A Degenerate Cookbook
By Connor Truman
Have you ever wanted to live in a dorm room with your buddy with limited access to food? Have you ever felt living in a camper trailer was for you? Well for 4 years we at DFH have done just that. Working in Yellowstone National Park we struggle to get good food due to poor dining hall hours and the small issue of being 2 hours from the nearest town. To combat this issue we bring upon ourselves we at DFH have developed a foolproof way to eat, drink, and have an all-around good time and will share it with you in the first-ever DFH “Cookbook”. So grab your Coors, and cast iron, and take a gander at what we here at DFH eat when in Yellowstone National Park.
Disclaimer: We do not recommend trying to survive off of this but we can guarantee you and your buddies will have a good time.
Jack and coke
Can of Coke
Jack Daniel
To kick things off it's always 5 O'clock somewhere and as a fellow Degenerate, you probably have heard of the famed Jack and Coke. Well, we like to partake in post-work, fishing, and any evening drinks. So we…. Obtain is the right word…. Cokes from the work fridge at lunchtime and place one each into our bags. Once in our room later we crack ‘em open, take a big swig and proceed to pour the JD into the can. Personally, I will continue to top the can off to taste.
Prison Ramen
1 pack of ramen
1 Electric kettle
1 camping cup
Spoon or fork or spork or stick, any utensil really
This is the easiest ramen ever, just plug in your electric kettle, fill it with water from the sink (pipes older than my parents), and hope you don't get tetanus. Break noodles into chunks, and place it in a camp cup. Cover with your now boiling water and mix. Many nights of partying at Joel's camper or the Employee-only pub have been salvaged due to a 15$ kettle from ol’ Walmart.
Joel's Air Fryer Fish
Lake Trout Fillets
Sweet and Smokey McCormick
Air Fryer
As Fishing Guides in YNP, we have access to almost unlimited Lakers. Joel came up with this recipe as he lived in a trailer all summer and found it cheaper to eat fish caught by guests that they didn't want than to buy steaks. First clean and filet the lakers, no ribs. Pin bones will usually cook out. This will work with any fish. Pat dry and apply the McCormick Sweet and Smokey. Can't use too much. Cut into fairly even chunks depending on the size of your fryer. Now load ‘em up and set your fryer to 390 for 9 minutes. All fryers are different, don't be afraid of going shorter if the fish comes out dry. Once done you can peel the skin off and save for the next recipe. Now grab a Coors Banquet and enjoy.
Joel’s Fish Chips
Cream Cheese
Lake Trout Skins
Cajun 2-step fire seasoning
Saving your already crispy Lake Trout skins from the previous recipe and turning them into quick hors de’oeuvres is pretty simple. Just slap ‘em back into the air fryer for another 6 minutes to crisp ‘em up, coat them with some regular ol cream cheese, and sprinkle on your favorite seasoning, which in Joel’s case is the Cajun 2 Step Fire. Share with the boys (or don't they taste great).
Venison Breakfast Burrito
Venison Burger (or any ground meat)
Sour Cream
Cheddar Cheese
Tortilla
Peppers/Mushrooms (optional)
Joel himself will never add the veggies as he is a carnivore. In fact, he would recommend against it. I noticed a severe lack of healthy food and needed some comedy so I decided to add it here. Turn your stove on, get the coals hot, or get out your magnifying glass to get your pan up to temp. Dump in your meat and cook till done. If you're throwing some peppers or mushrooms in, this is when to cook ‘em up ( against Joel's wishes). Once all cooked, lay out your tortilla and load it up with your meat, cheddar, and sour cream. Roll up your burrito and place it back into the pan to crisp it up. Once you have your burrito a nice crisp brown, sit down in your camp chair and enjoy!
Fried PB & J
Bread of your choosing
Peanut Butter (crunchy if you’re crazy)
Grape jelly
If you are tired of the normal and lame PB&J. Here is a little spark to enlighten your life. Take that sammy and once you have evenly spread the non-crunchy peanut butter evenly. Make sure on both pieces of bread you have the PB spread. Then choose only one piece to put the grape jelly on. If you try to put jelly on both slices of bread that just gonna cause a jelly avalanche that is not good for anyone. Put it all together and slap that on a pan on medium heat. Fry it till the bread is golden brown. Let it cool and enjoy!
Gas Station Burrito
This one doesn't take much effort. We go to the gas station and buy burritos. Sometimes we fish later than the EDR (Employee Dining Room) is open so we have to make due. Let me tell you something, these burritos are incredible after eating sunflower seeds and Powerade for 7 hours.
