Camp And RV Cook

Friday, September 22, 2017

Easy Meals for Campers and RV Travels

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Camp and RV
Recipe of the Week
Vegetable Wedding
To make vegetables more interesting, marry them with this tangy marinade. When you’re boondocking and eating a lot of canned goods, it gives a terrific lift to water chestnuts, baby corn, bamboo shoots, green or wax beans, limas, mushrooms, baby carrots and roasted red peppers.

1 cup each sugar and white vinegar
½ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon each non-iodized salt, white pepper

Bring everything to a boil to dissolve sugar, then cool completely. Makes 1 ½ cups or enough for several batches. Use as a marinade for one vegetable or a medley. Chill 12 to 24 hours, then serve as a salad or condiment.

Never go hungry on the road or on the trail. See recipes for homemade trail mixes that fit in your pocket at Create A Gorp.

Camp Cook Tips

* Bake sweet potatoes in the campfire, split open and stuff with chunky applesauce.

* Leftover risotto? Add beaten egg(s) and fry like pancakes.

* This three-speed personal fan is silent and powerful. Hold it by the handle or fold it to form its own stand. A lifesaver for camping or power outages, it recharges in a USB port. http://amzn.to/2sCYIP3

* Grease spots in the RV’s wall covering or other porous surface? Before trying a harsh cleaner that could bleach out the color, work in some cornstarch with a soft brush. Let it absorb oil, then brush it off. Clean with mild soap solution.

* If you don’t have a stir-fry pan for vegetables on the grate, use an ice pick to punch holes in a disposable aluminum pan and use Vise Grip pliers for a handle.

* When you make your own hot pepper oil, you are in control of how hot you want it to be. Heat vegetable oil (preferably peanut oil) very hot, about 350 degrees F. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons dried pepper flakes per cup of oil. Cool 24 hours, then strain.

No fresh foods required with our Pantry Recipe of the Week. It’s ideal for boondocking and emergencies. An ample pantry is good insurance. See https://boatcook.blogspot.com

Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week

Crazy Quilt Couscous
This colorful, affordable side dish serves 10 to 12.

½ stick butter
Medium red onion, diced
15-ounce can diced or sliced carrots, well drained
12-ounce can whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained
3 cups water
3 chicken flavor bouillon cubes
2 cups (uncooked) couscous
White and light green parts of 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
½ cup frozen peas, thawed
1 or 2 plum tomatoes, diced

Melt butter in a stove-to-table pan and cook red onion until it’s is limp. Stir in corn, carrots, water and bouillon. Bring to a boil and stir in couscous. Cover, turn off heat and let stand 10 minutes until couscous is tender. Fold in peas, tomato and green onions. Serve at once or chill.

Picture at left shows how to form a foil "kiss" for meals that do not require turning over on the grill. Twisted foil forms a handle.

Foil Recipe of the Week
Chicken Taos
If you don’t have dry red wine, use a teaspoon of red wine vinegar.

4 portions boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 cups cooked black beans
1/4 cup canned, diced chilies, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped sun-dried, oil-pack tomato
1 tablespoon each dry red wine and dried cilantro
Small sweet onion, finely chopped
½ teaspoon dried cumin
Grated Monterey jack cheese

Lay out four squares of foil and spray with garlic flavored nonstick spray. Place a chicken breast in the center of each. In a bowl or plastic bag mix everything else but the cheese. Spoon over chicken. Bring up corners of the foil together and twist to seal the foil and form a handle. Cook, chicken side down, over medium coals 25 to 30 minutes or until chicken reads 170 degrees F.
Take care opening foil. Steam is HOT. Sprinkle with cheese. Serves 4.

Friday, September 15, 2017

Smart Shortcut Recipes for Camping and RV

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Camp and RV Recipe of the Week
Swansea Sweetcakes
    No oven, no problem. Try this traditional Welsh recipe for fried cakes.

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick butter
1 cup golden raisins
1 jumbo egg

    Mix dry ingredients and cut in butter until mealy. Stir in beaten eggs and raisins. Dough will be very thick.
    Pinch off walnut-size pieces of dough and flatten them to 2-inch circles in your hands. Fry on a hot, dry skillet or griddle until browned on both sides. Cool on a rack. Eat them plain or sprinkle with sugar, top with frosting or crumble into a bowl of vanilla yogurt. Makes about 3 dozen.

Camp Cook Tips

    * In a skillet, make layers using 8-inch flour tortillas with sloppy joe and grated cheese between. Top with grated cheese. Cover and cook over low-medium heat.

    * Freeze foods in slow cooker liners or roasting bags, then reheat in hot water and you won’t have to wash a pan.

    * Crush a cup of frosted flakes and scatter in a pie shell before adding sliced apples and your favorite apple pie ingredients. Flakes will soak up excess juice while adding sweetness.

    * The most tender celery leaves make a pretty garnish. Celery trimmings can also be chopped and dried to scatter in soup and stew.

    * Make frypan pizza crust. Add beer to biscuit mix to make a thick dough. Spread it 1/4 inch thick in a greased skillet. Cover, bake partially, then add pizza toppings and continue stove-top cooking until crust is golden brown.

    * Add a little white miso paste to homemade or store-bought soups.

    * For more interesting slices, incorporate some string cheese, hardboiled eggs or parboiled whole carrots when shaping a meatloaf.
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    * You can still buy packets of unsweetened Kool-Aid. It’s cheap and a flavor powerhouse in a featherweight package. Use sugar or any sweetener of your choice. Lime flavor plus pineapple juice, apricot nectar and sweetener make a good fruit drink and a killer rum punch.

Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week

Camp Cauldron Minestrone
    Many cold weather camping groups have a traditional chowder or stew recipe that is served after skiing or a hike. (I love the corn chowder winter hiking parties in Ohio). Here’s a recipe that could become a tradition for your family or camping club.
    All you need now is a BIG pot to put on the grate or camp stove. Fine-tune the recipe as you go, depending on what you have on hand and how many people show up.

4 to 6 quarts chicken broth
12-ounce package grated cabbage for cole slaw
10-ounce package chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups each diced turnips, carrots, onions, zucchini
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
6-ounce can tomato paste
28- to 32-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup broken spaghetti or small pasta such as dilatini
28-ounce can kidney beans
Salt, pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese

    Bring 4 quarts broth to a boil and stir in vegetables. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender. Stir in seasoning, tomato paste and tomatoes and continue simmering while flavors blend. Stir in pasta and beans. When pasta is tender, add more broth as desired, heat through and adjust seasonings. Serve in soup bowls and pass the Parmesan.

Foil Recipe of the Week
Jelled Carrot Salad
    OK, so this isn’t really a foil recipe. It’s a jelled salad you make in a plastic bag and eat out of the bag. It’s still in line with our goal to eliminate dishwashing, right? Add vegetables to taste. It works with regular or sugar-free jell.

1 bag of shredded carrots
1 bag of shredded cabbage for cole slaw
Small can crushed pineapple
2 packets, 4 servings each, orange, lemon or lime gelatin dessert mix
2 cups boiling water
1 cup cold water including juice from the pineapple
2/3 cup mayonnaise

    Set out 8 zip-top sandwich bags or snack bags. Drain pineapple, saving juice for making the jell. Put some carrots, cabbage and pineapple in each bag. (You don't need them all). In a bowl, dissolve jell in boiling water. Stir in cold water/juice, then whisk in mayonnaise until smooth. Holding bag open , add a scant half cup liquid gelatin. Seal bag and chill several hours until gelatin sets. Eat out of the bag. Serves 8.
    Cook’s note: you can also cut a corner out of the bag and squeeze out the salad so you don’t even need a spoon.

Friday, September 08, 2017

Campground Cuisine Means Easy Meals

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Camp and RV
Recipe of the Week

Mystery Beef Stew

2 cups (16-ounce bottle) of French dressing, not fat-free
2 pounds bite-size, boneless beef for stew
½ cup water
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
6 medium potatoes
3 yellow onions, cut up
3 large carrots, cut up

    Brown beef by stir-frying it in 1/4 cup of heated French dressing. Whisk paprika and water with the remaining dressing and add to the pot with the vegetables. Cover and simmer 60 minutes or more until beef is tender and vegetables are done. Serves 6.

Slow cooker method: Browning is optional. Combine everything in a slow cooker and cook on High 4 hours or Low 6 to 7 hours.
Pressure cooker method: Brown beef as above, add remaining ingredients and bring to full pressure for 15 minutes. Quick-cool or let pressure return on its own.

Tips for the Camp Cook

* It’s not the heat it’s the humidity. Things NOT to cook on a humid day include divinity and meringues.

    * Use a sawtooth knife, such as a steak knife, when cutting foods that contain nuts or chocolate chips. Use a sawing motion and gentle pressure to saw through without crushing. A sawtooth blade also works best to cut partially frozen steak for stir-fry.

    * When you’re on a fast-moving camping trip from low country to mountains, be aware of your altitude because it affects cooking and baking times.

    * I love the new collapsible colanders but don’t give up your fine mesh sieve. You need it for rinsing tiny grains and seeds such as quinoa.

    * Rub lemon juice or vinegar on a scaly fish and it will be easier to scale.

    * Cook jumbo shells al dente, stuff with tuna salad from the deli and serve cold with a ranch dip.

Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week

FudgeMallow Brownies
    The crowd will snap up these chocolate gems. An easy way to serve them at a potluck is to cut in squares and nestle in cupcake papers.

14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk or water
1 egg
1 box chocolate cake mix
7-ounce jar of marshmallow cream such as Fluff
1 egg
½ cup mini chocolate chips or finely chopped nuts (optional)

    Grease a 9 X 13-inch baking pan and set the oven to 350 degrees Whisk 1/3 cup condensed milk with the oil, milk or water and egg. Set whisk aside and use a spoon or spatula to stir in cake mix to make a stiff dough. Spread in the pan and bake 10 minutes.
    In the same bowl using the same whisk, mix the rest of the condensed milk with the marshmallow and the other egg. Spread over the hot cake. Add nuts or chocolate chips if using. Bake another 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely. Cut in squares.

See our weekly Pantry Recipe of the Week, made with pantry ingredients only, no fresh foods require, at https://boatcook.blogspot.com

Foil Recipe of the Week
Sweet Sausage Jumble
    Excess fat from the sausage seeps down, flavoring the pepper and onion and soaking into the bread. If you prefer, simply discard the bread.

4 slices day-old bread
4 slices from a large onion
4 slices from a large, whole, seeded green pepper
1 pound bulk Italian sausage (mild or hot)
2 cups Spanish rice from a pouch or can
    Lay out 4 pieces of nonstick foil and grease lightly or spray with nonstick. Place a piece of bread on each. Top with a slice of onion, then a slice of green pepper.
    Make 4 patties from the sausage and sear in a nonstick skillet to brown briefly. Place each patty in a pepper ring. Bring up sides of the foil to form a dish. Put a half cup Spanish rice on each sausage patty.
    Join the 4 corners of the foil and twist to seal the packet and form a handle. Place on the grill or campfire over medium coals (not licking flames) and cook slowly 25 to 35 minutes.
    Pork sausage should register at least 165 degrees; turkey sausage 175 to 180 degrees.Take care when opening foil packages. Steam is very hot.

Friday, September 01, 2017

Simple Recipes for Complete Camping Meals

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Camp and RV Recipe of the Week

Swift Skillet Chili
Attention bean-o-phobes! No beans in this chili. You can always bulk it up with a can of beans if you like. You’ll love the new taste and easy prep.

1 pound lean ground beef, pork or turkey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 ½ cup hashed brown potatoes, thawed
Large onion, diced
Small green sweet pepper, seeded and diced
Small can sliced mushrooms, drained
8- to 10-ounce can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder (or to taste)
2 tablespoons steak sauce or Worcestershire
Salt, pepper to taste

In a large skillet, brown ground meat in hot oil, gradually stirring in potatoes and other vegetables. Stir in remaining ingredients, cover and simmer slowly while flavors blend and vegetables get tender. Serves 4 to 6.

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Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week
Crowd Pleaser Pineapple

2 large cans (20 ounces each) pineapple tidbits in their own juice
1 large can crushed pineapple in its own juice
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
6-ounce package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 sleeve buttery round crackers (e.g. Ritz)
1 stick butter, melted

    Butter or spray a casserole and set the oven for 350 degrees. Drain pineapple, saving 2/3 cup juice. Put pineapple in the casserole. Whisk flour into juice and pour over pineapple. Stir in cheese.

    Crumble crackers coarsely and sprinkle over casserole, then drizzle with melted butter. Bake 30 to 45 minutes or until bubbly and golden. Serves 10.

Tips for the Camp Cook

     * Make your own Irish cream liqueur. Whisk a cup of whipping cream and 1 ½ cups Irish whiskey into a can of sweetened condensed milk. Whisk in 2 teaspoons instant coffee, 2 tablespoons Hershey’s chocolate syrup and 1 teaspoon each vanilla and almond flavorings. Let steep for a few hours. Serve on crushed ice or drizzle on ice cream, pound cake, fruit. Keep cold.

    * Can’t remove sticky residue? A temporary fix in camp is to dust it lightly with flour and brush off excess.

    * To keep the end of nylon or poly rope from raveling, carefully hold over a lit match until fibers melt.

    * I’m all thumbs but I can fix lots of problems with a spritz of WD-40, duct tape or a tie wrap. I carry tie wraps in a variety of sizes. I just used a small one to affix the dog's new rabies tag to her collar.

      * Are frozen hashed brown potatoes a favorite on your camping shopping list? If you buy O’Brien potatoes instead, the onion and green pepper are already there.

Foil Recipe of the Week

Salmon Pinwheels
    Hot gravy is optional and you can also skip the raw vegetables if you must.

6-ounce can boneless, skinless, wild salmon, shredded
2 cups biscuit mix plus more biscuit mix, or plain flour, for shaping dough
½ teaspoon dried thyme
Milk
½ cup finely chopped celery
½ cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper

Optional Gravy
1 can condensed cream of celery, mushroom or chicken soup
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
3 tablespoons milk

    Set out four squares of nonstick foil. Brush centers lightly with oil or soft butter.

    In a bowl mix biscuit mix and thyme with enough milk to make a thick dough. Turn out on floured paper toweling. Knead just until well mixed and pat into a 12-inch square.

    Scatter salmon and vegetables evenly over dough. Roll up. Cut in 8 slices. Place two slices on each piece of foil and fold foil to seal packet.
    Handling carefully, bake packets over a well-started medium fire. Turn often and check for doneness after about 15 minutes. Dough will rise and turn firm and golden

    In a nonstick skillet over high-medium heat, stir soup, paprika and milk until hot and smooth. Ladle over salmon spirals. Serves 4.

Friday, August 18, 2017

Camping Cooking Like You Mean It!

Here every Friday, see a Camp and RV Recipe of the Week, Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week, Foil Recipe of the Week and Tips for the Camp Cook. Y’all come back now, hear?

Subscribe to this blog for Kindle and Amazon sends it to your device automatically each week. Free trial.

Camp and RV
Recipe of the Week
Chewy Cheese Bites
Just add a mug of steamy, creamy tomato soup and you have a hot supper for a cold camping night.

Butter or shortening to grease pan
Cornmeal
3 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons milk or water
1 ½ cups self-rising flour
12-ounce package grated cheese such as sharp cheddar

Set the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 13 X 9 X 2-inch baking pan generously. Sprinkle lightly but evenly with cornmeal. Dump out excess cornmeal
Whisk eggs, oil and milk or water. Fold in flour and cheese just until everything is evenly mixed. Dough will be stiff. Scrape into the pan. Spread evenly and bake at 400 degrees about 25 minutes or until springy. Let cool, then turn out on a cutting board and use a long bread knife to cut into 4 lengthwise strips . Then cut strips into fingers. Makes 4 dozen.

Tips for the Camp Cook

*DOUGH-RE-ME. Buy a pound of pizza dough at the deli or bakery and make meals for 2 people, 3 days.Divide dough in 3. Wrap. Keep cold. On Day 1 make pizza, Day 2, cinnamon rolls, Day 3 meat-filled patties or empenadas.

* Stuff old socks with kitty litter and put in tennies, boots and hiking shoes to absorb odor. Also good to soak up stinks in a refrigerator or ice chest. Clean thoroughly, dry, then add some of these odor absorbers and leave overnight with the door closed.

* To make an easy dessert, “butter” the inside of hot dog buns with Nutella. Lay in half a banana cut in half lengthwise. Stuff with miniature marshmallows and nuts. Wrap tightly in foil and heat.

* Whisks are work savers in camping, especially if you don’t have an electric mixer. I like a good, strong balloon whisk for batters and beating eggs.

* Designed for tent campers, this battery-operated, hang-up lantern with fan is also ideal to hang under an RV awning.

* Make up a packet of sausage gravy mix, stir in a can of pork and beans, and spoon over rice, campfire-baked potatoes, noodles, biscuits.

Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week

Tomato Cobbler
A crusty biscuit topping gives tomatoes a crown of golden glory. For family reunions I make this in a big, disposable foil baking pan. For safer handling, put any foil pan on a metal sheet pan.

28-ounce can diced tomatoes
28-ounce can plum tomatoes
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 can condensed tomato soup
3 cups biscuit mix
1 teaspoon onion or garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes (optional)
Water or milk

Butter a large casserole and set the oven for 425 degrees. Drain liquid from canned tomatoes into a bowl and whisk in brown sugar and condensed tomato soup. Put diced and plum tomatoes in the casserole. Top with the tomato soup mixture. Bake 15 minutes.
Mix dry ingredients with enough milk or water to make a thick dough. Carefully remove hot casserole from the oven and dot the surface with teaspoons of biscuit dough. Return to the oven until biscuits are golden brown. Serves 15 to 20.

A camp and RV cookbook just for you. Its recipes are smart but shortcut. Makes a nice gift too. See Cooking Aboard Your RV, 2nd Edition.

Foil Recipe of the Week
Cook in foil. Eat from the foil. No dishwashing!

Hammy Cake
This foil meal does not need turning. Just set it on a grate over medium heat from well-started coals, not licking flames.

Per serving:
1 or 2 slices Canadian bacon
1 slice of canned pineapple
1 slice of banana
For the batter:
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 egg
Water or milk

Prepare coals in grill or fire pit to provide medium heat. Lay out squares of foil and spray centers with a nonstick spray. Place Canadian bacon in the center and top with a sliced of pineapple Put a banana slice in the hole. Bring up corners of the foil to form a dish.
In a bowl whisk egg, cornbread mix and enough water or milk to make a thick batter. Spoon 1/4 cup batter over pineapple ring. Join corners of the foil and twist to seal the package and to form a handle. Cook 15 to 20 minutes over medium heat until cornbread is firm.

Friday, August 11, 2017

Easy Does It! Camping and RV Meals

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Camp and RV
Recipe of the Week
All Day Beef
No need to brown the pot roast first. Put everything in slow cooker and let flavors come to the fore.

3- to 4-pound pot roast
Medium onion, sliced
3 medium potatoes, scrubbed and sliced
1/2 cup red wine, water, broth or grape juice
1 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon each Dijon-style mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon each vinegar, sugar

Trim excess fat from pot roast. Spray slow cooker and add potatoes and onions. Drizzle with liquid. In a paper cup, stir remaining ingredients into a paste and “frost” the top of the roast. Put roast in slow cooker and cook 8 hours on Low or 4 hours on High. Beef should be falling apart

Spoon into shallow soup plates and spoon pan juices over all. Serves 6.

Campfire or oven method: Proceed as above using heavy duty foil. Seal edges of foil and cook, “frosted” side up, in a 325 degree oven or over low-medium coals
Cook’s note: to make this even more of a one-dish meal, slice three peeled carrots with the potatoes and onions. You might also add a cup of thawed peas for the last few minutes of cooking.

Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week
Gravel
This is the easiest dessert on the potluck table and the most popular. Everyone will grab a chunk.

1 pound almond bark (white, dark, milk chocolate)
1 cup chunky peanut butter
Broken pretzels
2 cups broken nuts

Lay out a large sheet of waxed paper or nonstick foil, about 12 X 16 inches. Cover with pretzels and nuts. Nuke or heat almond bark to melt it and stir in peanut butter. Carefully drizzle or spoon over pretzels and nuts. Let cool and break in chunks. Makes 2 pounds pf Gravel.

Tips for the Camp Cook

* Cook carrots in beer instead of water. Season with butter, salt, pepper and a little dillweed.

* If you make a lot of smoothies freeze your favorite flavored coffee creamer (I love amaretto) as ice cubes and add a couple to the blender with fruit, etc.

* Designate one ice chest as your camping dishpan or wash basin. Wash water stays warm longer. It’s easily emptied by attaching a length of tubing to the drain hole in the bottom.

* Make a paste with instant coffee and water to make a temporary scratch remover for dark woods. Letit soak in, dry, wipe off excess. Use iodine to cover scratches in reddish woods such as mahogany.

* In a blender or food processor, reduce a packet of ramen, including flavor packet, to crumbs. Watch closely so it’s just right, not a powder, not chunky.. Use crumbs as breading for fish or chicken.

* Instead of graham cracker crumbs, use crushed pretzels to make a pie crust.

* Use a rubber scraper on dishes before washing. Rinsing wastes water and clogs up the drain.

Foil Recipe of the Week
Porcupine Sweet Potatoes

Vegetable oil
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled
2 apples
About 24 whole almonds
Maple Syrup

Set out 4 squares of nonstick foil and spread centers with a little vegetable oil. Cut sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and place on foil, cut sides down. Peel and slice apples. Using a small, sharp knife, make random, shallow cuts all over sweet potatoes and stick almonds and apple slices in them, like bristles. Bring up corners of the foil and twist to seal and form a handle. Place on a grill or grate over medium heat about 30 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender.
Take care when opening foil. Steam will be hot. Drizzle with maple syrup and serve. .
Cook’s note: This makes a good side dish with meat from the grill. If it’s to be a vegetarian/vegan main dish, add more almonds for protein and healthy fats.

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Friday, August 04, 2017

Camping and RV Meals Mean Good Eating

What happened to that recipe you liked last month? It's gone now. Never miss another recipe or tip. Subscribe to this blog for your Kindle and Amazon sends it to your device automatically every week. Free trial.

Camp and RV Recipe of the Week

Pig ‘N Potato Skillet
1 pork chop per person
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 medium potato per person
1 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary
2 dried apricots per portion
1 small navel orange for every two portions
Pancake Syrup (optional)

Trim excess fat from pork. Salt and pepper lightly and sizzle in hot oil with garlic and rosemary, turning until chops are brown on both sides. Scrub potatoes and slice thin. Slice unpeeled oranges and remove any seeds. Arrange sliced potatoes over chops. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add apricots and orange slices. Cover skillet and cook over low-medium heat until potatoes are tender and pork tests at least 160 degrees.
Put a chop on each plate, distribute potatoes and fruit and drizzle lightly with pan drippings and syrup.

See more of Janet Groene’s quick and easy galley recipes at BoatCook.

Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week
Seafood Casserole for a Crowd
Prepare this easy casserole with any seafood including your own catch or a combination of canned and frozen fish. Seafood can be grilled, poached, steamed, fried or a combination.

4 pounds cooked seafood
2 boxes (6 servings each) rice and wild rice mix (e.g. Uncle Ben’s)
2 cups thawed peas
1 cup each sour cream and mayonnaise
8-ounce package shredded Cheddar

Prepare seafood and cut in bite size. Cook rice mix and spoon into greased casserole(s) alternately with the seafood, peas and half of the cheese. Whisk together mayo and sour cream and spread over the top. At this point it can be covered and refrigerated for future baking.
To cook, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees until it’s heated through (time will vary depending on whether casserole is chilled.) Sprinkle with remaining Cheddar and return to the oven to melt cheese. Makes 12 main dish servings.

Camp Cook Tips

* Make homemade applesauce over the campfire. Have family fun at a u-pick apple orchard then have an apple paring party to see who can make the longest peel. Simmer 6 cups chopped, peeled apples with a can of 7-Up and ½ cup brown sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender and sauce thick.

* If you don’t have a stir-fry pan for vegetables on the grate, use an ice pick to punch holes in a disposable aluminum pan and use Vise Grip pliers for a handle.

* You control the wow factor when you make your own hot pepper oil. Heat peanut oil to about 350 degrees F. (Peanut oil has a higher smoke point than many other oils.) Stir in 2 tablespoons dried pepper flakes per cup of oil. Cool 24 hours. Strain.

*Make a more colorful succotash by combining a drained can of whole kernel corn with a can of drained and rinsed kidney beans. Heat, butter, season to taste.

* Use your coffee grinder or blender tp pulverize dried mushrooms. Sprinkle this powder very sparingly into soups and stews.

Foil Recipe of the Week
Sausage Burger Towers
For each person:
3 to 4 slices from whole sweet onions
2 thin, lean sausage patties
3 to 4 slices from whole, cored apples
1 teaspoon cherry jam
Set out a square of foil for each portion. Butter or grease foil and put an onion slice in the middle. Top with a piece of sausage, slice of apple, slice of onion, more sausage, more onion. End with an apple slice and put jam in the center.
Bring up edges of the foil and twist to seal and to form a handle. Place on the grate and slow roast over medium-low heat 35 to 45 minutes or until onions are tender and sausage is in the safety range (165 degrees F. for pork; 175 for chicken or turkey sausage.) Careful! Steam will be HOT.
Foil “kisses” can also be place on a sheet pan and baked in the oven at 350 degrees.

Make your own trail mixes, snacks and gorp to save money, control ingredients, measure portions. See recipes at Create A Gorp.