Kids in the Kitchen Enjoy great outdoors by cooking over campfire

When car camping with the family these days, there are no technological barriers when it comes to the food. With portable refrigerators, propane stoves and camp sink outfits, the great outdoors can be as convenient as home.

My family, however, favors the gadget-free outdoor kitchen, not only because our vehicle (and our budget) is small, but because my child is crazy about campfires. Why cook with a propane stove when a wood fire is available?

Cooking with kids around the fire is a great time to teach fire safety, and even more fun, you don’t have to worry so much about cleaning up spills.

When using the fire pit to cook a meal, there are three techniques that kids can get into: grilling, cooking in foil packets or cooking on a stick.

Campground grills are usually very widely spaced, too easy for hot dogs or burgers or fish fillets to drop through. So, let your kids make kebabs. The prep work can be done at home or at camp; choose cubed beef, pork, chicken, or large shrimp or scallops, sliced peppers, mushrooms, pineapple, cubes of firm tofu and zucchini slices. At mealtime, let the kids (carefully) skewer the various ingredients according to their own design, paint the kebabs with grilling sauce, and then supervise the grilling. You can request that your kebab contain a bit of everything, but try not to fret if your child’s kebab consists of nothing but pineapple. Breaking some of the usual house rules is part of the joy of camping.

Cooking in foil packets in the embers is more time-consuming than grilling, but the results are delicious. If fishing is part of your camping experience, you can help your child prepare the catch of the day for steaming in a foil packet with a bit of chopped onion, butter, salt and pepper. Other recipes are below. They are simple enough for any child to assist at some level.

Foil packets have the added bonus of easy clean-up. Remember not to put foil packets directly in an open fire (wait until there are glowing coals), and use heavy-duty foil for best results.

Sticks are quickly turned into swords whenever kids are around, so I usually save stick cooking for toasted marshmallows. S’mores – that classic combination of pieces of Hershey’s bars, toasted marshmallows and graham crackers – may be old hat for the grownups, but some camp traditions simply must be passed on to the next generation “as is.” If you must be new-fangled, use cinnamon grahams.

Chicken and Dumplings in Foil Packets

Adapted from Southern Living, on www.cooksrecipes.com

Pack the chicken into the cooler still frozen – in a day or two it’ll be ready to cook.

Heavy-duty aluminum foil

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, divided

2 celery ribs, chopped

2 carrots, diced

1 small onion, chopped

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips

1 1/2 cups biscuit mix

3/4 cup water

Tear off 4 (12-by-18-inch) foil sheets. Coat foil with vegetable cooking spray.

Stir together soup, 1/4 teaspoon thyme, and next 3 ingredients. Spoon evenly on foil sheets, and top evenly with chicken.

Stir together biscuit mix, 3/4 cup water, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon thyme. Spoon evenly on top of chicken.

Bring up 2 sides of each foil sheet, and double fold with about 1-inch-wide folds. Double fold each end to form a packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside packet.

Nestle among the glowing embers (or bake in a 450 degree oven) for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Open foil packets carefully, allowing steam to escape.

Yield: 4 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 660 calories, 21 grams fat (6 grams saturated, 29 percent fat calories), 69 grams protein, 46 grams carbohydrate, 6 grams dietary fiber, 170 milligrams cholesterol, 1,070 milligrams sodium.

Campfire Fajitas

8 soft flour tortillas

2 pounds beef steak

1 green pepper

1 yellow onion

1/2 pound button mushrooms

Salt and pepper

Sour cream

Guacamole

Salsa

Cook the steak, either by grilling whole, cutting into cubes and skewering for the grill, or by slicing thinly and placing loosely in foil packet with a little salt and pepper. Fold up foil packet and place in embers for 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice green pepper in half and onion into quarters; either impale peppers, onions, and mushrooms on a stick and roast over fire or place on the grill on skewers.

Wrap tortillas in foil and set near embers or on coolest part of grill. When the meat and vegetables are fully cooked, slice them into smaller pieces for serving.

Serve steak and grilled veggies on warm tortillas, with sour cream, guacamole, and salsa on the side.

Note: Save leftover veggies from dinnertime to add to your foil-packet omelets the next morning. Make a leak-proof foil packet, pour in the eggs, cheese, and veggies, season with salt and pepper, and cook in the embers for a few minutes until the eggs are done and the cheese is melted. Yum!

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate due to recipe variables.

Camp Apple Cobbler

4 large apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into large pieces

1 tablespoon sugar (brown or white)

4 tablespoons biscuit mix

Raisins

Cinnamon

4 tablespoons butter

Mix apples, sugar, and biscuit mix with raisins and cinnamon to taste.

Divide among 4 pieces of greased aluminum foil and place 1 tablespooon. of butter on top of each; fold into a packet, leaving space at the top for steam.

Cook in the embers approximately 30 minutes, or until apples are hot through. Open carefully to let steam escape.

Yield: 4 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 147 calories, less than one gram fat (4 percent fat calories), 2 grams protein, 36 grams carbohydrate, 4 grams dietary fiber, no cholesterol, 50 milligrams sodium.