Go Camping – Life’s An Adventure

Nothing beats roasting marshmallows over a fire but……..when you have kids you want to also have something healthy.  In doing so, this recipe came to me.  It is a great way of getting kids to eat fresh fruit while camping without much trouble. 

Camp Fire Recipe:  Marshmallow, Caramel, and Strawberry Kebabs

Ingredients

One bag of large marshmallows

One jar of caramel sauce

Sea salt, optional

Cookie crumbs, optional

Strawberries

Strawberry huller or straw

Skewers, either metal or bamboo

Steps

1. Wash strawberries and allow to dry.
2. While strawberries are drying, build your camp fire.
3. Hull your strawberries with either a strawberry huller or straw.  If you are using the straw method, simply remove the leaves of the strawberry and place the straw over the white core remaining.  Push the straw through to the bottom of the strawberry.  Once it comes out the end, you will have the “core” of the strawberry in the straw.  Blow out and repeat with remaining berries.
4. If you are using bamboo skewers, you will need to soak them in water for 15 minutes.  If not, you can move on to step 5.
5. String one skewer with five marshmallows and four strawberries.  Repeat until all the fruit and/or marshmallows are gone.
6. Open the jar of caramel sauce and pour into a bowl.  Add a pinch of sea salt to taste if you would like.
7. Place cookie crumbs in a bowl, if using.
8. Place over the campfire and roast.  Cook until your berries and marshmallows are toasted to your liking.
9. Once done, remove the skewer from the fire and drizzle with caramel sauce.
10. Top the sauce with cookie crumbs.
11. Enjoy.

As simple as this recipe is there are a few options that I have not listed but do not limit yourself to these additions.  This recipe is great for using up those little bits here and there you may find in your camping food supplies.  This includes cereal crumbs, which can work as the cook crumbs.  If you do not like caramel sauce, give chocolate a try, which is a romantic touch that you can add while roasting with a love one.  Or, combine both the caramel and chocolate sauce for a rich drizzle. 

And do not feel that you are limited by plain old marshmallows.  Today, there is a vast array of marshmallow flavors.  This includes key lime and even lemon, which both would be wonderful next to the strawberries.

So the next time you plan on roasting the good old marshmallow, consider creating adding a healthy treat to the mix.  Believe me, your kids will not even notice.

Boy, dinner in a can sounds like a dream but it really is not.  Yes, you can fix dinner in a can and it goes beyond heating something in a can.  It is real cooking and when I say real cooking I mean from scratch.  Once you give this recipe a try, you will be wondering why everyone is not cooking in a can.  The best part of this recipe is there is little cleanup involved since you can eat out of your cooking pot.

Camp Fire Recipe:  Dinner in a Can

Ingredients and/or Supplies

36.8 ounce metal coffee can

Foil

Cutting board

Sharp knife

Small pork loin or a boneless pork chop cut thin for each person

Oil or butter

Baby carrots

Potatoes

Onions

Steps

1. Have each person wash their coffee can.
2. Wash vegetables and allow to dry.
3. If using a whole pork loin, slice into thin, boneless pork chops.
4. Place a tablespoon of butter or oil in the bottom of the coffee can. 
5. Put boneless chops on rack above the fire and brown both sides
6. Depending on the size of the chops, place at least one and up to two chops inside the coffee can.
7. Peel and slice potatoes into cubes.
8. Slice onions
9. Top the boneless pork chop(s) with baby carrots, potatoes and onions.
10. Place one to two tablespoons of oil or butter on top.
11. Cover the can with foil.
12. Place in the coals for 20 to 40 minutes.
13. Stir often to keep the food from sticking to the can.

As easy as this recipe is, there is room for variation.  This is especially true since not everyone likes the vegetables listed.  Also, you may notice that there are no spices on the ingredient list.  While this does produce a sort of bland meal, it is great for young children who may be bothered by spicy food.  My suggestion to aid in the flavor is two-fold.  First, set out a bunch of spices and let everyone “doctor” up their meal.  Spices that go well include salt, seasoned salt, pepper, lemon pepper and any dried spice.

 As far as the vegetables go, if you do not like any listed consider using frozen peas, pearl onions, peas and carrots or even a package of stir fry vegetables.  To keep things from getting mushy, avoid using canned vegetables.  If you must go this route, add the vegetables right before the meat is done.

Nothing beats a good cup of coffee in the morning but there are times that a cold brew is in order.  First, if you feel that you are not going to have time to build a fire or get the camp stove going, cold-brewed coffee is an option.  Second, if perked coffee seems to revisit you throughout the day then cold-brewed is the solution.  It is less acidic, which means it is less likely to cause acid reflux.  Third, brewing coffee in this fashion creates a concentrate.  While you can drink the coffee straight, many people like to dilute it down with water and/or milk.  Finally, if you love iced coffee but feel you cannot have this luxury at camp then cold-brewed coffee is in order.

Cold-brewed coffee sounds exotic and a little questionable when it comes to taste.  But do not worry.  It is easy to do and very delicious. 

To begin the process, one will need to gather a few items together.  This includes a large, glass pitcher or bowl, foil, cheese cloth, string, scissors, and measuring cups.  Once you have your items together, simply take the cheese cloth and cut out a large rectangle.  Measure out 1 ¾ cups of course ground coffee and place the grounds in the center of the cheese cloth.  Pull up the corners of the cheese cloth and tie off with the string.  Now, the question remains how much of the string should be left.  Well, if you want your coffee bundle to act like a “tea bag” then you will need an end long enough to hang out over the top of your container.  If you really do not care about that then cut the string even with the cheese cloth bag.

Once that is done, place the “coffee tea bag” in the pitcher or bowl and add 3 ½ cups of water and cover with foil. 

Now let the “coffee tea bag” set for 12 hours. 

After the time has passed, pull out the “coffee tea bag” and dispose of properly.  At this point, you can serve it as you would like.

As easy as this recipe is, what if you do not have cheese cloth or do not want to buy it for just this recipe?  Well, you can still make it.  I have actually made it in a canteen that I carried with me on an all day hike.  When I got back to camp, all I had to do was pour it out and enjoy.  I know, you are wondering about the grounds.  The grounds settle to the bottom when they are not contained and in doing so can be filtered off through a paper towel.  Another approach is to just pour the coffee out and drink until you reach the grounds in your cup.  Once that happens, dispose of the grounds, rinse your mug, and refill with your cold-brewed coffee.