Inmates: Eugene's Open Road Hash

Glenn Rhee awakens to find himself on the destroyed catwalk of the prison's cell block. He is horrified to discover that he is entirely alone; save for a mega-herd of Walkers now swarming the prison.

Uncertain as to what has transpired, Glenn quickly rallies and returns to the abandoned cell block to gather supplies. The ever-resourceful and optimistic Mr. Rhee takes a buck-knife, granola bars, food for baby Judith, canned goods and Daryl Dixon's poncho.

Bolting from the prison, he finds the nearly catatonic Tara Chambers. She quickly confesses that she is partly responsible for the destruction; having been deceived by Phillip Blake into attacking the prison with the rest of the raiders.

Glenn's kind-hearted nature wins out over his doubts and he tells Tara that he needs her to help him escape the prison and find Maggie. Seizing the opportunity to redeem herself, Tara agrees and the two battle their way out of the prison yard. Once on the open road, they cross paths with Abraham Ford, an Army-man-on-a-mission to deliver Dr. Eugene Porter to Washington D.C. Eugene is a scientist with information vital to fighting the viral epidemic now facing mankind.

Still recovering from the effects of the flu, Glenn promptly faints, leaving Tara to decide their next move. Knowing that they are doomed if they remain on the open road, Tara agrees to accompany them.

Abraham no doubt allowed them to take a break for food before they started on the long journey to the capitol. He would have had military rations and canned goods and likely instructed Eugene to prepare a meal after a fire had been started.

With not much time to spare, the awkward scientist would have grabbed a few staples from their supplies and prepared Open Road Hash for them. With complete proteins, and complex-carbohydrates, Open Road Hash is nutritious, quick to prepare, and delicious.

And when the dead rise; you find some strong, like-minded comrades and you stay stuck together like wet on water.

Eugene's Open Road Hash

1 can potatoes, drained very well
1 small can evaporated milk
1 can baked beans
1 can corned beef, sliced
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

In a small bowl, mash the (very well drained) canned potatoes with the back of a fork. Add evaporated milk (a few tablespoonfuls at at time) and mash again. Add salt and pepper to taste and continue mashing until they are the desired consistency (like mashed potatoes).

In the bottom of a small cast iron skillet, pyrex dish or other heavy small saucepan, pour the baked beans. Spread evenly and then layer on the slices of corned beef until the beans are covered.

Then spread over the mashed potato mixture evenly over the corned beef. Sprinkle the Worcestershire sauce over the potatoes and spread out evenly with the back of a knife (or a pastry brush if you have one).

Place cast iron skillet with the Open Road Hash mixture over campfire coals. Allow to heat over the fire until the entire mixture is very hot and the mashed potatoes begin to dry out on top and brown lightly.

Remove from heat and serve immediately.

After: Pudding-On-The-Roof Parfait

Rick Grimes limps away from the burning shell of the prison, having been nearly beaten to death by Phillip Blake.

The violent destruction of their prison home is not even the worst of their losses. The murder of Hershel Greene in front of his daughters and friends; the disappearance and presumed death of young Judith Grimes; and the separation from everyone they love, have combined to nearly become the killing blow for the former Sheriff's Deputy.

With Carl leading the way, they seek shelter in a biker bar and manage to scavenge a few supplies. They finally find a small community with minimal Walker activity. Breaking into an abandoned home, Rick is able to rest and at last sees the full extent of his injuries.

While his wounded father sleeps, Carl goes on his own mission to find more food. He finds little in the way of healthy food; but is delighted to locate a 112-ounce sized can of chocolate pudding (which he consumes all at once while sitting on the roof of an empty house).

After gorging on pudding, Carl returns to Rick who he fears has died. Rick does finally regain consciousness and the two are startled to hear a knock at the door. They are overjoyed to see the smiling face of Michonne, who has tracked them from the prison.

While Carl's industrial-sized can of pudding likely tasted delicious; with only a few more ingredients, it can be transformed into something worthy of a special moment. Using only pantry ingredients, "Pudding-On-The-Roof Parfait" can be ready in minutes.

Enjoy it on the front porch of a safe-house…or on the roof of a not-so-safe-house.

And when the dead rise; don't carelessly open random doors in an "abandoned" house. You may lose an arm. Or a shoe.

Pudding-On-The-Roof Parfait

5 cups Evaporated Dairy, Almond or Soy Milk
2 boxes (4 serving size) Chocolate Fudge INSTANT Pudding
1 jar Marshmallow Creme
1 box Teddy Grahams (any flavor will do)

In a large mixing bowl, combine milk and pudding mix. Using a whisk, blend will until no lumps remain. Allow mixture to sit for at least five minutes.

Into the bottom of each of 6 dessert or drinking glasses, place a small handful of teddy graham crackers. Using a 1/2 cup measure, pour over approximately 1/2 cup of Chocolate pudding. 

Add a few more teddy grahams on top of the pudding layer and then 4 Tablespoons of the Marshmallow Creme. Layer on still a few more teddy graham crackers on top of the Marshmallow Creme and add one final 1/2 cup layer of chocolate pudding.

Top with 1 Tablespoon of Marshmallow Creme. Using a lighter, lightly singe the tops of the Marshmallow Creme on the top layer to make it toasty. Allow to sit for 10 minutes for the parfait layers to settle. Enjoy on the roof.

Update from the Field: Penne Carbonara

Reports of a military-scale assault of a local prison in Coweta County are surfacing from all parts of the region. According to eye witnesses, the prison had been commandeered and retrofitted into a refugee camp.

A tank and six other vehicles staged a raid on the prison, resulting in a catastrophic loss of life. Those who saw the site in the days following the attack were unable to find survivors. They determined that the main prison block sustained far too much structural damage to be useful as a camp in the future.

It was a heartbreaking and tragic loss of both life and useful resources that could have been used to house several hundred displaced persons. As more information becomes available, we will provide further updates.

For survivors still on the open road, struggling to feed those in their temporary camps, we offer Penne Cabonara.

Only five ingredients comprise this rich and elegant dish. Your group will want to believe that they're at tiny, stylish bistro instead of facing down Walker Hordes.

Sometimes when the world looks bleak, a good dinner will raise even the lowest spirits.

Make Penne Carbonara tonight and win hearts.

Penne Cabonara

1 pound box of Penne Pasta
Powdered eggs, reconstituted with water to equal 4 fresh Eggs
1 small can baby peas, drained
1 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 small bag real bacon bits
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Over red-hot coals, boil 2 quarts of water in a large, heavy Dutch oven. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain well.

While pasta cooks, reconstitute eggs with water  according to package directions. Add an additional 5 Tablespoons of water and mix well. Stir in parmesan cheese and bacon.

Working very fast, after you drain the pasta, return it to the Dutch oven and stir in the egg/bacon/cheese mixture. Stir very fast and very well, using the remaining heat from the pan to "cook" the egg mixture and turn it into a light sauce. If you need additional heat to cook the mixture, you may return the Dutch oven to the campfire but only briefly as it may curdle the eggs.

Stir in the drained peas and add Sea Salt and Pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Update from the Field: Treacle Cake

The destruction of a small camp of survivors in Coweta county has been reported and is adding to the mounting concerns of other survivors in the area.

A group of approximately ten adults had created a small outpost in a wooded-region of the northern part of the county. A different band of survivors heading north (towards a rumored government-run "sanctuary") came upon the scene of destruction. Every member of the camp had been slaughtered; their supplies had been raided and the makeshift shelters and tents had been demolished.

Initial speculation held that Walkers had overrun the camp. But upon further investigation it became apparent that the attack was made with surgical precision.

We urge all survivors in the area to exercise extreme caution when approaching strange encampments. As always, we will provide further updates as news becomes available.

At this time, the WDSCB would like to present "Treacle Cake." This recipe adapted from the BBC is based on the classic British "pudding" and is both incredibly versatile and delicious. It can be prepared over a campfire, in a traditional oven or a microwave oven. Serve with custard sauce and remind your group that it's a big world out there; and survivors are just waiting to be found.

Treacle Cake

3/4 cup Golden Syrup (you may use maple syrup or corn syrup but to make the effort to find Golden)

7 Tbsp. Butter Flavored Shortening

4 Tbsp. Evaporated Milk (from a large can)

2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Powdered eggs, reconstituted with water to equal 2 fresh eggs

1 1/4 cup Self-Rising Flour

Using clean hands, grease a round cake pan or other oven/microwave safe bowl with shortening. Carefully pour Golden Syrup into the prepared pan.

In a clean, medium sized bowl, combine shortening, milk, vanilla, sugar, reconstituted eggs and flour. Beat with a wooden spoon until mixture is smooth. Pour batter over the Golden Syrup in the prepared pan.

Microwave: Cook on 100% power for 6 minutes. Remove and insert a wooden skewer into middle of cake. If no batter sticks to the skewer, the cake is done. You may need to cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Campfire: Preheat campfire coals until red-hot and allow to cover with white ash. After batter has been poured into prepared pan, cover tightly with foil and place over campfire coals. Allow to "bake" for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and check for doneness. The texture will be more gooey if cooked over an open campfire but will still be delicious.

Oven: Preheat oven to 350°F. After batter has been poured into prepared pan, place into preheated oven and bake for 12-16 minutes.  Remove and insert a wooden skewer into middle of cake. If no batter sticks to the skewer, the cake is done. You may need to bake for an additional 2 minutes.

Serve with Custard Sauce.

Custard Sauce

1 package Vanilla Instant Pudding

Remaining Evaporated Milk used in Treacle Cake recipe

Combine pudding mix and remaining milk in a small bowl. Stir well until combined and allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or until thickened. Serve with warm Treacle Cake.