Hot Dog Camping Eats for Hot Days

Copyright Janet Groene 2025

THUMBNAIL RECIPE OF THE WEEK

Quick Pineapple Pilaf

Seal in a plastic bag 1 ½ cups instant rice*, 1/4 cup brown sugar , ½ t. salt and 1/8 t.   ground nutmeg. In camp you’ll need a small can of crushed pineapple. Add water to the pineapple juice to make 1 ½ cups + 2 T.  liquid. Bring to a boil and add rice mixture. Cover and let stand out of the wind  7-12 minutes until rice is tender. Add pineapple. Good with ham steak from the grill. Serves 3-4. * Instant rice does not need rinsing

Hot dogs are always in style when you’re camping and on the go. Here’s one way to enjoy them.

New Orleans Style Hot Dogs

The unique taste of muffuletta sandwiches in southern Louisiana comes from pickled peppers. Here’s how to pep up a humble hot dog with Bourbon Street swagger. 

2 cups chopped pepperoncini (pickled Tuscan-style peppers)

About 1 cup juice from peppers

2 cups chopped sweet onion, such as Vidalia

2 teaspoons dried oregano

Small can chopped ripe olives, drained

Hot Dogs

White, mild cheese such as Provolone

Buns

Drain peppers, saving juice. Chop peppers to make 2 cups. Mix with onions, oregano, olives and enough juice to keep the mixture moist. Chill. 

Grill, boil or steam hot dogs. Put in cheese- lined buns and use a draining spoon to pile pepper mixture on top.. Serve at once. This makes enough relish for about 16 hot dogs. Refrigerate leftover pepper mixture. 

Tips for the Camp Chef

Give a boost to foil meals by using a flavored pan spray on the f oil first. Try garlic, butter or olive oil flavors. Add  little lemon zest for seafood meals and perhaps the merest drift of cinnamon sugar for beef. 

Make a different dump cake. Melt 2 sticks butter and mix with a box of dry cake mix until crumbly. Press half into a greased 9 X 13-inch baking pan. Spread with a can of fruit pit filling. Sprinkle remaining crumbs on top and bake. 

Did you know you can make risotto with steel-cut oats? Same rules: keep adding hot broth and stirring, slow and patient, until oats are soft. 

Create Pizza Tacos. Chop pepperoni fine. Grate cheese. Shred lettuce. Mince cilantro. Set aside. Place thin layer of cheese in crisp taco shell. Top with a thin layer of pepperoni, another layer of cheese. Nuke 15-20 seconds or foil wrap to heat in campfire.  Now pack the warm taco with shredded lettuce, cilantro, sliced scallions, chopped tomato, sour cream. 

    For tips on getting the most into your emergency food locker, see Survival Food Handbook.  It's a guide to stocking an emergency pantry in a small space such as a camper, RV,  boat or cabin with the most nutrition per inch, per ounce and per dollar using familiar, affordable supermarket staples.     http://amzn.to/1WdYqbe

 

 

Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week

New Age Succotash

3 tablespoons canola oil

4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

12-ounce package edamame (shelled soybeans)

Medium onion, finely diced

½ cup water

1 vegetable bouillon cube

15-ounce can cream style corn

Real or vegetarian bacon bits

Heat oil in a large skillet or wok  and stir-fry sweet potatoes, edamame  and onion over medium-high heat until onion browns. Add water and bouillon, cover, reduce heat and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender. Turn burner back to high and stir-cook until any excess moisture evaporates. Stir in corn just to heat through. Just before serving, sprinkle with bacon bits. Makes 8 to 10 potluck servings. 

VEGAN RECIPE OF THE WEEK

Tofu-jitas

If your crew are into meatless meals, wow them with this sizzling fajitas mix.

14-ounce package extra firm tofu

1 teaspoon each ground cumin, chili powder, sugar, flour

Oil for frying

Medium onion, cut in crescents

1 sweet pepper, red or green, seeded and cut in strips

Salsa

8 flour tortillas, 6 inch size, warmed

Drain tofu and dice it. Combine spices, sugar and flour and toss lightly with tofu to coat.  Discard excess flour mixture.

Heat a shallow layer of oil in a large, nonstick skillet and brown tofu in two batches, adding more oil if necessary. Remove tofu. Add more oil if needed and quickly stir-fry onion and pepper until crisp-tender. Stir vegetables and tofu together and serve in warm. tortillas. Makes 8.

IS THIS THE YEAR YOU  WILL  GO FULL-TIMING?

The 4th Edition of the Groenes’ book Living Aboard Your RV, A Guide to the Full-Time Life on Wheels, is available from Amazon at   https://amzn.to/3knbvll/

The book starts with making the decision to go full-timing.  (It's more complicated than you ma realize.) Then it leads you through choosing and outfitting the RV as a home plus topics such as making money on the go,  home schooling, finding affordable campsites and more.  It ends with advice on easing out of full-timing, when and if that day comes. 

Need a retirement gift for someone? A 60th birthday? Someone with job burnout? Amazon can wrap and ship it for you if you like.

BONUS RECIPE

Shrimp Gazpacho 

2-pound bag cooked, trimmed, de-veined shrimp, thawed and drained

4 medium tomatoes, diced and drained

Large, sweet onion, diced fine

2-3  ribs celery, sliced

1 bunch parsley, finely chopped

1 cup bottled Caesar salad dressing

12-ounce can Mexicorn (corn with red and green peppers), drained

Cut up shrimp. Throw everything into a big, plastic bag, seal shut and chill several hours or overnight.  Turn several times to distribute flavors. Serve icy cold. 

 Cook's note: some prefer gazpacho chopped fine and even pureed in a blender. Others prefer a bolder dice. 

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