Copyright Janet Groene 2026
Cool Days Coming. Go Camping!
Camping & RV Recipe of the Week
Homemade Breakfast Sausage
My secret ingredient (graham cracker crumbs) adds bulk and sweetness. For food safety, do not under-cook poultry.
1 pound ground turkey
2 eggs
1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
Small onion,, minced
½ teaspoon each salt and dried leaf sage
1/4 teaspoon each ginger, nutmeg and thyme
Optional: 1/4 teaspoon anise seeds
Mix well. Drop by tablespoons on a hot, greased skillet and flatten to form patties. Fry until thoroughly cooked at 175 F. Mixture can also be frozen raw or fully cooked for future camp-outs.
Tips for the Camp Cook
* Add vitamins and cut carbs when you serve your favorite marinara sauce over strands of steamed cabbage instead of spaghetti.
* Beer batter is good for more than fish. Try it on asparagus spears, whole green beans or red or green pepper rings. Deep fry as usual. For dessert, dip banana and pineapple chunks in it and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
* Stir a little white miso paste into corn chowder. Go by taste, starting with one teaspoon. Add a few drops of toasted sesame oil to complete the Asian persuasion.
* Mix 1 part bottled pesto with three parts soft butter. Chill and slice to put on sizzling hot fish or steak from the grill.
Campground Potluck Dish of the Week
Fruity Stuffing
This side dish goes with meat from the grill or fish from the fryer.
1 cup hot water
1 cup orange juice
1 cup pitted dried plums
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup dried cranberries
Put dried fruit in a stove-to-table pan. Add 1 cup water and orange juice and set aside to soak for 30 minutes.
2 boxes chicken stuffing mix
½ stick butter, cut up
Very hot water
Stir stuffing mix and butter bits into soaked fruit and add hot water to the desired consistency. Cover and warm gently over very low heat until water is absorbed and stuffing moist. Stir and serve. Serves 12 to 15. Provide a spring-loaded ice cream scoop for easier serving.
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. Gifting? Amazon will wrap and ship it for you.
BONUS RECIPE
Sesame Carrot Spinners
4 to 5 large carrots
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dillweed
1 tube bread stick dough
1 egg
2 tablespoons water
Sesame seeds
Peel carrots and cut lengthwise into finger size sticks 4 to 5 inches long. Parboil until just barely tender but hold their shape. Drain, cool and sprinkle lightly with a mixture of the salt and dillweed.
Set the oven to 375F and grease a baking sheet. Cut each piece of dough in half., Roll pieces between your palms to make long, thin ropes. Wrap ropes around cooled carrot sticks in a spiral. Whisk egg and water until light and foamy.
Place spinners on baking sheets, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until golden brown. Serve as a finger food.
Cook’s note: For spicier spinners, try Everything Bagel instead of plain sesame seeds.
SNEAKY SUBSTITUTE OF THE WEEK
Curried “Butternot” Squash Soup
Save the labor of peeling and cooking butternut squash. Just open a can of pumpkin and let curry powder do the rest. Curry powders vary. If the taste is not spicy enough for you, add 1/8 teaspoon cloves or cayenne pepper.
½ stick butter
Large onion, diced
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 can pumpkin puree
32-ounce carton chicken broth, divided
1 ½ tablespoons flour
Garnish: sour cream or crème fraîche.
Sauté the onion in butter to soften, adding curry powder to develop its flavor. Stir in pumpkin and 3 cups of the broth and heat gently. Whisk flour into remaining cup of broth and stir into soup until it thickens. Adjust seasoning to taste. Top each bowl with a dollop of sour cream or crème fraîche.
IS FULL-TIME RV TRAVEL IN YOUR FUTURE?
We traveled full-time for 10 great years. The book begins with getting in and ends with settling down to become part-time RV-ers again.
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 on the go. Kids on board? We cover home schooling and also an exit strategy if and when it's time. https://amzn.to/29XFEkq
NO-BAKE DESSERT OF THE WEEK
Pumpkin Spice Fun-Do
Serve this “fondue” in individual cups as a dip for vanilla wafers, pretzel sticks or apple wedges.The recipe makes about a quart of dip or 16 portions of ½ cup each.
I can pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
8-ounce package cream cheese, softened to “room” temperature
14- to 16-ounce size marshmallow cream spread1
.1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon vanilla
MAIN DISH SALAD OF THE WEEK
Louisiana Pasta Salad
Make this salad up to three days ahead and keep it well chilled. Serve it solo with cornbread or French bread or serve it as a side dish at a crawdad pickin’.
 |
| Salad shrimp can play many roles |
12-ounce package salad shrimp, thawed and drained
1 ½ cups small pasta shells
½ cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon Cajun season such as Tony Cochère’s
Small can sliced black olives, drained
½ cup salad olives, drained
2 to 3 ribs celery, chopped
VEGETARIAN DISH OF THE WEEK
Creamy Artichoke Custard
14-ounce can artichoke hearts
20-ounce bag frozen chopped spinach
Medium onion, diced
1/2 stick butter
1 cup Greek style yogurt
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Optional: 1 cup fine, dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
Drain artichokes and cut in quarters. Thaw spinach and squeeze dry. Melt butter in a large skillet and sauté onion to soften, then stir in spinach and artichokes to coat. . Whisk yogurt, sour cream and eggs and fold in Parmesan. Spread over skillet. Cover and cook over medium heat until set, as for custard. Serve in wedges.
In a small skillet melt 2 tablespoon butter and stir in bread crumbs until toasty. Toss with crumbled blue cheese and sprinkle over wedges. Makes four main dish servings.
BLACK POT RECIPE OF THE WEEK
These campfire recipes give camp chefs a chance to show off their fire management skills while the gang gathers round to share tall tales.
Beef and Cabbage Wiggle
A rich, savory broth is swimming with beef bits, squiggley noodles and cabbage strands.
3 pounds lean beef stew in bite size
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
32-ounce carton beef broth
Medium Napa cabbage, cut in strands
2 packets ramen with beef flavor
Over hot flames, brown beef in hot oil with garlic and ginger. Move to moderate heat over well started coals and add beef broth. Cover pot and cook an hour or more until beef is tender.
Stir cabbage, ramen noodles and contents of flavor packets into the pot with additional water as needed. When noodles and cabbage are tender, adjust seasonings to taste. Ladle soupy stew into soup plates. Serves to 8.
Garnish: Top each bowlful with crisp croutons
WHEN FOOD EMERGENCIES
TRIP UP YOUR CAMPING TRIP
Stuff happens when you're away from home too. Be prepared for delays, sudden evacuation, refrigerator failure, supply chain interruptions, civil disturbances. http://amzn.to/1WdYqbe How much food will you need for a week in the woods for two adults and two kids? A month in a remote fish camp? A two-week power outage camp? Survival Food Handbook for tips on buying, stowing, and make meals from ordinary supermarket supplies that need no fresh ingredients.
Campers have limited storage space for emergency food. Survival Food Handbook is just for 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. http://amzn.to/1WdYqbe
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