But my favorite reason for adding a fire pit to a landscape is how it can help with preparedness efforts. I love having an alternative way to cook a meal if we lose our power. Yes, the outdoor grill is another good way to cook, but the fire pit doesn’t need propane. If I’ve got a collection of dried wood handy, then I’m set.

And it’s just fun to cook over a fire. Lots of you know what I’m talking about. Do you have favorite recipes or methods you turn to over and over for a campfire or fire pit meal? Jillee of www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com does, and she shared some in a recent newsletter.

One of her favorites, and mine too, is making muffins in orange peel cups. To do this, you need a Jiffy Blueberry Muffin Mix (prepared according to package directions), some oranges, and tin foil.

Just cut a couple of oranges in half. Remove the flesh. Then fill each empty half with the prepared blueberry muffin mix. Place the other half of the orange on top, then wrap the whole thing in tin foil. Add another layer of tin foil around the outside for good measure.

Next, set the wrapped orange on a grate over hot coals. Turn it every few minutes to make sure the muffins bake evenly.

After 8-10 minutes, unwrap the oranges and check the muffins for doneness. Once the center is cooked through, they’re done! Add some butter if you like and chow down! Trial and error has taught us to eat them with a spoon, since they don’t pop out of the orange cups very well.

Then there’s the all American, classic roasted hot dog. Not only are hot dogs one of the easiest things you can make over a fire, but they’re also really delicious when you get a bit of char on the outsides! Most of us would agree on that, right?

But here’s a tip from Jillee that will take your hot dogs to the next level. She asks, “Why not try a WRAPPED hot dog?” She does this a couple ways: she makes a bacon-wrapped hot dog, and also she’ll wrap them in crescent roll dough. She reports they always turn out well and folks gobble them down!

Before I go on to the next food that’s scrumptious when roasted, take a look at this very clever hotdog roasting idea. You just want to make sure your equipment is clean and sterile. Talk about a great idea when feeding a crowd!

Now one last suggestion from Jillee: Try roasting or baking fruit. Fire-roasted fruit is a delicious summertime treat! The heat from the fire makes the sugars caramelize on the outside of the fruit, and you just can’t beat it. Try roasting pieces of banana, apple, pineapple, or peaches! Eat them straight, or enjoy them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to make it a full dessert.

I’ll conclude by saying that building a fire pit isn’t rocket science, but it can be a little hard work. Digging the hole is the tough part. Once that’s done you just line the sides nice and tight with local rocks or some fire bricks from a home improvement store (Home Depot, Lowes, etc.), and you’re ready to roast. Let’s all raise a match to the whole idea and get roasting!

(One caveat, and that’s what kind of fire season we’ll be experiencing this summer. Obviously, if there’s high fire danger, we may not want or even be allowed to use a fire pit. But back to my favorite reason for having a fire pit, it’s a good preparedness step. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.)