Pudgie pies are made in pie irons. Pudgie pies are, hands down, my favorite camping food. This recipe combines two of my favorite foods - turkey and cheese. Yum!
Turkey Melt Pudgie Pies
Ingredients needed for each sandwich:
1-2 ounces thinly sliced deli honey turkey
1 slice Swiss cheese
1 tablespoon Thousand Island dressing
2 slices Pumpernickel (dark rye) bread (plain - no caraway seeds)
freshly ground black pepper
softened butter
Butter one side of each slice of bread. Place one slice of bread, buttered side down into pie iron. Layer with turkey, thousand island dressing and swiss cheese. Use one of those handy McCormick black pepper grinders to grind a little black pepper on the sandwich. Cover with second slice of bread, buttered side up. Close pie iron.
Heat in a glowing ember fire for 1-2 minutes on each side, depending on how hot the fire is.
Remove sandwich from pie iron, slice in half, and eat immediately.
This is my version of chex mix that I’ve developed over the course of several years, adjusting the seasonings and ingredients until I obtained the recipe below which has become our family’s favorite. It’s also a staple of our camping trips. I make it a few days before our trip, usually making a double batch, that we enjoy as a snack during our camping adventure.
CHEX MIX
Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon onion salt
½ teaspoon garlic salt
2 cups Corn Chex cereal
2 cups Rice Chex cereal
2 cups Crispix cereal
1 cup salted cashews or dry roasted peanuts
1 cup pretzel sticks, broken
1 cup Cheerios
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Melt butter. Pour into large bowl. Stir in seasonings. Add cereals, nuts, and pretzels. Mix well. Pour into 2 shallow baking pans approximately 15”x10”x2.” Bake in oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and spread on paper towels to cool.
Store in an airtight container.
This is a recipe I make ahead and serve the first night of camping for an easy meal although the entire process can be done at your campsite as long as you have an electric hookup.
FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES
Ingredients:
One 3-5 pound beef rump roast
2 cups water
½ cup dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried rosemary (or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves)
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bay leaf (fresh or dried)
4 whole peppercorns
8 hard rolls or Kaiser rolls
Place roast in a slow cooker (I use a 4 quart size). Add water, soy sauce, and seasonings. Cover and cook on high 5-6 hours or until beef is tender. Remove meat from broth. Shred meat with a fork. Put in a resealable plastic bag and store in the fridge. Strain the broth. Skim off any fat. Pour into a resealable plastic container and store in the fridge.
At the campground: At the campground, put the beef and broth back into the slow cooker and heat over low until the meat is warmed through. Or heat in pan on camp stove.
Serve the beef on rolls (split and toasted over the campfire if desired) using a slotted spoon to remove the meat. Spoon extra juice into a small cup and serve alongside the sandwiches for dipping.
Serves 6-8.
