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Camping Breakfasts
by Brenda Hyde
One of my favorite childhood memories is of my Dad cooking breakfast while we were camping. He would whip up scrambled eggs, fry bacon and "toast" bread over the fire or the camp stove. It always seemed to taste better than at home! Now that I am a Mom, I have developed my own recipes and tricks for camping breakfasts thanks to my Dad's inspiration!
Breakfast Tips and Suggestions
I indulge my children once a year and buy the little boxes of cereal that come with a variety of choices. Yes, it's more expensive, but they think it's extra special to have their own box. Often they wake up while we are camping and are "starving to death", so I let them pick a box of cereal and fix their bowls while I clean up the tent, gather up clothes for the day and then start fixing a hot breakfast.
I have a supply of old bowls, eating and cooking utensils, and cast iron pans. I splurge and purchase paper plates and plastic cups, plus napkins and paper towels. We do have a camping stove, but we cook over the fire as well. I recommend using a cooler for the perishable food, of course, but also heavy duty, covered plastic tubs to store the cooking supplies and non-perishable food. Be sure to bring along a small plastic dish tub, old towels, dishrags, scrubbers (for the pans) and dish soap. I've found that loose items, paper or even plastic sacks just end up making a mess.
The recipes below are fun and easy. I also like using left over ham, or deli ham, chopped and cooked with scrambled eggs. For easy breakfasts or snacks, bring along bananas, oranges, toaster pastries (you can warm in a pan or on the fire very briefly) and yogurt. We usually have a big breakfast, a light lunch as the kids get hungry later, and a hearty supper with time for marshmallows and S'mores afterwards.
Campfire Eggs
(Save the remainder of the bacon for the next day's breakfast with the recipe below)
8 slices bacon
1 1/2 cups frozen hash browns
sweet onion
salt
pepper
6 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar or Colby cheese
Cook bacon in heavy skillet until crisp. Remove and crumble bacon. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat. Slice as much onion as your family likes VERY thin, and add to the pan with the potatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Return to heat, or fire, and fry until potatoes are lightly browned. Beat together eggs, milk, 1/4 tsp. salt and pepper. Pour over browned potatoes in skillet. Cook without stirring until mixture begins to set.Using a spatula lift and fold partially cooked eggs so uncooked egg flows underneath. Continue cooking for about 4 minutes until cooked but not dry. Arrange crumbled bacon on top, sprinkle with cheese.
~*~
Breakfast Tortilla Wraps
1 tablespoon margarine
Eggs
milk
Cheddar Cheese or American Cheese
Bacon
Large Flour Tortillas
Beat your eggs together with a small amount of milk. I use 1 egg per person and 1 extra. Melt margarine in pan or spray with cooking spray, and add eggs. In another pan fry your bacon in strips and drain. After the eggs are cooked, add a spoonful or two to each tortillas, some cheese and a strip or two of bacon. (Each person can make their own). Roll up the tortillas and eat!
Spear sausage on stick or hotdog fork. Coil one breadstick dough around each sausage link, pinching ends. Rotate slowly until bread is browned.
~*~
Pineapple or Apple Pancakes
8 slices canned pineapple
2 large apples
complete pancake mix (using water)
syrup
Mix up your batch of pancake mix according to the directions (I make mine on the thin side) and prepare as usual. Place one slice pineapple slice on pan or griddle. OR slice and peel an apple and place a few thin slices on the griddle. Pour 1/4 cup batter over slice. Cook on the first side until it starts to bubble on top, then flip and brown the other side. Serve with syrup. NOTE: You can also sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the apples if you wish.
Recommended Reading
Hot for your Hibachi, warming up for the Weber?
Grilling for Dummies is the perfect guide for the home grillmaster.
It doesn't matter if you can't tell a briquette from a Rockette or if you
just won your third Michelin star cooking on your grill, this book is one
of the best guides available. Like all books in the popular Dummies series,
Grilling for Dummies is clear, concise, and thorough. Part reference, part
cookbook, and part cooking class, no coal is left unturned. The book covers the
gamut with 130 recipes, including everything from the basic burger to wild
game to fruit (yes, grilled fruit, and it's not bad). There is an excellent
section on vegetables and vegetarian fare, and many ideas and recipes are
given for low-fat grilling. Different techniques are presented in depth,
including barbecue, smoking, marinades, and rubs.
(courtesy: Amazon)
About the Author:
Brenda Hyde is a freelance writer and gardener who has
been collecting recipes and tips for over 20 years. You can
read more at OldFashionedLiving.com
Let's Get Cooking!
While there are many reasons for teaching kids to cook -- less expensive than eating out, preserves family heritage, etc, the most important
reason is that by teaching your child to cook, you're giving him a better chance to be a healthy grown-up. Enabling your child with the ability
to appreciate freshness and to transform ingredients into tasty foods opens their eyes to making wiser choices about what to eat...