camp meals/no kitchen meal ideas?

[jubilation]

Just huntin for ideas. We've been 'camp' cookin for years- but looking for fresh ideas. We're FINALLY building our remote cabin, so no formal kitchen. It's a campfire & camp stove show- which makes the best stuff anyhow.

Feedin a family (5 kids) and a couple of hungry hard workin guys, so looking for good food besides hodogs, burgers & steak & bacon/eggs- but that don't take lots of fancy ingredients. We have a coleman camp stove, cast iron griddle & dutch oven. (debating taking the Camp Chef oven) I got a couple of dutch oven cooking books looking for fresh ideas, but most of them are for using briquets on top & that wasn't really what I was looking for.

Shish-ka-bobs are on the short list & of course sushi supplies.:topjob:

[Alaska Grandma]

I cook on a campfire all summer long. The dutch oven makes great baked foods just by burying in ashes with wood coals on top (you don't need briquettes). I do a lot breads, pies, rolls and even cakes in mine all homemade from scratch. The big thick pots make for great roasts and stews too. I think anything you can do on a conventional stove top or grill you can do just as well on the campfire. I have a very large sturdy grill that allows me to cook several things at a time and also a couple large flat rocks on the side that act as warming plates like you might want when cooking up a batch of pancakes or frying up fish and you want them to stay warm until eating time. Guess the most important thing is what kind of wood your burning and to get the fire just the way you want it before cooking (not too large of flames and too hot) I tend to use a lot of river beach drift wood in the summer rather than cut and chop dry spruce and it does burn different. Dry birch is great for the baking stuff with nice long lasting coals. Guess you are looking for more recipe idea's though?

Will do some thinking on that.
Grandma Lori

[jubilation]

yes, recipes would be welcomed! However- all advice is appreciated, greatly. When we're so far from anything (ie grocery stores) bad cooking decisions will make for sad campers. Of course we'll have limited supplies- especially meats & perishables, so all will be valuable. haha

[Gerberman]

When at home make large meals of spaghetti, goolosh, stew, rice dishes, take the leftovers and put in seal-a-meal bags, freeze, use as ice in cooler for the rest of the cool goods, use the boilable bags, take a meal out, put in boiling water, about 20 minutes, cut off the corner, serve a piping hot meal, tasty and easy. A few slices of bread on the grill, garlic seasoning, and a great meal. This will help for the first week of evening meals. Freeze all your meat, milk, before putting in cooler, this helps keep for a longer time.

[jayshinoda]

Canned goods are still good companions... if you like a quick fix!

[Catch It]

A couple Ideas I like for quick, hearty, easy to prepare meals, many of these things we use during 3 to 4 week field projects with no resupply.

I usually take and make pressure cooked moose ribs shredded up that are then mixed with gravy or barbecue sauce and vacuum pack them and freeze them. Makes a great boil and serve on bread kind of meal. (sloppy joe kind of)

My mom always sent us out with venison stew frozen in large mason jars....same concept.

Redi Shreds....a great, light way to get your starches.

Nothin wrong with spaghetti.

Zatarain's jumbalaya or gumbo boxes, mix it with some kind of sausage (the alaskan reindeerish stuff or any polish sausage lasts forever with little refridgeration.)

Eggs last forever in decently cool temperatures, bacon not bad either, keep air out of package.

Tortillas and canned chicken can make some mean burritos....add salsa, cheese, onions or whatever you prefer.

Cabbage also lasts forever, adds a little roughage to your diet.

Boxed milk....the taste grows on you....long shelf life, even opened.

Canned potatoes....my buddy brought some last fall for a moose hunt, it was an easy, tasty side dish/filler.

Breads, whole grain quality bread has lasted much longer for us than white or country potatoe or other cheapy breads. English muffins are also tough to beat for shelf life. PB and J's and pilot bread for filler snacks and back up.

Cheese also does well in a cold hole. Smoked fish...also a winner, cream cheese and bagels with it makes a solid breakfast.

Coleman stovetop ovens make a mean batch of brownies, saves on bulk and trash for sweets.

Coolers need lots of attention, have one with your frozen items, and leave that one sealed, and shaded (or dig a cold hole in the soil) open only as you need to get other things out to thaw. Have another for keeping things cool. Using just one ends up meaning a rush to eat meat etc. before it goes green.

[alaska4ever]

If you don't mind adding water to have your meals like I do, check this site out on Amazon. You can buy anything.

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&key...Apowdered+eggs

[jubilation]

thanks for the ideas all. I'm getting togethe my grocery list now. I think the kids are goning to try to make eggo waffles (yuk) onthe campfire! haha

[txguide]

I agree with gerberman, We cook meals at home and freeze in boiling bags. Packed tight in cooler, covered with tarp, and kept in the shade they will last well over a week. We even precook our steaks and chicken. Makes preparing and cleaning super easy.

[akjeff]

Another take on the precooked vacu sealed meals. Pack them in individual servings, heat in a pot of boiling water and serve. Eat out of the bag and use the hot water for coffee and to wash up. Burn or haul the minimal mess out.

[chico99645]

When space and time is an issue, I agree on the homemade seal a meals, but when your out camping and have all the hardware to make meals, thats 1/2 the fun of camping is eating. Food always taste better outdoors. I like to use several of the hamberger helpers especially the lasagne and doctor it up with extra cheeses, extra meat and peppers onions etc..... Same goes for the beef stroganof, add extra meat and real sour cream. A bag of frozen chicken with some italian dressing poured over it while frozen so it marinades while thawing and when your ready for it day 2 or 3 into camping, its ready for the grill top over coals, or pan fried on a cast iron skillet. For breakfast, Redneck Eggs Benidict are awesome. English muffins lightly toasted, layer in a skillet, fry some sausage, put over muffins, fry some eggs inside a cookie cutter, put on top of sausage and smother in country gravy then wake everyone up up and dig in. Chicken or steak Fajitas with your favorite peppers and sweet onions all cooked together on one hot cast iron skillet is always a winner. I use to try to bring everything I was planning on eating by day 2 on frozen so ice was less of an issue and I always fill 2 liter bottles with water and freeze to use for ice and as it melts, drink it. Keeps everything drier on the cooler. Baked beans in a dutchoven with bacon and on final stage of cooking some hamburger is alway a meal in its self with some homemade or Pilsberry in a can biscuts or rolls. My mom use to make that alot.

[Ak Bird Brain]

I agree with the zatarans box gumbos. I keep a couple on the boat when were out shrimping quick and easy and only 1 pot to wash.
This spring I picked up a couple of Hobo pie presses. Put a couple of slices of bread in add cheese for grilled cheese sandwiches to fancy up what ever caned soup your having on a rainy day, or pizza sauce, cheese, and what ever meat you have on hand for personnel pizzas. again hardly any clean up to worry about.
Cant beat the dutch oven, I just started using one this year. You can do almost anything in one with a little thought and planing ahead.

[Alaska Grandma]

This spring I picked up a couple of Hobo pie presses. Put a couple of slices of bread in add cheese for grilled cheese sandwiches to fancy up what ever caned soup your having on a rainy day, or pizza sauce, cheese, and what ever meat you have on hand for personnel pizzas. again hardly any clean up to worry about.

I was never sure what those presses were called <smile>...but I know if you put some pie filling in between buttered bread then toast over the campfire they make an awesome pie like dessert!

Grandma Lori

[Waterlover]

I agree with gerberman, We cook meals at home and freeze in boiling bags. Packed tight in cooler, covered with tarp, and kept in the shade they will last well over a week. We even precook our steaks and chicken. Makes preparing and cleaning super easy.

What a cool way to go...at least for SOME of the meals. Who'da thunk it???

After YEARS of camping and hiking...I have NEVER heard that idea before. Thanks for sharing that bit...gerberman and txguide!

FF

[tailwind]

Bacon!!!!!