Dear Fellow Foodies and Camping Aficionados, Gourmet Girl Gail here writing from Pismo Beach on the Central Coast of California. We’ve been doing some serious local camping most of the summer, and one of our recent excursions was to Lake Cachuma, a reservoir in the Santa Ynez Valley on the Santa Ynez River off California […]
Sunflowers and Blueberries
Greetings from the Loire! Gourmet Girl Denise here with the latest from Le Petit Saint Barnabé. A couple of weeks ago I got a call from my friend Alexia who lives here in Mouliherne. She wanted to go blueberry picking and wanted to know if I wanted to go along. Of course, I said yes, […]
Camping During Covid — Part I
Dear Friends and Followers, Gourmet Girl Gail here writing from Lake Cachuma, a short drive from my home in Santa Barbara. The thing I noticed most on my way up the 101 Freeway to Buellton were the number of RVs on the road. According to the RV Industry Association, RV sales in some areas have […]
Cooking at Le Petit Saint Barnabé
Hello friends, cooks, and fellow campers! Gourmet Girl Denise here from the Pays de Loire, France. In case you are wondering where on earth the opening picture is from, it is here at Le Petit Saint Barnabé. It is my kitchen where I have been inspired of late to start baking in my ancient, wood-burning […]
The Anarchist Campground
If you don’t mind digging your own latrine, the anarchist campground is your new, self-isolation, best friend! I recently found myself in a situation where my best option was driving halfway across the country. Airplanes? No thanks. Hotels? I was on the fence. But camping… now that’s something I can get behind. Multiple Covid experts […]
Mom’s Apple Pie in the Sky
Dear Friends and Fellow Foodies, Gourmet Girl Gail here! How is everyone faring during these challenging times? We sincerely hope you are safe, healthy, and still cooking up some fabulous meals. They say there’s nothing more American than apple pie and baseball. Growing up, our family had plenty of both. My father was an avid […]
Spring and the Pandemic
Hello, fellow campers, cooks, and gourmets everywhere! Gourmet Girl Denise here from the Loire, France. Well, I don’t think any of us could have possibly predicted the turmoil that our fellow humans are experiencing as a result of this horrible disease that has taken over the planet. We hope you are all well and have […]
Children of the Carl
Hello! Gourmet Girl Lindsey here. Have you been making sourdough bread at home just like every other nonessential worker in America? Yeah, me too. I started this process back in December when the pandemic was just a twinkle in Uncle Ben’s eye. Heeding the sage advice of my friend Sarah, I ordered some dried sourdough […]
The Slow Life
Hello, campers, food enthusiasts, and cooks everywhere! Gourmet Girl Denise here from the Loire Valley, France. Well, what a strange time we are living in right now, n’est ce pas? Here in France, we have just completed a two-week lockdown only to be told we will have to stay on lockdown another month, until April […]
Comfort Food in Uncomfortable Times
Dear Friends and Followers, We hope you’re all doing OK and keeping safe. We’re as overwhelmed as everyone about our current state of affairs. With folks around the world (myself included) hunkering down and avoiding physical contact with friends, many of our routines have been thrown out of whack. In times like this, it often […]