I still remember the days when our boys were young and camping meant disconnecting from the grid. There were no phones, no tablets, no TV or video games to compete for their attention, just time spent outdoors, enjoying the beauty of nature and spending time together as a family.
Now a days it’s almost impossible to get away from technology. If a campground has hook ups it will have access to WI-FI and cable television. It seems like it’s harder and harder to get away from all the distractions of modern living, even when camping. Although it is less convenient to dry camp, I prefer it, because it seems like one of the last places where you can truly disconnect from the world, if only for just a few days.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth all the work prepping and packing for a camping trip when my kid’s faces are forever glued to a screen. But when I look around at the forest or breathe in the smell of the ocean air at the beach, or watch the sun slowly sink into the Pacific Ocean at the end of a long summer day along the coast, I know it was all worth it!
Being the sneaky mom that I am, I’m always trying to find fun activities that we can do together as a family. I love cooking, and I typically do all the cooking when we are camping. But last summer I came across an article about Pie Iron cooking and it piqued my interest. This might be a way to get out of doing all the cooking myself and get my family involved, but in a fun way.
I was able to find the one’s I have at a local sporting goods store, but you can easily purchase them on Amazon. Yes, sometimes technology can be a good thing.
We started with basic grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. At first my son wasn’t too keen on having to make his own meal but he got the hang of it pretty quick and it helped that his sandwich turned out yummy. He ended up making two!
Here are a few basics to keep in mind when cooking over a campfire with a pie iron.
- The handles get really, really hot! Be sure to help little ones so they don’t get burned.
- Adult supervision is strongly recommended.
- Always use oven mitts when handling the pie iron.
- Be sure to coat one side of each slice of bread liberally with butter, it will become the toasted, crunchy outside of your sandwich.
First place the bread in the pie iron (buttered side facing out), then add your desired fillings in the pie iron (for us it was ham & cheese), close it up and then set it over the fire to cook. Flip it after a few minutes to cook it on the other side.
Using your oven mitts remove the pie iron from the fire and set it down so you can open it to make sure the bread is toasted and lightly browned, and the cheese has melted.
There are a multitude of variations and you are only limited by your imagination.
I wonder if cooking chocolate chip cookie dough in a pie iron would turn out? Hmmm…might have to give that a try on our next camping trip.
TIP: Line your pie iron with foil for easy cleanup!
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Roast Beef Sammies: sour dough bread, roast beef, Jack cheese, pepperoncini peppers, and horseradish sauce.
- Pizza Hot Pockets: sliced bread or refrigerated biscuit dough, pizza sauce, Mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, sliced olives and sliced mushrooms.
- Burritos: flour tortilla, leftover taco meat, cheese, refried beans and taco sauce. Top with sour cream and salsa.
- Tacos: Corn tortilla, taco meat, cheddar cheese. Grill, then top with lettuce, tomato, salsa and sour cream.
- Meatball Sammies: sliced French bread, garlic butter, meatballs, marinara sauce, Mozzarella & Parmesan cheese.
- Cheesy Potatoes: tater tots, diced onion, diced bell pepper salt, pepper, and shredded cheddar cheese.
- Sloppy Joes: sliced bread, prepared Sloppy Joe mix, shredded cheddar cheese.
- Cinnamon Rolls: butter pie iron, cook refrigerated cinnamon roll dough, top with icing.
- Philly Cheesesteak Sammies: sliced bread, roast beef, sliced onion, sliced green bell pepper, Provolone cheese.
- Quesadillas: Flour tortilla, shredded cheddar cheese. Serve with sour cream.
- French toast: butter pie iron, dip bread in beaten egg. Serve with maple syrup.
- Fried biscuits: butter pie iron, refrigerated biscuit dough. Serve with jam or honey.
- Breakfast burritos: flour tortilla, scrambled eggs, cooked bacon or sausage and cheddar cheese. Serve with sour cream and salsa.
- PB&J sandwich: sliced bread, peanut butter and jelly, or peanut butter with sliced bananas, or peanut butter and chocolate chips.
Please share your creative sandwich ideas! I would love to hear how your Pie Iron creations turn out! And be sure to let me know if you try the chocolate chip cookie dough and how it turns out for you!