Camp cooking doesn't have to be complicated

When Troy Lymburner, a culinary arts instructor at NAIT, went camping with his now-wife early in their relationship, he packed ceviche for their first night under the stars. "She always gives me a hard time about that," Lymburner says. "She's like, 'Who in their right mind…' But that's as creative as I've ever gotten, I guess you could say."

These days, Lymburner has honed his camp cooking and keeps it simple. His first rule: lean into packaged vegetables. Bagged baby carrots, potatoes, and salad cut out prep work. "Save your effort for the meat of the meal," he says. Pre-cut all meat at home, put it in a Ziploc bag, and either freeze it or keep it cold if you're cooking it within a day or two. You can even pre-marinate it. "The last thing I want to be doing is cutting meat while camping," he adds.

The biggest mistake most people make is not waiting for the fire to die down into coals. "Open fire with flames is not really the best," Lymburner says. "It leaves a char, black soot, on your food and it's not really tasty at all. The best thing to do is have patience. Start with a good amount of wood, let it die down to a nice bed of coals before you start cooking, then you can always add to the fire, as long as it's on the opposite side of where you're cooking."

For kids, campfire pizza pockets and fruit cones turn cooking into fun. A pie iron seals buttered bread around pizza toppings or apple pie filling and cinnamon, cooking for up to five minutes over coals. For a sweet tooth, stuff a waffle cone with mini marshmallows, sliced fruit (strawberries and bananas are top picks), and chocolate chips, wrap it in foil, and grill it for a few minutes until the filling is gooey.