1. Almond Butter Fish Fillets
This is a fantastic way to vary the usual fried fish if you are fortunate enough to have a successful fisherman among your group. Any mild flavored fish fillet can be used.
Refrigerated
- ½ c. butter.
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice (just bring along small container of lemon juice or 3-4 fresh lemons).
- 1-2 lbs. of fish fillets.
Shelf Stable
- 1/3 c. slivered almonds.
- ¼ tsp. dried dill weed.
- ½ tsp. salt.
Cook almonds and butter in large skillet over medium heat until almonds are browned, stirring constantly, 4-6 minutes. Stir in dill, lemon juice, and salt.
Add fish fillets, spooning some of the sauce over the top of fillets. Cover and cook over medium low heat for 4-5 minutes or until fish is done and is easy to flake.
2. Almost Hummus Spread
Prepare this at home one or two days before departure. It’s delicious and easy to serve.
- 3 cans garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed.
- 1 jar roasted red pepper, drained & coarsely chopped.
- ¼ c. extra virgin olive oil.
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled & minced.
- 1/3 c. lemon juice.
- 1 can pitted black olives, drained.
- 1 ¼ tsp. salt.
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper.
- ½ tsp. curry powder.
- Ground coriander (½ tsp.).
- ½ tsp. ground cumin.
- ½ tsp. oregano, crushed.
- 1 tsp. lemon zest.
- 1 small can chopped black olives.
Put everything except the chopped black olives into a blender and puree until fairly smooth. Scrap ingredients into bowl, stir in chopped black olives. Refrigerate several hours or overnight tightly covered. Keep in cooler except when serving. Serve with crackers, flatbread, or pita chips.
3. Baked Potato Supreme
These potatoes are baked on the coals of the campfire or on charcoal briquettes.
Refrigerated
- ¼ c. butter.
- 1 c. sour cream.
- 1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
- Crumbled cooked bacon (1 c.).
- 1 c. sliced green onions.
Shelf Stable
- 4 baking potatoes, scrubbed & wrapped in foil.
- Salt & pepper to taste.
Bake potatoes on coals for 45-60 minutes or until soft. Remove from fire and unwrap. Split potatoes lengthwise with knife and spread open. Loosen potato flesh with fork.
Divide butter between potatoes. Lightly salt interior of potato. Add ½ c. cheese and ½ c. bacon crumbles to potato interior and top with ½ c. sour cream and ½ c. green onion. Add salt & pepper as desired.
4. Beans & Sausage
What can be more traditional than a bean dish when camping?
Refrigerated
1 lb. fully cooked smoked sausage, sliced into ½” slices, in plastic bag.
Shelf Stable
1 lg. can baked beans.
Heat skillet over medium high heat. Add sausage and brown slightly while turning often. (about 5-10 minutes) Open beans and pour over sausages. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until beans are bubbly and hot. (about 4-5 minutes) Makes 4 servings.
5. Black Eyed Peas with Ham Hocks
A bit slower cooking than many meals, this is a great dish to serve on a cold day or evening.
Refrigerated
- 2 ham hocks.
- 1 onion, chopped.
Shelf Stable
- 1 lb. black eyed peas.
- Salt & pepper to taste.
To prepare: Rinse & pick beans of any stones or debris. Cover with cold water; add ham hocks, onion, and small amount of salt & pepper. (You can add more later).
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Simmer about 1 1/2 hours or until peas are tender. Adjust salt & pepper. Great with corn cakes.
6. Breakfast Burgers Royale
This is breakfast on a bun, essentially. It’s easy to make and very satisfying too. You’ll never look at a fast food breakfast sandwich the same way again!
Refrigerated
- 2 lbs. bulk sausage.
- 8 slices cheddar cheese, bun sized.
- 4 eggs.
Shelf Stable
- 4 buns.
- Salt & pepper to taste.
Divide sausage into four portions. Form each portion into a large ball, then smash as thin as possible ¾-1” thick. Cook in skillet over medium high heat until browned and cooked through. Remove from heat and top with a slice of cheddar cheese.
Cook eggs in small skillet, breaking yolk as they are placed in the pan. Cook until firm through, turning halfway through. Place egg on top of sausage patty, then top with slice of cheddar cheese.
Place each stack on bun bottom, then top with bun top. Serve hot.
7. Breakfast Burritos
Refrigerated
- ½ lb. bulk sausage.
- 8 eggs.
- 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese.
- 2 potatoes, finely chopped.
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced.
- 1 poblano pepper, finely chopped.
- ½ c. sliced mushrooms.
- Salsa to taste.
Shelf Stable
- 8 burrito size flour tortillas.
- Salt & pepper to taste.
To prepare: crumble sausage into skillet. Cook over medium high heat until sausage is fully cooked. Remove sausage from skillet and reserve drippings in skillet. Add potatoes and continue cooking until potatoes are tender and slightly browned. Add pepper, mushrooms and green onions. Stir in sausage and cook mixture for 2-3 minutes.
Add eggs and stir to combine with potato mixture. Continue cooking, stirring often, until egg are cooked through.
Heat tortillas on stove. Put portion of egg mixture in center of each tortilla. Top with 1/8 c. cheese. Fold & roll tortilla to form burrito. Serve with salsa.
8. Broccoli Cheddar Soup
This is an easy soup to make, and doesn’t take long from scratch. Serve with French bread or rolls.
Refrigerated
- 1 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes or shredded.
- 16 oz. chopped broccoli, frozen (allow to thaw in cooler).
- 1 qt. milk.
- 2 tbsp. butter or margarine.
Shelf Stable
- 2 tbsp. flour.
- 1/2 tsp. salt.
- 1/4 tsp. pepper.
Melt butter in large pan. Add salt and pepper. Stir in flour and cook until bubbly and barely showing signs of browning. Whisk in milk gradually. When mixture begins to get hot, start stirring in cheese, adding about 1/2 c. at a time and stirring it in until it is melted and dissipates in milk. Stir mixture continuously.
When last of the cheese has been incorporated, and mixture is beginning to thicken and approaches a boil, add broccoli and continue stirring. Return to a boil, stirring continuously, and remove from heat. Serve immediately.
9. Boston Browned Potatoes
This recipe uses canned potatoes, but boiled potatoes can be substituted, if desired. Using canned potatoes has everything but the butter as shelf stable ingredients.
Refrigerated
¼ c. butter or margarine.
Shelf Stable
- 2 cans whole cooked potatoes.
- ½ tsp. kosher salt (from bulk container).
- Vegetable oil for frying.
To prepare: Heat 3” of oil in pan over medium high heat. Drain potatoes and pat dry. Carefully add potatoes, about 1/3 at a time, to oil using slotted spoon—they WILL spatter hot oil!
Cook until golden brown, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from hot oil and place in bowl with butter, rolling to coat with butter. When all potatoes have been cooked, roll through butter again and sprinkle with kosher salt. Serve hot.
10. Buttermilk Fried Chicken Strips
These are delicious, and also good cold, as they are not as greasy since they are made without any skin. Don’t hurry this along though, the chicken strips can marinate for as much as 48 hours in the cooler, if necessary, but need at least 12 hours for best flavor.
Refrigerated
- 4 chicken breasts, cut into 1” wide strips lengthwise.
- 1 c. buttermilk.
- 1 tbsp. minced garlic.
Shelf Stable
- 2 c. flour.
- 2 tbsp. garlic powder.
- 1 tsp. onion powder.
- 2 tbsp. paprika.
- 1 tsp. poultry seasoning.
- 2 tbsp. salt.
- 1 tsp. pepper.
Mix all of the refrigerated items together and place in tightly sealed container or freezer bag. Store in refrigerator or cooler until ready to cook. Combine all of the shelf stable ingredients in a large plastic bag. Discard leftover breading mixture and leftover marinade after chicken is cooked.
To prepare: Remove chicken strips from marinade and roll in breading mixture. Fry in hot oil about 1/4” deep in skillet about 2-3 minutes per side. Chicken strips should be golden brown on all sides and juices should run clear when pierced with a fork. Remove cooked strips from skillet as they are done, placing on plate while remaining strips are cooked. Add oil to pan as needed.
Great with potato or pasta salad, chicken po’boys, or on their own.
11. Buttermilk Hush Puppies
Hush puppies are almost a must-have with fried fish. These are delicious.
Refrigerated
- Buttermilk (1 c.).
- 1 egg.
- 1 onion, finely chopped.
- ½ bell pepper, finely chopped.
- ½ c. chopped celery.
Shelf Stable
- 1 1/2 c. cornmeal (combine with baking powder and soda in bag).
- 2 tbsp. baking powder (combine with cornmeal in bag).
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda (combine with cornmeal in bag).
- 1/8 tsp. salt (from bulk container).
- 4 tbsp. vegetable oil (from bulk container).
Combine cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in egg, buttermilk and oil until all ingredients are moist. Stir in onion, pepper and celery.
Drop by tablespoons into hot fat. Fry until golden brown. Serve with fish or seafood.
12. Cabbage and Noodles
Easy to make, it’s meatless but delicious.
Refrigerated
- 1 small head cabbage, cut into ½” x 2” strips.
- 2 tbsp. butter or margarine.
- 1 c. sour cream.
Shelf Stable
- 16 oz. wide egg noodles.
- 1 tbsp. caraway seed.
- ½ tsp. salt.
- ¼ tsp. black pepper.
To prepare: Cook noodles as package directs. About 4 minutes before noodles will be done, add cabbage to noodles. When done, drain noodle mixture. Return to pan and add butter, tossing to coat. Stir in caraway seed, salt, and pepper. Add sour cream and stir. Serve immediately.
13. Café Au Lait Mix
If you like your coffee with cream and sugar, this is great. It’s also great if you don’t feel like brewing coffee in camp—it is just add water and complete. Adjust the strength by increasing or decreasing the amount of coffee. Decaffeinated instant coffee can also be used.
- 1 1/2 c. instant non-dairy creamer (such as Coffeemate®).
- 1/4 c. brown sugar (packed).
- 1/4 c. instant coffee.
Combine ingredients well. Store mix in air tight container.
To use: Combine 1/4 c. mix with about 2/3 c. boiling water and stir.
14. Camp Chili
This is not a fast meal to prepare, as it needs to simmer for several hours. It’s a great dish for when the weather goes cool.
Refrigerated
- 1 lb. ground meat (pork, beef, or turkey).
- 1 onion, finely chopped.
Shelf Stable
- 1 lb. pinto beans.
- ¼ c. chili powder.
- 1 tbsp. cumin seed.
- Oregano (1 tsp.).
- 1 tbsp. salt (or to taste).
- 4 quarts water.
To pack: Put beans and seasonings together in large plastic bag. Refrigerated items can also be bagged together.
To prepare: In large stock pot, place all ingredients, breaking up ground meat. Heat over medium high heat. When chili begins to boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover. Simmer about 4 hours, or until beans are soft, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasonings, if necessary. Serve with crackers, tortillas, or skillet corn cakes.
15. Campfire Cheesy Bread
Prepare this at home, right up to the point it is wrapped in aluminum foil. Then, in the campsite, all you have to do is put it in the coals to get it hot! It will keep for up to two days before grilling if kept in your cooler.
- 1 loaf French bread.
- ¼ c. olive oil.
- 2 tbsp. minced garlic.
- ½ tsp. salt.
- Pepper (½ tsp.).
- ½ tsp. fresh rosemary, minced.
- ¼ c. butter or margarine, softened.
- ½ c. grated parmesan cheese.
- 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese.
Heat olive oil in small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, pepper, and rosemary. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until garlic begins to soften and turn golden.
Remove from heat and scrape mixture into small bowl to allow to start to cool. When mixture is just warm, stir in softened butter and salt, stirring to blend mixture. Add parmesan cheese and mix well.
With a serrated knife, split the French bread lengthwise. Spreading it open like a giant hot dog bun, spread butter mixture over both surfaces of the loaf. Layer shredded mozzarella cheese over bottom half and then close bun.
Place filled loaf on a large piece of aluminum foil. Very carefully cutting to prevent cutting foil, cut loaf into 1 ½-2” thick slices. Fold foil over bread, folding it together to seal tightly lengthwise first, and then the ends. Keep prepared loaf in cooler until ready to cook.
To prepare cheesy bread: Spread a thin layer of coals (3-5” between coals) the length of the loaf. Lay foil wrapped loaf over coals and turn every 2-3 minutes, heating for about 10 minutes total.