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| Foil Dinner of the Week? Scroll Down |
DESPERATION DINNER
Do you like or dislike this new feature for campers, glampers and RV travelers who are hungry, lost, quarantined, broke, evacuated due to a sudden fire or flood, stranded or stuck somewhere waiting for parts?
Focus is on dinners that cost little, cook quick, use ingredients you probably have in your grub box and provide solid nutrition in a pinch.
Vegetable Souffle'
2 to 3 cups croutons or diced, stale bread
1 cup process cheese
2/3 stick butter or oleo
1 large +1 small can evaporated milk
4 eggs or equivalent
Optional seasonings: ½ teaspoon black pepper, dried parsley flakes, dried onion bits
2 cups drained canned or cooked mixed vegetables
Butter a deep 8-inch skillet and let remaining butter soften. Cut Velveeta in small dice. Whisk eggs, canned milk and softened butter. Add seasonings if using. Fold in bread, diced cheese and vegetables. (If using cheese from a jar, use two spoons to add it in small dollops. Mix well to make a heavy dough.
Spread evenly in skillet. Cover. Cook until it’s puffy and set as for custard. Serves 4 to 6.
Cook’s note: You may have to use more bread if it’s thin, white sandwich bread; less bread if using a hearty artisan loaf. Velveeta is a good emergency ingredient because of its extended shelf life. Watch use-by dates.
THUMBNAIL RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Potato Scallop “Helper”
Remove dried potatoes and flavor packet from a box of Betty Crocker or Idahoan scalloped potato mix. . Snip a small jar of dried chipped beef into shreds. Put potatoes and beef in a zip-top bag with, 2 T. dried onion bits, 1 T each low sodium beef bouillon & dried parsley flakes + 1 packet chicken gravy mix. Seal bag and keep cool and dry. In camp, bring 3 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add helper + a pat of butter. Reduce heat. Simmer , stirring occasionally until potatoes are tender and sauce creamy. (Add more water as needed.)
Optional: stir in thawed peas for the last 2 minutes.
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Campground Potluck/Tailgate
Recipe of the Week
Shortcut Sliders
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| Finger foods are tailgate favorites |
The work is all done after you assemble these bite-size sandwiches. You’ll need the kind of dinner rolls that are sold 12 to a package, all hitched together.
2 packages, 1 dozen each, fully baked dinner rolls
1 jar apricot jam
1 bottle Dijon mustard
12 ounces (or more to taste) thin-sliced deli ham or turkey
8-ounce package grated Cheddar cheese
Remove rolls from the package in one piece. Carefully cut the top half off the entire piece. For now you are making one big sandwich that will be easy to handle. Carefully spread one cut side generously with jam and the other cut side with mustard. Set the bottom half on large piece of foil and sprinkle the cut side with grated cheese. Add a layer of meat, then another sprinkling of cheese. Top with the other half of the roll. Bring foil up to wrap the package.
Repeat with the second dozen rolls. Packages can now be frozen or refrigerated. To proceed, thaw package and place on medium grill or oven. Heat a few minutes on each side, turning several times just to heat through and melt the cheese. Use a long, serrated knife to cut rolls apart. You now have 24 sliders.
CAMPGROUND POTLUCK RECIPE #2
You’ll need a large, 2-gallon size zip-top bag for this potluck pleaser.
4 cups broccoli florets cut in small bite size
Medium sweet onion, cut in crescents
8- to 10-ounce can sliced mushrooms, drained
Small can sliced black olives, drained
8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 1/4 cups Italian dressing
Put everything in the bag and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight. Cut a small hole in a bottom corner of the bag and drain liquid. (Don’t drain in the RV sink Oils gum up the gray water tank..) Unzip the bag and pile the salad into a bowl to serve 8 to 10.
Variation: Do not drain the bag. Instead, empty the marinated vegetables over 2 to 3 cups cooked medium pasta, such as rotini. Toss to mix well and add more dressing as needed. Serves 12 to 14.
Tips for the Camp Chef
* Rules of thumb: To make egg salad sandwiches (no celery) for 25 people you need 4 dozen eggs. For chicken or turkey salad sandwiches with celery, fine chop 5 cups cooked poultry.
* Add toothsome texture to your instant pudding by topping with Grape Nuts, maple granola or fine chopped toffee candy bars.
* Can’t get stubborn smells out of plastic food storage containers? Wash, dry and put them in a clean, empty ice chest. Sprinkle with baking soda. The next day, wipe away the soda with a clean cloth.
* Old-fashioned electric heating pads are a plus in camping when you have electric hookups. Pre-warm beds for humans and pets. Keep it handy for backaches, ear aches, cold feet. Stack dinner plates between two heating pads, cover with a dish towel and pre-heat before serving a hot meal on a cold night.
FOIL DINNER OF THE WEEK
Customize each packet to suit everyone just right. Then eat out of the foil and there's no dishwashing.
Chicken Oahu
For each packet:
1 bone-in, skin on chicken breast half
Salt, pepper
1/2 to 2/3 cup cooked rice
1 teaspoon shredded cheese
2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
Thin slice sweet onion
1 slice pineapple, drained
Set out a square of foil for each packet. Spray center of foil with nonstick spray. Place chicken here, skin side down. Lightly season chicken with salt and pepper.
Mix rice with grated cheese and pack into chicken cavity. Drizzle with some of the soy sauce. Top with onion slice and pineapple slice and a little more soy sauce. Seal foil and cook on well-started coals starting with the chicken side down. Turn often for 20-25 minutes until chicken reaches 170 F.
Camp and RV Recipe of the Week
ChickaLentil Stew
Make this hearty bistro favorite to serve eight campers now or to freeze in smaller batches according to your crew size.
8 meaty chicken parts
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon canola oil
Large onion, diced
Large carrot, diced
Medium bunch celery, diced
3/4 cup lentils
1 ½ cups water
1 chicken flavor bouillon cube
14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning mix
Salt, pepper to taste
In a large skillet, pot or Dutch oven, brown chicken in hot oil, gradually stirring in
garlic, vegetables and lentils. Add water, bouillon, tomatoes and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve bouillon. Cover and simmer over low heat 30-40 minutes or until lentils are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve as is or over rice. Makes 8 portions.
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FLEXIPE OF THE WEEK
This feature is any recipe that begins with one, basic set of ingredients that are easy to keep on hand. Then you vary it to look and taste different every day.
Skillet Quiche
1 unbaked pie shell in foil pie plate, thawed
(optional) coconut oil pan spray
Basic Filling:
3 large eggs
12-ounce can evaporated milk
1/4 cup water or milk
½ teaspoon each salt, pepper, ground nutmeg or paprika
2/3 cup shredded cheese (Parmesan, smoked provolone, Cheddar, gouda, etc.)
Add-ons: 1 ½ cups sliced, crisp-cooked asparagus + 1/3 cup real bacon bits OR
1 can baby carrots, drained + thin-sliced hot dogs OR
1 cup shredded barbecued chicken or pork + ½ cup drained salad olives OR
1/2 cup cooked rice, quinoa, wild rice or barley + 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese OR
Small can diced chilies, drained + 1 teaspoon chili powder OR
1 can tuna, drained and broken up + 1 cup drained canned whole kernel corn OR
1 ½ cups cooked, very well drained spinach or other cooked greens + ½ cup cooked, cut up cooked smoke sausage such as kielbasa
To Proceed: Lightly spray pit shell with coconut oil. Preheat oven to 400 F. or heat your stove-top oven/Dutch oven. Pre-cook pie shell 4 to 6 minutes.
Beat eggs with seasonings. Scatter your chosen add-ons in pre-baked crust and add egg mixture. Bake 25 minutes or until set, as for custard. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut in wedges. .
Cook’s note: To make a quick pie shell melt a stick of butter in the pie pan and use a fork to work in a cup of flour. Add more flour as needed. Press dough around bottom and sides of the pan. Flute edges. Omit coconut oil spray.
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BLACK POT RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Continental Beef Ragout
2 pounds beef for stew, cut in bite size
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter
Large onion, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
Large Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon each minced garlic, dried thyme, anchovy paste
½ cup each dry red wine and water
2 beef flavor bouillon cubes
Salt, pepper
Campfire baked potatoes provide the perfect plate for serving this stew
Brown beef in hot fat. Add remaining ingredients and stir to dissolve bouillon cubes.
Cover pot and cook over well-start coals 1 hour, stirring occasionally and adding water as needed. Season to taste. Serve over campfire- baked potatoes. Serves to 8.
LIFESAVER SAUCE OF THE WEEK
Creole Tomato Sauce
Wake up a dish that is just too bland, too pale, too blah. This sauce adds color. Cloves add hidden heat and zing.
1 rib celery
2 tablespoons butter
15-ounce can or jar meatless spaghetti sauce
8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (or more to taste)
Salt, pepper
Chop onion and celery fine and sizzle in melted butter. Add sauces, bay leaf and cloves. Simmer until vegetables are tender. Adjust seasonings. Discard bay leaf. Spoon over steamed rice, fried potatoes, stuffed peppers, salmon patties or any plain meat or fish from the grill.
Will you sleep tight in your RV campsite next summer? Get the jump on reservations at new, expanding or upgraded campgrounds and RV parks. We gather just-in news briefs from local sources. See CAMPGROUNDS GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS at https://solowomanrv.blogspot.com
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