Campfire Cornbread (and other delicacies)

I was so inspired by Alice Cantrell's Tin Cups and Tinder book that we had to try baking over the campfire this year.  Our traditional first dinner 'round the fire is chicken quesadillas. We prep them before we leave, wrap them in foil and toss them on the fire or grill when we arrive.  Super easy and yummy.  I serve them with plenty of fruits and veggies (and pita chips), making for a very fun meal.

Our second traditional campfire meal is chili.  We make that a few days before we leave and freeze it.  My husband even makes a vegetarian version for me.  I was intent (obsessed) on serving the chili with fresh corbread this year.  In a ziploc bag I mixed up the following dry ingredients:

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder

At the campsite, I melted the butter in a cast iron skillet and added the following wet ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 4 tbsp butter, melted

My daughter squished it all together and we poured it in the buttered skillet.

I covered the skillet in foil and placed it on some rocks placed above the flames.  

We flipped it and fussed over it for awhile and ta da!

OK, listen, food doesn't have to look good to be good and I really don't think I've ever been prouder of a baked item.  It was perfectly delicious with the chili and my son gobbled it up all night.  I think Alice details proper instructions and techniques, but I was trying to keep the investment down for our first baking venture.  Next year, I'm definitely using this which I think would bake a little more evenly.  

We also made homemade ice cream this year too as my sister gave my son the LL Bean Ice Cream Ball for his birthday.  What could be more fun or summery than homemade ice cream around a campfire?  

Don't look too closely at how I used the ball though, because I just realized last night that I had the instructions reversed.  It still worked, but probably not as well and I feel a little.... not so bright right now.  We had a lot of fun with this anyway!

S'mores?  Yes, we made those too, but my husband had the bright idea to roast teeny tiny marshmallows instead of standard which was just ridiculous because it took about twenty marshmallows stuck on the end of the fork to get the proportions right.

He felt this was the perfect balance of ingredients. I mocked him and his sissy marshmallows mercilessly.

I know this has gone on and on, but I know I will use it as a reference next year and I hope you've found it informative as well!

Comments

[Elisa]

That cornbread looks delicious to me!

[sarah]

this looks so delicious - in part because it also looks so much fun.