Laura Basher’s New Inside-Out “Camp & Cabin” Cookbook
Chef-author Laura Bashar is certainly glam enough to fit the new high-end cabin mode of outdoor camping, now known as “glamping”, or high-end cabin camping, with her refined-yet-rustic aesthetic.
At the same time, she’s down to earth and rugged enough to take on the elements and heavy equipment for outdoor cooking – some of cast iron skillets weigh in at 10 pounds. She says, “you get used to it!” Here she demonstrated how the cast iron Dutch ovens can interlock, and how the cover can also be used as a grill.
Laura is joined by her equally energetic family who has taken up this pastime with a vengeance. She and her family are avid campers and love spending time in the great outdoors. Husband Reza watched from the sidelines as his cub scout son learned the basics of outdoor cooking. Once he became scoutmaster, with his wife, he elevated the outdoor cooking concept to a whole new level.
The Bashar family who helped put the book together with more than just tasting dishes!
Chef Laura Bashar’s “inside out” The Camp & Cabin Cookbook, in fact, is filled to the brim with 100 motivating recipes to cook in cast iron skillets and dutch ovens that can be prepared either inside the kitchen or, best yet, outdoors. ( The Camp and Cabin Cookbook Countryman Press, May 8, 2018, $24.95). A popular blogger with many national media appearances, Laura’s “official approach” to creating recipes is to “appeal to all of your senses” and she does that in each dish.
So, true, what sets the book apart is the way recipe-tester/blogger Laura presents her complete information on equipment, directions, an array of dishes and the heart with which she, and her family, put together the book. But what really makes these dishes shine is Laura’s exceptional seasoning — perhaps her Persian background has something (a lot) to do with her colorful dishes being lick-your-plate delicious. And the California lighter, healthier ingredients make it a welcome pairing.
Grilled shrimp with cocktail sauce – horseradish, Worcestershire, Roma tomato provide the soft kick to this addictive dish
The cookbook includes a complete and thorough guide to the required equipment and methods of campfire cooking and a minimal equipment list designed for a sparsely equipped cabin with recipes requiring little more than a knife, a bowl, and a skillet. Recipe utilizes a cast-iron skillet, Dutch oven, foil packet, and other conventional cooking methods with clear, encouraging instructions.
Laura explains how an oil pan, a chimney and a shovel work in outdoor cooking
Recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus snacks and desserts are in the book, along with detailed tips and instructions on preparing elements of each recipe at home for easier on-site cooking and over a campfire.
Recipes include:
Artichoke and Quinoa Stuffed Mushrooms. The filling is crisped on top. Chef Laura presents alternative cooking methods for cooking over the campfire and in an oven.
Artichoke and Quinoa Stuffed Mushrooms. The filling is crisped on top.
Corn on the Cob from around the world, including Mexico, Morocco, and Thailand. Mexican corn features finely crumbled cotija cheese, cilantro, lime and sea salt. Sriracha, actually from the area of Sriracha in Thailand, plus garlic, cilantro, and sea salt enhances the flavors of the Thai corn.
Mexican corn on the cob
Made in a skillet! Dense, maple-syrup-sweetened Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookies
Peach and Blueberry Cobbler with Chai Topping
Laura Bashar is the voice and photographer of the popular blog, FamilySpice.com, a recipe blog that is inspired by her family and nature. Her motto: make it simple, make it pretty, make it delicious! Laura’s photography and recipes have been featured by Country Living, Parade Magazine, Huffington Post, NBC Today Food, and many others. She lives with her family in San Diego, CA.
Website: familyspice.com
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Gerry Furth-Sides 
Barbara Hansen 
Chef-owner Alain Cohen 
Roberta Deen 
Jose Martinez 
Nivedita Basu 