An EGG-cellent Weekend at Stone Mountain

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

let me get this straight... you met Kelly and you still joined?

 

all i can say is welcome to the insanity.  buckle up and leave hands and feet inside the car at all times.

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

 oh i forgot this was GDF's TR.

 

Wings look awesome!

 

Jason can fix a computer, build a backyard deck, and an Egg carrier, and cook hot wings!!!

 

Please bring him to the Fort this christmas.  i will bring the beer and wings!

 

he just has to cook them 

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

Welcome Chris! Glad you're here :)

Kelly....trust you're bringing the egg for the GG in May?

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

Welcome Chris! Glad you're here :)

Kelly....trust you're bringing the egg for the GG in May?

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

I'm finally in.  My excuse is that we left home at 5am yesterday and are finally at the fort.

 

As much as I'm intrigued by the BGE, I will never be a BGE owner.  Charcoal and my stomach don't get along.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Those chicken wings look amazing!

 

They're REALLY good. All the garlic in the hot sauce is simple but delicious. 

 

Eggcellent update! 

 

Z is a very good pumpkin painter.  And he painted a lot of them, too.

 

I have to admit that the little Dawg is cute.

 

Did you cook the tots on the BGE?

 

Looking forward to hearing about rope drop at Eggtoberfest!

 

TCD

 

I do see what you did there. 

 

I love the little dawg.

 

We did not cook those tots on the Egg. We've done diced potatoes in a pan before though, and those were good. 

 

We'll hit RD in a bit. It looked a bit like Disney on a small scale. 

 

Now I want garlic parmesan wings for breakfast.

 

Also, I have a feeling that this trip report is going to give me a major desire to buy a BGE.

 

You should have them! And you should buy one! Maybe there's a festival near you where you can get a discount. :) 

 

Does Chris realize that now the whole board is going to call him your tr? Chris, come our and play!!

Close playgrounds are the best, that's what I love about Gettysburg. We can sit at our site and still be able to yell, I mean see the kids

 

Hey, he did a good job and stepped right up. You know I was going to harass encourage him until he posted, right? 

 

Close playgrounds are going to be on my list of criteria for new campgrounds and site choices from now on. 

 

I could eat wings 3 meals a day, those look great.

 

C'mon Chris...time to post :)

 

Yum!

 

Aren't you proud, he jumped right in? 

 

Admit it - you only shared so you could serve them on the Dawg Plates and rub it in a little.

 

Ha ha! You know what's scary? I didn't even notice or think about the Dawg plate. During the fall, our RV is in full tailgate mode from plates to bedding. We don't have room for doubles of things, so ALL our plates in the fall are UGA.

 

So now that I have finally joined the Fiends and since everyone is watching (no pressure) I will make my first post. It sort of feels like taking the protective covering off your new smart phone!

 

In my defense I am not sure if I was "recruited" or "forced" to join since GDF called me out in such a public forum as this, but either way it is all good since I have been a lurker here for a while. Of course that is how I found the TR for Topsail since we went there this past summer.

 

As GDF has shared with you we happened to be neighbors this weekend at Stone Mountain Eggtoberfest, but never expected to meet another Disney fan there as well. We had a great time at the festival eating all the food cooked on the Big Green Egg and of course picking up our first Big Green Egg. Wow 2 first in 3 days I am not sure what to think. GDF and her family were great and I appreciate them sharing their Eggsperience with me and for chatting of course about the Fort. I picked up many good tips on how to cook on the egg and must say that the wings were delcious. None at the festival were as good as what they cooked. Also my daughter is a huge Dawg fan so the plate did not bother us.

 

We picked up our egg on Saturday evening and drove home to NW Georgia on Sunday. That night I fired it up to test it out and to start learning how to cook on the thing. Did some ABT's (Atomic Buffalo Terds or better know as Stuffed Jalepeno Peppers) and beef kabobs. The egg really gives the food a much better flavor than cooking on a gas grill. On Monday night we fixed chicken and corn on the cob. Looking forward to all the things we can fix on the egg.

 

In addition to the egg we do LOVE Disney and have stayed at the Fort several times since we started camping in 2011. We will actually be there the week of Thanksgiving and can't wait.

 

I look forward to more conversations with the Fiends and am glad to be part of the group. Thanks for letting me join. Since I am new to the Fiends I am having a little trouble posting my Pood Forn. WIll research this and will post some soon.

 

I'm so glad you joined! Seriously though, it was great to meet you guys. Very cool that you are already trying out the Egg. I hope you guys like it as much as we do. 

 

The key to adding pictures here is that you have to upload them to a site like photobucket and paste the img code into the FF.net window. There are better directions than that around here somewhere. When you figure it out, add some pictures to the BGE pood forn thread.

 

Also, check out this link to a recipe we talked about. http://www.fortfiends.net/forum/topic/8971-lets-make-a-bacon-weave-chicken/?hl=%2Bbacon+%2Bweave+%2Bturkey

 

Even though the folks on this forum harass and joke with each other, I promise you won't meet a better group of folks. 

 

Just don't listen to Dave. 

 

Welcome!!!!!

 

What Carol said! 

 

So let me get this straight.  You let some crazy lady you just met....at a campground of all places.....talk you into joining some internet group of people obsessed with a mouse?  You took advice from a woman whose wardrobe consists of only TWO colors, who cooks on a ceramic egg and who spends all of her free time planning every detail on how to get up at the crack of midnight and take a bus to a theme park before it even opens for the day, just to get to ride a 45 second attraction with only a 10 minute wait (not to mention the fact that she drags her poor husband through this hell on at least a semi-annual basis)? 

 

Buddy, I'm glad you are here, don't get me wrong.  But your judgement is really questionable.  However, you seem like a nice guy, so I'm going to help you out.  From here on, please don't take advice from Kelly.  She's always wrong.  Listen to me.  I have impeccable decision making abilities, and will always give you good advice, regardless of what others will tell you. 

 

Dave, Dave, Dave.... it won't take him long to discover the truth. 

 

The wardrobe comment is pretty close to true, OK and the planning, and the Egg... oh wait....

 

He's supposed to take advice from a man surrounded by a house full of women, everyone of whom has him twisted around their fingers?

 

He'll learn quickly that everything is Dave's fault. 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

DaveInTN - Yes I did take advice from a fellow camper who is obsessed with a mouse.  The truth is I love the mouse as well, but just have not been a fiend.  I know I should be more careful in the future since talking to strangers can lead to bad things, but she seemed nice!  I am sure you will never steer me wrong correct?  I can already tell by your post that I need to trust no one.  Just kidding.

 

As for getting to the park before it opens I too plan our days so I do not have to fight the crowds and wait in line.  I can see this will be a fun group to be a part of.

 

You tell Dave... he's the weirdo! And look, he's the one who started a thread that has had a thousand names... currently MyMagic+ Killed, Paper Fastpasses To Return. Who are you going to trust? 

 

And you're a planner too! I knew you'd be a good addition around here. 

 

Weekender, you need to post on the Thanksgiving 2014 thread, so they can add you to the GG list.

 

He has! He's a good newbie Fiend. Probably because I recruited him. 

 

Welcome Chris!!

 

I got my gold star! 

 

I love when TR bring out new posters.

 

WELCOME!!!

 

Me too!

 

Welcome Weekender!  Thanks for joining!

 

We'll also be at the Fort over Thanksgiving!

 

WBI

 

Lucky ducks 

 

Those wings/tots look yummy!  I can't get over how much one of those grills cost! Wow!  But I have never had food cooked from one either. 

 

Welcome Chris!  :wave1:

 

They were yummy. They're expensive, but they're tasty and you own them forever. 

 

let me get this straight... you met Kelly and you still joined?

 

all i can say is welcome to the insanity.  buckle up and leave hands and feet inside the car at all times.

 

Shocking isn't it? Ha ha ha! 

 

 oh i forgot this was GDF's TR.

 

Wings look awesome!

 

Jason can fix a computer, build a backyard deck, and an Egg carrier, and cook hot wings!!!

 

Please bring him to the Fort this christmas.  i will bring the beer and wings!

 

he just has to cook them 

 

I wish I could get us down there. I'm still trying to figure out a way to sneak down on my 2 weeks off. He really likes you though (for some reason). I think you two could get into trouble together. 

 

Welcome Chris! Glad you're here :)

Kelly....trust you're bringing the egg for the GG in May?

Welcome Chris! Glad you're here :)

Kelly....trust you're bringing the egg for the GG in May?

 

Since you asked twice, I'll make him! :) 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I'm finally in.  My excuse is that we left home at 5am yesterday and are finally at the fort.

 

As much as I'm intrigued by the BGE, I will never be a BGE owner.  Charcoal and my stomach don't get along.

 

Better late than never, but enjoy the Fort!!!

[Gamecock Goofy 2]

Awesome report! Never been to Stone Mountain camping. It's on the list we just can't seem to get to the list-the Fort somehow has gotten in the way! My husband has BGE envy! Think that would be a contender for best Christmas present ever!!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Awesome report! Never been to Stone Mountain camping. It's on the list we just can't seem to get to the list-the Fort somehow has gotten in the way! My husband has BGE envy! Think that would be a contender for best Christmas present ever!!

You'll love one of the cook teams I'm going to show. I surprised Jason with his first for our 9th anniversary. I don't anything will ever top that. He was shocked.

[weekender 5]

Kelly it was great to meet you and your family as well.  I am glad I joined the Fort Fiends and look forward to all the adventures ahead.  I know this will be a fun, great group. 

 

Yes I am a planner and have been accused (not officially diagnosed) of having, ADD, OCD and squirrel.  Sorry my ADD kicked in there.  Anyway I already have our plan for Thanksgiving along with parks and Fast Pass + times! 

 

Thanks fo rthe photo tip.  I will figure that out when I get a few minutes.

[dblr....Rennie 224]

Welcome Chris!!!!!!!!! Wing looked great, looking forward to more trip report.

[Roller ... aka Ed 351]

Enough with the chit chat ... bring on the pood forn.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Kelly it was great to meet you and your family as well.  I am glad I joined the Fort Fiends and look forward to all the adventures ahead.  I know this will be a fun, great group. 

 

Yes I am a planner and have been accused (not officially diagnosed) of having, ADD, OCD and squirrel.  Sorry my ADD kicked in there.  Anyway I already have our plan for Thanksgiving along with parks and Fast Pass + times! 

 

Thanks fo rthe photo tip.  I will figure that out when I get a few minutes.

 

I *might* already have plans for our April trip. Ha ha ha! 

 

Welcome Chris!!!!!!!!! Wing looked great, looking forward to more trip report.

 

Here comes more. 

 

Enough with the chit chat ... bring on the pood forn.

 

OK, there's a little in this update. More will be in the one after. 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Let’s head to Eggtoberfest. We got up at 8:00 with the intention of arriving around 9:00. It was a quick drive from the campground.

 

 

We got there at about 9:10, and there was already a big line. Uh oh! Did you spot Chris? They beat us. I bet they're good RDers. 

 

 

 

We got our place in line and chatted with people while we waited. The line almost doubled in size while we did. I figured out that folks who attend Eggtoberfest are almost as cool as Fiends. Everyone was super nice.

 

Here’s a shot of one of the sponsored tents getting ready. I took it through the fence. All of those Eggs make me happy!

 

 

Lou might try to sabotage this blow-up. Good thing he doesn’t read TR.

 

 

The logo

 

 

Before too long, the line started to move, and it moved very quickly. I was shocked! They divided people into alpha groups and checked us in. From there, we picked up our swag bags (we’ll get to the contents later) and headed towards the food.

 

Tickets are $40 and include: admission, bag of goodies, 5 drink tickets, unlimited samples, and live music. Kids 12 and under (or maybe under 12) are free. There are activities for them as well.

 

Big Green Egg food truck

 

 

Eggulance

 

 

Most of the festival is made up of cook teams. They actually have to provide their own food. Some are big sponsored teams, and others are just groups of friends. This is a big sponsored team.

 

 

Smaller teams

 

 

This is probably a good time to mention that Mr. GDF has decided we’re cooking next year. I’m not sure it’s a great idea because it’s a lot of work, and walking around eating and drinking is more my style, but he really wants to. I told him if he can get our meat market to sponsor him and his friends, I’m in.

 

Here’s my first sample. Hey, this is kind of getting me ready for Food and Wine, right? Except here, all the samples are included with your admission. And you also get 5 drink tickets, good for anything including beer. This was kind of like sausage balls, but they were bigger and cut into pieces.

 

 

That was tasty. I’d make that on our Egg.

Next up was breakfast pizza. They used crescent roll dough, and topped it with a bit of egg, sausage, and cheese. It was simple and good. She made it in a throw-away pan too. That would be good for camping.

 

 

Eggs in action… I found out that cook teams are allotted one Egg per registered cook.

 

 

This team was cute. They were making green eggs and ham.

 

 

 

I should probably mention that most teams cook multiple things, maybe 3-6 over the course of a day.

 

Some people were still setting up. Not everyone served a breakfast item.

 

 

Here are some menu examples.

 

 

 

That’s all for now… I’ll try and do another update later today. It will have more pood forn. 

[LONE-STAR 370]

I'm in!

 

That's not what I expected the Stone Mtn sites to look like, I don't know what I expected though, so never mind, lol.

 

WBI

Same here.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Same here.

 

They don't all look that way. Only the ones around the pool loop have the deck. The decks are pretty cool though. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Eggtoberfest looks like a blast.  And what a deal for people with kids under 12.

 

Is all of this a State Park, or private property, or what?

 

Five drinks would be a too many for most people.  Are the drinks just sample sized, or what?

 

TCD

[fladogfan aka Gretchen 259]

I'm in!  Page 4 but still in and now I'm hungry.

 

Weekender, how much did you save on your BGE?

[weekender 5]

I'm in!  Page 4 but still in and now I'm hungry.

 

Weekender, how much did you save on your BGE?

The demo package they offered was $750 which included the tax.  The items in the package were a Large Big Green Egg, Conveggtor (aka platesetter), Nest, 10# of BGE charcoal, ash tool, gripper tool and box of starters.  Most dealers would charge at least $1000 or more for this set up.  I thought it was a great deal since it was only cooked on during Eggtoberfest and came with a full warranty.  If you are ever going to buy on this is the way to do it.  Also eggfests (smaller local festivals) usually offer demo eggs as well.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Eggtoberfest looks like a blast.  And what a deal for people with kids under 12.

 

Is all of this a State Park, or private property, or what?

 

Five drinks would be a too many for most people.  Are the drinks just sample sized, or what?

 

TCD

 

We had a lot of fun. It's a private function in a state park. The drinks were served by Marriott which also operates a hotel on the property. I think the idea of the 5 tickets is that you are there all day and can also use them for water and soda. Most people attending were either staying at the hotel or campground, and shuttle service was provided. 

 

I'm in!  Page 4 but still in and now I'm hungry.

 

Weekender, how much did you save on your BGE?

 

Thanks for joining in! 

 

The demo package they offered was $750 which included the tax.  The items in the package were a Large Big Green Egg, Conveggtor (aka platesetter), Nest, 10# of BGE charcoal, ash tool, gripper tool and box of starters.  Most dealers would charge at least $1000 or more for this set up.  I thought it was a great deal since it was only cooked on during Eggtoberfest and came with a full warranty.  If you are ever going to buy on this is the way to do it.  Also eggfests (smaller local festivals) usually offer demo eggs as well.

 

I was hoping you'd chime in. I couldn't remember the exact details.

 

As a comparison for people, I shopped around several stores in my area and got the same items for $900 plus tax, so $963. So even with making an effort to find the best deal, buying a demo still saves a good chunk of change. Plus, it's a cool experience.

 

And let's not forget that they were extra lucky because they met the GDF family there. That's priceless! 

[fladogfan aka Gretchen 259]

We had a lot of fun. It's a private function in a state park. The drinks were served by Marriott which also operates a hotel on the property. I think the idea of the 5 tickets is that you are there all day and can also use them for water and soda. Most people attending were either staying at the hotel or campground, and shuttle service was provided. 

 

 

Thanks for joining in! 

 

 

I was hoping you'd chime in. I couldn't remember the exact details.

 

As a comparison for people, I shopped around several stores in my area and got the same items for $900 plus tax, so $963. So even with making an effort to find the best deal, buying a demo still saves a good chunk of change. Plus, it's a cool experience.

 

And let's not forget that they were extra lucky because they met the GDF family there. That's priceless! 

 

:waycool:  :highfive:  such lucky people

[dvccamper 32]

I was telling my husband about your trip report.  He's been looking at the Big Green Egg off and on for a couple of years.  He wants to know what's your favorite food that you make on it?

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

:waycool:  :highfive:  such lucky people

 

Right? They should probably win the lottery. 

 

I was telling my husband about your trip report.  He's been looking at the Big Green Egg off and on for a couple of years.  He wants to know what's your favorite food that you make on it?

 

This is soooooooooooooooo hard. Want to hear something crazy? My favorite might be corn. The smoke and corn combo is hard to beat using another method. But OMG the steaks! You can sear them at 700 degrees and then finish them to a perfect medium. OK, I can't decide. The pizzas also rock. And now I'm hungry. 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Let’s continue with breakfast.

 

Here’s a little twist on potato skins, they’re filled with egg, pepper, cheese, and sausage. Sorry about the blurry picture.

 

 

You can probably tell that the breakfast folks are cooking stuff you usually wouldn’t cook on the grill; you’d bake… That’s one of the cool things about BGEs. You can put something called a plate setter in it and turn it into an oven. But it’s better because it’s an oven that gives food a smoky flavor (a little or lot depending on your technique).

 

I like what these people call their ribs. Sadly, we never made it there when they were serving them. It’s OK because I already know Jason makes the BFRE.

 

 

I hate to take a picture of this beautiful pumpkin.

 

 

I loved the NCAA theming of several teams.

 

Z enjoyed some bread pudding. Well, I did too, but there’s no picture of that.

 

 

And yes, our 5 year old was in a stroller. He’s not good at eating, drinking, and walking at the same time, and we had priorities. And full hands. Don’t judge. Or do. I don’t really care.

 

Cute tent. They were decked out in UGA and GT stuff. That PB chicken was actually really good.

 

 

I think it’s important to point out that we’re just walking up to tents at will. We had time to chat with the cooks. Many were giving out candy kind of like trick or treating to the kids. Let’s just say, I’m glad we got there early.

 

The Egg we now covet. The mini max. It hasn’t been released yet, but is coming soon. It has the cooking surface of the small but weighs half as much. Some teams got to demo one.

 

 

That’s also a good view of the plate setter. You can see it under the iron skillet. Yum… blueberry muffins.

 

And you can’t go wrong with sausage.

 

 

I pretty much just said that to see if the tag fairies are paying attention.

 

The skies were looking ominious, but the weather report said we’d be OK.

 

 

Cool view of THE Stone Mountain in the background.

 

 

You can see the crowd is building.

 

Some people had obviously done this before. They brought chairs and coolers and set them up in the shade. That way they could eat and then go back to their area to relax for a bit.

 

 

We didn’t realize you could really bring in all that stuff. Oh well.

 

At that point, we decided it was 5:00 somewhere.

 

 

Picture of a booth for the Cocks out there.

 

 

Stuffed jalapenos with sausage and breadcrumbs around them.

 

 

London Broil

 

 

Is this shirt family friendly?

 

 

OK, I’m heading to bed. We’ll pick up there tomorrow!