Silver Springs Campground, in the northeastern part of Stow, recently played host to a special event put on by the Stow Parks & Recreation Department. Cooked Up Fun! featured Stow resident, Scout leader and professional caterer Jeff Kline presenting “Campfire Cooking In Cast Iron” to 60 pre-registered attendees.
Those attendees learned about cast iron cookware and had hands-on participation in the preparation and cooking of several recipes. The full menu included: High Adventure Macaroni, Chicken-n-Stuff, Scout Camp Carnitas, Sweet & Sour Wilderness Ham, Three Fires Frito Pie, Texas Pioneer Pie, and multiple flavors of cobbler. Big Cast Iron Pan
The use of cast iron cookware involves placing a specific number of heated charcoal briquettes below and atop the pot or pan, per recipe directions. The result is a perfectly cooked dish that will feed a quantity of people.
Stow resident Kristy Christie enjoyed the night out. “I actually went out and bought a charcoal chimney so we can cook with it while camping. I have only ever made two things in my Dutch oven and look forward to making the same recipes we made. I’m excited to make desserts in it while camping. That’s one thing we never did.”
Stow resident Patty Smith was one of the participants, and she said, “I learned a lot. We did the mac and cheese with hamburger and sausage. It takes 45 minutes to cook, if the coals are hot and right. It could feed a crowd. You could do desserts, too, with cake mix, pie filling, and add some pop to it.”
After the menu dishes were completed, there was plenty of food for all of the participants to savor. Patty Smith said, “It was fun watching everybody enjoying what they were eating.” Kristy Christie adds, “We got to taste all the food. I hope this is something you will host again.”
Wagner Cast Iron Pans Chris Sheridan, assistant recreation supervisor for Stow Parks & Rec and event coordinator, indicates that there might be another such event. “We’d really like to do another one and we’ve initiated dialog to see about the possibility of more Cooked Up Fun! in Stow. Jeff is on board with the idea, so check with our FunInStow.com website and watch for details.”