I Done Been Pudgified

“I loaded up the Suburban, my 3 daughters and our 27' camper this weekend and headed out to a local campground. We were joined by some friends who also have 2 girls the same age as my younger two. We got to the campground around 6:00 Friday evening and got set up. Built a fire cooked burgers and hotdogs, made smore's and made twisted cinnamon sticks. For those of you have have never made twisted sticks. You take a can of breakfast biscuits, twist the dough around a stick, cook it in the fire, drop it into some melted butter then roll it in cin/sugar. Trust me...they rock.
Sat morning we were up early. I made a huge breakfast of eggs, pancakes, hashbrowns, sausage, and fruit salad. After clean up, we hit the local hiking trails and did a short 2 mile loop. After we got back, the kids ran off to explore the playground, complete with a small climbing wall. The adults grabbed chairs and sat around the fire ring to do nothing but enjoy the afternoon of silence..(amazing how quiet it is without 5 little girls flapping!)
The girls returned around 4:00 and we began the preparations for dinner. Marinated chicken breast, macaroni salad, jello salad, raw veggies, and coleslaw. MMMMMMM great eats. After dinner, the girls took off to find cool stuff by the lake and the adults settled back into our chairs.
The girls returned just before dark with reports of all the cool stuff they saw. To be honest, I'm still not sure about some of the descriptions they came back with, but they were sure they had discovered a new uncategorized living creature of some sort.
The kids were now ready to roast up some marshmallows for smore's when I suggested we make Pudgie Pie's instead. WOOOOHOOOO's were shouted by my kids and the cookoff began. The picnic table looked like a breakfast smorgasboard. Loaves of sliced bread, fruit cocktail, peanut butter, strawberry jam, apple and cherry pie fillings, marshmallows, chocolate bars, cinnamon, sugar, and powdered sugar.
I gotta tell ya it was a sight! 5 girls gathered around that table with spoons flying into the fixins and adults trying to manage the mess. The girls won the battle, the adults gave up. After the the pies were done, we placed them on the table and cut them into sections so everyone could taste what had been created and by which PPC.(thats Pudgy Pie Chef for you unlearned ones) Hands down winner was by my youngest daughter who still had smores on the brain. She had taken the chunky peanut butter, chocolate, and marshmallows, and pudgified them. OMG it as AWESOME, there was just something about that melted peanut butter combined with the mallow and choc that just rocked.
Second place was a combination of apple and cherry pie filling inside, then rolled in the cin/sugar mixture after it was cooked.
It was quite the show that lasted for over an hour while new combinations of the ingredients were tried. the kids had a blast, the parents got fat or in my case, fatter.
Sun morning everyone slept in till 7:30.
We made a simple breakfast of oatmeal and fruit, then took a short hike around the lake. We broke camp upon our return and headed towards home.
The weekend was a blast. We had great weather, and the girls got more hiking miles under thier feet. The only downside to the weekend was the ticks. They seemed to be out by the thousands and thankfully no one brought home any unexpected guests.

Ya'll have to excuse me now as I make my way downstairs to the treadmill. I've got 5 miles to run. Seems I put on a couple of pudgy pie pounds and I gots to go get rid of them.”

“27' camper?

Nice report.”

“So much for the go-lite crowd...”

“Sounds like fun! Never heard 'em called pudgie pies, is that a family nickname?
So, we're kinda new at the car camping stuff and have a pie iron but they never turn out all that great. What's the secret to a good campfire pie?”

“I too spent the weekend at the old camper. Saturday I made ribs and corn on the cob. First I made the corn the only acceptable way there is to make it. Just throw the corn on the grill husk and all. No soakin’ no messin’ ‘round. 5 minutes each (4) side. Best corn in the world and I thank birch and sass for setting me hip to it. I had some baby backs rubbed down and marinating for a day and half. I turned one side of the grill real low and one real hi. Threw the ribs on the low side and a foil pack of smoking pellets on the hi side. 15 minutes each side and we are in hog heaven!”

“Sass.
Cheap white bread and Pam cooking spray.
Coat the pie maker very good with the spray.
Place bread on one side of maker. Top with stuff, place next slice of bread of top of stuff, then pudgify it. Place pan aprox 6" away from coals of fire, time for 2 min, then flip and cook other side. You can open the maker to see how browned the bread is, Cook to your preference, we like ours just as they are turning a golden color.

chili..the camper is an obmination.
When my wife and I were first married 16 yrs ago we threw everything into the back of a Hyundau Hatchback. Had girl #1 bought a Jeep Cherokee. Had girl #2 bought a Grand Cherokee. Had girl #3 bought the Suburban. We were still tent camping up until 2 years ago when we borrowed a friends camper. End of story. The girls, mom included, went over to the dark side. I have a nephew who works at an RV center and got a super deal on our home on wheels. We are planning a trip out west for this summer. NO CAMPER.
Backpacks and Hiking boots only.
Time to get back to our roots! LOL!!”

“My favorite pie iron goodies are…
…cream cheese and cherry pie filling.
…smores stuff.
…pizza stuff.
…Ruben’s.
…egg and cheese.

Really, anything that tastes good outside of a pie iron tastes even better in one.”

“Pakratz, been there, done that.

I can feel your pain.”

“Thanks Pakratz. I think I was going wrong by buying the expensive white bread, using butter and setting the thing in the coals. Probably the setting the thing in the coals that did it, come to think of it.”