Cooking and Camping

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This past weekend J and I took a trip to Michigan.  The main purpose was to attend the Nascar race on Sunday.  This time, we decided that we would try to camp, instead of finding a hotel.

Camping is much cheaper than hotel rooms during race weekends (a good $300-400 difference), plus we camped just a 5-minute walk from the track, so no driving! 

It's been a good 15 years (at least) since the last time either of us went camping.  We were able to borrow some of the necessary items from family, so we didn't spend too much up front.

For cooking, we took a small charcoal grill, a two-burner propane grill, and a fire pit.  I think we did pretty well for the weekend!  I didn't want any typical burgers or hot dogs, so this is what we ate.

Friday dinner: BBQ Chicken Calzones

I made these calzones in advance.  I cooked and shredded some chicken, then mixed it up with carmelized onions, bbq sauce and shredded cheddar cheese.  I think place the chicken mixture into some dough and folded it into a calzone.

I wrapped the calzones (after freezing for 1-2 hours on a cookie sheet) in heavy duty aluminum foil (sprayed first with grilling Pam), then put them in the freezer.  They were still mostly frozen by the time we were ready to cook, but that was okay.  I just put them straight on the charcoal grill and we let them go for about 45 minutes - 1 hour, until the dough was cooked and lightly browned, and they were heated through.  This was a delicious and very easy meal for the first.  No prep was good as we weren't sure exactly how long it would take us to get set up.

Saturday (and Monday) breakfast: Eggs, bacon and hash browns

No picture, but I think you can figure it out. :)  On Saturday we cooked the bacon on our cast iron griddle over the propane grill.  I had bought frozen hash browns that already had onions and peppers in them, so I just put them in a skillet with some salt and pepper and cooked those over the charcoal grill.  Once the bacon was done, I cooked the eggs on the cast iron.

On Monday we were trying to pack up and get going, so we skipped the bacon.  We just threw the hash browns in the skillet (using the propane grill this time), let them cooked for a bit then mixed in the remaining eggs and some cheese!

Saturday and Sunday lunch: Italian hoagies and snacks

Sorry - no picture again!  We weren't quite sure what we'd be doing when lunch time rolled around, so we decided on something that was easily portable.  This way, on Sunday, when we were at the race, we just threw the hoagies in a cooler and brought them with us (saving money on purchasing over-priced products inside the track).

We bought some hoagie rolls, salami, pepperoni, prosciutto, capicola and provolone, then topped that with lettuce, tomato and Italian dressing (mayo for Sunday so they didn't get soggy).  Delicious!

Saturday dinner: Chicken / Shrimp / Veggie kabobs and cheesy potatoes

(I know this is missing the shrimp, but I put them on too early so we ended up eating them before I remembered a picture!)

I pre-made the cheesy potatoes and put them into an aluminum pan and froze them.  By the time Saturday night rolled around, they were thawed out.  (This is the same recipe you'll find all over the internet, using hash browns, sour cream, cream of chicken and cheese.)  We cooked these over the propane grill for about 1/2 hour or so, until heated through and cheese was melted.

I marinated the shrimp and chicken in Italian dressing, then froze them.  They were thawed by Saturday night, so I just put them on skewers and cooked over the charcoal.  When we started heating the charcoal, I cut up the veggies and put them in some Italian dressing.  They marinated for about 1/2 hour before it was time to put them on the grill.

Sunday breakfast: Breakfast burritos (and leftover cheesy potatoes)

This was another pre-made / frozen meal.  I cooked sausage and mixed it with plain hash browns, cheddar cheese, scrambled eggs and salsa.  I then put that mixture into tortilla shells, rolled up burrito style, and (after freezing 1-2 hours on a cookie sheet) wrapped them in heavy duty aluminum foil (sprayed with grilling Pam) and placed them back in the freezer.  Again - these were thawed by Sunday, so I just threw them on the charcoal grill and let cook for about 30-45 minutes, until heated through.

Sunday dinner: Hobo Dinners

I've also heard these referred to as Boy Scout meals.  Out of everything, this turned out to be my least favorite meal.  The reason being that I overcooked the meat (which is hidden in the picture by the veggies).  I think I should've put the potatoes on the bottom and that would've helped.  But, that aside, they did taste good!

These are basically whatever you want them to be.  I used ground meat, potatoes, onions, carrots, green peppers and mushrooms.  I also added in some bbq sauce and cheddar cheese.  Just wrap it all up (double-wrapping is best) in heavy duty foil, and throw it right on the hot coals of your fire.



Try not to overcook it like I did. :)

Overall, I think we did great with our camping meals.  Nothing was too difficult, and it was (almost) all delicious!