Have a Cookout in Your Kitchen
In many parts of the country, winter hits hard and fast, and once it does, your opportunities to camp out drop dramatically. Ice, snow, and freezing temperatures don’t exactly make for a relaxing night in the wilderness, after all. So what are you supposed to do when the travel bug bites? Well, there are plenty of ways to bring the vacation home with you. Spend a cozy evening in and create a wonderfully rustic atmosphere at dinner with these simple and delicious campfire recipes.
Cooking things on sticks is a quintessential part of camping out, and you can get a pretty authentic experience if you have a wood-burning fireplace. (Don’t cook in a gas fireplace; drippings can fall on your gas logs and prevent them from working properly.) Use natural wood for fuel instead of manufactured firelogs for a great smoky flavor. When you pick out your skewers or roasting forks, make sure they’re long enough so you can stay a comfortable distance from the fire.
As for what to cook, hot dogs are a classic camp food, but don’t feel limited. Create a twist by wrapping your dog with pastry dough, get your daily serving of vegetables, or break out the breakfast food and make crispy campfire bacon. If it fits on your fork and won’t fall off, it’s fair game. All you have to do is keep an eye on it, keep everything rotating so it cooks evenly, and stay out of the flame itself. Though really, setting your food on fire is just part and parcel of the camping experience
For a less hands-on option with full camping flavor, there are some classic outdoor recipes that can be left on the fire or even made with an oven or stove. Let’s go back to the skewers for a moment—you can broil kabobs in the oven instead of holding them over the fire. One-pot dinners, convenient in the wilderness, are even more convenient at home; try the single-skillet chili campfire bake, or BBQ chicken and potatoes, which can be made in a Dutch oven or slow cooker. Foil packet meals are another campfire staple, and can get pretty fancy depending on what you put in them. Then there’s bannock, camping bread that can be cooked in a few different ways.
And of course, there’s the most classic campfire recipe of all: s’mores. We all know how to make them, so let’s not retread the same trail. Instead, here are a few versions that will let you enjoy that gooey, chocolate-marshmallow goodness in a variety of situations.
- In a waffle cone – portable, with less mess
- In a dip – great for feeding a group
- In a snack mix – perfect for a quick bite on the go
You can serve your campfire recipes on Adventurer dinnerware, which features charming artwork to show off your adventurous spirit.
