It’s the glorious time of year when fresh wild salmon hits the market and the greenest local produce makes its reappearance. Here are a few ways we love to celebrate cooking in the great outdoors.

Al fresco kitchen: When we’re parked for a while – camp hosting at Fort Casey Historical State Park this month, for instance – the rustic outdoor kitchen gets set up in the Coleman Screen House.

That also means the return of the Foreman Smokeless Grill. On that quick-heating gadget, pork chops are seared, Tater Tots are crisped and burgers are smashed. Pro tip: When grilling salmon, season it with some Rub with Love and brush a little mayo on the flesh side, which is cooked first. The mayonnaise – Leslie loves Duke’s – melts away for a golden finish and prevents sticking.

We’re still trying to figure out how to construct an “oven” so we can produce a decent pizza. The “hood” we made out of a plastic bin got a little overheated and – whoops – melted.

Prepping is a pleasure: Leslie is constantly challenged by the lack of counter space in the Thor Gemini, so when the weather’s nice, she takes the cutting board out to the picnic table. Our go-to afternoon snacks include veggies and ranch dressing, as well as apple slices with peanut butter. When we’re working at Admiralty Head Lighthouse on a busy weekend and don’t have time to step away, we snack on our version of trail mix. That’s a combo of almonds and Trader Joe’s chili-spiced mango.

Some latest greatest hits: Like almost all home cooks, Leslie gets into a bit of a rut when it comes to making dinner. But recently, some new discoveries made it into the regular rotation:

Ahi tuna ramen (Leslie uses the nicely priced Koyo Noodles brand as the base, adding fresh veggies to complement the fish).

Cap Cod potato chips frittata was inspired by the crumbles at the bottom of the bag. That open faced version of an omelet started as sauteed shiitake mushrooms, then eggs were added and the heat lowered. The crushed chips went on top and, hey, who needs hashbrowns?

Rockfish ceviche salad is so easy to make after a long day on the road. Cut the fresh fish into bite-size pieces and add some chopped green onions, plus pickled jalapenos if you like it hot. Then squeeze lime juice on top and toss. Let it “cook” for a few minutes before placing it on top of a slaw dressed in ranch and a couple shakes of hot pepper sauce. Then pass the tortilla chips.

One noble failure: Leslie noticed that the pizza dough needed to be used, so she tried making a cinnamon roll-inspired loaf in the convection/microwave. By the time it came out of the oven, it looked good, but was as hard as the quartzite rocks we collected  in Arizona last winter. Not to worry, she chopped it up and added eggs and milk to create bread pudding French toast. It wasn’t pretty -- but tasted pretty good.

Trunk pantry: When we camp host during the summer months, we bring our “chase” car along, which offers the luxury of extra storage space. So, we stock up on the dry goods that can inspire a meal: marinated artichoke hearts (always good in pasta or a salad), cans of tuna packed in olive oil (quick snack when mixed with Grillo’s Pickle de Gallo), hefty bags of potatoes and onions and yams, cans of San Marzano tomatoes (which make the best marinara when simmered all day in the crockpot, Marcella Hazan-style with onion and butter). There’s also coconut milk and jars of Thai curry paste, along with those surprisingly good ramen noodles and Barelli thin spaghetti. Because carbs rule!)

What’s on your late spring, early summer menu? We’d love to hear: goingmobile@spokesman.com. 

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