepper

     After the dutch oven is heated you put in half slices of bacon and cook them. I love putting that first strand of bacon in and listening to it sizzle. If it doesn't sizzle then add some more coal because, like me, the dutch oven likes things hot. Once the bacon is cooked to your liking, add the potatoes. They should be peeled and sliced just before you put them in. Give a few shakes of salt and pepper (it works best if you shake your thang along with it) and stir it a bit then place the lid on top. Stir occasionally and once the potatoes are tender, it's time to feast! A lot of people have a tendency to ask what seasonings have been added and with great joy I tell them none. I'm overly ecstatic at how much flavor the dutch oven adds and I love to brag about it. It's a simple work for a complex taste.

      Now, my most favorite thing to make, Pineapple Upside-down Cake. For this you will need:

                1 white cake mix (follow directions on box)
                1 yellow cake mix (follow directions on box)
                2 cans pineapple rings
                1 package brown sugar
                2 sticks butter

      It is an absolute requirement of my mind and mouth that it be made in a dutch oven. You know it's gonna be good when your first step is to melt two sticks of butter. Once it's melted, you will want to put in the pineapples flat so that you form circles around the base. Do not stack them on each other. Sprinkle brown sugar on top of the pineapples. If you roll how I roll, it will take a whole bag. Then you will pour on the cake mixture. I do one yellow and one white mix and mix them together. Place the lid on top and this is where the delectability and adventure begins. Once you have placed the lid it is very important that you do not remove it again for approximately thirty five minutes. After about fifteen minutes, you will have an explicit array of deliciousness seeping in through your nostrils that for a moment will guide you away from all your worries and cares and have you thinking only of what lies beneath that lid.
      When it is time to remove it, you are instantly overcome with anxiety and excitement for you never quite know what to expect. Did it bake? Was it hot enough? Did it fall? What will it look like? How will it taste? All these questions running through your mind as you reach down and clasp the handle. Slowly you begin to remove the lid and bam you are hit with the overwhelming cloud of that fantastic smell you got a hint of earlier. As you move the lid aside you begin to see that bright yellow beauty. Your eyes are filled with sunshine and light as you bask in the masterpiece you have just created. Big and fluffy with its own design of lines from the brown sugar that made it to the top. You cut into it and place it on a plate as it's dripping from the bottom. You take a bite of your luscious creation and it begins to melt away in your mouth. Before you know it the whole thing is gone.