Thread: Simple hot camp meals?

Hey iwillgo2extreme,
Go to quietjourney.com/recipes and see if any of them will work for you.My daughter loves the hamburger packs(boy scout dinners).these are all pretty simple meals.Good luck.
srds :cool:
Have Fun

If you aren't picky, canned is easiest. We go thru the french cut green beans. They are even better if you add real bacon crumbles you get for salad. Salad in a bag is good the first night out, with a loaf of fresh bread, and either beef raviolis (frozen), or spaghetti and a jar of sauce. OR raw peeled frozen shrimp, fettuchini, and a jar of Alfredo sauce.

We re-package meats into the portions we need for the two of us. Pork tenderloins are great in a skillet. Pre-seasoned southwestern, lemon/herb, or fajita chicken make supper easy. Add BBQ beans, cornbread muffins from home, couscous in a flavor you like, spanish rice, black beans, whatever.

When it comes to the meat, we use pre-seasoned chicken, unseasoned pork, precooked bacon, and pre cooked meatballs.

Grains- Coucous is the fastest and easiest grain to cook. Pasta takes a while but still comes out good. Rice is a little more difficult to get the heat just right.

Other fun stuff, bisquick pancakes, the kind you pour out of the jar once you've added water. Jiffy pop popcorn is fun.

We find the non-perishable stuff makes life easier, less stuff to keep cold. When you are camp-cooking, charcoal counts as a spice and dirt is a condiment, there is no 3-second rule.

Originally Posted by campermom

When you are camp-cooking, charcoal counts as a spice and dirt is a condiment, there is no 3-second rule.

I love that statement!:cool:

Originally Posted by rockhill

I love that statement!:cool:

Thats great all of this is great I will use these ideas. Thnks everyone Any I had ideas but they were no fun. now I can not wait August 1st can not get here soon enough just hope the weather holds up How do you handle rain in a tent last year we opacked up and left I dont want to do that agin if it rains shall I make another post? I am a new camper just getting ideas and learning this stuff.

Thanks,
Connie

Folks deal with rainy weekends in different ways. Try to prepare as best you can for inclement weather. The more rainy days you experience, the more you learn how to deal with them and to react based on circumstances. I have pulled up and gone home and stuck it out, just part of the experience. Through trial and error we learned how to pack and prepare that worked best for us.

If you can get some extra tarps for covering stuff including tent if needed,then make the best of it.We've had to leave before while tent camping ,but only if the weather was,nt going to change.And air matresses are great just in case water gets in tents you still can sleep dry.You will be surprised how much stuff will stay dry under a tarped pinic table.Have a great time.
srds :cool:
Have Fun

I like to make a big pot of chili at home so all I have to do is heat it up when at the campsite and serve it over some Fritos with some shredded cheese.

There's nothing better than a steak cooked at a campsite. I bring a burger pattie to grill for the kids and make DH and I a great steak. We LOVE corn on the cob grilled, and add some pre-made potato salad and you've got yourself an awesome meal. We usually only camp for 2 nights, so it's not a big deal to pre-marinate our steaks and preseason a hamburger or two, so all we have to do is throw it on the grill.

The chili idea could also be done with pot roast or stew or even a hearty soup that you bring from home...especially easy if you make it ahead and freeze it so that it's thawed by the time you are at your camp site. I also love HEB's pre-cooked brisket. If you wrap it really good in foil, you can throw it on the fire to warm it up, add some ranch style beans and some slaw and you have a great meal, and the leftover brisket makes great sandwiches too - especially if you make some au jus gravy that you can heat up simply for French Dips.

Do you see the theme of pre-made foods? Not necessarily all pre-cooked from the store, but a little prep before the trip will make your life very simple at the campsite. Again, since we tend to only go for 2 nights, our food needs are pretty simple...what kid or adult doesn't love a hot dog cooked over the campfire!? I have a camp stove but don't even bother with it most trips. It's just too fun to cook on the fire and keep it simple.

Happy camping and have fun!!!

~Amy

Oh I can not wait all this camp talk makes me excited. Thanks for all the ideas. I think we have the whole week now. The kids are sure ready for the river. I sure could use the break. Only 41 days and counting. Last year it rained on us and everying was drinched. Talk about a mess. I wish not to live that night again. Anyway we did have a great time enough fun to try it agin this year.

Connie

Getting rained on is a part of camping, and makes GREAT stories later.

I practically live out of a small propane grill. Having said that, don't forget the fresh veggies-in-foil trick. Chunk up yellow squash and zuchini, add a bit of butter and maybe some onion and/or tomato, seal all in a foil package with a dab of water, and set 'er on the grill. Or potatoes and butter. Or... well, you get the idea.

Cyber,

Some of those recipes on your site look really fun to try with kids. Have you ever actually tried the orange rind cake (listed under November)? My kids would get such a kick out of that one, but just curious if it works...seems like the orange rind would burn up quickly.

Breakfast:

Bean and cheese tacos:

refried beans
cheese
tortillas(fresh-made is best, but the White Wings brand in the bread aisle are OK too)

Heat the beans, heat the beans over flame or on a comal.

I sometimes cook some chorizo at home, freeze it, then re-heat it at the campsite, for chorizo, bean, and cheese tacos.

Pre-cooked breakfast sausage patties are good on biscuits, croissants, or english muffins.

Dinner:

Brisket Tacos:

pre-cooked brisket
pico de gallo(easy to make at home or the campsite)
sliced avocado
tortillas

You can buy pre-seasoned beef or chicken fajitas and use those instead of brisket.


Sausage, onions, potatoes:

Potatoes(Bake potatoes the night before you go camping)
1-2 onions
1 bell-pepper(optional)
sausage of your choice(pre-cooked or cook it at home ahead of time) We like Kiolbasa Jalapeno-Beef sausage, Emeril's hot sausage, and Kruez Market sausage.

Heat a little oil in a skillet. Add cut up potatoes, sliced onions, and bell pepper, and cooked sausage(sliced up). Cook until potaoes are browned and vegetables are cooked.

Crawfish Etouffee(from Mulate's)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 stick butter or margarine
1 medium onion - diced
2 stalks celery - diced
1 small bell pepper - diced
1 lb peeled crawfish tails(you can buy these frozen at HEB or Wal-Mart)
1/2 tsp. salt
cajun seasoning

Directions:

Melt butter or margarine.
Add diced onions, celery, and bell pepper.
Saute' on medium heat until vegetables are translucent – approximately 15 minutes.
Add crawfish and Mulate's Cajun Seasoning(any cajun seasoning works) - stir well.
Cook covered on low heat for approximately 15 minutes.
You may add chopped parsley or green onions just before serving - do whatever you like!
Serve over white rice(success boil-in-bag rice is quick, easy, and not very messy)

Here's an easy recipe I found on a fishing forum:

Cilantro-Cream Sauce:

Melt a half stick of butter.
Add the juice of one lime.
Add 1 tablespoon of roasted garlic from a jar.
A hand full of chopped fresh cilantro

Cook it down until the cilantro looks like cooked spinach.

Add some half&half and another handful of chopped fresh cilantro. Serve over grilled fish or grilled chicken.

Hamburgers, hot-dogs, chili-dogs are good too, and easy.

As daleoutside said, the more you can do ahead of time at home(cooking meat, cutting vegetables, etc.), will make cooking at the campsite easier.

Pretty much any recipe that does not involve baking can be done camping, without much trouble. And if you get a dutch oven, you can bake stuff too.

All these recipes sound great! One that I use almost every camping trip is...

Texas Hash

Before the trip, brown, drain and freeze...

1 pound ground beef

Place the following in a freezer zipper baggie:

1 cup regular rice, uncooked
1 tsp each: basil, onion powder, black pepper, salt, and garlic powder

At camp, put the meat and rice mix in a dutch oven of heavy skillet with a lid. Add...

one can of diced tomatoes
1 1/2 can of water
1 small onion, chopped

Bring just to a boil then cook over medium low heat 20 minutes or so, stirring once halfway thru, until rice is done. Serve with a salad and sliced bread.