Campfires, Cacciatore, and Cannoli

With February making people think about romance and Valentine’s Day, people may be thinking of going out for a romantic dinner. Instead, Tony and I prefer making dinner together, whether we are at home or on a camping trip.  

Chicken cacciatore is easy to make in a cast iron dutch oven. Before the trip, clean and cut the veggies to save time and work at camp. 

Get the coals burning so they will be nice and hot for cooking. Salt and pepper the chicken, and dredge the pieces in flour (tip: put the flour in a ziplock bag and shake the pieces in that).  Make sure your dutch oven is hot and on a good bed of coals and brown the chicken with a little olive oil, then remove the chicken from the pan.  Add onion and bell pepper and sauté them a few minutes. Add some garlic, basil and fresh parsley.  Return the chicken to the pot, add a can of diced tomatoes and some red wine if desired. Then spread the hot coals under the dutch oven and pile a few on top of the lid to allow it to simmer. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, add some mushrooms and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Serve it with some crusty bread, or over some slices of polenta.

Now, stoke up that campfire, pour some more of that red wine in your tumblers, and enjoy that dinner by firelight (who needs candles?)

After dinner, how about a little dessert? It seems to me that the ultimate Valentine dessert is chocolate and strawberries or, my preference: raspberries.  Break out the Grubstick kit (we have a discount on the Grubstick on our Discounts and Deals page) and use the grubtubes to make a simple grub pockets using canned crescent rolls.  Stuff the grub pockets using pre-made chocolate mousse and raspberries, or whipped cream, or whatever your favorite filling might be!

Grab your cannoli, another glass of wine or maybe a cup of hot cocoa, and cuddle up together by the fire and enjoy the fire and the stars… what's more romantic than a starry sky?