Sitting Around the Campfire

Baby Girl keeps C's lap warm as we start the campfire

I know not everyone who camps enjoys a campfire, but for us one of the best parts about camping is sitting around the campfire at night and enjoying each others company. Plus certain foods taste better over the campfire, you really can’t make a s’more with a candle.  Also there’s the enjoyment of just chatting with family and friends with no gadgets to interrupt the conversation.

The most important thing about cooking over the campfire is having long enough forks, trust me your non-singed knuckle hair will thank you. We love s’mores, there’s just something about that gooey mess that tastes so good. We learned it’s better to do your cracker/chocolate setup before roasting your marshmallow, nothing worse then having your perfectly toasted marshmallow hit the dirt while you fiddle around breaking the graham cracker in half, there’s no 5 second rule for that. A word to the wise, if you’re thinking a marshmallow Peep is going to make a s’more taste even better, think again, you toast the Peep and the sugar coating reaches the temperature of molten lava. So while those sitting around the campfire might enjoy the laugh, you’ll have a burnt tongue for your efforts. Please don’t ask how I know, I just do. Also when your kids have a brilliant idea, let them try it out first!

Little Man enjoying a s'more

I’m a pretty creative cook, so I know about 10 different ways to cook a hotdog, but the best way is over the campfire. We also like to do pigs in the blanket for a treat. Roast your hotdog over the fire and when it’s almost done, wrap the hotdog with a crescent roll. (be careful, it’s hot) then return to roasting the hotdog over the campfire till the crescent it toasted. Don’t try to cook the hotdog and the crescent at the same time, the crescent will be doughy and gross on the inside. Now if you want a more grown up taste try Johnsonville Brats, they are out of this world cooked over a campfire.

So while all this cooking is going on, there’s usually some good conversation shared as well. Whether it’s just our immediate family or we’re camping with extended family and friends there’s always jokes and laughter. We’ll talk about camping trips past, what the plans are for the following day, sometimes even a hope or a dream one of the kids have. A campfire seems to bring out the best of family camping.

I know campfires aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but try one, you might like it. In fact we’ve even shared our campfire with a few campground neighbors here and there while camping and got to hear their stories of travel as well.

Hubby checks on the fire

And if you’re looking for a new recipe or two to try out Woodalls Campsite Cookbook. It has plenty to offer. We’ve always got plenty of food and merriment to share, so bring your chair and feel free to eat a s’more and tell a story or two.

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