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Just when I thought I was done busting my butt with Girl Scouts for the year…
Actually, I knew this camping trip was coming up and I knew I was “the adult in charge” for our troop (thankfully, I do have two other moms helping me out this weekend, but I’m the sucker who’s staying for the full trip). I also knew getting ready for this weekend was going to be a lot of work. I have to pack not just my stuff but also Princess’ stuff and Pixie’s too, plus I have to pack all the food the entire troop will be eating that weekend, plus all the equipment we’re going to need. And I have to figure out how to feed everyone!
Fortunately, my years in the Army Reserves come in handy in such situations. I was a Food Service Officer. I know quite a bit about what’s involved in feeding large groups out in the field. However, I was only the fool who signed off on the paperwork. I never actually had to cook anything.
In preparation for this trip, I had Hubster buy me a charcoal grill on Saturday. Saturday evening, I tried grilling burgers for the first time ever. It took me a ridiculous amount of time to get the fire going and the coals heated up, but I got it done. Sunday morning, I got up early with both girls and spent even more time trying to cook breakfast on the grill. We did “Breakfast-In-A-Bag” – bacon and eggs in cooked paper bags over the grill (you lay down a few sheets of foil first so the bags don’t catch on fire). That experiment was… edible. Then Sunday afternoon I had the Brownie troop come over so we could inspect packs, make swaps to exchange with other troops, and try more cooking. This time, I had to have someone with Outdoor Cooking 2 training on hand. I’ve only got Outdoor 1 training, which means I can cook, but I’m not allowed to light a fire on my own without supervision. So while our Outdoor 2 person watched, I somehow miraculously got the fire going quickly this time and we had hot coals ready very soon after. We made kabobs with the girls and I am amazed at how smoothly it all went. And once everyone finished cleaning up and left, I went and collapsed on the couch for a few hours because I was DEAD TIRED.
Anyway, the camping trip is in two weeks. Be prepared for an interruption in the comic then. I’ll try to have one done ahead of time, but I’ve got a lot to do between now and the trip, including more cooking practice (which I can do on my own so long as the troop isn’t around). If you’re interested in how these experiments go, follow me on Twitter or on Facebook. I’ll be posting the results of these experiments there. Even the ones that go up in flames!
