Chocolate Strawberry Leibniz S'mores

S'mores are one of those great outdoors requirements and seemingly universal loves.  I don't like them.  For some reason, I spent a lot of my life hiding this fact....do you have any idea what stigma disliking s'mores can cast upon a child? I hid it for a long time.  Sure, I'd accept s'mores but when no one was looking, I'd throw them in the fire.  

As an adult I finally came to accept that it was okay to not like Hershey's milk chocolate or graham crackers.  I would willingly forgo all chocolate before eating milk chocolate.   You can throw Nutella in that category too to understand the pressure I feel with my apparently weird dislikes.  I however, learned to embrace my uniqueness and stood my ground when s'mores pushers tried to get me to cave.  Nope, just ooey, gooey roasted marshmallows for me. 

Recently the bazillion different s'mores ideas on Pinterest alone made me realize that there could be more to s'mores than graham crackers and Hershey's chocolate.  Interesting. 

 I think after a bit of experimenting, I now like s'mores.  Of course anything probably tastes pretty good after a long morning of this...

I really do love snowshoeing, I just forgot how much I disliked walking uphill.  A couple celebrating their 50th anniversary passed me going up the trail.  True enough.  As I gasped for air and cursed altitude, this sweet little couple breezed past me with smiles on their face.  Smiling while hiking uphill at altitude...funny right?  There is a special Colorado type that has evolved to live without requiring oxygen but I am not one them.

The views were all worth it though and there was still a good bit of snow up at 10,000 feet. 

 After all that uphill walking torture, s'mores in front of a roaring fire were actually quite awesome.

When I realized you could mix up the s'more's layers (duh right?), I grabbed my favorite Leibniz cookies.  Have you had these?  The Dark Choco Leibniz are absolutely my favorite cookie in the whole big wide world.  The chocolate is dark without being bitter and paired with the biscuit makes the perfectly not-too-sweet cookie.  Heaven will be full of Choco Leibniz.   The plain Leibniz cookies made a great graham cracker replacement.

See how perfect Choco Leibniz are? I think it's all about the chocolate to cookie ratio.

  They don't even need marshmallows.  

But I did give them a try with marshmallows...I think they need two marshmallows because that's a lot of chocolate.  

Since the chocolate seemed a bit much for s'mores, I  moved on to the plain Leibniz cookies, added just one square of dark chocolate, marshmallows and sliced strawberries.  I'm not sure if it qualifies as a s'more but dark chocolate and strawberries can never be wrong.  And when s'mores pushers come at me next time, I'll feel prepared with my new knowledge that Leibniz make great s'mores.  

I would never throw this s'more in the fire.  

Pie Iron Croque Madame

I didn't really go camping, but I believe that anytime there's a fire and the great outdoors involved, a pie iron is justified.  There's just something about cooking dinner over hot coals and a open flame that's just so very Laura Ingalls Wilder and we never get enough Laura. 

Our weekend in the mountains was a fantastic little getaway.  It started off with a bit of a freak gasoline fight accident (Zoolander anyone?).  While filling up the tank during a little Denver spring snowstorm extraordinaire, I heard the gas pump click signaling the tank was full, and then watched the gas come flying out of the tank.  It took me a good bit of time and many gallons of flying gas while I was flinging the pump around (Zoolander, seriously) to figure out how to manually force it to stop.  Needless to say, the drive up was a smelly nightmare but it only got better after that.  

This isn't the cabin I stayed at but every time I drive by I kind of want to stop and go inside. That's the sometimes elusive Longs Peak behind the cloud.

Someone at work asked if I was snowshoeing into a cabin.  Ha, ha.  HA. I knew I wasn't traveling light but even I was a little surprised at my ability to fill up my cargo area.  Yes, I love my Lands End monogrammed canvas totes and storage totes.  Life feels more organized when there's a specific tote for everything...no packing and unpacking...just grab the tote you need.  They also make crazy sturdy market bags for those of us who would choose to load up one extra-almost-impossible-to-carry-heavy large bag over making multiple trips from the car to the house with the groceries.  I like the Lands End one a bit more than the LL Bean version because there are pockets galore inside of the LE totes.  

In my defense here, some of this is food, firewood and snow clothes.  Snow clothes, boots and snowshoes take up a lot of room.  

And oh yeah, there might be a pie iron somewhere in here.  I have the sturdy cast iron ones and the lightweight Coleman aluminum ones.  While the cast iron ones feel better and are higher quality, I often grab the Coleman ones.  You need lightweight when you take a 4 day weekend with as much stuff as I packed up. 

The Coleman pie irons are a perfect weight for sandwiches or something that cooks up pretty quickly.  

I probably don't need to really explain how to make these little Croque Madames, but you just butter the bread, lay it buttered side out, top with gruyere (the absolute best cheese in the world), sliced ham, another slice of gruyere and then another slice of buttered bread, butter side out. Close and clamp the pie iron and cut all around to remove overhanging bread. I like to use bigger bread here so there is overhang to crimp together and cut off. 

When the sandwich is all toasty brown and the cheese melted through, you just top it with a fried egg.  Or if you prefer your croques to be monsieur's instead of madames, and you camp with béchamel sauce, well Mazel Tov.  Top that sandwich with some béchamel.

If you've never had a Croque Madame, it's not dissimilar to some Eggs Benedict minus the hollandaise.  And poached egg.  And with the addition of cheese.  So really the same at all, but yummy nonetheless.   While it's not as schmance as a Croque Madame served in Paris cafe by a fantastically chic waiter, it's not so bad served up with a cappuccino and eaten in the clean cool mountain air.

This was one of my favorite spots of the trip.  Why are adirondack chairs on cabin decks so darned comfortable?  It was the perfect spot for a little quiet time in the morning, and to unwind with a book after a day of hiking and snowshoeing.

And with this view?  Seriously, PERFECT. 

This one didn't find it as relaxing as she was on full lookout for her nemesis.  

They were all around us.  The elk were indeed terrified of my little 18 lb terror. 

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.  

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.