Outdoor Fun

You might not know it from my more sedate, indoor pursuits like crocheting, but I really like outdoor cooking.  I think it stems from my happy Girl Scout camp memories.  Nothing like s'mores, banana boats, and "hobo stew."  Yesterday, Sis and I spent some time in the woods of central CT cooking outside with other scouts.  With snow on the ground!  Certainly, I never did that as a kid in Texas.

But with two fires set up for various types of cooking, we weren't ever really cold (though we had on our snow boots and gloves.)  The girls made grilled cheeses in pie irons, biscuits in a reflector oven, sloppy joes in a Dutch oven, and spiced apples in foil packets.  Sis loved those pie iron sandwiches--just butter and white bread and American cheese!  I remember that my great-grandmother had a cast iron press that was used indoors--I even inherited it--and she made great toasted sandwiches.  Sky's the limit with those--pizza crust and meatballs, pie crust and pie filling, or pie crust and marshmallows and chocolate, white bread with cream cheese and strawberries, and on and on.  Sis has now put pie iron on her list of things to get and wants to cook outdoors with them this summer.  At least it's easier than Dutch oven to carry and clean!

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Grilled Cheeses in a Pie Iron
Spray pie irons with nonstick spray.  Spread butter liberally on two slices of bread, one side only.  Place in pie iron and add cheese.  Close.  Insert pie iron into the coals, checking your sandwich regularly.  Yum!

Sloppy Joes
Put Dutch oven on rack over coals or in coals, depending on heat of your fire.  Spray with nonstick spray.  Saute onions and peppers.  Add ground beef to brown.  Season with Worchestershire, onion powder, ketchup, and a tiny bit of vinegar.  Add diced tomatoes.  Simmer until done.   Serve with reflector-oven biscuits (just put those store-bought biscuits in that oven and cook til done.)

Spiced Apples
Slice apples and place on a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil.  Add cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and a dollop of butter.  Wrap up foil into packet and place in coals until bubbly.