Monday, May 11, 2009

A weekend kind of life

Good morning campers! I've been spending time dreaming my way into this new career and it occurred to me today that, yes, it is Monday morning, but I'm in a weekend state of mind. After all, isn't the best part about camping getting away from the city, the 9 to 5 drudgery and taking in the sweet sights, sounds and smells of a campground?
I spent some time reviewing recipes and tips yesterday that will be a daily part of my communications and I found one of the most unique things to cook over an open fire.
This recipe is great because, like aluminum foil dinners, it serves one each and is simple to make. I call it meatball in a wrapper and the basic idea is using a whole onion skin to cook the meat.

You will need:
1 pound of ground meat
4 large whole onions
dried or fresh basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 chopped green pepper
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs, croutons or very small pieces of bread

Cut the onions in half and remove all but the two outer layers creating bowls or nests for the meat.
Mix the ground meat, I prefer a mixture of ground chuck and ground pork for the best flavor, with either 1 TBS of dried basil or several chopped leaves of fresh about 1/2 cup, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, chopped green pepper and some of the inside of the onion chopped. Mix well, but not too much to bruise the meat. Then add the egg and breadcrumbs to the mixture creating a consistency of a stiff dough.

Shape meat into balls and place in one side of the onion half. Place other half on opposite side and wrap entire thing in aluminum foil. Place it in the coals for 20 minutes turning once to evenly cook. This is ready when you want it and the good thing is even children can help make them. Just remember to sanitize your hands and preparation surfaces!

Hmmm, that makes me hungry.

I'm still working on the schedule for my next trip, but tomorrow I've got to tell you about this man who complemented my fire last week . . . or was that what he was looking for? Either way it was a great way for me to make a connection with other campers and gave me some great ideas for another easy campfire dish.
Have a great day!

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