Camping Meals in a Hurricane Hurry

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Please bear with me as we dig out from Hurricane Idalia.  Massive logs and mountains of debris  still block many areas. The National Guard, FEMA, Red Cross and churches are working overtime. I took a direct hit @ Cat 3. I'm unhurt and the house is not damaged but a week without power, Internet and many other immediate needs took precedence over blogging.  

Cottage Cheese Corn Cakes
    Enjoy something different for breakfast when you serve these hearty hoecakes with syrup. They are also good served as a bread course with chili or a mug of soup.
    There is no substitute for real buttermilk but you could use whole milk soured with 1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon juice or vinegar. Stir, let clabber for a few minutes. 

2 cups cornmeal
2 tablespoons baking powder
½ teaspoon each salt and baking soda
1 cup cottage cheese
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
½ stick butter, melted OR
½ cup canola oil

    Put dry ingredients in a clean bag and jostle to mix. In a bowl whisk cottage cheese, eggs, buttermilk and melted butter. Stir in dry ingredients until evenly mixed. Ladle out about 1/3 cup at a time and cook as for pancakes until toasty on both sides. Serves 4 to 6.

Whole Meal Coleslaw
    Make it ahead or throw it together at the last minute. Serve it at room temperature, chilled, or nuked for a little warmth. The recipe is easily multiplied for a crowd.

1/3 cup golden raisins
10-ounce can mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup diced fully cooked ham or Spam (or more to taste)
14- to 16-ounce package shredded cabbage for coleslaw
Bottled citrus salad dressing
Salted sunflower nuts (optional)

    Put raisins in a small cup and cover with juice drained from the oranges. Let stand 30-60 minutes, then drain well. In a bowl lightly toss ham, cabbage, raisins and oranges with dressing to taste.  Mound on plates and sprinkle with sunflower nuts. Serves 4 to 6. 

Camp and RV Recipe of the Week
Mystery Beef Stew

2 pounds bite-size, boneless beef for stew

2 tablespoons  oil for browning
½ cup water

2 cups (16-ounce bottle)  of French dressing
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
6 medium potatoes, quartered
3 onions, cut up
3 large carrots, cut up

    Brown beef in hot oil. Whisk paprika and water with dressing and add to the pot with the vegetables. Cover and simmer 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is tender and vegetables are done. Serves 6.
Slow cooker method: Browning beef  is optional. Combine everything in a slow cooker and cook on High 3-4 hours or Low 6 to 7 hours, stirring only once or twice.
Pressure cooker method: Brown beef as above, add remaining ingredients and bring to full pressure for 15 minutes. Quick-cool or let pressure return on its own.

Tips for the Camp Cook

    * It’s not the heat it’s the humidity. Things NOT to cook on a humid day include divinity and  meringues.                              
    
    * When you’re on a fast-moving camping trip from low country to mountains, be aware of your altitude because it affects cooking and baking times.

    * I love the new collapsible colanders but don’t give up your fine mesh sieve. You need it for rinsing tiny grains and seeds such as quinoa.

    * Rub lemon juice or vinegar on a scaly fish and it will be easier to scale.

    * Cook jumbo shells al dente, drian, chill and stuff with tuna salad from the deli. Serve cold with a ranch dip.

 Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week
FudgeMallow Brownies

    The crowd will snap up these chocolate gems. An easy way to serve them at a potluck is to cut in squares and nestle in cupcake papers.

   
14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk or water
1 egg
1 box chocolate cake mix
7-ounce jar of marshmallow cream such as Fluff
1 egg
½ cup mini chocolate chips or finely chopped nuts  (optional)

    Grease a 9 X 13-inch baking pan and set the oven to 350 degrees Whisk 1/3 cup condensed milk with the oil, milk or water and egg.  Set whisk aside and use a spoon or spatula to stir in cake mix to make a stiff dough. Spread in the pan and bake 10 minutes.
    In the same bowl using the same whisk, mix the rest of the condensed milk with the marshmallow and the other egg. Spread over the hot cake. Add nuts or chocolate chips if using. Bake another 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely. Cut in squares.

 BE READY FOR THE NEXT HURRICANE

    During Hurricane Idalia,  I was without power for a week. In storms, some areas are left without refrigeration for weeks. Evacuees return home to find their refrigerators and freezers filled with rotten food. Survival Food Handbook is a guide to familiar, affordable supermarket staples that bridge the days between the start of the emergency and the time when you have to resort to using those expensive “doomsday” rations stored in the basement. Kindle or paperback  http://amzn.to/1WdYqbe

 


Foil Recipe of the Week
Sweet Sausage Jumble

    Fat and juices seep down, soaking into the bread to make a crusty base.

 
4 slices day-old hearty artisan bread
4 thin  slices from a large sweet onion
4 slices from a large, seeded green pepper
4-8 cooked sausage patties, thawed
2 cups cooked Spanish rice from a pouch or can
                        
    Lay out 4 pieces of nonstick foil and grease or spray center with nonstick coating. Butter bread and place on the foil,  butter side down. Top with a slice of onion, then a slice of green pepper and one or two sausage patties.   Bring up sides of the foil enough  to form a shallow dish. Add  a half cup Spanish rice atop the sausage. 

    Bring together and pinch the four corners of the foil and twist to seal the packet and form a handle. Place on the well-started  grill or campfire over medium heat and cook slowly 25 to 35 minutes. Keep fire low and no turning necessary. Beware of scalding steam when opening foil.

FREEZE AHEAD RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Meatsa Pizza Cupcakes

By baking these tangy little meatloaves in muffin or cupcake tins, you have a dozen servings to wrap individually and freeze. The recipe is easily multiplied.

20-ounce package lean ground beef, pork, chicken or turkey
½ cup tomato  sauce
1/4 cup oatmeal flakes
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/3 cup finely chopped, packed pepperoni
6-ounce package shredded part-skim mozzarella

    Set the oven to 375 degrees. Mix everything but the cheese and divide into 12 greased muffin cups. Make a hole in the middle of each and pack the hole with mozzarella. Bake 15-18 minutes until loaves reach 165 degrees. Cool and wrap individually.
    Thaw, heat and serve with spaghetti sauce, cheese sauce, pizza sauce, gravy  or broth and a starch and vegetables of your choice.

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