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Old 10-03-2005, 10:42 AM   #1
Bill & Lisa
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Default Make Ahead Meals

We have been camping since our marriage 23 years ago. From overnights in the car, tents, pop ups and now our TM, I've discovered the more you do beforehand, the better time you have while in the great outdoors. That's why we go camping in the first place!

Before a trip, I consider my weekly menu planning (okay, for those of us who do, it helps!). Whenever possible I try to cook double portions and either vacuume seal meals, can soups or stews, or pre-marinate meats so that the meal preparation on the road is minimal. Frozen items work well in the bottom of a cooler until you can use them. I keep the first 2 days' worth in the refer section or cooler to save freezer space, the rest in the freezer to save refer space.

Some of my favorites are:

Meat, veggie & tater foil packets for the grill. Add a dessert and you're done.
Try center cut pork chops, sliced onions, cubed apples w/skin, baby carrots, pumpkin pie spice and a little apple juice concentrate. Place in a double layer of heavy duty foil, seal. Freeze. Wash and dry a sweet potato. Coat in olive oil and sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar. wrap in foil. Bake both either in the oven or on the grill. One meat packet per person, one potato packet per two people.
Try a whitefish, lemon peel, squash and zuccini, and a little pepper and paprika, squirt of orange juice. Serve with microwaveable rice.
Steak, monterey seasoning, onions, mushrooms, sliced bell pepper, and a dash of teryaki sauce. Make boiled new potatoes in butter and parsley.
Vary the ingredients to make your own favorites.

Lasagne--or any Italian main dish in vacuume packets. Boil in water or nuke. Add a salad.

Egg casserole--
Spray a disposable oven pan (the plastic kind) with pan spray. Cut bread into triangles and line the pan, making a crown of sorts around the edges. Add a mixture of cut cooked breakfast meats, leftover hash browns, whatever cooked vegetables (onion, bell pepper, celery, broccoli) you may like in an omlette, shredded cheese(s), spices to taste, and enough scrambled egg to hold it all together. Bake at home at 325 F. Let cool. (If feeding only a few, Cut into manageable portions) vacuume pack. Freeze. Microwave on site. Add fresh fruit or fruit coctail cups and you're done.

For younger kids--Scavenger hunt breakfast!
Gather your supplies: lunch bags, a stapler, individual portions of their favorite cereals, plastic bowls, spoons, napkins, a fruit cup or roll up, a granola bar, muffins, juice box, etc. Package the appropriate items, staple the bag shut, and hide in and around your TM just before the kids get up. Supply milk. I used this one for my scouts--when their breakdown was done, they got to look for breakfast. Older kids can eat their cereal and milk from zipper bags, but younger ones need a bowl.

Easy Canning Instructions:
For those of you who were never introduced to home canning, I have an easy way to make it work for you.
Purchase jars with lids from the grocery. Rinse the jars, lids and screw bands just before filling the jars. Place the lid portion into a bowl of the hottest tap water you have. Put whatever hot, liquid based meal (soups, stews, sauces, fruits or vegetables in juice, etc.) into the jar leaving the area that the band covers empty. Microwave the jar and it's contents until the jar is very hot to the touch, 2-4 minutes for 2 pint sized jars. Immediately add the lid and seal with the band. *Turn upside down on a dish towel for at least 10 minutes. This insures that the rubber portion of the lids will be hot enough to make a seal. After ten minutes, turn upright. The lids will "pop" down due to the vacuume created by the cooling product.* It may take a little while, so have patience. If any lids don't seal before the product cools, use these within a few days, or immediately boil them in a pot of water for 10-20 minutes. Repeat steps between**.

Eclairs: It's not a total make ahead, but it's great!
At home, make 8" long by 1" diameter foil hot dogs by crumpling and wrapping foil to the shape of a frankfurter. Make the outside as smooth as possible. Spray your frank with pan spray.
preheat your oven to 400 F. Wrap a flattened "Grands" biscuit around the frank being sure to leave one end open for the filling and sealing all other cracks. It is not necessary to completely cover the frankfurter form. Bake these "shells" on a cookie sheet until nicely browned.
At the site, mix up a small package of vanilla instant pudding in a zipper bag. Once mixed (usually by tossing the bag gently from one hand to the other--or person to the other) cut off 1/4 inch of one corner to create a piping bag. Remove the foil franks and fill the centers with pudding. Top each eclair with canned chocolate frosting. Enjoy.

ShisKebob

For this one, I pre cut, marinate, and vacuume pack meats and pre-cut the vegetables at home. I usually prepare this meal within the first 48 hours of camping due to the vegetable storage time. Soak your skewers in water if using bamboo, then assemble the kebobs to your liking. Grill. Add a packet of pre-cooked microwaveable rice and dinner's done.

Not so light Nachos
Use a quality ground beef, taco seasoning packet, drained and rinsed can of kidney beans, and a small can of tomato sauce. Brown the beef, drain the fat, then mix everything together and heat though. Can or vacuume pack the results. Pack up a small package of sour cream, a bag of shredded mexican cheeses, a small can of black olive slices, and a large bag of tortilla chips. On site, microvave the jar or bag. Place the chips on the bottom of each plate (or a clean garbage can lid!) add the meat mix, top with cheese and dollop with sour cream. Add olives if desired.
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Old 10-03-2005, 05:55 PM   #2
Tuscany Bandit
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Wow!
2 Weeks and 23 Posts...wish I had that much time on my hands!!!! Envious (sp) of course!.
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Old 10-03-2005, 08:10 PM   #3
Bill & Lisa
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Both of us have computers and post under the same login so we are not as prolific as we seem Plus we have gotten so much off of this site we are glad to try and give some of our ideas/thoughts/opinions back. Bill
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Old 10-03-2005, 09:17 PM   #4
B_and_D
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We also pack our food ahead of time, at least for 4 or 5 nights, sometimes for the whole trip. So far, I've always forgotten a major ingredient for at least one meal (try as I do...). Oh yes, this reminds me, DiGiorno pizzas do not cook well in the TM oven at whatever elevation Yosemite is at. Trust me on this one.

For our first night out on a camping trip, we usually bring along a Papa Murphy's pizza (whatever's on sale). It's a very quick, easy dinner for the first night out after a long drive. The large size fits perfectly in the TM oven and also fits into the frig. We usually bring along and add the veggies we like. We can even buy it the night before, it keeps very well until you're ready to cook.



That's me in my dunce hat for forgetting so much stuff. I've forgotten my bathing suit, my eyeglasses (when I used to wear contacts), and other essential clothing items that I won't mention. That's why I have such a long list, so I won't forget. It helps, but.....

Why do you soak your bamboo skewers? We used to make shishkabobs (sp?) a lot, usually with teriyaki marinade, some boiler onions, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes and mushrooms; we would cook up some white rice and that's all you need (except for DH who has to have bread) but we never soaked the skewers?

We always bring along meat tenderizer too, so we can buy less expensive cuts of meat and they'll still be good on the BBQ. On our last trip we used the meat tenderizer on my daughter's yellowjacket sting, mixed it in with some water and put it on as a paste with a bandaid. The hurt went right away. . Supposedly the enzymes in the tenderizer interact with the venom and neutralize it. Worked very well for us.

Happy camping!
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Old 10-04-2005, 09:30 AM   #5
Bill & Lisa
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If you're cooking over an open flame, such as a BBQ grill, the skewers tend to ignite. Soaking them in water for about 20 minutes prevents this problem.
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Old 10-06-2005, 08:59 AM   #6
Bill & Lisa
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Dee,

I use a program called Master Chef, available a few years ago. The closest thing now is the Cook'n series. When you pull up the menu items and create your food plan, a list of ingredients is available for printing. This helps me to be sure that I have everything either on hand, or for my grocery list. Of course, I keep it handy when packing up for our trip. Most times I'll print out the menu and all my personal checklists and keep them in a binder. This makes it easy for me to be sure I have everything before, and after the trip.

Another thing I do is keep my travel toiletries ready to go, along with medicine "chest" items that can't stand heat or excessive cold. I put last year's perscription glasses in this bag--just in case. Along with this, I keep foul weather gear (umbrella & thin raincoat), a sun visor, spare pair (the ratty ones) of tennis shoes with socks in the toes, and a flashlight.

Once we decide when and where we're off to, it's easy to check the weather channel and find out what else I need to pack for the stay. Of course, before every trip I double check batteries and after every trip I re-supply whatever necessary. I do like the idea of keeping a few thermo-tex type jackets in the TM. That would significantly reduce the bulk in my "carry on" bag, or be there when there's an unexpected change in the weather.
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Old 08-15-2007, 07:25 PM   #7
countrygirl
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Ta..daaa! I came to recipe section especially to look for Lisa's recipes. I will have to try the eclairs for my dh! All the rest sound awesome too!
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Old 08-15-2007, 08:54 PM   #8
coulter
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Did you know there is now a new *special* Grands cooker to use right at the campfire? They are called Amazing Womp'em Sticks (Deluxe Edition)
http://www.rvupgradestore.com/index....WPROD&ProdID=4

We haven't tried one, but thought I'd share in case you are into gadgets My son wants one.. but he just likes to play in the fire, so any excuse will do.
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Old 08-15-2007, 09:38 PM   #9
countrygirl
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Cool...I just might order those. My list of wants is growing...I could definitely do rich very well. I also want/need one of the coffee presses I saw in the recipe section, and vent covers...I need those too, and a metal carport for my TM.... see what I mean.
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Old 08-16-2007, 07:53 AM   #10
Bill & Lisa
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The latest RV cookbook that we got from Camping World has two of Lisa's reciepe's in it. Was pretty exciting to see her name in the book!

Proud Hubby
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