Camping ideas and cast iron cooking recipes. 

  

Is your summer getting away from you without a family camping experience to remember? A simple campout is just the ingredient needed to develop lasting family memories.

Speaking of ingredients . . . while you're planning that campout, check out the cast iron cooking tips and recipes from Lisa Barthuly of Homestead Originals.

Then, let Molly Goes Camping provide all the details to plan the perfect camping trip for this summer.

The great outdoors is a wonderful place to bond with our children.  As you plan your trip, enjoy this fun, practical, and heartwarming bundle of details. You'll know what to pack, how and what to cook and what to do for fun on a budget. You'll find everything you need to plan the most memorable and fun camping trip ever.

 

Take a peek with us below at just a few of the highlights from Molly Goes Camping . It's sure to spark you into planning a simple and affordable adventure for your family to enjoy. And don't forget to pack the camera. Your family will want to remember this camping trip forever!

Now, let's cook up some delicious campfire food  . . .
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Cast Iron Camp Cooking
Lisa Barthuly

Part of the memory-making fun of campouts is the meals and cooking! A bit of preplanning makes it easy, and there is just something about being in the outdoors and cooking over an open fire that makes the food taste better.
 
Let's start out with a little "Cast Iron 101." I use cast iron for everyday cooking; I find it superior in every way. I often hear the moans about how "stuff sticks," but cast iron, when taken care of, is a breeze to use. Cast iron simply needs to be "seasoned." When you buy a new piece, season it a few times before preparing any food in it. Seasoning a pan is easy: coat the pan in Crisco (or lard or olive oil) and bake it in at a low temperature for a few hours.
 
I use olive oil whenever I cook in my cast iron. Never use an alcohol-based cooking type spray, because it will dry out your pan and you'll have stuck-on food that is tough to remove! (Ask me how I know this.) Cast iron doesn't need much cleaning beyond being wiped out with a dry rag or paper towel, depending on what you've cooked. On occasion if I have something stuck--say, like crispy fried chicken pieces--I just put some water in the pan, heat it back up slow and low, and that will usually warm it enough for me to gently scrape off the residue with a wooden spoon.
 
What are some easy, delicious goodies we can cook up on our campout? Breakfasts are simple. You can use your cast iron to prepare a variety of eggs, pancakes, or French toast, and fried spuds with a little onion cooked up outdoors are heavenly! We love to make up our own version of what we affectionately call our "breakfast mess" on campouts.

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Want to make that special connection
 with your kids?
 
 

 

Don't let a few varmints, mosquitoes, or mishaps spoil your fun--go
camping!

 

 

 



For the price of s
pending a night or two in a motel, you can outfit your family for adventure and make memories for a lifetime!

Get ready for an unforgettable experience as Molly and her fellow campers show you how in her newest E-Book . . .
 

 
Camping can be simple and inexpensive!

There's no time like now to start living your dreams. Perhaps camping is part of that discovery for you and your family. Vacations don't have to be expensive! There's no more frugal way to enjoy a family vacation than what you'll read about here in Molly Goes Camping.
 

 

The experiences shared in this book are priceless!

 These are real stories, submitted by real Molly readers--typical, bold, fearless camping families--sharing their expertise along with many entertaining and heartwarming stories. But there's more!


Who is Molly, and what does she know about camping?


Molly Green isn't a money-saving expert, but she's a mom just like most of us, trying to learn how to make the most of what she has. She's been helping the typical homemaker to climb out of the doldrums of today's economy with her reputable Econobusters.com website and popular, monthly E-Book series,
Molly's Money-Saving Digest.
 
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Continuation . . .

Beer Batter Fish Fillets
 
If you've been blessed in your day's fishing, do the catch justice with this simple, yummy recipe. Be sure to dry the fillets on the outside so that the batter will stick while cooking. Cook over medium to medium-high heat.
 
Ingredients: Allow 1/2 pound fish fillets or two small, cleaned pan fish per person.
 
1 cup buttermilk pancake mix (or any pancake mix or flour mixture--even a gluten-free flour mixture will do)
3/4 cup beer
1/4 cup cooking oil
Parsley, dill, lemon
 
In a small bowl, blend the buttermilk pancake (or flour) mix with the beer, using a fork. Whip the batter until smooth and the consistency of heavy cream. Using a napkin or paper towel, blot the fillets dry and dip them in the batter. Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the fillets until golden brown on the outside. The meat should be moist and shiny on the inside. Be careful not to overcook; fillets should flake easily when tested with a fork. Serve with a sprinkle of dill and lemon slices or juice. Toss some corn on the cob on the fire toward the end of your cooking time (right in the ear/silks removed) and voil�--you have a wonderful campfire dinner!

Continued below . . .

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Low-cost vacations aren't new to Molly, and you'll appreciate her thrifty enthusiasm and all the investigative
fieldwork she's done to bring you this unique camping resource. Molly and her fascinating guests will encourage you to venture forth in fun (and savings) with down-to-earth, relational, family-style camping

 

Only $8.95


 
Do you remember the sights, smells, and sounds of camping when you were a kid? Roasting marshmallows on whittled sticks, and eating s'mores? Sleeping under the stars and telling stories? Fishing in the creek and cooking your catch over the campfire? 
 

 

Do you know what it means to rough it? Endure a thunderstorm? Encounter the local wildlife? Pitch your tent over a snake's nest? Hunt for the 
facilities with your flashlight in the dark? Forget the insect repellent or sunscreen?
 

 

Oh, the memories! And what may seem like a blunder to us could very well be one of the greatest adventures of your child's life!

Be prepared for your next outdoor excursion.

 

 

 

 
Take a look at some of the 23 chapter titles found in the table of contents:
 

Family Camping Mishaps Equal Family Camping Fun--Phyllis agreed to go camping, hiking, and fishing on her honeymoon. Was that a mistake? Though her introduction to camping had some rough starts, she knew it was going to be something they would do as a family. Read how a love of camping developed in their growing family. She also reminds us that "children need adventure, and all men, young and old, like messy, dirty adventures."

 

Camping: Where to Start, Where to Stay--If you're a beginning camper, it can be a bit daunting deciding where to go on your first trip. Molly shares lots of ideas and links: campgrounds, ranger programs, information, accommodation choices, and more. Do you know about yurts?

 

 

Preparing for Camping--Emily thinks camping is a wonderful activity. It brings families closer as they enjoy time exploring God's great outdoors. Although it may seem like a simple trip, camping does require some organization in preparing. You'll love these tips to help keep you organized!


Making the Space Your Own: Remodeling an RV--See what a bit of elbow grease and creativity can do! The Sikora family bought a motor home, purchased for half of what one like it would cost if already remodeled. Sometimes buying used is a great opportunity for learning, having fun with family, and being proud of something that you helped create!

 




Dehydrating: How to Get Started--
Take a look at the "what, why, and how" of one of the essential tools for starting out as a gourmet backpacking chef: the dehydrator. Enjoy resource links! "There's just nothing quite like making your own pineapple upside-down cake while on a mountainside in Oregon!" You'll want to check this out!

 

Lessons From the Boy Scouts--Four lessons Jeffrey feels you need to heed while camping!
 
Feeding My Family While at the Lake--One of the favorite things about going camping is the delicious food. Molly shares her favorite frugal camping recipes, including desserts that will feed your hungry brood--guaranteed to be gentle on your wallet! Recipes like: Fish and Fries; S'mores; Blueberry Dump Cake; Grilled Pizza; Grilled Corn on the Cob; and more. Includes a shopping list! 

 


See why homemakers love the help of Molly Green--
 
 

Continuation . . .

Campout Apple Bake

 

Looking for a homemade dessert on your campout? Try this Apple Bake, made in your cast iron skillet! Put your pan over a medium fire, toss in a half a stick of butter, and let it melt. Peel, core, and slice up three large baking apples; layer them on top of the melted butter; and then sprinkle this with � cup of oatmeal, �-1/2 cup of brown sugar, and some cinnamon (about 2 teaspoons). Let this bake up until the apples are fork tender, remove from heat, and indulge!
 
It really is fun and easy to make delicious meals in the great outdoors. Foods evoke such memories. I'll never forget the time when my mother insisted on making homemade pancakes as we camped in the Cascades, amongst the trees and pouring rain. All our 'cakes had little "dents" in them from the raindrops! Mmmmmm . . . the smell of pancakes and fresh mountain rains!
 
I'll also never forget the time we went camping with my brother-in-law's family. Imagine the smell and sound of propane sizzling over an open fire . . . But then a propane canister accidently got tossed into the campfire with some paper trash! Needless to say, my sister-in-law and I gathered the children and headed for the hills, while my husband and his brother stayed and tried to roll the canister out and away from the fire with sticks! Ahhh . . . memories!

Lisa is blessed to be a wife to Marc, Mama to four blessings, and a keeper at home! They live their homestead adventure in the mountains of the Northwest, seeking the trail that the Father has called the to follow "off the beaten path." They operate a family-run business, Homestead Originals (ww.HomesteadOriginals.com). Lisa is the author of the Homestead Simplicity E-Book series. Come on by and visit Lisa's blog (http://www.homesteadoriginals.com/blog/).

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Now when you subscribe to a Molly Membership for only $3.95 a month (cancel anytime!) you receive not only the monthly Molly's Money-Saving Digest, but a whole lot more!

You just have to check it out!

Each month take the wonderful opportunity to learn along with Molly (and her special guests and experts), and make the most of your time and money in 2011.

Only $8.95

 

 

 Join Molly daily and follow her adventures in fiscally responsible homemaking at www.Econobusters.com.

 

Econobusters
P. O. Box 8426
Gray, Tennessee 37615