Go Camping – Life’s An Adventure

For the campers that are tired of the same old hamburgers and hotdogs, how about some easy, yet flavorful meals made in a dutch oven? A Dutch oven is a thick-walled (usually cast iron) cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid. Below are some great ideas to take with you on your next camping trip.

Banana Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

dutch oven
pie tin
mixing bowl

1 box yellow butter cake mix
2 ripe bananas
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon melted butter

Preparation:

Put pie tin in dutch oven, resting on 3 or 4 stones or wads of aluminum foil. Prepare cake mix according to the box and pour into pie tin. Mash the 2 bananas and pour into pie tin. Melt the butter and add the cinnamon, flour, and brown sugar and mix together. Sprinkle cinnamon-flour mixture on the mashed bananas. Cover and bake for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Insert a butter knife through the center and if it comes back clean it is ready.

Beef Pot Roast

Ingredients:

3 lb rump roast or pot roast
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 potatoes, peeled and halved
3 carrots, cut into 2′ pieces
2 onions, halved
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup water

Preparation:

Brown roast in oven on all sides in oil. Remove meat. Place half of vegetables in bottom of oven. Return meat to oven and season with salt and pepper. Add remaining vegetables and water. Cover and cook at 300 degrees for 3-5 hours depending on how well done you like it.

Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:

1/4 cube butter
8 slices of bread
2 lb pre-cooked pork sausage
1 lb cheddar cheese
12 eggs
1 qt milk
1-1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt

Preparation:

Line a 12″ dutch oven with heavy duty aluminum foil. (optional) Spread butter all over the foil. Tear bread into pieces. Break sausage into pieces. Grate cheese. In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, dry mustard, and salt. Layer the bread, sausage, cheese, eggs into the D.O. Cover and cook at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Check and cook another 10-15 minutes until cheese forms a light-brown crust on top of cooked eggs.

Dutch Oven Doughnuts

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
3/4 cup milk
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp cooking oil
2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 bottle vegetable oil
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preparation:

For an easier camping experience, you can pre-mix all of the ingredients, wrap in plastic wrap and refridgerate, before hand. Mix all ingredients, except last two, into a smooth dough.
Roll (or press with hands) to 1/2 inch thick. Use an empty tomato paste can to cut out the doughnut hole. Use an empty tomato sauce can (or water bottle lid) to cut out the doughnut.
Preheat about 2 inches deep of vegetable oil in a 375-400 degree dutch oven. The smaller diameter the better to cut down on oil needed and heating time.
Carefully drop doughnuts and holes into hot oil. They will sink and then float back up as they cook. Fry until golden brown, flipping once.
Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Keep the oil hot or the doughnuts may get greasy.

Chili Mac

Ingredients:

1 lb hamburger
1 onion, chopped
1 29oz can of diced tomatoes with chili-seasoning, undrained
1 1/2 cup elbow macaroni or other fun shapes
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preparation:

When dutch oven is pre-heated to 350 degrees, put in hamburger and onion. Cook uncovered until hamburger is well browned, stirring often. Stir in tomatoes, water, and pasta. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to about 250 degrees, cover, and simmer 20 minutes or until pasta is tender. Sprinkle cheese on each bowl when it is served.

Enchiladas

Ingredients:

1 lb. hamburger
1 pkg. dry taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 can enchilada sauce
6-8 tortillas (9-inch size)

Preparation:

Heat Dutch Oven over coals. Brown hamburger. Add onion, taco seasoning, and water.
Simmer five minutes, or until water is absorbed. Pour hamburger into separate container.
Spread 2 tablespoons of enchilada sauce on tortilla. Spoon 1/6 of hamburger onto tortilla.
Sprinkle cheese on hamburger. Roll up tortilla and place in D.O. Repeat for all tortillas.
Pour remaining sauce over tortillas in D.O. Sprinkle remaining cheese over tortillas.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 10 coals under and 16 on top.

Tips:

Try to pack the enchiladas close together. Cut one or two in half to fill in the edges. This helps keep the sauce spread over all the enchiladas. It’s very easy to double the recipe and make a second layer of enchiladas in the D.O. – lay them crossways to the first layer.

Some people go camping to simply enjoy mother nature, while others like to have the opportunity to make creative or unusual meals they normally wouldn’t make in the house. Listed below are a few recipes to get your creative wheels turning.

Cardboard Box Grill

Ingredients:

1 empty cardboard box with flaps

heavy duty aluminum foil

4 empty soda cans (I like using the smaller ones, like the ones that pineapple juice or V-8 juice come in.)

charcoal

Preparation:

Get the charcoal ready to cook by starting them and waiting until they are white. Cover box TOTALLY in aluminum foil, inside and out, flaps and all, better too much than too less. Fill the cans half way with water. Lay box flat on its side so the opening is facing you. Put soda cans in the box on the four corners so it can hold up what you are cooking. Place the dish with your food on the soda cans. Place one charcoal in the box under the dish for every 40 degrees you would want your oven to be.

Garbage Can Supper

Metal garbage can
Cement blocks and grate to sit across blocks
Build hot wood fire under grate

Fill can with:

1. Remove outside husk from sweet corn, leaving on the last few around corn.

2. Lay husks on bottom of garbage can.

3. Pour in cold water just to the top of corn husks. Do not cover the corn husks with water.

4. Add whole scrubbed white potatoes, whole scrubbed carrots, quartered cabbage, sweet corn, Polish sausage (regular, smoked, or plain sausage or large frankfurters will work also) or a mixture of each.

5. Set can or grate; cover with lid and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how full can is, you can lift lid a little near the end to check on doneness but don’t leave lid off very long.

Hint: When placing food in can, mix it up so when you serve it you aren’t digging around for something.

You can serve the following food for 20 adults and 12 children: 5 heads cabbage, 28 white potatoes, 3 – 3 1/2 bags of carrots, 10 links Polish sausage, 12 extra fat hot dogs, 2 1/2 lbs. smoked sausage, 4-5 dozen ears of corn.

Milk Carton Hot Dogs

Ingredients:

1 hot dog & roll

water

two paper towels

heavy duty aluminum foil

1 qt size cardboard milk or juice carton

Preparation:

Wet paper towels and wring them out, put hot dog in roll and wrap the whole thing in the paper towels, covering even the ends. Wrap that in aluminum foil, be carefull not to wrap too tightly, you want air in there. Place this in the Milk carton… put it in a fire ring and light milk carton with a match. It’s done when the milk carton is gone. Enjoy!

Bacon and Eggs in a Paperbag

Ingredients:

Two strips bacon (thick)

one paper lunch bag

one egg

one stick

Preparation:

Cut bacon strips in two, place at the bottom of the paper bag, covering the bottom. It is important that you have thick strips of bacon as thin ones will stick and adhere to the paper bag when cooked. Crack egg and put in paper bag on top of the bacon. Fold lunch bag down three times and poke a hole through it with the stick, so that the bag is hanging on the end of the stick. Hold over charcoal and watch the grease from the bacon protect the bag and cook the meal.

Ice Cream in a Ziploc

Ingredients:

One small seal top plastic bag

One gallon size seal top plastic bag

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup of milk

Crushed ice

8 tablespoons ice-cream salt(rock salt)

One tablespoon peanut butter or chocolate syrup

Preparation:

In a small seal top plastic bag, pour 1/2 cup of milk, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Close the bag and place in a gallon-size seal top bag. Add some crushed ice and 8 tablespoons of ice cream salt(rock salt). Close the top and shake being careful not to bust the bags. You could also add one tablespoon of peanut butter or chocolate syrup… yummy!

When using foils pouches to cook, there’s no need to wash pots and pans, which gives you more time to enjoy your camping expedition. Here are a few that will be sure to please.

Krispy, Kracklin Krisps

2 Servings

Ingredients:

Two Potatoes, peeled and cut

1 cup Rice Krispy Cereal

Two Tablespoons Vegatable Oil

Dash of salt and pepper

Cheese

Preparation:

Surround each potato wedge with oil. Roll wedges in cereal. Place wedges in tin foil, if desire sprinkle with cheese, for taste sprinkle salt and pepper. Secure foil tightly, toast over an open fire. Enjoy while it’s hot !

Potato Packets

1 Serving

Ingredients:

1 Potato

Half of a medium onion

1 carrot

Dab of butter

Garlic powder

Preparation:

Butter the center half of a 12 inch piece of alum. foil. cut potato into 1 inch cubes place on buttered foil. Cut carrots into 1/4 inch sliced and place over top of potatos. Peel and slice onion in 1/2 inch or thicker slices place on top of carrots. Close and seal foil and cook over hot coals for about 1/2 hour or when potatos feel done.

Bbq’ed Cabbage

4 Servings

Ingredients:

Whole cabbage

Butter

Garlic cloves or powder

Preparation:

Hollow out the core of a cabbage. Fill with butter and cloves of garlic or garlic powder. Wrap in foil and grill for 30 minutes.

Apple Suprise

Ingredients:

3 – 4 apples

Shelled walnuts

Butter or maple syrup

Preparation:

Cut apples into slices and take out core. Place apples on aluminum foil. Add walnuts and butter or maple syrup. Fold foil leaving an opening for ventilation. Place on campfire and cook at least 45 minutes, or until apples are soft, not mushy.

Tips:

Before cooking, add some raisins for an extra touch.

Banana Boats

Ingredients:

1 banana

1/2 chocolate bar

Preparation:

Peel back one side of banana peel. Carefully cut a well into the middle of the banana and save the removed piece of banana. Break 1/2 chocolate bar into small chunks. Fill crevice with chocolate chunks. Cover chocolate with the removed piece of banana. Wrap banana in foil and allow for handles on the ends. Place on grill or coals and cook for 10-20 minutes until chocolate is melted and banana is warm.

Biscuit S’mores

Ingredients:

1 can refrigerated biscuits

1 bag marshmallows

chocolate bars

Preparation:

Stretch out one of the biscuits and place a marshmallow and a few pieces of a chocolate bar on top. Then take a second biscuit and place it over the first, sealing the edges. Finally, wrap in tin foil and place either in the embers of the campfire or on a grate over a fire ring. We found it works best over a fire ring, which makes it easier to turn them over half way through cooking so one side doesn’t burn. When biscuit is cooked (about 5 minutes, depending on heat of fire) remove and enjoy.

Ham & Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:
1 slice of pre-cooked ham (this can be fresh or canned)
1 serving canned yams (about 3 pieces)
1 or 2 canned pineapple rings
1 to 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon butter

Preparation:

Add all ingredients in a foil pouch and cook on hot coals or on a grate in an open fire, turning about every five minutes for approximately 25 minutes.