If you’ve missed it this week, I’m in the mood to go camping.  Yesterday I shared some cool Camping Decor and the day before a little video from our Spring Break trip to Joshua Tree National Park.

I really enjoy cooking for my family when we camp.  It’s a great excuse to come up with new, easy to make in the great outdoors recipes.  The last two times we’ve been out camping, I’ve made these Cranberry Orange Corn Pancakes.  They were a hit with my family.  They require very simple ingredients and really no syrup is required, they are naturally sweet with the orange juice.

We even ran out of camp fuel, and I cooked these over the fire one morning.

Cranberry Orange Corn Pancakes
1 pkg. JIFFY Corn Muffin Mix
1 egg
2 tbsp. butter (melted)
Zest of one orange
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 2 oranges)
1/3 cup craisins

Place the butter in your frying pan or griddle, heat it until the butter melts.  In a bowl, combine all the ingredients , including the melted butter, well.  When your griddle is hot, pour about 1/2 cup of batter for each pancake.  You will need additional butter for cooking the pancakes.  Cook the pancakes just as you would regular pancakes.  When the tops of the pancakes are bubbly, flip them.  Because these pancakes have corn meal in them, they are a little more fragile to work with. Don’t be alarmed if the first couple break in half.

I’ve also discovered that Trader Joe’s sells shelf stable UHT whipping cream (so no need to refrigerate).  I used to buy this when I lived overseas in Papua New Guinea and Yemen.  I had never seen it here in the States though.  It’s such a handy product to have in your pantry.  I gave the chore of whipping this by hand to my kiddos.  It kept them busy while a cooked the pancakes.  A dollop of whipped cream on pancakes while your camping – wow, now that’s pretty good.

If you’re interested in more kid approved, outdoor tested camping recipes, you might like some of these: