Photo: terren in virginia, Flickr.

So much for putting a wiener on a stick and calling it dinner.

Campground cooking, once the province of anyone who could wrap a potato in tin foil, is becoming increasingly sophisticated. Vicki Loughner, who's coordinating the 2009 South Carolina Campground Cookoff, reports it's not uncommon for campers today to get cracking on a recipe for spinach sausage quiche.

"They are very serious about the cooking they do," Loughner, project manager for the Old 96 District Tourism Commission, says of the teams registered for this weekend's competition. "When you look at their food, you'd never know it was cooked over a campfire."

In pursuit of the $500 prize, some entrants this year have purchased their own Big Green Egg, the fetishized grill with the startling price tag. But Loughner says it's not just the promise of riches that's inspiring outdoorsy gourmands to up their dinner game. According to Loughner, more and more South Carolina campers are applying their "Top Chef" sensibilities to campground menu planning.

Barbecuing pizza seems to be all the rage these days, but that's nothing compared to this video! Sleek grills and homey comforts seem like child's play compared to one backpacker making pizza on a camp stove in the wilderness.

Sure, Backpacker Magazine Associate Editor Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan is cooking during a snowy winter (!), but the idea definitely works now as we head into the heart of prime camping season. What's truly impressive about this recipe is that the whole dish is made from scratch. She didn't even lug along a pre-made crust, but whipped one up with Bisquick and water!

A sizzling pizza pie in the heart of the forest in five to eight minutes? S'mores might finally have a little outdoor comfort food competition.

Photo: A sad culinary scene at Bonnaroo

Nearly 80,000 people descended on a farm in Manchester, Tenn., last weekend for Bonnaroo, a four-day music festival headlined by 1990s jam band Phish and rock star Bruce Springsteen. Because most of the attendees camped on the 700-acre site -- and individual tickets started at a whopping $225 -- most festival goers opted to forgo food from pricey vendors and rough it.

By noon each day campsites were filled with empty PBR cans, half-empty industrial-sized jars of generic peanut butter and remnants of canned beans warmed over propane ranges. A few industrious music lovers, however, weren't going to let a lack of gas or electricity keep them from eating well.

More photos, bison chili, pork chops and Rotel after the jump.

Buying ice each day for a road trip or camping journey can be such a pain. Consider (safely) using dry ice as an alternative.

If you ever went camping as a child, chances are that you have a vivid memory of the first thing that you cooked or ate, whether it was hot dogs, s'mores or simply marshmallows, it was probably cooked on a stick. After all, was there any reason to go camping if you didn't get to eat food off a stick? You know that no one was out there for the mosquito bites.

Cooking on a Stick: Campfire Recipes for Kids is a book full of camping recipes that children can make on their own. It is aimed at the 7-11 age range and written specifically for kids, unlike some books that are simply about feeding them when you're doing the cooking. The book covers basic fire safety, describing how to build a fire properly (sort of seems like a boy scout/girl scout thing) and how to put it out, before introducing the young cooks to easy recipes with cute, appealing names. In addition to the stick foods (Moose Kebabs and Ranger's Apple Pie), there are foods cooked in pouches (Favorite Beans and Hibernating Bananas), grilled foods and snacks, like GORP.

And, yes, there is a recipe for s'mores, too.

I guess I had s'mores on the brain after writing about them yesterday, since I was inspired to look up the record for the world's largest s'more. The Guinness Book of World Records lists a s'more made in 2003 as the largest. It was constructed in California from 20,000 marshmallows, 7,000 Hershey's chocolate bars, and 24,000 graham crackers. All totaled, it weighed about 1,600-lbs.

The Guinness category was retired, however, which means that an even larger s'more made this year went unrecorded!

The current largest s'more measured 1,936-sq feet and was constructed to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Virginia State Parks. It was made with 8,000 Hershey's chocolate bars, 40,000 marshmallows and 55,000 graham crackers - nearly double the size of the previous record holder, though it didn't use quite as much chocolate.

See a close-up of the s'more's construction after the jump.

Somehow, the fact that August 10th is National S'mores Day managed to sneak by us, but these delicious treats are worth a mention, even if it is a bit belated.

If you're not familiar with s'mores, they are made by sandwiching a toasted marshmallow and a piece of chocolate in between two graham crackers. The name of the treat comes from the two words "some more," clearly combined because people often wanted to have at least a second serving after having one s'more. The treat was developed by campers in the early part of the 20th century, making use of the fairly new mass-produced marshmallows. Marshmallows were easy to transport, as were candy bars and graham crackers, and the marshmallows could be warmed easily over a fire to make a delicious treat in a situation where other types of sweets would have been difficult to come by.

Erik over at Gadling recently posted about the Press-Bot, a French press-style filter designed to fit in a Nalgene bottle. As you can see, the filter folds up to fit in the bottle, and the pour spout on top has threaded edges so that the the cap of the Nalgene can still be sealed. Incidentally, Bodum has offered the similar Travel Press for years. At first I was a little skeptical about the idea of putting hot liquids in a Nalgene, the Nalgene website says they're OK for hot and cold drinks alike. Still, I'm not sure if this is the ideal thing to carry coffee in. It might be best to throw it in a thermos after brewing.

When the spork was first invented, there is little doubt that its creators thought that they had created the ultimate fusion of eating utensils. The spork soon spread to school cafeterias and even into those little plastic baggies they pass out with the meal on airplanes. But the spork wasn't as useful as it could be because you couldn't cut anything with it. To compensate, airplanes included knives with their sporks and schools prepare lunches with no discernable texture. The spork, however, has finally evolved to take cutting abilities into account. The Spork/Knife, coined as the sporknif by Bea of La Tartine Gourmande, has a fork/knife on one end and a paddle-like spoon on the other. It is made from durable, heat-resistant PC material, comes in a variety of colors and only costs a few dollars.

You may never need another utensil again.

As summer approaches and I realize I will be the entertainment coordinator for anywhere from four to nine kids on any given day, I am beginning to rack my brain for ideas. What can I do with these urchins that will provide educational fun while filling their bellies at the same time? One activity that can occupy a few days at a stretch is camping. I would rather do most anything than tramp about in a wilderness void of working plumbing and a soft bed, but the children usually love it and it gives them room to run.

One accessory that would streamline the camping process significantly is Smorestix. Smorestix were created in 1998 by a mom and dad team who wanted their kids to enjoy the outdoors with a just a bit more ease and convenience. These sticks are an optimal 30" of pre cut wood. The perfect length ensures that children will remain a safe distance from the fire. It will also encourage a proper respect for the environment since the kids will not have to rummage through forests breaking branches and tromping on the undergrowth.

This is a clever idea that parents will likely purchase in an attempt to be caring and eco-friendly. What thinks you? A scam or a good buy?