Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Memorial Day Camping Menu

Happy Tuesday…well it feels like a Monday but at least we have a short week :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. We went camping and had a good time.  It was a bit hot but we cheated andgot a cabin with a/c so it wasn’t too bad.

I’ve been planning this trip for months and started itbefore we started eating real food….I tweaked it as much as I could toutilize as much real food as I could without having to make everything fromscratch.  Overall I was very happy with the outcome and very impressedwith my new cast-iron set, it was great fun and excellent food!

Here’s my menu if any of you have upcoming campingtrips:

We had just bought a propane fryer so I had to use it ;) lol!They do make all-natural tator-tots and hash browns…
I also used it to boil the water for the baggy omelets.

The trick to cooking with cast iron is to stack coals on top of the lid so the heat will surround and cook like an oven. I used the camp-site grill and was able to adjust the grill height so the bottom didn’t overheat.

Friday:
BBQSandwiches & tator tots
*pre-cookedbrisket at home and froze for easy 1st night dinner, reheated indutch-oven with some beer to keep it moist and from sticking to bottom.

Dessert:
Banana Boat
Take a banana and peel off one strip of peel (where the bananacurves)
Where you took off the peel, slice out a piece of banana almostall the way down
(like a canoe) and set it aside 
 Fill opening with peanut butter
Place 2 or 3 pieces of chocolate on top of peanut butter
Cover the peanut butter and chocolate with thebanana piece you cut out, cover that with the piece of peel, wrap very tightlyin tin foil, and cook on a rack over your campfire 10 minutes.
Hmmmm eat with a spoon…this was my first try and it turned out even better than I expected!

Saturday:
Baggy Omelets &Hashbrowns
Recipe Ingredients:
2 lg     eggs     (I whisked 12 eggs in a bowl and poured a bit in each bag, then let the     kids build their own omelet)
sausage, bacon, or ham
your favorite omelet veggies
shredded cheddar cheese     (add after cooking)
salt and pepper to taste
Cooking instructions:
Place whipped eggs in a ziplock freezer bag (don’t use cheap bags, I paid dearly for going cheap!) Add meat and veggies salt and pepper to taste. Put baggy in a pot of boiling water for about 5 to 10 min. Then just cut bag off, Add shredded cheese and enjoy! Serve in tortilla.
Variations/Hints:
You can make a western omelet with sausage, cheese and bell peppers, just add salsa. Or just veggie omelets or ham and cheese... Just have fun!!

Lunch
Grilled burgers & all-natural chips

Hobo Dinners
Ingredients
Ground Beef or turkey
Suggested Fillings: Sliced Carrots, Corn, Chunked Potatoes, Grated Cheese, Etc.
Salt, Pepper, desired Spices
Equipment
Heavy Duty Tinfoil
Tongs to Remove Dinners from Fire
Instructions
In a piece of tinfoil, place about ahandful of raw ground beef. Add whatever fillings are desired, and seasoningsto taste. Place over coals and cook approximately 15 minutes on each side untilbeef is done. Use tongs to check for doneness and to remove dinners when readyto eat!

 
Saturday Dessert:
 Pineapple Upside-down Cake Recipe
Ingredients
1 can pineapple rings (drained, retainjuice), 2 cans crushed pineapple (drained well, retain juice), 1 jar maraschinocherries, 1 box spice or pineapple cake mix and associated ingredients(according to box's instructions, cinnamon, 1/2 stick butter or margarine,approx. 1-1/2 cups brown sugar)
Equipment
large Dutch Oven, mixing bowl, andspoon
Instructions
Melt the butter in the bottom of theoven over medium heat. Add brown sugar and continue heating until sugar meltsand forms thin paste with butter. Line the bottom of the oven with pineapple rings in the sugar glaze. Place a cherry in the center of each ring. Add the crushed pineapple on top of the rings, press it down with the back of a spoon, but DO NOT STIR. Mix the cake mix according to directions on the box. Pour the cake mix evenly over the pineapple mixture. Place the dutch oven on top of 14-16 briquets, and add 16-18 to the top of the oven. Bake until a knifeinserted into the center of the cake is pulled out clean. Let cool for 5-10 minutes, then use a knife to release the edges of the cake from the oven. GENTLY turn the oven upside-down over a large plate or serving platter. The cake should drop out, leaving the pineapples on top! Stray garnish can be replaced with a spatula.
Comment: Too much heat on the bottom will dryout the pineapple glaze and garnish, so be careful how much heat is under the oven. Check it after about 30 minutes, then every 5-10 minutes after that for doneness.

Sunday:
Quiche A La Canoe (dutchOven)1 ½ bags of Ritz crackers
1 stick of Butter
Meat (ham,     bacon sausage, use your favorite.)
Cheese.
onion and/or green pepper.
8-10 Eggs     (I whisked in a bowl)

Cooking instructions:
Oil the Dutch oven well. Make a crust of mashed ritz and butter. It is a realmess, but it is worth it. Dish your dough up the sides of the Dutch oven alittle. Layer meat, then cheese then pour whisked eggs on top.

Variations/Hints:
A mild fire will do. Put a lot of coals on the Dutch oven lid, to cook theeggs. Don't be reluctant to check it regularly. It is done when a knifeinserted into the middle comes out clean.

Dinner:
BBQ
*marinated chicken thighsand drumsticks ready to grill
Grilled Corn on the cob
Placecorn in a piece of foil, add Salt/pepper & a pat of butter.
Wraptightly and grill for 30 mins or so, turning often.

Dessert:
Baked apples w/ cinnamon
1apple per person
cinnamon
sugar
raisins (optional)
nuts(optional)
Startby cutting a round plug out of the top of your apple. You will need a sharp paring knife to  cut out the plug. Next you will need to cut the core and all of the seeds out of the apples. You might want to bring along an applecorer to make the coring of the apples easier. When you core the apple you will want to make sure that the apple stays whole, be sure that you don't break the apple as you core it.
Once your apple is cored, fill the hole left by the core with cinnamon, sugar,and raisins and nuts if you desire. When the hole is filled, place the plugback into the apple. Wrap the apple in foil and place into the embers of your fire. Cook your apples for approximately 20 to 45 minutes depending on how well done and soft you want your apple to be. At 20 minutes your apple will still be slightly crunchy, but at 45 minutes your apple will be more like applesauce.

Monday morning – scrambled eggs, smokie sausages & biscuits

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