It doesn't take kids long to figure out that, on a campout, Pie Iron cooking is fun! And parents know that it keeps kids occupied in the evening hours when there's nothing else to do. Now, with these tasty recipes, adults are figuring out that Pie Iron cooking is fun too. Hearty recipes for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Snacks & treats...

:: Stuffed Onions & Peppers ::
*Small to Medium size Onions and Peppers
*Tube Refrigerated Biscuits *1/2 lb. Ground Beef
*1/4 lb. Ground Pork *1 Egg *1/4 cup Quick Oatmeal
*1/4 cup Chopped Onion & Green Pepper *Salt, Pepper, Garlic Salt (to taste)

Your going to like these, they're stuffed with meatloaf and have their own biscuits, built right in. So, cut the ends off of your onions and peppers and then cut them in half (crosswise), so you have rings about 1-1/4" thick. Now, clean the insides out of the peppers and carefully press out the centers of the onions, leaving a single ring (chop the insides and ends for the meatloaf). You can use your own favorite meatloaf recipe if you wish or use mine by mixing the beef, pork, oatmeal, chopped onion & pepper, and seasonings to make mine. Oil your trusty Pie Iron and put a ring of pepper in (or onion), centered in the middle. Stuff with the meatloaf mixture and cook for about 5 minutes, over med/low heat, open it up and insert biscuits (take a biscuit and cut it into quarters) in the corners, close it up and cook an additional 3 minutes. Flip the Pie Iron over and give it another 5 minutes or until done. Invert onto a plate and serve with your favorite condiments, I like catsup and mustard with chopped tomatoes on the side...

:: Chunky French Toast ::
*Bread, your choice *Eggs, 1 for each
*Milk, just a bit *Syrup or Jam, as topping

To start, make an egg wash by whisking your eggs with a Tbs. of milk per egg, you can add a little grated nutmeg or cinnamon if you wish. Now, cut or tear your bread into "Chunks" about 1/2" is size. Put your bread chunks in the egg wash and mix it up a bit so its all coated. Spoon into your oiled Pie Iron, close it up and cook over medium heat, turning frequently, so it won't burn, until its done.
This is my favorite way to make French toast in a Pie Iron, because its so easy. Top with butter and serve this with jam or syrup and maybe a few slices of crispy fried bacon...

:: Tater-Tot Patty ::
*Tater Tots, thawed *Onion & Red and Green Bell Pepper, chopped fine
*Garlic Salt, Pepper, to taste *Cheese, shredded, your choice

Spray your trusty Pie Irons with oil and layer one side with thawed Tater Tots, give it a shake of garlic salt, a grind of pepper and a heaping tablespoon of chopped onion/pepper mixture. Close the Pie Iron and cook for about 5 minutes per side over medium/low heat, open the Pie Iron, sprinkle with cheese and cook for another minute (cheese side up).
To serve, slide it out onto a plate. I top mine with a couple of Pie Iron Basted Eggs and a few shakes of Tabasco sauce...

Be sure to visit Boondockers Pie Iron Squidoo Lens

Purchase Boondockers Quisine Pie Iron Recipes Cookbook

:: Foiled Again ::
Whether you call it Foil Cooking, Packet Cooking, Pouch Cooking, Pocket Cooking or Hobo Meals, when your Boondocking it just makes sense. And, best of all, clean-up is a snap, eliminating some pot washing and, speaking about pots, you just plain don't need to bring as many along (a big plus). In my opinion, that roll of Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil ranks right up there with Duct Tape in usefulness. Be prepared for great tasting food and relax, knowing that another meal has been - "Foiled Again"...

:: Corned Beef & Cabage Pouch ::
*1 Head Cabbage, large *1/4 lb. Deli Corned Beef, sliced thin
*2 Tbs. Beer *Pepper, to taste

To start, lay out a large sheet of Foil and, with cabbage head standing on end in the middle cut it into 6 wedges, but don't cut all the way thru, leave a hinge at the bottom. Take a large slice of corned beef and fold it into a wedge to fit into the cabbage cut (spread it open with a butter knife and stuff it in), do this to all six wedges. Splash with beer (whatever your drinking at the time) and sprinkle with pepper. Bring up the corners of the Foil to the top and fold along the seams and crimp the top closed. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes over medium heat, no need to turn. Make a tent of Foil and put it over the packet if your cooking over a fire or open grill, this will keep the heat in so the top cooks, no need for the tent if your using a closed grill.
Serve with a packet of herbed potatoes and carrots, and of course the rest of that beer...

:: Boondockers Trash Breakfast ::
*1 large bag Frozen Hash-Browns *6 Eggs, beaten *1 lb. sausage or ham
*Green Peppers & Onions, chopped *2 cups Cheese, shredded
*Seasoning Salt, your choice

This is easiest done in one of the pre-formed large size Foil Pouches or you can make your own large Foil Packet.
To start, spray your Foil with oil and put a few pat's of butter or margarine in the Foil Bag. Now, open the bag of hash browns (thawed) and add the beaten eggs (beat with 1/4 cup water), chopped onions and peppers, chopped ham or sliced sausages (pre-cooked), cheese and seasoning salt of your choice (garlic, lemon pepper, etc.) right into the bag of hash-browns (or a large ziploc bag). Squeeze the bag to mix it all up well. Then, pour the mixture into a Foil Cooking Bag and spread it out, add a few more shakes of seasoning on top and a little more butter or margarine. The bag will puff-up as it cooks, give it about 15 minutes per side over medium heat. You can peek to see if its done.
When its done, slice a big X in the top and scoop it out onto individual plates with a big spoon, I like mine served with sour cream salsa and plenty of camp toast...

:: Boondockers Cannon Balls ::
*1 pound Ground Beef *2/3 cup Milk *1/2 cup Oatmeal *1/4 cup Ketchup
*1/2 cup Green Bell Pepper, diced *1 tsp. Salt *Pepper, to taste
*1 Egg, beaten *Whole Large Onions

If the ingredients look a lot like meat loaf, your right. Were making meat loaf in large hollowed-out onions. You can use your own favorite meatloaf recipe if you want. They can also be made up at home ahead of time and frozen.
Mix everything except the onions together in a bowl and set aside. Now, take the large onions and cut them in half (top-to-bottom) and remove the centers leaving 2 layers. Stuff the onion halves with your meat loaf mix and wrap tightly in oiled Foil. Cook in hot coals for about 30 minutes or until done (longer on the grill), turning a few times.
Be sure to bring a bottle of ketchup, you'll want to top your piping hot Cannon Balls with it...

In some cases a disaster is just a slight inconvenience with Duct Tape on hand. So, why not just make it a habit to always have few yards stashed somewhere, close-by. The easiest way is to just wrap a few yards around a small piece of cardboard and stow it in your tool/parts bag, it hardly takes any room at all and doesn't weigh much. In fact, instead of keeping it in your "Tool Bag", you should rename that bag your "Duct Tape Bag", after all it is the most important tool in the bag. Most people's repair bags carry a vast array of nuts, bolts, spare parts, tools and such and no two will have the same ingredients, but, I'll bet Duct Tape is in most all of them. There's also usually some piece of gear that Duct Tape can be stored on, like your water bottle, hiking staff, ski poles, fishing rod case, etc. With a little Duct Tape on hand, anyone can play "MacGyver"...

:: Some Camping & Hiking Uses for Duct Tape ::
* A mini-roll of Duct Tape belongs in EVERY backpackers pack. I have one in my survival kit and one in my repair/parts ditty bag. I take my survival kit with me on short hikes in a fanny pack after camp is set up, so if its in the survival kit I can't forget it...
* Duct Tape can be used to tape a sprained ankle if you don't have any athletic tape handy. Wrap it in the traditional figure-eight pattern right over your sock in an emergency...
* Of course its indispensable for patching rips, like in your tent, tarps, pack, sleeping bag, clothing, rain gear, etc. Remember, Duct Tape is waterproof so its good for your water bag or bottle, too. It may not work as well for items with air pressure, like sleeping pads, but, in a pinch, its worth a try...
* If you want to make your repair more permanent you can iron it on, this will seal the sticky backing to the fabric. In the field you can use a butane lighter or campfire to warm a smooth rock and use it like an iron. Of course it will be harder to remove later on...

:: Not All Duct Tape Is Created Equal ::
Try to stay away from the cheaper brands of Duct Tape. They are a lot thinner, don't stick as well and break down faster in the elements. Generally try to find some that is nice and thick and has a high thread count. The easiest way to compare is to just pick it up and compare the roll to another of the same given length and width, pick the heavier one. You light-weight conscious folks need to think backwards when it comes to selecting your Duct Tape...

Be sure to visit Boondockers Duct Tape Squidoo Lens for more Duct Tape Info...

Those special tips and tricks you stumble upon can make your outing a lot more enjoyable (its always more pleasant learning from anothers mistakes). As a bonus your camping buddies will be amazed at the fact that you actually know what your doing. Even seasoned veterans may learn a thing-or-two...

:: Some Sample Tips & Tricks from Boondockers ::

* Just your basic Tuna-Can Candle Lantern. You can make a very inexpensive candle lantern out of a used tuna can and a votive candle. The next time you open a can of tuna (6oz. size), only open the can about 2/3 of the way around, then bend the lid up, vertical to serve as a reflector, now cover the reflector with a piece of foil for more reflection. Great for reading and especially good for lounging around the hotspring at night...
* A good place to score good, lightweight camp clothing is your local Thrift Store. Sometimes I even find some of the super expensive stuff, like Patagonia, The North Face, etc. Lots of times small stains will come out with a little Zout stain remover, a small stiff brush and a little elbow-grease applied...
* Make sure to bring a plastic tablecloth to use at established campgrounds (those tables can be pretty grungy). And, if you forgot to bring those handy spring clamps to hold it down, just use a few pieces of Duct Tape to keep it from blowing away...
* The first thing I do when I set-up camp is to take a plastic grocery sack around and pick-up trash left by the previous tenants. Then I hang it chest high from a tree with a piece of twine running thru the handles to use as my "camp trash bag". It all goes home with me, of course...
* DON'T FORGET THE DUCT TAPE!!!
* Leave those heavy, cotton jeans at home. Its better to have a pair of lightweight cotton/poly blend or synthetic work pants or military fatigues instead. Cotton takes forever to dry if it gets wet and are quite heavy if backpacking...
* One of my favorite tips is to use Frisbees for paper-plate holders, get the size of cheap, inexpensive Frisbee that fits your paper plate size. After dinner you can work off all those calories with a game of, you guessed it, Frisbee...

I'm sure, like most people, you have most of your camp recipes in your head, scratched on odd pieces of paper (somewhere), or maybe you just create meals while roaming the isles at the supermarket shopping for the next camp-out's meals. Be sure to jot down a few of Boondocker's recipes and file 'em in a safe place...

:: Boondockers Black Eyes ::
*1 Can of Corned Beef Hash *4 eggs
*Enchilada Sauce or Chili (no beans)

To start, open both ends of the hash can (if you can, the new cans nowdays don't have a bottom you can cut off) leaving the bottom end in place, push the hash out the other end and cut it at about 1" thick, this should give you 4 patties. Fry these in a little margarine or oil in a heavy skillet or dutch oven until the bottoms are browned, turn over and, with the back of a spoon, create a depression in the middle of the patties. Crack an egg in the middle of each depression and pour your enchilada sauce or chili around the outside, top the pan with a lid (a sheet of foil works if you don't have a lid), cook over med/low heat for about 10 minutes or until eggs are set.
These Black-Eyes are eggs nestled in patties of hash with the sauce of your choice and are quite filling. This recipe feeds 2 (2 eyes for each person). You'll need a stack of camp toast or warm tortillas to go along with this, oh, and a pot of coffee, too...

:: Onion Hoe Cake Rings ::
*2 large White or Sweet Onions *2 cups Cornmeal, fine stone-ground
*2 tsp. Baking Powder *1 tsp. Salt *2 large Eggs, lightly beaten
*1 large Green Onion, chopped fine *2 cups Buttermilk *Oil for griddle

To start, cut the top off the onions and peel them down to a good firm ring (make a good straight cut). Cut the onions, crosswise, 1/2-inch thick and gently separate into rings, you can save the small inside rings for tomorrow's breakfast.
Now, mix the cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a bowl until well blended and then mix in the chopped green onion (scallion). In small bowl, mix the egg and buttermilk and then add, all at once, to the cornmeal mix and, gently but quickly, mix until just blended, don't over-mix. If you thought ahead, you put a griddle on the stove or grill to heat. If not, do that now. Oil the griddle and scatter the onion rings around, but not too close together. Fill the onion rings about 3/4 full with a big spoon and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until they firm-up a bit. Flip the hoe cakes with a spatula (that middle one is kind-of hard) and cook for another few minutes until done. You can cut this recipe in half for a smaller amount.
I like mine buttered and sprinkled with a little garlic salt. This is also good for breakfast, topped with a couple of fried eggs and bacon. You can also do this with rings of bell pepper...

:: Boondockers Frank'n Tacos ::
*Hot Dogs *Taco Shells
*Assorted Taco Fixins': cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, taco sauce, etc

These are fun, even for us older kids and make a great afternoon lunch. Buy hot dogs that are as long as your taco shells, smaller shells use regular dogs, larger shells get bun sized dogs.
Start by prepping all of your fixins', you can put these in little bowls or on a platter and every one can stack their own. Once you have everything ready to go, grill or boil your hot dogs and, when done, slice them down the middle (longways) and then cut the halves down the middle, so with each hot dog you have 4 long slices. With small Taco shells, put 2 slices in the bottom (3 or 4 for larger shells) and pass 'em out to be filled.
Don't forget the taco sauce, I like mine HOT. If you have leftovers you can always toss it all together to make a taco salad for dinner...