Some people prefer camping out in the fall or winter for many great reasons. A few of these include, cooler weather and less pests to worry about. One thing to remember, though, is keeping warm, especially at night. One of the best ways to do this is to prepare yourself a nice hot meal. Below you will find a good selection of hearty, warming meals, you are sure to enjoy. Remember; for easier preparation, do as much chopping, measuring and mixing as possible ahead of time.

Hearty Veggie and Bean Soup
1/2 C. split peas
1 C. instant rice
1 C. dried veggies
(try mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes)
3 T. butter
1 pouch chicken breast
1 packet Knorr soup mix
1 cube chicken bouillon
Loaf of bread
1. Soak the peas in hot water for 45 minutes.
2. Add dried veggies, soup mix, and bouillon to one liter of water, and bring to a boil. Add peas and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in rice and chicken; when rice is cooked, swirl in the butter. Enjoy with bread. Serves 3.
Tips: You can pre-soak and cook the peas and rice at home for easier preparation at the campsite.

Abominable Snowman
1 packet instant hot chocolate mix
2 T. powdered milk
Pat of butter
1 T. brown sugar
1 shot tequila
Place hot chocolate and powdered milk in a mug. Add 1 1/2 cups hot water. Stir in butter, brown sugar, and tequila.

Instant Rice Pudding.
At home, fill a resealable bag with:
1 cup of instant rice
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup raisins
Later, in a kettle over the campfire, add 1-1/2 cups water to this mix and bring it to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Then I remove it from the fire, cover and let it stand, stirring occasionally.

Cocoa Concoction
For a tasty mix that will make 26 cups of cocoa combine:
3 cups nonfat dry milk powder
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 cup powdered nondairy creamer
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
Sift ingredients or pulse in a blender. Store in a resealable bag. To make cocoa, stir 1-1/2 tablespoons of cocoa mix into 6 ounces of boiling water.

Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler
1 Box White Cake Mix
1 Twelve Ounce Can of 7-Up
1/2 Cup of Sugar
8 Peaches
Peel and quarter your peaches. Place them in the dutch oven. Sprinkle your sugar on top of the peaches. In a separate bowl mix the white cake mix and your can of 7-Up. The mixture will be lumpy. Pour the cake mixture on top pf the peaches. Put lid on your dutch oven.
Place dutch oven on top of about 20 coals and place about 10 on top. Depending upon the heat of your coals it will take about 15-20 minutes but check occasionally to see if the cake is a golden brown. Serve Hot.

Another thing to keep in mind while camping in the cooler weather would be to bring a lot of ready-to-eat snacks with you on your trip to munch on hourly, or so, to keep yourself warm and energized. That, mixed with these nice, hot meals will do the trick and keep your camping experience warm and cozy.

Sometimes you can get tired of the same old camping meals. Sandwiches and chips can become pretty boring and take away from your camping experience. If you are looking to spice things up, please check out these great recipes you wouldn’t expect to find around a campfire.

Dancing Chickens on the Grill

2 whole chickens(no more that 4 lbs. each)

Salad oil dressing

Basting Sauce(garlic butter and soy sauce)

2 cans of beer(or water, half filled)

1 cut up onion(optional)

Salt and pepper

Stuff the chickens with the onions. Coat the chickens well with the salad oil dressing. Set the opening of the chicken on to the half can of beer to where it is sitting up right on the can. Add salt and pepper to the outside of the chicken. Set them upright on the grill on the opposite side of the charcoal. Cook at 350*F. After about an hour, baste well with sauce. After another hour, turn the chickens around to where they brown evenly and baste again. Chicken is done when a thermometer inserted in the middle reads 185*F(another 30 minutes to an hour). Remove the cans, cut up and enjoy!

Texas Chili on the Grill

2 lbs. of ground chuck

2 onions(chopped)

2 cloves of garlic(chopped)

1 lb. of already prepared brisket(chopped)

2 c. bbq sauce(or tomato sauce)

1 can of beer

1 tbs chili powder

1/2 tbs ground cumin

2-3 tbs paprika

1/4 c brown sugar.

Hickory logs

Prepare your grill with the charcoal on one side so you can determine how much heat you want. Brown hamburger on cast iron skillet on grill. Add onions and garlic and cook until softened. Transfer mix to a large pot on the grill and add brisket. Add bbq sauce or tomato sauce and beer for moisture(or water). Add chili powder, cumin and paprika. Stir well. Add brown sugar. Move the pot on opposite side of grill as the charcoal. Add the hickory to your coals to produce the smoky flavor. Cover your grill and cook about 45 minutes to an hour.

Optional Additions

Corn chips or monterrey jack cheese

Dutch Oven Fruit Cobbler

1 (30 oz.) can fruit cocktail
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 (30 oz.) can sliced peaches
1 yellow or lemon cake mix; dry
1 (12 oz.) can crushed pineapple
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup instant tapioca
1/4 lb. butter; cut into pieces
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Into a 12? Dutch oven add canned fruit (juice included), tapioca, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir to mix. Sprinkle cake mix evenly over top of fruit. Sprinkle brown sugar over top of cake mix. Dab butter all over top of brown sugar. Place lid on oven.

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour using 12 briquettes top and 12 briquettes bottom heat. Cobbler is done when top is brown and cake has absorbed fruit juices and is no longer dry.

Sometimes when you are in the great outdoors, knowing that you can make some fresh baked bread can make your stay in the wilderness more comfortable and homey feeling. Therefore, here are a few camp bread recipes put together and listed below for you to enjoy on your next endeavor.

Leonda’s Cornbread

1 ¼ cup each self-rising cornmeal and self-rising flour
1 ¼ cup buttermilk
1 ¼ cup water
Pinch of salt
Oil

Mix dry ingredients. Combine the buttermilk and water and gradually add to the flour mix to form a thick batter.

Add a film of oil to a cast-iron skillet and pre-heat it in a 400*F oven.

Pour the batter into the hot skillet and bake for one hour. You may have to turn the bread, once, to keep it from browning too much on the bottom.

To cook in a Dutch oven, use a metal cake pan on a trivet instead of the skillet, and increase the baking time as necessary.

Colonial Pumpkin Corn Cakes

1 cup cornmeal
½ cup flour
1 cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup honey
1 tbs baking powder
1 egg
Small can of evaporated milk

Mix dry ingredients. Add the egg, honey, pumpkin, and enough of the milk to form a medium-thick batter.

Drop by large spoonfuls (about two heaping tablespoons) onto a hot, greased griddle or skillet. Cook, turning once, about five minutes per side.

Kolbulle
(charcoal buns)

Milk
Flour
Eggs (one per person)
Salt
Salt pork

Dice and fry the salt pork. If necessary melt in additional butter.

Combine the flour, salt, milk and eggs to make a thin batter. Pour batter over salt pork and cook until browned on bottom. Flip and continue cooking until batter is cooked through.

Berry Bannock

3 cups unbleached all-purpose or bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbs baking powder
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 ½ cups water

Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder until thoroughly blended. Add the berries and stir to mix. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, pour in the water, and stir quickly to mix. The dough should be fairly stiff but even moistened.

Transfer dough to a 9 or 10 inch cast-iron skillet and press down to form an even layer.
Bake in the center of a pre-heated 425*F oven, or over the fire until a crust forms on the bottom, then turn it over. Prop the skillet at a sharp angle in front of the fire, exposing the top to the heat, and continue cooking until golden brown on top and the dough tests done. Total cooking time should be about 25 minutes.

Sweet Potato Buns

2 pkg active dry yeast
1/3 cup sugar, divided
½ cup warm water
½ cup cooked sweet potatoes, mashed
3 tbs butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp salt
¾ tsp cinnamon
3 ¾-4 ½ cups all purpose flour

Dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon of the sugar in the warm water. Let sit five minutes to bloom. Add the remaining sugar, sweet potato, butter, eggs, salt, cinnamon, and half the flour. Beat well until smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.

Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead ten minutes, adding more flour if necessary. Put dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning to coat evenly. Cover with plastic film and let rise until doubled in bulk, about an hour.

Punch dough down; let rest five minutes. Shape into 1 ½ inch balls and place two inches apart on greased baking sheets. Cover with greased plastic film and let rise until doubled in bulk.

Bake at 350*F for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Alternatively, place buns on greased, straight-walled metal cake pans and bake on a trivet in a Dutch oven.

Grilled Camp Bread

1 envelope instant dry yeast

1 2/3 cups warm water

Pinch of sugar

5 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, warm water and sugar and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the flour, salt, pepper and the 1/4 cup of olive oil and mix at medium-low speed until a soft, supple dough forms, about 5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and cut it into quarters. Lightly oil each piece and wrap individually in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Light a grill. On a lightly oiled work surface, unwrap one piece of dough and press and stretch it to a 12-by-8-inch rectangle. Transfer the dough to an oiled baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Brush the dough on both sides with oil. Grill the bread over moderate heat (working in batches, if necessary), turning occasionally, until puffed and lightly charred in spots, about 4 minutes total. Serve right away.

Make Ahead

The recipe can be prepared through Step 1 and refrigerated for up to 3 days. The bread can also be made up to 3 hours ahead and reheated before serving.