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CAMPING & RV RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Cold October nights call for mugs of hot drinks around the campfire. Here’s something different for change. To stretch your fresh milk supply, make this hot drink with reconstituted powdered or evaporated milk.
Butterscotch Punch
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup water
1 tablespoon butter
Pinch salt
6 cups fresh milk or equivalent
1 teaspoon vanilla extract OR
½ teaspoon each vanilla and almond
Stir sugar and the half cup water over medium heat fire to dissolve, gradually stirring in butter and salt. Reduce heat, stir in milk heat to steaming. Remove from heat and stir in extract(s). Serve in mugs. Optional: add a tot of butterscotch schnapps.
Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week
Cold Oven Pie Crust
Need a pie crust in a hurry? This is even quicker than making a crumb crust. For easier cutting use a serrated knife.
½ stick butter
½ cup sifted confectioners sugar
1 3/4 cups shredded coconut
Melt butter. Mix in coconut and most of the sugar, saving a little for shaping the crust. Dip your fingers in powdered sugar to press coconut evenly on bottom and sides of a deep, 9-inch pie plate. Cool thoroughly or chill, then add filling and chill until serving time. Serves 8.
Suggested filling:
2 packets 4 servings each, French vanilla pudding mix
3 ½ cups milk
4-5 coconut “haystack” candies, chopped
Whisk milk and pudding mix until well blended, then pour into cold crust. Top with chopped candy. Chill.
SKILLET MEAL OF THE WEEK
Ham and Egg Dinnerole
Add asparagus to turn your favorite breakfast ingredients into a super supper dish. Pre-diced, cooked ham comes in refrigerated vac packs that have an extended use-by date.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 to 8 spears fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut up
1 to 1 ½ cups diced onion with a little green pepper
8-to-14-ounce package diced, fully cooked ham
2 cans condensed cream of something soup
Small can evaporated milk
1/3 cup water or broth
8 hard-cooked eggs, diced
About 2 cups small croutons or cooked rice, pasta, ramen or other starch
Suggested garnish: Buttered bread crumbs, crisp Chinese noodles, crushed potato chips
Saute vegetables in hot oil until crisp-tender, gradually adding ham. Continue cooking over low-med heat while adding soup, milk and water or broth.
When everything is hot and creamy, fold in diced eggs and the starch ingredient. Bonus points: Top with something crunchy.
BONUS RECIPE
Getaway Muffins
When you have to dash out in the wee hours to get to a “first come” campsite, here’s how to have a totally nutritious breakfast in a hurry. Grab a couple of these meal-size muffins and you’re on your way.
Keep a dozen in the freezer to nuke when you need them. Note that they contain no dairy. Tomato sauce adds piquant flavor and extra vitamins.
Small can crushed pineapple, well drained
1 cup grated carrots
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
8-ounce can of tomato sauce (1 cup)
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil such as canola
Juice from canned pineapple
2 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice
1 cup brown sugar
Set oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Prepare 24 muffin cups and the first four ingredients.
In a large bowl whisk tomato sauce, eggs, oil and juice. Put flour, sugar, spices and baking powder in a clean bag and “work” the bag gently to pre-mix them. Dump dry ingredients into the wet mixture and stir until evenly moistened. Fold in pineapple, carrots, coconut and nuts.
Bake about 18 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick that comes out clean. Muffins should be springy and firm to the touch. Makes two dozen muffins.
Janet Groene’s Survival Food Handbook is a guide to provisioning your RV pantry for emergencies by using familiar, affordable supermarket foods. https://amzn.to/3mIfryC
Ginger Chicken Hotspot
Curry powders come in many types from mild to fiery, and many cooks make their own from scratch. You be the judge of which one and how much to use. In this recipe you also choose the size and type of chicken pieces. Boneless or bone-in, skin on or off, white meat or dark.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon curry powder (or more to taste)
½ teaspoon ground ginger (or to taste)
4 portions chicken
2 cups water
1 cup uncooked rice
15-ounce can cream style corn
In a large skillet heat the oil and stir in garlic and spices until fragrant. Brown chicken, then stir in rice to coat. Push chicken side in the skillet.
Add water and corn. Bring to a boil, cover and cook over reduced heat about 25 minutes or until rice is tender and chicken is done. Adjust seasonings. Serves 4.
Cook’s note: corn adds a sweetness that compliments curry.
Tips for the Camp Cook
* Why carry heavy, bulky tomato juice when you can make your own by adding water and seasonings to tomato sauce or tomato paste? Make a super Bloody Mary with tomato paste, water and spices to taste.
* Easy side dish. Cut up cauliflower fine and cook it with rice. You choose the ratio. Cook it in water or broth and season with butter, parsley and a pinch of turmeric.
* The next time you make buttermilk biscuits, use a mixture of half pumpkin puree and half buttermilk instead of all buttermilk. It gives a golden glow and adds vitamins.
* What to do with extra pumpkin puree when you open a can but the recipe calls for only a cupful? Stir a little into hot chili or chowder, pancake batter or any smoothie.
Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week
Itsy Bitsy Blueberry Lemon Pies
These bite-size pies take milliseconds to make but the pastry may get soggy quickly, so don’t assemble them until just before serving.
2 packages of 15 each, phyllo pastry cups
1 can lemon pie filling
1 can blueberry pie filling
Large carton of whipped topping
Chill pie fillings. Put each pastry cup in a fluted cupcake paper. Arrange on a platter or tray.
Using two teaspoons, put a little lemon filling in the bottom of each pastry. Top with some blueberry filling. Crown with whipped topping and a candy on top. Makes 30.
BONUS RECIPE
Skillet Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Eat it for breakfast, dessert or any time. No oven needed.
2 cups day-old hearty bread, cut in small bites
Butter
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup brown sugar
Small can evaporated milk
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Cut up bread and set aside. Whisk eggs, cream, pumpkin and spice until smooth. Generously butter a heavy skillet and scatter bread pieces in it. Pour pumpkin batter over bread and dot with bits of butter. Let stand 20 minutes while bread soaks.
Cover skillet and cook over low-medium burner. (Don’t peek too often.) It’s done when it’s set, as for custard. Eat it plain or with syrup, cream or yogurt.
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