10 Things to Try to Cook While Camping

In June and September, Sophia, Olivia, and I are going camping. We'll be headed to two state parks - one in southwestern Minnesota and the other where the Missippi River begins in north-central Minnesota.

The last time that we went camping, the girls enjoyed cooking over an open fire. This time, I wanted them to learn some different things to cook for all the meals - including breakfast.

So, I have found ten things to try while camping: 

1. Campfire Cones - I already told the girls about this one. Needless to say, they are thrilled. I think they like the fact that they can create their own cones with ingredients that they want.

Photo Source

2. Bannock - This is a bread that could be made at any meal.

Photo Source (above) and

Recipe Source (below)

Ingredients:

2-3 cups flour
1-2  tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
2-3 tablespoons oil, butter, or lard
2/3 cup warm water

Directions:

Put everything but the water in a bowl and mix with your fingers until crumbly. Slowly add water and mix until dough feels soft. It may seem that you don't have enough water, but keep working the dough until it holds together. Don't add more water!

Take a small handful and wrap around the end of a green stick, like a marshmallow roast. Knead it so it stays together. Cook over coals for about 10-12 minutes, rotating to cook evenly. Eat as is, or add a bit of jam or honey.

3. Steamed Carrots - Both the girls like carrots, so this would be a good vegetable to have for dinner one night.

Photo Source

4. Cheese and Cracker Bread - Something simple for lunch or before dinner while we are waiting for it to cook. From the picture below, it looks like the cheese is melted so it spreads easily on the bread.

Photo Source

5. Campfire Eggs - I'm hoping for eggs without ashes in them. However, they can always be picked out, I guess. This will be nice if it works - no need to carry a heavy fry pan to make eggs in.

Photo Source

Ingredients:

1 orange
2 eggs
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Cut the orange in half and eat the fruit, leaving two orange peel “bowls.” Crack one egg into each half of the orange and salt and pepper to taste. Carefully place the “bowls” on the edge of the campfire and cook for about 5 minutes, rotating the oranges with sticks as needed. Then eat your eggs right from the orange!

6. Hobo Hashbrowns - These potatoes would be made for breakfast.

Photo Source

Ingredients:

1 potato
1/8 cup chopped onion
1 sprig of rosemary
Salt and pepper
Ketchup

Directions:

Chop up potato and onion and place in center of tinfoil. Salt and pepper to taste and add rosemary. Wrap contents tightly in tinfoil and place on hot coals. Let cook for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes have softened. Add a little ketchup, if desired.

7. Campurritos - We've made breakfast burritos and sandwiches at home, but never camping.

Photo and Recipe Source

Ingredients:

16 eggs
1 pound sausage (optional)
1 yellow onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon olive oil
6 medium potatoes, chopped
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
4 green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
8 or 9 tortilla shells (16-18 for smaller campurritos)
Salt and pepper to taste
Tin foil for wrapping
Optional: salsa and/or hot sauce

Directions:

Chop potatoes and boil until soft. Chop green onions and set aside. Crack 16 eggs and cook over low heat until you have soft, scrambled eggs. Salt and pepper to taste. Saute yellow onions and garlic in olive oil until fragrant. Add sausage to onion mixture and cook all the way through.

In large bowl combine sausage mixture, scrambled eggs, potatoes, cheese, green onions, parsley, and salt and pepper. Divide ingredients into 8 or 9 tortilla shells. Roll and wrap in tin foil - ready to throw on the fire. Heat for about 20 minutes.

8. Summer Sausage Hobo Packets - I remember making a hamburger and vegetable version of these packets when I went camping with my family as a child. We may modify the following recipe based on what the girls and I like to eat.

Photo and Recipe Source

1 pound summer sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces

4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3 cups shredded cabbage

1 large sweet onion, halved and sliced

1 medium green pepper, cut into strips

1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into strips

1 small zucchini, sliced

1 small yellow summer squash, sliced

1 pound chicken tenderloins, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges

1/2 cup butter, cut into eight cubes

1/4 cup prepared Italian salad dressing

In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Gently stir in the chicken and tomatoes. Divide mixture among eight double thicknesses of heavy-duty foil (about 12 in. square). Top each with a butter cube.

Fold foil around mixture and seal tightly. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and vegetables are tender. Carefully open foil to allow steam to escape; drizzle with dressing. Yield: 8 servings.

9. S'mores Pops - These seem like an easy alternative to traditional s'mores.

Photo and Recipe Source

Ingredients:

3 chocolate bars, melted
12 large marshmallows, toasted over a campfire
1/4 cup crushed Golden Grahams® cereal
12 paper lollipop sticks or round wooden sticks with one pointed end

Directions:

In small pan, melt chocolate until it can be stirred smooth. Dip each toasted marshmallow halfway into melted chocolate. Insert stick into chocolate side of marshmallow; sprinkle with crushed cereal. Place on plate; let stand at room temperature until chocolate hardens, about 1 hour. (OR...skip the lollipop sticks and eat right away while the marshmallow and chocolate are still warm.)

10. Grilled Pizza - I have wanted to make homemade, wood-fired pizza for a long time. Camping is an excuse to do that. 

Photo and Recipe Source

Ingredients:

Frozen pizza dough, defrosted
Spaghetti sauce
Grated mozzarella cheese
Toppings (such as chopped peppers, onions, black olives, or pepperoni)

Set the grill rack about 5 inches above the coals, which should be white-hot when you start cooking. For each pizza, take a fist-size piece of dough and roll it out thinly. Prick the crust with a fork before placing it on the rack.

Grill the crust on both sides until lightly browned (about 3 to 7 minutes per side). Flip the crust once more and spoon on sauce, cheese and the toppings of choice. Grill another few minutes to heat the toppings.