Solar Oven Cooking

I was a Girl Scout leader from 1976 through 1988 and then some. During my years of Scouting we did lots of camping at various levels. Camping always meant new ways to cook our food. A simple method I learned is to build a solar oven. All you need to build a solar oven is a cardboard box and a box of heavy-duty aluminum foil. You want to get a cardboard box that still has the lid on it; one that's been cut to open up like a door. All you do, once you have your materials, is cover the box completely with the aluminum foil, inside and out. Once your oven is ready you simply set the food you want to cook inside. We often baked a cake in our ovens. Let's try a "Dump Cake". This one's really easy. Dump Cake What you need: 2 cans fruit (20 to 21 oz. pie filling; cherry or apple pie filling works good) 1 yellow cake mix 2 sticks (1 cup) butter - I always use butter rather than margarine. It is a much healthier choice. What you do: It is best to use a 9 X 13 oblong cake pan. Spread your fruit out in the pan. Dump your dry cake mix on top and spread it over the fruit. Cut your butter up into pieces and spread them out over the mix. Put this in your solar oven. Be sure the oven is sitting in direct sunlight. Sit it on some flat stone off the ground to keep bugs out, and use something like a piece of Duck tape to hold the door shut. Leave the cake in the oven for about an hour. (Time may vary according to how hot a day it is.) After about an hour, check your cake. It should be bubbly and browned on top. Here is an alternate recipe: Pineapple/Cherry Dump Cake What you need: 20 oz. can crushed pineapple (un-drained) 21 oz. can cherry pie filling 1 yellow cake mix 2 sticks (1 cup) butter - Again, butter is a healthier choice than margarine. A� cup chopped nuts (your choice - optional) You put this together pretty much the same as the other. Layer the fruits. First dump in the can of pineapple (do not drain); spread evenly in the pan. Next you spoon the cherry pie filling over the pineapple and spread it around. Then spread the dry cake mix over the fruit and cut the butter up and layer over the cake mix. Put this in your oven for about an hour. It should be bubbly and lightly browned when done. The solar oven can be used to make just about anything you would make in your oven at home. Experiment with it at home before using it with your groups. Try some of the following: Your favorite meatloaf recipe (in muffin tins); this can be put with spaghetti and topped with your favorite sauce. Baking biscuits or croissants Casseroles Baked Potatoes Beans Muffins *Keep in mind that different foods will take different lengths of time to prepare. If you plan ahead you can be sure to be successful at solar oven cooking. This is great for younger, first time, campers who are inexperienced in camp cooking. Be sure they use a mitt when removing food from the oven. You will be surprised at how hot your solar oven gets.