Camp Cooking?

[Circle C]

I need some new meal ideas for camping out. Either cooking over a flame, in dutch ovens, or on a camp stove. I have another extended camping trip coming up and looking for something different to cook.

Here are some of the things we have cooked in recent camping trips.
Breakfast:
Breakfast tacos, bacon, fried and scrambled eggs, biscuits, hash browns

Lunch/supper:
Deer Chili, King Ranch Chicken, Fajitas, Camp Potatoes, Steaks

Desserts:
fresh baked cookies, peach cobbler

Never did much camping as a kid, so I don't have the experience camping that many on here do...hence my limited menu. I've been trying to take my daughters (10 & 13) camping lately, and would like to have a bit more variety.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Chris

[dabutcher]

how do you not have stew on that menu??  that's the perfect camp meal.  you can substitute whatever you kill for meat... and i do mean whatever (squirrel, rabbit, dove, quail, deer). 

i'll think of some more here in a minute

[Scott]

Breakfast: French Toast

we usually put something on the pit for lunch/supper.

[Circle C]

Stew and French Toast both sound good and simple enough.

I make french toast often enough to know how I like to fix it, but not stew... Dabutcher, Got a stew recipe you care to share?

[dabutcher]

the one my kids like the most is more of a vegetable beef soup more than a stew recipe.  it's super easy.  if you don't mind store bought canned vegetables. it goes as such.

2lbs of desired meat.. (season to taste)
1 8oz can of diced tomatoes
4 cans of sliced potatoes
2 cans of cut green beans
2 cans of sliced carrots
1 can of whole kernel sweet corn
1 onion chopped

worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper,  and a little Cachere's (never hurts).  if you want a real stew add beef broth instead of the diced tomato and use flour to thicken if so desired.

almost forgot the main component..... CORNBREAD!!  you can't have a good stew and not serve a little cornbread.

[dabutcher]

or you can do a nice Roast in dutch oven.........

i use usually 3lb roast (cut of your choice...i prefer a nice shoulder myself) Seasoned with Fiesta Fajita seasoning.

4 cans of cream of mushroom soup.
2 packets of Lipton beefy onion soup mix
6-10 Red potatoes diced or quartered (whatever you prefer)
2-3 carrots sliced
5-6 buttom mushrooms sliced
1 onion chopped

add water to bring liquid volume up and let cook out to desired thickness.

and for Breakfast... my dad always made us Pancakes and some good ol pan sausage for breakfast.   You can bake cinnamon rolls too.   What we do a lot at deer camp is a sausage, egg, and potato tacos.
cook your sausage first.  remove from pan and use that grease to cook your taters.  add the sausage back and scrambled egg mixture.  cook til done and then shovel it in a nice warm tortilla.  cooked all in ONE pan. 

[grunterhunter8]

Might be simple but good ole hot dogs roasted in camp fire on coat hangers! Also smores are a must for any camping trip.

Gizzard Stew
Chicken n dumplings
Ziplock Omelets

[tnhillbilly]

Here are some of the things we have cooked in recent camping trips.
Breakfast:
Breakfast tacos, bacon, fried and scrambled eggs, biscuits, hash browns

Lunch/supper:
Deer Chili, King Ranch Chicken, Fajitas, Camp Potatoes, Steaks

Desserts:
fresh baked cookies, peach cobbler

Never did much camping as a kid, so I don't have the experience camping that many on here do...hence my limited menu. I've been trying to take my daughters (10 & 13) camping lately, and would like to have a bit more variety.

Any thoughts?



Thanks,
Chris

Limited? man thats a large menu compaired to the campin menus ive had. LOL

[BarrNinja]

Chris,

Camp cooking is one of my favorite hobbies. I have some great recipes at the house and I will be home this evening to post a few.

These dishes are tried and true and the best part with most of them is that they won’t have you cooking and preparing all day.

I really enjoyed the cooking but when food preparation and cooking started cutting in to my fishing and hunting time then I started getting creative and planning better.
I have quit a few recipes that I barrowed and modified from other folks too that are great!

I must warn you though. Dutch oven cooking in a public camp ground will have everybody down wind of you coming to visit! Lol. I am not joking either.

I always plan my meals like you do and I go a step further. I prepare everything I can at the house. Pre measured ingredients are the only way to go if there is fishing and hunting to do.

dabutcher you got it figured out!

[slimpickins]

Hard to beat good biscuits and gravy out of a dutch over, make sure theres tons of breakfast sausage in the gravy. Somewhere I've got my grandads old gravy dutch oven, it's about 6 inches across and 4 inches deep.

[DangerZone]

When we were kids dad did ( Camp Spare Ribs) build a good fire let it burn a while then put the ribs in tin foil with bbq sauce and bear rabbit syrup poured over them wrap another 3/4 times with tin foil ,,,, then he would speed the hot coals put the ribs in put some coals on top...put 3-4 good size logs on to keep it burning then we would go do our evening hunt ... Get back just after dark hang/ dress any deer if we got one ... Dig the ribs out of the coals warm some ranch style bean in the cans ,,, meat would just fall of the bone ,,, just taking about it makes me wanna go build a fire lol!!!

[dabutcher]

Chris,

Camp cooking is one of my favorite hobbies. I have some great recipes at the house and I will be home this evening to post a few.

These dishes are tried and true and the best part with most of them is that they won’t have you cooking and preparing all day.

I really enjoyed the cooking but when food preparation and cooking started cutting in to my fishing and hunting time then I started getting creative and planning better.
I have quit a few recipes that I barrowed and modified from other folks too that are great!

I must warn you though. Dutch oven cooking in a public camp ground will have everybody down wind of you coming to visit! Lol. I am not joking either.

I always plan my meals like you do and I go a step further. I prepare everything I can at the house. Pre measured ingredients are the only way to go if there is fishing and hunting to do.

dabutcher you got it figured out!

I used to backpack a lot.. had to think minimalist when you carry most everything on your back.

[slimpickins]

Another good one I always liked camping is what we called a "ho-bo dinner".
This would be good for you, as your girls can do it while you take it easy.
Take a piece of foil, lay out on flat surface.
Place a hamburger patty on the center.
Stack on top of patty, onion slice, tater slices, baby carrots, baby or sliced mushrooms, asparagus sticks, etc.
Season stack with pepper and garlic salt. Fold foil up around and seal it well.
Shovel full of coals to the side, place "ho-bo dinner" on top, then another shovel of coals over it.
Neat thing about these is everyone can make thier own and use whatever veggies they prefer.
About 30 minutes cook time and you've got a pretty cheap, hot meal with no clean up, except the cutting board.

[Circle C]

Slim,
   "Hobo dinner"  I remember making something like that at Garner several years ago, the people I was with called them "silver turtles"   The kids made different shapes in the foil so they knew which one was theirs. I'll have to plan on some "Hobo dinners" on the next trip.

BTW, the coal shovel you made for Mandi has been a real life saver.

[TShelly]

"Peach cobbler"
Make with yellow and white Betty crocker cake mix, 1 of each
2- sticks of butter (melted)
2-cans peaches and small can of pears( any fruit can be substituted)
Sprinkle top with sugar, cinnamon and crushed pecans

Cook until outside and edges begin browning and crusting up, center should be moist! Different version with a creamy cake batter taste to it

[matt_aggie04]

Keith made this for a us a few weeks ago so I got him to send me the recipe for this post.  It was VERY good and can serve alot of people for about 10 dollars.

Arrow Pilot's Famous TACO SOUP


INGREDIENTS:
•    2 LBS LEAN GROUND BEEF
•    1 FRESH WHITE ONION
•    1 CAN DICED ROTEL
•    2 CANS DICED TOMATOS
•    1 CAN WHOLE KERNEL CORN (Drained)
•    2 CANS PINTO BEANS
•    1 CAN RANCH STYLE BEANS WITH JALAPENOS
•    1 PKG TACO SEASONING
•    1 PKG RANCH DRESSING MIX
•    1 "CLUMP" FRESH CILANTRO (OPTIONAL)
DIRECTIONS:
•    Chop the onion.
•    If you'll be using cilantro, chop it very finely.
•    Brown the ground beef with the diced onion in a large soup pot.
•    Stir in the taco seasoning and the ranch dressing mix until the meat is evenly coated.
•    Pour in all the canned items, continuing to stir and heat.
•    If you're using cilantro, put that in last after all the canned items.
•    Heat the soup until hot. If you have the time, simmering makes it better.
Variations and Serving Suggestions:

For those who like it spicier, you can "turn up the heat" by substituting more Diced Rotel for one or both cans of the Diced Tomatos, substituting more Ranch Style Beans with Jalapenos for one or both cans of the Pinto Beans, and/or substituting HOT Taco Seasoning for the regular kind.

I like a thick soup and so I drain the water off the corn and leave the lid off the pot to let some of the water evaporate during heating. If you like a thinner soup, you don't have to drain the corn and you can keep the lid on the pot. For my tastes, the leaner the ground beef, the better. If you use ground beef that is not lean, you'll probably want to drain off the grease after you brown it and before you add the other ingredients. For a wild game version, you can use ground venison or ground wild pork instead of the lean ground beef.

The soup is good poured over Fritos corn chips or crumbled tortilla chips. Try sprinkling grated cheese over the top and letting it melt in with the soup.

This makes, I'd say, about eight good servings. The original recipe didn't include cilantro, but I found that it really adds flavor and highly recommend it! The soup is actually quite a bit better when reheated the second day. So make a big pot and enjoy the leftovers!

[Circle C]

Matt,

     That is almost the same concoction I came up with a few weeks ago just throwing stuff in the pot. Except I didn't think to put ranch dressing mix or cilantro.  It was so good I have made it two more times.  I'll have to try the ranch and cilantro on the next run.  One more thing I have a bit different, is that I have my venison ground with smoked bacon and jalapeno, so it gets a bit of kick not found with hamburger.  I made some sweet cornbread to go with it, I was so proud of how it turned out, I even took pics

Taco soup



Cornbread



Tony,
 
     I'll have to try your cobbler recipe too.  I've been making mine with one box yellow cake, two cans sliced peaches, stick of butter, and lots of cinnamon. Never thought to add pecans to the mix, but it sounds good.


Still waiting on Craig to post up his famous Pineapple Upside Down cake that he made at the Rooter Roundup.

[boarmom]

The hobo stew is what I was going to recommend.  I was a girl scout leader at a camp for one summer.  The kids loved making them since everyone makes their own and adds the vegetables they like.  We called it pocket stew.  My boys at home liked it so much that we started making it in a pan to eat at home even when not camping.  The neat thing is you put it in the coals and can go do other things and it is done when you get back.

Also for breakfast we took canned biscuits and rolled them between our hands to make a long snake looking thing.  Wrap it around a stick so that there are not gaps - roast (bake over coals like you would a marshmallow).  When done, slide off the stick and put jelly in the hole where the stick was.  Just fun to do.

Also for breakfast make eggs in a nest.  Take a slice of bread, use a small glass to cut a circle out of the middle.  Butter the bread and throw in a skillet to brown.  Bust an egg and place in the hole.  Cook like you would a fried egg, flip over and cook on both sides, then spread jelly on bread.  Fun for the kids to do and much more fun to eat than just a regular fried egg and toast.

[dub]

I bust open a can of Beanie Weenies if I go gourmet I warm it up. I can put a couple cans in my pocket and a spoon. Then I can hunt all day. We used to get thick sliced ham for sandwiches. If you want to eat good you have to kill something. I have eaten lots of different things because of this mentality. Armadillo is pretty good.

[Case]

There should be a WARNING in the post title stating "warning reading this post may cause hunger". Pictures should be left out, it only makes the hunger worse...
I'm sitting here at work just before lunch, reading all these tasty recipes and my belly is grouling.

We make the taco soup at my house and dip it with cheese doritos, its pretty tasty.