Is it the fresh air? Is it all of the hiking, swimming and camping activities? Everything tastes better when we are outdoors
“I am more flexible and less strict with balanced meals when we are camping.”
Where are my pictures of camping meals?
I am searching in my photo files for pictures of food for this story. I quickly realize I have very few photos of camping meals and snacks. This is unusual for me since I usually take pictures of everything. After an active day of playing outdoors, hunger takes over. We prepare a quick, easy meal and inhale our food—then, of course, it is too late for any pictures.
This is not the Grand Hotel
I am more flexible and less strict with balanced meals when we are camping. Our usual healthy shopping list now contains a category for camping food items. Hotdogs, hamburgers, popcorn and marshmallows are staples on this list (my husband and I lighten up about everything when we are outdoors). And the five-second rule often applies for any food that hits the ground. A quick wipe on our pants and it is good enough to eat again. I frequently quote one of my dad’s favourite sayings during meals, “This is not the Grand Hotel.” Especially true when we are camping.
Adventures with food on a hotdog stick
Our family often experiments with new fun food ideas.
On a past family camping trip, my daughter brought homemade mini banana muffins. In the evening, on a whim, we placed these muffins on skewers and toasted them over the campfire. They caramelized on the outside and were warm and tasty on the inside. A new family favourite.
On a recent camping trip, my husband and I toasted Rice Krispie squares over the campfire. After losing a few squares, we found out the hotdog stick has to stay parallel to the ground or the squares easily slip into the fire. They toasted up quickly and tasted excellent.
It tastes better than it looks
I have friends in Australia who shared a new-to-me recipe called Australian Campfire Damper Bread. The dough is wrapped around a stick and cooked over a campfire.
We preplanned this campfire damper bread and brought the ingredients with us. You can find variations of this recipe online. I am sharing my version at the end of this story.
We experimented with this recipe, which resulted in a few failed attempts and many belly laughs. We wrapped the dough around a sausage, placed this on a skewer and cooked it over the campfire. The result was a tasty, hot treat. A definite repeat!
New family favourites
Playing outdoors and in nature always makes me hungry. Everything tastes better when we are camping. Food on a hotdog stick over a campfire is fast and easy, and our family has fun experimenting with new recipes. Many of our experiments have become new family favourites.
Note to self: Next camping trip, I have to remember to take pictures of the food before I inhale it.
Australian Campfire Damper Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour I purchased self-raising flour, for the first time ever, to use on our camping trip—therefore, I did not add baking powder.
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder Don’t add if using self-raising flour.
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup milk more as needed
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add butter to the flour mixture, using your fingers. Consistency will be like bread crumbs.
- Gradually add milk and knead, combining until soft and elastic. You don’t want a dough that is too sticky. Add more flour, as needed.
- Divide the dough into two pieces and roll into a snake shape. Roll a piece around a dry stick. We used a shish-kebab type of skewer for this.
- We made a separate batch and shaped the dough around a sausage. We placed this tasty treat on a skewer and cooked it over the fire. We had better success when we grilled the sausage first and then wrapped the dough around it.
- Turn the bread regularly until golden brown on all sides.
Notes
