Good Camp Site Eating from Boy the Bear

The Classic: HOBO DINNER

1 lb hamburger
potatoes - cut into small pieces
carrots - cut into small pieces
onions
margarine
salt & pepper
water

Divide hamburger into 3 or 4 patties & place on top of a large piece of heavy duty foil. Place the desired amount of cut up potatoes and carrots on top of the hamburger patties. Slice desired amount of onions on top of the vegies. Add about 2 tablespoons of margarine then salt & pepper to taste. Add a small amount of water (about 1/4 cup or so) on top of the dinner then finish wrapping in the foil. Add a second layer of foil wrapping. Place on top of fire grates and cook for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours (depending on the amount of fire and embers) without turning. Here's where you will wish to continue adding small pieces of wood to the fire to maintain a bed of embers while cooking. If you are in a hurry and a little more daring; the cooking time can be reduced to as little as 15 to 20 minutes if a well sealed diner is placed within a good bed of embers. Enjoy!

* Mama Bear from Pittsburgh suggests:

Another good dinner to try is to get some heavy duty aluminum foil (or 2 sheets of regular) and put the hamburger patty, or chicken or ham on the bottom. Then put potatoes sliced really thin, thinly sliced carrots or other vegetable(s), onions and green peppers if you like in separate bowls. Then each bear can choose his or her own amount and type of extras to add. Add salt, pepper or seasoned salt if you like. Cover your mixture tightly, including the ends, and cook over coals 1/2 hour each side.

* Cynthia Damiano offers this suggestion:

We start with heavy duty foil, putting layers of cabbage on it...then adding ingredients (meat, vegetables, etc.) another couple of layers of cabbage then sealing the package. Put the package directly into the coals to cook...the cabbage on the outside next to the foil may burn, but the inside ingredients are protected and delicious!

* The provider of the following breakfast idea points out that they often pre-package their foil meals and freeze them.

BREAKFAST QUICHE - from Sandra Wright

A breakfast quiche using bacon cooked the night before, a heavy cast iron skillet with a lid, frozen pie dough, and chopped up fresh veggies. Rub some of the pre-cooked bacon on the bottom of the pan - just enough grease to keep your dough from sticking! Place the dough in the pan, add beaten eggs, veggies, cheese if you want, and top with bacon. Put a lid on the pan, and the old coals from last night (properly banked and tended to, of course!) will slowly cook your quiche while you do morning camp stuff prior to setting out for adventure. The quiche can also be saved for lunch if it is cooked until the eggs are fairly hard. The veggies keep it from being dry.

The Classic: SMORE

graham crackers
chocolate candy bars
marshmallows

Roast marshmallows over open fire. Place marshmallow on top of chocolate bar which has been placed on top of a graham cracker. Top marshmallow with a second graham cracker and enjoy!

* Susan McGarvey suggests:

Add Peanut butter to the S'mores - a girl scout favorite 30 years ago - we called them Robinson Caruso's - tasty!

RAINY DAY CHICKEN

If you are tired of soup & cold meat sandwiches, try can (or cans) of Swanson's chicken (looks like a tuna can). You may warm as is and put over toast to make a warm sandwich or add to a package of boiled chicken flavored noodles (it's like a hot dish then).

CORN ON COB

You haven't had corn on the cob until now.

With the husks left on the cob, soak ears of corn for at least one half hour. Place the whole ears adjacent to the cook fire. Cook about one half hour rotating often. The length of cooking time will vary depending upon how hot the embers are and how close you keep the ears to them. Keep the ears very close to a good wall of embers, don't worry too much about starting the ears on fire - they're soaked. You may find it handy to tie the husks at the top of the ears together with several wraps of string.

CHICKEN TACOS - from Janet McCurdy

Take a couple of cans of Underwood Chicken Spread, a bottle of salsa, mix and heat. Spoon into taco shells and top with pre-grated cheese. Easy and clean.

CANNED HAM and BEANS - from Pete Herriman

This submission points out that the basics can sometimes be the best. Pete wrote that through his years of camping experience the most memorable and easiest meal he ever ate was ham and beans. We were kayaking down a river and the first night we stopped we pulled out our dinner. It was "canned ham" and "beans". We sliced the canned ham up into chunks and dumped them in a can with the beans. The water in the ham and beans will boil it but the canned ham is already cooked. I loved it.

QUICK FIX BBQ CHICKEN - from Eric Wimberger

For those who like chicken, I've found that if you par boil boneless breasts or thighs prior to your trip, and put them in a cooler in a zip-lock bag with some B-B-Q sauce , they only take a few minuets a side to finish on a grill.

SAUSAGE CAMP FIRE DINER - from Midnet

1 lb of smoked sausage (Eckridge will do)
depending on the number of people or the appetite of the campers add to this potatoes usually 6 medium cut into quarters
2 to 3 cans of green beans
1 medium onion

Add the potatoes and the onions and the green beans (with the juices) and then lay the sausage on top cover and set on the fire. My mother usually just set the dutch oven ( big pot) in the fire it's self.

When you come back from your hour hike (take this so you will have an appetite - we usually went for a 5 mile one) the vegetables are cooked and the meat is hot and ready to eat. Bon appetit

A PRO'S BREAKFAST - from Penelope Sanders

My husband is a chef by trade and he really goes overboard during camping cookouts - you will never have camping food like Stan cooks it!! His favorite breakfast has a base of tater tots. These are convenient to pack, by the time you get to breakfast of the first day they are no longer frozen and can be thrown right into a nice hot pan that's just had the bacon cooked in it and removed. The tots break down and make perfect hash browns without having to bring raw potatoes! Scramble some eggs in there, crumble up the bacon, add some green onions, fresh diced tomato and a dollop of sour cream to the top...YUM!!!

BREAKFAST SKILLET - from lokkie121
Serve with toast, easy to make over a fire too!

4 already baked potatoes
1 pkg. link sausage
1/2 pkg. bacon (thick)
1/2 onion or to taste
1 doz. eggs beaten in a bowl

Cook sausage, bacon, pour off most of the grease cut up potatoes & onion when almost done pour eggs over all and scramble all together if desired put cheese on top and let melt. This is a fast dish for the morning so you can get out to the lake for a days fishing.

CAMPFIRE STEW - from ev martenet
a Girl Scout Favorite

1 lb. hamburger
1 can Campbell's Tomato Soup
1 can Veg-All Vegetables
1 box Jiffy Corn Bread Mix
1 egg (for Cornbread)

Cook hamburger till brown and crumbly in dutch oven. Add tomato soup from the can, and drained vegetables from can. Mix cornbread per directions. Pour over top. Cover with lid and bake on campfire till cornbread is done. About 20-30 minutes.

Everyone loves this easy campfire dinner. And you can add some of your favorite ingredients if you wish, such as choped onion, chopped garlic, grated cheese in the cornbread. Very flexible recipe.

HOBO DINNER II - from Kelly Lee

1 pkg Ekrich Smoked Sausage
2 Large peeled potatoes
1 Large peeled onion
Salt & pepper
Large Reynolds foil bag

Cut the Smoked sausage into bite size circles, slice potatoes (like for fried potatoes), slice onion (like for a sandwich) and add them to the foil bag, add salt and pepper to taste. Cook in coals about 15 minutes on each side and remove from fire pit, carefully open the bag, place on a plate and enjoy.

You can also cook in regular foil, make individual pouches and add green peppers, mushrooms, or what ever you can think of.

The grease from the smoked sausage flavors the vegetables.

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