Oh, the sweet smell of summer campfires. It’s probably one of my favourite smells. It brings me back to camping weekends, fun at the cottage, roasting marshmallows and hot dogs and just simply kicking back and enjoying those gorgeous nights of summer.
We live just outside the city, so we’re lucky enough to be able to have little campfires in our backyard throughout the summer months. We have what we like to call “Campfire Dinners” and my boys LOVE them (okay, we do too)! We head outside and start a fire around 5 or 6 and we roast hot dogs together, the kids play in the backyard, we chat, we laugh, and when we’ve had our fill of hot dogs, we break open the marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers for s’mores!
While s’mores are definitely a family campfire favourite, there are lots of other yummy snacks you can cook on the campfire. So, I’ve put together a helpful little list to give you some inspiration for the next time you’re lighting up a family-friendly fire:
Grilled Cheese – You can make some pretty tasty grilled cheese sandwiches over the campfire. All you need is a cast iron pie maker and you’re ready to go! Simply butter the bread, put the cheese in the middle, place it in the pie maker and wait for that ooey-gooey cheesy goodness!
Cheesy Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dog – If you think roasting a plain hot dog is a little on the boring side, give it a boost. Before cooking, slice it down the centre, add a piece of your favourite cheese, wrap it in a piece of bacon or two, secure with toothpicks and then cook over the fire. Delicious!
Foil Dinners – If it can be cooked on the BBQ wrapped in foil, it can be cooked over the campfire wrapped in foil! Think loaded potatoes with cheese, bacon and onions, foil wrapped veggies with sausage or simple corn on the cob slathered with some butter. Mmmmmm.
Nachos – I’m a HUGE fan of nachos. So being able to cook them over the campfire is just plain awesome! Grab an oven-safe frying pan and load it up with everything you would normally put on nachos. Place the pan on the grill over the fire and they’ll be ready to dip in salsa and sour cream in no time (and maybe a little guacamole)!
S’mores Bar – Why make just s’mores, when you can have an entire s’mores bar?!?! This one is great if you have a larger group. Basically, just set up a table with all your s’mores fixins’. Pretty much any toppings you’d find at an ice cream bar would work great! Marshmallows, chocolate bars, strawberries, M&M’s, chocolate chips, peanut butter – the possibilities are endless. Everyone can help themselves to their choice of s’mores toppings and then find a seat around the fire to cook it!
Campfire food can be so much more than the standard choices! Get creative, have fun with it as a family and share your favourite campfire recipes below! There’s a good chance I’ll give them a whirl at our next campfire dinner!
