Campfire Cooking, Fun and Games

Campfire Cooking

If  you are base camping, and have a vehicle, chances are you brought in a lot more food than you'll need. Hopefully, you'll get a chance to enjoy campfire cooking, and not just rely on a propane stove.
My kids loved camping, and the early morning routine of hot cocoa, coffee, pancakes and bacon. French toast is another favorite with sausage on the side. Smells of food and the warm fire awaiting made it just that much easier to roll out of the sleeping bag.
I love to use a cast iron frying pan. If you use aluminum, be sure its heavy enough to prevent burning. Some people use as much aluminum foil as possible to avoid washing dishes. That's very understandable.
I keep a big kettle just for hot water. Instant hot cocoa, a dipper on a wash cloth for faces, instant oatmeal if anyone wants that. Once the meal is over, the water is used for dish washing.
I divide up the cleanup detail so everyone gets to build skills and memories.
Lunches are generally brown bag hiking stuff: gorp, sandwiches, fruit, cookies, bottles of water. By the time you're back in camp, there are serious appetites to deal with. A snack of chips and salsa will hold over the family until the fire is built back up and stuff can be roasted or grilled.

I haven't met anyone who doesn't enjoy roasting stuff on a stick over the fire. Be sure there's a good bed of coals so you don't have to add firewood while you're roasting hot dogs, apples, bratwurst, marshmallows.

Flames make things turn black with soot. Different places in the fire ring will be hotter than others. When planning to cook over a fire, make it pretty large in circumference so that you can have places for potatoes, sliced, drizzled with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, wrapped in foil, and place in the coals. Individual meals with meatloaf mixture, potatoes and carrots is a good standby as well. Each person eats from the foil it was prepared in. It takes longer than you'd think. allow about 45 minutes for everything to cook.

If you have a larger group, have each person or team be in charge of one supper. They plan the menu, make the shopping list, prepare and clean up. We used paper plates, not Styrofoam, so they can be burned in the campfire.This is a great learning experience for kids and you will have less food complaints.

I recommend precooking and completely chilling chicken if that's on the menu. Raw chicken is hard to cook over a fire unless its in small pieces. Cook it long enough so no pink is showing, and the meat falls off the bone. If you use par boiled chicken, all you need to do it roast it over the fire until its hot.

You can toast bread on a grill top. Spray it with the butter flavored pan spray, turn after it browns. This is great with a Chili macaroni cooked in the cast iron frying pan over the fire. Top the toast with cheese for added flavor.

Samores are the traditional campfire dessert. You can use ready made chocolate frosting to spread on graham crackers instead of chocolate candy bars. Its stays put, is cost effective and very delicious.  Roast marshmallows, and place on one frosted cracker. Using another graham cracker, scrape the mallow off the roasting stick, while the roaster pulls the stick toward them.

Camping food should be filling and packed with protein and good fats. This keeps people warm while sleeping.
Fall is one of my favorite times to take kids camping because the leaves are so beautiful and fun to play in. The cooler nights make campfires more fun.

After supper, games can be played around the campfire. Telling stories and making plans for the next day are all good family fun.
Camping is inexpensive, family fun and educational.
Your equipment list for campfire cooking is simple:
Large pot with lid for heating water.
Large black frying pan, long handled spatula, tongs and knife.
A cutting board, wash basin.
Aluminum foil, long green branches for roasting stuff.
A grill top, which can come from a small charcoal grill or use the one already found in most campgrounds.
If you're wild camping, bring a metal grate or grill.
Paper plates, mugs for drinks.
Silverware, a can opener.

You can heat things in the can they were bought in, like beans, tomatoes, etc.
At least one large cooler, with ice jugs. This is your frig.

Add to this list as needed. We found that packing and unpacking should not take more time spent on vacation.
Don't bring too much stuff. Your list will vary.

I wrote March 23, 2011 about our first family camping trip.

Happy Camping!