Cooking, Coping with Campground Meals

Camp and RV Recipe of the Week
Campfire Milk ‘n Honey Chicken

    Serve this creamy chicken over biscuits, toast, crisp or cooked noodles, rice, mashed potatoes, etc. Don’t peek or stir often. This relies on long, low, moist heat. 

1 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon each poultry seasoning, salt, white pepper
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 soup can milk
2 tablespoons honey
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
Small onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
Small red sweet pepper, diced
1 bag crisp chow mein noodles or other base of choice

    Butter a Dutch oven generously. Cut chicken in bite size. Put chicken, flour and seasonings in a large bag and shake to coat chicken. Discard bag.
    Whisk soup, milk and honey and mix in the greased pot with the chicken and remaining ingredients.  Cover pot tightly. Nestle pot in well-started coals or a 325 degree oven and cook 1 to 3 hours or until chicken is very tender and a creamy sauce has formed. This can also be cooked in a slow cooker on Low for 6 to 8 hours.  Stir and serve. Serves 8 to 10. 

Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week
Green Bean Toss-up
    Make this as a side dish for a fish fry or as a vegetarian main dish for the potluck table.  Fresh, frozen or well drained green beans can be used. It’s an easy way to up-fix ordinary canned green beans. 
 

#10 can (about 8 cups) cut green beans
10-ounce can sliced mushrooms
Large white onion, in small dice (optional)
6 thick bacon slices, cut up
6-ounce box cornbread stuffing mix

    Drain green beans and mushrooms well. In a large skillet or wok, fry bacon pieces until crisp. Push aside bacon and stir-fry green beans, onion and mushrooms in hot fat. Toss with stuffing mix and serve at once.Serves 10.
    Vegetarian version: Omit bacon. Stir-fry mushrooms, onion and green beans in 1/4 cup hot olive oil. Just before serving, toss with stuffing mix and 4 ounces crumbled feta or blue cheese. For vegans, choose a non-dairy cheese. 

More RV-ready recipes that take shortcuts, save water, save space, save mess? See 200 recipes plus tips in  Cooking Aboard Your RV, and get an extra copy to give to an RV newbie. https://amzn.to/32Z5wsJ



 






Freeze-Ahead Recipe of the Week
Cook ‘n Carry Stuffed Shells
    Everyone loves this vegetarian Italian classic. It’s so easy to serve in camping when you just have to warm it up. If you  allot two shells per portion, this makes 16 servings. If you use  store-bought spaghetti sauce you’ll need three jars of 24 ounces each.

 

30- to 32-ounce package chopped spinach, thawed and pressed dry.
6 large eggs
3 tubs, 15 ounces each, ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons seasoned bread crumbs.
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Few grinds of black pepper
8-ounce bar mozzarella cheese, shredded
10 to 12-ounce tub of grated dry cheese such as Parmesan
32 jumbo shells
9 cups spaghetti sauce

    While spinach thaws and drains, bring a large pot of water to a boil and boil jumbo shells until they are barely al dente. You may have to work in batches. Fish the shells out out of the pot  carefully (a spaghetti claw works well)  and cool separately on a clean kitchen towel.
    In a large bowl whisk eggs until light, then fold in cheeses and seasonings. When shells are cool enough to handle, fill with ricotta mixture and arrange in ightly sprayed foil  containers for freezing, allowing two jumbo shells per serving.
    When all shells are filled and arranged, spoon spaghetti sauce over them. Cover and freeze up to three months. To serve, thaw and heat in the oven, stove-top oven or Dutch oven.  
Cook's note: If you're going to use shells at once, refrigerate at 38 degrees up to two days

Take a good book to bed with you. Kindles are ideal for camping and with a free Kindle app, you can also read ebooks on your tablet or phone. New in the mysteries by widow Farley Halladay is May Misfire,which takes you from a Florida retirement community to the Virgin Islands for mystery, merriment and a bit of pathos as Farley visits the place where her husband died. https://amzn.to/2Z90kRB


Free Kindle app

https://amzn.to/3awnUvy for PC

for mac  https://amzn.to/39wXmuh
 

Road Food for Camping and Motorhome Trips

Blog copyright janet groene 2020, all rights reserved. To pay $5 a year as a voluntary subscription use your PayPal account to janetgroene at yahool.com Thank you

 Camping and RV Recipe of the Week

Secret Ingredient Sweet Potato  Chili
 
    Chocolate in chili? You betcha! This flavorful vegetarian/vegan chili is a snap for the camp stove, solar cooker, pressure cooker, Dutch oven or a kettle hung over the campfire.  No salt is listed because the canned beans and tomatoes probably contain all you need. Add pepper if you like and/or pass the hot sauce. Serves 6. 

1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Large onion, peeled and diced
4 to 6 cups peeled, sliced  sweet potatoes
Large red sweet pepper, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
30-to 32-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup water or broth
2 cans red beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup uncooked rice
Optional garnish: minced cilantro or parsley

    Mix cocoa powder, chili powder and cumin, then toss lightly with dry vegetables before  adding wet ingredients.

    Slow cooker method: Spray or grease the upper sides of the cooker. Add ingredients except rice and beans. Cook on High one hour. Stir in rice, turn heat to Low and cook 5 to 6 hours more, adding more water if needed. Stir in beans to heat through.
    Solar cooker method: Follow instructions above, adding rice after mixture is hot. Continue cooking until rice and vegetables are tender.
    Pressure Cooker method: Assemble ingredients as above and bring to a boil. Stir in rice and raise to full pressure. For white rice, cook 2 minutes and brown rice 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let pressure return to normal. Stir and serve.
    Dutch oven method: Spray sides of Dutch oven with nonstick spray. Then proceed as above, adding rice after mixture is hot. Top and surround with well-started coals for an hour until rice is tender.
    Stove Top Method: In a roomy skillet or kettle over high heat, sizzle diced onion and pepper in 2 tablespoons hot vegetable oil, gradually stirring in spices, garlic and sweet potatoes to coat. Add tomatoes, water and beans. Bring to a boil, stir in rice, cover and reduce heat. Cook 20 to 30 minutes without stirring until rice and vegetables are tender. Stir and serve. 

 

Book Five in Janet Groene's cozy mystery Yacht Yenta series is now out, packed with humor, pathos, galley recipes and a little bit of murder. It's May Misfire, which takes widow Farley Hallday back to St. Thomas and leaves Cap at home with a man who claims to be his illegitimate son.   https://amzn.to/2Z90kRB



 
Tips for the Camp Chef

    * Learn to use a wand blender. Make smoothies, sauces, purees, mashed potatoes. A “stick” blender stows in little space, uses little electricity and is easy to clean.

    * Know your galley materials. A plastic of fiberglass galley sink will be etched by acids and scratched by abrasives such as kitchen cleanser. 

    * Instead of pot pie, make Tot pie. Warm canned stew or chili in a skillet. Top with Tater Tots in an even layer. Cover and heat through.

    * Make a light supper with a mug of hot cream soup and your fill of the Whirlagigs shown below.  

 FULFILL YOUR DREAM OF RV FULL-TIMING
Living Aboard Your RV, 4th Edition,  a Guide to the Full-time Life on Wheels,  starts with making the decision and takes you through the process every step of the way including easing out when and if that time comes. It's based on my ten years as a happily homeless full-timer. https://amzn.to/2xgN3fv
  



Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week 

Whirlagigs
    Everyone loves finger foods for camping. Here’s one to make ahead. Use regular or flavored tortillas such as tomato basil or spinach.


2 bricks cream cheese, 8 ounces each
1-ounce envelope dry ranch seasoning mix
½ cup each finely chopped green onion, green pepper, celery, well-drained black olives and red sweet pepper
1 tablespoon drained capers (optional)
5 12-inch flour tortillas

 
    Soften cream cheese at room temperature and stir in seasoning mix well. Then fold in remaining ingredients. Spread on tortillas, roll up and wrap tightly. Chill. Slice one inch thick.  Makes about 30.




FREEZE-AHEAD RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Condensed Tuscan White Bean Stew

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces deli baked ham or pancetta, chopped fine
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 large onions, diced
Large carrot, diced
1 cup diced fennel bulb
1 cup diced celery
4 cups water
6 bouillon cubes (chicken or vegetable)
1 teaspoon freshly ground peppercorns
1 pound washed and chopped kale (about 6 cups)
½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1/4 cup dried parsley flakes
14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes

2 cans drained and rinsed white beans such as Great Northern or cannellini

    In a large kettle heat oil and stir-fry meat  over high heat while gradually adding garlic,  onion, carrot, fennel and celery. Add water and dissolve bouillon. Add kale and keep pressing down into boiling water until it wilts, then add remaining ingredients except beans. Cover and simmer over very low heat until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat and stir in beans. Do not add salt.  Mixture will be very thick and salty. Cool and freeze, allowing 1 ½ cups per portion.
    To serve: Thaw and heat with ½ cup water per portion. This makes a two-cup serving. Top each with 1 teaspoon dry white wine and a generous sprinkling of grated dry cheese.

Motorhome Meals, Campfire Feasts

Blog copyright Janet Groene 2020, all rights reserved. To donate $5 a year as a voluntary subscription to this weekly blog, use your PayPal account to janetgroene at yahoo.com

 

 
Camping and RV Recipe of the Week
Corned Beef Strombolis
 
    Corned beef is salty,  so it’s best to use no- or low-salt ingredients. For camping, corned beef is an ideal back-up food because you can do so much with it and a little can go a long, long way.  It keeps for years.

 











 

8 to 10 hamburger or hot dog buns, lightly buttered
12-ounce can corned beef
4-ounce package (1 cup)  grated Cheddar cheese
½ cup ketchup
1/4 cup relish

    Scrape excess fat from corned beef and discard. Break up beef with a fork, gradually mixing in cheese, ketchup and relish.  Stuff  buns and wrap them in foil. Grill over medium heat, turning often, until buns are toasty and filling is gooey. Unwrap carefully and eat out of the foil. 

Each week see a new pantry recipe that requires no fresh foods. See Janet Groene’s BoatCook for the Pantry Recipe of the Week.


Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week
Calypso Chicken

 
    Like the biblical “loaves and fishes” this fruity dish can serve more folks with the addition of more rice. Canned chunk chicken can be used instead of cooked, packaged chicken bites.  

20-ounce can pineapple tidbits
2 packages 12 ounces each, fully cooked chicken  bites (not breaded)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup snipped dried mango
1/2 cup snipped dried apricots
2 bananas OR
½ cup snipped dried plums
½ stick butter
4 to 6 cups cooked rice

    Drain pineapple. Heat the juice in a stove-to-table pot and add dried fruits. Let stand at least 10 minutes. Add additional ingredients, heat well and serve.
    Slow cooker method: Assemble as above and cook 2 hours on Low or 1 hour on High.

A plucky widow’s grief plays out in pages filled with pathos, cooking, caring, crime solving and some  surprising smiles in March Malice, Book 3 in the Yacht Yenta e-book mysteries. Farley Halladay’s husband died in a fall from the mast on board their sailboat in the Virgin Islands. Yet she's still salt-cured and determined to go on. Sail the seven seas with her now as she operates her charter boat booking agency.  https://amzn.to/2vOAho5

Tips for the Camp Cook

    * Use a scrap of thin wall 3-inch PVC pipe, any length, to stow plastic grocery bags. Just stuff them in one end, pull them out the other end. 

    * It costs little to buy and carry a bouquet of reflector stakes to use around the campsite. They’re easy to put in, easy to remove when you leave.   https://amzn.to/2yPuoIf

    * Instant black forest tarts! Enclose chocolate-covered cherries in   pastry, allowing plenty of room to spread.Seal well. Bake in the oven or in a pie iron over the campfire.  Careful. Filling will be blazing hot.

    * Need a holder for taco shells while filling them? Turn a cupcake pan upside down.

Freeze-Ahead Recipe of the Week
Brazilian Fejoada
    The national dish of Brazil is made many ways around that vast nation. Here is one version that freezes well for future camp-outs.

 

2 strips thick-cut bacon, cut up
3 pounds boneless pork, cut in bite size
1 to 2 pound beef for stew, cut up
2 large onions, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
12-ounce link smoked sausage, cut up
2 bay leaves
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 cups water
1 can or packet refried black beans (about 1 ½ cups)
4 to 6 cups drained canned or cooked black beans

    In a large kettle fry out bacon and continue stir-frying in the rendered fat over high heat to brown pork and beef. Gradually stir in onions, garlic and sausage. Add water, bouillon and bay leaves. Stir, cover and simmer until meats are very tender.  Remove bay leaves. Stir in refried beans to break them up, then fold in black beans. Cool, package and freeze. Allow 1 to 1 ½ cups per portion.
    To serve: thaw, heat and serve as is or with rice and/or additional water, bouillon or broth. This is traditionally served with rice and orange wedges.

Camping, Cooking and Motorhome Meals

Blog copyright janet groene 2020, all rights reserved. Janet Groene’s six blogs reach travelers, RVers, campers, foodies and boaters. To ask about placing  one ad for one year at one low rate on all six sites, email janetgroene@yahoo.com.

 These easy, shortcut recipes give you more time for campground fun.

Camp and RV Recipe of the Week
    Add fresh onion and pepper to wake up canned roast beef, and add curry to complete this one-pot feast. Curry powders vary greatly. Proceed with caution. Practice makes perfect.

Shortcut Beef Curry for Two

2 tablespoons olive oil
Small onion, diced
Small green bell pepper, diced                   
1 to 2 teaspoons curry powder
10- to 12-ounce can sliced beef in gravy, cut up
14,5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 beef bouillon cube
1 ½ cups water
3/4 cup raw rice

    Heat the oil and stir in vegetables, then the curry powder. Add  beef in gravy, tomatoes, bouillon and water. Bring to a boil, add rice, cover and reduce heat. Cook 20 minutes for white rice, 30-40 minutes for brown rice. Stir and serve in shallow soup plates. Makes 2 portions.

Tips for the Camp Cook

* To remove stains from melamine dishes, try a paste made from 1/4 cup baking soda or cream of tartar and 1 tablespoon hydrogen peroxide. Smear on stains. Let dry. Wash as usual.

    * Mash a little French vanilla or caramel flavor coffee creamer into boiled sweet potatoes.

    * Make an easy Florentine sauce for grilled or fried chicken, pork chops  or fish. Chop two handfuls of baby spinach. Heat a can of condensed cream of chicken soup with half a soup can of light cream and ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg. Stir in spinach and cook two minutes or until spinach is tender. 


    * Peel, quarter and freeze onions. They are easier to shop while frozen. No tears.


Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week

Creamy Sweet ‘n Sour Slaw

    When it’s your turn to bring a vegetable or salad, trot out this easy recipe. Sour cream adds a tangy twist. It can be served warm, at ambient temperature or chilled. 

Large bag coleslaw mix with red cabbage
Large  bag coleslaw mix with carrot
1 cup sugar, divided
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups sour cream
Salt, pepper
Minced parsley or chives (optional)

    In a roomy bowl  sprinkle cabbage with half the sugar and let it stand 10-30 minutes. Bring remaining  ½ cup sugar, ginger and the vinegar to a boil,  then mix well with cabbage. Stir in sour cream.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. To serve, sprinkle with dried parsley or chives if you wish. Serves 8 to 10.  

If you want a quick e-mail reminder each time this blog posts (usually each Friday) email janetgroene@yahoo.com and put RV Cook in the subject line.

Have you started the the kicky new Yacht Yenta mysteries yet?  Travel the seven seas without leaving your sleeping bag and the glow of your Kindle. Start with April Avenger, then go back and read  January Justice, February Felony and March Malice while you wait for the release of May Misfire.

January Justice https://amzn.to/32WBaqO
 February Felony https://amzn.to/3aEcZQP                       
March Malice  https://amzn.to/2vOAho5
April Avenger https://amzn.to/2WFQR4I

Don’t have a Kindle? Get the free Kindle app and read ebooks on your laptop tablet, phone or pad. 
 PC  https://amzn.to/31lQT0u
For mac  https://amzn.to/39wXmuh
   

Freeze Ahead Recipe of the Week
Condensed Poblano Chile Soup 
Heat and add water.   
   
3 to 4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 cups diced onions
3 cups diced fresh poblano chiles
2 cups husked, diced, tomatillos
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried thyme
4 cups water
8 chicken bouillon cubes or 8 teaspoons powdered chicken bouillon
4 cups cooked rice, whole kernel corn  or drained and rinsed white hominy

    Cut chicken in bite size. In a large kettle brown chicken in hot oil, gradually stirring in onion and garlic. You may have to work in batches.  Add vegetables, seasonings, water and bouillon. Cover and simmer until chicken is done.   Remove from heat and stir in rice, corn or hominy. Cool and package, allowing one cupful per portion. This will make a two-coup portion. Freeze.
    To serve, thaw and heat with one cup water per one cup soup mix. Serve garnished with sour cream, minced cilantro and/or sliced  radishes.

Camping Meals for Travel or Home

blog copyright janet groene, all rights reserved. To ddonate $5 a year as a voluntary subscription to these weekly posts use your PayPal account to Janet Groene at yahoo.com

Camp large with toys or just  pitch a tent in the woods

 
Camping and RV Recipe of the Week

Mushroom  and Cashew Feast
    Creamy, meaty and delicious,  this vegetarian dish can be spooned over biscuits, campfire-baked potatoes, rice,  grits or almost  any starch base you have on hand. Canned mushrooms can also be used.
 

3 to 4 cups chopped,  mixed  mushrooms
1 stick butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups  broken cashews

    Clean, trim and cut up mushrooms and saute in butter with garlic. Whisk flour and nutmeg  into one cup of cold milk and add to the pan with the other cup of milk.  Stir over medium heat to make a creamy sauce.. Spoon over base of choice. and sprinkle with cashews.  Serves 6 to 8. 

Cozy reading at home or in your sleeping bag? Start Janet Groene’s Yacht Yenta mysteries by her pen name Farley Halladay.  Farley is a widow. Read about her loss of a beloved husband, her  memories of the seven seas, her cooking and her crime solving. Funny, poignant and just scary enough to keep you guessing.  Book One (of four so far)  is January Justice https://amzn.to/32WBaqO
 


Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week
Zucchini Fritters
    When it’s your turn to bring a vegetable dish to the campground potluck, these fritters are easy to make on the stove-top to serve now or reheat later.

1  cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon each salt and cayenne pepper
1/4 cup grated dry cheese such as Parmesan
2 teaspoons dried basil

1 1/4  cup milk soured with 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil

2 ½ cups shredded zucchini
Small shallot,  diced fine
Large red sweet pepper, seeded and diced fine

Oil for frying

    In a bowl mix dry ingredients. Stir in milk and oil to make a batter. Fold in zucchini, onion  and red pepper. Cook in oiled pan as for pancakes. Keep warm. Serves 10 to 12.

      Tips for the Camp Cook

    * Frozen hashbrowns aren’t just for campers who have a freezer. They’ll  keep in the ice chest for several days. Make them more interesting. Just before cooking, mix in a tad of other grated root vegetables such as carrot, turnip, parsnip, rutabaga, daikon.

    * Save and clean the top from a plastic container of disinfecting wipes. It’s the perfect size to make a burger mold. Line with a waxed paper patty paper, then pack with seasoned burger mix and flip up the lid to push out the formed  burger.  Also works as a biscuit cutter.

    * Make a one-dish hobo meal. Make up a package of scalloped potato mix using stove-top directions. Stir in cut up hot dogs or diced Spam and a can of barbecue beans. Heat and eat.

    * Combine three cans of almost any flavors condensed soups in a kettle with 2 soup cans of water and a 12-ounce can of whole kernel corn with juice. If it’s too thick add water or broth. Heat through, spoon into bowls and garnish with grated cheese.  Serves 4.

Freeze-Ahead Recipe of the Week Cranberry Burgers

    Freeze them raw or cooked. Make them with your choice of ground meat. It’s easy to double this recipe. 

2 eggs
1/4 cup currant jelly
1 teaspoon each salt, pepper
2 to 3 pounds ground turkey
2/3 cup each bread crumbs and dried cranberries
Medium onion, diced fine
1 teaspoon minced garlic

    In a bowl whisk eggs with jelly, salt and pepper. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Form into patties and cook thoroughly now, cool and freeze,  or freeze raw.
    To keep raw or cooked patties separate in freezing use patty papers or better still,  slip each into a sandwich.bag.

Easy Meals for RV Travel and Camping Cooks

blog copyright janet groene 2020. To donate $5 a year as a voluntary subscription use your PayPal account to janetgroene at yahoo.com

I’ve joked that I can cook a five-course meal in a telephone booth. How can I help you stretch space, dollars and time in your RV travel or tent camping life?

CAMP AND RV RECIPE OF THE WEEK

Cici Cassoulet (say cah-soo-LAY)

    How about lamb for a change? This is a one-dish classic that cooks on top of the stove or in the oven, solar cooker, crock pot or campfire. Depending on your cooking method, you may have to add water if it dries out during cooking.

2 pounds cubed, boneless lamb for stew
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon each salt, pepper

1. Pat meat dry with paper toweling. Put dry ingredients in a disposable bag and shake to mix, then add lamb and shake again to coat lamb. Discard bag. Put lamb in a cooking pot with:

Large onion, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup white wine or white grape juice 

2. Rinse and drain

 2 cans, 15 ounces each, cici peas,
 also known as garbanzo beans or chickpeas. Set aside until lamb is done.
   
Stovetop method: Bring to a boil, cover and cook over low heat until lamb is tender, adding water if needed.  Add beans and heat through.

Slow cooker method: Put everything in a slow cooker and cook 6 to 8 hours on Low. Add beans and heat through.

Dutch oven method: Put everything in a Dutch oven and put in the campfire. Surround oven with well-started coals and keep at a low simmer 1 hour or until lamb in tender, adding water if needed. Stir in beans and heat through. Dutch oven can also be placed in a 325-degree oven for 90 minutes.

Solar method: Put everything in the solar cooker and give cooking a jump start by heating the wine or grape juice first. When lamb is tender (time depends on sun and wind) stir in cici’s and heat for another 30 to 60 minutes.

Pressure cooker method: Bring lamb, onion and wine to full pressure for 10 minutes. Let pressure normalize on its own or by quick-cooling (see your cooker’s instruction manual), then stir in cici’s to heat through.

Serve in shallow soup plates alone or over hot rice. 

Never be caught again with an empty pantry at home or away  during a quarantine or other food emergency.   Be ready with the Survival Food Handbook. It’s  about ordinary supermarket staples, how to plan, how to choose, how to use them even if you’re short of water, or the electric is off, or you're low on fuel. https://amzn.to/2IoKevc
 


Campground Potluck
Recipe of the Week
Deviled “Crab”

    Use economical, imitation crabmeat in this tangy treat.

1 pound imitation crab, flaked
4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
Small jar chopped pimentos, drained
1 stick butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 ½ cups milk
1 teaspoon each salt,  white pepper
½ teaspoon dry mustard such as Coleman’s
1 cup bread crumbs

    Butter a 9 X 13-inch casserole and arrange a mixture of the crab, pimentos and eggs. In a medium skillet, melt butter and stir in flour. Stir in milk to form a smooth sauce. Stir in pepper, mustard and salt. Pour sauce over crab mixture. Top with bread crumbs and bake at 350 degrees until bubbly. Serves 6 to 8.



Tips for the Camp Chef

    * Add a tablespoon  of dry gelatin dessert mix to pancake batter to add color, sweetness and flavor.

    * To make flour-less peanut butter cookies you need 1 ½ cups sugar, 2 cups peanut butter, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 eggs and 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda. Bake drop cookies at 325 degrees.

    * One of the easiest and most satisfying desserts is this Caribbean classic. Spread saltine crackers with cream cheese and guava jelly.  

* Make Rice-a-Roni according to package directions. Fold in a small, well drained can of crushed pineapple and spoon over butter- braised chicken breasts.

    * Turn canned soup into a gourmet presentation. Put a small pat of butter and a pinch of oregano, dillweed,  parsley flakes or tarragon in the soup bowl and ladle on the hot soup. Melted butter and herbs will float to the top. 

Best reading by lantern light (or no light at all) are Kindle and Nook books. Start the Yacht Yenta  “cozy” mysteries by Farley Halladay and discover her with her gang of loonies for four books, going on five. Start with Book 4, April Avenger, and work back to January Justice.
https://amzn.to/2WFQR4I



Freeze Ahead Recipe of the Week

Your Own Breakfast Scramblers

    You’ve seen them in the supermarket. Now make your own breakfast hash for scramblers. Freeze by the batch and cook later after adding  egg(s). Vary the mixture each time  with different cheeses and seasonings. 

    These freezable, microwave-able, 16-ounce containers are disposable at this price, or wash them to re-use. You get a set of 40. https://amzn.to/3cXcYZS

1 pound sausage, cooked and crumbled or cut up
8 cups scrubbed, diced red potatoes
2 cups diced onion
8- to 12-ounce  package matchstick carrots
 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried dillweed OR
1 teaspoon caraway seed
Small jar diced pimentos, well drained OR
Small can sliced ripe olives, well drained
8-ounce package grated cheese (optional)

    Cook sausage and break it up. Remove any excess fat. Stir-fry potatoes, onions and carrots in remaining fat. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cheese can be added not, when cooking later, or not at all. Freeze in batches, allowing 1 to 1 ½ cup per portion.
    Thaw in a skillet or microwave and stir in an egg or two until egg is cooked and hash is heated through. 

Cooking Aboard Your RV is a nice addition to your galley to help with planning, provisioning and providing shortcut meals on the go. Makes a nice gift for newbies too, and how about a copy for Dad for Father's Day?  https://amzn.to/2xgN3fv

Camp Cooking for the Homebound Family

Copyright Janet Groene 2020. To ask about placing your one for one year, one low rate on all six Groene sites contact janetgroene at yahoo.com

Sheltered in place, we are all camp cooks now!

Galley Recipe of the Week
Calico Ham Stew

    Shelter in place with this hearty one dish meal. Ham provides meaty goodness.  And this entire meal can be made from pantry ingredients! 


Small can of chunk ham, drained and broken up
15-ounce can diced potatoes, drained well OR
2 cups scrubbed, diced, cooked potatoes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cups water, divided
3 chicken, vegetable, ham or beef bouillon cubes
1 teaspoon celery seed
2 tablespoon dried, diced onion OR
Medium onion, diced
½ teaspoon crumbled thyme
15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced carrots, drained
15-ounce can  red beans, black-eyed peas or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon cornstarch

    Add water to juice from the ham to make 3 ½ cups. In a large pot sizzle diced ham and potatoes in hot oil until browned. Add 3 ½ cups water, bouillon, celery seed, onion and thyme. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in beans and carrots.
    Stir cornstarch into ½ cup of cold water until smooth. Stir into hot stew over high heat until sauce thickens. Serves 6.
Cook’s Note  For more portions and colors,  add a can of mixed vegetables.  

The Survival Food Handbook is a complete guide to provisioning your camper or boat for food emergencies, refrigerator failure, fire ban and other disruptions. Use supermarket foods, not that expensive freeze-dried stuff, and eat conventional meals while shut in.    https://amzn.to/2IoKevc


 
Tips for the Camp Cook
    
 
    * My favorite sparker is a piezo lighter that needs no flints, fuel  nor batteries. It makes a spark to light a gas flame. Note that it does not make a flame to light candles or a fire. It's perfect for the gas stove and other gas fixtures and in never wears out https://amzn.to/2yV2ieO

AT right is another piezo-electric lighter for gas. It's long-nosed for those hard-to reach spots in the camper fridge, furnace and water heater. It can also be ordered with a 20-inch extender. It requires a C battery. https://amzn.to/2Sz95lJ

    * Drop a rice cake into thin soup and turn it into a heartier meal.

    * If you make room in your on-board freezer for a few blocks of “blue” ice you’ll have back-up in case of fridge failure.

    * Binder clips, http://amzn.to/1r0wEmR come in myriad sizes for dozens of uses around the galley. They grip, join, bind and hang up on a hook such as a cup hook. Catch a corner of a tea towel, wash cloth, hand towel, recipe card, garment, pot holder or anything you need to hang in a handy spot and it’s held securely. Keep a reserve supply. They rust eventually.
  




Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week
Carrots Ole!
    When it’s your turn to bring a vegetable side dish, you’ll get compliments for this colorful and unusual dish. Commercial size canned foods are available now in Walmart and many other supermarkets. They’re a huge time saver.

 

#10 can sliced carrots
1 stick butter
Medium red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
Medium green bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/3 cup tequila

    Heat and drain carrots and put in a serving dish to serve now or nuke later. Add a few grinds of fresh pepper. (They probably already contain salt.)
      In a skillet, cook bell peppers in melted butter just until crisp tender. Stir in cumin and tequila. Pour over carrots.  Serves 8 to 10. 

PLENTY OF POWER FOR RV COOKING
    This beefy 50-amp hookup stands up to weather, wear and accidents. It twists and locks into place and has two bright LED lights to indicate incorrect electrical flow. It’s available in 25 and 50 feet.  https://amzn.to/2WhOwv7 


Freeze-Ahead Camping Recipe of the Week
    Make a big batch, then freeze in portions right-sized for you even if you’re only a crew of one. Use any unseasoned, canned beans in this recipe, more or less to suit your taste and your budget. I like a mixture of canellini and navy beans and black-eyed peas.     This is an ideal dish to freeze in boilable bags. 
 
Turkey Tropicale                       

1 boneless turkey breast roast, 3 to 4 pounds,  cooked and diced  
32-ounce carton chicken or turkey broth                     
1 bunch celery, sliced
2 large onions, diced
20-ounce can pineapple chunks
3 navel oranges, peeled and sectioned
1/3 cup minced cilantro
2 to 3 cans white beans, drained and rinsed 

    Put the diced turkey and any pan juices in a large pot. Add broth,  celery, onions, pineapple with its juice, oranges and cilantro. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until celery and onion are tender. Remove from heat and stir in beans. Cool and package, allowing 1 ½ to 2 cups per serving. Thaw, heat and serve as is or over rice. 
Cook's note: for more compact storage, use less broth now and add water or broth in camp to thin the stew to taste.