Blog - Cooking On The Ranch

Camping Turquoise Lake Colorado Vacation

June 29, 2009 By Lea Ann Brown 2 Comments

Camping Turquoise Lake. Our weekend camping trip at Turquoise Lake in Colorado. Read all about Camping Turquoise Lake and the food that went along.

Camping at Turquoise Lake in Colorado. Sunset at Turquoise Lake

Sunset over Turquoise Lake. One of Colorado’s premier camping destinations. And our menu for camping food ideas.

Thursday, June 25: We’ve been looking forward to and planning for our first camping trip for weeks. Our plans were to head to Turquoise Lake early Friday morning with the car packed with camping food so we could eat well.

Where Is Turquoise Lake?

Picturesque Turquoise Lake is about 2 ½ hours west of Denver, near Leadville. An every summer destination for us.

Where to Camp At Turquoise Lake

We’ve been camping at Turquoise Lake for 20 + years. Even though there are several camp ground available, we’ve always chosen Molly Brown. All campground choices are located in pristine Colorado forest settings. Molly Brown includes sites directly on the lake. We have camped at those sites, but it can be breezy and the cool air coming off Turquoise Lake can be chilling. Also the lake sites are very near the trail that leads around the lake. It can get busy at times. We like the upper loop sites, that are closest to the lower loop.

Campgrounds at Turquoise Lake include

Molly Brown
May Queen
Baby Doe
Tabor
Printer Boy

If you’re interesting in camping food ideas, you’ll find some great ideas in this post.

May Queen Campground Turquoise Lake Colorado near Leadville.

Hiking Turquoise Lake

We love the trails for hiking, and the area is unique to add a couple of birds to our year list. Most years we find a Fox Sparrow in a marshy area on the North side of the lake and regular campground flyovers of Red Crossbills are always a treat. This photo is taken from the May Queen Campground, a great spot for bird watching at Turquoise Lake.

A short drive from Turquoise Lake, on Half Moon Road, you’ll find an extremely popular trail heads for Mt. Massive and Mt. Elbert.

Camping Food Ideas for 2 Days, 2 People

A carefully planned menu, a couple of hours of pre-cooking at home, makes camping meals a breeze. Let’s take a look:

Hiking around Turquoise Lake can bring you jaw dropping views.

Easy hiking trails around Turquoise Lake bring beautiful views of our Rocky Mountains.

Friday: June 26: Frolicking in our beautiful majestic Rocky Mountains means building big appetites. The tent is up, a long hike under our belts and settling into our camp chairs looking at the view over the lake with Mt. Massive as a back drop. (pictured above) It’s time for a glass of wine and dinner.

Friday evening’s plans were for this easy recipe for Sirloin Steak Kabobs. I purchased a good quality sirloin steak at Whole Foods, cubed the steak and prepared the killer marinade.

EASY to transport to the camping site. Just pack the steak cubes in a large zip lock baggie and let it steep in the wonderful flavors until ready to cook. I also pre-cubed some orange bell pepper and cut some green onions. Those can travel together in a smaller baggie. Save some of the pieces of vegetables for a side salad to go with the kabobs. When you’re ready to cook, just skewer and cook over the open fire or grill.

Prepackaged salads are wonderful for camping. I packed a bottle of purchased Italian Dressing, packed a tomato and used some of the bell pepper and onion chunks. Voila a delicious and easy salad for a side dish.

A can of Black Beans with Jalapenos makes a very easy side dish. Just make sure you’ve packed a can opener.

I know, I know, none of it really goes together; curried beef kabobs, Italian style-salad and Mexican beans, but hey we’re camping and it was delicious. We enjoyed a bottle of Snoqualmie Merlot. Serves 2 🙂

Tent Camping Breakfast

Saturday, June 27: Plans for Saturday breakfast are Biscuits and Gravy. Again, preparation at home makes this an easy meal at the campsite. I purchased slices of smoked bacon at the meat counter at Whole Foods, one breakfast sausage patty, one chicken cutlet and a package of cream biscuits.

I fried the bacon at home and placed in a plastic bag to transport in the cooler. With a tablespoon of the bacon drippings, I made a creamy gravy. I like to use canning jars to transport food in the cooler. I fried the sausage in a separate pan to crumble into the gravy. Whole Foods sausage just doesn’t produce enough fat to make a gravy, but sure does add flavor when tossed in. At the campsite flour and cut the chicken in half. Sautee the chicken cutlets in olive oil. Heat the gravy. Half the biscuits and layer with a chicken cutlet, a couple slices of bacon, plenty of gravy and serve open faced with a nice helping of colorful organic berries also purchased at Whole Foods. Not to worry, a long hike will ease the guilt. 🙂

Picnic Camping Lunch

Since we devoured such a large and heavy breakfast, I planned for a light lunch. We shared a Club Sandwich. From the deli counter at Whole Foods, I packed some shaved ham and turkey, an avocado and tomato to slice and had already pre-cooked a few slices of bacon. On your favorite whole grain bread spread some mayonnaise add slices of ham and turkey, top with some sliced avocado and tomato. At this point pepper the avocado and tomato and then sprinkle with some Italian Dressing. Top with bacon and place the top piece of bread. Slice sandwich in half and serve with an assortment of Whole Foods olives from the olive bar. We never leave home without them. Quick, easy and healthy.

Whole Foods had some great looking apricots, so I halved one and served it on the side.

Tent Camping Dinner, Night 2

Saturday Night Dinner is Spaghetti, a camping food tradition for us. I always make my own Marinara Sauce in advance at home. If you don’t make your own sauce, grab a jar of your favorite at the store. Serve with the remaining salad that you tossed together for last night’s meal and you’ve got an easy camping dinner.

We usually break down camp on Sunday morning to get a head start back to Denver. I-70 traffic becomes quite heavy in the afternoon. Breakfast was granola, yogart and berries.

Grocery List, camping for two. 2 days:

Meat:

1 pound sirloin steak
6 slices bacon (half for breakfast sandwich and half for lunch sandwich)
1 round breakfast sausage patty
¼ pound shaved deli ham
¼ pound shaved deli turkey
1 chicken cutlet

Produce:

1 large orange bell pepper (half for kabobs and half for salad)
1 bunch green onions (half for kabobs and half for salad)
several button mushrooms
2 tomatoes (1 for salad and 1 for lunch sandwich)
2 avocado (1 for salad, 1 for sandwich)
package of mixed berries
1 package salad greens

Other:

A loaf of whole wheat bread
A package of pre-made biscuits. Or a tube of biscuits to bake before you leave
1 package spaghetti
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 jar Italian dressing (for salad and for lunch sandwich)
Parmesan cheese
Mayonnaise
Container of mixed olives
Oil for frying
granola
yogurt

Shrimp Wrapped in Bacon With Creamy Sweet Red Chile Dipping Sauce

June 21, 2009 By Lea Ann Brown 3 Comments

This Bacon Wrapped Shrimp Recipe is stuffed with a sliced pickled Jalapeno and then served with a creamy sweet red chile sauce to take the flavors over the top. A quick marinade in balsamic vinegar adds a depth of flavor to make this shrimp appetizer recipe a show stopper. You’ve got to try this one. AWESOME.

Shrimp stuffed with pickled jalapenos and wrapped in bacon served with a mayo chile sauce and garnished with pickled mexican vegetables

We all met up over at Tom and Kathy’s house for a typical Highlands Ranch All-American backyard BBQ.

To preface a great meal of beef kabobs, there’s always note worthy appetizers. And one of those appetizers is so incredibly delicious and popular, I just had to share the recipe with you.

Kathy’s Bacon Wrapped Shrimp Recipe is a tradition with our group of friends. A recipe that the crowd simply goes crazy over. Let’s take a look.

How to make bacon wrapped shrimp

These little bacon wrapped shrimp literally sprout wings and fly off that appetizer platter. They’re simply that irresistible. Easy to assemble and quick to cook. You can easily cook these bacon wrapped shrimp in the oven.

This dish is built on my New Mexico Red Chile Sauce, a foundational recipe in traditional Southwestern cooking. Let’s take a look.

Sauce for bacon wrapped shrimp Prepare the red chile dipping sauce. Recipe below. Place in refrigerator until ready to use.
Shrimp marinated in balsamic vinegar Purchase good quality large shrimp. Shrimp that tastes like shrimp. Look for Wild caught American shrimp. Remove shells, remove tails and devein the shrimp. Cut a deep enough slit down the back of the shrimp. Deep enough that you’ll be able to tuck that strip of jalapeno pepper into (see below). Let them marinate in balsamic vinegar for 30 minutes.
Soak the wooden toothpicks Soak the wooden toothpicks in water for 30 minutes.
Prepare the bacon I’ve used both thick sliced and regular bacon for this recipe. Even though the thick sliced worked pretty well, it took longer to cook which puts the shrimp at risk for over cooking. Take 12 strips of bacon and lay on a cutting board. Slice them crosswise in half.
Pickled Jalapeno I like to purchase La Costena canned pickled jalapenos. They’re sliced lengthwise as opposed to sliced into rings. They’re a perfect size for the shrimp and will tuck nicely into that cut down the back of the shrimp. Plus, it’s easy to remove the seeds from these wedges. Removing seeds will reduce the heat factor of the jalapeno. If you like the heat, leave them in. Cut the wedges of jalapenos in half and tuck 1 wedge into the shrimp.
Wrap the shrimp in bacon Place a shrimp on the narrow end of one of the slices of bacon. Wrap the end around the crook of shrimp and then continue to roll until the bacon surrounds the shrimp. Take one of the soaked toothpicks and drive it through the middle of the wrapped shrimp to hold everything together. Then continue this procedure with the rest of the shrimp.
Bacon wrapped shrimp in the oven As you finish wrapping each shrimp, place them on a baking sheet large enough so they don’t touch. Air space around each shrimp helps them crisp. Save the balsamic vinegar marinade for basting.
Cooking bacon wrapped shrimp Preheat the broiler in your oven. Move the top rack to the 2nd closest level from the broiler. Place the baking sheet in the oven and broil the shrimp for 2 – 3 minutes. Watch them closely so the bacon doesn’t burn. Turn the shrimp over, and baste with the balsamic vinegar. A silicone basting brush works well here.
Serve the shrimp Remove the shrimp to your favorite appetizer platter and place the bowl of dipping sauce on the platter. Stand back and watch that happy feeding frenzy unfold before your eyes.

Creamy Sweet Red Chile Sauce

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp stuffed with with alapeno tucked inside, and a very special sauce.

This creamy red chile sauce for bacon wrapped shrimp is a delicious combo of pantry ingredients you most likely already have on hand. It uses Southwestern Red Chile Sauce (with an “e”) which refers to an authentic Southwestern style sauce, rather than a chili sauce (with an “i”) which is a sweeter version. For more on that subject take a look at my article Chili vs. Chile.

½ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Red chile sauce
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon minced red bell pepper for a little bit of crunch = Awesome.

Variations

Try this shrimp appetizer using my recipe for Jalapeno Aioli (Mayo) With Cilantro and Lime.

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp With Creamy Sweet Red Chili Sauce

Broiled bacon wrapped shrimp with dipping sauce

We all agree we could eat these things every day, every meal. I’ve made them and they’re easy, just a little time consuming to assemble, but well worth the effort.

And they are a great make ahead shrimp appetizer. Just keep warm until ready to serve. They also travel well. Just give them a quick spin in the microwave just long enough to warm them up.

I hope you give this bacon wrapped jalapeno shrimp recipe a try, and if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating and leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.

And if you have a favorite party shrimp appetizer recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.

Looking for more appetizer recipes wrapped in bacon? Don’t miss this one for Apples on Horseback.

More Shrimp Appetizer Recipes

And if you’re looking for more appetizer recipes, don’t miss my Appetizer category. You’ll find lots of fun party recipes, including the most popular shrimp appetizer on my site for Campechana, Southwestern Mexican Shrimp Cocktail.

If you liked this recipe, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I always appreciate your feedback and hearing how everything went.

And, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for more delicious recipes and cooking tips. Make it a delicious day … every day.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Shrimp Wrapped In Bacon With Creamy Sweet Red ChilieSauce

Shrimp wrapped in bacon, stuffed with jalapeno pepper, cooked in the oven and dipped into a luscious red chile dipping sauce. A crazy popular crowd pleasing appetizer.

Prep Time20

Cook Time5

Total Time25

Course: Appetizer Recipes

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 92kcal

Author: Lea Ann Brown

Ingredients

24 medium shrimp shelled and deveined and tails removed
⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
24 wood toothpicks
12 slices bacon
24 pickled jalapeno slices
½ cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Red chile sauce See note below
1 Tablespoon sweet pickle relish
1 Tablespoon red bell pepper minced

Instructions

Remove tails, remove shells and devein shrimp. Cut a wide slit down the back of the shrimp, large enough to hold a wedge of jalapeno pepper.
Place shrimp and balsamic vinegar in a large resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate for about 15 min.
Soak toothpicks in water while shrimp is marinating. Cut bacon in half, crosswise.
Remove shrimp from marinade, reserving marinade. Put 1 piece of bacon on work surface, place on shrimp at the end, place one wedge of jalapeno in the slit of the shrimp, roll and secure with toothpick.
Stir together mayo, chili sauce, pickle relish, red pepper and 1 T. water. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Broil or grill shrimp brushing with marinade 2-3 minutes. Turn, marinade again and cook another 2-3 min.

Notes

If using sliced rings of pickled jalapeno just place the ring in the crook of the shrimp and then roll up in the bacon slices.

Red Chile Sauce Options:

I always have a batch of my New Mexico Red Chile Sauce on hand. It’s an earthy rich spicy sauce made with red chile pods, or try my recipe for Red Chile Sauce Made From Powder.

For a sweeter version use Heinz Chili Sauce: Heinz chili sauce contains horseradish and pepper seeds to give it spice. A milder heat option for this recipe.

Sambal Oelek: An Indonesian hot chile sauce. Simple with ingredients, crushed red chiles, vinegar and salt. One tablespoon is roughly the equivalent of 1 jalapeno pepper.

Nutrition

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp … It’s What’s For An Appetizer.

Grilled Watermelon Salad with Curried Shrimp and Mache

June 15, 2009 By Lea Ann Brown 2 Comments

Fire up that grill for this light and refreshing Summer meal of grilled watermelon salad paired with curried shrimp and mache. An absolutely delicious combination of flavors.

Grilled watermelon wedges with curried shrimp on greek yogurt with a watercress salad

About This Recipe

It’s just starting to get hot here in Denver, Summertime hot. And for a couple of weeks now, we’ve starting seeing huge bins of big beautiful green and white stripped watermelon in front of our markets. Hallelujah! I can eat the stuff all Summer long.

The watermelons that are available to us right now are from Texas. Our famous Colorado Rocky Ford Melons won’t be available for another month.

Did you know that the small town of Rocky Ford Colorado hails itself as the "Sweet Melon Capital of the World". That's because hot days, cool nights and a relatively high elevation help farmers grow some of the sweetest cantaloupe on the planet And believe me, every single bite is lush and cherished.

So back to this grilled Watermelon salad recipe.

Never grilled watermelon? Grilling watermelon gives it a smoky nuance and a caramelized flavor. It’s divine if you do it right. Let’s take a look.

Steps and Procedures

How To Grill Watermelon

For The Caramelization Slice watermelon about 1 inch thick. Sprinkle with sugar on one side only.
Place on Grill Place sugared side down on a hot grill that’s been coated with oil.
How Long To Grill Watermelon? Grill for only 2 – 3 minutes, peeking underneath until you see good solid grill marks on the cooking side.
You’re Done: Don’t turn that watermelon over. Grilling on one side is enough to keep the fruit from getting soggy. It’s ready to serve. Grilled side up of course.

Flavor Profile

The grilled watermelon takes on a caramelized texture and taste due to the addition of sugar. And as with any grilled food, brings a smoky flavor to the dish.

The bright flavor of curry pairs so well with sweet shrimp. Curry has such a unique flavor due to the combination of sweet and savory ingredients, like cumin and turmeric. It’s earthy flavor is a beautiful compliment to sweet tender shrimp.

This recipe calls for Mache. What is Mache? Mache is a European salad green with small tender leaves. This little lettuce is sweet, soft and velvety. I hope you can find it. I’ve seen it at Whole Foods and Trader Joes. If you can’t find Mache, substitute tender butter lettuce.

This grilled watermelon salad is beautiful and fresh, crunchy with cucumber, lively with lime juice and cool with mint.

The real treat comes into play with the creamy Greek Yogurt. It’s tangy flavor seems to balance the whole flavor experience for the grilled watermelon salad.

To Plate: Swirl a large dollop of the yogurt on each plate. Arrange a slice of watermelon, the shrimp and greens on top. Mache works beautifully here or watercress.

Be sure to swirl each fork full through the yogurt.

It’s a unique and exciting light Summer meal. And healthy!

grilled watermelon salad with curried shrimp, greek yogurt and watercress salad

Recipe for Grilled Watermelon Salad with Curried Shrimp

I hope you give this grilled watermelon salad a try. And if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating and leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.

And if you have a favorite grilled watermelon recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.

More Summer Shrimp Salad Recipes

Blackened Shrimp Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette, A recipe from one of our favorite “high-brow” Denver restaurants. A refreshing entree that's light but in a hearty way.
Shrimp “lettuce wrap” Tacos, with lime dressing and crunchy vegetables is gloriously refreshing in flavor.
Avocado Shrimp Salad with Mango Dressing, A Jamaican roadside stand inspired dish with sweet shrimp simmered in a peppery broth.

Note: For this photo, I couldn’t find mache so purchased watercress. Which I found to be a bit too bitter. You can also use tender butter lettuce.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Grilled Watermelon Salad with Curried Shrimp

Fire up that grill for this light and refreshing Summer meal of grilled watermelon paired with curried shrimp

Prep Time15

Cook Time8

Course: Main Course Seafood

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 439kcal

Author: Lea Ann Brown