Road Food for Campers, Glampers, Van Life, RV

Blog copyright Janet Groene 2023. To ask about rates to place one ad for one year on all six Groene sites email janetgroene at yahoo.com 

REAL MEALS FOR THE ROAD

Thumbnail Recipe of the Week 

Lentil Stew “Helper”

Make a colorful hot dish with lentils and a garden of grains. In a bag put  2 c. lentils, ½  c. each long-grain rice and golden raisins + 1/4 c, each pearl barley and split peas. (You’ll want to rinse all this before cooking.) Slip into the bag a smaller bag with1 T. each bouillon powder, dried onion bits, garlic granules & dried parsley flakes.

 In camp, rinse & drain lentil mix.  Boil 6 c. water. Add lentil mix and the bag of seasonings.  Cover. Cook over reduced heat 30-40 minutes until everything is tender and flavorful, adding more water if needed. Eat it  vegetarian style or  or add cooked, diced meat. Serves 6. Optional: Drizzle 1 T. sherry to each bowl

THE IDEAL IDEA BOOK FOR CAMP MEALS

Save space, water, fuel, mess in your RV galley or outdoor kitchen. See more than 250 luscious recipes for all times of day. Cooking Aboard Your RV is also the perfect, one-size-fits-all gift  for every RV-er on your list. Amazon can wrap and send for you if you like. http://amzn.to/1NdWI4o

Fire ‘n Ice Tomatoes

 This spicy-hot  dish is served ice cold. 

About 20 ripe but firm small/medium tomatoes

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup water

2 teaspoons celery salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/4  teaspoon each cayenne pepper and ground black pepper

Cut a tiny slice off the stem end Of each tomato. Arrange them cut sides up,  cheek to cheek in non-reactive (glass or plastic) container. Fill container with a solid layer of tomatoes. 

In a saucepan stir remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Cool mixture, then drizzle evenly over tomatoes. Cover with plastic wrap and chill several hours or overnight.. Serves  to 8. to 12. 

Camp and RV Recipe of the Week

Yankee Spaghetti

New Englanders use salt pork rather than bacon in many of their classic recipes. Each small, crisp dice becomes an explosion of flavor on the taste buds. 

28-ounce can diced tomatoes with basil

1 ½ cups water

12-ounce package of spaghetti

Grated cheese

In a saucepan, fry out the salt pork until dices are crispy. Remove them to paper toweling and spoon off excess grease. (Leave some fat for flavor). Add tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil and add spaghetti. 

Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally to keep spaghetti submerged, until it’s al dente.  Serve in shallow soup plates and top each serving with a share of the diced salt pork bits. Pass the cheese shaker. 

Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week

Yum Yum Cake

Why mix the batter in a saucepan? Because you’ll need it for the topping  anyway, so why wash a bowl too? Read these directions. They’re unusual. 

20-ounce can crushed pineapple

2 eggs

1 ½ cups sugar

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

Topping Ingredients:

1 stick butter

1 cup sugar

Small can (2/3 cup evaporated milk)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups shredded coconut, chopped nuts or combination of both

1. Open the can of pineapple. Pour the juice into a saucepan. Set pineapple aside.  

2. In the saucepan whisk juice, eggs and sugar until light. 

3. Add baking powder, then flour. Fold in pineapple. Mix well. Using a spatula to clean the pan well (It’s OK if it’s not perfect) ,  put batter in a greased 9 X 13-inch baking pan. Bake 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees.

 To Make Topping:

Melt butter in the same pan and stir in sugar and evaporated milk. Boil 2 full minutes. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and coconut and/or nuts. Spread over hot cake. Cool or chill.  Serves 12. 

What to put in your camper’s emergency pantry?  How much food will you need for a week in the boondocks? Survival Food Handbook, written for space-short campers and boaters, is a prepper guide at home and away, and a savvy provisioning guide for camping and travel.  http://amzn.to/1WdYqbe

Camp Cook Tips

* You can do so much with dry gelatin desserts, regular or sugar free. Stir a little into hot tea. Fold it into a tub of cottage cheese. Sweeten cranberries with a little orange flavor powder. Color a plain cake mix and give it more flavor by stirring it into the batter. 

* Pie irons are an easy way to make a whole meal over the open campfire. Buy flaky layer-style tube biscuits and peel in layers to make top and bottom  crusts in pie irons. Fill with meat, sauce, cheese etc. Round pie iron  http://amzn.to/2uiAopR  Square pie iron  http://amzn.to/2sQ7JUu

* Skillet/ Dutch oven meatloaf cooks faster if you make a hole in the middle. Mix meatloaf. Grease skillet and place clean can (like a tomato paste can) in the center. Form meatloaf around the can, then remove it. Cover and bake over medium fire. 

Foil Recipe of the Week

Seafood and Stuffing

For each serving you’ll need ½ cup seafood.

1 slice from a large, sweet onion

1 ring cut from a green sweet pepper

2/3 to 1 cup prepared stuffing

1/4 cup crabmeat, drained

1/4 cup salad shrimp, thawed and drained

1 pat butter

In a bowl, add hot water or broth to the stuffing mix until it is clumpy. Set aside. Thaw and drain crabmeat and shrimp. 

Set out a piece of foil per serving. Spray the center with nonstick spray. Place an onion slice on the foil and top with a ring of green pepper. In the ring place half the seafood, add a scoop of stuffing and top with remaining 1/4  cup seafood. Top with a pat of butter.

. Bring up edges of the foil and twist to seal. Place over well-started coals to heat through. No need to turn but do keep heat moderate so it doesn’t burn on the bottom while seafood reaches 145 degrees.  Be careful when opening. Steam will be hot. Eat right out of the foil.