by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
Satisfying your family's sweet tooth may rank low in your priorities for preparing for a disaster; however, in an emergency situation, good food offers a normalizing effect. Eating a delicious, comforting treat helps pacify people. Especially for children, the novelty of cooking outdoors can also distract them from more troubling thoughts.
Campfire Apples can be as simple or complex as your palate and available ingredients allow. With supervision, children can help by holding skewers or sticks over the fire. Since these are based on baked apples, they're pretty nutritious, too.
Classic version
Wash apples. Spear with skewers, long metal forks or clean sticks. Hold above the flame until apples sizzle and the skin splits. Allow to cool before eating. Handle with care. They are very hot after cooking.
Classic sweet version
Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and/or brown sugar after cooking, allowing the sweet stuff into the cracks of the apples.
For the other versions, core, but leave the bottom intact before stuffing. Then roast the apples as above.
S'mores version
Stuff with marshmallow, broken-up graham crackers, graham cracker teddy bears, vanilla cookies or graham cracker cereal and chocolate bar sections or chocolate chips.
Caramel version
Stuff with unwrapped caramel candies. Sprinkle with chopped nuts.
Savory version
Stuff with cheese and chopped nuts, such as walnuts or pecans.
Trail mix version
Stuff with nuts, raisins, coconut, sunflower seeds, M&Ms candies and any other trail mix ingredients you have on hand, or just use premade trail mix.
Apple Crisp version
Stuff with broken-up chewy granola bars. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Inside-out apple pie version
Stuff half full with a lump of biscuit dough. Don't over stuff it because the dough will rise. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Fruit salad
Stuff with drained fruit cocktail.
PHOTO by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant