Outdoor Dining Delights

One of our favorite family past-times is camping. Pack a tent, travel by car or canoe and bring along friends. We've spent many seasons figuring out the best ways to dine well and easily in the outdoors. What keeps well and won't get crushed in a backpack or dry bag? What keeps well when temperatures are 80 degrees without refrigeration? What is a treat to keep the young ones happy when mosquitoes are sucking us dry? What keeps the old ones happy with sore backs from thin sleeping pads? Here are some go- to favorites we use yearly on our trips.

The following is a selection of meals for a 3 day camping trip for a group of 4. Car camping or canoe camping work the best with this menu.

MENU 3 B’Fasts

➢  EGG & VEGGIE SCRAMBLE: 1 egg per person, sausage, potatoes, onion, garlic, English muffins

➢  PANCAKES: box pancake mix , syrup & frozen bacon

➢  HOT CEREAL (rice/ oatmeal, brown sugar, instant oatmeal, milk or instant milk)

➢  instant coffee or French press coffee

➢ 1/2 & 1/2 creamer instant or fresh

➢  hot chocolate

MENU 2 Lunches

➢ SANDWICHES: 2 bagels/wraps for 2 days

hummus, cheese & tomato

peanut butter & jelly

snack foods (chips, pretzels, granola bars etc)

MENU 3 Dinners

➢  BAKED POTATO (stuffed with cheese, sour cream, cilantro, chives)

➢  BURRITO (cheese, beans, pre- made rice, cilantro, salsa, hot sauce)

➢  THAI CURRY (peppers, onions, sweet potato, garlic), 2 packages instant basmati rice, tofu, can chickpeas, jar green curry

➢  CAMPFIRE PIZZA (red sauce, shredded cheese & toppings)

Attached below is a packing list for kitchen utensils and supplies

This warming and filling breakfast packs in the vegetables and protein for your day of fun activities.

Ingredients:

• Bag of frozen chopped potatoes or 5 pre-cooked potatoes diced
• 1 pre-cooked sweet potato diced
• 1 red pepper diced
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 3 garlic cloves finely diced
• 6 eggs whisked to scramble
• 1/2 tsp salt
• black pepper to taste
• hot sauce
• package of frozen sausage or vegetarian sausage

Process:

1. Fry up potatoes in large skillet in vegetable or olive oil and add salt.
2. Set potatoes aside and fry up sausages.
3. Set sausage aside after cooking
4. Fry up onion and garlic until translucent.
5. Fry up red pepper until softened.
6. Add whisked eggs and cook to desired consistency.
7. Add black pepper and hot sauce if desired.

Lunches on the move or at base camp are simple.

Tips for success:

1. bagels and wraps are best to avoid "squished" bread loaves
2. hard vegetables travel best- carrots, cucumbers and red peppers
3. cheese can get slimy quickly so buy smaller self- contained blocks
4. spreadables like hummus and peanut butter and jelly are the cleanest and provided protein to keep your campers happy...

You do need to keep the sour cream cool, but this is a good hearty meal which only needs to be warmed on the campfire. Add a bagged salad to add more veggies in your meal.

Ingredients:

• Large russet potato (1.5 -2 for larger appetites)
• Jar of your favorite salsa
• Shredded mexican cheese
• Small sour cream

optional:

• hot sauce
• chives
• cilantro
• bacon bits
• chopped broccoli

Process:

1. Pre-boil potatoes before you leave.
2. Wrap each potato in aluminum foil.
3. Warm up your campfire and let it burn to coals.
4. Open the wrapping to your potato and mash up the inside.
5. Add your selected toppings and re- wrap the potato.
6. Place the potato on the coals and rotate once the foil has blackened on all sides.

Having a meal similar to the baked potatoes allows you to use the toppings from the night before.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 large burrito wraps
• Jar of your favorite salsa
• Shredded mexican cheese
• Small sour cream
• pre-cooked rice instant
• can black beans
• can refried beans
• medium onion
• red pepper

optional:

• hot sauce
• chives
• cilantro
• avocado

Process:

1. Cook up the precooked rice per the directions.
2. Dice up the onion and red pepper and stir fry it on the griddle.
3. Warm the tortilla with shredded cheese over the campfire or over the camp stove skillet.
4. Add your selected toppings and enjoy.

More like a flatbread and who doesn't like a warm pizza made even better on a campfire.

Ingredients:

• Frozen ball of pizza dough
• Pizza sauce (tomato or pesto)
• Flour
• Toppings (cheese, pepperoni, pan fried mushrooms & onions etc.)

Process:

1. Over campfire use a large skillet (cast iron works well) to warm.
2. Add a slight drizzle of cooking/ olive oil.
3. Pre- cook any toppings in the skillet and then set aside.
4. Flour your fingers for the next step.
5. Once dough has thawed separate into smaller portions and stretch out as thin as possible.
6. Fry both sides of the dough until slightly golden and then set aside until all crusts are cooked.
7. Personalize your own pizza and heat on skillet until toppings are to your satisfaction.
8. Our family has even used the left over fried dough and sweetened it for dessert with brown sugar, honey and jam.

This is a great recipe which avoids the pre-melted chocolate bar and crushed graham crackers.

Ingredients:

• Package of Oreos, standard or Double Stuffed
• Package of marshmallows

Process:

Toast your marshmallow on a stick wedge into a separated Oreo. Hard to eat just one...