VGNO

ok, so I am spending my VGNO with a group of CUB SCOUTS and their families at our annual family camp. There is nothing like sitting around a fire with friends, drinking a diet coke, roasting marshmallows and talking like there is nothing in the world that you cant handle. Hearing the newness of spring in the woods, and the clear ( i hope) sky over head. Its almost picturesque.

This is me last year at our family camp....

Last year we had bats in our shelter house, it rained 2 inches in 3 hours in the middle of the night, and there was a skunk roaming between the tents - right when i had to go visit the little girls room. YIKES!! So why do I enjoy it soooooo much? Cause Im with my family, my friends and nature all at once!

This is my fabulous hubby- he loves the great outdoors as much as I do.....that is my daughter to his right- reading.....

We spend a lot of time outdoors- we go camping hiking and wandering until its too cold to set up a tent and go- usually october is our last trip. We go close to home and far away- depends on time mostly, and where we need to be that week.

Tonight I will be with some new girls- the moms from the troop and pack are all new to me, as most of our vets have moved on, or cannot come this weekend- I will miss AMANDA though- she is my sister and i love her dearly- she will be at Lake Erie fishing with her family-- we are getting the best weekend - both of us!

I have my smores ready, and bag packed.....I am the "resident chef" I cook over the open fire for everyone all weekend...its soooo much fun and quite a challenge! Takes talent to bake a cake in a cast iron dutch oven over an open flame= but im doing it this weekend! You can do it too! If you are looking for adventure, try this out....

If you do not have a "fire pit" you can use the coals for this right out of a charcoal grill......

1- line a dutch oven with foil- several layers - and spray with non stick cooking spray- dont forget to line the lid!

2-mix 2 cake mixes- white or yellow- with the oil eggs and water, then add 2 lbs frozen friut- give it a whirl= but dont stir the fruit in too much...

3- pour into dutch oven, place lid on top

4-put the oven on top of 15-20 hot coals from charcoal you have lit and gotten ready in your pit or grill

5- put 10-15 on top of the dutch oven as well

Check the cake after 1 hour, then every 15 minutes once it gets close to being springy

This is really good for when you are camping, or if you just want to learn a new way to cook- really helped out when we lost our power for a week last fall too- we ate better that week than we did the rest of the month!

This is the next best thing to using a crock pot- we start our cake first, then fix dinner- usually the cake takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours- depending on how much we put in the oven.

Dutch ovens are not always seasoned, so if anyone goes out and buys one- please read the directiond before using it! Cast is a forever kind of cooking equip- and you cannot use it on the top of a ceramic stove!

But you can use it in an oven, brick oven, over ta flame....its verstile~and easy to clean~

I hope everyone has a GREAT VGNO and I hope to see you all here nextweek- I got a new crock pot cookbook and Im excited to share it with you all!!!!!

PS- Id like to start a weekly post about funny stories and things that "get your goat" Coming soon........

And a big thank you to ALI at http://theblessedcountrymom.blogspot.com

for all of her guidance and help- I love this blog community and Im grateful to her for introducing me to it!!!

see other things I blog about at -http://angelinadawn.blogspot.com

This way to cook seems a little extreme, but if you enjoy the great outdoors, and you spend time there, this is the best desert!