Camping Meals

[calendula]

I am planning meals for another weekend camping, and was wondering what some of your favorite meals to make while camping are. We cook only on a fire while camping, and do bring some pots and pans, and also we have some pie irons.

[Farmfresh]

I used to do a lot of dutch oven cooking over coals or indirect heat back when we were camping a lot. Pretty much any "crock pot" type of one dish meal can be made in that. I just loaded up the dutch oven after cooking breakfast and set it on the coals of the fire. Once it gets heated through it continues to cook in the cast iron for a good long time. I would just check on it periodically and get on with my day.

If we had places to go where I couldn't watch a fire, I also have a cast iron wok (or you could use the dutch oven again). Stir fries are easy over fire because everything cooks so fast. We would cook the main parts of the meal, add stock and soy bring it to a quick boil and toss in rice noodles. Pop a top on the pot and remove it from the fire and those long skinny rice noodles are cooked in the residual steam and heat, soaking up some of the broth and ready in about 10 minutes. Just stir the rice noodles down into the meat and veggies and serve as a lo mein.

[patriceinil]

Hot dogs wrapped in bacon, baked potaoes and skin on bananas filled with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows for dessert.

You could do packet meals easily on a campfire. Heavy duty foil with chicken or ground beeef patty or fish with some diced veggies, seasonings and a bit of butter are yummy. You can even add small chunks of corn on the cob to the packets.

Shish ka bobs are another good one for camping.

[Old Fashioned]

A favorite breakfast meal was always to cook up some bulk breakfast sausage till browned, then throw in some cut up potato chunks, when cooked thru pour in some eggs till well set & top with cheese. Serve as is or with toast or biscuits.

Supper.......brown some burger, add broth, mixed veggies & pasta for burger soup. Can also add canned beans &/or tomatoes.

Another good & easy one is Fajitas......slice up your meat, peppers & onions & cook in one pan, season it up & spoon into tortillas.

I don't know about your kids, but mine always loved to have 'steak on a stick'......which meant they got to cook their own meal by putting not just the meat on the stick & cooking it over the fire.....but they would put a thick slice of potato, or apple, or, or, or whatever they thought would be good.

DS2 had learned at boy scouts something similar to the breakfast mentioned.....but put it all in a plastic sandwich bag, then boiled it till done. I don't remember what all he would put in it & it probably didn't include raw meat, but I do know there was raw eggs & possibly potatoes & ???, he'd put everything in the bag then squish it up with his hands, then boil it in some water for a few minutes till the egg was cooked.

[calendula]

These are some wonderful ideas, thank you! I'm definitely going to be referencing this thread while I make my menu.

One thing that DH brought up the last time we went camping was tamales. He said the Mexicans in our area dig a pit and slow cook their tamales in coals, and that our fire pit that we had camping would be perfect for that. It does sound delicious, but I've never made tamales before, and was under the impression it was quite a bit of work. I am not one to shy from work, but I don't want to spend my camping trip cooking. Anyone ever make tamales before?

[Farmfresh]

I haven't personally, but I know that they are basically steamed to cook. Like little spicy cornbread and meat rolls made and served in a corn husk.

Breakfast ideas we liked to keep fast and simple for many of the days because we always liked to get out in nature at the crack of dawn. We have lots of Grab and Go options that I prep up BEFORE going camping. I work on having a selection of stuff that can be taken with, eaten for breakfast or snacks and that leave you with very little or no trash to carry back in your pocket.

Examples:

* I always boil up several dozen (depending on how many campers there are) eggs. We keep those in the shell and in Ziplock bags in the ice chest. They keep well like that. They are great to grab a couple for breakfast. You can grab a few, stick them in your pocket and head out.
* I also make ahead granola bars (individually wrapped in some cling film and then bagged up) and some healthy bar cookies like oatmeal raisin bars (wrapped the same) and some muffins (each wrapped up). Homemade breads like cinnamon raisin bread or zucchini or banana or pumpkin breads also work well pre-made and pre-sliced and individually wrapped then bagged in a big bag.
* You can pre-measure and bag cereal in a Ziplock quart size bag. Open them up roll down the top of the bag (the zip strip helps hold it open) and it makes a fast and furious little bowl. Dump in some milk and all you need to throw away is the bag and maybe a plastic spoon. Or rinse the bag a bit with your canteen water and keep the bag in your pocket after it is empty. It is great to put more trash in that you find on the trail and then pitch it all when you get back to camp. It also makes a handy thing to have if you happen upon some wild blackberries or something similar that might need transported back to camp.
* Homemade granola (loose), muesli (eaten dry or as a cereal), dehydrated fruits, and homemade jerky can also be pre-packed into those zipper bags.
* Then, of course we keep the obvious stuff. A big bag of apples. Another one of oranges or other fruits. (any cores and rinds are tossed into the woods to break back down) Those little boxes of raisins or cranberries. (you can shred and bury that little card board box on the trail) We also liked the cheese sticks to have on hand.

All of the above stuff we keep in dry cooler. You just open the cooler dig through it, fill your pockets and roll.

BTW ... when we camp rough we always put the coolers in the front of the truck or wedged under the truck bed to keep out bears or other critters.

[patriceinil]

I've seen them made on a cooking show and it didn't look too difficult. I'd mix and assemble them at home and just cook them at the campsite. Heck, I'd check the store for some dried husks and frozen tamales. Take the frozen tamales and remove the wrapper material then wrap them in the soaked husks and cook at the campsite for an even easier version.

[dizzy]

Years ago I went camping and found all these raspberry bushes. Of course, I had to pick the raspberries. And one way that I found that I really loved them was on S'mores.

[calendula]

You guys are making me hungry!

[Rhodie Ranch]

No camping fires allowed in CA. So I bought a propane fire thingie. First thing DH did was to complain about any marshmallows dripping on it. Sheesh.