Matador Life » Susan Greenwood

Delightfully Delicious Campfire Desserts

Susan Greenwood — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 13:48:21 +0000

Sweet recipes to cosy up with under the stars.

Summer is almost here and what comes immediately to mind is one of life’s most simple pleasures: camping. Sleeping underneath the stars, cooking with an open fire, and of course delicious campfire treats. Here are some delectable delights that will warm your tummy and satisfy that sweet tooth we always get when bonding with the great outdoors.

Peach Cobbler Campfire Style

Old fashioned cobbler that even mom will love. This idea was adapted from a recipe found on http://www.lovetheoutdoors.com

Canned peaches in heavy syrup
Approximately 1 ½ cups Bisquick

1. Drain peaches, but save ¼ – ½ cup of syrup and add to Bisquick mix. Leave peaches in the can.
2. Stir until a batter forms.
3. Pour Bisquick mixture into can with peaches.
4. Cover peach can with lid and place into hot coals. Cook until batter forms a hard toasty pie crust over peaches.
5. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Apple Pie Angel Food Cake

This is my personal apple pie filling recipe, modified for the campfire.

Pre-Made Angel Food Cake
8 – 10 apples
¾ cup butter
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
1 ¼ cup flour
Chopped pecans (if desired)

Photo by Zeusandhera

1. Peel and slice apples.
2. Place in Dutch oven or other deep pot over fire.
3. In separate bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, oats, and pecans. Cut with butter. Mix with apples.
4. Spread mixture over apples and cook until apples are soft.
5. Pour hot apple mixture over Angel Food Cake.

Old Fashioned Smores

This favorite never goes out of style. Who doesn’t love chocolate, marshmallows and Graham crackers?

Hershey Bars
Graham Crackers
Marshmallows
Long sticks or forks

1. Place marshmallow on stick or fork and toast until golden brown over fire.
2. Place Hershey bar and toasted marshmallow on ½ of Graham cracker, cover with other half of Graham cracker – think sandwich.
3. Eat and enjoy!

Smores with a Nutty Twist

Taking an old favorite to another level.

Hershey Bars
Graham Crackers
Marshmallows
Creamy Peanut Butter
Long sticks or forks
Aluminum Foil

1. Spread peanut butter on ½ of Graham cracker then place on sheet of aluminum foil.
2. Place marshmallows on stick or fork and toast over fire until golden brown.
3. Place gooey marshmallow over peanut butter-covered Graham cracker.
4. Put Hershey bar on top of marshmallow and cover with other half of Graham cracker.

Banana Boat

Add some ice cream to this one and have a banana split right in front of the campfire. Source: http://www.allrecipes.com

Banana
Hershey’s chocolate bar or chocolate chips
Marshmallows or mini marshmallows
Heavy duty aluminum foil

1. Cut your banana down the middle. Leave it in the peel.
2. Stuff with chocolate and marshmallows.
3. Wrap in aluminum foil and place in hot coals for about 5-10 minutes. Turn and rotate often.
4. It is ready when chocolate is melted and marshmallows are gooey.

Monkey Bread

Photo by techbirmingham

This childhood favorite is courtesy of my Aunt Kate. A yummy dessert that can be served for breakfast.

5 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons corn syrup
Pecan halves
2 x 8-ounce packages biscuits (refrigerated)
Cinnamon
Sugar

1. Combine 3 tablespoons butter, brown sugar and syrup in pie pan. Heat to bubbly on hot coals.
2. Sprinkle with pecans.
3. Melt rest of butter.
4. Dip one side of each biscuit in butter. Put on waxed paper, butter side up. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
5. Place 2nd layer of biscuits that have been dipped in butter mixture over first layer.
6. Pour butter/syrup mixture over both layers of biscuits. Cover with 2nd pie pan. Seal pans with double strip of foil.
7. Cook over coals for 15 minutes on each side.

Fried Camp Pies

Imagine individual little pies that everyone will gobble up with gusto. Both Paula Deen and Giada de Laurentiis have made this recipe, but never over an open campfire.

1 can apple, cherry, or blueberry pie filling
1 can large biscuits (like Grands)
Margarine, butter, or cooking oil
Cinnamon Sugar

1. Roll out one biscuit, place large spoon of filling in center of dough, fold over, and dab edges with a bit of water.
2. Crimp edges tightly to hold in filling.
3. Fry in margarine, butter, or cooking oil on low to medium heat until golden brown, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar as soon as you remove from heat.
4. Eat carefully, the fillings get hot!

Enjoy, and happy camping!

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Got any sweet campfire recipes you want to share? Let us know in the comments below.

Free Eurail Passes: Will You Tattoo Their Logo On Your Body?

Susan Greenwood — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:14:46 +0000

Feature photo: Pattaya Unlimited / Photo Above: trudymyrrh

A thirty year old Australian man receives two free Eurail Passes by permanently marking himself Eurail’s biggest fan. You’re next.

Grant Burton wanted to give his parents a special 40th wedding anniversary gift in the form of two Eurail Passes. Currently unemployed, he came up with the idea that he would tattoo the Eurail logo on his body to see what kind of interest it might stir up.

Burton’s inky imagination caught Eurail’s attention – they’ve given his parents free passes.

In fact, Eurail.com has taken Burton’s idea and come up with a promotion where all of their customers can participate in similar scheming. According to Chantal Sukel, Campaign Manager of Eurail.com B.V., “[To allow] more enthusiastic fans to live their dream, we will launch a campaign around Grant’s idea. From February 15, everybody can post us their story or idea for ‘Biggest fans Travel for Free’ on our website.” The most passionate and creative customers will earn a free Eurail Pass.

Burton hopes to travel with his parents this Fall to show his tattoo at the Dutch Eurail.com office. They’re offering to sponsor Burton’s trip if 5,000 people support him on Facebook.

Which leaves us wildly curious. What would you do for a free pass?

Community Connection

A company logo tattoo might not be your first choice for getting inked. Check out these tattoo conventions to discover some better ideas.

Voices from the Economic Crisis: Digging Out Of The Sinkhole

Susan Greenwood — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:50:51 +0000

Photo by hypertypos

Debt. It’s the American way. It’s just something that we accept – right?

For many years, I did just that. I accepted that I was going to be in debt and I would try my best each month to pay off those credit cards, school and car loans, and at the same time pay for food, gas, and other essentials an adult needs to live a simple lifestyle.

Seven years ago, I was enjoying a successful career in the music business. As life would have it, things changed and I was faced with a fact that my music job was going away and the prospect of finding another job was very slim.

So I made a decision to change my career. I would go back to school and become a teacher.

I began working as a teaching assistant in Los Angeles Unified Schools. Reality set in when my income dropped dramatically – I was now making $9.75 per hour.

I had no health insurance. I had to pay for tuition and books. I had no savings. I couldn’t pay my rent. I began dipping into my retirement account and I used my credit cards.

Photo by asplosh

Fast forward three years. I’m out of school. I get a great job in Northern Virginia as a teacher. I’m finally making a decent salary but again reality sets in. My retirement account was emptied by my move across the country.

I soon found that at the end of each month, I was using my credit card for basic living expenses – like food and gas to get to work. Before I knew it, I had $30,000 in credit card debt and $30,000 in school loan debt.

I was only paying the interest on my credit cards (about $500 each month). There was no way my credit cards were going to ever be paid off unless I won the lottery or someone died and left me a mess of cash.

The stress of this sent me into a depression that I didn’t understand at the time. It was as if I was being strangled each day and I didn’t know how to get or where to turn.

I went to see a lawyer. He was very kind and said, “You’re right. You do not have enough money to live with these credit card payments.” He advised bankruptcy. This wasn’t something I wanted to do. Only losers declare bankruptcy, right?

Loser or not, I decided to go down that road. Now, two years later, I feel it was the right decision. The pressure I felt each month was gone. I no longer had credit card payments, and my school and car loans were manageable. The feeling of being a loser began to disappear.

Of course, there’s a bit of a lifestyle change when a person files bankruptcy. There is no “using my credit card”. My credit union, God bless them, gave me a credit card with a $2,000 limit.

For the most part if I cannot pay cash for something, I go without. I cannot travel much, and although I’ve never had an extremely extravagant life style, I am very careful to stay on budget. As a teacher I get a small raise each year, and my hopes of being able to save some money were actually beginning to blossom. All is good, yes…?

Photo by sittered

This summer there was a terrible flood and I lost just about all of my worldly possessions. They don’t tell you, but renter’s insurance only pays out about half of the value of the items to be replaced.

The other half came out of my pocket. Soon, my $2,000 credit card was up to the limit. I took this in stride, paying as much as possible each month, thinking that all would be ok.

It hasn’t been. Things needed replacing, and other life things happen, and I haven’t paid off my $2,000 credit card. Again, I kept telling myself all would be fine; I would just have to be careful each month until my credit is paid off.

And the topper. Last Friday I went down to my car to go to work and discovered that all the tires and wheels of my car were stolen. My car was literally sitting on the ground.

When I saw my car I just thought, “You’re kidding me…this seriously isn’t happening.” I now have to come up with $500. Winter is coming, all of my warm clothes were destroyed in the flood, and I’m not sure what I will do. I cannot charge these expenses. What will I do?

Things like this happen to people each day. I cannot be bitter or feel sorry for myself. I’m not sure what I can do…just have faith that I’ll be OK.

I went to school on Friday, finding comfort in my 6th graders’ smiles. That’s what I focus on. My students and work. Maybe that’s the real American Way. I focus on the good in my world, my work, my friends, and bottom line, it isn’t as bad as it seems. Life always moves on.