Camping food

[hally]

Not food but I freeze water in jugs, Arizona tea jugs. And the big round Poland Spring bottles. Leave a little room at the top. Put a few in and pack the food and beers around it. Never have to buy ice for 4 days.

[Run Amok]

I do not like to do dishes when I'm camping and I like to have as little clean up as possible. So, even when I'm car camping I normally do not bring a cooking apparatus larger than my backpacking stove and a small non-stick skillet.

I like via coffee as it is really the easiest but if we're feeling fancy we'll do a french press.

Breakfast-- eggs keep well for a couple of days out of the fridge, or in the cooler. I bring a little non-stick skillet, some sliced cheese, and english muffins-- and egg sandwiches are an easy hot meal. Pancakes are another one. They make throw-away instant containers just for this purpose or I make it in a tupperware type container and add eggs & water at the campground and cook it in the skillet. Works well.

I like to pre-make big salads that keep well, like couscous, chickpeas, feta, and bell peppers. The couscous sucks up all the dressing so it's not messy and it keeps well for a couple of days.

I pre-bake spanikopita or other little turn-over type items-- which can be heated up on the fire.

Also, a go-to is a sweet potato wrapped in foil in the coals+ black beans + veggies sausages if I'm feeling ambitious (this is a frequent weeknight meal at home too)

The kids like to roast hotdogs over the fire-- instant dinner!

Baked beans (a can or home made) + hot dogs is another easy one. Or even soup.

Seriously, I aim to keep it very simple in this regard. We never go for more than 2 nights so it's pretty easy.

 

Dinner - couscous (usually the pre-seasoned stuff that Casbah makes),with stuff, usually sun-dried tomatoes or walnuts. That just requires boiling water. Also, I've been taking dried soup - split pea or lentil, which does need to cook for 4-5 minutes. Dark chocolate for dessert.

Lunch - if you can find a good instant hummus (good luck), that can be good with tortillas and cheese. PB&J also keeps well. I used to take dry sausage but those days are gone!

It's a simple menu, but it works. This generally means that 2 people can eat for a 3-day trip out of one bear canister with additional room for stuff like sunscreen and toothpaste.

Thanks for this. Yep, that's about what I normally do. Plus Peanut butter pretzles, trail mix, granola bars, and the like. I'm always up for trying new tried & true stuff though!

[Chasing Amy]

Dinner - couscous (usually the pre-seasoned stuff that Casbah makes),with stuff, usually sun-dried tomatoes or walnuts. That just requires boiling water. Also, I've been taking dried soup - split pea or lentil, which does need to cook for 4-5 minutes. Dark chocolate for dessert.

Lunch - if you can find a good instant hummus (good luck), that can be good with tortillas and cheese. PB&J also keeps well. I used to take dry sausage but those days are gone!

It's a simple menu, but it works. This generally means that 2 people can eat for a 3-day trip out of one bear canister with additional room for stuff like sunscreen and toothpaste.

Have you ever tried this stuff Luke? http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Garden-Traditional-Hummus-Dip/dp/B000V5IMSQ

I'm curious about, looks like it would be good for backpacking since it is shelf stable.

[BonitaApplebum]

Diab - if you get a good cooler (Yeti) it'll hold ice for days.  And it'll last forever.

I came back to this thread to see what brand cooler was mentioned. Then I went to amazon... those things cost as much as a fridge! 

[Cool Foot Luke]

Have you ever tried this stuff Luke? http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Garden-Traditional-Hummus-Dip/dp/B000V5IMSQ

I'm curious about, looks like it would be good for backpacking since it is shelf stable.

I haven't...personally, I wouldn't pack anything that already contained a lot of water. Unfortunately, the hummus powder that you can reconstitute just doesn't taste very good. Also, DBF is on a very different page when it comes to backpacking food. Last weekend, he packed the bear canister that I would end up having to carry. Unbeknownst to me, I carried three apples from a trailhead at 6,000 feet up to our camp above 12,000.  And that was on top of the non-instant hummus that I DID know about.

[Chasing Amy]

I haven't...personally, I wouldn't pack anything that already contained a lot of water. Unfortunately, the hummus powder that you can reconstitute just doesn't taste very good. Also, DBF is on a very different page when it comes to backpacking food. Last weekend, he packed the bear canister that I would end up having to carry. Unbeknownst to me, I carried three apples from a trailhead at 6,000 feet up to our camp above 12,000.  And that was on top of the non-instant hummus that I DID know about.

Agreed, but powdered hummus... 

[teetime]

Have you ever tried this stuff Luke? http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Garden-Traditional-Hummus-Dip/dp/B000V5IMSQ

I'm curious about, looks like it would be good for backpacking since it is shelf stable.

They actually carried this in the hospital gift shop where my kids were in the NICU for a few months. It was often the only place open when we were coming or going so we sadly ate more from there than I'd like to remember. I really don't recommend the stuff ... weird texture and tang ;(

[BonitaApplebum]

I am obsessed with "baking cakes" on coals inside of citrus peel.  Oranges are a good starter fruit because they are easy to hollow out.  Cut one end off, scoop out the flesh (careful not to tear the peel... reserve any juice you can squeeze out of the flesh (press through a sieve or just get your hands dirty and squeeze in your fists over a bowl).  Bring pre-measured and pre-mixed dry ingredients for the cake in a large ziploc... add the appropriate number of eggs and use the citrus juice for all or part of your liquid... mix right in the ziploc.  When it's well combined snip a corner off the bag and use it like an icing bag to fill the hollowed citrus 2/3 full.  Put the end back on the peel and wrap in 2 layers of foil by gathering foil from the bottom to the top then twisting a handle on top... make sure it's nice and tight to keep the citrus lid on.  Cake takes about  25 minutes to cook on the fire... after about 10 you can roll it around to heat all sides without worrying about too much spillage.

Chocolate cake in oranges is fantastic.  Also poppy seed in lemons.  Grapefruit cakes take longer to cook and are easier to burn.  I want to try doing a ginger cake of some sort in limes but haven't fully thought it out.

Also, you can make whipped cream in a mason jar by shaking heavy cream like you would to make butter, except stop before it becomes butter...

Do you make the cakes directly resting in the coals of a campfire? Or over coals in a charcoal grill?

[caribougrrl]

Do you make the cakes directly resting in the coals of a campfire? Or over coals in a charcoal grill?

right on the coals of the fire

between the foil and the citrus rind, there seems to be plenty of protection for the cake

[picote]

You can also do thinly sliced potatoes plus all of the extras in foil packets on the fire. Yum!!

This is what we do. Also take pre-marinated lamb chops or other chicken/steak/fish and veggies for grilling. If lamb, we'll also grill up a bit of havarti No cook breakfasts and sandwiches for lunch. Not a fan of dishes while camping, so the more we can cook over the grill, the better!

CG, those cakes sound amazing! Would love to try this sometime.

[Natasha]

Freshofftgegrid.com is all camping recipes. I've only tried a veggie taco but it was good. Modern style stuff.

[diablita]

I made this sweet potato and black bean chili a few days before our trip this weekend, froze it in ziplock bags and then cooked it on the camp stove with sausages (veg and real) on the grill.  So delicious.

[BonitaApplebum]

This is what we do. Also take pre-marinated lamb chops or other chicken/steak/fish and veggies for grilling. If lamb, we'll also grill up a bit of havarti No cook breakfasts and sandwiches for lunch. Not a fan of dishes while camping, so the more we can cook over the grill, the better!

When you say grill up a bit of havarti, do you mean make grilled cheese sandwiches, or actually grill the cheese?

I do a thing where I take a slab of feta and drizzle it with olive oil and thinly slice some red onions over it, and grill it in a foil packet -- that is really good. I never thought to try it with other cheeses, though. Is this what you mean?

[Natasha]

I bought some haloumi cheese that's supposed to be good for grilling on kabobs. Haven't tried it yet.

[picote]

When you say grill up a bit of havarti, do you mean make grilled cheese sandwiches, or actually grill the cheese?

I do a thing where I take a slab of feta and drizzle it with olive oil and thinly slice some red onions over it, and grill it in a foil packet -- that is really good. I never thought to try it with other cheeses, though. Is this what you mean?

Yes, right on the grill, but Natasha just made me realize I meant haloumi! We slice it, drizzle a little olive oil and put it on the grill. So good w lamb chops!

[BonitaApplebum]

Ok, that makes a lot more sense than havarti! Havarti has a pretty low melting point.

[Honey Badger]

I came back to this thread to see what brand cooler was mentioned. Then I went to amazon... those things cost as much as a fridge! 

I just ordered the 22 qt of this.  It's supposed to be a replica of Yeti, but half the price. It's backordered so I don't have it yet.

https://www.rticcoolers.com/shop/coolers/roto-molded

[witchypoo]

I do a thing where I take a slab of feta and drizzle it with olive oil and thinly slice some red onions over it, and grill it in a foil packet -- that is really good. I never thought to try it with other cheeses, though. Is this what you mean?

i do this with feta, garlic, oregano, and lemon rind - so good. 

[BonitaApplebum]

i do this with feta, garlic, oregano, and lemon rind - so good.

Lemon and oregano sounds good in there!

[Knoxious]

I just ordered the 22 qt of this.  It's supposed to be a replica of Yeti, but half the price. It's backordered so I don't have it yet.

https://www.rticcoolers.com/shop/coolers/roto-molded

That's supposed to be a good alternative to the Yeti, but they're having production problems and just cut their warranty from 7 years to 90 days.  :O