On Sunday I had my Brownie Girl Scout troop over to learn about campfire safety and making fires. It was supposed to be a straightforward affair.
Step 1: Explain fire safety and general campfire rules? Check.
Step 2: Light fire with assistance from girls? Check.
Step 3: Prepare dinner? Ummm...
This is the part I was most excited about. Last year when I was camping with my eldest daughter's troop we had the best hot dogs. Basically, you take a raw hot dog, place it in a bun, wrap the hot dog/bun tightly in tinfoil, stick it in a cardboard juice container, and toss the whole mess in the fire. When the juice carton has completely burned... magic... the hot dog is perfectly cooked. An idiot-proof dinner.
I knew the girls would get a kick out of this, and I also knew that it would keep a bunch of 7 year old girls from tempting fate and my sanity by leaning over an open fire with a hot dog rammed onto a sharp, pointy stick. I was already patting myself on the back and tossing the b-word around. And just so you know? B is for brilliant.
It started out well enough. I goosed the fire to get it nice and hot (and yes, that's a technical term). The girls assembled their hot dog packets and hucked them into the fire. I set about getting condiments and side dishes when one of the mom's called over that the juice boxes were finished burning. What? I specifically remember that this took at least 15 minutes - not five. I took my time and finished what I was doing before I went over to check.
The fire really had made quick work of the juice boxes. I reluctantly pulled the first, charred hunk of foil out of the fire and gingerly tried to unwrap it. The buns were charred. Actually I think charred might not be accurate. The buns were cremated. Hardened little nubs of charcoal. It was not edible.
My error? On the original camp out we put the juice cartons in hot coals, not a hot fire. Apparently this makes a huge difference.
Good to know.
67 comments:
Ah....it all turned out great. The girls had a fabulous time, and the buns were just, to use a cajun cooking term, "blackened." Those were, apparently, simply the "cooking," buns. They were quickly replaced with the REAL buns. Laissez le bon ton rolle'! ;-D
Ah, that looks good. Ok, actually my son looked at it and said, "What is that burned stuff? Did they have to eat it?"
However, I'd have done the same!
A crucial distinction, that.
I'm going to try this.
That's a pretty sweet fire ring setup you have there!
Experience is a good teacher, no? Still, you fared better than I probably would have. This is why I leave the family's camping instruction to my sister.
BTW - I found this recipe (and others like it) online. So I don't know what was so different about your version.
"Tuck a cold, uncooked hot dog into a bun and wrap the whole thing tightly in foil. Place, standing up, into an empty 1 L cardboard milk or juice carton. Stand the carton up in the middle of your firepit. Then, with a match, set fire to the top of the carton. (You may have to light the top in a few places until it gets going evenly.) It will burn down to the bottom — inferno-style — leaving your foil-wrapped hot dog exposed in the ashes. With oven mitts, unwrap your nicely heated hot dog in a toasted bun, apply the toppings of your choice and enjoy!"
LOL, that's really funny! I'm sure the girls loved you even more for it. That will actually make for a better memory than if they had turned out! :)
This just makes me love you even more.
So you brought out the egg-shell muffins?
Cooking with fire is good only for marshmallows. Add chocolate and graham and you have three of the four food groups. which is all you need outdoors, because the fourth food group is only to combat indoor lighting.
....oh my, that sounds like an adventure that would go down at our house...and I'll bet the girls had the best time, and will always remember their "charcoal dogs"...:)
P.S. You won my giveaway, so stop by at your leisure to claim your prize!!
Ewwww......looks like some of the *burnt offerings* my husband presented this summer for dinner. And we have a grill! Glad y'all had replacement buns.
Well......crap. You made me laugh so hard I spit my Dr. Pepper, now I have to clean the screen.
I assume the troop specified well done?
That's hilarious! Looks like dinner chez moi most evenings... Those black bits are good for you! ;-)
haha important life lesson was learned by all that day. Next time you'll know, and it's a lesson the girls will never forget.
And that's what these things are about right? Teaching the girls important lessons.
Fantastic tip, hope it did nt ruin your day
Is that your yard? All that and a pool? If I ever go back to NC I will be vacationing at your place.
So funny!! What did you do for dinner? Kudos to you for all the volunteering you do at school and with girl scouts. I'm sure your girls appreciate it!
that IS good to know! and, i gotta tell ya, it's even better to find it out from someone else! hehe! glad it all worked out in the end!
OK, that is the coolest idea I've heard yet. I'm making notes for when Princess Nagger decides to join Girl Scouts and I'll certainly volunteer to do the campfire safety thingy at our house with the hot dog barbecue so I can be the cool mom like you... ;)
Thanks for almost sacrificing your title by testing out the difference between coals and open flame because I most certainly would have done the open flame method. ;)
And see? You sort of turned it into a combination campfire safety lesson and scientific experiment. Two for the price of one! ;)
Oh my...I can't stop laughing. I'm sorry, but I can't. That's hilarious. You just made my day :)
SO something I would do!!!
Seriously? I'd like a big ole batch of your energy please.
Nice firepit!
You create the best memories for your girls. Burnt buns and all!
You create the best memories for your girls. Burnt buns and all!
I still think you are a Rock Star. You camp, you make fires, you have a cool gimmick for dinner. You.Rock.
Oh hun. I totally relate, I'm always trying to be the perfect cook and it er... so doesn't work. Though I am getting good and scrambling up a quick plan B!
..you are also "A" for adorable, lol!!
I think this is still worthy of a merit badge. Perhaps a hot dog running away from a fire? Ha! After reading of this method, I definitely want to try it.
You have a fire ring thingy in your backyard??
And that was a minor detail that you forgot, it should not have resulted in such a different result. I think.
Oops! Good to know, especially since I am having a Brownie troop over in a few weeks for the very same reason. Now I will look like the B word thanks to you!
Ok, first of all, I had never heard of that method of cooking a hotdog and I REALLY want to try it. Coals. Got it.
This is so inspiring! I just signed up to co-lead my youngest daughter's Daisy troop:-) Any tips for a fellow scout leader?
Your mistake was in teaching them that fire has a safe and useful purpose. You should have told them fire was the devil reaching up to pull them into hell. "Stay away from the devil's hands!" Then you could douse the fire with holy water while chanting "The power of Christ compels thee!", and after that you could all sit around and eat cold tofu veggie wraps in the dark.
Oops!
I wouldn't know what to do.
I'm awful with outdoorsy stuff which is why I'm glad Tommy isn't into Boy Scouts. Now I just have to hope that Natalie isn't into Girl Scouts.
By the way, those burnt buns remind me of the burgers my husband grilled awhile back. They were seriously burnt and he was all, "Oh, I meant to do that.." Um??
wow Im going to have to try this method...well the right way that is cuz Im not real fond of burned buns hehe
Such a terrific idea. I think we will try it on our next campout. (But I guess we'll stick to coals.)
You are too funny ...
Oh no! Well, they learned an important lesson in flexibility!
I had no idea you could cook a hotdog like that!! But all wasn't lost in this lesson, if you think about it. I mean, at least the girls now know what NOT to do, right?
Oh, I wish I would have known that method of Hotdawg :) cooking when I was camping a few weeks ago. It sounds great.
LOL! Well, at least you made a memory for them! :)
I learn so much from your blog.
I'm sure they still had fun (maybe even more fun since they have fun memories of burning stuff).
this is a fabulous idea. I love that you tried it and sorry that it went so wrong.
Dang, I was all excited, I'd never heard of such a thing! LOL Ah well, it'll make awesome memories for them when they have kiddos of their own... "I remember when my Scout Master... " ;)
Better to have learned this in your backyard and when you can just call for an emergency pizza than while on a campout in the woods with hungry and cranky girl scouts!
Phew! I thought that one of those girls threw vodka on the hotdogs or something!
Don't you ever wonder who came up with techniques like this? What the circumstance was where someone was all "hmmmm...what if....what IF we put a hotdog in an OJ container and then threw it on the fire!?! Let's see!"
Laughing out loud! Im sure the girls were good sports abou it!
I applaud you for doing the cooking in the first place..charred or not! Let's put it this way..I couldn't even get the fire started!
And this is why I cannot be the leader of my daughter's Brownie troupe. This kind of thing wouldn't be a one-off incident for me.
Did the girls at least applaud?!
The girls DEFINITELY appreciate the effort, and I am thrilled to be a part of it.
Now my water bottle? It's your guess whether it's filled with H20 or vodka :)
D'oh! I bet they all had fun anyway:)
haha classic! I would definitely think that would make a HUGE difference :)
LOL I think I would do the exact same thing. So did you order pizza?
Vodka....oh....that's what made the flames so high! It's all becoming clear now. Maybe, you can share that little tip at the next outdoor training class....or maybe, you can just share the vodka with me next time! LOL!
HA! That's awesome. I mean, for me, of course, not you. Aren't you glad sometimes you have a camera - and a blog - for occasions such as these?
Awww! Did you get any hot dogs?
Hahahaha, ohhh sorry for laughing. I've been making little errors like that lately. Sleep deprivation. It is not the B word ;-)
Well it's a handy little trick anyway! How do you get the hot dogs into the juice box, though? It seems a bit like the ship in a bottle thing.
That's not food, that's an offering to the Fire God!!!...
Hmmm. I've never heard of doing this. What a neat idea, not the catching fire part but the rest of it! :D
So much for that commercial about the tin foil that's on the barbecue and catches fire and nothing gets charred.
Oh. My. GOSH! So funny. I can not stop laughing. Hilarious in every way! : )
Can't wait til the kids are here next so we can try this. Have to start saving boxes now.....
Thanks for the tip! I guess I should have finished reading the post and looking at the pics before running out and piling my fire pit with juice containers---doesn't work well if they're plastic, either.
As always...
you are super mom!! Very impressive.
That last shot pretty much looks like my cooking on a good day.
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