Camping Food ideas

How long can I string out the Memorial Day Weekend camping photos right?  Last post, pinky swear.   

Brooklyn did not love ATVs as much as her smile implies.  She just happens to like this nonmoving one.  I tried bringing her along with her kennel attached and she let it be known that it was not her favorite thing.  

Not a rugged ATV dog.

Actual rugged ATV dog. 

Look at that face. 

I've taken photos of the trails each time I've been on one with an ATV and I've never been able to capture the exhilaration of controlling that beast when you are going up or down steep rocky inclines.  Does this photo look extraordinary?  Not so much but with each rock you have to hold on tight and control those wheels from turning left or right.  You definitely feel like you've earned some guns at the end of a long ride.  Sadly, I look down and my arms look the same. 

This is a creature with horns.  

And this is monkey bread made in a cast iron pie iron.  I really love pie irons and have actually used them at home in a fire pit or even over the grill.  There's just something about individual sized foods.  The cast iron ones are CRAZY heavy--not sure how practical that makes them but they do a great job of evenly heating and cooking.  

Monkey bread is perfect camping food if you bring along some of those refrigerator biscuits.  I think the smaller cans work better because the larger Grands split into layers but if you like the layers, grab the big can.  It's camping where anything goes.  You could probably grab the cans of cinnamon rolls and make monkey bread from those.   

Camping Butterscotch Monkey Bread

In a ziploc  mix 1/2 c brown sugar, 1 box butterscotch cook & serve dry pudding mix (not instant), 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon

Bring 1 stick butter and 3 small cans of biscuits, can of Pam or any spray oil and the butterscotch pudding baggie

To prepare monkey bread, melt 3/4 of a stick of butter and allow to cool while you chop biscuits. Cut biscuits into quarters and drop into ziploc. Seal and shake to coat all biscuits. Pour melted butter over biscuits and shake again. Spray pie irons with oil covering well.  Divide biscuits into pie irons (makes 2 of the large double pie irons) and cook over hot coals for 10-15 minutes flipping periodically during the cooking.

Pizza bread is another easy camping recipe.  Or non-recipe really.  You may already make this at home and it carries over to camping really well.  Take one loaf of bread and cut crosswise about one inch apart taking care to stop about half an inch before you reach the bottom of the bread--you want the bread to stay together.  Turn bread and do the same cutting lengthwise.  Place two sheets of aluminum foil across each other to form a "t", spray with oil and place loaf in center. Pour pizza sauce into all the crevices you've cut (I found a pre made one that comes in baggies so travels to campsite well). Stuff pepperoni or other toppings into crevices.  Top with mozzarella, roll up foil to seal and place over coals for 10-15 minutes.  

And finally, spaghetti and garlic bread....in the pie iron.  I know this one sounds a bit weird but it's pretty good...if you like spaghetti and garlic bread that is.  It's easy to prepare at the campsite--you just pack up your pre-made spaghetti, garlic butter and a loaf of sandwich bread.

Before you leave home make a batch of spaghetti cooked al dente.  Add your favorite sauce and allow to sit for 10 minutes.  Add more sauce even if you think it's too much.  The garlic bread absorbs a bit of sauce an you really don't want dry spaghetti.  Pack in a Ziploc. 

Make garlic butter:  mix together 1 stick softened butter, 2 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp salt.  Roll into a log in wax paper and then a small ziploc and refrigerate.  

To prepare allow butter to soften and then spread on sandwich bread.  

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Place bread garlic side out in pie iron.  I like to use bread that is bigger than the pie iron so it crimps and seals shut on the edges--it also helps keep the spaghetti inside when you are trying to hold  and eat it. 

Doesn't look so amazing yet right? Just wait.

Place the other slice of bread on top, garlic side out and close pie iron  Cut edges off and place in coals for about 3-5 minutes on each side. 

Remove and carefully open the pie iron and 'voila.'  It's like a hot pocket but with spaghetti and garlic bread. 

And of course there are about a zillion other ideas for pie iron "pockets"... PB and marshmallows to get a PB and fluff sandwich,  scrambled eggs and cheese for breakfast pockets and pizza toppings and sauce for pizza pockets. A pie iron adds a bit of cooking fun when you are camping.