Go Camping – Life’s An Adventure

Ok, I have to admit that I love gingerbread.  While I have made the simple gingerbread with ground ginger, this recipe takes it up a notch with crystallized ginger along with the traditional ground kind.  Beyond the crystallized ginger, this recipe also has a cream cheese topping that simply takes this easy desert up a notch.  If you do not favor cream cheese icing, do not skip this recipe.  The hot gingerbread is just as wonderful plain.

Campfire Recipe:  Hot Gingerbread

The ingredients below are for the gingerbread (cake) only.

Ingredients

Spray oil or liquid oil for oiling

2/3 cup of dark brown sugar (packed)

2/3 cup molasses

2/3 cup of hot water

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 ½ cup of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon of ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

Crystallized ginger

Cream Cheese Icing Ingredients

4 tablespoons of unsalted butter

4 ounces of cream cheese

1 ½ cup of confectionary sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Crystallized ginger

Steps

1. Build the fire to prepare the coals.
2. Finely chop the crystallized ginger.  Keep in mind that you will need a total of ½ cup for both the cake and the icing.
3. Take a 10-inch Dutch oven and lightly grease the inside with either spray or liquid oil.
4. Once the 10-inch Dutch oven is greased, line the Dutch oven with parchment paper. 
5. Cut butter from the cake recipe and cut into pieces.  Place the butter in a large bowl.
6. Mix brown sugar, molasses, and hot water in the bowl with the cut butter.
7. Stir until the butter has melted.
8. Beat egg in a separate bowl.
9. Once the mixture from step 7 has cooled, add the egg, baking soda, and salt to the large bowl.
10. In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients and stir.
11. Mix the flour mixture into the large bowl.
12. Measure ¼ cup of the chopped ginger.
13. Place the ginger in the large bowl and gently stir in.
14. Pour the mixture into the prepared 10-inch Dutch oven and top with lid.
15. Move the Dutch oven to a heat-resistant surface.
16. Place a ring of eight coals on the heat-resistant surface.  Top with Dutch oven.
17. Put 20 coals on the lid and cook for 25 minutes.
18. Check the doneness of the cake after the 25 minutes by inserting a knife through the center.  If it comes out clean then it is done.  If the knife comes out gooey, place the lid back on and relocate on the coal for another 10 minutes.  Check again.  Once done, remove the Dutch oven from the coals and allow to cool.

To make the icing is simple, soften all the ingredients and stir together.  After the cake as cooled, top with the icing

One of my ways of stretching a camping meal is through grains.  While grains do add to the weight of pack, they are well worth it especially if they can be used for more than one meal.  Below is the recipe for one of my favorite side dishes.  No, I do not eat this for breakfast but I have been known to use it for dinner and then finish it off the following lunch with nice slice of roasted chicken.

Camp Fire Recipe:  Cheesy Wild Rice

Ingredients

Spray or liquid oil for greasing the 10-inch Dutch oven

6 ounce package of long grain and wild rice with seasoning package

4 ounce can of sliced mushrooms

2 ½ cups of water

10 ounce package of frozen spinach, thawed

½ cup of chopped onion

1 Tablespoon of butter or margarine

2 teaspoons of mustard

¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg

8 ounce package of cream cheese

Steps

1. Build the fire to prepare the coals.
2. Lightly grease the 10-inch Dutch oven.
3. Take a large bowl and add to it the long grain rice.
4. Drain the mushrooms and add to the rice.  
5. Add the water, spinach, onion, mustard, and nutmeg.  Stir.
6. Cut cream cheese into cubes and add to the bowl.  Mix well.
7. Pour the mixture into the Dutch oven and spread.
8. Cut butter into pieces and top the rice mixture.
9. Top with the Dutch oven lid.
10. Move the Dutch oven to a heat resistant surface.
11. Arrange 10 prepared coals in a circle on the heat resistant surface.
12. Top the ring of coals with the 10-inch Dutch oven.
13. Add 22 coals to the lid. 
14. Cook for 20 minutes.  After that time period has passed, remove the lid and stir.  Replace the lid and continue to cook for an additional 20 minutes. 
15. Once done, remove the Dutch oven from the coals and serve.

This dish is delicious the way it is but there are some of the ingredients that are not everyone’s cup of tea.  If you do not like spinach, give another “green” a try.  Also, if you want to use fresh, do not hesitate.  Just remember to chop up the fresh greens before placing them in the Dutch oven. 

As far as the cheese goes, the cream cheese is really what you want.  It will create that creamy texture but if cream cheese is not your thing, consider using goat cheese.

When the fall air begins to blow in crisp and the leaves fall, I begin to think about everything cranberry.  Ideas for drinks, main dishes, desserts, cheese, and even cranberry garland start dancing in my head.  Before I know it, I am fixing cranberries in different ways for every meal and the recipe below is no exception.  The best part of this recipe is the fact that it uses the same mix that I take with me for my pancakes.

Camp Fire Recipe:  Cranberry Coffeecake

Ingredients

Spray or liquid oil

2 cups flour baking mix

2 Tablespoons of granulated sugar

2/3 cup milk

1 egg

1 can of jellied or whole fruit cranberry sauce

*Topping layer

½ cup chopped walnuts, optional

½ cup packed brown sugar

½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon

*Icing layer

1 cup of confectionary sugar

2 Tablespoons of milk

¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract

Steps

1. Build fire to prepare the coals/briquettes.
2. Rub or spray 10-inch Dutch oven with oil.
3. *This step is optional but to make clean up easier line the Dutch oven parchment paper.
4. In a bowl, crack and beat the egg.
5. To the egg add the flour mix, sugar, and milk.  Mix.
6. Drop spoonfuls of dough prepared in step 5 onto the parchment paper.
7. Smooth over the surface of the dough.
8. Take cranberry sauce and spoon it over the dough layer. 
9. In a separate bowl, combine walnuts (if using), packed brown sugar, and ground cinnamon.  Stir.
10. Sprinkle on top of the jellied cranberry layer. 
11. Place lid on Dutch oven and move to a heat resistant surface.
12. On the heat resistant surface, place 10 coals in a circle.
13. Place Dutch oven on top of this circle.
14. Top the lid of the Dutch oven with 22 coals.
15. Cook the coffeecake for 25 minutes.
16. Once that time has been reached, remove from the heat resistant surface and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
17. While your coffeecake is cooling, mix up your icing, which consists of confectionary sugar, milk, and vanilla extract.
18. Drizzle your homemade icing on your coffeecake once it has cooled completely.
19. Enjoy.

Now that your cranberry coffeecake is done, sit down, put your feet up on a log in front of the fire, pour yourself a hot drink, and enjoy a sweet dish prepared from the fruits of the season.