campfire cooking Archives – Mamma's School

Tag: campfire cooking

Campfire Gratin-A Tasty & Hearty Warming Meal.

On 05/06/2018

A gratin dish is one that technically has a browned topping of either cheese or bread….ours might have ended with a more browned base than top, but it was still yummy!!

So what do you need to make your tasty campfire gratin? You can prepare it easily at the campfire, but due to us hiking and it absolutely bucketing down with rain that day, I did the preparation at home 🙂

Ingredients For Campfire Gratin:

Diced potatoes

Bacon, chopped

Sweetcorn (any veg will do if you want veg in it at all!!)

Creme fraiche

Grated cheese (2 large handfuls)

Blob of butter

Method To Make Campfire Gratin:

To assemble your Gratin do the following:

Pop the bacon, potatoes, and veg into the pan to fry in a blob of butter.
Once browned add in creme fraiche and a hand full of cheese to melt into the sauce.
Heat that all through.
Once cooked, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Due to the lack of heat over the top of the pan, this ends up more melted than browned, but that’s why it’s a campfire gratin 😉 And when something tastes so yummy, warms you through in a rain storm, and fills your tummy, technical details don’t matter!!! Enjoy xx

6 Campfire Problems & What To Do

By Mammas School

On 24/05/2018

In Outdoor Adventures, Outdoor Cooking

You have packed up and headed off for an outdoor adventure that includes lots of fresh air and nature. You have also decided the best and most cosy way to cook your food would be on a campfire…..a person after my own heart!! Who doesn’t like a warming campfire and making memories around them? However, you hit a problem with it. Let’s face it, building, lighting, and keeping campfires going is an eternal learning curve, but a fun one. This post is designed to take you through some of the more commonly occurring campfire problems, and what to do about them, so you can (armed with a bit of helpful knowledge) get on and enjoy a successful campfire 🙂

Too smokey: A smokey campfire is one of the more common campfire problems, and as you can tell from the photo, it can take even the most prepared bush crafter by surprise – the cause, wet wood (I was convinced mine was dry here…obviously not!!) Wet wood will be hard to light, and will produce a lot of smoke. I’m not talking about wood that has previously dried out and has now been exposed to a little rain…yes, that will smoke a bit, but on the inside it will still be dry. Some types of wood also cause smoking. Generally if you stick with harder woods you should be fine. Light with smaller softer wood initially to get it going (they light easier), then swap to harder woods as they burn hotter and for longer.
Lighting the campfire in the rain: Look for naturally protected areas to light your fire. For example under tree canopies, or cliff overhangs. But don’t, whatever you do, light it in the protection of your tent! Start with very small and very dry kindling and tinder (refer to my building a campfire blog post). I usually carry some of this just to ensure we have a successful lighting, but if you need more, look for it under things where it has been protected from the elements. Also, if you have a knife or axe you can split the wood, as the inside may be dry and then it will light better with that exposed rather than the damp exterior. You could even shave some off with the knife as extra kindling, or feather a stick for even better chances of lighting the fire.
Reigniting embers when the flames die down: If your campfire dies down and you still need flames (if like me you got distracted with children and forgot to add new fuel to the fire), then you can direct a gentle blow into the base of the hot embers, and after a few attempts you should see the flames spring back into life (just make sure you aren’t blowing hot embers all over the countryside as you’ll start a fire! You need to make sure they stay in your fire pit).
Keep the fire burning: Before your flames die down, add another log to them, but make sure air can still get into the fire to fan the flames, don’t suffocate it.
Wood burning too fast: This usually means that it is too windy and your campfire needs some protection from the wind. For example, above we have built a wall from rocks, preventing the wind from burning through our wood fuel so fast. You could also dig a hole into the ground if the area/ground is suitable. If you do use rocks, don’t forget to cool them down afterwards, and also replace them to where you found them.
Food is not cooking or warming up: This usually means, for some reason, the heat is not reaching your food. For example, a very windy day will make your fuel burn rapidly and have huge flames, but the heat will be blown away before it has much impact on your cooking. On those kind of days, the food needs to sit right on top of the heat source. If you have foil wrapped food that isn’t so hard, but if in a billy can or balanced on a grill you need to get a little more inventive. Usually things can be solved with some well positioned wood to balance a pot, or some foil to wrap things up in so they can go straight onto the fire….just remember to check them more often as they will now cook fast!

I hope these hints about campfire problems will give you a helping hand in having a successful campfire or two. They are such fun to do and we love making one on our outdoor adventures. Be sure to read my post on campfire basics and tips as well, which covers how to build one and safety amongst other things, and go and enjoy your campfire!!

The Swedish Kitchen – Cooking Outdoors

By Mammas School

On 17/05/2018

In Living abroad in Sweden

The beautiful Swedish countryside is full of outdoor fire pits, making cooking outdoors very accessible to everyone. They come in all shapes, sizes, and conditions, but there is no doubt about it, being able to do your cooking outdoors on a hike or a camp, safely and responsibly, adds to the experience and memories, especially for our three children.

There is no knowing what you will find until you reach one. Some are marked on trail maps, others are not, but they are little gems tucked away in the Swedish countryside, usually complete with a stunning view to admire whilst you eat your tasty treat. Some are very basic, just a few rocks. Others are luxurious, with the ability to set your grill rack at different heights, and complete with picnic tables. Sometimes a kind person has provided wood for the fire and left it in a little shelter, and occasionally there is a bucket which you can use to collect water in (which we then have standing next to the fire as a safety precaution). Due to not knowing what we will come across, and being out with three small children, I carry our fire wood (I’m getting quite strong!), just to be on the safe side. As we get more experienced and the children get older, then we can think about rummaging around the ground for fuel supplies. There is something very special about being able to cook over an open fire, and we now have made a habit of doing this at least once a week, rain, sun, or snow…..in the winter it provides a well needed warming meal, and in the summer, a break in the hike to relax while the children play for a few hours. If you need any ideas of what to cook (both sweet and savoury), I have lots of outdoor recipes that are quick and easy 🙂 The provision of the fire pits have benefits far more reaching than just being able to do your cooking outdoors. They allow you to connect together, and pause a while from whatever adventure you are on. Usually we are hiking. The children either immerse themselves playing in nature, or are busy helping me, learning good bush craft and survival skills as they go along. They have now all learnt what you need and how to start a fire, as well as looking after it, and putting it out safely. Also, importantly, they have learnt how to behave around a lit campfire.

Top Tips for Cooking Outdoors

Carry your food, water, and fuel for the trip
Have a little fire starting kit ready made up. You can see what is in ours here
Allow lots of time. This is not an activity that can be rushed, both for safety and enjoyment reasons.
Be prepared to improvise, whether with cooking accessories, or fuel supplies.
Let your children help. It teaches them valuable skills.
Leave no trace of you being there, so there is less impact on the environment. If you’ve moved rocks to create a windbreak, put them back etc
Use fire pits when you can, or a stove if there isn’t one.
Take ALL your waste home.
Put any fires out completely before you pack up and leave. We don’t want wildlife hurt, nature harmed, or it to become a safety risk.
If you are using firewood from the surrounding area, only use from the ground. Don’t go chopping or tearing branches from trees and bushes.

We really enjoy eating our food cooked on a campfire, and I find the children tend to eat better too!! Make sure you check out our outdoor cooking recipes, and next week I will go over campfire basics, and campfire problem solving here on the blog.

Apple and Cinnamon Porridge – A Warming Breakfast

By Mammas School

On 19/04/2018

In Outdoor Cooking

This apple and cinnamon porridge breakfast is quick and easy (a big plus point when you are outdoors), tasty, and very filling. It’s perfect for starting the day in the great outdoors, or as a snack to make when out hiking for the day as it will give you lots of energy.

Ingredients For Apple And Cinnamon Porridge

(This is for one portion)

1 cup of oats.

1 cup of milk of your choice (we’ve made it with both cows’ and plant based milks).

Half an apple.

Teaspoon of raisins.

Teaspoon of cinnamon powder.

Teaspoon of vanilla essence.

How To Make Apple And Cinnamon Porridge

Dice the apple, leaving the skin on is down to what you prefer.
Then put all the ingredients into you pan and warm through
Beware with cooking porridge on a campfire that it can quickly stick to the bottom and burn, so stir regularly.
If getting a little dry just as some more milk. For example, when I am using oat milk I seem to need more than when I use cows’ milk.
Then serve and enjoy!!

I hope you enjoy eating this simple but yummy apple and cinnamon porridge recipe as much as we do, and let me know in the comments below how you found it.

Outdoor Play For Teenagers – 11 Ideas

By Mammas School

On 17/04/2018

In Outdoor Adventures, Parenting

Outdoor play for children is so important for all ages (read here to find out why), and in this mini series of posts I will run through some varying outdoor play ideas for different age groups of children. This post is all about outdoor play for teenagers. This age group is such fun as you extend their boundaries, give them more independence, and more challenges. Outdoor play for teenagers is still very important, and also in continuing to foster their love of nature and the outdoors, so when they are ready (very soon) they will want to continue out of their own initiative. These outdoor play ideas for teenagers are supposed to do all of that…be fun, challenging, and help connect them to nature. I hope your teenagers enjoy trying them.

Outdoor Play For Teenagers

Climb a mountain, large peak, or hill together: This will allow them to take a little responsibility for packing, looking after themselves, and some basic map reading but on a grander scale. The time together will allow for some lovely bonding time as well. They will like the sense of adventure too.
Cook on a campfire: We cook on a campfire regularly and my three smaller children are up to speed on fire safety, and hopefully are learning skills they can then use in the future. With a teenager, take it that step further, and allow them (supervised) to cook the meal on the campfire.
Take a hike at night time with them. There is a good collection on the website for the National Trust if you fancy trying one of theirs. For an extra challenge they also do night runs
Let your teenager lead you for a wild camp. Let them plan with you where to go, lead in the pitching, and any activities/organisation while you are there.
Learn to surf….you might find this another fun one to do with them for something new to try!
Swim in the sea (make sure they are safe and supervised!!).
Go on an off road cycling adventure.
Make colourful nature textiles using sun dye paints. Mine have just done simple fabrics, but you can make cushion covers, t-shirts, the list is endless. The effect is beautiful.
Build a raft and try to sail it (again make sure any activity around water is safe and supervised).
Build a mini pond. This is a great activity for them to add a feature to your own outdoor space, however small.
Learn to use (supervised) some other bush craft equipment. My three love the Kelly Kettle. It is fun and easy, and gives them a good start to fire making skills on a smaller scale.

I hope you have enjoyed these ideas for outdoor play for teenagers, and let me know how you get on!!

Raspberry And Coconut Porridge – A Fruity Breakfast

By Mammas School

On 13/03/2018

In Outdoor Cooking

This fruity breakfast porridge makes a good start to any day, whether hiking, camping, or even in the kitchen at home 🙂 It is fruity, tasty, and healthy, and it certainly warmed me up the day I cooked it!

Ingredients for Raspberry And Coconut Porridge

This will make one serving, so just multiply the ingredients by how many people you have….it makes a decent portion size too.

1 cup of oats.

1 cup of coconut milk – add more if it becomes too stiff, but one was fine for me.

Handful of raspberries – mine were frozen, but to be honest if I’d taken fresh out that day they would have frozen anyway!!

1 teaspoon vanilla essence.

Non essential: cocoa powder (sprinkle) and desiccated coconut (spoonful).

Method For Making Raspberry And Coconut Porridge

Pour in coconut milk and add oats.
Stir until warm.
Add raspberries and stir until mushy, then add in the vanilla essence. At this point you can add desiccated coconut if desired. One of our trio doesn’t like strongly flavoured coconut food so we didn’t.
Serve into a bowl and sprinkle cocoa over the top, but make sure it isn’t windy or else you might just end up wearing it!!!

Chocolate Breakfast Oats – A Campfire Breakfast

By Mammas School

On 22/02/2018

In Outdoor Cooking

Do you want a nice easy campfire breakfast? These chocolate breakfast oats will not only warm you up, they will fill you up. and they are tasty too!

Ingredients For Chocolate Breakfast Oats:

2 cups of rolled oats

2 cups of milk (we used oat milk as one of us is vegan)

1 tablespoon agave syrup (this can be honey or maple syrup too)

1 tablespoon cocoa

tsp vanilla essence

This makes it for 2, so adjust as appropriate

Method To Make Chocolate Breakfast Oats:

Mix all the ingredients together and place in the fridge overnight 🙂
Next day reheat over your campfire for a tasty breakfast
We did it this way as we were off hiking for a sunrise breakfast. However, if you are camping and can’t pop them in the fridge overnight, just make them and warm them up straight away. They still taste good!! And you don’t have to limit them to breakfast either 🙂

Campfire Waffles – A Winter Warmer

By Mammas School

On 16/01/2018

In Outdoor Cooking

I have deliberated over whether to share my campfire waffles recipe, as not everyone possess their grandmother’s ancient cast iron waffle iron. However, I decided to go for it for a few reasons…other than we adore waffles!! Firstly, this recipe is the same one I use for my indoor waffle iron too (we are talking Scandinavian heart shaped waffles here). Secondly, if you did want to make campfire waffles I know that you can get hold of these lovely old cast iron pieces of equipment second hand – they are out there (one of my friends has recently managed this). Lastly, outdoor waffle irons (albeit a more modern and practical version), are now being sold in outdoor shops (I have only seen them online so far but they do exist). So, I may give you an idea for a new piece of outdoor campfire equipment for your wish list, or you may just want to try them out in the comfort of your own home.

Ingredients For Campfire Waffles (makes 4 waffles):

An oil for greasing (we use either coconut oil or olive oil as that is what is in our cupboard. Butter definitely didn’t work for us!)

3dl of plain flour

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

3 teaspoons butter

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

3dl milk

Raspberry jam and creme fraiche for serving

Method To Make Campfire Waffles:

You can either make the mixture at home and transport in an old plastic bottle, or if camping you can make on site.

Place all the dry ingredients into a bowl.
Add in the wet ingredients a little at a time.
Beat well inbetween to make sure there are no lumps.
Grease the iron and warm it up in the fire.
Ladle in a portion of mixture and pop on the fire for 2-3 minutes, before turning over the iron to do the same on the other side.
Take the iron off the fire and pop the waffle on a plate.
Serve with a good dollop of creme fraiche and jam.

It might take a few attempts to perfect the timings needed and the amount of greasing needed, but bear with it and keep trying as once you have sussed it out, campfire waffles are well worth the effort 🙂 Excuse my grubby hands below, I was cooking on a fire!!!