Fall is my favorite time of the year.  The weather cools off and we are finally able to comfortably enjoy the beautiful outdoors of Arkansas.  We love to take weekend canoeing trips, ride our horses into the Ouachita Mountains, and fish on our great lakes.    Our wonderful state has so many beautiful areas, and let me encourage you to explore them all for yourself.  There is a misconception, that while you are camping in the wilderness, you cannot eat good food.  That is soooooooo wrong.  Some of the best meals I have ever eaten were on the side of a river or on an island in the middle of Lake Ouachita.  To improve your camping meals, I would like to share our favorite and easy Dutch Oven Breakfast Casserole.

The only cooking utensils you will need are a 9 inch cast iron Dutch Oven (with legs and a lipped lid), a large spoon, a knife, and a Dutch Oven lid lifter (or a hammer works nicely).  We normally use wood to build our cooking fires, but I am demonstrating with charcoal, to make it easier for you to reproduce.  To prepare a hardy amount of breakfast for two people, you will need: ? pound of Petit Jean Hickory Smoked Bacon, 2 large potatoes, ½ white onion, 5 Great Day Farms extra large eggs, and shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

 

Begin by arranging your charcoal briquettes in a pyramid shape (just like you would in a grill) on the ground, in a large clear area.  Ignite the charcoal and you can begin your food preparation.

Cut your bacon into 1 inch pieces, cut your potatoes into 1 inch cubes, and dice your onion.

When the briquettes are ready, use your Dutch Oven lid lifter to flatten your pyramid out a little, so the Dutch Oven can sit on top of the coals.  Add your bacon to the Dutch Oven and cook completely with the lid removed.  The process of frying the bacon is exactly the same as you would on a stove top.

When the bacon is cooked, remove it from the Dutch Oven and sit aside.  Try very hard to not eat any of your bacon.  Petit Jean Bacon usually makes the perfect amount of grease, so you do not have to go through the dangerous process of removing any.  Add your potatoes and onions to the Dutch Oven and cover with the lid.  Arrange your briquettes in a single layer and place approximately 9 briquettes on top.

After 5 minutes, remove the lid and rotate approximately 45?.  This alleviates any hot spots and prevents you from burning your potatoes.  After 10 minutes, remove the lid, stir your potatoes, and replace the lid.  Fifteen minutes into the process, rotate the lid again.  The potatoes should be soft after 20 minutes, but if they are not, you can continue to rotate the lid every 5 minutes and stir every 10 minutes, until they are finished.

When the potatoes are completely cooked, add your bacon to the Dutch Oven and stir gently.  Now, add your 5 eggs.

Stir gently once more, to break the yolks and replace the lid.  It will take a little over 5 minutes to cook the eggs.  When the eggs are completely done, remove the lid and cover with shredded cheddar cheese.  You can add as much, or as little, as you wish.

Replace the lid, and after about 5 minutes the cheese will be melted completely.

Yummy! In case you are wondering, a serving is half the contents of the Dutch Oven (a huge portion) and is approximately 675 calories.

Do not let Dutch Oven cooking intimidate you.  If you have any questions, feel free to tweet me at @MrsEderington, and I will help you every step of the way!

Ashley Ederinton is a wife, mother, and student.  She loves to run, mountain bike, and swim, hopes to become a marine biologist, and tries to keep God first in her life and in her family.

In the side bar of her blog The Ederington Family she has a quote by Olympic swimmer Dara Torres that says, “They may become harder to achieve, but your dreams can’t stop because you’ve hit a certain age or you’ve had a child.” This quote is a perfect example of Ashley.