Camp Food

Campfire Nachos

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This has been one of those recipes that has been sitting in my post folder for a long time. It’s a good one, but getting a halfway decent picture of it has proved to be difficult. For some reason, we tend to enjoy this dish while camping at night, which means no good lighting. It’s in fact usually the worst lighting ever, but that’s life and we forget about it and enjoy the food, because that’s what it’s here for anyway.

Campfire Nachos

This past weekend Chuck, Brody and I met up with our friend Pat for a little camping in VT. It was a much needed break from reality. There was a lot of fishing, puppy dog swimming, and napping. Man, it’s nice to nap, I should do it more often. I mean really why did we ever stop napping?

I’m getting off track here.

I made these awesome nachos for lunch during this restorative little trip. It was the perfect easy lunch that was surprisingly filling. I had originally planned to have these with hot dogs, but the nachos were more than enough to fill the three of us heartily until dinner time.

This recipe is pretty basic because getting too fancy when camping can be a drag. You are there to have fun, not slave over every meal right? However, you can make this same recipe just as easily at home in the oven or on a grill where the fancier toppings are more at hand.

Some notes about this recipe. I tend to prep the beans ahead of time at home and put them in a container or ziplock for camping. Again we are going for ease while we are in the woods. If you wanted to add some other veggies or meat you could also toss them in with the prepared beans. Also be very careful about putting the foil pack directly onto hot coals, the chips may burn with such direct heat. We are just looking to warm up the dish and melt the cheese here.

Campfire Nachos

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 6 SErvings

Ingredients

Several handfuls of tortilla chips
1 can of beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup salsa of choice
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Additional toppings of choice (olives, cilantro, avocado, etc.)

Instructions

Lay a large piece of foil out flat and top it with another piece of similar sized foil so that they make a cross.
Spread half the tortilla chips in the center of the cross. Spread half the beans and half the salsa over the chips.
Add the rest of the tortilla chips and top them with the rest of the beans, salsa and cheese.
Fold the edges of the foil up to enclose the nachos in a packet. Place on a grate over a fire and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese becomes melted.
Remove from heat and carefully open the foil packet.
Top the nachos with any additional toppings and serve immediately.

The Honeymoon Finale and Camp Clam Chowder

By Jessica

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A quick overview of our favorite camping spot and an amazing recipe for Camp Clam Chowder.

I have already talked about the first half of our honeymoon in wine country, as well as our trip to Watkins Glen, but those only took up the first half of the week. The second half was spent camping in our favorite spot; a special place that we go to every year (2012, 2013, 2014).

It’s a really beautiful lake that we hike back into and setup camp for the weekend only venturing out for extra supplies at the truck. It’s a little known place that doesn’t get much traffic so most of the time we are completely on our own there, and it’s pretty much bliss. Brody loves it because he gets to have his run of the campsite sans leash or fence. There is also lots of swimming with this little guy.

Lake Champlain on the way back home.

We went later in the year than we usually do so it was a bit colder, which of course calls for tummy warming foods. Some of my favorites are foil potatoes, Hobo Stew, Fire Roasted French Style Onions and camp clam chowder.

This chowder is probably one of the tastiest and easiest things to prepare over the fire. With lots of protein and carbs, it’s great for a long journey. Like any chowder its super filling and warming form the inside out. Don’t let it’s looks fool you, it’s delicious. The only down side for a long trip is lugging in the canned clams, so if you want to make this on a longer trip I would dump the canned clams into a light weight container or Ziploc , just be sure it doesn’t leak because that will turn into a sticky mess.

For the rest of the ingredients I brought the potato flakes, herbs, & spices in a baggy with a whole shallot and a small potato (optional). The shallot and potato were removed and chopped up just before cooking. The bacon was saved from breakfast and just crumbled when ready for use.

Camp Clam Chowder

Prep time: 2 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 12 mins

Serves: 2 Servings

Ingredients

2 strips of bacon, cooked & crumbled
1-2 tablespoons of butter or oil
1 shallot, minced
2 6.5 oz chopped clams in juice
1 vegetable bouillon, crumbled
¼ cup water (possibly more)
1/3 cup instant potatoes
1 teaspoon dried chives

Instructions

Put the bacon in a pan over the fire and cook for 1-2 minutes, the bacon should release some fat.
Add the butter (or oil), shallot and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the shallot begins to soften.
Stir in the chopped clams, bouillon, and water. Cook (at boiling temperature) for 2-3 minutes.
Add the potatoes and cook, while stirring until thickened.
Top with chives and serve.

Optional: Cook Foil Camp Potatoes alongside the chowder and add the cooked potato to each bowl.

Meal Plan 8.2.15 – A Camping Meal Plan

By Jessica

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This week I am doing something a little different with our meal plan and making it camping focused. Every year around this time we go on a kind of backpacking trip and it’s something that Chuck, Brody and I really enjoy and look forward to. I thought it would be fun to show you how I plan for a week of camping, and some of the awesome food that we eat along the way.

If you are looking for a normal meal plan go here. We will be back to our normal schedule for next week.

With camping I have to be more involved with the meal plans and include lunch and breakfast as well as dinner so this meal plan will encompass all of that as well.

Breakfasts:

Breakfast Burritos

Campfire bacon & scrambled eggs

Grilled Cheese

Instant Oatmeal

Lunch:

Hot dogs & baked beans

Tuna mac or wraps

Ramen with added veggies

Dinner:

Hobo Chicken & Rice

Traveling Meatloaf with Foil Potatoes

Foil Grilled Fajitas

Hikers Stroganoff

Campfire Monkey Bread

By Jessica

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Monkey bread is a Chuck family staple, and something I had never heard of before I met him. You guys, I was so ill-prepared for the deliciousness. Now I look forward to it, and whenever I see a roll of those pre-made biscuits in Mama Chuck’s fridge I get excited.

During our recent trip to Laconia bike week we camped out at a local camp ground and I was in charge of all the food for our group of about 9 people, which with one Coleman Camping Stove, and a fire pit that had no grate on it was quite the challenge. I learned quite a lot about preparing the food quickly, as well as catering to a number of different preferences, so I think next year I will be much more prepared. There might be a post in there somewhere about cooking for large groups while camping.

For this trip I decided to try out a camping version that I saw online. The premise is pretty much the same except you cook it over the campfire in a Dutch oven.

It came out great, though with a little smokier flavor than I was used to. I also found that in order to cook it evenly you really do need to place hot coals on top of the Dutch oven. Without even cooking you are likely to end up with a burnt bottom and a raw top. Yes, this comes from experience, so believe me!

Campfire Monkey Bread

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 35 mins

Total time: 45 mins

Serves: 8-10 Servings

Ingredients

2 rolls pre-made buttermilk biscuits
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons cinnamon
1 stick butter, melted

Instructions

Get a good fire going and burn it until there are a number of hot coals.
Meanwhile combine the sugars and cinnamon in a zip lock bag.
Line a fire safe dutch oven with foil and spray with cooking spray.
Cut the biscuits in to bite size pieces and drop each piece into the bag with the sugar. Toss to coat then drop the biscuit pieces into the prepared dutch oven.
Pour the melted butter over the top for the mixture.
Place the lid on top and put over hot coals. Carefully place a few of the hot coals on top of the lid and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating regularly.

So now tell me, what are your favorite camping treats?

What’s your favorite camping meal aside from the usual hot dog?

Similar Recipes:

Camping Meal Plan

Camp Clam Chowder

Campfire Nachos

Stromboli 3 Ways

By Jessica

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

I have always been a fan
of finger food. You know, things that have everything contained in a nice
little hand held vassal. It’s especially good if it’s cheesy, and dip able. Stromboli
is one of those types of things. I love making it for pot lucks, and camping
weekends because you can make it ahead of time wrap it in foil and then heat it
up when you are ready to eat.

Stromboli traditionally is
a type of turnover that is usually filled with cheese, Italian meats, and made
with Italian bread dough. Most of the time in the US you can find it with mixed
Italian meats and provolone, or mozzarella and pepperoni.

Just before Christmas (I know
I’m behind, things get busy) Chuck went up to hunting camp and I thought I
would make him some of these. The thing is that I wanted to try something a
little different than the usual, and then got a bit carried away. I ended up
with three awesome fillings, traditional meat and cheese, cheeseburger, and
vegetarian. I’ll admit the vegetarian one was mostly for myself to break off a hunk
of, and the boys didn’t appreciate it as much as the others, but it was still
good, especially dipped into a steaming cup of marina.

For all three of these I
used this pizza dough recipe.

Triple Meat & Cheese Stromboli

1 pizza dough recipe

6 oz pepperoni, sliced
thin

6 oz Salami, sliced thin

6 oz ham, sliced thin

8 thin slices provolone

½ cup shredded mozzarella

½ cup grated parmesan

¼ cup melted butter
(optional)

Preheat the oven to 375
degrees. Roll the pizza dough out into a rectangle (roughly 10 by 13 inches).
Layer the meats and cheeses, leaving about a 1 inch border. Roll the dough up
into a log, folding the ends in to seal them as you go. Place the roll, with
the seam down on a nonstick baking sheet. Brush the top with a bit of melted butter
if desired. Bake until the outside of the dough is golden and fluffy, about 30
minutes.

Broccoli Rabe &
Roasted Red Pepper Stromboli

1 pizza dough recipe

1 bunch broccoli rabe,
chopped

1 tbsp extra virgin olive
oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt & pepper to taste

8 thin slices provolone

½ cup shredded mozzarella

1 (12oz) jar roasted red
peppers

1 tsp salt

¼ cup melted butter
(optional)

Blanch the broccoli rabe,
then strain it and pat dry. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat.
Add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the broccoli rabe, and sauté
until it begins to wilt, about 3-4 minutes. Add salt & pepper to taste,
remove from heat. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the pizza dough out
into a rectangle (roughly 10 by 13 inches). Spread the cheese over the dough,
leaving a 1 inch border. Layer the roasted red peppers, and broccoli rabe over
the cheese. Sprinkle the entire thing with salt. Roll the dough up into a log,
folding the ends in to seal them as you go. Place the roll, with the seam down
on a nonstick baking sheet. Brush the top with a bit of melted butter if
desired. Bake until the outside of the dough is golden and fluffy, about 30
minutes.

Cheese Burger Stromboli

½ lb lean ground beef

½ cup diced onion

½ tbsp flour

½ cup beef broth

1 cup diced tomatoes

¼ cup diced pickles
(optional)

1 cup shredded cheddar
cheese

¼ cup melted butter
(optional)

In a large skillet brown
the ground beef over medium high heat, about 3-5 minutes. Add the onion and
cook for another minute, until the onion becomes translucent. Stir in the flour
until well combined then add the broth and tomatoes. Continue to stir and cook
until the liquid reduces and a thick sauce forms. Add pickles if desired, and
remove from heat. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the pizza dough out
into a rectangle (roughly 10 by 13inches). Spread the cheese over the dough
leaving about a 1 inch border. Pour the beef mixture over the top and spread it
evenly. Roll the dough up into a log, folding the ends in to seal them as you
go. Place the roll, with the seam down on a nonstick baking sheet. Brush the top
with a bit of melted butter if desired. Bake until the outside of the dough is
golden and fluffy, about 30 minutes.

What are your favorite Stromboli fillings?

Camp Food

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