Using a microwave?! = NOT real...

[Marsha D]

When we were kids and went camping we also used pie filling between the bread to make - you guess it - PIES! Yummo. I think I've seen recipes for the pie irons, there may even be someone who wrote a cookbook about it.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Cooking over a fire is often not possible because of fire bans. It's often considered best to use a small gas or butane stove even for backpackers. There's several ways to make great meals using a single burner stove. One with a thing called a "Bakepacker".
Here's one of my favorite recipes. Bisquick, shredded jerky flavor of your choice, dried gravy mix. Put 1 to 1.5 cups of Bisquick in a baggy, (not zipper closing). add the rest, than add water slightly less than the Bisquick package recommends. Mix well. Place bag on top of Bakepacker, put Bakepacker in pot with about 1" of water in the bottom. Fold top of baggy over. Place lid on pot. Bring to boil and reduce heat to keep the water at a low boil for about 25 minutes. Remove baggie and open cut biscuit into finger food size. enjoy.

[melissab]

That is a pretty neat Gizmo! Looks great for making cornbread, bisquits etc esp when the weather is bad and you want something "breadlike" with your soup inside the trailer. It's on my wishlist now. Thanks for posting this, it's pretty cool!

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

Cooking over a fire is often not possible because of fire bans. It's often considered best to use a small gas or butane stove even for backpackers. There's several ways to make great meals using a single burner stove. One with a thing called a "Bakepacker".
Here's one of my favorite recipes. Bisquick, shredded jerky flavor of your choice, dried gravy mix. Put 1 to 1.5 cups of Bisquick in a baggy, (not zipper closing). add the rest, than add water slightly less than the Bisquick package recommends. Mix well. Place bag on top of Bakepacker, put Bakepacker in pot with about 1" of water in the bottom. Fold top of baggy over. Place lid on pot. Bring to boil and reduce heat to keep the water at a low boil for about 25 minutes. Remove baggie and open cut biscuit into finger food size. enjoy.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by melissab

That is a pretty neat Gizmo! Looks great for making cornbread, bisquits etc esp when the weather is bad and you want something "breadlike" with your soup inside the trailer. It's on my wishlist now. Thanks for posting this, it's pretty cool!

Cornbread cooks nicely in the backpacker. I've cooked fish in it too. The only thing that gave me trouble was brownies.

[honda03842]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

Cornbread cooks nicely in the backpacker. I've cooked fish in it too. The only thing that gave me trouble was brownies.

Apparantly the amount of shortening in brownies prevents them from cooking properly.

Norm

[HikeSticks]

One of my favorite cooking methods is wrapping ingredients in aluminum foil and steaming the contents. This works great for fish with lemon. If I have herbs to include, better. I usually wrap the veggies separately. It doesn't give you the smoke flavor but a heck of a meal anyway.The veggies tend to take longer than the fish.
Barrie

[honda03842]

We've considered buying a bakepacker, a device that lets you bake in a Scamp. In researching it I came across a couple of articles on people who use their crock pots to bake bread. Has anyone done this?

Crock Pot baking bread site below.

Recipenet "The crock pot: an alternative bread machine"

A recipe
RecipeNet "Couldn't Be Easier Slow Cooker Bread"

Norm

[Jane P.]

Well, most nights I microwave ... frozen dinners. I'm just too tired after a full day of dog training. Plus, I have very little knowledge of campfires. I usually piggy back on friends who love campfires. I particularly like roasting hot dogs over an open fire.

So here is a fun thing for all you folks who value form and function: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/06/28/...the-bbq-sword/

BTW love the ideas on this thread. Maybe I'll have the energy to try some of them this winter.

[Toni M T]

I ended up taking the Microwave out of the Bigfoot and putting in a toaster oven after it blew a fuse (I guess back in '86 when it was built they didn't need such strong electrical circuits). I don't miss it that much, as it was heavy and took up a lot of counter space, and the toaster oven only takes a little longer.

Our camping trips usually involve a group of friends, and one of the joys of camping with friends is visiting with them while we cook, so I tend to use the coleman stove outside on the table. One thing I picked up at a rummage sale that has come in really handy for big gatherings (where everyone kind of pitches in with a potluck item) is a dutch oven (a big cast iron pot with a cover. It usually sits over the coals cooking up something anytime a fire is allowed. Here are a couple of favorite recipes (2 for breakfast, the 2 for dinner):

One Pot Tortilla Breakfast
Ingredients

• 2 tsp. vegetable oil
• 2 medium green, red, and/or yellow peppers thin sliced
• 1 small red onion thin sliced
• 1 (1.25 oz.) package taco seasoning mix
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 6 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 12 (6 in.) fajita- size flour tortillas, warmed
• 1 jar of salsa
• 1 tub of sour cream
  

• 1 lb. shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oil in Dutch oven. Add pepper, onion and seasoning mix, stir well. Cook well for 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp- tender. Transfer to bowl, cover.
Combine evaporated milk and eggs in bowl. Pour into oven and scramble until soft curds form. Move eggs to center of oven. Arrange vegetables around eggs. Sprinkle cheese over eggs and vegetables.
Serve with tortillas. Garnish as desired.

Mexican Casserole
Ingredients

• 1 lb breakfast sausage hot or regular
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 medium onion chopped well
• 2 eggs
• 1 can Rotel diced tomatoes drained well
• bread crumbs as needed

Mix well adding bread crumbs to produce a dense meatloaf. Place in a #10 Dutch oven that has been sprayed well with a non stick spray. Cover and cook for about 30 min or until almost done.
While that is cooking, mix 2 boxes of cornbread mix according to the instructions given and add the following:

• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 2 medium jalapenos finely chopped
• 1 can of creamed corn

Mix well.
Remove meat from oven and carefully drain off any liquid. Pour cornbread mixture over the top of the meat and return to oven for approximately 20 min. Watch this carefully. Check for doneness with a toothpick.

Barbecue Ribs

• 1/2 Rack of spare ribs
• Salt and Pepper ribs according to taste
• Your favorite barbecue sauce

Braise in a hot Dutch Oven for 30 to 40 minutes at approximately 450 degrees. Cover lid completely with coals, same with bottom. Check for browning, turn if necessary. Separate ribs and cover with your favorite barbecue sauce. Bake for approx. 2 hours with 14 coals on top and bottom.

Bratwurst Stroganoff

Ingredients

• 2 lbs stadium style bratwurst
• 1 lb package of Portabella mushrooms, sliced thin
• 1 large, flat Vidalia onion sliced very thin
• 1 quart sour cream
• 1 quart white wine
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour
• 2 tablespoons of high heat oil (peanut or olive)
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 large packages (24 oz to 32 oz total weight) extra wide egg noodles

Set sufficient water to boil in accordance with the package directions of the noodles. A large pinch of course salt may be added to speed boiling and help flavor the noodles. Heat a large skillet (12 to 14 inch) and add the oil. Immediately place the brats into the oil and begin to move them around to completely brown them. This should take about ten minutes. Remove the brats from the pan and allow to rest at least five minutes. Check the water and when appropriate add the noodles. After the brats have rested, slice them into 1/2 inch pieces and set aside for later use. Add the onions to the skillet and reduce the heat slightly to a medium high. Allow the onions to just begin to turn clear then add the mushrooms. Raise the heat slightly closer to high. The vegetables should begin to absorb the drippings from the pan. When this happens return the sliced brats to the pan and allow them to cook for about 5 minutes while continually stirring. If the pan appears to be dry additional cooking oil may be added a half tablespoon at a time. Add no more than one additional full tablespoon. Sprinkle one half the flour over the contents of the pan and add the garlic. Stir to combine well and to absorb the flour. Add the sour cream and combine well. Add the wine a little at a time to achieve a consistency about like a sausage gravy or a bit thinner. This should take about half of the wine. When the noodles are finished drain them well, add them to the sauce and combine well. Check the sauce. If it is too thick add a little more wine and combine. If too thin (doesn't coat the noodles) sprinkle a little of the remaining flour over the dish and combine well. Do not use more flour than what was left over from the original recipe measure because too much raw flour will ruin the dish.

[Toni M T]

One campfire meal I have eaten (but didn't cook) was at a "Cowboy" gathering where the coffee was put into clean socks and boiled in a big pot of water over the fire (it made a lot-they served it with a dipper), and the supper steaks were put on long handled, all metal BBQ forks and fried in a big pot of oil in the same pot over the nighttime fire. Although the steaks were really good, I imagine eating deep fried steak
like that would not be too healthy on a regular basis!

[Francesca Knowles]

Hi, Toni

Now, THAT'S what I call Camp Cookin'!
I love my dutch oven- I even bought an itty-bitty one for when I camp alone

I'll be trying your recipes!

Francesca

[honda03842]

Originally Posted by Toni M T

One campfire meal I have eaten (but didn't cook) was at a "Cowboy" gathering where the coffee was put into clean socks and boiled in a big pot of water over the fire (it made a lot-they served it with a dipper), and the supper steaks were put on long handled, all metal BBQ forks and fried in a big pot of oil in the same pot over the nighttime fire. Although the steaks were really good, I imagine eating deep fried steak
like that would not be too healthy on a regular basis!

In Medora, ND there's a 3000 person theater built in the side of a mesa, you go down 7 stories in an escalator to get to the show.

Before the show there is a buffet/barbaque. They place about 10 steaks on the tines of each pitch fork and cook them in these human size pots of peanut oil. It seemed to take a fraction of a minute to cook them. The steaks were great as was the stage show - actually horses on the huge stage.

Norm