Orange French Toast with Grand Marnier Syrup. A great breakfast recipe for camping. And photos of our camping trip to Pearl Lake Colorado and the camping food that went with us.
I must admit that I truly believe the four of us deserve some sort of culinary award for this camping trip. Perhaps the coveted James Beard Award For Camp Grub?? 😉
Looking for ideas for camping food?
Award winning cast and crew, Dan, camp photographer, Teri, French Toast Genius, Rusty and Daisy camp dogs, myself slider/salad queen, Zia and Chili, our camp dogs and Bob, Camp Somellier.
Food for camping trips need not be boring, need not be all hotdogs or bologna sandwiches and granola bars. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but with a little preplanning and prep before you head out, you can enjoy some pretty delicious no-fuss meals at the campsite.
I mean afterall, doesn’t everything taste better outdoors in a lawn chair around a camp fire??
Before we get to the food, pull up your chair, grab the beverage of your choice, take a deep breath and take in this photo. Doesn’t your blood pressure instantly drop to about 26 over 12?
This last camping trip took us to Northern Colorado to beautiful Pearl Lake about 25 miles North of Steamboat Springs, near Steamboat Lake and almost to the Wyoming border. A beautiful little spot.
So let’s eat. Since this shot is of early morning fog rising off the lake, let’s start with breakfast fare.
Breakfast: Ina’s Chicken Sausage Breakfast Hotdogs which I recently made at home and have already blogged about. Easy for a camping trip with the mayonnaise sauce premixed at home. While the grill is heating up, on the griddle start some of those packaged Southwestern flavored hash brown potatoes that you find refrigerated at your market. When they’re about half cooked, throw on the sausages, add some eggs along side the potatoes. Intermittent drizzles with olive oil cooked the eggs and potatoes perfectly.
The propane griddle is really handy but this could be done on a camp stove in a good-sized fry pan. Needless to say we were stuffed little piggies. A hike around the lake was mandatory and of course no need for lunch. Dan took these photos, love the empty plate shot.
Teri hit a home run on day two with her delicious French Toast recipe. I am telling you this is a WONderful recipe, whether made at home or at the campsite.
Orange French Toast Recipe with Grand Marnier Syrup
Orange French Toast with Grand Marnier Syrup
Ingredients
- For the French Toast:
- 8 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup grand mariner
- 1/8 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp orange zest
- 16 slices Texas toast bread or French bread sliced thick
- For the Syrup:
- 3 cups pure maple syrup
- 1 stick butter
- Grand Marnier to taste I used about 1/4 cup or more
- Toppings:
- Mandarin orange slices powdered sugar.
Instructions
- For the toast, mix all ingredients in a shallow bowl. Mix well then dip each bread slice, letting it soak for a few seconds.
- Using a griddle, add butter or vegetable oil a little at a time and fry the toast.
- In the meantime make the Syrup. Mix all ingredients in a sauce pan. Heat to a boil then turn down to a simmer while the toast is cooking.
- This made about 16 pieces, or so. You can halve it or double for large groups.
- Topped with Mandarin oranges and powdered sugar, served with some fresh fruit and bacon……unbelievable breakfast.
A breakfast fly over by an immature Bald Eagle.
A hike around the lake and throw in a day trip to nearby Steamboat Lake…and we’re ready for dinner.
I love this series of photos.
Grilled chicken is always an easy campsite meal. Partially cook your chicken pieces at home and you’re enjoying dinner at the campsite in no time. At the campsite throw chicken pieces on the grill and baste with your favorite grilling sauce.
While the chicken is cooking mix up some cole slaw using a pre-packaged mix from produce section, toss with the dressing that you made and brought from home, throw in one of those small boxes of raisins and you’ve got a delicious side dish in no time. And how easy is it to boil some water for corn on the cob. Dan grilled the chicken using his Mom’s basting sauce. Gotta get that recipe. Anyway, voila, you’re dining like a camping king.
Steaks or burgers are also an easy meal, especially if you have a camping grill. Cooking on a grate, on tin foil, over a campfire can be risky business. Too hot…too windy…embers too cold. Camp grills are the ticket.
For day two dinner I made This Orange Salad that I found in West Virginia over at Larry’s Blog, which had traveled from North Carolina from Sam’s Blog and now has made its way to the Rocky Mountains to my blog and a delicious camp site salad.
I threw in three large navel oranges and just peeled and sliced them on site. Had picked some fresh rosemary and parsley from the garden and transported them in a small baggie. Pre-mixed the dressing of 1/4 cup red wine vinegar and 1/4 cup olive oil that traveled in a small mason jar, slice some rings of red onion, sprinkle with Kalamata olives and voila. Easy peasy and a fresh and delish side dish for the sliders.
I brought those darn delicious Smoky Sliders with Chipotle Mayonnaise – man are these killer. I swear this is the recipe find of the century and very easy to take on the road.
Just make the little patties at home, transfer to a large zip-loc baggie, and lay the bag flat in the top of the ice chest. Pack a small can of pineapple rings, whip up the Chipotle Mayonnaise at home and transfer to a small Mason jar. Fire up the camp grill at the campsite and you’ve got a delicious meal in about 15 minutes.
Camping wouldn’t be complete without some easy appetizers while you’re waiting on the grub to cook.
Sliced pears and some fabulous Gorgonzola Dolce cheese paired beautifully with this delicious shiraz from Mollydooker.
Some guacamole for your tortilla chips…
So there you have it, delicious food with little fuss.
It’s What’s for Camping The Rocky Mountains.
Stick around for some scenery photos.
Pearl Lake is about 4 1/2 hours northwest of Denver. We stopped halfway to enjoy a picnic lunch at Red Desert Overlook at Wolford Mountain Reservoir.
Watching swallows nab bugs on the lake.
A day trip to Hahns Peak Historic Cemetery, the oldest public cemetery in Routt County, Colorado.
Plenty of time to watch the grass grow.
Another day trip took us to Hahns Peak Lake.
Dan picked wildflowers for the table.
After dinner we headed down to the lake to watch the full moon rise over the ridge.
And some up and close views of bats swooping all around us (not pictured, but trust me, they were there).
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
Wow, delicious food, great site. You won’t ask for anything more! I really fell in love with your last picture. Those pet dogs are really cute! Makes me wanna go camping again.
Wow, you certainly hit some beautiful spots on your camping trip! I’m so glad you enjoyed the chipotle sliders. We do a lot of camping, but have never taken the sliders with us. Good to know that they travel so well!
Thanks for stopping by! I love the photos and even though I dont camp anymore, I would make an exception for that food, YUM!
Colorado has some great outdoors, and I am looking forward to our annual visit in a few weeks. I’m not sure if camping is in our cards, but your meals are surely inspirational. I also have think that a bottle of Blue Eyed Boy is quite good, and thank goodness for the screw cap!
Such a beautiful camping spot. I *love* to cook breakfasts while camping… and lunches and dinners, too, but breakfast is SO good cooked and eaten outside!