Campfire cooking!

Today is a guest blogger day. We have a wonderful meal from Jessica at Points of Interest. (I wanted to add another link just to ensure it works. )

Hi!  I'm Jessica from Points of Interest.  Normally I write about hiking and traveling, but I also love to cook.  I combined them into a post on cooking simple but delicious food while camping (because hot dogs and s'mores are totally out this year) for Jess and her readers!   I'm going to make chicken foil dinners and banana boats.

Chicken foil dinners:
They're really very basic, but they take a little more effort than sticking a hot dog or brat on a stick and toasting it over the fire.  But the effort is worth it.

Start with two pieces of foil.  Get a piece of paper towel damp and put it between.  This helps keep things from burning, and helps everything cook evenly.  You could skip this step if you didn't have paper towel, but it's better if you don't.

Cut up your chicken into cubes or strips.  Peel and cut any veggies.  I like to use carrots and potatoes.  Other good ones are onions, peppers, and cherry tomatoes.  Pineapple is a tasty option too, if you have it!  Season as desired.  I used some seasoned salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning.  Then plop everything onto the middle of your foil.

Close up your foil into a little pouch. 



Carefully set it on the campfire.  (Please pretend my grill is a fire.  October is a little chilly for camping in Minnesota!)  The best place to put it is over hot coals, not direct flames.  If you have a grill over part of your fire pit, you can put it there, but it will likely take a little longer to cook.  I put mine on the grill rack because my fire was really hot and I didn’t have time to let it burn down a bit.

(Right after I took this picture, I realized I forgot to actually season the food.  I ran back out and opened everything to season.  Oops!) Let it cook for about 15 minutes directly in the fire, 20 on the grill, then flip, and cook for 10-15 more minutes.  Use long tongs or two sticks to flip!  Be careful, it's hot in there ;)  Once you think it's done, pull it out, and very carefully open it.  Check to make sure the chicken is cooked through (no pink!), and your potatoes are soft enough.  If they are, then you are good to go.  Enjoy!

Banana boats:
These are a delicious alternative to traditional s'mores.  They're easy, they're fun, and they're just as awesomely sticky and messy as s'mores (sorry parents, you don't get out of your kids sticky fingers with these). 

CAREFULLY peel the the 1/4 of the peel along the inside of the curve down (use a knife to get it started at the top).  DO NOT DETACH YOUR PEEL. 

 

Carefully cut out the wedge of banana directly below your peeled peel.

Stuff with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows.

Replace your peel as best as you can, then wrap tightly in foil.

Put on the fire (again, the coals are the best) for about 5 minutes. 

Take out, carefully unwrap, let it cool for a couple minutes, and eat!  It's easiest to eat this one with a spoon, scooping directly out of the peel.

Looks gross, tastes delicious!   And a bit healthier than s’mores, which is bonus for me.