Author: Destiny Alenovitz

Out of all meals, this was my dad’s request for his (early) Father’s day meal. I was expecting him to request a big ol’ steak or a few pounds of steamed crabs. I was floored to say the least when he asked for a- salad.

According to my dad, hot bacon dressing is a PA Dutch recipe. Similar to bacon jam, we’ll refer to hot bacon dressing as bacon jams older, more mature big sister. Shes sophisticated, pairing well with a salad or perhaps drizzled on top of grilled asparagus.

With only a few ingredients, and done in less than 15 minutes, this bacon vinaigrette dressing served warm over a garden salad is sure to surprise. This dressing is insanely simple and undoubtedly won its way into my summer salad rotation.

Disclaimer: Assuming you are cooking in the outdoors, you will learn REAL quick that gnats are hot and heavy for vinegar. Use caution, covering open containers especially those containing vinegar.

Ingredients:

• 6 slices of bacon
• 1/3 c white vinegar
• 1/4 water
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3 tsps cornstarch

Directions:

1. Add your grate and cast iron skillet over the campfire.
2. Once your cast iron skillet is hot, add in the slices the bacon, cooking the bacon until its fully cooked.
3. Remove bacon from skillet. Let cool.
4. Discard most of the bacon grease. (You can save the bacon grease to use later for cooking in place of oil/butter!)
5. Crumble bacon. Set aside.
6. Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in a bowl. Mix.
7. Add vinegar and water into dry ingredients. Stir until combined.
8. Add bacon crumbles back into skillet.
9. Pour in vinegar mixture, stirring.
10. Heat for only a couple of minutes, stirring until the dressing thickens to your liking.
11. Let cool until warm.
12. Serve over a garden or cobb salad.

I had one of my, ‘I bet we can make this better’ moments after we got our order of poutine from a restaurant in Lake Placid. We are suckers for all things savory. Our take on this French-Canadian dish- adding mushrooms and onions. Oh yeah, and smidgens of bacon grease. You might need to take a long walk and drink a lot of water after this one, but trust me, it is worth it.

Poutine is a popular Canadian dish consisting of double-fried French fries topped with cheese curds and a savory brown gravy. I used Idaho potatoes in this dish, also referred to as a Russet potato. This type of potato has a high starch content, making it a good candidate for frying, as it can withstand the oil.

Do you remember as a kid being irrationally influenced by things in kids animated movies? Seriously though, how did they make the most obscure of things seem so cool? We recently took a trip to upstate New York and there I saw it on a menu- poutine. The movie ‘Open Season Scared Silly’ had a scene where the villains, deranged hunters, opened a poutine food truck after hunting became outlawed. I have never heard of poutine before that movie, but there was just something about that heaping pot of 2D-fries smothered with gravy that looked so damn good. The most bizarre part of this story, I saw this movie for the first time as an adult watching it with my oldest son, anyway.

Lets make this poutine.

You’ll need:

• Potatoes
• Cheese Curds
• Oil (for frying)
• Flour
• Butter
• Mushrooms, diced
• Onion, diced
• Beef Stock (or broth)
• Chicken Stock (or broth)
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Italian Seasoning
• Pepper
• Salt
• Bacon Grease (Optional)

Instructions:

Gravy:

1. Melt butter and bacon grease in a skillet over low-medium heat.
2. Dice up your mushrooms and onions, adding to skillet with butter and bacon grease. Cook until they soften.
3. Add flour into the skillet, coating the mushrooms and onions. Cook for a few minutes.
4. Slowly pour in chicken and beef stock, stirring.
5. Add in Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, pepper, and salt.
6. Continue to stir, over low-medium heat until you reach your desired consistency. You can set aside and add back to heat when the fries are just about finished.

Fries:

1. Slice your potatoes into fries, about 3/8′ thick, or whatever your preference is. To optimize the texture of the fries, you can soak them in water for a few hours, however this is not necessary.
2. Using a Dutch oven, or a deep pot to fry in, fill with it oil. I used a dutch oven and added a 48oz container of oil, filling it about halfway. There just needs to be about an inch extra or so to the cover the fries. Bring to a heat over low-medium. It may be helpful to have a thermometer. I stick a little piece of wood and see if it starts bubbling, if it does, its ready.
3. Slowly add fries into hot oil. You may have to do a few smaller batches. Cook for about 4 minutes, remove from oil using slotted spoon.
4. Let cool, then add fries back into oil until they are a golden color. Remove from oil. Pat dry with paper towels.
5. Season fries with salt and pepper. Add cheese curds on the fries. Pour hot gravy over top. Enjoy!

Watch me make it! For more videos, follow me on Tiktok @TheOutCastCook

https://www.tiktok.com/@theoutcastcook/video/7192290337144966446

I want to give a fair warning; this campfire Chili recipe is involved to say the least. Once you have chili this way, you won’t want to go back. Less is not always more. More meat, more spice, more flavor. I was looking for to create the best chili recipe that had immense flavor with the perfect balance between warm, winter comfort and spice. I kept adding chili “secret ingredients” and after adding about 5 so-called Chili secrets, I found harmony.

We made this beer chili in a cast iron Dutch oven hanging on a tripod over the campfire. Our goal was low and slow to really ramp up the flavor. Using a tripod was our best bet, making tending to the fire easy and keeping the chili at the perfect simmer.

One saying that resonates the most with my life is, “Work smarter, not harder.” I am sucker for finding convenient hacks to aid in making my life easier. We can find a place of synchrony where we pack on the flavor and make quality foods from scratch amidst our busy day-to-day lives. Unpopular opinion, leftovers are the bees’ knees. They often get a bad rep- but let’s make it intentional. From not only a convenience standpoint- but homing in from a financial aspect, if I am making an involved dish- is it that much more to make a large enough batch to save some for later? Not at all. Frankly, I find freezing some dishes amplifies the flavor. A prime example- chili. Chili is so simple to freeze. Using either a mason jar or a gallon sized freezer bag, fill 3/4 of the way full, making sure to leave room for expansion. If using the freezer bag, be sure to have the bag flat to freeze to save space.

Okay yous, lets make this dish.

Chili Ingredients:

• Onion (1)
• Bell peppers (2)
• Assortment of (3) 10oz cans of Rotel diced tomatoes (I used original, chipotle, and fire roasted)
• Kidney beans (2) 16oz cans
• Bush’s Chili beans (1) 16oz can
• V8 juice (2) 12 oz cans
• 1 Beer
• 1lb ground meat (I used equal parts venison, beef and chorizo)
• 3 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 3 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cocoa powder

Instructions:

1. In a Dutch oven, add your ground meat. Season with salt, powder, onion powder and garlic powder. Cook ground meat until browned. Remove from Dutch oven.
2. Dice peppers and onions. Add peppers and onions to skillet with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Sautee until soft and browning.
3. Add ground meat back into Dutch oven.
4. Reduce heat and add in all other ingredients. For best results cook low and slow. Leave chili simmering for hours. Stir occasionally.
5. If freezing extra, add to a mason jar or freezer bag, lying it flat to freeze. Be sure to leave room for expansion as it freezes.

https://www.tiktok.com/@theoutcastcook/video/7155922283780001066

My favorite holiday dish is indisputably my Nanny’s Pennsylvania Dutch potato filling. Imagine if stuffing and mashed potatoes were to have a baby; this would be it. Perhaps you know this dish as potato dressing or potato stuffing. Regardless of what you call it, it is that savory goodness that comes to mind with ‘back home’ holiday comfort food. Traditionally, my Nanny would make this dish in a casserole dish in the oven or in a Crockpot, giving the smoothest consistency. Of course, I had to test this out in cast iron in the fire. I used my 8-inch cast iron skillet, with another 8-inch cast iron skillet flipped over top for a makeshift Dutch oven. The results- not my Nanny’s Dutch potato filling, but only differing in the best of ways. The edges of the filling started to brown, giving the perfect subtle crisp. The dish took on more of its stuffing mama’s traits, in all of its thick, melt-in-your-mouth, glory.

I love the way food does so much more than nourish our bodies. It can nourish our souls, carrying memories from its savored past reunions. For me, this dish’s warmth surpasses that of its flavor, it holds the warmest of thoughts of my Nanny. For my Nanny, this dish grasps the memories of her mother cooking for her as a child. Years from now, this dish will hold memories of me for my children, as this will be the dish I bring to holiday gatherings, bringing the warmth of the generations before.

This potato filling can be tweaked to your likings! In essence, its stuffing baked with mashed potatoes. You could make your stuffing or dressing however you fancy and follow this potato filling recipe from there.

If you’re looking to bring a dish to holiday dinner to impress, try adding ground sausage to this dish! My nanny wouldn’t bring sausage potato filling to holidays, but sausage is the secret ingredient I never knew it was missing.

Let’s make this Dutch potato filling.

Yous will need:

• Cast iron skillet (You could also use a casserole dish in the oven or a crockpot!)
• Potatoes
• Onions
• Celery
• Butter
• Bread (Day old, or toasted)
• Pepper
• Poultry Seasoning
• Chicken Bouillon
• Eggs
• Milk (my Nanny uses condensed)

Instructions:

1. Peel and dice potatoes. Boil in water.
2. Finely dice celery and onion. If you prefer a chunkier, thicker consistency you can dice the celery and onion into larger pieces.
3. Add stick of butter, celery, and onion over medium to low heat. Sautee until softened and translucent.
4. Cube up the bread to about 1 imch pieces. You can toast the bread if you do not have day old or stale bread.
5. Add the bread, poultry seasoning, chicken bouillon and pepper into the skillet.
6. Combine until the bread is softened.
7. Mash the potatoes. If you want a thicker texture, wait to mash until after the other ingredients are combined.
8. Add the filling mixture, milk and eggs. Combine.
9. Transfer to a cast iron skillet, casserole dish or crockpot.
10. Add a few slices of butter on top.
11. If cooking in the fire, covering with a cast iron skillet over top, and place over hot coals. Add hot coals on top. Cook until edges start to brown. If cooking in the oven, cook at 350 for 40 minutes. If cooking in a crockpot, cook on low for about 2-4 hours.

Watch me make it! For more things cooking, campfires and recipes, follow me @theoutcastcook on TikTok!

https://www.tiktok.com/@theoutcastcook/video/7210064225396395306

Hell, yeah. You read right- fire grilled crab legs. These snow crabs are cooked on the grate over a blazing-hot fire, lathered in a spicy garlic butter. Needless to say, we devoured these suckers before they got cold. For reference, its mid-March in Pennsylvania; it’s a little chilly to be grilling seafood. These were well-worth the exception.

It’s all in the sauce.

You can’t go wrong with a classic crab boil with the trusty Old Bay seasoning, beer, and butter. But you can be more right. We drank the beer instead and ran with Old Bay and melted butter, doctoring it up.

As far as the grilling crab legs, it’s pretty straight forward. Grab a sharp knife and slice down the larger sections of legs. Lather on your sauce and grill those bad boys until they are browned.

Let’s do it.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 bundles of crab legs
• 1 stick of butter
• 2 lemons squeezed
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1/2 small onion
• 1 tbsp chicken bouillon
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
• 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:

1. Finely dice garlic and onion, set aside.
2. Melt butter in cast iron skillet over the fire.
3. Add diced garlic and onion into the melted butter. Cook for a few minutes.
4. Mix in all other ingredients (chicken bouillon, brown sugar, Old Bay seasoning, Cajun seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce) until well combined. Remove from heat.
5. Using a sharp knife, score your crab legs down the center. This allows for them to cook evenly.
6. Place crab legs on grate over the fire.
7. Lather generously with the butter sauce.
8. Cook until browned (about 7 minutes) and flip, cooking until both sides are browned.
9. Optional, but good- dip leg meat in left over sauce.

If you’re looking to step up your burger game, you’re in the right place. We took on the challenge of making the juiciest, most flavorful burger we could, and trust me- we knocked it out of the park with this burger recipe. We conquered the task, perfecting a juicy burger that is good enough to pick up fresh off the grate, and eat it as it is. We packed on the flavor to this restaurant-style burger with maple-bourbon bacon jam, fried pickled-jalapeno dimes and garlic aioli on a toasted brioche bun- holy cow.

When it comes to going out for dinner, I always order things I can’t make as good at home. Burgers top that list. There is something about a biting into a juicy burger at a restaurant with grease dripping down your hands that seems unmatched- well, until now.

My first suggestion- stop buying pre-made frozen burgers. Ideally, grinding your own meat would be the prime option but let’s be real, nobody here is going to do that. Coming in at a close second is to buy ground, lightly packed meat. You know the package of about a pound of ground beef with the Styrofoam bottom and wrapped with plastic wrap? That’s what you want. People often correlate price with quality, in this case, that is not it. A leaner package of burger is going to cost more, but you’ll be losing more flavor as the ratio of fat reduces. Most grocery stores will carry 80% lean/20% fat-ground beef which will get the job done just fine.

My second suggestion, and debatably the more important one- stop rolling your ground beef into a ball and then flattening it into a patty. I know, I know, you are all like, ‘well how the heck else do you form a burger?’ Cut it out. You don’t have to take my word for it. Try it for yourself and see. Unwrap the plastic from your packaged beef and grab your go-to kitchen knife. Cut a round, patty-shape directly out of the hunk of meat. Assuming that you bought a standard pound of burger, you should be able to just make it work by cutting 2 extremely thick patties out. Now, take those overly thick patties and cut them in half. As lightly as you can, mold the ground beef together, just enough so that the patty is formed and adhering to itself. You want the striations from the grinder to still be visible. A pound of ground beef will produce four patties just under a quarter pound each. Now, with the scraps, I challenge you to make a burger using whatever technique you have used before and compare it to this method.

For more flavor a.k.a. fat, I chose to cook my burgers in a buttered, cast-iron pan. To make this a tried-and-true recipe, I cooked half of the burgers directly on the grate for comparison. While the burgers that cooked directly on the grate, over the fire, were unique, offering an indulgent smoky flavor, I much preferred the burgers that had cooked in the buttered cast iron.

To lock in the juice and flavor, low and slow is the way to go. Refrain from over-flipping your burgers. Trust me, it doesn’t matter if you look like a good cook, constantly putting that spatula to work, if you aren’t a good cook. Ideally, if you are starting your burgers at a temperature that is not too hot, you should only have to flip them once.

These cast iron-cooked burgers surpassed my expectations, proving that I, indeed, can make burgers better at home.

Topping the perfect burger with this maple-bourbon bacon jam, fried pickled jalapenos and garlic aioli made this burger recipe a smashing hit.

Grab a drink. Let’s make these damn things.

Burger Ingredients:

• 1 pound of packaged 80% lean, 20% fat ground beef
• Steak seasoning
• Butter (for greasing cast iron)
• Sliced Cheese (cheddar or pepperjack)
• Brioche Buns

Burger Instructions:

1. Once you have your patties formed, using whatever technique you’ve decided on, season them up liberally. I used McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning. I’m pretty sure that it is the most popular steak seasoning, and that the most average of Joes has it stocked. I find steak seasonings to enhance the flavor of burgers the best. A combination of coarsely ground peppers, salts, onion powder and garlic powder should do. I get it though, seasoning is personal, use whatever you like.
2. Butter up your cast iron. Heat over your method of choice. We are using a grate over a campfire.
3. When your pan is hot enough, put in your seasoned burger patties. Aim for low and slow to lock in the most juice in your burgers. If the pan is not too hot, you should not have to flip more than one time.
4. Once your burger is just about cooked to your liking, add your cheese in the last minute or two. I used cheddar cheese, but pepper jack would also be a great choice for this burger.
5. Put your bun directly in the pan in the buttery grease until lightly toasted.
6. Spread garlic aioli on bottom bun.
7. Add your burger to the bun, top with bacon jam and fried jalapenos.

Fried Jalapenos

Fried Jalapeno Dime Ingredients:

• Sliced pickled jalapenos
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp italian seasoning
• 1 tbsp dry ranch seasoning
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 egg
• 1/2 – 1 cup milk (add more if needed to reach desired consistency)
• Vegetable Oil (to fry peppers in- enough to go up about an inch in your frying pan)

Fried Jalapeno Dime Instructions:

1. Mix all of your dry ingredients together. Being that we were making these fried jalapenos at our hunting camp, I mixed all of my dry ingredients together ahead of time, to pack lighter. My dry ingredients consisted of flour, bread crumbs, italian seasoning, dry ranch seasoning (I buy the bulk container- so worth it), smoked paprika, chili spice, and garlic powder.
2. Add in your egg and milk. Whisk ingredients until smooth. You want your consistency to be thick enough to adhere well to the jalapenos. The thicker your mix is, the fluffier the jalapeno dime will be. If you want a crispier, more sharp jalapeno taste, make a slightly runnier mix. Add more flour (to thicken) or milk (to thin) as needed to reach desired constancy.
3. Dry your sliced jalapenos. I tried using this recipe to fry both fresh jalapenos and pickled jalapenos. Using pickled jalapenos was the winner by far; the fresh jalapenos did not even come close.
4. Coat your pat-dried, jalapeno slices into the batter until well covered.
5. Carefully drop into hot oil. I recommend doing a few at a time in batches.
6. Use a slotted spoon to remove from oil when golden brown.
7. Set aside.

Maple Bourbon Bacon Jam

Bacon Jam Ingredients:

• 4 slices of bacon, chopped
• 1 cup of diced onion
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp bourbon or whiskey (I used a maple-flavored whiskey)
• Crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)

Bacon Jam Instructions:

1. Prepare your ingredients. Again, I measure out and pack up all of my dry ingredients ahead of time. Just like undies, I always pack extra- just in case. I’m big on tasting as I go, so I like to know that I have extra if need be.
2. Cut up and cook your bacon. Or cook your bacon and cut it up. Whichever order sounds better to you. Remove cooked bacon and set aside.
3. Cook your diced onion until translucent and starting to turn gold.
4. Add in minced garlic. Cook for a few minutes until fragrant.
5. Pour bourbon into onion and garlic, deglazing the skillet. Let simmer for a few minutes.
6. Add bacon back into skillet, as well as all other ingredients (seasonings, maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar).
7. Let simmer, frequently stirring. Cook until at desired consistency. *Please note, this will candy and harden as it is removed with heat.*

Garlic Aoili

Garlic Aioli Ingredients:

• 1 lemon (squeezed)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1 tsp pepper (or to taste)

Garlic Aoili Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Stir.
2. Chill if making ahead. Fridge shelf life is about a week.

Watch me make it! All videos are posted on TikTok @theoutcastcook! Follow if you would like to see more videos.

https://www.tiktok.com/@theoutcastcook/video/7187585665545030955?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7175309439261279790

This hunter-approved Cajun Deer Loin Pasta with a decadent, smoky alfredo sauce is our new favorite. Nothing beats a homemade alfredo sauce with well-seasoned deer loins cooked in garlicy butter over the fire. This is the perfect dish to make at your camp to please to most even the most avid of deer hunters. Need a new dish to make a dent in your freezer stash of venison? Boy, do I get it. We have a freezer-full and my husband always makes it his personal mission to fill all his tags like he has some raging vendetta against Bambi. This hunter-approved Cajun venison pasta is it.

Nothing beats a homemade alfredo sauce with well-seasoned deer loins cooked in garlicy butter.

Let your creativity flow and top this venison pasta with whatever you’re in the mood for. Or use whatever you have in the fridge! Take a stroganoff spin and add mushrooms and some sour cream in your sauce with a splash of Worcestershire sauce. Or go the more authentic Cajun route and sauté up some peppers and onions.

I read the coolest concept somewhere before that who we are is basically just a compilation of all our experiences- from the people we met, to the shows we’ve watched. Well in that case- Hi! Welcome to Chili’s!

No but for real. This dish is inspired by my time waitressing my way through nursing school at Chili’s. Chili’s has a popular dish, Cajun Chicken Pasta, which is mediocre at best. When it comes to thinking of what to make for dinner, I tend to resort to dishes I’ve eaten at restaurants for inspiration. This dish knocks Chili’s out of the park. They should come to me for recommendations.

The key to this dish is all in the sauce- well, more specifically, the seasoning. I do the typical cream, cheese, garlic, butter, pepper, and Italian herbs but then I doctor it up.

I recommend splurging a bit on a block of parmesan cheese and grating it as you need. Parmesan will last you longer than you think, and it really does make all the difference.

My biggest secret is chicken bouillon. It really boosts the flavor gives the chicken broth idea, without watering down the sauce. We like thick, creamy sauces here.

I add a little bit of mustard powder. I’m not sure why, I just threw it in once now I can’t make it without it.

Kinder’s Buttery Poultry blend. I hope one day I get sponsored from companies, but I will gladly advertise this for free for the good of my readers and whoever they may be feeding. Kinder’s makes so many good seasoning blends, but this buttery poultry blend is another one of seasoning secrets I keep up my sleeve.

When I plan to make a dish over the fire, I prep everything I can prior to make life easier.

Grab a drink, and let’s get into it.

Preparations:

Start by seasoning your deer loins. I used salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, steak seasoning of choice (I used Cabela’s brand), and a little Pig’s Butt Carolina seasoning (optional) for this dish. It’s always good to marinate your meat in seasonings ahead, and it made for less that I had to lug out to the fire.

Next, I would cut a few corners and made the pasta inside ahead of time. Attempting to find a pot safe to boil in over the fire (we don’t ruin our cast iron here), and then actually attempting to maintain a boil over the fire seems like a bit much, but it’s on my to-accomplish list. If you are camping, I recommend just making the pasta ahead. Toss in a little bit of olive oil and bag them up. They’ll heat right up with your hot sauce.

Prepare your pasta toppings, this is your chance to go full swing creative, without ruining the dish. If you aren’t venturing out, go ahead and cut up green onions and sundried tomatoes if needed.

I cut a stick of butter in half (1/2 for the loins, 1/2 for the sauce).

I always keep a jug of pre-minced garlic from Costco in my fridge for convenience and boy oh boy do we go through that thing. I honestly don’t find there to be a huge difference between fresh minced garlic as to jarred garlic- jarlic as you will. I’d say I used about 2 tablespoons for the alfredo sauce, and 2 more tablespoons to cook the loins in. If you don’t have that on hand, mince up your garlic cloves. If you don’t have cloves, you can use dried garlic or garlic powder but that will create a “Walmart-version” of this dish.

This is another make-or-break step- the cheese. The better, fresher the ingredients, the better the dish (well, usually). Freshly grating your cheese makes for a much smoother sauce and a more vibrant taste. For this I used Parmesan and Mozzarella as it was what I had on hand but use what you like! If you only have bagged shredded, don’t sweat it, just use it! It will still get the job done.

Grab your heavy cream. Probably around 1.5-2 cups should do. The variations in heat and different cheese types and thickness make it hard to judge an exact amount of cream needed. Really, it comes down to preference. I prefer thicker sauces with less of a milky taste.

Bring on the bread. Its winter, packing on a little ‘insulation’ won’t hurt. I prepped garlic bread from a crunchy loaf we had left over from a dip. Garlic bread is really simple, no need to buy frozen store bought. Just spread butter on of any type of bread or roll you have and top with garlic powder, italian herbs, parmesan cheese and there ya have it.

Grab your cast iron pans and head down to your fire (assuming you have a husband with a questionable pyro-like fascination with fire like I do, and the fire is already ready to cook over). This recipe works fine over the stove too, I just recommend using cast iron for the full effect of this recipe! The smoke from cooking the alfredo sauce and deer loins over the campfire adds so much definition to this Venison Pasta.

Instructions:

Melt your butter in your cast iron skillets. Once melted, add in your minced garlic to both skillets. A good rule of thumb is once the garlic is fragrant, you are ready to proceed. I find it only takes a few minutes until the garlic starts goldening. Time is difficult to gage when cooking over a fire. Just like cooking inside, you’ll quickly learn when it’s too hot or not hot enough. Trust yourself.

Add your marinated venison loins into your skillet. If you’re new to cooking over the fire, be sure frequently peak under your deer loins to make sure they are cooking at a steady rate. Cook these to your liking. I personally find that cooking the venison loins between medium to medium-well is best. Not too chewy but doesn’t feel like total mush in your mouth.

Slowly stir in your cream into your other skillet. Keep stirring until well combined. If you need to add more, you can after the cheese is added to reach your desired consistency.

Season the sauce to your liking. As mentioned above, I created a blend to bring down to the fire before cooking. Pepper, onion powder, Italian seasoning, chicken bouillon, mustard powder, and Kinder’s buttery poultry seasoning. I prefer a bolder tasting sauce, but if you are looking for a more traditional, I’d cut it back to herbs, pepper, onion and garlic powder and go from there.

Melt in your freshly grated cheese. Parmesan is really all you need, but I like to add in mozzarella which helps achieve the perfect creaminess for this cajun pasta.

Toss your pasta into your sauce. Or do it the reversed way, adding your sauce into your pasta to better dictate the perfect sauce to pasta ratio.

Don’t forget the garlic bread! Put your bread buttered side down on the grate or in another skillet. Toast until golden.

Assemble your masterpiece by adding your sliced venison loins, green onions, sundried tomatoes. Sprinkle on Cajun seasoning. Serve with your garlic bread.

Now, mess it up! Enjoy this with your go-to celebratory post-kill drink and shoot the shit telling hunting stories.

Watch me make it!

https://www.tiktok.com/@theoutcastcook/video/7182731828980108587?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7175309439261279790

As I sit here in front of the laptop, I am shaking with raw filled emotion. Paralyzed by the consuming thought of-

“Oh my gosh. Am I actually doing the damn thing?”

My name is Destiny, and I am The Outcast Cook, a food blogger.

Crisis

The most unsettling feeling is waking up one day from the life you love, with the unlooked-for realization that something major is missing.

A few years ago, if you would have told me that this is my life, I would have told you to ‘get the f*** out of here.’ To this day, I am still in utter disbelief that I am married to the driven, dime-piece of a man that I am- not to mention living the once dreamed-of life that we have built.

Yet, there I was with the pressing feeling that a gaping hole was emerging in my life.

Once the void appeared, it made itself known every day. Naturally, I did what any Gen-Z-millennial cusp’er would do and started searching in my TikTok search bar. According to “Trust me, bro,” sources, I guess you could say I was experiencing some sort-of “spiritual awakening,” I stumbled across a video suggesting a slew of must-read books.

I no sooner grabbed the diaper bag, and my baby and I were out the door, enroute to Barnes and Noble. With a baby on my hip, I sheepishly made myself to a section nestled between ‘Witchcraft,’ and ‘Relationships,’ poorly titled, ‘Self-help,’ My bruised, scared-to-ask-for-help ego was enthralled- not.

I found the highly raved book, “The Four Agreements,” by Don Miguel Ruiz. In that section, I couldn’t find others I was looking for there. Swallowing my pride, I went to the associate for help. To my dismay, she led me to the fiction section where I got a copy of, “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho and “The Celestine Prophecy” by James Redfield. Little did I know, these fiction books were going to ignite something inside of me that I didn’t know I had. I have to admit, I did not realize it at first.

Soul Searching

Looking back, I may have totally missed the point of the books. I was in such a hurry to find answers that I jumped to the first narrative that fit. After reading the Celestine Prophecy, I went on a deep dive researching Peru and spiritual awakenings. I came to the conclusion I had to take a trip- Yeah, that trip. Somehow the subliminal message I received from the novel was that there was no such thing as a coincidence, so Peru must hold the answers to life.

It did not take long for my grounded husband to go “Alpha’ on me and bring me back to reality and assure me I do not want to take a trip to the Amazon with Anacondas and Tarantulas. I hate to admit it, but he was right. He knows me better than I know myself. In hindsight, I now realize that nobody was tripping balls on Ayahuasca tea with natives in that story- unless… Is that why they saw each other’s energy tangibly radiating from their body? See, I knew the book did not belong in the fiction category.

Back to square one. I found myself in a vicious cycle constantly over analyzing my life and trying to figure out what I was missing.

How could I find answers? I didn’t even know what the question was that I was asking myself.

back-story

In elementary school I remember one of my writing pieces being featured in the scholastic section in the paper. Immediately, I decided I wanted to be a writer when I grow up. As the years went on, the magic in my eyes dwindled as I learned about the reality of life. My dream of becoming a writer was demolished and my career prospects transitioned from safer to even safer choices.

For a short period of time after graduating high school, I started to feel the magic again. The concept of being able to anything that you wanted to do with life was intoxicating. The thoughts, however, quickly diminished. I, like many, had succumb to the false narrative that you have to play it safe, work hard, and be realistic in order to be successful. There were brief daydreams of becoming a food blogger or a chef, but they were just that. Daydreams.

Fast forward several years, I am in debatably one of the most highly demanded careers- nursing. Who would have guessed? Out of all the careers, I wimped out and played it disgustingly safe.

I enjoy my profession, but I often found myself referring to life as, “The Rat Race.” Surrounded by people who were just trying to keep up with the Jones’, I assumed the classic role of, “if you can’t beat them, join them.”

Maybe Redfield was onto something, maybe there is no such thing as a coincidence.

Coincidence, or?

Relentless to find answers, I found myself reading more. The book, “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert T. Kiyosaki was suggested to me. I was quickly captivated, but then there it was. He referred to life as the Rat Race. The book proceeds to shed light on how it all a mindset.

A long-forgotten memory resurfaced. Growing up, on winter weekends I would wake up to my dad cooking breakfast with pride in a cast iron pan over the woodburning stove that heated our house. I could feel the memory. The warmth, the intent, the patience. It gave me a glimpse of what I yearned to find.

I wanted to relive the memory, for even just another glimpse of that feeling that I haven’t felt in so long. I suppressed the thought.

Not long after, my dad “coincidentally,” gifted me old cast iron pans to use over the fire at our hunting camp. “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Or whatever the Grinch said.

Eagerly, I began my journey striving to recreate that feeling. It was not long until I found my passion for cooking over the fire. I welcomed the challenge. Call it beginners’ luck, but I caught on quickly and I haven’t botched a meal- yet.

Subconsciously, I knew there was more.

The Answer

I cannot quite explain what happened, but everything just clicked. Leave the rat race and pursue what you actually want. That was it.

Now imagine, finding a way to make a living by actually living.

I have always felt like an outcast, never finding my people.

The OutCast Cook is more than just a food blog or online persona. This is going to be my freedom.

There is no greater inspiration than letting go, trusting your gut and taking the leap. It’s hard to fathom that I found my what I’ve been hopelessly searching for.

Join me

With this food blog, I vow to be raw, blogging my experience of whole-heartedly diving into becoming free. No gatekeeping here. My intention with this food blog is to enrich others, inspiring them along their individual path to find “Peru.”

As my late grandfather always said, “Learn everything you can, it is the one thing that nobody can take from you.” I humbly come to this venture with no prior knowledge on business, writing, or even cooking. I intend to be transparent about all that I discover along the way, from the mistakes to the dollar signs.

Here is to us. Harnessing our potential, encompassing our passion, and taking life by the, you know.