Wonton Lasagna by the Campfire

Who says camping food has to be hot dogs on a stick?  After a long day in the high country sun, there's nothing like a nice helping of hearty lasagna to stave off the chill of cool Rocky Mountain nights.  And while lasagna may sound like a lot of work, a little prep at home and some wonton wrappers make it ultra campfire friendly. 

Yes, wonton wrappers.  They're fantastic.

This recipe is as easy as mixing the ricotta and eggs at home, packing in a ziploc baggie and then bringing the wonton wrappers, ricotta mixture, pasta sauce, garlic, cheese and 1 lb of ground chickie (or ground beef) to the campsite. 

You start off by browning the chicken in a heavy cast iron over the fire--add 2 cloves of minced garlic.  If using ground beef, drain off the fat.  Add the pasta sauce and mix well.

Remove 2/3 of the meat and sauce mixture.  Spread remaining meat mixture evenly across bottom of pan and then layer wonton wrappers over the top of the meat mixture.  

Top with 1/2 of the remaining meat mixture.  Snip corner of ricotta and squeeze half of the ricotta over the pasta sauce and meat.  Try and do it so it doesn't look this unfortunate and questionable.  No worries though, it still tastes fantastic.

Spread evenly and then top with shredded cheese.  Add one more layer of wontons and repeat above steps. 

Make sure the top layer has a nice cheesy layer. 

This recipe works super duper well in a cast iron dutch oven with feet because you keep the pot off of direct flames and heap coals on top.  I used a skillet so had to keep the flames really low.  Cover with lid or foil and let cook through, about 30 minutes.  

Let sit for 10 minutes before serving and enjoy.  

I have not quite figured out my personal need for a macro lens.  This is a very cute Boston puppy eye  nonetheless.  Yes, I promise l'll work on the macro photography skills.

Campfire Lasagna

Ingredients

1 1.5 cups ricotta

1 egg

2 tbsp italian seasonings

1/2 cup shredded parmesan

3-4 cups tomato pasta sauce

1 pkg wonton wrappers

1 lb ground chicken

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 bag shredded italian cheese blend 

Directions

1. Before leaving home prepare ricotta mixture by stirring together ricotta, egg, italian seasoning and 1/2 cup parmesan.  Store mixture in Ziploc baggie. 
2. At camp site, brown ground chicken in a well seasoned cast iron skillet or dutch oven
3. add minced garlic and cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant
4. Add tomato sauce and stir well
5. Remove 2/3 of meat/tomato sauce mixure
6. Spread remaining meat mixture evenly over bottom of pan
7. Layer wonton wrappers over top, overlapping slightly
8. Top with 1/3 of the meat sauce, half of the ricotta and half italian cheese mixture
9. Repeat step
10. Cover with foil or lid and cook 30-40 minutes until heated through and wonton wrappers are cooked
11. Let sit 10 mins and serve

Pie Iron Jalapeno Poppers

A little late on the Memorial Day camping posts but hopefully as many of you know, pulling the photos off the camera onto the computer is a whole ritual in and of itself.  

Pie irons are just about the most fun thing ever.  I say that about all cooking tools I know, but the possibilities of pie irons are endless.  Of course you can do basic pizza ingredients or PBJ or PB and Fluff, but coming up with different ideas for filling the pie iron is just plain fun.

This time around I gave a twist on the jalapeno popper a shot.  Yes, it's really a grilled cheese with jalapeños in it but coming out of a campfire after a long day in the sun....well it's just magical food then.

In our house there was always a debate between the cheddar vs the cream cheese filled jalapeño poppers.  Truthfully as I write that, I don't know which side of the fence I was on but I recall being adamant.  Yes, so adamant that I have no idea which ones I like better.   This pie iron creation doesn't make you choose. 

A little cream cheese spread on bread, some slices of white cheddar and some jalapeño and all is well.  I'd roasted and peeled the jalapeños at home. You can do this over the campfire as well, but as anyone who's ever touched their eye after peeling peppers knows, you should wash those hands really, really well. And then wash them two more times.  Doing this at home ensured that I could wash and wash and wash my hands until my heart's content.  

You can butter the outside of the bread for extra golden deliciousness.  I opted for no butter but I don't necessarily stand by that decision.  Butter is obviously better.

And of course, along with the cream cheese vs cheddar debate at our house was another one around whether poppers should be dipped in jam.  I definitely know that I stand on the jam side of the fence.   A bit of fruity sweetness is a perfect balance to the extra spiciness of this sandwich.  Easy peasy camping eats that takes under 2 minutes to prepare.  

No worries.  Puppies don't really get jalapeños.  

Baked General Tso's Chicken

One of my favorite breakfasts ever is leftover chinese, and one of my favorite dinners is cereal.  Backwards, but it is what it is.  Sadly for me, there is rarely leftover chinese in this house.  I order so rarely and when I do...leftovers?  Please.  

Enter, this recipe for baked General Tsaos.  This recipe makes a pretty big batch, it's baked and not fried and it's still delicious the next day for brekkie.  I'm not going to lie to you though--it's not leftover fried chinese chicken good but with what you save in health factor, this can be overlooked.  It looks like a bit of effort but really comes together rather quickly.  The cornflakes give the chicken a nice crunch when it's freshly made and the sauce has a nice sweet and tangy flavor to it.  I bit of grated orange zest might be kind of nice in the sauce as well. 

Definitely a make again recipe. 

Baked General Tso's Chicken

adapted from Pinch of Yum

Ingredients
1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
5 cups corn flakes cereal, finely crushed
1 1⁄2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of all visible fat, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 3/4 cups water
1⁄3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1⁄4 cup apricot jam
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 teaspoons canola oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 cups chopped broccoli

Directions:
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. 

Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat with cooking spray 

Whisk eggs well and in a  shallow dish. Spread Corn Flakes crumbs into second shallow dish. 

Pat chicken dry with paper towels.  Sprinkle flour over and toss well to coat. 

Working in batches, dip chicken in egg whites, then coat with Corn Flakes, pressing gently to adhere; lay in pan.
Bake until chicken coating is brown and crisp, and chicken is cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes depending upon size of pieces.(Chicken should be 160 degrees)

Set a medium pan of water on stove and turn to high.
Whisk water, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, jam, vinegar and cornstarch together in bowl or Pyrex measuring cup.  

Heat canola oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

Whisk in sauce mixture, bring to simmer, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and keep warm.

Add broccoli to boiling water pot and cook for 2-3 minutes, until slightly cooked but still crisp and bright green.  Drain.
When chicken is cooked, return sauce to simmer over medium-low heat. Add cooked chicken and broccoli and toss to coat. Serve.