Monday, July 16, 2007

Fine Dining in The Great Out Doors

Hey everyone, sorry I've been gone so long. I'm still in Idaho having an AMAZING time, but I missed blogging. I have been so busy, there has been no time to sit at a computer for more than 5 minutes. It is almost 2am but I just had to type something up.
In my not-so-humble opinion, when camping, everything should be cooked on a stick. Seriously! I don't go camping just for the dirt factor. I go so that I can live the survivor lifestyle I've always dreamed of and for me that means eating off a stick. My mother and my sisters highly disagree and opt for the gourmet style of dutch oven cooking. I don't mean to knock it. I have eaten pizza, blueberry cobbler, beer brats, beans cooked in various delectable sauces, cinnamon rolls, and many other marvelous foods baked in dutch ovens. That said, I still prefer the stick. Why?

First off, they are easy to clean. I'm sorry, but I consider camping as a way to "get away from it all" and that includes getting away from the daily chore of washing dishes. Sticks are easy to clean, you just stick it in the ashes to burn food remnants (and sanitizes it at the same time), then wipe it off on your not-so-sanitary jeans and you are good to go.

Second, they are easy to pack and store. Mess kits are really cool and fun but when you are cooking for a family of 6 those mess kits can cause a big mess. I can carry enough roasting sticks in my stick bag for 15 people if I wanted to.

Thirdly, the kids can cook their own food. Sure, they drop stuff in the fire and whine a bit that it is covered in ash. The bright side is that they are a bit more thankful for the clean food you give them once they return home and I can always go for more gratitude in the food department with my bra... um, I mean, angels.

Fourthmost, it's just fun. It is fun being able to play with my food, play with sticks, and play in the fire all at the same time. It is fun having competitions to see who can roast the perfect pig in a blanket. It is fun coming up with new "stickable" kinds of food. It is fun watching my boys play sword fights after they are done eating. Camping should be about letting loose, having fun, and eating well, and stick cooking seems to fit the bill in all three areas.


Things I cook on my stick:

Pop Tarts (the trick is all in how you skewer it)

Canned Whole Potatoes (sprinkle with salt or dip in ketchup, yum)

Toast (spread bread with bacon grease, skewer onto a forked stick like you would pin your fabric before sewing)

Popcorn (hook my forked stick around the wire handle of those old burner style Jiffy Pops and shake like crazy)

Bacon (put on stick accordion style)

Any kind of shish kebab (I love ham, pineapple, red onion, and bell pepper with a little teryaki sauce)

Hot Dogs (my favorite are Cheddar Brats)

Marshmallows (I'm not a big fan of chocolate so I do my smores on fudge covered grahams. I kill two birds with one cracker that way)

What do you cook on your stick?


Check back tomorrow for my second favorite way to camp cook: Foil Pouching

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm with you there, who wants to wash dishes when you roughin' it? Not me! Sounds like you're having a great time. You've made me hungry!

An Ordinary Mom said...

I am hugely impressed with everything you know how to cook on a stick. I agree, if you are out camping, why would you want to do dishes :) !!

By the way, you are on Rockin' Blogger Girl ... I forgot to put your name on my most recent post, but it is there now for all the world to see. Come claim your prize :) !!

Jennifer @ Fruit of My Hands said...

I'm not big on camping at all, but we do cook on sticks. I like dutch oven food, but you are right about the mess! We mostly do hotdogs, but I've heard that starburst candies are really good roasted.

love tinfoil dinners too!

Caffienated Cowgirl said...

Okay, I grew up spending every summer at our mountain cow camp...which meant most food was cooked over a fire...but I have to say, I've never tried Pop Tarts on a stick! Very creative!