Copyright Janet Groene 2026. To ask about rates to reprint this content email janetgroene (at) yahoo.com
OK, it’s still pretty cold out there, but let’s get out there and camp, cook and canoodle like we mean it!
RV & Camping Recipe of the Week
English Pub Grub Onion Rolls
These moist, messy rolls make a meal when you add a cup of soup and a bouquet of carrot and celery sticks. Almost any cheese can be used if it’s melty and not too stringy Don’t skimp on the onions. They cook down.
8 to 10 fillable buns or rolls (such as oversize hot dog buns or pillowy hoagie rolls)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 slices bacon, cut up
2 pounds onions, diced (4 to 5 cups)
6-ounce package shredded Cheddar or jack cheese
Set out the buns on a surface with room to spread them open. Slit and spread.
In a large skillet, sizzle the bacon and oil over medium heat until the bacon gives off fat and is cooked. Add the onions and stir-fry until the onions are tender. Using a draining spoon, fill the buns with as much onion as they will hold. Add cheese. Let stand a minute until the heat of the onions melts the cheese. Flip buns closed and serve at once.
Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week
(Also our Vegetarian Recipe and Black Pot Recipes of the Week)
Beggar’s Banquet
This affordable recipe makes 8-10 servings and it's easily multiplied. To add more color and interest, vary the vegetables: green or red pepper, diced jicama, corn, thawed green peas, black or white canned beans, cut green beans, ad inf.
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A little ketchup adds a final blush |
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
2 large ribs celery, diced
Large onion, peeled and diced
1 cup regular rice
1 cup lentils, rinsed and picked over
4 cups water
4 beef, chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes
1 can kidney beans
½ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon ketchup
Optional: hot sauce
In a large pot, heat the oil and stir-fry vegetables until they soften. Gradually stir in the rice and lentils to coat, then add water and bouillon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer over low heat until the rice and lentils are tender. Stir in undrained beans, thyme, pepper and ketchup and continue heating over very low heat just until everything is heated through. Adjust seasonings and serve. Pass the hot sauce.
HOW ABOUT A SPRINGTIME CAMPING TRIP TO WYOMING? There's still some snow and the hot springs are the same temperature all year. Beat the crowds. See https://solowomanrv.blogspot.com and scroll down to past posts.
GIVE THE GIFT OF FREEDOM TO a Retiree, Empty Nester, Suddenly Single, New Graduate or Burned Out Colleague
Our story is told start to end, warts and all..... We full-timed for 10 great years.
Do you dream of living and traveling in a complete home on wheels? Living Aboard Your RV, 4th Edition by Janet Groene & Gordon Groene is a total guide to the full-time life on wheels. Should you sell the house or rent it out? Downsize possessions or put them in storage? Too young to retire? See our chapter on ways to make a living anywhere. Kids on board? We cover home schooling and also an exit strategy if and when the time comes to settle down. Order at any book store or let Amazon gift wrap and ship it for you. https://amzn.to/29XFEkq
MAKE AHEAD RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Use a rainy day to make supersize recipes. Then freeze and package in right-size portions for your future camp-outs from one serving to a dozen. This recipe makes enough for 12 to 16 portions.
Granny’s Creamy
Chicken ‘n Noodles
Versions of chicken and noodles have been family favorites since time began. Freeze in foil or in boilable bags for easy heating in camp.
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken
2 pounds linguine, cooked according to package directions
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon curry powder
Large onion, diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
3 cups half and half
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
Dice chicken. Cook linguine and drain, saving some of the pasta water.
In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry chicken in hot oil, stirring in curry, onion and garlic until chicken is firm and onion tender. Whisk together soup and half and half. Combine chicken mixture, linguine mixture and pasta water to taste. Cook over low-medium heat until it’s heated through. Cool and package for the freezer. In camp thaw, heat and stir.
THE GIFT THAT GIVES ALL YEAR
AT HOME AND ON THE GO
For yourself or a gift, Janet Groene's timeless RV cookbook is packed with shortcuts, tips and 270 easy, delicious recipes to cook inside the camper or outside on the campfire, camp stove or grate.
BONUS RECIPE
Coleslaw Chicken Salad
Here’s a way to turn a pound of shredded chicken into a tangy, healthful salad for a crowd.
1 package red cabbage slaw mix
1 package angle hair coleslaw mix
Large red onion, cut in paper-thin crescents
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
16-ounce tub of shredded chicken barbecue (e.g. Lloyd’s)
Bottled Asian sesame-ginger salad dressing
In a large bowl, toss coleslaw mixes with onion and soy sauce to mix well. Add barbecue a little at a time, tossing lightly to mix well with cabbage mixture. Add dressing to taste. Chill or serve at “room” temperature. Serves 10.
PANTRY RECIPE OF THE WEEK
In this regular feature we show a recipe made entirely from ingredients that can be kept on hand for emergencies. No fresh foods needed. For more recipes from the shelf and tips on prepping for small spaces, see Survival Food Handbook below.
Oh-So-Good Orzo Salad
3 cups water
2 teaspoons chicken soup base or powdered chicken bouillon
1 cup orzo
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
Small can sliced black olives, well drained
1/4 cup stuffed green olives, chopped
½ cup diced pepperoni, jerky or other shelf-stable sausage
Bottled vinaigrette to taste
½ cup grated cheese
Bring water and bouillon to a boil, add orzo and cook until tender. Turn off heat and let stand, covered, until orzo it won’t absorb any more broth. Drain excess broth. Mix cooled orzo with tomatoes, olives, meat and vinaigrette to taste. Sprinkle with cheese. Serves 4.
Vegan version: substitute vegetable bouillon, eliminate jerky and cheese and add a drained, rinsed can of chickpeas.
TRAVEL EMERGENCIES HAPPEN
How much food will you need for a week in the woods for two adults and two kids? A month in a remote, fly-in fish camp? A two-week power outage in your forest cabin? See Survival Food Handbook for lists, tips on buying and stowing, and recipes that need no fresh ingredients. Be prepared for unexpected delays, a sudden evacuation, refrigerator failure, supply chain interruptions. http://amzn.to/1WdYqbe
Campers have limited storage space for emergency food. Survival Food Handbook is just for van campers, truckers, RV travelers and boaters. Make the most of every ounce, inch and dollar. Have a stash of staples you will use and replenish. Keep a few emergency meals on hand in case there is a sudden evacuation, fridge failure, shelter-in-place order or other unplanned speed bump on your journey. http://amzn.to/1WdYqbe
NO BAKE DESSERT OF THE WEEK
Blueberry Lemon Parfait
1 cup graham cracker or cookie crumbs
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup lemon flavor yogurt
Thawed tub of whipped topping (you may not need it all)
About 12 lemon drop hard candies
Make four to six parfaits by layering the crumbs, blueberries and yogurt, ending with whipped topping. Place the lemon drops in a clean cloth and hammer them to powder. Sprinkle atop parfaits for a sparkling finish.
Do you still do the old onion soup mix and 5-pound pot roast thing in a roasting pan or crock pot? Try adding a can of beer. More tips? Receive two dozen or so camp cook tips chosen randomly from my files. Email janetgroene@yahoo.com and put Camp Cook Tips in the topic line. Tips will be send by return email.
Foil Meal of the Week
Hearty Hash Bowls
Packaged tortilla bowls come in crisp or soft, corn or flour.
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| photo credit Ortega |
Large onion
4 ready-made taco bowls
1 or 2 cans roast beef hash
Small can whole kernel corn, drained
Optional: add a few drops of hot sauce
4 teaspoons real bacon bits
French fried onions
Optional garnish: diced tomato, shredded lettuce, sour cream and/or, sliced scallions
Lay out four sheets of foil and grease centers. Cut four thick slices from the whole onion and place on the foil. Top with a taco bowl. Fill bowl with roast beef hash, corn and top with bacon bits and a sprinkling of French fried onions.
