I am so glad fall has arrived in my cornfield. The trees are beautiful, the fields are being harvested, and our pace is a little more relaxed around the farmhouse. The kids are in-between school sports, just doing some travel basketball right now. There is time for crafts, kicking a soccer ball in the yard, competitive games of Uno and Monopoly, rides in the combine and just enjoying each other.
I was able to take a week off of work during the kids Fall Break. The Farmer was busy with harvest, so he wasn’t as lucky to hang out with us. Instead, I spent the week with great friends and their kids at a local state park campground. The kids rode their bikes, decorated pumpkins, painted rocks and sticks, and just goofed off. The grownups enjoyed adult conversations, a few adult beverages and a lot of food!!
We also got to trick or treat. For an easy costume idea, I recommend going as Smores! I donned the graham cracker costume, simply cardboard front and back. Lauryn was the Hershey Bar and Levi was a marshmallow! Alexandra didn’t want to play along with our family-theme so she went as a Holy Cow! We simply decorate white pants and shirt with black spots and added angel wings and a halo. She looked so cute!
I love Elephant Ears. For those not from the Midwest, they are also called Mouse Ears, funnel cakes, beaver tails and funnel clouds. In the midwest, these are popular at county fairs and local festivals. They are basically dough fried in oil, brushed with butter and then dipped in cinnamon sugar. And they are delicious!
Since we were camping and doing much of our food over the firepit, I decided to try my own campfire version of elephant ears. I didn’t have a recipe and had no idea if this would work. However, based on how fast they were consumed by the kids and their friends and the adults, I think they were a hit!
All I did for these Campfire Elephant Ears was to buy 3 cans of canned biscuits. I placed a cast iron skillet
Then you’ll need to find extra kids to help flatten the biscuits. This was easy as we had kids in and out of our campsite all week. So the kids were put to work, by lantern light, trying to flatten and stretch the dough. I learned, after ruining the first one I cooked, that it’s important the dough be thin! Otherwise you will have a burnt outside and a doughy, raw inside.
Once the dough is thin and your oil is boiling, carefully put the dough in the oil. Use tongs to turn it and cook on the other side. There is no real timing method to this. It is fast! I kept turning it over and over until I decided both sides were brown. It maybe took 90 seconds to 2 minutes per elephant ear.
Once you take it out of the oil, blot with paper towel and add the cinnamon sugar. I didn’t use butter, but you could brush it with butter then add the sugar topping.
That’s it! These are so good! If you are used to the giant treats at your county fair, these aren’t going to be exactly the same. But if you are camping with an open fire, friends, your kids and some dance music in the background, you’ll love these and the memories that come along with making them!
Have you ever made a treat over the fire? I’d love to hear about it. We love camping and finding new things to cook over the fire. And most importantly, making memories that we hope last a lifetime!
For this recipe, I used a cast iron skillet much like this one
I am hooked up with some of my favorite bloggers this week! Check out Meal Plan Monday for recipe inspirations!
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