Camping Favorites?

Shar · 05-24-2007, 14:23

We're going camping this weekend and we're going to have a total of 8 kids ranging from 3-13 with us (and 6 adults). I'm trying to plan the menu and I've got the basics down, but I'd like to do a few new/fun things too. We aren't hiking in or anything but we'll be going on day hikes. I figured this would be the group to ask! I've searched through the other Gourmet Guerrilla threads and I've found a couple references to various camping items like GORP, but no "favorites" per se. I'm particularly interested in kid or group-friendly favorites - but I'd also like to see what you all eat when you are out camping.

Also, I'm trying to track down a really good, no fail recipe for a dutch oven cobbler. I realize that sounds stupid, but there are a ton of recipes out there, I'd just like to see if there's one someone has made that I can trust. I've never been the one making it before!

**Ambush Master** · 05-24-2007, 15:24

Here's a link for a bunch of different cobblers that look very close to what I have used:

http://southernfood.about.com/od/cobblers/r/blbb305.htm

For an easy breakfast, put 2-3 eggs (without shell!!) in a Freezer Ziplock per person. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and have everyone take one of the bags, write their name on it with a sharpie then add whatever additional ingredients they want into the bag. ie grated cheese, onion, bell pepper, sliced Canadian bacon, bacon bits, cooked sausage, etc. Drop the bags into the boiling water and cook til done. Very simple and all of the "fixins" can be prepared in advance. No cleanup and everybody gets their own custom "Omlet"!! Try it at home first.

If you are a hand with a Dutch Oven, prepare about 10-12 charcoal briquets placing the oven on top of half and put the other half on the lid. With 3-4 Ball canning lid rings in the bottom of the oven, place a pie pan filled with canned biscuits (after the oven has heated up) and bake until done. Without the lid rings, you'll burn the bottom odf them every time!!

For a large group, you will need to stage some more charcoal to replenish the oven with.

Take care.
Martin

Rumblyguts · 05-24-2007, 15:36

1 avacado
nearly one brick of cream cheese
nearly one small jar of salsa
tortillas
favorite cheese, sliced or grated
pepers/onion to taste
dobule the portions to make enough for a group of 10-14

Empty the tortillas out onto a plate/rock/whatever.
Finely section the avacado "meat"while still in the skin, then scoop it into the tortilla bag.
Cut up the cream cheese and add it to the bag
Add about a half-jar of salsa to be conservative.
Seal bag and let the kids squish it all up.

Add more salsa so that is fairly runny, and the mixture looks a bunch like something your dog might erm...regurgitate.

Cut off the corner of the bag and pipe the concoction into the tortilla. Add cheese, other fixings, roll, and eat.

This was a regualr on many of my camping trips, and kids loved it. My wife has co-opted it for a dip as well.

----

Spaghetti made from scratch where all the kids get to pitch-in making the sauce is always a good one. Give one ingredient to each kid, let them add it, let them smell it, etc., and they'll love it!

Enjoy!

--- edit, another one that I just thought of is a Dutch oven dish called Monkey Bread. Essentially small balls of dough rolled into butter and brown sugar. Throw it in the oven and let it bake for an ooy-gooy mess. Need to head out, maybe a google will get you a recipe?

Oh, and don't forget about pudgy pies/pie irons!

Shar · 05-24-2007, 15:45

We're fully trying the omlets and the salsa - although I'm positive that the fun of the omlet ingredients will be fully lost on the kids. Maybe they'll surprise me.

And, that salsa? Will totally be a family favorite. I was laughing just reading the recipe because I swear that sounds like something my father-in-law could totally get behind. Using the sack as the delivery device is classic!

I knew you guys would come through!

Wait - what are pudgy pies/pie irons??

Google got a couple good monkey bread recipes - I think I'll edit them according to what I've got here and the size of my dutch oven (which I've discovered just now isn't very big...)

x SF med · 05-24-2007, 15:55

A modified Ranger Stew might work too. You'll need a large pot/dutch oven, and ask everyone what they like in the stew toss it all in there with enough water to make a stock, tuck it away on the side of the fire, and see if it's done in about 3 hours. The original recipe we used was one or two cams from each guys C-rations in a non-tactical situation, and we used a steel pot (helmet) to cook it all together. It got tougher to make with the introduction of Kevlar helmets and MREs, you can't cook in a Kevlar helmet.

SOCOM8721 · 05-24-2007, 17:23

We always liked silver turtles...

Aluminum foil
ground beef - season to liking
sliced carrots
sliced potatoes
onions
bell peppers
salt
pepper

start fire and get a good base of coals

tear sections of foil and have the kids place ground beef ( we usually just made a patty) on the foil then carrots, potatoes, peppers and what ever else to your liking. Salt and Pepper.

Then Fold up the foil around your "meat and potatoes". I double wrap mine.

Place the silver turtle in the fire on the coals (or for the kids on a grate over the fire) should cook 10 to 15 minutes per side.

Remove from fire, open and eat!

They are good, they are easy and they are kid pleasing!

**Peregrino** · 05-24-2007, 19:57

Shar - Check out:

http://www.campfirecafe.com

I've been doing the campfire cooking gig since Boy Scouts. It might be a bit late for this trip but check out your local Scout store; it will have a lot of good references. Start with the Cooking and Camping merit badge books, then add specialty group and dutch oven cooking books. Remember - the Scouting programs are designed to teach teen-age boys to plan and prepare group meals in the outdoors. Recipes and techniques are oriented towards their tastes/abilities. Sucess is not guaranteed but it is within reach.

FWIW - Anything you can cook in a kitchen, you can cook over an open fire. Heat control and imagination/confidence are the only issues. The easiest way to learn heat control (for baking) is with charcoal. For a 350 oven, use the 3-up, 3-down method. Double the diameter of the oven (10" example = 20 briquets) 10 minus 3 on bottom, 10 plus 3 on top (7D- 13U). Adjust as required, keep charcoal fresh when baking - use seperate fire pan to start/keep fresh charcoal.

For an easy desert try a "dump cake". Line your 10"/12" DO with aluminum foil. Dump in two cans of pie filling (I'm partial to sour cherry myself). Take one box of yellow cake mix (or other similar), dump it on top of the pie filling. Dump (pour) the required liquid over the top. Some recipies go so far as to use club or similar non-cola soda for the liquid. (I actually prefer to lightly mix the cake batter - don't overmix - and spread it on top, but that is not necessary.) Hint - Start the cake over the fire to quickly heat the DO/contents. As soon as it's hot move it to one side and adjust the charcoal to the 7/13 (for 10" DO). Some cooks will leave it on a slow fire for 35-40 minutes and add the top coals for the last 10-15 minutes to finish (brown) the cake top. Bake without disturbing for about 50 minutes. Allow to cool "a little" before serving. (Bubbling pie filling resembles lava.) The beauty of this recipe is its simplicity; minimal ingredients, a can opener is the most complicated utensil, and nothing has to be precise. Use a spoon, scoop into bowls, add canned whipped cream (stores in coolers better than ice cream) and enjoy.

HTH - Peregrino

Shar · 05-24-2007, 20:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peregrino

Shar - Check out:

http://www.campfirecafe.com

I've been doing the campfire cooking gig since Boy Scouts. It might be a bit late for this trip but check out your local Scout store; it will have a lot of good references. Start with the Cooking and Camping merit badge books, then add specialty group and dutch oven cooking books. Remember - the Scouting programs are designed to teach teen-age boys to plan and prepare group meals in the outdoors. Recipes and techniques are oriented towards their tastes/abilities. Sucess is not guaranteed but it is within reach.

Thanks - my husband is the Varsity Coach down here for one of the troops and goes camping quite often with his scouts, but the cooking they do wouldn't get my kids eating (or me) but I think I will hit him up to get me some manuals. I'm certain the scout organization has better recipes than what they're doing. My guess is they are leaving it up to the 13 year old boys like you said and WOW

These are all great suggestions, we'll definately be trying some or most of them. We've gotten good at the basics (hotdogs, smores, pancakes, cereal, sandwiches) but I wanted to branch out and try some new things. Cooking is something I enjoy a lot.

**Pete** · 05-24-2007, 20:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peregrino

.......For an easy desert try a "dump cake". Line your 10"/12" DO with aluminum foil. Dump in two cans of pie filling (I'm partial to sour cherry myself). Take one box of yellow cake mix (or other similar), dump it on top of the pie filling. Dump (pour) the required liquid over the top. Some recipies go so far as to use club or similar non-cola soda for the liquid.......
HTH - Peregrino

Guys

I've had that one, and the maker is a scout leader. His is made with apple filling and he puts Sprite in as the liquid and then a few pats of butter. Yum, Yum, empty pot every time.

Also, I think a few Dutch Ovens full of "Mountain Man Breakfast" will be made Saturday Morning. I'll take my camera. Three Dutch Ovens, cooking oil for the tator pot, lots of tators, sausage, onions, bell peppers, salt, pepper. Fry up all that till 90% done and cross level all the Ovens, pat down and crack 18 eggs into each Oven, place on lids, cover lids with hot coals, drink a few cups of coffee, remove lids, put 1-2 Lbs of cheese into each pot, replace lids, go find your plate, drink another cup of coffee and then dig in. Feeds about 30 guys.

Pete

I got the crew served coffee pot as my responsibility this weekend.

Sdiver · 05-24-2007, 20:53

Breakfast, you can't go wrong with Pigs in a Blanket. Kids always love those.

Dinner/late night, Hot dogs wrapped in cheese and bacon. Always a camping favorite.

Rumblyguts · 05-24-2007, 20:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shar

We're fully trying the omlets and the salsa - although I'm positive that the fun of the omlet ingredients will be fully lost on the kids. Maybe they'll surprise me.

And, that salsa? Will totally be a family favorite. I was laughing just reading the recipe because I swear that sounds like something my father-in-law could totally get behind. Using the sack as the delivery device is classic!

I knew you guys would come through!

Wait - what are pudgy pies/pie irons??

Google got a couple good monkey bread recipes - I think I'll edit them according to what I've got here and the size of my dutch oven (which I've discovered just now isn't very big...)

Just Googled pie irons and came up with this:
http://www.chuckwagondiner.com/pieiron.html

Essentially they are two cast iron or aluminium squares about the size of a slice of bread on the end of handles. One greases the insides of the squares, places de-crusted slices of bread in them, and what ever ingredients you want for filling. Cook over the fire. I've done pie fillings, grilled ham and cheeses, pizzas (calzones) etc. There are recipes for breakfasts, lunches, dinners and deserts. Two things to remember: 1) trim off any excess bread after closing the irons together, and 2) the fillings will be napalm hot. Great multipurpose campfire cooking if you are car-camping.

7624U · 05-24-2007, 20:56

For lunch here is what I eat all the time out in the feild instead of MRE's

tomato basil tortilla wraps
head of romaine lettuce (last much longer and packs smaller)
sliced provalone cheese
ranch dressing

Just lay a wrap out put 2 peace's of cheese on it eather let them melt in the sun for a bit or you could put them on a frying pan for a few sec's, then take a leaf of lettuce (without the stalk) put that on the cheese then add some ranch dressing, fold wrap and enjoy ... I was suprized how good that was the first time i tried it lol

**Peregrino** · 05-24-2007, 20:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete

Guys

I've had that one, and the maker is a scout leader. His is made with apple filling and he puts Sprite in as the liquid and then a few pats of butter. Yum, Yum, empty pot every time.

Also, I think a few Dutch Ovens full of "Mountain Man Breakfast" will be made Saturday Morning. I'll take my camera. Three Dutch Ovens, cooking oil for the tator pot, lots of tators, sausage, onions, bell peppers, salt, pepper. Fry up all that till 90% done and cross level all the Ovens, pat down and crack 18 eggs into each Oven, place on lids, cover lids with hot coals, drink a few cups of coffee, remove lids, put 1-2 Lbs of cheese into each pot, replace lids, go find your plate, drink another cup of coffee and then dig in. Feeds about 30 guys.

Pete

I got the crew served coffee pot as my responsibility this weekend.

Pillsbury Grands Cinnamon Rolls. The ones with the Cinnabon cinnamon and the Philladelphia Cream Cheese frosting. You have to be sneaky 'cause there's not enough to share with everybody, but leadership should have some rewards.

Peregrino

mffjm8509 · 05-24-2007, 21:10

I started making this in deer camp years ago, still make it when there's a large group out these days. Its simple, quick and tastes great!

1lb ground venison
1lb pork sausage
1 bag Ore-Ida potatoes O'brien (the one with peppers and onions)
1 dz eggs (scrambled)
hot sauce/salt/pepper

brown the sausage/venison together (dont drain)
add potatoes O'brien (cook till tender)
add eggs
season to taste

Shar · 05-24-2007, 21:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rumblyguts

Just Googled pie irons and came up with this:
http://www.chuckwagondiner.com/pieiron.html

Sorry, should have figured that out myself but you guys have me hopping on menu changes! Hubby would kill me if I sent him out for another trip to the store tonight so these will have to wait for another expedition. He may ban me from these boards as I keep coming up with more things I need from the store! He has this crazy idea that we could possibly hike in somewhere... crazy man.