Five quick and easy items to eat while camping. Beware, some items are healthy!

Kebabs – A very simple version of this dish that I make uses quartered peppers and onions. Throw in some whole mushrooms and either chicken or beef (or both!) cut up into chunks about 2 x 2 inches. Stick all the ingredients down the middle with any straight stick or metal kebab pole and find a good balance between two logs in your fire, about 2-3 inches away from the flame. Cook for about 20 – 30 minutes or until the vegetables shrivel and the meat gets a brown coating.

Baked Potatoes – Wash the outside really well and leave the skins on. I’ve found Yukon or gold potatoes to be quite delicious in a fire pit. Cut small slices into the potato to dab the classically delicious combo of salt and butter. Wrap the whole concoction tightly in tinfoil, and toss it into the embers of your bonfire. Cook each potato for about 25 to 35 minutes. It will take less time for smaller sized potatoes and about 8 to 10 minutes more for very large ones. Don’t forget about them otherwise you’ll end up with a black, charred potato! Wait until after you’ve cooked the potatoes to top them off with cheese, otherwise you’ll just end up with burnt cheese stuck to the inside of your aluminum foil wrapping.

Sausages – Very easy and very delicious. All you need to do is cut a few small incisions along one long side of the sausage so that your sausage doesn’t explode from the heat. Take a long stick (can be from the forest of from home) and impale the sausage long-ways through it’s core, or just a small poke through the center of the side. Cook until its juices start sizzling in the fire and you start to see some browning on the coating. Serve with spicy brown mustard or ketchup, horseradish or hot-sauce for extra heat.

Cheese & Crackers with Fruit – This tasty dish doesn’t require you to start the fire. A knife and a plate might be necessary though. Spread crackers on the plate, cut up thin slices of cheeses such as Brie/Camembert, Port-Salut, spreadable goat cheese or even simple swiss or cheddar can be delicious. Add any variety of fruit on top; blueberries, strawberries, plums, grapes, cherries, etc. If you don’t want the sweet fruit option, try black or green olives on top.

Banana Boats (for dessert) – A nifty alternative to the s’mores craze. Leave the banana in its peel but cut an incision long-ways into the banana deep enough to stuff it with chocolate and marshmallows, but don’t cut through to the other side. Chocolate chips and mini marshmallows are easiest to stuff deep into the crevice. Wrap the whole thing tightly with tinfoil and stick it in the fire no longer than 4 minutes, which is just enough time for the ingredients to melt and the banana to warm up.

 

 

Photo: (sausage) Stefano Agostini on Flickr, all others by author