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Baked Fruit!
Not too Shabby!
Following two baked fruit recipes were given to me by the wife of a hunting buddy. She said both were well received, especially from the kids.
Jamaica Bananas:
- Ingredients: Bananas (one per person), Sugar, Lemon.
- Process: Place the ripe, not-peeled bananas into the ashes of a good fire. Roast for about 30 minutes until the skin is black. Rake out the bananas and split them down the center. Sprinkle the fruit inside with sugar and lemon juice. Eat as you like!
Baked Apples:
- Ingredients: Apples (one per person), Brown Sugar, Aluminum Foil, Raisins, Cinnamon.
- Process: Core apples and place each on a square of aluminum foil. Fill the core hole with raisins, brown sugar, and a dash of cinnamon. Wrap foil around the apples and bake ten minutes in the hot coals of your burning campfire.
Serve either recipe on/in a camping cookware plate/bowl and please, do enjoy!
Campfire Hot Chocolate!
Where's the Marsh-mellows?
Sometimes, the simplest reminders are the most poignant . For me, the importance of family togetherness is always solidified while sitting around a campfire in the evening. This feeling seems more prevalent in the late Fall when the leaves are changing and is accompanied by a cup of hot chocolate with a tad of peppermint:
Ingredients:
- Four small bars of plain milk chocolate;
- One chocolate peppermint patty;
- Two large cans of evaporated milk.
Process:
- Mix ingredients in three quarts of boiling hot water;
- This serves approx 18 people (increase or decrease accordingly to size of group to be served).
Prepared in your camping cookware, this “Hot Chocolate” treat is ideal for that after dinner/supper story telling session.
Apple Crisp!
Scrumptious!
This will keep the Kids happy. It is simple to fix and will surely have everyone asking for seconds, so be sure to plan/cook accordingly.
Ingredients:
Apples, peeled and sliced;
- ¾ cup butter;
- ¾ cup brown sugar;
- 1 ¼ cup flour;
- ½ cup quick Oats;
- 1 tablespoon of cinnamon.
Preparation:
Fill your camping cookware (Dutch Oven (medium size)) halfway-up with apples. Combine brown sugar, flour, oats and cinnamon . Cut butter into the mixture. Spread mixture over the apples. Cover and cook about 45 minutes or until the apples are soft, and – Volla!
Cherry Cobbler!
Scrumptious!
As I have stated previously, a Dutch Oven can be used to prepare just about any and all food products. This recipe for Cherry Cobbler has proven to be popular with both kids and adults:
Ingredients:
- 3 cans of cherry pie filling;
- 1 can of biscuits;
- Brown Sugar;
- Non-stick cooking spray.
Preparation:
- Spray the inside of your camping cookware (Dutch Oven) with non-stick cooking spray;
- Pour the 3 cans of pie filling into the Dutch Oven;
- Open your canned biscuits and place over the pie filling.
- Sprinkle with brown sugar;
- Place over hot coals and cook for 20-30 minutes or until the biscuits are flaky and brown.
You should try this on the first day while the ice cream is still frozen. Nothing tops it off like a scoop of ice cream sprinkled with diced pecans, do ENJOY!
Pineapple Cakes!
Does the Job!
Something about the outdoors and campfire cooking that gives food that special, yes, even a memorable taste. One of our desert or special occasion recipes that fits that bill is simply called “Pineapple Cakes“. It is quick, requires no camping stove – just the hot coals of a campfire to cook.
Ingredients:
- 6 sheets of aluminum foil (10×12 inch.); 1 (20 ounce) package of prepared sponge cake shells; cooking spray; 1 (20 ounce) can of crushed pineapple (drained, juice reserved); 2 tablespoons of brown sugar (divided); 1/3 cup of chopped pecans (divided); 18 maraschino cherries.
Directions:
- Spray the aluminum sheets with cooking spray, and place a cake shell in the center of each sheet. Spoon the crushed pineapple into the cakes, dividing it equally. Sprinkle each cake with about 1 teaspoon of brown sugar and approximately 2 teaspoons of chopped nuts. Top each cake with 3 maraschino cherries and drizzle 1 to 2 teaspoons of pineapple juice over each cake.
- Wrap cakes in the foil, leaving some room at the top for air-circulation. Place the foil packs onto the embers of a campfire until the cakes are hot and bubbling. VIOLA – it only takes about 10 minutes!
It’s all in the Preparation!
It even smells good!
As Granddad used to say, “No one has a monopoly on common sense“; but, “if your food doesn’t pass the smell test, don’t eat it. Thinking back, I can’t ever remember him throwing anything away.
His approach was that if done right (planned and prepared), it couldn’t go wrong. Few meals taste better or satisfy more than those cooked at the campsite. But, to get it right requires a little more time, patience and ingenuity than that cooked in the kitchen back home. However, be smart, start your camping and campfire cooking preparation before you leave home. Some of the things you might consider to keep spoil-able eatables cool and/or fresh longer include:
- Prepare soups, stews or chili, etc. Freeze items and keep in cooler until use.
- Freeze meat before putting in cooler. It will keep other packed food items cold for longer as-well.
- Cans of frozen juice in cooler keep other foods cold.
- Fill gallon milk jugs with water or juice, freeze and place in cooler.
- Replenish ice often. Keep your food cold at all times to avoid spoilage and food poisoning.
- To fix a cooler leak, apply paraffin wax inside and outside the leaky area.
Zesty Favorites!
Good enough to eat!
Camping? In anticipation, you are probably excited about so many things such as the splendid views or hiking and bird watching. Don’t forget about the feast of food that you and your family/friends would be cooking-up. The following two recipes are favorites of mine and have proven to be well received:
Amazing Kabobs:
For this favorite, you need to have diced chicken or steak, diced vegetables (white onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes) and skewers. Before the camping trip, pre cut the ingredients into square shapes that will fit properly on the skewers. Place the meat and vegetables in separate zip lock bags with marinade that consists of soy sauce, a squeeze of lemon, and herbs like thyme and rosemary. Once you get to the campsite, put the meat and vegetables onto the skewers and start grilling.
Spicy Tacos:
For this you will need ground beef, tomatoes, white onions, tacos (either soft tacos or tortilla chips), cheese and a bottle of garlic sauce. Cook the ground beef using a flat camping cookware pan. Be sure to drain the fat; then place the meat and all other ingredients in the same zip lock bag and mix thoroughly. Once done, place mixture into the soft tacos and serve – ENJOY!
Trail Mix!
Energy Food!
With the intent being to keep everyone slim, trim, and happy at campsite, it is always best to have an abundance of snacks available. Not so much in the morning, it’s at about 3 o’clock in the afternoon when everyone starts snooping through the ice chests. This seems to be their signal that the natives are getting restless, and it’s time for an energy boost.
It doesn’t really have to be anything special, sometimes just a big camping cookware bowl of trail-mix and a large pitcher of ice-tea or lemonade. My favorite mix includes the proper mixture of crispy cereal clusters with berries, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. But, here recently, I’ve started adding dark chocolate coffee beans, pre-shelled pistachio nuts and banana chips. It seems to be well received – never lasts more than a couple days!
Banana-nut Pancakes!
Heavy Duty Cooking!
Our traditional outdoor breakfast has always included pancakes. It seems that on each outing, we get a-little more adventurous and sophisticated. The latest entry of Banana-nut was no exception.
Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour; ¼ cup ground flax seeds; ¼ cup minced pecans; 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon sea salt; 1 cup buttermilk; ¼ cup maple syrup (plus additional for serving); 1 very ripe banana, mashed; 1 tablespoon olive oil; fresh fruit for serving.
Preparation:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, flax seeds, pecans, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat or whisk together buttermilk, maple syrup, and banana until smooth. Add dry and wet mixture and stir until mixed.
- With one of the appropriate camping stoves, heat oil in a large skillet. Working in batches, add batter in ¼ cupfuls. Cook until bubbles form at the surface of the pancake (about 3 minutes); flip and cook until golden (additional 3 minutes). Repeat process for remaining batter.
Serve with maple syrup, fresh fruit, and above all – Enjoy!
Cowboy Coffee!
Good, Strong Coffee!
I do recall some of my earlier childhood camping trips, most included extended family members – grandparents, aunts/uncles, and some cousins. They were always eventful affairs and never short on drama. I remember Granddad’s thing was his coffee and nobody could make it like he could. Granddad claimed that it was given to him by his father, who had been a working cowboy and county sheriff in the wilds of eastern Arizona.
I remember asking the difference between Hobo and Cowboy coffee. As I recall, he said that the basic brewing process and ingredients were the same. The desired result was that it be strong, would wake you up, and get you going for the day. Each requires a camping cookware pot, coffee grounds, and water.
- Fill pot/can with cold water;
- Add one rounded tablespoon of ground coffee for each two (2) cups of water (add grounds directly to water);
- Bring water to a rolling boil and then take off heat;
- Add a tad (couple tablespoons) of cold water.to settle coffee grounds;
- Allow coffee to set a couple minutes;
- Pour and enjoy.
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