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For our 19th anniversary, MT and I decided to go out for dinner. I cooked.
				No, I didn&rsquo;t crash the kitchen and commandeer the pots and pans. I carried the kitchen (and pot) with me.
				In this case, &ldquo;out&rdquo; meant outdoors, though more than al fresco. We celebrated with an excursion on the Appalachian Trail. Long-time readers know we are walkers; I proposed near the exact moment of MT&rsquo;s birth the day she turned 40 during a two-day walk along the Lehigh Gorge (MT wanted to walk one mile for each of her 40 years).
				When my oldest brother Jay (of Uncle Jake&rsquo;s Favorite Recipes) suggested we try a backpacking trip in October, it turned out starting the two-night trek on our anniversary worked best for all of us. I asked MT what she wanted for her anniversary dinner, and she replied &ldquo;I am fond of that Hawaiian ham and baked beans.&rdquo;
				I believe I got the recipe from the backside of a Bush&rsquo;s Baked Beans label, but I&rsquo;m not sure. And to be crystal clear to weight maven AT sojourners, I know toting 46 ounces of canned goods (28 ounces baked beans, 8 ounces crushed pineapples, 10 ounces ham) exemplifies the antithesis of smart backpacking. Indeed, the meal clocked in heftier than the new tent we slept in for the first time this trip (a Nemo Dragonfly 2, weighing 2 pounds, 10 ounces).
				Which is why I use the recipe sparingly on such trips, and always as dinner the first night out. Once the cans are empty, the person carrying the meal (MT, in this case) loses that weight from the pack. The tent stays with the carrier (me, in this case) to the last mile.
				So we woke up at home, said &ldquo;happy anniversary&rdquo; to each other, finished packing our bags and drove to a trail head near Warwick, New York (technically, we drove to a more northern trail head, left Jay&rsquo;s car there, then drove to Warwick). We hiked a few miles to an expansive AT shelter that offered a picnic table and a dry spring (making me grateful I carried an extra liter with me this trip). Jay got some firewood while I prepped and cooked.
				The recipe suits home cooking much better than backpacking cuisine. At home, you reach for a cutting board and large knife to chop some onion and green bell pepper. On the trail, I reach for a folding knife and the top of a light cooking pot. At home, you have either an electric can opener or a hefty manual one. On the trail, it&rsquo;s that tiny hooked opener on a Swiss Army knife. And at home you turn on a burner, put the ingredients in your stove-top vessel of choice and heat. At camp, you light a little, single-burner stove and balance the pot on small metal arms.
				The balancing act grows more precipitous when you have no picnic table and set up on a reasonably flat rock, or just the ground.
				Perversely, despite the recipe&rsquo;s unfitting use outside the home, I&rsquo;ve never cooked it in a kitchen. I assume it would be just as tasty at a dining room table as it is sitting on a log or at a remote picnic table after a walk in the woods. Home cooking includes a bonus: the meal is less likely to acquire what we call &ldquo;character&rdquo; (bits of fire ash, bark, leaves and such) when not cooked outdoors.
				Either way, it&rsquo;s a quick and tasty meal. You can just put all the ingredients into the pot and heat to your heart&rsquo;s delight, but I prefer to saute the onion and pepper to soften them a bit before adding the rest. You can also use fresh ham if you have some, making it a good recipe for leftovers. For that matter, you can use fresh pineapple if you&rsquo;ve got the skill and tools to core, peel and slice one.
				I&rsquo;m including a bonus recipe from Boy Scout Troop 16&rsquo;s legendary leader, the late Ed Gundy, who introduced me and most of my family to camping and open-fire cooking. We call it &ldquo;mud.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s just instant coffee, powdered creamer and excess sugar, but we reveled in it around the fire at Camp St. Andrew, where Mr. Gundy brewed it in an old aluminum pot I keep to this day. We brew it by the cup.
				A man of infinite patience who dedicated incredible hours, days and weeks to scouting, Mr. Gundy remains, for me, the epitome of all things good in scouting. He&rsquo;s the reason Jay and I continued camping and hiking for so many decades beyond his profound presence on this planet. Thanks, Mr. G.
				&ldquo;Dobru Chut!&rdquo;
				Hawaiian Ham and Baked Beans
				2 cups cooked ham, diced, or 2 5-ounce cans of ham
				28 ounces baked beans
				8-ounce can of crushed pineapple
				1/2 cup onion, chopped
				1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
				2 teaspoons soy sauce.
				Saute the onion and pepper in a little oil until soft (optional)
				Add the beans, ham, pineapple and soy sauce, and heat thoroughly. Serve hot.
				Bonus recipe: Mr. Gundy&rsquo;s &ldquo;Mud&rdquo;
				For every cup of coffee you want to be able to make, mix 1 teaspoon instant coffee, 1 teaspoon powdered creamer, and 2 teaspoons sugar.
				If you make a lot for a trip or just for a quick cup of mud every morning, add 4 teaspoons of the mix to one cup of hot water.
				And every once in a while, consider raising a cup and toasting the late Mr. Gundy for years of dedication to the well being and education of scouts under his charge.

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Going out for an anniversary dinner but still cooking