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Ziplock Bag Omelet

January 9th, 2008 Scott Posted in Breakfast Recipes, Camping 1 Comment »

Here's another use for zip-lock bags, and it is has the added benefit that it will save you from cleaning pots and pans after breakfast (or another other meal, for that matter).

First of all, get a large pot of water boiling on the stove. Make sure that you have one quart size freezer zip-lock bag for each person. Don't use the thin kind, make sure you use the thicker freezer variety.

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Pudgie Pie Reuben Sandwiches

April 17th, 2007 Scott Posted in Camping, Pie Iron Cooking Tips, Pie Iron Recipes No Comments »

Grease a warm pie iron with butter. Lay a piece of rye bread on both sides of the iron. Use deli sliced corn beef and top with a spoonful of sauerkraut and a slice of swiss cheese. Place in fire, turning occasionally until bread is browned. 

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Nine Ways to use Zip-lock Bags to Make Outdoor Cooking Easier

January 10th, 2007 Scott Posted in Camping, Outdoor Cooking Tips 1 Comment »

Zip-lock bags are extremely helpful when cooking outdoors.  They come in a variety of sizes from 1 pint to 2 gallons.  There is no need to buy expensive ones for most uses.  You should be able to find off-brands at grocery stores, discount stores, or dollar stores.  Here are some ideas and tips for using zip-lock bags to make your outdoor cooking job a little bit easier.

  1. Pre-measure ingredients and put in zip-lock bags.  For example, if you know you need 2 cups of flour for a recipe, measure those 2 cups into a zip-lock bag at home, label it, and all you have to do at the campsite is dump it in.  This works great for rice, pasta, sugar, flour, instant mashed potatoes, powdered drink mix, and almost any other similar ingredient.
  2. Pre-measuring and storing in zip-lock bags also works great for seasonings.  Measure all the seasonings for a particular dish into a zip-lock bag.  You don't have to take all the individual seasoning containers, nor worry about leaving one behind.
  3. Put all the zip-lock bags and other ingredients for each meal into a large zip-lock bag (1 or 2 gallon).  This keeps everything for the meal in one place.  Add copies of the recipes, if needed, to the bag and you are ready to go.
  4. Pre-mix ingredients and put in zip-lock bags.  Cooking pancakes for breakfast? Mix all the dry ingredients together in a zip-lock bag, label it, then add the liquid ingredients to the bag and mix up when ready to cook.  No dishes to wash.  No cleanup.  Just toss the empty bag in the garbage.
  5. Zip-lock bags are perfect for marinating meat before you grill.  You can even freeze the meats with the marinade, which allows you to get them ready far in advance.
  6. Use zip-lock bags for leftovers and store in cooler.  One great idea is to make omelets for the last breakfast with all the saved leftovers (depending on what you have).  Just add eggs the zip-lock bags and mix up.<br />Precook rice or pasta at home and store in zip-lock bags.  This makes it much easier to cook at the campsite, because all you have to do is heat it up.
  7. Precut meat and store in zip-lock bags.  You won't have to worry in camp about the messy cleanup needed if you do it at home.  If you want to really save time, you can even pre-cook the meats and store in zip-lock bags until you need at camp.  Just heat up and you are ready to go.
  8. Precut vegetables and store in zip-lock bags.  Cooking while camping can be more time consuming, but this tip will save you time by allowing you to do it ahead of time at home.
  9. Store snacks in zip-lock bags.  Trail-mix, snack mix, pretzels, dried fruit, etc., store great in zip-lock bags.  You can even make separate bags for each member of your family or group so there isn't any quibbling over portions

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Making Fire-Starters That Will Get Your Campfire Started Quickly

August 10th, 2006 Scott Posted in Camping No Comments »

When camping, fire-starters can be a great way to help get that fire going quickly and easily.  It will help you get food going faster, get warmer, and will help when the wood is damp or wet.  Here are tips and ideas for making fire-starters.  Most of these will burn for quite some time, making it much easier to get your fire going.

A basic formula for a fire-starter uses a container that will burn, some tinder, and melted wax.  Possible containers could be egg cartons, paper cupcake holders, condiment cups, paper cups, or any other similar container.  Ideas for tinder to use include charcoal briquets (can use whole, or crush into smaller pieces), pine needles, dryer lint, sawdust, and wood chips or shavings (if you don't have these, you can get them from a pet supply store, where they are sold as nesting material).  Put the tinder in the containers and pour the melted wax over the tinder, or mix the tinder with the melted wax and then pour the mixture into the containers.  Let cool and store (zip-lock bags can work well).  When ready to use, place in fire-pit, and light the container.  You might also put a cotton string in the container before pouring wax in.  The string will be like a candle wick that you can light.  It should be easy to get your fire going with these.

When melting wax, always use a double boiler to prevent the wax from getting too hot and bursting into flames.  If you don't have a double boiler, use a #10 tin can in a pot of water, with something to hold the can off the bottom (like the jar rings used in canning).  Be very careful you pour the wax so that you don't burn yourself or others.  If using a #10 tin can, it may help to use pliers to create a spout.

You can also make fire-starters by pouring melted wax over pinecones, or by rolling up 1 inch strips of newspaper, tying a string around, and dipping in melted wax.

Save your leftover candles to melt down to make fire-starters, or you should be able to find paraffin wherever food canning supplies are sold.

Petroleum jelly (like Vaseline) can be used instead of wax to create fire-starters.  Roll 100% cotton balls in petroleum jelly until completely covered.  Store in a zip-lock bag.  When ready to use, take one ball and stretch it out, and light.

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Making Campfire Breadsticks

June 3rd, 2006 Scott Posted in Breads, Camping No Comments »

An easy and fun way to cook bread over coals or a fire is making breadsticks with bread on a stick. They may be cooked while other food is cooking so that they are ready at the same time.

The basic method uses dough rolled into a long thin rope that is wrapped around a stick. The stick is held over coals and rotated until brown on all sides. It requires a little patience to get the inside done at the same time as the outside.

To start, take some type of bread dough and roll it between your hands, forming a long piece (like making a snake or rope out of clay). Don't leave it too thick, which will make it harder to cook all the way through.

Next, select a stick to cook with. This should be heavy enough to support the dough. Take the dough and wind it around the stick in a spiral, pressing the ends to the dough so that it does not fall off.

Place the stick over the coals. It is much easier to cook breadsticks using coals than fire, since they give off a better heat. It may be helpful to prop the stick up over the coals with a couple of rocks, or pile a couple of rocks on either side and lay the stick across the coals so you don't have to hold it the entire time. Occasionally rotate the stick so that the bread gets brown on all sides. Patience is helpful here, to ensure that the bread is cooked through.

You can use a thicker, longer stick laid horizontally above the coals to make several at one time. This will save time if you need to cook for several.

A variety of dough can be used-try various kinds to see which one you like best. The easiest is tube biscuits, which come in a number of types and prices. Take one or more biscuits and roll it between your hands to form the rope of dough to be wrapped on the stick. Other possibilities include Bisquick (don't make the dough too wet), bread dough (if frozen, let it thaw and rise a little), and scone dough (sometimes available at the bakery or deli in your local supermarket).

After cooking, serve with butter, jams, jellies, or honey. This is sure to be a family or group favorite!

Here are some great campfire ideas from eBay:

FIRE GRABBERS Outdoor Campfire Pit Log Tongs FIRE GRABBERS Outdoor Campfire Pit Log Tongs Paypal US $29.99 9d 3h 6m
FIRE GRABBERS Outdoor Campfire Pit Log Tongs FIRE GRABBERS Outdoor Campfire Pit Log Tongs Paypal US $29.99 9d 3h 6m
LOG TURNER CAMPFIRE LOG GRABBER CAMPING FIDDLESTICK LOG TURNER CAMPFIRE LOG GRABBER CAMPING FIDDLESTICK Paypal US $40.00 26d 8h 42m

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Set of 2 Rome Cast Iron Campfire Double Pie Irons Set of 2 Rome Cast Iron Campfire Double Pie Irons Paypal US $57.95 1d 12h 46m
VINTAGE PIE CAST IRON SANDWICH MAKER CAMPFIRE CAMPING VINTAGE PIE CAST IRON SANDWICH MAKER CAMPFIRE CAMPING Paypal 0 Bid US $3.99 4d 14h 28m
Rome Cast Iron Campfire Double Pie Iron Sandwich Maker Rome Cast Iron Campfire Double Pie Iron Sandwich Maker Paypal US $31.95 23d 23h 12m

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