Christine Conners

I know exactly the grin you are talking about. It's that mysterious grin those super hero guys get just before they whip off their nerdy glasses and start searching for a phone booth to change in. In his case he doesn't wear a cape (of course because that could catch fire and that would set a bad example for the kids), but rather a grease repellant apron, with a built in firestarter, with a burnt chicken sensor.

I know the look. I've seeen it before.

Fantastic! Thank you!

Oh noooo! A no ramen rule!? I think I have a fancy ramen recipe in my submission pile!

You know we have a recipe in Lipsmackin' Vegetarian Backpackin' from Flyin' Brian, the guy who completed the Triple Crown (three long distance trails) in one year. All it was was ramen and dried vegetables. So it's the dinner of champions. Who knew?

I'm serious when I say you folks are some of the most awesome cooks in the world. I mean that. I haven't tested a recipe I didn't like. They are all incredible. While its true I probably won't live to see my 41st birthday (in two months) because they are incredibly rich, still I will have died having lived a full and tasty life.

So have your accountant contact me and send me some recipes okay!!?? Sounds like a great plot for a superhero movie--humble accountant by day--super scout chef by night.

Trevorum--No offense against ramen, because it did keep me from starving through college, but CLEARLY we are going to have to send you a complimentary copy of this book when its done! :-)

BTW, don't foget to toss an egg in it for protein! If I can live off of it for four years, anyone can!

I guess when I think about it, it's not really about how many fires you need to bake a potato or how many matches it takes to start a fire. Its more about opening up young minds to the idea that there is usually more than one solution to most problems.

Hopefully some of that "difficult" stuff will still be required when our kids get there!

That potato idea is interesting isn't it? A lot of work, but I guess that's all part of the fun.

Gosh now I thought I replied but it didn't show up. I did a similar thing with my bank account recently where I thought I transferred money into my account and came back from Christmas vacation to find I have a serious problem with my checking account. There really should be a law against people like me using the internet.

Okay well you may see a similar reply to Ozemu--

An authentic damper recipe from Australia is fantastic! We actually have one in the first book and I believe we did get a bread on a stick recipe submission for this one, but certainly not with the character and history yours has, so lets use yours! Send me your contact information when you have a minute.

I noticed you do outdoor adventure therapy. That is very cool. I'm actually a mental health therapist, MA level. I work off and off with kids in acute psychiatric hospitals. Right now I'm teaching psychology part-time at a local college, but I've been trying to figure out what I'm going to do when our youngest starts school and just this morning I decided I wanted to be an outdoor adventure therapist! So if you have any jobs let me know. And since its quite a drive we'll probably need to find Tim a job too. He's an aerospace engineer. How's the aerospace industry in Australia? :-)

Thanks for the recipe!!

Chris

Oh Geez! I'm sorry, we have 4 children on Christmas break and I'm a bit distracted. The email address is scoutrecipes@bellsouth.net, not scoutINGrecipes@bellsouth.net.

Sorry about that!!!!!

Good thoughts!

We attended a jamboree a while back and were shocked by the large number of obese children there. But obviously they didn't get heavy at the jamboree, they arrived that way. I also agree that there is nothing wrong with occasionally enjoying a fabulously decadent meal from time to time and an overnight camping experience is a perfect time for that. It helps ease the pain of a chilly rainy night with hungry mosquitos and rocks for a mattress. We also appreciate that the delicious recipes we are receiving were designed for special occasions and to make them fat free, low carb, or low salt destroys their intended purpose. So I think you're right, the recipes should stand as they are because there is a time and a place for an incredible meal.

But I also believe as you do that many of the recipes could be adapted for the trail and I think I'll try that. Not necessarily converting each ingredient and retesting the recipe, but just offering maybe a tip section at the bottom for those who might be interested in converting suitable recipes for the trail. And again I think we need to have at least a small section in the book dedicated entirely to backpacking recipes. They probably don't have to be light-weight like Lipsmackin' because most groups won't be out that long, but they should be there.

Anyway, maybe by leaving the recipes as is the same people who are drawn to delicious camp food will consider some of the backpacking ideas and be more inclined to step out. Nothing grows a person like the wilderness experience, and nothing is more challenging to the wilderness experience than food.

I'm glad we've had this conversation because we were honestly very torn about the direction of this book and had dozens of conversations about these very issues. Now having had this discussion I think we may actually be able to offer the best of both worlds.

Thanks for the ideas! And hey--don't forget to send your backpacking recipes!!! :-)

May your mountains be tall, and your blisters be small.

Christine

Hi Kudu,

Sorry for the caps thing. I'm just getting the hang of this "forum" thing.

Thanks for the nice words about Lipsmackin'. What you have said about car-camping is of interest to us because many of the scout recipes we've gotten so far are for the Dutch oven or are too heavy for a backpacking trip. Another concern we've had in testing is that while the recipes are absolutely delicous they are also very fattening. We've spent a great deal of time talking about this very issue because our books tend to reflect what we obtain from the contributors and during testing these are the meals our family lives on.

After some discussion we've decided if more backpacking recipes and healthier options don't come in, we would actively seek to obtain or create more of them for this book. I may start by going back to the contributors of our past books, many of whom are former scouts, to see what they might suggest. We share your concern about the tendency towards car camping. While there is certainly a place for this type of eating, when I think of the original purpose of scouting, I envision leaving the car far behind. So its good to hear our thoughts confirmed.

I really appreciate your feedback!

Christine

Hi everyone!

My name is Christine Conners and my husband and I are the authors of Lipsmackin' Backpackin' and Lipsmackin' Vegetarian Backpackin'. We have recently been contracted with our publisher Globe Pequot Press to write a scout cookbook, this time by and for scouts. We'd love to include your favorite recipes in the book. If after testing your recipe, it is accepted in the book, your name and scout title/troop/council will be listed next to your recipe. Tim and I will donate a percentage of our royalties back to several scouting organizations.

We already have over 200 fabulous recipes but we'd love more! If you would like to be a part of this project please send your recipes to us at scoutingrecipes@bellsouth.net.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Christine