8.30.2012

Glamping + All-Purpose Griddle Cakes {plus, camping tricks only Boy Scouts know!}

photos by sara Remington


The coming of labor day has me itching to go camping. I'm not talking about glamping--I mean real, hardcore camping. When I grew up, camping was a pop-tent trailer {ahem, that I once fell out of when I was 18 months old} or a utilitarian-tan canvas tent on wooden flats, ala Girl Scouts Troop 209 {and girl scouts, if you're reading this, what your counselor tells you about not keeping sweets or snacks in your tent for fear of raccoon raids IS true!}. 

There's a lot of fuss about modern day luxury camps, and I'll admit that though we were hardcore pre-babe, traveling with only a two-person tent, down-filled sleeping bags and my stash of {yard-sale} curated enamel and stainless camping cookware, I'm tempted by those upscale options now. I might even have collected a few fantasy ideas for luxe camping set-ups on my pinterest pages. But the truth is, to live large in a tent, all you really need is a smallish cast-iron pan, a reliable camping stove and an equally dependable recipe for griddle cakes, preferably that you've mixed up in advance. Stash the dry goods in a plastic bag and throw into your ice chest along with a few eggs, a stick of butter and milk, which you'll need anyway for coffee when the early morning light creeps in through the cracks in your tent. 

There's a good deal about camping in the Escapes chapter of my book, The Newlywed Cookbook, because it was in a tent that I truly fell in love with my hubby, watching him maneuver the wilderness like, well, a mountaineer. Swoon. And I'm not going to say that my handiness with my little cast-iron pan didn't have some sway on his heart, too. I made veggie paella for dinner {okay, a little overkill for camping} and these griddle cakes the next morning. Whatever your style of camping is, cooking on a live fire or the flicker of a camp-stove flame is the surest way to a simpler life, which we could probably all use a little dose of, if only for a night. 
photos by sara remington 


{Glamp Like a Pro} Griddle Cakes

At home, mix together 3/4 cup/ 90 grams white whole-wheat/wholemeal flour, 1/4 cup/ 35 grams cornmeal or semolina flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt in a sturdy plastic or stainless steel container big enough to stir your batter in the next day. At the campsite, add 1 egg and 1 cup/240 ml of the milk you brought for coffee. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the cast-iron skillet, pour into the batter. Seal the container tightly and shake it around to mix well, or stir with a fork. Add an extra pat of butter to the skillet. Pour about 3 tablespoonfuls of pancake batter {you can eyeball this} into the skillet and cook until bubbly. Flip with a spatula to cook through. Repeat with remaining batter, adding a little more butter if you like extra crispy edges.  Serve with pure maple syrup and wild berries. When you’re all done, wipe the skillet with paper towel/absorbent paper so it’s ready for lunch.







4 comments:

Dixie Caviar said...

Alright, your lovely, lovely photos and delicious sounding recipe are giving me a hankering to get outside with my man. Does the backyard count?

Sarah Copeland said...

I love this ~ Of course the backyard counts! I wrote in my book that an escape can be anywhere where life looks a little different {somewhere you can't hear the phone or see the computer screen!} I truly hope you and your guy get out there this weekend and have a little fun. Happy Labor Day!

Unknown said...

Um, veggie paella? I don't think I have the patience to pull that off in the outdoors! Love all these ideas and photos and am also wishing I could go camping this weekend.

Unknown said...

I'm more of a glamping type, but your photos and promise of griddled pancakes makes me think twice.

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New York City, United States
Sarah Copeland is a food and lifestyle expert, and the author of Feast: Generous Vegetarian Meals for Any Eater and Every Appetite, and The Newlywed Cookbook. She is the Food Director at Real Simple magazine, and has appeared in numerous national publications including Saveur, Health, Fitness, Shape, Martha Stewart Living and Food & Wine magazines. As a passionate gardener, Sarah's Edible Living philosophy aims to inspire good living through growing, cooking and enjoying delicious, irresistible whole foods. She thrives on homegrown veggies, stinky cheese and chocolate cake. Sarah lives in New York with her husband and their young daughter.