Dutch Oven Chicken and Rice Casserole

1 chicken breast per person
½ cooked rice per person
1 can mushroom soup
1 cup milk
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 lb thick sliced bacon
1 tbsp salt, pepper, seasoning salt and garlic salt
Lots of cheese

First you’ll want to prepare your coals and then preheat your oven. Once its good and hot add the bacon in and cover the bottom of the oven and place your chicken on top. Let it cook till its browned and tender. While your chicken is cooking, prepare your rice. Make sure to use a quick cooking rice so you’re waiting forever for the rice to get soft. Once the chicken is done, remove the oven from the heat and pull the chicken out. Add a layer of rice to the broth in the bottom of the oven Place the chicken back in on top of the rice. Next mix up the mushroom soup, milk and seasoning and the remainder of your rice and pour over the top of the chicken. Lastly, add as much cheese as you like. To finish baking your casserole place the oven on top of only 6 or 7 coals. You’ll want to have 12-15 coals on the lid so that the oven bakes nicely. If you keep too many coals underneath the oven you’ll boil it instead so keep the heat on the top instead. You can also add some peas and carrots or other mixed veggies to the top of the dish and now you’ve got all everything you need all in a single dish! Let everything bake for about 20 minutes or until its all hot and bubbly.

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Episode 18 – Interview with Rachelle Croft

To stream the audio for the show, you can click on the play button right here!
[audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/the4x4podcast/Episode_18.mp3]

Order HD Helmet HERO at GoPro.com

On this episode of the podcast we interview Rachelle Croft who just returned from competing with one of two US based teams in the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles in Morocco! In the news we talk about a Leggo RC Land Rover 110, Bentley tackling the Dakar in used VW Touaregs, the VW Doubleback doubles your camping space, an alternative to the Jeep concept Mighty FC, 68,000 Jeep JKs recalled due to fires caused by skid plates, and we shed a tear (actually, its more of a chuckle) over the Ford Ranger ending its production. Also, we launch a new segment called Outdoor Edibles and share a recipe for a Dutch oven casserole! Also, if you haven’t already caught it, we are trying out the Hangout On Air feature in Google Plus.

Contact us with your feedback at: 719-924-5337,
the4x4podcast@yahoo.com
, on Twitter, Facebook or Google +

 

Links from the show:
Direct Downoad
Xelles.org
xelles on Facebook
Adventure IQ
Adventure IQ on Facebook
Idaho Overland Expedition
Independence Trail
RC Leggo Land Rover 110
Bentley to take on Dakar with used VW Touaregs
Doubleback doubles your space
Mitsubishi Fuso Canter
Sentimental Goodbye to the Ford Ranger
David Croyle’s Blog about the Mojave Road and Overland Expo 2012
Bryon Dorr’s Blog

Outdoor Edibles – Chicken and Rice Casserole

  • 1 chicken breast per person
  • ½ cooked rice per person
  • 1 can mushroom soup
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 1 lb thick sliced bacon
  • 1 tbsp salt, pepper, seasoning salt and garlic salt
  • Lots of cheese

First you’ll want to prepare your coals and then preheat your oven. Once its good and hot add the bacon in and cover the bottom of the oven and place your chicken on top. Let it cook till its browned and tender. While your chicken is cooking, prepare your rice. Make sure to use a quick cooking rice so you’re waiting forever for the rice to get soft. Once the chicken is done, remove the oven from the heat and pull the chicken out. Add a layer of rice to the broth in the bottom of the oven Place the chicken back in on top of the rice. Next mix up the mushroom soup, milk and seasoning and the remainder of your rice and pour over the top of the chicken. Lastly, add as much cheese as you like. To finish baking your casserole place the oven on top of only 6 or 7 coals. You’ll want to have 12-15 coals on the lid so that the oven bakes nicely. If you keep too many coals underneath the oven you’ll boil it instead so keep the heat on the top instead. You can also add some peas and carrots or other mixed veggies to the top of the dish and now you’ve got all everything you need all in a single dish! Let everything bake for about 20 minutes or until its all hot and bubbly.

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Episode 18 LIVE Recording!

Derek and I are going to be doing an experiment with episode 18 using Google Hangouts On Air. You’ll be able to jump in, watch and (maybe) comment on the discussion! This should be fun! And if it turns into a train wreck, don’t worry, The 4×4 Podcast will always be an audio podcast!

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Dealing With Challenges

Have you ever felt like Murphy’s Law was in full effect?  Yeah, me too.  And it seemed like everything that could go wrong and could keep my family from going camping was happening.  For all the juicy details, check out my audio recording. 

Listen to the audio here.

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Easy to set off

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On the road

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First stop. I used Glympse to share my location along the route

Perseverance always pays off!  In the end, we made it to the campsite…but not till midnight.  So I embraced my Boy Scout roots and pitched the tent add fast as I could!  

What is the most important characteristic for an adventurer?

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Hiking the North Gorge Trail Whetstone Gulf State Park, NY

Here at The 4×4 Podcast, we realize that the offroad vehicle is really just a means to getting out and having an adventure. It certainly is a ton of fun, but sometimes its great to get out and explore on your own two feet.

This past weekend I scooped up my family and headed for the hiking trails. I also took this opportunity to utilize the new kids backpacks from my article on Adventure Outfitting for Kids. We talked about why certain items need to go on the trail with you and how to use those items. Trip prep is just one of the many teachable moments that happen while out exploring nature.

We also talked about why exercise is so good for you, why not all plants are good for you, erosion control and a lot more! I have to admit, sometimes these discussions were used just to help keep their minds off the steep hills that their little legs were climbing – a trick which didn’t always work.

Whetstone Gulf State Park is built in and around a three-mile-long gorge cut into the eastern edge of the Tug Hill Plateau. The gorge is one of the most spectacular scenic vistas east of the Rocky Mountains. The park has 56 wooded campsites- some of which are electric, a scenic picnic area along Whetstone Creek, a man-made swimming area and trails for hiking and cross-country skiing, one of which circles the gorge. Above the gorge is Whetstone Reservoir, stocked with tiger muskie and large-mouth bass for fishermen, and popular for canoeing. My family explored this area a bit this past winter but didn’t make it far as a huge snow storm came in and sent us back to the truck to grab the sleds! This time we didn’t make the entire loop because we started too late in the day and my 4 and 5 year old aren’t quite ready for a 5.3 mile hike over rocky terrain – but we’ll get there!

Whetstone Gulf State Park


EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking in New York

Overall, it was a great hike and I know that I’ll be heading back to this area again in the future, but the next time we’ll start down the South trail in hopes of finding the water falls that I’ve heard about.

What kinds of outdoor activities do you do when you’re not behind the steering wheel?

Note – this map was created using EveryTrail for Android. EveryTrail.com is a great way to share trips, connect with other travelers and find great new things to do.

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Episode 17 – Interview with Matt Peterson from Fun Treks Guide books

To stream the audio for the show, you can click on the play button right here!
[audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/the4x4podcast/Episode_17.mp3]

Order HD Helmet HERO at GoPro.com

On this episode of the podcast we interview Matt Peterson from Fun Treks guide books.  We also talk about using the hi-lift jack as a first responder tool, the Jeep Liberty is getting the Pentastar motor, Mahindra is not coming to the US after all, Congress investigates fires and death wobble in the 2010 JK, Mitsubishi enters another EV in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, and Land Rover celebrates its one millionth LR Discovery with an 8,000 mile expedition.

Contact us with your feedback at: 719-924-5337,
the4x4podcast@yahoo.com
, on Twitter, Facebook or Google +

 

 
 

Links from the show:

Direct Download

Fun Treks Guide Books

Learn to use your Hi-Lift in an emergency

Jeep Liberty gets the Pentastar Motor

Mahindra not coming to the US

Congress investigates JK death wobble

Congress investigates JK fires

Mitsubishi Motors to Enter i-MiEV Prototype in 2012 Pikes Peak Hillclimb

Land Rover makes 1 millionth Land Rover Discovery

Land Rover completes 8,000 mile expedition it to Beijing 

Dutch Oven Restoration

Give us a 5 Star Rating

The 4×4 Podcast Android App

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VOTD – Expedition Portal Video Contest – Salem Jeepers Snow Run

Earlier this year I participated in a snow-less snow run but that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t snow somewhere. From the looks of this video, all my precious snow landed in Oregon instead! This is a long form video but its fun to watch! Now that its May, you can really enjoy the snow and cold knowing that you’ve got a few months of spring and summer adventure travel ahead of you before you have to face the snow again.

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VOTD – Expedition Portal Video Contest – Those Left Behind

Tom Benitez has shared his adventure with a group of fellow offroaders that couldn’t make the trip from Northern California to Easter Jeep Safari. Tom’s video is not just entertaining because of the amazing NorCal scenery, but also because of his amazing ability to mix his videos with music. This video is definitely one of my favorites from the contest! Good luck, Tom!

Those left behind from Tom Benitez on Vimeo.

Categories: Uncategorized | 1 Comment

VOTD – Expedition Portal Video Contest Entry Edition – Living Overland in New Zeland

This video was created by Beau Johnston, who was interviewed back on episode 14 about his trip to New Zealand. Beau had just recently returned from the trip at the time of the interview but now that he’s had a while he’s had a chance to finish up this video. Beau, thanks for sharing and if I can’t win the video contest, I hope you do! 🙂

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Adventure Outfitting for Kids

Wether you’re camping, 4wheeling or just out for a hike, with kids you’ve got to be prepared to keep them happy. If you focus some attention on the little one(a) comfort and happiness while on the trail, you’re in for a miserable experience. With that in mind, I’ve starting putting together a “Kid’s Survival Bag”.  My kids are 5 (almost 6) and 4 so I’ve got to keep things light and small just for them to be able to manage carrying it all.  I spent some time talking to my kids about what kinds of things they need to carry with them when they are out hiking.  This is all part of the outdoor and adventure education process.  These “training sessions” are also expectation management and will pay huge dividens in the future when we’re actually out in the backcountry, so I highly recommend you talk to your kids about the same things.

The first step for me was finding the right hydration backpack to contain everything.  I’ve searched the Internet and every store that I enter for just the right backpack.  Having my kids try on 100 different bags helps build the excitement for them and keeps them involved in the process too.  This weekend I found some backpacks made by Kelty that fit the price point I was aiming for, the fit was pretty good (a bit of room for the kids to grow into the packs) and the storage space was spot on.

Over the next few days I’ll be picking up the rest of the contents for their backpack.  Here’s some items that I’ll be packing for them:

  • First Aid Kit – including cutesy, fun bandaids
  • Snacks – trail mix, jerky and candy that is resistent to melting, not just squishy-melty chocolate
  • Trash bags – instills a strong sense of leaving things better than you found it
  • Whistle – there is one built into the backpack I bought so thats already done
  • Sunscreen
  • Toilet Paper
  • Antibacterial Handwipes and hand sanitizer
  • Inexpensive compass and map of area we are going to
  • Bug spray or bug wipes
  • Flashlight/headlamp
  • Entertainment – thinking coloring book and some crayons and a travel game or toy to playwith outside
  • Glowsticks
  • Cheap plastic poncho
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