Miscellaneous Camping and Outdoors Recipes

Here is a grab bag of recipes, many of which are good for camping, that have arrived at the MacScouter over the past few years. Enjoy!

Table of Contents

Meat Loaf 104 with Potatos and Onions

1 1/2 lbs. Ground Beef
3/4 cup Rolled oats(dry)
1 1/2 Tea Spoon Season Salt
1/4 Tea Spoon Pepper
1 pkg Onion Soup mix (may add more)
1 cup Evaporated Milk
1/4 cup Catsup or Ketchup
*Recipe may be double or tripled (for 25 scouts and parents should be tripled)

Also, you will need to have two ovens going for the meat loafs when tripled.

Prepare a dinner plate or plates [usually one from Mom :)] with a layer of wax paper on top and set aside. Get some paper towel ready.

In a very large bowl, Lightly mix, by hand, all dry ingredents with ground beef, then add milk and mix thoroughly, really work the meat and milk together. Now add the catsup. Work until mixed well. Shape loaf on top of the plate, making it even all the way to the edges. When tripled, divide into two loafs. Either freeze it or put it into a warm oven.

-- Thanks to Fritz Schmitt...Scoutmaster Troop 104Holy Angels ChurchArcadia, CA

Onions and Potatoes

10-15 peeled and sliced(scalloped) potatoes
2-4 Diced onions

1 stick butter per oven

Preheat oven, put butter in and let melt. Mix in onions, stir well, then put potatoes in and stir around until covered with butter. Make a nest, but keep some potatoes and onions on the bottom. Place round meat loaf in the middle and cover. Cook for 90 minutes or more rotating lid and bottom ever 15-20 minutes. Usually, in the last 35 minutes, we put another oven with corn bread on top of the main oven. Just take some of the coals off the top of meat loaf while preheating corn bread oven and increase the time a little. Too hot on the bottom will burn the corn bread.

Campfire Pizza

Big coffee cans, with holes drilled in sides for ventilation
Metal spatula

Paper plates
Pizza sauce in squirt-top bottle
Knife to spread the sauce
Cooking oil in spray can
Flour tortillas
Sliced pepperoni
Grated cheese

Put coffee cans on hot coals, bottom side up. Spray one side of tortilla with oil. Squirt a little pizza sauce on the other side, and spread it around. Cover with pepperoni and cheese, and put on can. Cook until bottom is toasty. Remove with spatula, and serve on paper plate.

Easy Apple Strudel

1 package large flour tortillas. Butter each one generously. Cover with chopped apples. chopped nuts, raisins, sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle with a few dried bread crumbs. Roll each one up and place in pan seal side down. Spread soft margarine or butter over each one. Then sprinkle sugar and a little cinnamon over top. Bake in 350' camp oven for about 40 minutes, or until apples are cooked and tops are a little browned. Cover with foil and let stand for a while so juices will set into shells. Cut into slices and serve with vanilla ice cream. Delicious!

Trout on the Manifold

Rainbow or brook trout fresh from stream! Clean and remove head, add butter lemon and oregano to taste, wrap in foil. Cook 3 min. on each side. Take fork and scrape length wise to remove skin, and cross-wise gently to remove meat with-out the bone.

Road Trip Dinner

Road trip cooking. For long trips (must have safe spot to pull over to flip food). In foil, place 3 tablespoons of butter, 2 lbs. of cubed beef, 1 pepper cut in slices and 1 onion 1/4 cut. In second package cut into quarters, 5 or 6 potatoes add seasoning and some butter wrap securely.

Place both items under hood of car on intake manifold. Secure with wire (insulation removed). After 1 hour of driving flip packages and finish drive (1 HOUR max). The meat should be medium well and the potatoes just right.

Adjust drive time to outside air temperature( if it's cold it take longer to cook). Don't forget the gloves under the hood of most cars stay at a slow cook temperature or between 180 and 190 degrees. Great for late camp arrivals.

DO NOT COOK FISH THIS WAY YOUR CAR WILL SMELL FOR MONTH!!!!!

-- Thanks to John, Webelo leader pack 327 Northvale N.J.

TRAILSIDE TETRAZZINI

One thing is sure, when it's time to eat, scouts don't want to fuss around with complicated recipes.  As Pete Farnham of Troop 113 pointed out, Ramen Noodles are a good start to many quick, tasty, and nutritious meals.  Our scouts in the Wolverine patrol have developed a quick, easy  meal they call Trailside Tetrazzini, and during a recent competition had a meal in front of the judge in under 10 minutes from the start of cooking.  The ingredients can be packed by one scout, and serves 4 to 6.

2  packages Ramen Noodles
2  cups Minute Rice
1  10 oz can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
Dehydrated Veggies (We like "Just Veggies", which is also a trail snack)
Wolverines Secret Seasoning  -- Curry powder (don't tell anyone), Garden Seasoning and Pepper
4 cups water

Bring water to a boil, add Ramen flavor packets, veggies, soup, and seasoning to taste.  Remove water from stove, crunch up noodles and add to water along with rice.  Stir to mix ingredients and cover for 3-5 minutes.  Serve with rolls, bread sticks, or Pita bread.

The kids really like it, and the roll helps them clean their plates and the pot to almost put-away condition -- we cleaned up in about a quart of water, which was almost as clean as the rinse water.

There are many variations of the noodle/rice combination.  Using the amount of water suggested for the noodles is enough to cook the rice as well, and make a tasty casserole.  If weight is a problem, use dry soup such as Onion soup, and add a little more water.  Try substituting different soups, for example Cream of Chicken.

It's a good meatless meal if you have scouts(as we do) that follow these restrictions and the other scouts don't mind at all.  Our scouts prefer T. T., and chose it over more complex meals. Since it's tasty and quick, they can get cleanup done and set up for capture the flag or campfire.

We hope you enjoy this as much as we do. 
-- Thanks to Mike Bell, ASM Troop 77, Vallejo, CA.

EGG ON A RAFT (VAGABOND STOVE)


Bread
Egg
Salt and pepper

Grease the cooking surface of the stove. Cut two inch hole in a slice of bread. Place bread on burner and break egg into the hole. Season and turn over once while cooking.

AZTEC TOOTHPICKS

Heat a white flour tortilla in skillet or top of vagabond stove. Spread cream cheese on tortilla; sprinkle on brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll up tortilla and pig out. Great breakfast, sweet roll or night time snack.

FRENCH TOAST (VAGABOND STOVE)

3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar
4 slices bread
Butter, syrup, jam or powdered sugar

Beat eggs, milk and sugar together with a fork. Grease the top of a hot vagabond stove with margarine. Dip both sides of a piece of bread in egg mixture, and lay it on the stove. Be careful that the fire is not too hot. When bottom browns, turn the toast over with a fork or turner. You may need more margarine. When the second side is brown, remove the toast to a plate.


VIENNA TOAST

>Make a jelly sandwich. Beat two eggs per person (4 pieces of toast). Add a little sugar, cinnamon and milk or water. Dip sandwich in egg mixture, fry the sandwich like french toast. Dip fried sandwich in (or sprinkle on) powdered sugar instead of syrup. Tastes like a giant jelly donut.

PUNCH DONUTS

Canned biscuits
Cooking oil
Cocoa
Jello
Sugar (white, brown, powdered, w/wo cinnamon)

Take a biscuit, punch hole through it with finger. Shape into donut shape. Drop into hot oil. Flip over when brown. Remove from oil, dip into sugar, cocoa or jello. Eat slowly, they are really hot.

SAUSAGE BALLS

1 lb sausage
3 cups bisquick
1 8 oz jar Cheese Whiz or shredded cheese

Combine sausage (cooked), bisquick and cheese; shape into balls. Bake in preheated 300 degree oven for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

NELSON'S STEW

Box of macaroni and cheese
1 can of chunky ham

Heat water to boiling. Add macaroni and cook until soft. Follow directions on box. Crumble can of chunky ham into mixture, mix thoroughly. This is very easy. Feeds 2 scouts per box of macaroni and cheese, 1 can of ham can be mixed with each 2 boxes of macaroni.

CAMP STROGANOFF

1-1/2 to 2 pounds ground beef
Onion soup mix
2-3 tablespoons of ketchup
1 cup sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Noodles

Bring pot of water to a rolling boil and cook noodles until done. Brown meat and drain off grease. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until meat is tender. If necessary, thin sauce with a little milk. Serve over cooked noodles.

FRESH TOMATO SAUCE PICANTE

1 medium size tomato, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
6 springs cilantro or Italian parsley (leaves only),
finely chopped (1 tablespoon)
3 serrano chilies, seeded and finely chopped; or
1 can green chili, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water

Combine tomato, onion, cilantro, chilies, salt and water in a bowl. Cover; let stand about 30 minutes before serving. This sauce is best eaten the same day, as it soon loses it crispness and flavor.

TACO CASSEROLE

2 pounds hamburger
6 tortillas cheese grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans enchilada sauce
1 small can tomato sauce

Brown meat and garlic. Add enchilada sauce and tomato sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes. Tear tortillas and layer pan with tortillas, meat, cheese. Repeat with cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

HANOVER BRISKET

4 or 5 lb brisket
1 can of consomme
1 (10 oz) bottle (lite) soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
Garlic to taste
1 tablespoon liquid smoke

Combine last 5 ingredients, pour over meat and marinate overnight. Place meat and marinade in a covered pan and bake at 300 degrees for 3 hours for 3 & 4 lb. and 4 hours for 5 lb.. Baste occasionally during baking. Take out and slice. Then replace it in the pan and pour some of the marinade over brisket.

Increase the temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for another hour.

Easy Ice Cream

1 (14 oz) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
2/3 cup chocolate flavored syrup
2 cups (1 pint) whipping cream

Put into small cleaned coffee can, put lid on. Put down
inside a 3 lb coffee can. Put ice and rock salt around it. Put lid on large can. Roll can, stop and drain water out, and put more ice and rock salt in. Continue until firm.

Hamburger Cookies

Here is the recipe for hamburger cookies (a cute idea for a 50's event): For 30 cookies you will need:
60 vanilla wafers
30 peppermint patties
About 1/2 cup of flaked coconut
About 5 drops of green food coloring
About 2T sesame seeds

Place a vanilla wafers, flat side up, on a cookie sheet. (I use my toaster oven. It fits exactly 15 cookies.) Unwrap, and place a pepperment patty on each cookie (I use York's Pepperment Patties.) Bake for about 4 minutes at 300 degrees (or until they are soft enough to smash down.) While they're baking, tint some flaked coconut with a few drops of green food coloring. (You just put the coconut and food coloring into a sealed container and shake until it's all green.) Remove cookies and mints from oven and lightly top with green coconut (the lettuce). Let some coconut hang out over the sides of the patty. Place a second vanilla wafer on top of each peppermint patty and press down gently to allow the peppermint patty to flatten and look more like a burger patty. Put the burgers on a plate and pop them into the freezer for five minutes so the chocolate sides harden. Remove from freezer and lightly brush the tops with about two drops of water (this activates the sugar in the cookie and creates a slightly sticky surface.) Sprinkle a few sesame seeds on top. (You can find these where they sell spices in your grocery store.) They will stick. Now they are ready to eat.

If you like, you can make a small envelope, like the McDonald's French Fry bag, to hold each hamburger. Fold a piece of 8 1/2" X 5 1/2" paper in half (Now measuring 4 1/4" X 5 1/2"). With the fold at the bottom, open it up and fold the two sides in 1/2 inch. Refold at the bottom and cut the top (double thickness) into an arch. Glue the 1/2" sides, that you folded in, together and decorate the bag with yellow, orange and brown markers to duplicate a French Fry bag. Instead of writing "McDonald's" you can change it to Mc (your name). We call ours McLindsay's. These are great to send to school or scout meetings on your child's birthday because they can be taken home in the little bag instead of eaten at school. Hope you like them.

If you have any questions, e-mail me at kennl@smartlink.net
Palma Lindsay, Co-leader, Santa Clarita, California

Orange Muffins (or Cakes)

Take enough oranges for each person (the large navel ones work the best) cut them in half spoon out the pulp and orange goo (save this you can add it to tropical punch Kool Aid for a little pep to your kool aid!!). Be careful not to tear the rind of the orange in the process after spooning it all out take cake or muffin batter and pour enough batter to fill the half of the orange 3/4 of the way up. Then place the top back on top of the orange and wrap with foil. Place in your campfire coals for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Let cool for about 5 minutes, unwrap and you have a sweet treat to enjoy! This works really well with jiffy blueberry muffin mix for a morning muffin or for a snack as a cupcake.

Hope ya like it ...its a little messy but the end product is worth it.
-- Thanks to Angyi Coleman Brownie GS leader for Troop 173 in OKC, OK

Damper and Haybox Stew

Damper is a traditional Australian camp food; it is basically a dough of self-raising flour and water baked in the coals to make a kind of bread, and is great hot with butter and jam. A traditional scout variation of damper is "twist" - same recipe, but the dough is rolled out snake-like and wrapped around a green stick and cooked over the coals much as you do when toasting marshmallows. Cubs love it! Key points to watch out for - ensure the wood in the stick is from a plant without toxic sap (not normally a problem with our eucalypts here, but I don't know what trees you're likely to have available) and the stick is steadily rotated while cooking - doughy on one side and burnt on the other is not too exciting to eat! If cooking damper the more traditional way in the coals, you may want to wrap the dough in foil - not really the way the old bushmen did it, but I have found the current more civilized generation sometimes protest at the ash and inevitable burnt sections of crust that have been up against the hottest coals!

A haybox stew is also a good option. I'm sure this will be familiar to many of you, and I think I even recall seeing it in a BSA handbook many years ago. Basically you bring the stew to the boil and then put the billy it in a box tightly packed on all sides (including on top of the lid - often overlooked) with straw, hay or shredded newspaper. This insulates the billy and the stew continues to slowly cook. Works great if you prepare it at lunchtime, go off to do an activity, then come back at dinnertime and it's cooked (may need just a little reheating sometimes)

-- Thanks to Grant O'Neil "I used to be a Magpie, and I'm still a Venturer..."

Corny Corn Bread Casserole

1 can cream corn
1 can regular corn
8 oz sour cream
1 stick margarine, melted
onion flakes
1 egg
1 package Jiffy corn bread muffin mix

Mix all together and pour into greased pan. Bake 350 to 375 degree oven until done. depending on size of pan determine length of baking time.

Notes:
Mom makes this in a deep casserole dish and bakes for an hour or so.

When I did this in the dutch oven, I skipped the onion flakes and didn't melt the butter first. It baked for about 40 minutes with 6 coals on the bottom and 20 on top.

A favorite with the boys, won 2nd place in the 1996 Wabuha District camporee cookoff. The boys judged adult division cooking, how did I win feeding them vegetables?

-- Thanks t o Bill Randall, ASM Troop 7, Cedar Falls, IA

No-Bake Peanut Squares

1 c Light corn syrup
1 c White sugar
1 c Peanut butter
4 c Corn flakes
4 c Cherrios
1 c Peanuts

In a 2 qt. pan melt together just until smooth the first three ingredients, stirring constantly. Do not boil. (Warning: Don't use glass pan on top of electric stove!) Remove from heat. Measure the last three ingredients into a large bowl. Pour over peanut butter mixture. Stir, coating cereal and nuts. Spread into buttered large pan. Cut into squares. Press down.

-- Thanks to 9 year oldTravis Williams

Popcorn Cake

4 Qt. popped corn
1/2 lb Gum drops
1/2 lb Peanuts
1 lb Marshmallows
1/2 c Melted margarine
1/2 c Corn oil

Melt marshmallows, margarine, and corn oil. Pour over popcorn, nuts and gum drips. Mix together and pat in a bundt cake pan or angel food cake pan. Cool.

Chocolate No Bake Cookies

1/2 c Butter
2 c Sugar
1/2 c Water
2 tb Cocoa
1/2 c Peanut butter
3 c Oatmeal or:
1 c Coconut

Mix butter, sugar, water and cocoa together, bring to a boil for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and add peanut butter, oatmeal or coconut. Drop on wax paper and let harden.

Breakfast in a Paper Bag

I have a cooking suggestion that we use in Royal Rangers. Items needed 1-brown paper bag, small stick bacon and one egg. You first lay 3 to 4 strips of bacon one next to each other in the bottom of the bag ( depending on bag size and how well you like bacon ). insert stick through bag top and hold bag over camp fire so bacon cookes but be careful that bag is not too close or the bag will catch fire! When bacon is all most done crack open egg on top of bacon and if all goes well you'll have cooked bacon and eggs in a paper bag!

-- Thanks to P.H. Royal Rangers outpost 93 N.C.

Ziplock Ice Cream

In a small ziplock bag add:
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons condensed milk (I use Eagle Brand)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (or chocolate etc to taste)

Close bag carefully. Place in another small ziplock bag and close as well. In a large ziplock bag fill 3/4 full of snow and add 1 cup of pickling salt. Place the ingredient bag into the large bag and close same. Mix thoroughly until the contents of the ingredient bag harden (usually about 5 minutes).

Open and enjoy!

Please note: Mitts are suggested to do the mixing as the salt lowers the snow temperature, and the hands get uncomfotable.

The double bagging serves two purposes:
1. If the first leaks you don't have to start over.
2. Not as much salt water in the ice cream.

This works quite well. My wife does it with her third graders, and I do it at most winter camps. Its a bit messy, but the kids love it.

Haagen Das eat yout heart out!

-- Thanks to Joe Servos-27th Guelph Ont Canada Cubs

Ziploc Omelets

Eggs, cheese, sausage, boiled in DOW freezer ziploc bags. Prefry the sausage at the campsite. By the way, the ziplocs work great in boiling water, but: remove excess air from the bag first; take a permanent pen for labeling the bags in the water; keep the bags away from the side of the boiling pot (that's where the bag gets damaged from the heat) and squish it after it's cooked and re-cook if you want your breakfast to be firm. Otherwise, you will have some undercooked omelette.

-- Thanks to Bob Nix ..ustaBabeaver..


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