Being able to cook marshmallows, s'mores, and hot dogs over an open fire is one of the best things about having a fireplace in your home. However, you don't need to stop there. Preparing food in a fireplace can be fun and rewarding, and for some reason, it often seems to taste better than food cooked on the stove. Following are just three of the many easy things you can cook in your fireplace. 

Baked Apples

Your entire home will be filled with a heavenly aroma if you wrap a couple of apples in heavy foil and place them in the embers of your fireplace -- and you'll get a delicious, healthy treat as well.  Make sure your fire has died down enough so that it's no longer flaming, however, in order to keep the apples from getting too hot. Slice them into thick pieces and cover with cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg before wrapping in foil.Turn them over every 10 minutes or so and let them cook for about an hour. If they're tender when you put a fork in them, they're done!

Pancakes

Cooking pancakes over an open fire provides a cozy way to start the morning. It's easy if you have the right stuff -- all you need is a cast iron frying and stand-alone grate to place over the fire. If you've ever been camping, you know how good pancakes prepared this way taste. If you haven't, you're in for a delightful surprise. 

Nuts

You've probably heard the old holiday carol about chestnuts roasting on an open fire -- you can do this with all sorts of nuts. Buying roasted nuts in the store usually means that you get a product that is over-salted and coated with heavy vegetable oils that are far from heart-healthy. Roasting your own nuts in your fireplace allows you to custom blend coatings to suit your individual needs and preferences. For instance, instead of coasting them in a heavy vegetable oil laden with trans-fats, use extra-virgin olive oil instead, and sprinkle your choice of dried herbs and spices over them rather than drenching them in salt. For instance, a mixture of olive oil and honey provides an excellent coating for almonds or hazelnuts, and if you want a bit of a salty tang, you can sprinkle sea salt lightly over them before roasting them on the fire. Simply place them on a bed of glowing coals in the fire and let them roast for about five minutes. 

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