For these particular recipes, we’re returning some heat and comfort flavors to our menu. Summer is on its way out, and fall is on its way in. We aren’t ready to give up camping yet – fall can be the best time to go – but we are ready to switch up the menu and bring back some of those tantalizing scents of autumn.

Campground Sausage Dip – Courtesy of Not Just Sunday Dinner

This recipe is easy to throw together and enjoy bubbling hot straight from the skillet. The spices of the breakfast sausage are ideal for comforting us during a cool, brisk morning.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound hot breakfast sausage cooked, crumbled, and drained well
  • 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese room temperature
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 10-ounce package frozen sweet corn thawed and drained
  • 1 10-ounce can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles
  • 1 4-ounce can diced green chiles
  • 2 large fresh jalapeño peppers seeds removed and diced
  • 1/2 cup sliced green onions plus additional to garnish top
  • kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1 Preheat oven to grill to 350℉.

2 Add the sausage, corn, Rotel, chiles, jalapeños, onions, salt and pepper and mix well. Taste for seasoning. At this point you could always stir in additional salt and pepper, or add some taco seasoning, cumin powder, or maybe some cayenne pepper.

3 Spray a serving dish or skillet with cooking spray. Pour mixture into the dish. Bake in preheated oven or grill until hot and bubbly.

4 Top with additional sliced green onions and serve with corn chips.

 

BBQ Hot Dogs with Cilantro Slaw – Courtesy of Ree Diamond/The Pioneer Woman

This twist on a classic incorporates three favorite foods into one amazing lunch or dinner dish. What is camping without hot dogs, BBQ, and coleslaw (homemade, no less!).

Ingredients

FOR THE SLAW

  • 1/2 c. mayonnaise
  • 3 Tbsp. whole milk
  • 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp. dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp. sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • 1 carrot, shredded
  • 1/4 small head savoy cabbage, shredded
  • 1/4 head red cabbage, shredded
  • 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped

FOR THE HOT DOGS

  • Vegetable oil, for the grill
  • 8 brioche hot dog buns
  • 8 all-beef hot dogs
  • 1/2 c. barbecue sauce

 

Instructions

1 Preheat a grill to medium high. For the slaw: Whisk the mayonnaise, milk, vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt, cayenne and black pepper in a large bowl. Add the carrot, both kinds of cabbage and the red onion and toss to combine.

2 Lightly oil the grill grates. Grill the hot dog buns until lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to a platter. Add the hot dogs to the grill. Brush with some of the barbecue sauce and cook, turning and brushing occasionally with more sauce, until charred and glossy, 4 to 5 minutes. Place the hot dogs in the buns and brush with any remaining barbecue sauce.

3 Just before serving, add the cilantro to the slaw and toss. Top the hot dogs with the slaw.

 

Campfire Chicken Pot Pie – Courtesy of Allrecipes.com

If there is anything that “screams” autumn, it’s chicken pot pie. This easy-to-make recipe uses only premade and canned ingredients, allowing you to whip it up in a pinch for a satisfying, full-belly meal at the end of a long day exploring beautiful Michigan.

Ingredients

  • 2 (29 ounce) cans mixed vegetables (with potatoes)
  • 1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
  • 1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
  • 2 large cooked chicken breasts, cut into cubes
  • 1 (10 ounce) can refrigerated biscuit dough

Instructions

1 Stir vegetables, chicken soup, mushroom soup, and chicken cubes together in a Dutch oven with a flat lid.

2 Cook over campfire coals until warmed through but not boiling, about 15 minutes.

3 Arrange biscuit dough segments in a layer atop the vegetable mixture. Put lid on the Dutch oven and carefully arrange some hot coals atop the lid.

4 Heat until the biscuits are cooked through, 15 to 30 minutes.

 

Orange Peel Cinnamon Rolls – Courtesy of Say Not Sweet Anne

Cinnamon is one of the most common smells of fall, and it’s also one of the most inviting of the campsite, especially with this simple cinnamon roll recipe. Add a little different flavor by baking the cinnamon rolls between orange halves. Refreshing and flavorful!

Ingredients

  • Cinnamon Rolls in a pop-tube.
  • Cream Cheese Frosting (Unless your rolls come with some)
  • Oranges (One for each roll)

Instructions

1 We loaded the rolls into our cooler and they were good to go the morning we made the rolls. We gathered our oranges and sliced them in half. Then we scooped out the orange and left the peel. (We saved the oranges and ate them throughout the next 2 days.)

2 Open the rolls, and place one in each orange. I found it helpful to keep orange halves paired with their mate. It made the next step easier.

3 Top each filled half with its mate. Wrap the peels in foil and put an X on the top.

4 Place oranges in medium heat coals, flipping upside down once while cooking. (This took us about 12 min.)

5 Additionally, you could do this on a grill if you don’t have a fire going in the morning.

6 Remove from heat and open foil. Drizzle some frosting on each one and enjoy when cool enough to eat!!