Sometime in the middle of the night, I woke up thinking about a Mountain Man breakfast. It was a strange thought, but once it was there, there was no unthinking it. I could see it in my mind. I could smell it as it cooked. I could taste all the flavors as they melded together to create an awesome meal. I had to have it. I was like a caffeine addict looking to score my next espresso.
I managed to wait until daylight before I got up, but once I did, I informed my husband that I was going to make a Mountain Man breakfast outside over the fire. He looked at me like I was a complete idiot. You know the look. The brows furrow, the nostrils kind of flare a little bit, and one hand flies to a hip while the other points out the nearest window… “Have you lost your mind?” he asked. “Do you know how cold it is out there?” Nope. And it really doesn’t matter because I have this thing on my mind and it’s breakfast food, and it is breakfast time…
So, after feeding and watering the goats and chickens and letting my girls out to free range for the day, I make a trip through the yard to pick up sticks. We always have plenty of sticks and they have to be picked up anyway, so two birds, one stone, right? I got my fire going with my handy dandy little sparky (you can find one in the camping/outdoor section of most stores) and chose to use this neat little cast iron shallow pot a dear friend gave to me.
As it turned out, “out there” was a cool 20 degrees, but there was no stopping me now. I cooked the bacon and the sausage, then mixed them together and set them aside.
I added shredded hash browns to the grease in the pot and after a little bit, added some scrambled eggs, salt and pepper. I put the meat on top of the scrambled eggs and topped it off with 8 ounces of shredded cheddar, put the lid on, then sat back to wait.
I’m telling you guys…what comes out of this pot is nothing short of amazing. This is one of my favorite meals. I brought it in the house and my husband said, “You must really like cooking outside to do it in 20 degree weather.” What can I say? A good campfire is my happy place.
What makes you happy?