As a child, I loved camping with my Grandma and Grandpa. They had a camper and all the rest of the "cool" camping gear. My parents "only" had a tent. Although we tented a couple times a year - it was really more about saving money on a hotel room than truly loving camping. I do have fun and funny memories of tenting with them. Tenting seems to generate lots of funny stories. Sleeping in a tent almost guarantees nasty weather, which almost guarantees getting wet when a tent falls down, which guarantees a midnight move to the vehicle. Those stories are funny... about 5-15 years later! That said, my camping passion comes from experiences I had with my Grandma rather than my parents!
While many things we did while camping with Grandma bring back special memories, what I most looked forward to was making campfire pies. These campfire pies have become a camping tradition my kids enjoy too!
You start by opening the "cooker" and spraying it with non-stick spray. Then you butter the outside of 2 slices of white bread. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top of the butter and place one on each side of the cooker - butter and sugar side out. Then place a few tablespoons of your favorite canned pie filling in the middle. Close up the cooker and put it into the coals of the fire. Keep flipping the cooker so that your pie cooks evenly. Open the cooker occasionally to check on the pie. They do have to be watched carefully as they burn easily. When the bread is toasted golden brown, your pie is done! It will be really HOT, so eat cautiously.
A few tips:
- do not make these in the dark! It is really hard to tell when they are done without some light.
- These cookers get really, really hot! Kids must be supervised carefully. Think carefully before setting them down as I have "branded" a picnic table or two. Oops!
- If you purchase sandwich cookers, buy the expensive ones. My motto is usually to go for the least expensive, but the cheaper ones are really thin and the bread tends to burn way too easily.
Enjoy!
