High Steaks Camping Meals

photo credit: Wilton















Be inspired by these strawberries to wow 'em at the next potluck with a strawberry cake. Scroll down to the Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week

Flank Steak Feast for Four

Picture this: juicy sliced steak on a plate with crusty cheese bread and slices of big, red tomato. Fire up the grill and have the cutting board ready.

16-ounce flank steak
16-ounce package whole mushrooms
½ cup bottled Italian dressing
1 loaf French bread
Butter or spread
½ cup sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
4-ounce package blue cheese

Throw the steak and mushrooms in a plastic, zip-top bag with the dressing and marinate in the ice chest or refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally.

1. Cut a small hole in the bag to drain off marinade. Discard marinade and steak. Grill steak. Grill mushrooms in a grill basket or thread them on skewers,
2. Slice and butter the bread and toast it in a nonstick skillet until it’s golden on one side. Turn.
3. Mix sour cream, mayo and Parmesan. Using two spoons, mound cheese spread atop toasted side of bread. Warm gently in the same skillet while you
4. Slice the steak and arrange on plates. Add the bread, mushrooms and .sliced tomatoes.

Galley tip of the week: thin, plastic cutting board covers are sold in packs of four for only about a dollar. Consider them disposable but, if you do want to wash them, they fold to fit easily into a small dishpan with hot, sudsy water.

Marina Potluck
Recipe of the Week

Strawberry Cookie Cake

Bake this make-ahead marvel in camp or ahead of time at home. It’s easily mixed up in camp using a balloon whisk. You don’t need an electric mixer. If you make it at home it keeps and carries in an ice chest or refrigerator up to two days.

7 strawberry newton cookies, cut up
1 strawberry-flavor cake mix
1 cup water
½ cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
10-ounce jar strawberry jam
1 cup whipping cream
Additional whipped cream or topping (optional)

1. Grease a deep, 9 X 13-inch baking pan and cover the bottom with the cut-up strawberry newtons.
2. Whisk water, oil and eggs into dry cake mix. Pour batter gently over strawberry cookies. Bake the cake at 350 degrees until it’s springy to the touch and pulling slightly away from sides of the pan.
3. Cool cake 15 minutes than use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over it.
4. In a small saucepan over low heat, mix the cream and jam until they melt together. Pour gently and evenly over warm cake until it all soaks in. Cool, cover and chill overnight or up to two days.
5. Cut into 12 to 15 serving pieces. Just before serving add squirt-on whipped cream if you wish.
Variation: Just before cutting into serving pieces, “frost” top with thawed whipped topping.

Camp and Galley Tip of the Week: No broiler to put a crusty topping on a casserole? Melt a stick of butter in a medium skillet and add a cup of bread crumbs. Keep stirring over medium heat until bread crumbs are toasty. Sprinkle over hot casserole just before serving.

See more of Janet's galley-read recipes at http://www.BoatCook.blogspot.com

Do you sometimes have to eat at the wheel? Make your own gorp to save money, trim calories, cut down on salt and minimize sugar and fat. Scrumptious sweet and savory recipes at
http://www.CreateAGorp.blogspot.com

Camp Cooking is the Best

Where are you camping today?

Ham-Ham Burgers
Just for fun, make hamburgers that taste like real ham.
2 pounds lean ground pork
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
1/3 cup milk, broth, tomato juice or water
In a large bowl, wear disposable plastic gloves to mix everything thoroughly. With gloved hands, form 12 burger patties. Discard gloves. Fry in a sprayed, nonstick pan until browned. Gently turn and brown other side, then cover and cook over low heat until patties test done with an instant read thermometer. Serve on buns or as part of a meat-‘n-potatoes plate.
Optional: Top each patty with a ring of pineapple for the last few minutes of cooking.
Cook’s note: burgers can be wrapped individually and frozen raw or cook them all, then freeze extras for future use.

Campground Potluck
Recipe of the Week
Blue Cheese Big Dipper
It’s a splurge but oh, so good and it’s a snap to make. Bring crackers or cut-up vegetables for dippers.

16-ounce jar mayonnaise
5 cartons, 4 ounces each, crumbled blue cheese
8-ounce carton plain yogurt
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Fold everything together and chill or serve at once. To serve, put dip in two bowls on two big plates. Surround one bowl with crackers or chips and another with raw vegetables. Serves 20.

See more of Janet’s Galley-tested recipes at
http://www.BoatCook.blogspot.com
and more potluck recipes at
http://www.ChurchSupper.blogspot.com

If you like to eat at the wheel or on the trail try Janet’s healthful trail mix recipes. You save a lot by making your own and you can minimize unhealthful ingredients or things you’re allergic to.
Http://www.CreateAGorp.blogspot.com

Good Food for Camping

First we freeze in Florida, then we drown. The weather is spring-like now but we'll still have plenty of days when we'll want this economical, easy, delicious, warming soup.

Janet Groene’s
Camp-Out Soup

Buy ingredients in bulk for a great soup, then set out snack bags and portion ingredients among them. This soup cooks in 30 to 45 minutes. When you layer it in small jars it’s also an attractive, handy gift for campground neighbors.
Everyone loves 15-bean soup but beans require overnight soaking and a long cooking time. This soup, by contrast, is made with lentils and dried peas to cook much more quickly.

Shopping list:
1 bag dried yellow peas
1 bag dried green peas
1 bag lentils
1 bag brown rice
2 small bags tiny pasta such as alphabet, orzo or mini-shells
Large bottle chicken bouillon cubes
Large bottle beef bouillon cubes
Large package tomato bouillon cubes
Large bottle dried parsley
Large bottle dried onion bits
Cook’s note: after you’ve made your first batch of soups you’ll have a better idea of what ingredients to buy in what sizes. You can vary this list somewhat by choosing among many different types and colors of delicious rices, lentils and dried peas. Just do NOT add dried beans that require soaking.

To assemble dried soup packets:

For each batch of soup, place in bag or jar:
2 tablespoons dried yellow peas
2 tablespoons dried green peas
2 tablespoons lentils
3 tablespoons brown rice
1 each beef, chicken and tomato bouillon rubes
1 heaping tablespoon dried parsley
1 to 2 tablespoons dried onion bits

To make soup:
Bring 4 cups water a boil and stir in entire contents of packet. Cover, lower heat and simmer 45 to 60 minutes or until rice and dried vegetables are tender. Stir well and ladle into soup bowls.
Pressure cooker method: bring water to a boil, dump in contents of packet, raise to full pressure and turn off heat after 10 minutes. Let pressure return to normal on its own. Serves 4.

Cook’s notes: don’t add additional seasonings to finished soup without tasting it first. Bouillon creates a rich, well seasoned broth. If soup is thicker than you like, thin it with water, broth or tomato juice. To make a vegan/vegetarian soup mix, substitute vegetable bouillon for the beef and chicken cubes.

Variations:
Make a different soup each day. After water comes to a boil add one or two of the following ingredients with the soup packet:

1 carrot, potato or parsnip, peeled and chopped
1 large stalk celery, trimmed and chopped
Small can chunk chicken, turkey or ham
A few snipped, sun-dried tomatoes
Small red or green sweet pepper, seeded and diced
Bits of cut-up jerky

Optional Toppings for the finished soup:
Diced scallion, white and light green only
Small sweet onion, diced
Shredded cheese
Shaved hard cheese
Bits of jerky
Seeded, diced fresh tomato
Croutons
Dollop of sour cream of creme fraiche

For more of Janet's galley-ready recipes go to
http://www.CreateAGorp.blogspot.com
and
http://www.BoatCook.blogspot.com
Find more potluck recipes at
http://www.ChurchSupper.blogspot.com

Solar Oven Update

We're having record breaking cold in North Florida and, with the sun so low at this latitude at this time of year, my solar oven experiments on are hold. Meanwhile I'm getting a LOT of use from my pressure cooker, my second favorite fuel-saving device. 1. Soak dried limas overnight. 2. Bring up to full pressure (with water and desired additions such as ham hocks, herbs, etc.). 3. Turn off burner and let pressure return to normal. Do not open pot. 4. About an hour later, bring up to full pressure again for 5 minutes. Let pressure return to normal. Beans are ready to eat.

Camp Cooking, RV Cooking

We are running our propane furnace in North Florida and thinking it's time to head south, like to Costa Rica. Where are your camping right now and what are you eating? E-mail janetgroene@yahoo.com

Chicken Surprise
Here’s a twist on the old add-a-can-of-soup theme. The tomatoes and cream soup combine to make a luscious gravy to serve over rice, mashed potatoes, noodles or what have you. If you don't want to light another burner, use pre-cooked rice in a pouch. The gravy also tastes good over crisp Chinese noodles.

½ cup flour
1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried basil
6 serving-size pieces of chicken
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
15-ounce can crushed tomatoes, with juice

Put the flour in a bag with salt, pepper, garlic powder and basil and shake to mix. Add chicken and shake to coat. Discard excess flour mixture. In a nonstick skillet, brown chicken in hot oil. Whisk together soup and tomatoes, pour over chicken, cover, and simmer 45-60 minutes over low flame, turning after about 30 minutes. When chicken tests done, serve with potatoes, rice or noodles and spoon gravy over all. Serves 6.

Campground Potluck
Recipe of the Week
Black Bean ‘n Rice Salad

Here’s a new take on classic black beans and rice, served cold and carefree to feed a crowd. Kick it up as hot as you like, or supply a bottle of hot sauce so diners can choose their own scorch rate. You can start with ready-to-eat rice from a pouch (most expensive choice, but it doesn’t need cooking), regular rice (least expensive but requires cooking), instant rice or rice in a bag.

4 cups cooked rice
2 pints grape tomatoes, halved
1 bunch scallions, white and light green only, thinly sliced
Small can chopped chiles, well drained
8-ounce brick of Monterey jack cheese, cut in small dice
½ cup Italian dressing
Handful of chopped cilantro
2 cans, 15 ounces each, black beans, drained, rinsed and drained

Toss ingredients together lightly, adding black beans last and saving some of the tomatoes and cilantro for a garnish. Serves 10.

See more of Janet's galley-ready recipes at
http://www.BoatCook.blogspot.com

Solar Oven Success

Today's experiment: cold this morning in the 50s with a sharp wind blowing. Sun bright so I aimed oven and it soon started climbing above the 100 degree mark. Put peeled, cut up butternut squash and potatoes in the pot with a little water (instructions say none is needed for vegetables) and they were tender in 3 hours. Temps hovered 180 to 200. It's like having a crock pot that runs on sunbeams! Go to www.SolarOvenSociety.com

Going Solar

So far my SOS SPORT Solar Oven (www.SolarOvens.org) is a hands-down winner but this is just the beginning of my work with this unit

What it is: An insulated black box with a clear plastic cover. Inside is room for two dark, spackleware (enameled steel) pots with covers. Each holds about two quarts, ideal for anything from cakes and breads to casseroles and soups. Use one or both. Also included is an oven thermometer. Optional reflector “wings” are recommended for locations where the angle of the sun is low. The unit does not heat in the shade or on a cloudy day.

Without using any fuel or creating any pollution, this oven quickly comes up to cooking temperature. It’s then just a matter of cooking food or heating water, and here’s where the learning curve comes in.

What I’ve learned so far:
*At under 10 pounds the oven is a snap to shuffle in an out of a storage space and it doesn’t add much to the weight the RV has to transport. However it’s bulky, requiring a space about 30 X 12 X 20 inches. In most RV’s this means dedicating a slot in one of the basement compartments. Because I expect to use the solar oven almost every day it has to be stowed in a spot that’s easy-in, easy out.
* It’s not flimsy but it does require moderate care. I found that a standard size pillow slip just fits over the plastic cover. Before stowing the unit I slip on the cover to keep the clear plastic from scratching. Scratches would surely reduce its ability to transmit the sun’s rays.
* It gets hot quickly. I always wear oven mitts when working with this solar oven.

I’m in North Florida, where the sun has dipped deep to the south. In a shaded lot I’m still looking for a spot where I can leave the unit untended for several hours at a time. My first experiment was a New England boiled dinner (cooked ham, potatoes, carrots and cabbage) and I had to finish it on the stove when long shadows stole my sun spot.

On the beach or any open spot, it would probably have meant only turning the oven every few hours to keep the sun shining in. Nevertheless, half the cooking was done with only the sun for fuel and I’m wowed at how easy it was. Stay tuned.