Camping Bothwell-Style
Posted by: Bothwell Cheese Team
BBQs are sizzling, mosquitos are biting, and the smell of fresh cut grass is in the air. Yes, summer is in full swing! For many of us this means loading up the car or trailer and heading to our favourite camping spot. Camping is a lot of fun but takes a considerable amount of planning and prep work. The key to successful adventures this summer is to stay fueled and organized, so you can soak up every moment of the great outdoors.
To help you out, we’ve compiled some camping specific cooking tips, tools, recipes and safety info that will ensure you are a “happy camper”.
TIP TOP COOKING TOOLS
Planning camping meals can be challenging, the tools you have to work with play a major role in execution.
1) Foil Friends: If you’re tenting and cooking mostly by the fire, tin foil will be one of your best friends. You can cook just about anything in a foil packet over an open flame (even pizza!). Try some fresh fish with herbs and lemon. We really love this recipe from Busy Mommy for Honey BBQ Bacon, Chicken and Sweet Potato Packets. Make sure to buy the heavy duty BBQ grade tin foil, those flames can get pretty hot!
2) No oven, No Problem: For a more environmentally friendly cooking solution, it’s wise to invest in a Dutch Oven. There are a million recipes crafted specifically for these – here is a round-up of 35 recipes to get you started.
3) Pie Time: Grilling racks and skewers are really handy too. But one of the best campfire tools has to be the pie iron! These are easy to use and the yummy possibilities are endless – see below for inspiration. These Woods Cast Iron Sandwich Toasters from Canadian Tire will do the trick and the hinged edges help keep the two sides stay together when you are opening and closing it.
4) Everything in its Place: You may not have access a full kitchen while camping, but you can still make prep and clean-up a breeze with a kick-butt camping dream kitchen like this one from MEC. Some will call this “glamping”, we call it practical.
GET YOUR CAMP COOK ON WITH EASY RECIPES!
Campfire Grilled Cheese: For a quick meal, go for an old fashioned grilled cheese in your pie iron. You can experiment with different bread, and add in your favourite flavour of Bothwell Cheese. We have been known to add fun condiments to our grilled cheese, like mustard. We are big fans of Manitoba’s locally produced Smak Dab mustard combined with our Medium Cheddar. Jam, pie filling and pizza topping are all amazing combos too. Experiment and find your favourite.
S’mores: What would a camping trip be without some ewy, gooey, gimmie more, s’mores? Here’s a hot tip for getting around the mess that is marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate deliciously melted together. Make this favourite treat in your pie iron! Start with two slices of bread add in marshmallows, chocolate or Nutella (try not to eat the whole jar), maybe throw in some peanut butter for extra fun. And it’s ok, s’mores for lunch is totally acceptable when you are camping.
Also, Manitoba Harvest has put their own twist on this campfire must-make by crafting a dip-style s’mores recipe with Hemp Heart Bites, love it! Get the recipe.
Here’s a short collection of some of our other fav camping recipes:
Camping Mac & Cheese Foil S’mores Cones Chili Cheese Fries Philly & Cheese in Foil
SAFETY ALERT!
Sitting around a campfire is relaxing, and extra fun when you are cooking. As always though, practice safe cooking. Especially when dealing with open flames. The Canadian Safety Council offers some good campfire safety tips on their website. Also, check your local fire levels regularly – these will usually be marked as you enter the campgrounds.
LAST, BUT NOT LEAST – RANDOM COMFORT TIP
After long days of outdoor adventures and gourmet campfire cooking, a good night’s rest is imperative. We think this tent bed from London Drugs looks like a fun place to re-energize!
And check out this inflatable couch. These guys are blowing up everywhere, literally! They self-inflate and can be packed in a carry-a-long pouch. Genius! Put your legs up and relax – you won’t ever want to get up. Amazon.ca has a huge assortment available under various brand names. The original, called “Lamzak”, comes from a Dutch designer and now belongs to the Fatboy family of comfort furniture.
Lamzac® the original
CONTEST TIME!
Share your camping tips, tricks, secret locations and recipes below for your chance to win FREE Bothwell Cheese for you and your camping buddies! Comment below before midnight (CST) on August 10, 2016 for your chance to win. Contest only open to residents of Canada.
Happy Camping,
Bothwell Cheese Team