One of the joys of being out in the great outdoors is also cooking in them – we find most of the fun when camping is cooking over an open fire. We like roughing it when it comes to food – it's amazing what you can do with a cast iron pan and a few sticks.
We also like to minimize clean up, without resorting to packaged food. A little planning ahead makes a big difference – prepared food and homemade mixes packed in heavy duty ziplock bags are easy to transport, and you can toss the bags in the recycling bin when you're done, rather than have to pack them up to bring back home.
Bannock is one of our favourite things to make – it's a simple blend of flour, baking powder and salt, with a little oil rubbed in – the combination is very similar to Bisquick or other baking mixes. At the campground, all you need to do is add water, stir until you have a soft dough (if you use a good quality freezer bag to transport the mix in, you can do it right in the bag), then pat into small rounds (or one big one, then cut into wedges) and cook in a skillet over the fire, or shape the dough into ropes to twist around sticks and roast over hot coals. Serve warm, with butter and jam.
Bannock: Mix 3 cups flour, 1 Tbsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt; rub in 1/4 cup oil and pack in a zip-lock bag. When you're camping, add 1 cup water and mix to a soft dough. Pat or roll balls of dough to cook over the campfire, or twist ropes around sticks to roast. Serve warm, with jam.
