zucchini carrot cake

The following recipe is from "101 things to do with a dutch oven", and it's specifically for the ultimate dutch oven.

There are three recipes for that dutch oven in this book: sausage spinach wreath, zucchini carrot cake, and chocolate cake.

I don't make desserts very often, and if I did, it probably would not be zucchini carrot cake. The recipe looks good; it's just not something I would pick to make.

I would, however, like to try the chocolate cake recipe.

But for now, I will post the zucchini carrot cake recipe.

Keep in mind, you don't need the ultimate dutch oven for this; A 10 inch camp oven should work fine.

In a large bowl, cream 1/2 cup oil, 2 cups sugar, 3 eggs, and 3 tsp vanilla.

Stir in 2 cups shredded zucchini and 1 cup shredded carrots. Add 1 can crushed pineapple with liquid. Mix.

Add 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, and 3 cups flour.*

*If you use self rising flour, you can omit the salt, baking powder and baking soda.

Fold in 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.

Bake at 350 in the oven, or using 10 coals on bottom, 14 on top*. Should take 40 to 50 mins.

*That coal combination is for the ultimate dutch oven; Use the appropriate amount of coals for your size.

For the frosting, mix 8 oz softened cream cheese and 1/2 cup softened butter until smooth.

Add 1 tsp vanilla and 4 cups powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time until blended. Frost cake after it cools.

my first smoked salmon, first time using the ultimate dutch oven

This is my first time using the ultimate dutch oven.

I'm using it to smoke salmon outdoors, on a propane burner.

It's on my outdoor cooking table, which is built from cinder blocks and patio stones.

Tonight I discovered a feature of the ultimate dutch oven that I did not realize was there: It has a notch between the lid and pot, to insert a meat thermometer.

I knew the ultimate turkey roaster had one, but didn't realize this one did too.

I smoked some mesquite wood chips in water for about an hour, then put them in the bottom of the pot.

You don't necessarily have to soak them in water; You can soak them in beer, liquor, or other liquid for flavor.

I cut up the salmon fillet into four pieces. I did not season beforehand; I put some black pepper on it afterwards.

I could have used the bottom rack for the fish, but I decided to use the top rack. (I left the bottom rack out).

Turned on the burner, left the lid cracked until it started smoking, then put the lid on.

I checked after about 30 minutes and it was done.

It tasted like smoked salmon. While I normally don't really like smoked meat, I can say that I like smoked salmon.

You can do this in a regular dutch oven; Just use a round cooling rack on top of the wood chips.

Cleaning this pot wasn't nearly as much of a hassle as it was for the turkey roaster, which is a major pain to clean.

So now I have this pot next to my back door. I'll try using it again, and maybe I'll warm up to it.

Been looking for recipes for the ultimate dutch oven

I have an ultimate dutch oven that I have never used, so I would like to put it to use at some point.

So I've been looking for recipes, which aren't very easy to come by.

There used to be an Ultimate Dutch Oven cookbook, but it's been discontinued.

The recipes I do find, I'm quickly realizing that most anything that can be made in the ultimate dutch oven, can be made in a regular pot.

And, if it can be made in a regular pot, it almost always can be made in the ultimate dutch oven.

The other night I made a recipe that came with the manual, but since it was a dessert, I used a smaller pot to make it.

I just can't justify making any dessert, bread, soup or stew in this pot*, when I can more easily make it in a smaller pot.

*You certainly CAN make that stuff in the ultimate dutch oven. I just wouldn't, if I can use a smaller pot that's easier to carry and clean.

Nevertheless, I'm seeking out things that I am willing to try-- mostly meat dishes.

I can see how it would be useful as a small smoker, but smoked meat isn't my favorite.

I am willing to try smoked salmon, since I've never had that. I don't have an ultimate dutch oven recipe for smoked salmon, but I'm sure any recipe will work.

Now, there's one interesting, yet ridiculous looking recipe that I will probably not try, because sausage isn't my favorite thing, and it appears to be a hassle.

It's in the cookbook "101 things to do with a dutch oven", and it specifically calls for the ultimate dutch oven:

Sausage spinach wreath

1/2 pound fresh ground pork, browned and drained

1/2 pound pork sausage, browned and drained

1 package cream cheese, softened

1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

1 box Knorr vegetable soup mix

6 oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed

2 green onions, chopped

2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed

In a bowl, mix all ingredients except pastry, cover, and set aside.

I'm going to skip the fancy complicated stuff you're supposed to do with the pastry to make it into a wreath.

Just cut it in pieces, and lay them on the bottom of the dutch oven rack. It'll be fine.

Place meat mixture in a ring over the puff pastry pieces. Then put some more pieces on top.

I'm pretty sure you could use pie shells in place of the puff pastry.

Place the rack in the preheated dutch oven; Bake at 400 degrees using 15 coals on bottom and 20 on top.

Should take 40 to 50 minutes; check with a meat thermometer and make sure it's 160 degrees.

It's possible I may try the meat mixture itself and make a pork meatloaf. But I wouldn't need the ultimate dutch oven for that either.

This cookbook has three recipes specifically for the ultimate dutch oven: sausage spinach wreath, zucchini carrot cake, and chocolate cake.

My first camp oven dessert

This is a Lodge camp oven.

Traditionally, smaller sized camp ovens have been used to make desserts, and I made my first camp oven dessert.

Right now there is a burn ban in Midland, so I could not use coals; I just put it in my regular oven at 350.

This recipe came from the manual for the ultimate dutch oven, which is the smaller cousin to the ultimate turkey roaster.

See my earlier article comparing the two.

Even though the recipe came with the ultimate dutch oven, I decided to use a 4 quart Lodge camp oven, which fit the recipe just fine.

The recipe was Cherry Soda Cobbler, but I like strawberry better so I used that.

2 cans of pie filling, 1 yellow cake mix, 1 can of Sprite.

First add the pie filling, then the yellow cake mix, then the Sprite.

Into the oven at 350. I checked on it after 30 minutes and left it in a little longer, until I could smell it.

It was good, except that I completely forgot the cool whip. Never forget the cool whip!

I think next time I will use only ONE can of pie filling, or perhaps frozen strawberries.

The cake mix I used was Duncan Hines.

recycled ultimate roast

I made enough of the ultimate roast last night to have it another night.

But I decided it needed some sprucing up, so I strained the liquid, put it in a skillet and made a gravy out of it with wondra flour.

Then I added bacon bits to the gravy.

Poured it back onto the roast and veggies. It was quite good!

There's still some left. I'll probably make a pot pie out of the rest.

Ultimate Roast

Ultimate Roast is the final recipe in the manual that came with the ultimate turkey roaster.

I've already tried the other recipes, which were for ultimate veggies, yankee ribs, and cornish hen.

Since I no longer have my turkey roaster, I used the Lodge 7 quart pro logic pot. I think it was my first time using that pot!

I seasoned the roast with Lawry's seasoned salt with cracked pepper. Melted butter in the pot, and browned the roast.

Added quartered red potatoes, baby carrots, onion quarters, whole mushrooms, a few corn cobs, minced garlic, 1/2 can of Coke*, and more seasoning**.

*I wonder how it would have tasted with beer instead of Coke?

**I should have added bacon bits. That would have been tasty! Whole garlic cloves could also be used, instead of minced.

Covered the pot, into the oven at 300.

After 2 hours it wasn't done yet, so I upped the temperature to 350. Although it's always better to cook roast "low and slow".

After it was done, I added Worcestershire sauce for flavor.

When I was eating it, I added "bacon salt", which gave me the idea that I should have added bacon bits. It was my first time trying "bacon salt" on anything.

Check out my spruced up version of the leftovers!

Having tried every recipe in the manual, I can now discard it, since I no longer have the pot.

I conclude that there's nothing you can cook in the ultimate turkey roaster, that you can't cook in any large cast iron pot.

I do acknowledge that the convection cone speeds up the cooking process, as the recipes do take longer than stated in the manual. But, it was cumbersome and such a pain to clean.

At first I thought I might regret getting rid of it; I don't have any regrets, nor am I sorry I tried it out.

I do still have the ultimate dutch oven and plan to try that out eventually.

high desert cornish game hens

The following recipe is modified from the manual that came with the ultimate turkey roaster.

I don't have my ultimate turkey roaster anymore, so I used a 5 quart cast iron pot.

First you have to make the stuffing:

Chop a sweet yellow onion and cook down in olive oil, in a cast iron skillet.

Put the onions in a bowl, along with wheat bread broken into 2 inch pieces, and a can of cream of chicken soup.

Add sage and "grub rub" seasoning*. Mix.**

*Grub Rub is an all purpose seasoning available in my local store; you can order it online.

**The recipe called for Camp Chef Sidewinder wing seasoning, which I do not have. So I used grub rub.

The recipe called for stuffing the hens with this mixture, but I baked it separately in a skillet.

Coat the cornish hens with "grub rub" and sage. Spray with olive oil Pam. Place in a cast iron pot, in the oven at 350.

I removed the stuffing when it was done, after about 45 minutes.

After an hour and a half, the hens still weren't quite done, so I took the lid off and roasted another 30 minutes. It helped to brown the skin.

I have to say, the stuffing and the birds were quite good.

Next I'm going to try the final recipe in the manual, which is ultimate roast.

Previously I tried the other two recipes which were ultimate veggies and yankee ribs.

Yankee Ribs (smoked)

Tonight was my first experience with smoking meats outdoors.

I used the ultimate turkey roaster, a special dutch oven meant for roasting turkey.

It can also be used for smoking meats.

The instruction manual includes four additional recipes; one is for yankee ribs, which is what I made tonight.

Season beef back ribs with steak seasoning.

Put 1/2 cup of smoking chips in the bottom of the roaster*, then put the rack on top of the chips, then the ribs on top of the rack.

*I was told, after the fact, that it's best to soak the wood chips in water for a couple of hours before you smoke with them; As I'd never smoked before, I didn't know that, and the instruction manual didn't say to. Oh well.

Put the roaster on medium heat and leave the lid open a crack until it starts to smoke. Then put the lid completely on.

The recipe states that you can cook on low heat for 2 hours, or medium heat for 45 minutes.

I checked the ribs after 30 mins on medium heat, and they were done.

Keep in mind that since this pot has a convection cone, cooking times are faster. You could do the same thing in a regular cast iron pot, but it will take longer.

Coat the ribs with your favorite BBQ sauce and eat.

Honestly, I preferred the ribs I cooked three weeks ago.

These were OK, but I'm not a big fan of smoked meat. I prefer grilled or roasted, although I did want to try this recipe.

So at this point, I've used this pot to roast turkey outdoors and indoors, for ultimate veggies, and for smoked ribs.

The turkey, both times, was OK, although I prefer it fried or roasted in the oven.

The veggies were also good, but could have just as easily been done in a smaller pot.

This pot could be very useful as a smoker; I'm just not a fan of smoked meat.

I intend to try the recipes for cornish hen and ultimate roast soon.

After that, I don't know when or if I will ever use this pot again, although I don't regret buying it and learning about it.

I may sell it on craigs list. I'm torn, since it's discontinued and hard to find, yet it's also large, cumbersome, and a pain to clean.

But now I also have the ultimate dutch oven, which also has a convection cone, but is smaller, and includes a top rack as well as a bottom.

ultimate veggies

The makers of the ultimate turkey roaster figured you'd want to use it for more than just roasting turkey.

So the instruction manual included four additional recipes.

I would have liked more, but anyway.

One of those recipes is called "ultimate veggies".

This seems like an awfully big pot to cook what I consider a side dish, but I finally tried it.

This recipe was modified from the manual:

You need red potatoes, baby carrots, yellow onions quartered, whole mushrooms, grated cheese, 1 cup sour cream, 1 can cream of mushroom soup*, 1/2 stick butter, seasoned salt, and worcestershire sauce.

*I would have preferred cream of chicken soup, I think.

The original recipe called for white potatoes as well, and no worcestershire sauce.

It didn't call for whole garlic cloves, but I should have added those too.

Pour 1 cup of water at the bottom for steaming; I dissolved a spoonful of "better than bouillon" chicken flavor in the water.

Quarter the potatoes and add them first. Then the baby carrots, then the quartered onions, and the mushrooms. Mix 1/2 stick butter with the can of soup and sour cream*, and pour over the top.

*I should have diluted the soup with some milk. I didn't, and it had too much "bite".

Wait until it's almost done before you add the grated cheese.

I let it steam on the stovetop for 1/2 hour, checked for doneness, let it go a little more. When the carrots were soft, I added the grated cheese and let it go 10 more mins to let it melt.

Then added seasoned salt* and worcestershire sauce for flavor.

*The recipe called for a special camp chef seasoning, but "season all" seasoned salt worked just fine.

Because this pot cooks by steaming, the cheese didn't melt the way I like. The cheese would have been better melted under a broiler.

This recipe could have just as easily been done in a regular cast iron pot in the oven, although maybe not as fast, since the convection cone speeds up cooking.

The other recipes, besides turkey, are for smoked ribs, cornish hen, and ultimate roast. Eventually I'll try those too.

roasting turkey on the stovetop? no way!

I never dreamed it was even possible to roast turkey on the stovetop.

But the ultimate turkey roaster is meant to be used on a propane burner, which is essentially a stove. So why not the stovetop?

Before I go any further, let me say that this was NOT my preferred method of cooking turkey, and I probably won't do it again. But, it is indeed possible.

This should not be done in just any pot; The ultimate turkey roaster is specially designed for turkey.

It has a convection cone in the center, to allow for air circulation.

First I preheated the lid in the oven at 250.

Preheating the lid is absolutely essential, or it will be undercooked; I probably should have preheated it at 350.

I seasoned the turkey by melting a stick of butter in the microwave, then adding sage, seasoned salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and "better than bouillon" chicken base to the melted butter. Then stirred, and poured on the turkey.

Then I heated up the bottom part on the stove, and placed the turkey on the cone. Put the meat thermometer into the side, and then the preheated lid on top.

There's a small opening in the side, so you can have the meat thermometer readily visible, as you can see in the picture.

30 minutes into cooking, I added a 1/2 cup of water to the bottom to prevent scorching, per the instructions. Don't add too much liquid, because the result will be "steamed" turkey instead of roasted*.

*Once I tried it, it still tasted like "steamed" turkey instead of roasted. Dry heat in the oven is really the way to go.

It took about an hour and a half for the thermometer to reach 170.

When I removed the turkey and started carving, I noticed there was a hint of pink, so just to be sure, I put it uncovered in the oven at 300 for about 20 minutes. This helped to crisp the skin a little.

The turkey turned out pretty good, but I can't say that I care for this method of preparation.

I've tried several different methods to see which one I like best, and so far, the oven bag in a large cast iron skillet is in the lead.

Next time I will try "breast side down."

What I learned today about the ultimate dutch oven

This is the ultimate dutch oven, by Camp Chef.

I've tried to research this particular piece of crockery, only to find a lot of hype, and not much practical stuff. I had questions about it, that I never could find answers to:

Does it fit in a volcano stove? Can it be used on the stovetop? Can the top be used on the stove as a skillet?

I finally got to hold one in my hands today and see for myself.

Yes, it fits in a volcano stove, which is designed to hold dutch ovens up to 12 inches.

It technically is not made for the stovetop*, due to the legs, although if you turn up the heat it's possible. But that is an inefficient use of fuel.

*On a gas stove it's OK, just remove the grate.

It can be used in the oven, if you take out the top rack, and put the bottom on the lowest tier.

The lid can be used over coals as a skillet as well as a griddle; Most dutch oven lids can only be used as a griddle.

And since the lid has its own legs, you don't need a lid stand to use it as a skillet or griddle.

But, you cannot use the lid on the stovetop, because of the handle. It will not sit level on the burner; The legs are too short.

Eventually I will actually use the ultimate dutch oven, to see if it really does cook so much faster than a regular dutch oven, as the company claims.

They also claim you don't need top heat for this, except for baking. I may try that out, or just use top heat anyway, since it's so windy here in North Texas.

The camp oven enhancement kit

This is a camp oven enhancement kit.

It's 14 inches and is supposed to fit the ultimate dutch oven, as well as the Camp Chef 14 inch deluxe camp oven, listed on the website as the 12 quart camp oven.***

***UPDATE: A consumer reported that it actually does not fit the 14 inch deluxe camp oven, as the website claims, but the 12 inch deluxe camp oven.

***The consumer also reported that it does not fit perfectly on the ultimate dutch oven either.

***Camp Chef better update their website to reflect this error, or they'll have unhappy customers.

It does not fit any Lodge camp ovens*, nor does it fit a Camp Chef regular 14 inch camp oven.

*So consequently I will not be getting one.

It's not cast iron, unfortunately. It's aluminum.

The bottom fits on the camp oven to serve as a lid.

The dome lid fits directly on the camp oven, and you can do "stack cooking."

You can use the bottom part as a griddle, or put the dome lid on top to bake something*.

*Be sure to put coals on top, or it won't work.

The dome lid can be flipped to use as a pot.

I think if it were cast iron instead of aluminum, it might be worth buying.

Here are some photos of it in use.

Thoughts on rigging up a cast iron grill

I got an idea in the middle of the night, that unfortunately won't pan out as I'd hoped.

Pictured above is the dome lid for my ultimate turkey roaster, which doubles as a pot, as well as the bottom rack.

I was hoping to be able to use the rack and pot, as a makeshift charcoal grill. But as you can see, it's too small to fit on top.

The rack would fit on top of my 5 quart pot, but there would be very little cooking area, and hot charcoal would warp the seasoning.

I don't use this dome lid as a pot for cooking. It's too large for my stove, and I don't have a lid that fits*.

*I have since obtained a Lodge 13 inch lid, which doesn't fit perfectly, but it does fit.

But I'd really like to find more uses for it, than just a dome lid for my roaster.

The Lodge Sportsman's grill costs $100. Since the Sportsman's grill is, essentially, a large cast iron pot, with a cast iron rack on top, I could have saved some $$ if my idea would have worked.

Lodge does sell a cast iron grill grate, that's 15 x 11 inches. According to my measurements, that would work. It costs $40.

If you don't already have a large pot that you don't intend to cook in, and would have to buy one anyway, you might as well just get the grill.

I haven't decided yet, if I'm going to do it the cheap way (use this pot with a grill grate), or just bite the bullet and get the grill.

Someone made a very valid point, though: The grill is thicker than the average cast iron pot, for the purpose of lighting coals without cracking.

I'm not sure I want to risk cracking my pot!

roasting a turkey outdoors vs. frying

I decided to try my hand at roasting turkey outdoors, in the ultimate turkey roaster, a large dutch oven with a cone in the center.

This dutch oven is marketed as a healthy alternative to turkey frying, which it is. This is my review, in comparison to what the company claims-- Which isn't too off base, mind you.

First they claim it's much healthier, which is a given. Roasted is always healthier than fried.

Next, they claim that you don't have to spend 50 bucks on peanut oil. Also right on target. You don't have to buy oil at all, but you should spray generously with Pam, being cast iron.

And since there's no oil, you don't have to carefully measure the amount of oil, nor do you have to wait for the oil to heat up when cooking. So setup is much faster, not to mention safer.

With the roaster, you can use dry rubs and seasonings, as opposed to only injectable marinades when frying.

Now here's where my opinion differs: Cleanup being easier. True, you don't have to wait for the oil to dry and then recycle it. But, "Just use warm water and a washcloth," my foot!!

It took a lot more than warm water and a washcloth-- it took SEVERAL runs of HOT water and a steel wool pad! (Not one with detergent; You can't use detergent on cast iron). And cleaning out my sink each time I emptied the water.

I finally decided to boil water in it, which made it easier to clean. Next time I'll do that initially.

They claim that the taste of fried turkey is GOOD, while outdoor roasted turkey is FANTASTIC. I say the other way around: Fried turkey is fantastic, albeit bad for you; Outdoor roasted turkey is good.

A couple of things I should have done differently:

The instructions said to calibrate the thermometer, which I did not do, so I didn't know that the thermometer reads 10 degrees less than the actual temperature. For example, if it says 160 degrees it's really 170 degrees.

Secondly, the instructions said to add 1/2 cup of liquid 30 minutes into roasting to prevent burning; so I added 1/2 cup every 15 minutes as an extra precaution-- and also I didn't want it to be dry.

The result was a "steamed" turkey as opposed to roasted. Which made it very very moist I must say. Very moist... but someone pointed out, "It tastes steamed, not roasted". Which isn't necessarily bad, but next time I'll only use a 1/2 cup after 30 minutes*.

*Actually, I did that the next time, and it still came out "steamed."

And third, I need to learn how to inject marinades into the breast meat. The breast was very moist which is a plus, but not very flavorful, as breast meat is very hard to make flavorful. The steaming washed off much of the spices I had rubbed it with.

The problem is, most marinades are "cajun" and I really don't want a cajun turkey-- I want a traditional roasted "butter and poultry seasoning" turkey. Apparently you can inject melted butter mixed with poultry seasoning into the breast, so I'm going to practice on roasted chickens in the coming months.

I wouldn't say I prefer one method over the other, they both have their plus and minus, although I did like not having to spend $$ on oil.

I would say that this is very similar to "The Big Easy", a contraption marketed as an "oil-less infrared turkey fryer." Which really isn't a "fryer" at all; It's an outdoor roaster.

Ultimate Dutch Oven

This is the Ultimate Dutch Oven, by Camp Chef. I don't have this one; I have its larger cousin, the ultimate turkey roaster, which is discontinued. It's intended for outdoor use.

This pan is marketed as the "outdoor microwave", since it cooks faster due to the center convection cone. The lid can be flipped and used as a griddle. It has a bottom rack for smoking or catching meat drippings, and a top rack for cooking food above your main dish.

I regret that the ultimate turkey roaster does not have a top rack, which would expand its usefulness. It just has a bottom rack.

The turkey roaster also has a domed lid, that can be used as a pot. I tried my 12 inch lid as a cover, but it wasn't quite big enough.

A Lodge 13 inch lid would possibly work*, or I can just use my 15 inch skillet or pizza pan as a cover.

*UPDATE: I tried the 13 inch lid. It doesn't fit with a perfect seal, but it does fit.

I pondered for a week, what I could possibly do with the turkey roaster besides cooking turkey. It's essentially an outdoor oven, so just about anything. It can roast ribs, brisket, chickens, ham, and roasts.

It can be used as a steamer for seafood, as well as a smoker for other meats.

Even though it doesn't have a top rack, there's no reason you can't just put your potatoes and veggies alongside the meat. After all, it is large enough to roast a turkey.

Of course, any one pot meal can be cooked in this. One recipe is for "ultimate veggies", which is roasted veggies with cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and shredded cheese mixed in.

I'm thinking you could bake breads in it too, but you might need coals on top for that.

You can use the rack and lid as a makeshift charcoal grill.

I would say that the ultimate turkey roaster is very similar to "The Big Easy", a contraption marketed as an "oil-less infrared turkey fryer". Which really isn't a "fryer" at all; It roasts the turkey outdoors.

I've considered the ultimate dutch oven, since the turkey roaster is large and cumbersome. But the ultimate dutch oven has legs, which wouldn't work on my electric stove. Otherwise it would be perfect. And the top rack would be nice, too.

But, I definitely don't need another pot.