Craft & Process goes camping! We recently spent six lovely days on a camping trip around Lake Michigan. We started in West Michigan, drove through Sleeping Bear Dunes and the Leelanau Peninsula, to the Upper Peninsula in Michigan, and finished our trip in Door County, WI before heading back to Chicago. Obviously, we were not prepared to sacrifice homemade meals even though we were outside the kitchen. So, we decided to share a few of our campfire cooking recipes and tips. Cooking outdoors is a fun and challenging experience, and so it is useful to have a few ideas prepped before you pack the cooler. See below for our favorites from our recent camping trip.
1. Cherry Pancakes
Bring a box of high protein pancake mix that only requires water to combine, and you have an easy healthy breakfast option! Add a few cherries, like we did in Northern Michigan, or other local fruit to make the pancakes even more special and delicious.
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2. Mushroom and Arugula Mac & Cheese
Dinner doesn’t have to be boring while camping! Add local ingredients to a box of mac and cheese to make it more interesting and nutritious. We found local shiitakes sold by a maple syrup farm (they grow the mushrooms on the used logs when they prune the trees) and added them to a boxed Mac & Cheese. We also threw in some arugula from the same farm for a bit of green.
3. Campfire Roasted Sweet Potatoes
If you are in the mood for a longer cook, coal roasted sweet potatoes is a great choice. Make a large fire with an interior chamber and wait until the coals develop. Wrap the sweet potatoes individually in two layers of foil, and place them in the coals. Roast for about 30 minutes. It’s actually pretty forgiving. Even if the fire is too hot and the outside burns, the inside is still silky and delicious.
4. Simplest Chili
This is a two can chili at its best. Fry some chopped onion in a saucepan until soft and starting to brown, add a can of chopped tomatoes, a can of beans, chili powder, and salt to taste. Simmer for 20 minutes and top with cheese and green onions. For bonus points, top your roasted sweet potatoes with chili!
5. Campfire Quesadillas
Fry quesadillas over the campfire on a piece of foil, flipping occasionally until they are toasted and melty! It took us a few fire arrangements to get the right heat, but that is the fun challenge of cooking outdoors. Also, we had to fend off a hungry, persistent raccoon while making these.
6. Foil Packs of Vegetables
Don’t forget your veggies while camping! Add spices and a few dollops of butter to make them extra yummy. Steam in a well sealed foil pack over the fire grate.
We added curry powder to these green beans for some flavor and it paired really well with the fire roasted hot dogs!
It goes without saying that pretty much every dinner should be followed by s’mores, so here are a few notes for the perfect s’more:
- Set up your ingredients ahead of time on a table close by so you can go straight from the fire to the graham cracker with that marshmallow.
- We’ve fine-tuned to use 2 marshmallows with ¼ of a regular Hersey’s bar (3 of the small rectangles. Your optimal ratio is a personal choice, but this is the only correct one.
- Coals are better than flames because they’re a more even heat, which is why s’mores are good at the end of your evening as the fire burns down.
- Become a rotisserie and slowly rotate your marshmallow over the coals to get even roasting instead of holding in one spot for a long time. It also means that as the marshmallow melts on the inside, it’s easier to keep it on your stick or fork.
- And basically you can’t go wrong, even if you completely char the thing.
General tips for eating well while camping:
- Visit local farmers market to buy fresh local produce for the day or next day (check out local schedules ahead of time)
- Don’t forget your fruits and vegetables. It’s amazing how much more complete a meal feels when there is a side dish. A fire roasted hotdog in a bun is a camping staple, but put some steamed veggies on the side: Filling, satisfying meal.
- Pack in a couple onions, scallions, salt, pepper, and your favorite spices. Just because you are camping doesn’t mean you need to eat flavorless food.
It’s important to be prepared while camping, so below is our essential though-not-necessarily-comprehensive equipment list for cooking while car camping. Clearly there’s more you might need, like a cooler, fire tools, etc., but if you just want to get a basic kitchen together, here’s what we think you should have:
- Camp stove (most use white gas)
- Fry pan and Sauce pan (in most cases, a cookset will include both)
- Forks and spoons
- Sharp Knife
- Spatula (make sure it’s a metal one if you’re going to use it with the open fire)
- Aluminum foil
- Cutting surface (like a plate, no need to have an additional cutting board in most cases)
- Container or bowl for mixing ingredients