Nostalgia

Food cooked over an open fire is a happy memory going back to childhood. Back then it was one of the lovely things we did whenever my family and I were camping out in the bush. When my friends Sarah and Graham suggested a backyard fire and food cooked over the coals I was delighted. They have a big open backyard and a fire pit which they use quite regularly.  They are also fun people to be with!

Graham's business uses outback timber and he had lots of little offcuts that would burn very hot and make good coals for cooking in. (To see more about the timber he uses here is his web site.) Of course there were lots of little branches from the gum trees. There is nothing quite like the smell of gum leaves burning on your fire!
We kept the menu simple - potatoes and onions wrapped in foil and cooked in the coals.

I also "dug out" my old jaffle irons from where I had put them in amongst camping equipment that I haven't used for years! Jaffle irons have lots of different names - we used to call them "toast-rights" when we were small.

The only thing I did wrong was the fire was too hot for the jaffles. I remember the bread outside the iron cooking slowly and just browning. Ours this time burnt! We cut off the burnt edges and the inside was perfect - bread nicely crisp and browned and the egg inside just right! The veges were perfectly cooked and only needed a little topping of butter and salt!

All the while we were enjoying our food there was a Tawny Frogmouth (Podargus strigoides)  sitting up in a nearby tree and watching everything we did. These birds are active from dusk to dawn so this one was sleeping - but with its eyes cracked open enough to watch us. Every time I walked over that way for a better photo it lifted its head and pretended to be a piece of broken off branch. Very good camouflage!

For more scenery from around the world visit Our World Tuesday

and for more birds visit Wild Bird Wednesday