I usually try not to think of myself as a victim, but recently it seems like
the fates are lining up to spit in my soup.

I'm a good person. I don't beat my dog. I don't kick the cat, and my wife gets her bruises the old fashioned way, she bumps into furniture. So how come the last three times I've planned trips to Boreal Bay Lodge something has happened to mess it up? This time I picked a week in September and found out two days later that the number one project at work is due that week. AARRRGGGHH!!

But that's not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about food. When my friends and I go to Boreal Bay Lodge, we usually go with the Modified American Plan. There's something nice about dinner being ready for you at the end of a full day of catching large fish. But some years, and this looks to be one of them, We go to Boreal Bay after the chef has retired for the season. Ergo, we have to fend for ourselves. Yes, we could probably shame Kevin into cooking for us, but how many peanut butter sandwiches and bowls of Cheerios (or Shore Lunches) can a man stand?

Over the years, we've found some things that have worked pretty well, so I thought I'd share a few with you.

Restaurants:
There are a few restaurants in the area that put out a good meal, but in the past few years we have pretty much stuck with the Log Cabin in Nestor Falls. It used to be called the Lawg Caybun and is now officially Monique's Log Cabin. I don't know what got changed by whom, but it's clean, the food is good, the people are friendly, and Muskie Matt raves about Monique's soup. Besides that, it's close to Boreal Bay and is open for breakfast which comes in handy on a rainy morning when you just don't feel like getting soaked to the skin before 8:00am. We usually plan to have one or two dinners each week at the Log Cabin.

Costco:
If you are providing meals for more than two anglers, then Costco can be one of your best friends. They have a pretty good frozen lasagne, meatballs, all kinds of prepared chicken entrees, even lamb shanks, and all you have to do is heat them up. Costco is also a good place to buy snacks and anything else you might need in bulk. Ditto for Sam's Club. The only problem is trying to keep the frozen stuff as close to frozen as you can for the trip North. Buy it at the last possible moment, and put it in the bottom of the ice chest. I recommend that you refrain from using Dry Ice, because that can create too many issues.

Crock Pot:
The crock pot, or slow cooker, can be used to make some pretty tasty meals. For pot roast you just need to throw in your hunk of meat, some chopped veggies, salt and pepper and some water (or stock). Set the crock pot for low and go fishing. When you get back at the end of the day you will have a tasty entree waiting for you. The  crock pot is also hand for making chili, or even spaghetti sauce. Just brown some ground beef or pork, add your favorite seasonings, set it on low and go fishing. If you ask, I might even share a couple of my recipes.

Breakfast:
For breakfast, we usually bring a bunch of breakfast bars, nutrition bars, and granola bars, They are easily stuffed into your pocket and eaten on the water. We also bring a box or two of cold cereal and get milk at the lodge. If it's raining too hard, go to the Log Cabin.

Lunch:
Sandwiches, chips, fruit (or fruit cups), drinks. We just form an assembly line in the morning and knock out a couple sandwiches per person. Then we toss everything lovingly into a cooler and go. We like to lunch as a group on whatever shore happens to be handy.

Coffee:
This is not the time to go cheap, nor is it the time to splurge. I can almost guarantee that you will be happiest if you just bring your favorite coffee. This isn't a time to change your diet. Trust me. Oh, and don't let the only non-coffee-drinker in the group go buy the coffee without explicit instructions. You could end up with some hazelnut mocha flavored whole bean coffee from Starbud's. It makes me cringe just thinking about it. Besides, you probably won't have anything with which to grind the beans.

Time to go feed the dog,

Tom