I love pancakes—to the point where the breakfast treat is so routine that I have the recipe committed to memory. I riff on it here and there adding wheat germ or whole wheat pastry flour—and rainbow sprinkles for special occasions. I've even got a no-fail vegan version (using coconut milk, Earth Balance's coconut spread, and flax seeds) for my allergic-to-dairy-and-eggs daughter.

All this and I've still never been able to perfect pancakes over the campfire. I'm not a fan of Bisquick's chemical aftertaste and carrying eggs in a backpack is precarious at best. But, I recently discovered Birch Benders Griddle Cakes, which might be the best thing to happen to camping—or just breakfast.

The local company sells its foolproof mixes (check out the slightly hokey instructional video) in two sizes: single serving and family size. You add water up to the jar's fill-line, turn the jar upside-down, shake, and pour the contents into a pan. The resulting pancakes are so fluffy and delicious that when I swapped them out for homemade, my family wanted to know what I'd done to improve upon my recipe.

Tip: I like the classic and the ginger-spice flavors best, but Birch Benders also come in gluten-free, banana buckwheat, white-chip macadamia, six-grain cinnamon, and chocolate chip. Pick up a selection at Lucky's Market in Boulder, or order online.

—Imagine via Shutterstock