Getting ready to spend some time in the great outdoors? Well why not make it extra special with some tasty breakfasts the whole family will enjoy? Writer Brenda Hyde shares some of her favorite camping breakfasts!
Tips and suggestions
One of my favorite childhood memories is of my dad cooking breakfast while we were camping. He would whip up scrambled eggs, fry bacon and "toast" bread over the fire or the camp stove. It always seemed to taste better than at home! Now that I am a mom, I have developed my own recipes and tricks for camping breakfasts thanks to my dad's inspiration!
I indulge my children once a year and buy the little boxes of cereal that come with a variety of choices. Yes, it's more expensive, but they think it's extra special to have their own box. Often they wake up while we are camping and are "starving to death," so I let them pick a box of cereal and fix their bowls while I clean up the tent, gather up clothes for the day and then start fixing a hot breakfast. I have a supply of old bowls, eating and cooking utensils and cast iron pans. I splurge and purchase paper plates and plastic cups, plus napkins and paper towels. We do have a camping stove, but we cook over the fire as well. I recommend using a cooler for the perishable food, of course, but also heavy duty, covered plastic tubs to store the cooking supplies and non-perishable food. Be sure to bring along a small plastic dish tub, old towels, dishrags, scrubbers (for the pans) and dish soap. I've found that loose items, paper or even plastic sacks just end up making a mess.
The recipes below are fun and easy. I also like using left over ham, or deli ham, chopped and cooked with scrambled eggs. For easy breakfasts or snacks, bring along bananas, oranges, toaster pastries (you can warm in a pan or on the fire very briefly) and yogurt. We usually have a big breakfast, a light lunch as the kids get hungry later, and a hearty supper with time for marshmallows and S'mores afterwards.
Campfire Eggs
(Save the remainder of the bacon for the next day's breakfast with the recipe below)
Ingredients:
Cook bacon in heavy skillet until crisp. Remove and crumble bacon. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat. Slice as much onion as your family likes VERY thin, and add to the pan with the potatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Return to heat, or fire, and fry until potatoes are lightly browned. Beat together eggs, milk, 1/4 tsp. salt and pepper. Pour over browned potatoes in skillet. Cook without stirring until mixture begins to set.Using a spatula lift and fold partially cooked eggs so uncooked egg flows underneath. Continue cooking for about 4 minutes until cooked but not dry. Arrange crumbled bacon on top, sprinkle with cheese.
Breakfast Tortilla Wraps
Ingredients:
Beat your eggs together with a small amount of milk. I use one egg per person and one extra. Melt margarine in pan or spray with cooking spray and add eggs. In another pan fry your bacon in strips and drain. After the eggs are cooked, add a spoonful or two to each tortilla, some cheese and a strip or two of bacon. (Each person can make their own). Roll up the tortillas and eat!
Sausage on a Stick
Ingredients:
Pineapple or Apple Pancakes
Ingredients:
Mix up your batch of pancake mix according to the directions (I make mine on the thin side) and prepare as usual. Place one slice pineapple slice on pan or griddle or slice and peel an apple and place a few thin slices on the griddle. Pour 1/4 cup batter over slice. Cook on the first side until it starts to bubble on top, then flip and brown the other side. Serve with syrup. NOTE: You can also sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the apples if you wish.
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