Camping. 5/28 (with recipes)

We love camping and fishing. It's one of those things all the kids are into and we don't even have to coax them.

 One of my favorite parts about it is testing my skills; cooking over a fire, having all the right stuff when plans change and being able to improvise when we have forgotten something. 

Cooking is my favorite part and it can be made simple by preparing some ahead of time. 

Breakfast burritos is a staple for us. Easy to make and they store well, quick for breakfast or a snack while fishing, and can be taken apart and served with potatoes to make a whole meal out of just one or two. For us a pound of sausage and a dozen eggs will make 8 8" burritos. Brown sausage and scramble eggs together in a pan.

         Scoop sausage egg mixture into burrito shell and top with a little cheese. Roll up borrito style.

Set up a little assembly line and they go together quickly. Toasting them a little in a skillet help keep them from getting soggy

Allow to cool completely before you pack them up to keep from sealing in steam that would also make them soggy. You can wrap these individually in aluminum foil to be reheated over a fire or just packed into a bag. They're good hot or cold and as long as they are kept in a fridge or on ice in a cooler they keep well for days.

Another great make ahead is marinated pork tenderloin. Sliced to about 3/4 of an inch (or however you like), too thick and I find it harder to judge when their done if I'm cooking in the dark and to thin they tend to overcook or burn.

Seal in a ziplock bag with your favorite marinade (I always add extra oil) and hold in the freezer until your ready to pack you cooler. They'll help keep everything else cold and keep longer. These cook quickly and can be served as a meat with sides or as sandwiches.

Stuffed cheeseburgers are fun. We eat them a lot at home and they make having a great burger while your camping simple. I mix up my favorite meatloaf recipe which basically consists of one egg per pound of meat, a splash of milk, salt and pepper, breadcrumbs and some seasoning depending on what mood I'm in. Take a handful of the burger mix and make an indention then fill with whatever cheese you like. You can get creative and add other toppings to the middle, crumbled bacon mixed into the meat is wonderful or even using taco seasoning and adding some jalapenos. Use a good lean burger for these. It will help them hold together and lessen flare ups. 

Smoosh the meat around the cheese making sure to seal in the cheese or it will ooze out, add more burger if your not sure. 

Using parchment or wax paper between makes them easier to get apart.

Pack into a ziplock bag and store these in freezer with tenderloin. Tada, super moist cheese burgers and you don't even have to pack cheese to take with you. While cooking don't be tempted to smash them or pick at them. They seem a bit crumbly at first but give them time and let them cook, they will come together and be well worth it.

Anything in a foil packet is fun and lightly seasoned potatoes can be a side with the tenderloin or (if we get lucky) fish. Chunk up potatoes and onion into a large bowl. Add salt and pepper, some garlic powder (I've found that fresh garlic tends to scorch against the foil), any herbs you like ( I added rosemary and thyme) and coat well in oil.

Pour onto foil and seal edges to make the packet.Using the heavy duty foil is a good idea, it'll stand up to different fire situations. You can cook these on a great or right on the coals.

The Boy Cave.           

Gma and Gpas' house.

Our home away from home.

This year my mom added a potty/shower tent.

We have multiple cooking options but when they're there I love these kind of fire pits. Burgers and brats for the first night because we got there a little late. 

Our nephew Keelin happened to be up from Texas where he is stationed. He brought his wife and two children and a friend and her two kids out to see us. It turned into a wonderful visit. The kids had fun and since I always cook big anyway there was plenty to go around.

 The fish were biting in the morning so by about 11:00 we enough for a big lunch. I built a fire and threw the potatoes on about 10 and seasoned my cast iron. The bigger fish we skinned and the little fellas just get cleaned and cooked, the skin just gets crisp or nearly disappears. A hot skillet and an inch or two of oil is all you need. Salt and pepper as you eat. You can fillet and coat in cornmeal or chunk up the fillets and make a quick batter of self-rising flour and beer salt and pepper. Sometimes the simplest is the best though....

The cardboard flats that stores have canned goods sitting on are a great camping trick. Uncovered they are great for letting the oil drain off fried foods and covered with foil they are great for serving off of. Another sheet of foil over the top will keep things warm until your ready.

A hand and dish washing station set up at the end of a picnic table or on a tailgate keeps everything handy and ready for the next use. A reused laundry soap jug is perfect as a small tap for hands and a bucket underneath catches the water so your not standing in mud and gives you extra to just rinse your hands or a first wash spot if you get into something really messy. I have another soap jug that is painted black that I forgot. Set in the sun and you can have fairly warm water.

We had a great trip even though it rained on us the second night. We got a warning sprinkle which gave us time to put up anything that shouldn't get wet. Down side, when the sky opened up we found that the boys had not put the tent up quit right and it was only a matter of minutes before the two of us and the three of them were all in our little house. 'Poor' boys were forced to sit in the cab of the truck and play on the phones and stuff while I cooked supper. Our camper turned out to have a little leak too, but a strategically placed placemat and a towel and bucket diverted the issue and now I know exactly where to fix. We have a very small hibachi that works well in these situations for cooking inside, but I cheated this time and used the little toaster over. (my Big Guy calls it my Easy Bake oven) Pork tenderloin was perfect in it. With my tray of sandwiches chips and dip and an umbrella I made rounds and delivered food...lol. Rained like hell that night so the boys spread out among the truck seats. Next morning was nice but soggy so we had a bit of time for fishing and packing back up. As we drove away it started raining again....perfect timing!

Celebrating Spring!

Did you do anything to celebrate spring?

 Any excuse is a good one and a warm sunny Saturday that happens to be the first full day of spring could not be ignored. For Christmas I got this great camp cook grill but had not gotten the chance to try it out. 

I've cooked over fires a million times but have never rotisseried anything outside so this was especially fun. My Big Guy got this tire rim for me last fall as a fire pit and it works perfectly. Tall enough to block the wind and funnel the heat upward.

To go with the 3 chickens (marinated in italian dressing, salt and peppered when I put them on the spit). I chunked up eggplant, yellow squash, red onion and garlic, salt and pepper and olive oil. The heat was cooking the two on the left end faster so I put the skillet under them to catch the drippings, allowing the other continue to cook at higher heat.

I was so pleased when we carved the chickens and the skin was crispy,not burnt but more smoked, the meat smoky and moist. About 2 1/2 hours. Perfect amount of time to sit and visit without any rush. We have a young pig that we are planning to butcher soon and he will be perfect on here! I din't take a picture but for the kids sake I also hung a pan and made mac and cheese. :)

Fire starters and #campstove with #buddyburner

We love to camp, build a fire on a cold night AND drink wine. This pin fit in perfectly. A mason jar filled with corks covered with kerosene. I let the corks soak for 3 days. 





These worked really well for the fireplace and I look forward to having them in our camping gear.

This idea about the crayons caught my attention because I sometimes run low on candles. You have to light it at the paper level.  The paper acts as a wick and it does give off enough light to work with. I only got about 20 min out of this crayon.

This is a Great project for camping, being prepared or just for fun with kids. In the end you have a little camp stove.

Materials

#10 can (empty)

tuna can...

cardboard

tin snips

can hole punch

candle wax or paraphine (about 4 oz)

Cut the cardboard into strips that will fit into the tuna can. Enough to wind up and create your wick.

Melt your wax, either in a double boiler or in a microwave safe glass dish. Keep an eye on it when it starts to go it goes quickly. Carefully pour the wax over the cardboard until the can is rim full. The can will get very hot so be careful of where you have it setting and how you handle it. Let cool completely.

Cut an opening in the # 10 can large enough for the tuna can to slide in

and place the bottom cut end inside.

Push it flat against the closed end. With the can punch poke 4 holes around the top. These are smoke vents and will hold the cut end in place creating  a 2 ply surface to cook on. It will hold and distribute heat better. Light the cardboard of the burner and slide into the stove.

Only use these outside. They do smoke.

I save up tuna cans, and all the ends of candles I put in a butter bowl. When I have enough to make a couple burners I melt it all at once. You can cook directly on top of the "stove" or use a small pan. To control the heat use a piece of aluminum foil over the burner. To put out the burner, carefully seal the foil around the burner.

I remember as a kid when my mother made one of these for my brother and I. The cans do get very hot but are manageable with even small kids. The benefit is being outside. Brown a burger, use a small pan and make an omelet. Put alittle cake batter in a tuna type can and place another large can overtop and it can cook like a 'homesteader' easy bake oven. Playing with this with your kids is a great way to teach them to cook outside the box. With such small portions trial and error can be fun.

Into a tune type can melt

 1t butter

1t brown sugar

on top place

1 pineapple round

1 cherry

pour over top

couple T yellow cake mix... 

place another large can over top, check often.