Pie Iron Calzones

We used this recipe when we went on our big camping vacation to Canada this summer and it couldn't have been easier... The poor hubs ends up sitting over the fire the entire time, which isn't super enjoyable for him, but these were totally worth all the grumping and groaning that he did! The kids AND adults raved about how wonderful these tasted and they didn't require a ton of prep work... Perfect for a camping meal!

Pie Iron Calzones
(Recipe found at mustardseeds.typepad.com via Pinterest)

pre-made pizza dough in a tube (one tube yields 3 calzones)
pizza sauce
shredded cheese
pepperoni
Other toppings of your choice
cooking spray
pizza sauce, for dipping

Spray cooking spray on both sides of the pie iron. Cut rectangle of dough into three even pieces and place one piece on the pie iron. Spread pizza sauce. Add cheese. Add pepperoni. Fold over the remaining dough to cover your calzone. With your fingers pinch the edges of the dough together before putting the top of the pie iron on. Cook over hot coals until warm and crisp. Time depends on how hot your coals are. Flip pie iron over and continue cooking second side. Serve with pizza sauce for dipping, if desired.

Root Beer BBQ Chicken

I tried this recipe with my kids and they couldn't stop eating it!! I had to buy smaller packages of chicken legs then I usually do and I was a little concerned about not having enough. I was right to be concerned! I had to stop them from eating more and more, seriously they would have had 4 or 5 if I would have let them... I can't blame them though, the crispiest of the skin from being seared on the grill and the sauce was fabulous!! My boys took a couple pieces with them to cub scout camp the next day and enjoyed them just as much! Just make sure that you have enough gas for your grill... Not so much fun to find out that you are out when you are in the middle of searing! No worries though - I just heated the oven up to 450 and finished cooking that way. It was a late supper, but the kids didn't seem to mind.

Root Beer BBQ Chicken
(recipe found in Family Fun)

BBQ Sauce
1 cup root beer
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons liquid smoke

Chicken
3 pounds bone in, skin on chicken pieces (I used chicken legs)
1 teaspoon steak seasoning

To make the sauce: combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil of medium heat, then lower the heat and simmer the sauce until it thickens and reduces by about a quarter, about 15-20 minutes. Set aside to cool. Place chicken on a sheet pan and rub with steak seasoning. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Prepare your grill so that the heat is concentrated on one side (direct heat). Sear the chicken over the direct heat, covered, turning it once or twice, for about 8 minutes. Move the chicken to the cooler side and cook it, covered, turning it once or twice, until almost cooked through, about 12 minutes. Baste the chicken with the sauce, close the lid, and cook for about 3 minutes. Repeat two or three times, until the sauce is thick and browned and the chicken is done, for 8-10 minutes.

Pie Iron Tacos

We headed out on our first camping trip of the season and I decided that I wanted to try a new recipe... Since my kids are a little obsessed with tacos, I thought that these sounded right up their alley! They were a huge hit and I ended up making them on the next camping trip that we went on as well! I love cooking over the fire while we are camping - luckily our first weekend wasn't a huge bust since the rain stopped just in time for us to get the fire going to make these! They were super yummy and easy to prep at home before we left for the weekend!

Pie Iron Tacos
recipe found on pinterest via twomaidsamilking.com)

1 pound ground beef
1 ounce packet taco seasoning
12 (5") corn tortillas
1 cup cheese
1/2 cup onion, chopped
taco garnishes - lettuce, black olives, green olives, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, taco sauce

Prepare taco meat according to taco seasoning packet directions. Place tortilla shells on each side of a pie iron. Place meat on one shell.

Add cheese and onion, if desired.

Close pie irons and tear any extra tortilla shell off.

Place in fire and heat until tortillas are browned to desired amount.

Top with your favorite taco toppings!

Or just pick it up and go! :)

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

These are two ingredients that are usually in my freezer all year round, unless we run out! :) I made up this recipe last summer for our camping trip that we took to South Dakota. This bread was super tasty and was perfect for snacking on or a delicious breakfast... The kids like a hearty bread for breakfast and they are always wanting to snack on anything that they can get their hands on, so this was perfect!! This bread is very moist, so it won't last long before it starts to mold so eat it up quick! Not a problem here!! :)

Blueberry Zucchini Bread
(recipe found in Parents magazine)

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
3/4 cup canola oil
1/ teaspoon vanilla
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly coat the bottom of 4 mini loaf pans or 1 9" pan with cooking spray; set aside. In a large bowl combine flours, sugars, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and baking powder; set aside. In another bowl, mix eggs, oil and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and stir until combined. Gently stir in zucchini and then blueberries. Spoon batter into prepared pans. Bake about 40 minutes for mini pans or about 1 hour for 9" pan or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of each comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan 10 minutes before removing. Serve warm or let cool completely before slicing.

Brown Sugar Baked Peaches

This recipe looked so good that both my sister in law and I pinned it and brought along the ingredients when we went on our week long camping vacation! Although I beat her to making it, my nephew did an awesome job assembling the baked peaches and we all tremendously enjoyed them! I mean, look at how hard he is concentrating!!

Brown Sugar Baked Peaches
(recipe found on pinterest via recipesweet.net)

1 fresh peach
1 tsp. unsalted butter, divided
2 to 4 tsp. brown sugar, divided
Sprinkling of ground cinnamon, to taste

Cut peach in half and place on baking pan. Top with butter, then brown sugar, and finish with cinnamon. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Breakfast Quesadilla

This was a fun, quick and easy breakfast that I served up while we were camping one weekend. It would be great for on the go breakfast or even a snack when the kids get home from school, if you can find strawberries! :) Mix it up with whatever fruit you want...

Breakfast Quesadilla
(recipe found on pinterest)

tortilla shells
peanut butter
strawberries, sliced
banana, sliced
chocolate chips

Spray outside of two tortilla shells with small amount of cooking spray. Spread peanut butter on bottom tortilla shell. Place banana slices on top of peanut butter, followed by strawberries. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and cover with additional tortilla shell. Heat skillet over medium heat and brown tortilla shells. Cut into wedges and serve.

Marshmallow Caramel Corn

An impromptu bonfire calls for snacks and smores right?? I hadn't planned for people coming over so I was working hard to find something yummy that I could whip up quickly and with all the ingredients that I had in my house. So, we went with a variety of popcorns! :) I made up a batch of "blue" popcorn for the kids and also tried this new recipe that I found on pinterest. This was just as big of a hit as the blue popcorn was and I was definitely glad that I had made up a double batch from the get go!! So, make a batch of popcorn, kick back and enjoy the night!

Marshmallow Caramel Corn
(recipe found on pinterest via www.pincookie.com)

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
9-10 marshmallows
12 cups popped popcorn

Pop popcorn and set aside. In microwave safe bowl, melt brown sugar and butter for 2 minutes. Add marshmallows and microwave for another 1 1/2-2 minutes or until melted and smooth when stirred. Pour over popcorn and stir.

Slow Cooker Big and Spicy Chicken Hoagies

I was a little worried that this would be a little too spicy for the kids but they didn't say anything about it being spicy - which is a great thing!! This meal was super easy to throw together, cooked all day long and tasted wonderful with some simple sides... Great for a weeknight meal!

Slow Cooker Big and Spicy Chicken Hoagies
(recipe found at www.pillsbury.com)

3 tablespoons caribbean jerk seasoning
3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 large red or green bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup ketchup
8 hoagie buns

Rub jerk seasoning generously over chicken. Place bell pepper and onion in bottom of greased slow cooker. Place chicken over vegetables. Mix broth and ketchup in small bowl; pour over chicken. cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. Remove chicken from cooker; place on cutting board and shred. Return chicken to cooker and mix well. Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken mixture from cooker and fill buns.

Ranch, Bacon and Tomato Pasta Salad

I was in charge of lunch for the last camping trip that we had and I went the easy route with wraps! Simple and quick to make and the kids can all pick whatever toppings they want in their wrap... I figured I better round it out a bit though and add something yummy on the side and found this recipe hiding in my "to try" pile! It was a perfect compliment to our wraps - anything is better with bacon, right??

Ranch, Bacon and Tomato Pasta Salad
(recipe found at www.jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com)

1 (16 ounces) bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 (16 ounces) package large shell pasta
1 1/2 pounds grape tomatoes
3 green onions, chopped
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup mayo
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 (1 ounce) package hidden valley ranch dip mix
salt and pepper

Boil pasta according to package directions. Pour into a strainer and rinse with cold water. Slice grape tomatoes in half and place in large mixing bowl with green onions and pasta. In a small mixing bowl combine sour cream, mayo, buttermilk and hidden valley. Stir well to combine, making sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Add bacon and half of the dressing to the pasta mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate both dressing and pasta for one hour or until you are ready to serve. When ready to serve pour remaining dressing over top and stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ranch Pork Chops

Again, when we went camping the other weekend I was looking for quick and easy... Quick and easy to throw together before we left for the day and quick and easy to clean up after we ate for the night! :) Hey... we were supposed to be relaxing, okay?? 3 ingredients?? Does that sound easy enough for you? It does to me... I brought those three ingredients along and we had another fantastic crock pot meal at the campground... Yay pinterest!!

Side note - lately I have been using my cream of everything mix that I found on pinterest a while back, but for the sake of "quick and easy" I just bought a can of cream of chicken to bring along... Like I said, a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!

Ranch Pork Chops
(recipe found on pinterest via www.livinglaughingandloving.com)

pork chops
1 envelope hidden valley ranch
1 can cream of chicken soup (or use this recipe for cream of everything mix)

Mix together hidden valley ranch and cream of chicken soup. Add up to one soup can of water depending on how long you will be cooking the pork chops in the crock pot. Dump into your crock pot and add pork chops. Give it a stir to cover pork chops and let it cook on low for 4-6 hours.

French Dip Sandwich

Growing up my family owned the restaurant in town for a few years... I didn't get a chance to get into the kitchen, I was busy with school, sports and all the rest but I did get to waitress there a bit to make some extra money and to help out the family... This is where I had my first french dip sandwich and it was delicious! I'm a dipping kind of girl so to have a sauce to dip a sandwich into made my day!! I haven't made my own french dip EVER so when I saw how easy this recipe was I decided the time was now... They turned out delicious and I have to say - the meat was so juicy and tender I didn't really even need the au jus... I took all the ingredients with us when we went camping and popped it in the crock pot before we left for the day. It was great to have supper ready and waiting for us when we got back from all of our adventures!

French Dip Sandwich
(recipe found on pinterest via http://www.thewhickerbasket.blogspot.com)

2-3 lb roast
2 cans beef broth
2 packages lipton onion soup mix
sub rolls, hamburger buns, whatever bread you want
cheese (I used pepperjack cause I like the kick! :)

Place roast in crock pot - I always spray my crock pot for easier clean up... Add broth and soup mix. Cook on low 7-8 hours and shred with a fork. Place beef back in crock pot to soak up all the delicious juices and open up your buns. Place meat and cheese on buns and eat away... You can use the juice left in the crock pot for au jus if you are so inclined!

Egg Brunch Casserole

This was a great breakfast recipe that I busted out while we were camping a few weekends ago and let me tell you - waking up to the smell of this in our camper in the morning and knowing that I can just get up and dish it up for the kids and us was the best feeling in the world!! We did all the hard work while we were in the camper waiting for the kids to settle in for the night and enjoyed the fruits of our labor in the morning... It was delicious!

Egg Brunch Casserole
(recipe found at www.pinterest.com)

6-8 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red or green pepper, chopped
1 (2 pound) bag frozen hashbrowns
1 1/4 cups shredded cheese
12 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Spray crockpot with nonstick cooking spray. Saute onion, garlic and bell pepper for 5 minutes. Place 1/3 of frozen hashbrowns in the bottom of crock pot. Add 1/3 bacon, and 1/3 onion, garlic, pepper mixture and 1/3 cheese. Repeat layers, ending with cheese. In a large bowl, mix eggs, milk, dill, salt and pepper. Pour over ingredients in crockpot, cover and turn on low. Cook for 8-10 hours.

Grilled Taco Burger and Potato Packs

I was looking for something new and easy to take with us for camping and I found this wonderful foil pack recipe. I love cooking over the fire while we are camping... Everything just seems to taste so much better!! We LOVED this recipe and it will definitely be a do over when we go again... The cheese dip that I picked was a little too spicy for the kids but other then that it was a definite hit!

Grilled Taco Burger and Potato Packs
(recipe found at www.bettycrocker.com)

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
1/4 cup milk
3 cups frozen southern style diced hashbrown potatoes
1 cup cheese and salsa dip

Heat gas or charcoal grill. In medium bowl, mix ground beef, bread crumbs, taco seasoning mix and milk until well blended. Shape mixture into 4 patties. In another medium bowl, mix frozen potatoes and dip. Cut 4 (18x12") sheets of heavy duty foil. Place 1 patty on each; top with 1/4 of potato mixture. Wrap each packet securely using double-fold seals, allowing room for heat expansion. When grill is heated, place packets, seam side up, on grill over medium heat; cover grill. Cook 15-25 minutes, rearranging packets several times, until patties are thoroughly cooked.

Spicy Cold Beans

The great debate for our family does not revolve around how you say tomato, potato or sauna - it's whether you have your baked beans cold or hot. My family has always had them straight out of the can, there was no heating them up involved. When I married into Josh's family, they make theirs hot. Luckily they are nice enough to me that they usually scoop out a bunch before they throw them on the burner and I try to be nice enough to their son that I throw a few in the pot to heat up when we have them at our house. This is a recipe that has been brought to the Polman gatherings for as long as I can remember and of course it features the cold version! It's also a great camping recipe since you can just make them up ahead of time and throw them in the cooler for the weekend.

Spicy Cold Beans
(an old family recipe - meaning I don't know where it actually came from!)

32 ounce can baked beans
1/2 cup brown sugar
bacos
1/4 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon onion (I use dry, minced - you know me, I'm not about to just chop a teaspoon of onion! :)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients and stir. Serve cold.

Mock FIlet Mignon

These were super yummy!! My dad and Timmy were once again working at our house and I needed something for them for lunch - they don't go for the squid dogs that my daycare kids all clamor for! :) They were as impressed with these mock filet mignons as I was and Josh thought that the leftovers were pretty good too...

Mock Filet Mignon
(recipe found at Nourishing Hearts)

1 1/2 pounds ground beef, thawed
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 teaspoons ketchup
1 1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 1/2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons water
6 slices bacon

Mix all ingredients together except bacon. Form into 6 equally sized patties. Wrap a slice of bacon around the outside of each patty. Secure with a toothpick if necessary. Freeze in a gallon size freezer bag.

To prepare: Thaw completely. Grill to desired doneness or bake in oven at 350 for 30 minutes or until done.

Grilled Banana Splits

My oldest had his first play date the other night and I wanted to make some fun treats for them after supper... I had just picked up a batch of bananas and I remembered seeing this recipe before. I searched online and came up with it in time to make these sweet treats for the kids (and one for myself!) :)



Grilled Banana Splits
(recipe found at www.tasteofhome.com)

4 ripe bananas
chocolate chips
marshmallows

Cut a slit in each banana 1/2" deep, leaving 1/2" at the top and bottom of the banana. Spread slit apart to create a pouch. Stuff slit with chocolate chips and top with marshmallows. Create a "boat" with the tin foil around the banana and grill, covered, until marshmallows begin to expand and are browned. Serve warm.

Cheddar and Bacon Burgers

This is definitely my new favorite burger!! It was simple to throw together and OMGosh it was so good... The kids and I scarfed them down and they were super tasty for lunch the next day!

Cheddar and Bacon Burgers
(recipe found in Taste of Home Simple and Delicious)

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon
1 envelope onion soup mix
2 pounds ground beef
8 hamburger buns, split

Combine cheese, bacon and soup mix in a large bowl. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into eight patties. Grill burgers, covered, over medium heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160 and juices run clear.

Camping Haystacks

When we go camping with my sisters and brothers we take turns making the lunch and supper meals. I wanted to find something that wouldn't take a lot of work to throw together, but would still be filling and delicious enough to feed everyone from a year old to 30 something... This was the perfect fit!

Camping Haystacks
(recipe found in Taste of Home)

corn chips
canned chili - I used my Potato Bar Chili recipe...
shredded cheese
sliced olives
salsa
chopped tomatoes
lettuce
sour cream
guacamole

Layer corn chips on a plate and spoon warmed chili for chips. Place cheese over the chili so it melts slightly, then add any additional toppings as desired.