Go Camping – Life’s An Adventure

Ever one has had that moment after the campfire meal, when one questions what to do with the leftovers.  While they can safely be stored in a cooler until the next day, what do you do different with those leftovers to make them new and exciting?  One opinion is to use the leftovers as filling for an omelet.  Another idea is to prepare a Sheppard’s pie.  But if you are looking for something a little different, the recipe below is what the chef ordered.

Australian Brumbies in the Sandhills

Please note that the ingredients are divided into two groups and should only be mixed when indicated. 

Ingredients

Fillings

Leftovers of cooked meat and vegetables

Vegetable oil

Batter

2 cups self-rising flour

Pinch of salt

Milk

1 egg

Supplies

Measuring cups

Cutting board

Skillet and pancake turner

Large mixing bowl

Campfire or camp stove

Directions

1. Mix flour, salt, and egg in a large bowl.
2. Add milk slowly until the batter is smooth.
3. Chop meat and vegetables until they are finely minced.
4. Add to batter and stir.
5. Place a generous amount of oil in a skillet that has been placed over the campfire or cook stove.
6. Check to see if the oil is hot by dropping a few drops of water into the skillet.  If it sizzles, the oil is ready.
7. Once the oil is hot, drop spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil.
8. Flip when bubbles begin to rise on the surface of the sandhill (pancake).
9. Once done, take up and serve with eggs and bacon.

What if you have leftover sandhills?  Believe it or not, they also make a great alternative to sandwich bread.    

Once the oil has cooled, what do you with oil?  One of the easiest things to do is to pour it out but since that would not follow the leave no trace principles.  The best approach is to strain the oil and reuse it again.  How do you do that when you are camping?  You can use a paper coffee filter, paper towels or cloth as your filtering material and an empty jar as your container.

After the oil has been strained, what do you do with your filter material?  Well, it can be saved as a fire starter, which can cleanly be stored in a drink bottle for later use.

What is the best part of any meal?  The answer is simple and that is the dessert.  But how do you make a dessert that goes beyond campfire s’mores.   The recipe below allows you to create an elegant and delicious dessert that everyone will have a hard time believing that you cooked it at the campsite. 

Ingredients

2 cups flour

1 ½ cup sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup oil

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup cocoa

1 ½ cup of hot water

Supplies

Measuring cups

Large mixing bowl

Medium mixing bowl

12-inch Dutch oven

Briquettes and/or coals

Measuring spoons

Directions

1. Light up the briquettes and/or start the camp fire.
2. Combine the first 8 ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix completely but do not over work.
3. Pour into a 12-inch Dutch oven.
4. Place the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cocoa in a medium bowl.
5. Heat up water in a kettle and once boiling measure off 1 ½ cup of water.  Place in the medium bowl with the sugars and cocoa.
6. Stir until all ingredients are mixed.
7. Carefully pour water mixture on top of the batter in the Dutch oven.  Do not stir.
8. Place the lid on the Dutch oven and place the container on top of 8 hot coals.  Top the Dutch oven with 16 coals on the lid.
9. Cook for 35 to 40 minutes.  Hint:  Rotate the Dutch oven often to keep the contents from burning.

After the 35 to 40 minutes, remove the coal on top of the lid and check for doneness.   Do not do the traditional way of testing by poking a toothpick through the cake.  Instead, just take a look at the cake.  If it appears to be dry on top, then it is done.  The reason you do not want to poke a hole in the cake is because the layers have reversed or, in other words, the hot fudge layer is on the bottom with the cake on the top. 

Once the cake is done, serve with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

Hint:  To aid in the cleanup of the Dutch oven, cover the bottom and sides with aluminum foil.   Then once the pudding cake is done and the dessert has been taken up, remove the foil and the Dutch oven will be clean.  But do not stop there; always wipe out the Dutch oven before packing up after the meal.