Camping In

Back in the day, I was a stay-at-home mom while the Kids were young.  There were no such things as day-care centers and the cost of a babysitter for four little ones would have taken my entire salary; wages weren't much in those days.  Most of our vacations were camping trips, again because of finances.  I'll have to admit that I took full advantage of the word "vacation," not because I didn't love being with "The Group," as the Kids were known to one and all, but it was nice once a year to have time to myself.  How did I accomplish that?  I would plan at least one meal a day that would take time to cook on a two-burner camp stove, which would excuse me from joining in other activities.  The Kids' dad would take The Group on a lengthy hike and I would sit and enjoy the quiet, stirring the pot now and then.

I was thinking back to those times yesterday when I made Chunky Corn Chowder, a vacation staple.  It's such a simple soup:  potatoes, onions, creamed and whole kernel corn, evaporated milk, and Spam cut into bite-size pieces and fried crispy.  All easily transported ingredients, and a welcome meal for hungry, tired campers.

I live in the middle of a forest, I could pretend the Kids were out hiking, and that soup for dinner was just like camping in.

It was a good day.