Big 'n Easy Meals for Camping and RV Triips

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Camping and RV 
Recipe of the Week
No-Bean "Chili" in a Skillet
 

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound lean ground beef, pork, sausage or turkey
1 teaspoon chili powder 
A little salt and pepper
3 cups thawed or reconstituted  hash brown potatoes
Medium onion, diced
Small green pepper, seeded and diced
Small can mushrooms pieces, drained
1 cup water
1 teaspoon beef or chicken base (such as Better than Bouillon)
10-ounce can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons steak sauce such as A1

    In a large skillet, heat oil and fry out meat. Sprinkle meat with chili powder, salt and pepper. Keep stirring meat over high heat while adding onion, green pepper, mushrooms and potatoes. When everything is nicely browned add water and bouillon to mix well. Add tomato sauce and steak sauce. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender.


Tips for the Camp Cook

 
    * Put a sweet, mahogany glaze on grilled chicken by whisking three parts light or dark (but not blackstrap)  molasses with one part dark beer. Grill chicken until it’s almost done, then brush with glaze during final grilling. Turn often and keep brushing until it’s dark and glazed. 



    * Still unbeatable is the classic Coleman camp oven. Use it on your RV stove or camp stove. It folds flat for compact storage  

    * Make Chili in a Skillet above and make indentations in hot chili with the back of a spoon. Break eggs into the holes and poach to taste. Serve for breakfast. 

    


* Work off breakfast by taking a stand-up paddleboard glide on the lake. Compact inflatable paddleboards are a plus for campers and RV travelers. See this kit with everything including the pump.

    * It’s easier to wash a fire-blackened pot if you rub the outside first with a soft bar soap such as Ivory. Save an old pillow case for carrying grotty items. 






 
Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week
    When it’s your turn to bring a starch dish, wow ‘em with this rice classic.
 
Natchitoches Rice
    Louisianans love their rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This colorful side dish is perfect for a potluck. 

Large sweet onion, peeled and finely diced
4 large  stalks celery, diced
1 stick butter
3  cups raw white Louisiana rice
4 chicken bouillon cubes
Juice of one orange plus grated orange zest
Water
2 teaspoons crumbled, dried sage
7-ounce jar salad olives, drained 

    Cook onion and celery in hot butter until well coated, then add rice to coat. Add water to orange juice to make 6 cups. Add water and bouillon to pan, bring to a boil and add sage and orange zest. Cover, reduce heat to very low and cook without stirring 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir, fold in olives and serve hot. Makes 12 servings of ½ cup each. 
                                   

Freeze Ahead Recipe of the Week
Mule Kick Bean Soup
    Cold spring nights in the campground call for a crackling campfire and cauldrons of hot soup. This one is made quick and easy with canned foods. Make it meaty, vegan or vegetarian but do use low sodium everything.  Then pass the salt shaker, pepper mill and hot sauce at the table. The recipe is easily multiplied.  

 
Large onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
15-ounce can of refried beans
14-ounce can of Mexican style diced tomatoes, undrained
15-ounce can of low sodium, whole kernel corn, undrained
2 tablespoons from a packet of taco seasoning
2 cans, 15 ounces each, undrained  beans (kidney beans,  red beans, black beans, white, navy)
Canned or cooked diced ham, beef, turkey or chicken,(optional)

    Heat oil in a large saucepan and sizzle the onion, gradually adding garlic. When onion is softened, add refried beans and break them up while stirring in juices from the corn and tomatoes. When refried beans are broken up, add tomatoes, corn, seasoning and beans.  Add meat if using. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer to blend flavors. Soup will be  thick.
    Freeze in batches of one cup per serving, e.g. one quart soup = four servings.  To serve, thaw and reheat. Then add water, tomato juice, V-8 or broth to make serving of 1 ½ to 2 cups each. 
    It’s delicious with bread or tortilla chips and a dollop of sour cream. If you have some, top with a sprinkling of dried or fresh minced parsley or cilantro, or some chopped scallions. 

Meals for Family Camping and Motorhome Trips

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Camping and RV Recipe of the Week
One Pot Ravioli Rave

     Make it with or without meat but DO  use a non-reactive pot. Boiling liquid, especially acidic foods like tomatoes, can remove nonstick qualities of  well-seasoned cast iron.  

Optional: 1 pound ground beef or turkey,  12 to 16 ounces fully cooked beef crumbles, canned chunk chicken or turkey, drained,  or cooked chicken bites (not breaded)

Medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
28-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup water
1 teaspoon chicken or beef bouillon
20-ounce package four-cheese ravioli
1 teaspoon mixed Italian seasoning
2 handfuls of baby spinach
Grated cheese

    If you’re starting with raw meat,  fry it out in hot oil with onion and garlic. Otherwise, stir-fry onion and garlic in hot oil until limp and stir in cooked meat. Add tomatoes, water, Italian seasoning and bouillon. Bring to a boil and stir in ravioli, immersing it in liquid. Boil 8 minutes or until ravioli is done. Carefully stir in spinach until it’s limp. Pass the grated cheese. Serves 6. 

............................................................................................................... EMERGENCY MEAL. Nomad Nutrition is a new Canadian company serving backpackers, vegans, preppers. And all of us campers are preppers to some degree.  Meals come in a pouch that weighs only a few ounces. Just add boiling water, wait 7 to 10 minutes, eat a complete meal that truly sticks to the ribs. It's pricey for a single meal but consider the confidence of having a good meal when you really, really need one. 

I tried the Irish Shepherd's Pie, a meatless blend of potatoes, lentils, other vegetables and spices. In one packet I made a meal of 790 calories, 14 grams of saturated fat, 96 grams of carbs and 23 grams of protein. Lentils add texture. I recommend the full 10-minute steeping time for the best blending of texture and flavors. Add several of these meals to your emergency stash. Someday you'll be glad you did. Find Nomad Nutritiion meals on Amazon, https://amzn.to/2TERQBZ
.....................................................................................................................................................

 Camp Cook Tips

    * To freeze crepes, pizzas, cake layers and other large, flat foods for future camping, save a pizza box. Line box with plastic wrap.  Put waxed paper between layers. Close and wrap entire box.

    * Tear up an angel food cake and put it in a big bowl. Melt a stick of butter and 1 ½ cups powdered sugar. Lightly fold into cake pieces. Chop 4 full-size Butterfinger bars and fold into cake pieces with an 8-ounce tub of whipped topping. Chill. 


    * Grits including instant grits can make a delicious crust for a skillet pie. Prepare 2 to 3 cups of grits. Cool to lukewarm and spread in a cold, heavily buttered skillet to form a crust. Top with your favorite filling for frittata or pizza. Cover skillet and cook over medium heat until filling is done and grits are browned on the bottom.    

    * To keep the picnic tablecloth from blowing off, bunch up overhanging material at corners and band with pony tail bands. You can also bunch up square corners of sheets this way to make "fitted" corners that tuck under the mattress.   

    * Here's a Compact grill to use anywhere you can build any kind of fire. Just lay it over the coals. Folding legs make it portable and practical for even the smallest camper.   

 
Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week
Zucchini Houdini
  

  Bring this dish to the potluck as a vegetable side dish or a vegetarian main dish. Biscuit mix provides the Houdini magic that makes it puffy and showy.
 
2 pounds zucchini, thinly sliced
Large sweet onion, thinly sliced
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper
1 cup biscuit mix
½ cup vegetable oil
 4 eggs

    Grease a deep 9 X 13-inch baking dish. Set the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl mix Parmesan, parsley flakes, biscuit mix, salt and pepper. Layer sliced zucchini and onion in the baking disk sprinkling each layer with some of the dry mixture. In the same bowl, whisk eggs and oil until light. Pour over zucchini and bake 25-30 minutes or until puffy and brown. Serves 8 to 10 as a side dish.
    Microwave method: Proceed as above but keep Parmesan out of the mix. Cover loosely and cook on Medium, turning every minute, until it’s set. It will not brown. Sprinkle with Parmesan.
    Stove top method: Grease a deep, heavy skillet. Assemble casserole above except for Parmesan. Cover tightly and cook over low/medium heat until it’s puffy and set. Bottom and sides will brown but top will not. Sprinkle with Parmesan. 

Be ready for spring floods, summer power outages and other food emergencies when camping or at home. Survival Food Handbook is guide to buying, stowing and cooking shelf stable foods from the supermarket. Delicious recipes, hacks, ideas.
 



Freeze-Ahead Recipe of the Week
Condensed Taco Soup
 
2 pounds ground beef, browned with
2 large onions, diced, and
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 packet taco seasoning
28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 beef or chicken bouillon cubes
20-ounce can refried beans 
15-ounce can corn, drained
Corn chips for later

    When beef is done and vegetables are tender stir in seasoning, bouillon, tomatoes,  beans and corn. Heat and stir to mix well, breaking up refried  beans. Cool and package, allowing 1 ½ cups per serving. To prepare, thaw and add 1/3 cup water, broth or tomato juice per 1 ½ cupfuls. Sprinkle a handful of corn chips over each bowl just before serving. 
Variations: (1) use ground chicken pork, sausage or turkey instead of beef, or a combination of several meats. (2) For a more affordable dish, double the amount of refried beans.(3) For a soupier soup add a 12-ounce can of tomato paste to the mixture move. To serve,   increase water or broth to 2/3 cup per 1 1/2 cups of the mix. 

Easy Meals for Camping, RV Travel, Motorhome

Blog copyright Janet Groene, all rights reserved. Will you donate $5 a year in support of this blog? Use your Paypal account to janetgroene at yahoo.com

There is nothing quite like nighttime in nature

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Camping and RV Recipe of the Week

Corny Crab Cakes
    Make these succulent crab cakes with real crab or the imitation version. The mixture is made ahead and chilled, ready for you to fry to crusty perfection and serve in a jiffy in camp. 

1 cup real mayonnaise
1 egg
14- to 16-ounce package drained lump crabmeat or surimi
1 1/4 cups finely crushed crackers, preferably saltines
1 ½ cups finely diced mixture of onion, green pepper, celery
1 cup cooked corn (8-ounce can, drained)
Oil or butter for frying
Lemon wedges or tartar sauce (optional)




    In a bowl whisk mayonnaise and egg. Stir in crabmeat, breaking up large pieces. Add  vegetables and crumbs. Form into patties and chill 4 to 8 hours. Fry in hot butter, vegetable oil or a mixture of both. Serves 4. Serve with lemon wedge or tartar sauce.

Tips for the Camp Chef

    * An easy way to make a gourmet sauce for fish is to stir finely chopped lox into mayonnaise with lemon juice to taste.

    * In dishes that will be frozen, be conservative with cloves, garlic and pepper (including black pepper and green peppers). They get stronger in time. Other flavors, such as onion, get weaker when frozen and thawed. 

    * How much food is enough for your camp-out? What foods make up an emergency pantry? Survival Food Handbook is a guide to provisioning, preserving and providing great meals with supermarket staples.

    * White coffee cups stained? Fill with water and add a denture cleaning tablet.Let soak. Rinse thoroughly. 

    * Lighten the load. Do you always add salt and pepper to most dishes? Mix one part pepper to six parts salt in one shaker, then add some rice grains to keep the mixture from clumping in damp outdoor air. 

    * Make a quick sandwich spread. Cut up a jar of dried chipped beef and fold into two bricks of softened cream cheese. Add flavor with, say, chopped scallions, capers or a little Dijon mustard. 
 
Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week

 
    Now that so many people are allergic or are eating vegan style, it’s a good idea at campground potlucks to have something for them. Everyone else will love this easy chocolate cake too. 




 Vegan Chocolate Cake 
 (no dairy, no  eggs)

2 cups flour
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup applesauce
½ cup water
½ teaspoon vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 ½ teaspoons instant coffee
1 cup very hot water

    Mix dry ingredients in a clean bag. Grease a 9 X 13-inch baking pan. Set oven for 350 degrees. Put applesauce in a bowl with the water, vinegar and oil. Stir instant coffee into hot water and add to the wet mixture. Dump dry ingredients into wet and mix until everything is evenly moistened . Pour batter into greased pan. Bake 35 minutes or until the cake is firm and springy to the touch. Cool and cut in squares. 

    After the cake cools it can be frosted, sprinkled with powdered sugar or drizzled with a sauce or syrup. Why not provide a choice of toppings so those folks who are on special diets can find one that works for them?

Skillet method: No oven? Grease a cold , heavy, 10-inch  skillet (preferably cast aluminum) and add batter. Cover tightly and cook over low-medium heat until cake pulls slightly away from edges of the pan and is springy to the touch in the center.

Freeze-Ahead Recipe of the Week

 

    Plastic ice cube trays are super cheap in dollar stores and they make a wonderful way to freeze raw meatballs. They’re washable and reusable, or you could also use clean egg cartons and discard them in camp. Thaw meatballs. Bring a can or jar of spaghetti sauce to a boil and drop in meatballs to cook through. 

Meatballs 

 

1 1/4 cups water
2 eggs
1 box Stove Top stuffing for chicken or pork (not cornbread stuffing)
3 pounds ground beef, turkey or a mixture of ground meats

In a bowl whisk eggs and water. Stir in stuffing mix and meat. (I use disposable plastic kitchen gloves, and mix this by hand.) Form into meatballs and freeze. Thaw, then cook thoroughly. 
    If you don't have an egg carton to keep raw meatballs apart, arrange on a cookie sheet, freeze solid, then bag them.

Springtime Camping Recipes

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One Pot Harvest Bowl
    The creamy sauce makes all the difference in this main dish, which can be vegetarian if you wish. 

14-ounce package broccoli florets, cut up if large
1 teaspoon chicken or vegetable bouillon
15-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
2 cans condensed cream of something  soup
½ cup milk
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese from a jar
1 ½ cups frozen peas, thawed

20-ounce package cooked, unbreaded chicken bites OR
about 2 cups cooked meat, poultry, seafood, chopped hardboiled eggs or diced tofu

3 cups prepared quinoa, bulgur or other cooked grain or starch

1 cup cracker or bread crumbs
1/4 stick butter

    In a large pan, cook broccoli in water and bouillon until it’s crisp-tender. In a bowl whisk soups, milk and juice from the tomatoes until it’s smooth. Stir into broccoli with tomatoes, Parmesan, peas, starch and meat, eggs or tofu. Cover and heat over very low heat and serve in shallow soup bowls. In a small skillet melt butter and stir in crumbs until toasty. Spoon some over each bowl. Serves 6.


Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week
Tomato-Corn Succotash
    Bigger crowd than you expected? Just keep adding canned corn, tomatoes or limas to this calico quilt of tasty vegetables.

Large onion, diced
Large green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or bacon fat
2 cans, 15 ounces each, whole kernel corn, drained
2 cans, 15 ounces each, diced tomatoes, drained OR
About 4 cups diced, drained plum tomatoes
1 can green limas, drained
Salt, pepper to taste

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
½ stick butter or 1/4 cup bacon fat

              In a nonstick skillet sizzle onion and pepper in hot oil or fat until they are crisp-tender. Stir in vegetables. Cover and cook over low heat until vegetables are tender.  Salt may not be needed, but add freshly ground pepper to taste. Stir. Sprinkle with grated cheese but do not stir. In another skillet melt butter and stir in bread crumbs until toasty. Sprinkle over vegetables just before serving. Serves 12 to 15.
       

Freeze-Ahead Recipe of the Week
Marrakesh Rice
    Freeze this exotic rice dish in boilable bags and you’ll always have a homemade, gourmet side dish on hand to go with meat from the grill. If you don’t have a freezer for camping, thawed rice will keep in your well-chilled  ice chest for three to four days. 

3 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup sliced almonds
Large onion, diced
1 cup matchstick carrots
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups raw white long-grain rice
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2/3 cups golden raisins
Zest from one whole orange

    In a large pot, heat oil and stir-fry almonds, gradually stirring in onion, carrot, cinnamon and rice. Add broth and raisins. Cover and cook 25 minutes over low heat until rice and vegetables are tender. Fold in orange zest. Cover and let steep while flavors blend.
Serve at once or spread on a large piece of foil to cool. Freeze in batches, allotting ½ to 2/3 cup per serving. To serve, thaw and lower boilable bag into hot water. Can also be heated in microwave, or steamer.

Tips for the Camp Cook

   * Slice a tube of polenta. Brush with Italian dressing. Grill. Serve as a starch side dish or ladle on warmed spaghetti sauce and call it a main dish.

    * Make your own dried herbs for camping. Remove stems from fresh herbs, microwave between layers of paper toweling. Keep cool and dry.
   
    * Keep extra twist ties on hand, not just to close plastic bags but because the wire in them is handy to poke out dried-on bits in grater holes and other tiny places. Lose a screw to your glasses or shades? Use the wire to make a temporary repair.

 

   * Does your dog snarf down food too quickly? Turn this bowl upside down and Fido will have more fun getting at the kibble.  Used right side up, the rubber rim keeps the bowl from skidding and also makes for quieter feeding.

    * Got hangups? Water bottles with carabiner clips can be useful for more than water. Use one for waterproof storage of matches or pills, another for shampoo or body wash to take to the campground showers.  Use one for a bear-proof sugarbowl.


  See Janet Groene's emergency Pantry Recipe of the Week, made with foods you can stow in your RV pantry or camping grub box.  https://boatcook.blogspot.com

Meals, Deals, Ways and Means for Camping from Tents to RVs

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Camp and RV Recipe of the Week

Rags ‘n Eggs
  
A small jar of dried, chipped beef is a powerhouse for the camping grub box. A little goes a long, long way. Don’t add salt. The beef is highly salted. You can always add salt at the table. 

 
Small jar dried chipped beef , torn up
3 tablespoons olive oil
Medium onion, diced (ooptional)
Medium green pepper, seeded and diced (optional)
2 eggs per person
1 tablespoon milk, cream,  evaporated milk or water per 2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon paprika per 4 eggs (optional)
Freshly ground pepper. 


    Tear the beef into “rags” and sizzle in hot olive oil in a large skillet until rags are crispy around the edges. Saute vegetables until crisp-tender. Whisk eggs and liquid and pour into the skillet.  Cover skillet and cook over low heat until eggs set. Pass the pepper grinder. 

Janet demonstrates shortcuts at RV cooking show

As a kid, Janet Groene was a tent camper. Then she lived 10 years on the go, spending winters on board a sailboat with no oven nor refrigeration and summers in a camper with 3-burner propane stove, small oven and small refrigerator. While in the remote islands of the Bahamas she prepared all including breads, pies and birthday cakes without oven, freezer, refrigerator or icebox.
Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week
Mashed Potato Salad

    Nobody will guess that you didn’t make this potato salad from scratch. Instant potatoes shave prep time. Eggs and vegetables add texture.It’s easy to double the recipe.

6 servings instant mashed potatoes (3 cups prepared) or more to taste
4 hard-cooked eggs, diced
Scallions, cut up
Small green sweet pepper, finely diced
2 ribs celery, finely diced
3/4 cup creamy salad dressing such as ranch or more to taste
Minced or dried chives,  parsley (optional)

    Prepare potatoes according to package directions, omitting butter. Cover the pan and let potatoes rest and cool for about 30 minutes. (This steeping time improves texture and flavor). Fold in onion, pepper, celery and dressing. Sprinkle with parsley if you wish.  Serve now or chill. Makes 8 potluck servings.
       
See Janet Groene’s Pantry Recipe of the Week at Boat Cook. Made entirely from shelf ingredients these recipes are ideal for emergencies, prepping and dry camping.
Save money and eat healthier by making your own trail mix, gorp, snacks. Find easy recipes, many requiring no cooking,at Create A Gorp.

Would you like a quick email reminder each time new posts go up here (usually each Friday?) Email janetgroene@yahoo.com and put RV Cook in the subject line.

Tips for the Camp Cook

    * Turn deli salads into a classy cold supper for summer camping. Line a loaf pan or bowl with plastic wrap. Press in a layer of deli potato salad, a layer of deli ham salad or tuna salad,  salad, a layer of deli egg salad, more potato salad. Make a patchwork of colors. Cover, chill, unmold on a platter and dig in. Serve with deli coleslaw, sliced tomatoes and crisp Triscuits on the side.

    * If you’re a snowbird in the Southeast,  thinking of heading north , get the latest edition of Dave Hunter’s invaluable guide Along I-75.  Driving a camper or big rig is safer when you have plenty of advance notice of turns and exits. This book also lists what you’ll find at each exit along the way, from supermarkets and campgrounds to hospitals. 

    * Love this book of more than 200 shortcut recipes for camping and RV travel. It’s Cooking Aboard Your RV, 2nd Edition, for yourself or a gift for a camping newbie. 

    * Sticky rice is also called glutenous rice or sweet rice. Cook it, clump it into small balls, and eat it cold with a soy sauce dip. 

    * Make a mug cake in a large, microwave safe mug. Mix 1/4 cup each flour and sugar, 3 tablespoons each milk and corn oil, 2 tablespoons dry cocoa, small splash vanilla. Mix well with a fork. Nuke 3 minutes on High. May take 30 seconds more in a low-wattage microwave. Cool. It will be very hot.

Freeze-Ahead Recipe of the Week

Wild Rice Casserole


    There is no substitute for real wild rice, which isn’t really rice at all. Serve this as a side dish with meat from the grill or make it a vegetarian main dish. It can be frozen in foil for baking later and it’s also an ideal choice for freezing in boilable bags. Just thaw and heat the bag in hot water. 
      It’s fun to try it with different types of cheese, from Cheddar to caraway jack, or  a different mix of mushrooms. 

 

2 cups wild rice
1 teaspoon salt
6 cups water

½ stick butter
8 ounces or more sliced mushrooms
Large onion, finely diced
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

8-ounce package grated cheese
28-ounce can diced tomatoes

    Cook and drain wild rice according to package directions. Saute mushrooms and onion in butter, gradually adding pepper.  Drain tomatoes, saving juice.  Fold everything together with the cheese and tomatoes, adding juice to taste. Cool and package to freeze. Plan ½ to 3/4 cups per portion as a side dish, 1 ½ to 2 cups as a main dish.

Camping Classic Meals, Recipes and Cooking Tips

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Camping and RV Recipe of the Week
Brats in Beer with Sprouts and Redskin Spuds

4 bratwursts
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Large onion, peeled and quartered12 ounces beer
8 small, red potatoes, scrubbed
12 or more to taste) fresh brussels sprouts, trimmed

2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

    Sizzle brats in hot oil until browned on all sides. Stir in onion and potatoes to pick up brown bits. Add beer and bring to a boil. Add whole sprouts. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes and sprouts are tender. Serve in shallow soup plates. Sprinkle with dried parsley. Serve 4.

Skillet Appleburgers 


1 can apple pie filling
1 ½ to 2 pounds ground chicken or turkey
½ teaspoon dried sage
½ cup dried bread crumbs or oatmeal flakes
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons oil for frying

    Open the can of apple pie filling and run a long, sharp knife down through it to cut apples into small pieces. In a bowl, beat eggs. Stir in ground poultry, sage, bread crumbs or oats and apple pie filling.  Form into  patties and fry on both sides until golden on the outside. Cover until burgers test done at 175 degrees. Serve in buttered buns.
    Cook’s note: Make and chill the mixture ahead of time for convenience and to let  flavors blend. The easiest way to mix and shape these burgers is to wear disposable kitchen gloves.

Tips for the Camp Cook

    * I didn’t realize that dry frosting mix is still available. It’s hard to find but is  lightweight for travel, delicious and made with egg whites so it’s fat free! You do need a good egg beater or electric hand mixer. Order a supply for camping. 

    *Make a snappy snack spread for crackers or roll-ups. Soften an 8-ounce brick of cream cheese at “room” temperature and use a fork to mash in a 4-ounce can of deviled ham and a cup of finely chopped pecans or walnuts.

    * Stainless steel mesh is a tough scrubber for grills and iron cookware. (Don’t use it on nonstick surfaces.)  It lasts for years, resists rust and out-scrubs steel wool all day long.

    * Sofrito is a blend of onions, garlic, green and red peppers and tomato, an all-purpose foundation for many  dishes. Cook it low and slow to develop flavors and evaporate excess moisture.

    * When making  batter for crepes, tempura or deep-fried seafood, let it stand 30 minutes after mixing.

    * Before adding tomato-based food to a plastic storage container, spray it with nonstick pan spray to avoid stains.

Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week
Breakfast Finger Food

     When it’s your turn to bring food to the morning coffee klatch, try something different from the same old donuts and sweet rolls. Serve this addictive finger food in small, disposable cups. “Fig newtons”  now come in many fruit flavors, not just fig.  Choose your favorites or use a combination of two colors such as half apple, half strawberry. Put them on a cutting board and use a sharp  knife to cut each one into 9 pieces.
6 cups diced “newton” cookies
½ cup powdered sugar
1 cup sunflower “nuts”
2 cups yogurt-covered raisins
2 cups whole pecans
1 cup Jordan almonds

    Dice cookies and put  in a large bag with the powdered sugar. Toss gently to coat sticky edges with sugar. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Serve by the half cup  Makes 12 cups.

Freeze-Ahead 
Recipe of the Week
    When you have cookie dough on hand in small batches you can bake only a few a time in your toaster oven. Try this recipe with different nuts and a different flavor extract each time. Add a few drops of red food color for Valentine’s Day and green for St. Patrick’s Day.
Freeze-Ahead Cookie Dough
2 sticks butter
1 cup sugar
1 ½ cups flour
Pinch salt
2 eggs
1 cup chopped nuts

    Mix well, package and freeze. Thaw, drop by teaspoons on a greased cookie sheet and bake about 10 minutes at 375 degrees. 

Bonus: Here’s another drop cookie recipe that also freezes well, bakes easily.
1 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon each baking soda, salt
1 cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar

2 eggs
2 sticks butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups minute oats
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
2 cups chocolate or butterscotch chips (optional)

    Put flour, soda, salt and sugars in a clean bag to mix. Cream butter and eggs. Add vanilla and stir in flour mixture. When it’s well blended fold in oats, nuts and chips. Chill for easier handling. Then package and freeze. To bake, thaw and drop by the spoonful on a greased cookie sheet. Bake about 12 inutes or until browned around the edges at 375 degrees.

See https://solowomanrv.blogspot.com each week for tips and trips for women who travels by RV.
 

Camping and RV Recipes Soup to Nuts

blog copyright Janet Groene, all rights reserved. To ask about placing your ad for one year, one low rate on all six Groene sites, email janetgroene at yahoo.com

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Camping and RV 
Recipe of the Week
Cracker Pancakes
    No time to make real pancakes? Let saltines do the work for you. Is this the craziest idea yet? Try it and see.This is also a good way to use saltines that go stale. 

2 sleeves of  soda crackers
1 to 2 cups water
2 eggs
1 to 3 teaspoons sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon flavoring such as vanilla or almond extract
Butter or vegetable oil for frying

    Put crackers in a plastic bag and smoosh them. Add enough water to soak crackers.  Seal bag and turn over several times to soak crackers thoroughly. Smoosh some more.
    In a bowl, whisk eggs , sugar and flavoring until light.
    When crackers are mushy, punch multiple holes in the plastic bag. Squeeze bag to drain all the water. Stir crackers into the egg mix.
    In a large skillet or griddle,  heat butter or vegetable oil and cook “batter” as for pancakes.  Serve with syrup as for pancakes.
    Variation: Omit flavoring and sugar.  At suppertime, stir finely cut scallions into the mix, fry as above and serve instead of rice with your favorite stir-fry. 


Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week
Pickled Shrimp

   
2 bags, 16 ounces each,  cleaned shrimp
2 lemons or limes
Medium sweet onion
1/4 cup each lemon juice, white wine vinegar and dried parsley flakes
½ cup olive or canola oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon mixed Italian seasoning

    Thaw and drain the shrimp.  Cut lemons or limes in thin wedges. Peel onion and cut it in crescents. Put in a seal-able bag.  In a bowl whisk lemon juice, vinegar, parsley flakes, oil, garlic and seasoning. Pour over shrimp, seal bag and refrigerate or keep in a well-chilled ice chest several hours or overnight. 

    Punch holes in the plastic bag to drain shrimp well. Put shrimp in a serving bowl and discard plastic bag. Provide small skewers or large toothpicks for serving.

    Cook’s note: Don’t drain oily marinade into your RV plumbing, which is bad for the pipes and sensors,  or into the ground, which is illegal.  Use a trash bag.

Tips for the Camp Cook
    * When your white drinking water hose springs a leak, cut it in short pieces to make  protective sheaths for the ice pick, knives, saw blades, scissors. They'll stay quieter in the drawer underway and blades will be protected. Also slip hose over ropes where needed as a chafe guard. Split hose and wrap around  handles, such as the bucket bail,  for easier grip. Slip a length of hose  over the end of a funnel when you need a longer extension. When hose gets grotty, soak in a bleach solution to clean it inside and out. Flat hose also makes a good replacement for broken webbing in outdoor chairs

 
    * Packaged spongecake dessert shells are a huge time saver and they make a show-off dessert. Fill with fresh berries, top with squirt-on whipped cream. 

* Have shortcut recipes for every meal of your camping day from breakfast to bedtime in one, handy paperback book or Kindle file. Order Janet Groene’s Cooking Aboard Your RV for yourself or a gift. 


* Thaw completely a package of small meatballs and open a roll of buttermilk biscuits. Press biscuit dough into greased muffin cups to cover bottom and sides. Then firmly press in a meatball. Bake at 375 degrees until biscuit is browned and puffy. Serve with gravy, salsa, ketchup, cheese sauce, what have you. 






Freeze-Ahead Recipe of the Week
Fruit and Sweet Potato Compote

This simple recipe for nutritious, affordable sweet potatoes is easy to make in camp. Even better, make it at home and freeze it in batches to suit your family. It’s an ideal side dish with ham or chicken or serve it as a sauce over rice, meat, whole grains or more sweet potatoes. 

2 cans, 20 ounces each, pineapple chunks
Small jar maraschino cherries, chopped (optional)
8 cups (or more to taste)  peeled, diced sweet potatoes
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut up

½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Drain cherries and pineapple. Add water to juices to make 2 cups. Bring liquid to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Add apples and sweet potatoes. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until apples and sweet potatoes are just tender. Stir in sugar to dissolve. Turn off heat and stir in vanilla. Freeze in suitable batches Plan ½ to 2/3 cup per side dish serving. 

See a blog for RV women who travel alone at https://solowomanrv.blogspot.com