Campfire Cookery

No, I'm still here! It's been awhile since I've blogged, but that's because camping probably doesn't count if you bring your computer, or worry about finding wifi. So, in honor of missing a more regular update schedule, I'm going to blog about a few camping recipes that are super easy and delicious.

Let's start with an obvious disclaimer: I am a car camper.

We drive up to our campsite, park right by the fire ring and picnic table, and unload the car. We have a cooler large enough to fit food for several days without struggle. And we can stand up in our tent--it's that big! I make no apologies--I prefer campsites with bathrooms and easy access to running water.

So, back to the trip!

Let's start with planning: 

At least a few days ahead, figure out what you want to eat for every meal. I like to list it out in four columns, like you see below:

Day                        Meal                    Ingredients                  Equipment
1- Breakfast   Breakfast Burrito                Tortillas                          Tinfoil
                                                             Eggs                             Tongs
                                                           Sausage                           Plates
                                                          Hash browns 
                                                          Green Chiles

1- Lunch            Sandwiches                   Bread                           Knife
                                                              Turkey                                  
                                                             Mustard
                                                             Sun Chips
                                                        Grape Tomatoes


As you list things out, you can start to leave things off. So, if on day 2 I'm planning to have more breakfast burrito and sandwiches, I can skip over the ingredients. I know when I'm grocery shopping that I need enough quantity of things for there to be two (or three, or whatever) meals worth of whatever ingredients are listed. This lets you skip the "Oh, SNAP! I forgot the ___________" moment as you're preparing the food.

Yum! Everything tastes better when camping!

A few tips on packing Packing:

• Try to group the foods together in a way that makes sense to your brain. For me, that meant drinks along one side, all the condiments together, and anything you'd use for a meal grouped (so, put the sliced peppers alongside the chicken if you're making fajitas)
• Put the food in the cooler first, then layer the ice on top. Cold sinks, so this will help you to keep your food cold longer.
• When opening your cooler, get your things out as quickly as possible. This keeps your ice from having to work too hard to cool the temperature back down. Grouping your food helps (see tip 1)
• Take advantage of packaging--I used an empty bread sleeve (the plastic bag it comes in) to group my grape tomatoes and baby carrots. This kept my "snack veggies" all together and in easy access.

The recipes:

 

Breakfast burrito

This is a tasty alternative to bringing muffins on your trip. I always feel better starting my day out with some protein, so I was really excited to find this recipe. I prepared the filling, and froze it separate from the tortillas. Once I packed things, the frozen filling began to thaw, but served as an extra ice pack. Each morning I just scooped and rolled my tortillas in foil and baked them on the grate over some campfire coals. Because everything is pre-cooked, you are just aiming to get the food hot. Roll the burritos around every few minutes or so with the tongs so nothing burns.

Alternatively, you can make the filling and create burritos which you wrap in plastic, freeze, and can pull out to heat up in your microwave during a busy work week.

Ingredients

• 12 eggs
• 1 lb breakfast sausage
• 1 package hash browns
• 1 can green chilies, drained
• Shredded cheese, if desired 
• Large flour tortillas

Method

1. Cook the sausage until cooked through and crumbled, drain on a paper towel and wipe out skillet, leaving a little grease for the hash browns.
2. Cook hash browns according to package directions, combine with sausage in a large bowl.
3. Scramble together the 12 eggs until just cooked, but still glossy. Add to the large bowl.
4. Drain the chilies, then add to the bowl with the cheese, if using. Mix well with salt and pepper to taste. Place into the tupperware (if camping) or make into burritos (if preparing for a busy week). This makes 8-10 burritos depending on how much filling you put in each burrito.

 Banana S'More Boat

I have seen this idea floating around the internet, and always felt skeptical. I mean, why mess with a perfectly good s'more? But we had a lot of extra bananas on this trip (sale on bananas!) so I figured I'd give this a try...and they were delicious! I used a graham cracker to scoop up bites of banana, but if you are gluten-free or just don't like graham crackers you can use a spoon directly from the foil.

I made mine with chunks of chocolate from a larger bar because I didn't feel the need to bring chocolate chips when I was already bringing chocolate bars. I also ripped up larger marshmallows with my fingers. I kind of wish I had mini-marshmallows, but I think if I just cut up a few marshmallows at home before going on the trip I can avoid buying two kinds of marshmallows.

Ingredients for each banana boat

• 1 ripe banana
• A handful of chocolate chips (or chunks broken off a larger bar)
• Mini Marshmallows (or pre-cut marshmallow bites)
• Graham Crackers if desired

Method

1. Peel the banana and place on a square of aluminum foil. Cut the banana mostly in half lengthwise (think hotdog bun...it's okay if the banana breaks apart, but it's easier if you keep it together.)
2. Evenly stuff the banana with chocolate and marshmallow pieces, then wrap the banana completely in foil.
3. Roast the banana on the coals of a campfire (or over a grill) for a few minutes, until the banana is softened and the chocolate and marshmallows are melted. Open foil pouch and place on a plate (or you can eat out of the foil if you place it on a plate or something so you don't get burned)
4. Using a spoon or graham crackers, enjoy!

Happy Pi Day!

Remember in math class when there was inevitably some student who raised his hand to ask, "When are we ever going to use this?" Well here it is:

Pi Day

For those of you who remember your geometry, Pi is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. You probably used it lots in math class, but now you have an even better reason*

An excuse to eat ALL THE PIE

(*not really...math is very important)

Pi equals 3.1415926... I could go on, I suppose, since Pi continues forever, but I'm sure we all have better things to do with our day.

This kid does it better anyway (while balancing books on her head and solving a rubik's cube):

Anyways! March 14 (written as 3.14) is annually known as Pi day. Extra special is this year's Pi day, because today's date (3.14.15) represents the first 4 digits of Pi after the decimal. Extra extra special is 9:26 AM and PM because, well, see above.

In honor of Pi day, I will share with you one of my favorite "Pi"s...KEY LIME PIE! So good, so tart, so easy to make! This is a bonus recipe with a pie CRUST recipe and a pie filling recipe.

I totally think you should have some pie tonight. Around 9:26 if you want extra credit!

Graham Cracker Crust:

Crush one sleeve of graham crackers either by hand or in a food processor (it comes out more uniform in a food processor). Mix with 1/4 cup of brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Melt 3/4 of a stick of butter (6 tablespoons) in the microwave, then pour over the graham cracker mixture. Stir together, then press into a pie pan. Bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees, then let the crust cool completely on a wire rack (think: at least 30 minutes).

For the pie

Ingredients

1 prepared graham cracker crust (above)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/2-2/3 cups key lime juice--fresh or bottled

            (the amount depends on how tart you want it...I almost always go 2/3 cups)

4 egg yolks

Process

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks for about 2 minutes. 
3. Add the sweetened condensed milk and mix well (about 30 seconds).
4. While the mixer is running, add the lime juice in a slow and steady stream. When all is combined, turn the mixer off and let everything sit for 5 minutes. It should thicken slightly.
5. Pour the mixture into the crust and bake for 15 minutes. It should be set, but still jiggle a little
6. Cool pie to room temperature on a rack, then chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. 
7. I strongly recommend serving this pie with whipped cream. You can buy it, or make your own by pouring 1 cup of cold heavy cream and 2 tbsps powdered sugar into the mixer and whipping it on medium high (about 1-2 minutes, until it makes peaks and is, well, whip cream-like)