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May we go camping in this wonderful spring weather? Mais oui! Let’s keep meals simple, delicious, energizing and family friendly.
THUMBNAIL RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Save $ with a homemade “helper” mixture. Measure and bag ingredients ahead of time. Then add a few more ingredients and you have a boffo meal in minutes. Come back next week for another Thumbnail Recipe.
Monkey Bread Helper
½ c. each grated Parmesan cheese and French fried onions + 1/4 c. fine chopped pepperoni. Seal in plastic bag. In camp cut a 10-count tube of biscuits in quarters. Melt 1 stick butter. Dip each biscuit bit in butter. Put in greased pan alternately with teaspoons of the helper Drizzle with remaining butter. Bake at 375 degrees until toasty. Serve at once.
Camp and RV Recipe of the Week
Budget Spanish Rice, Basque Style
This one-pot meal can be stretched with more rice and vegetables until one chicken serves almost any number. It’s ideal for campfire cooking, a large pot over a camp stove outdoors or inside on an RV range. Make it with a rotisserie chicken, canned chunk chicken, un-breaded chicken tenders or diced boneless, skinless fresh chicken.
3-4 cups bite size boneless, skinless chicken
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Heat oil and brown raw or cooked chicken until it’s toasty. Keep stir-frying over high heat while adding
1 cup finely chopped chorizo sausage
1 cup diced, cooked ham
Keep stirring over high heat while adding:
2 seeded, diced bell peppers (1 red, 1 green)
Large diced onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 ½ cups long-grain rice
When everything is coated with brown bits, add:
3 ½ cups water
8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon powdered chicken bouillon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Bring to a boil, stir to dissolve bouillon, cover and reduce heat. Simmer about 40 minutes or until rice and vegetables are tender. Stir in :
Small can of sliced black olives, drained
3 to 4 Roma tomatoes, diced
Salt, pepper to taste
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes if you have some
Adjust seasonings. Heat through and serve . Makes 6 to 8 portions.
Cook’s note: For more servings, increase rice to 3 cups and water to 8 cups. Increase seasonings and vegetables ad lib.
Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week
Corned Beefcakes
When an impromptu party breaks out in camping you can always have pantry ingredients on hand for this emergency dish. To see more recipes that use only pantry ingredients, go to BoatCook. Scroll to the Pantry Recipe of the Week.
Two 6-serve packets instant mashed potato flakes
Hot water
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder such as Coleman’s
12-ounce can corned beef
2 eggs
1 onion, chopped very fine
Canola oil for frying
Ketchup for serving
Mix potato flakes and mustard powder in a bowl, then stir in enough hot water to make mashed potatoes somewhat on the dry side. (You’ll be adding eggs later.)
Stir in corned beef, breaking it up with a fork, until evenly mixed. Stir in onion and egg. Oil a skillet. Drop corned beef mix into hot skillet, forming patties about 3 inches around. Brown on one side, turn over, flatten and cook until crusty and firm. Makes 10-15 patties to serve in buns or as a knife-and-fork meal.
Tips for the Camp Cook
* Save and wash used foil baking pans at home. Use again in camping, then put in the recycle bin. Large, clean tin cans also make disposable baking pans for camping.
* A few yards of cheesecloth take up little room in the RV and have many uses. Wrap herbs to make a bouquet garni. Wrap fish for poaching. Drain yogurt in several layers of cheesecloth to make “cream cheese”. Make a fly-proof cover for food outdoors.
* A big salad bowl is big to carry and stow, and it’s a pain to wash in a small sink. Solution: Make the salad at home minus dressing and put in a big zip-top bag with one or two paper towels to absorb excess moisture. Seal bag, leaving a cushion of air to protect the salad from bruising in the icebox. In camp remove paper towel, add dressing to the bag, toss salad and serve with tongs. Discard bag.
* Make sno-cones for the kids. Get a bag of crushed ice from the camp store, pound it silly in a clean pillow case, spoon into paper cups and drizzle with pure maple syrup. Add a straw and it’s good to go.
AN RV COOKBOOK FOR ALL SEASONS
Is Dad the camp chef? Give him Cooking Aboard Your RV for Father’s Day in June to let him know he’s a champ. More than 250 easy recipes show shortcuts and tips that save water, space, mess and hassle in camp. It’s in major book stores, or let Amazon gift wrap and ship it for you. https://amzn.to/3nNndWY
FREEZE AHEAD RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Belly Dance Ragout
Hot, fragrant and filling, this Middle East-inspired recipe freezes nicely. Make a big kettleful at home, then measure and freeze in right-size portions for future camp-outs.
2 pounds ground meat or poultry
2 tablespoons olive oil
Large onion, diced
2 teaspoons each minced garlic, ground cinnamon, mild curry powder.
3 1/2 cups water
3 chicken, beef or vegetable bouillon cubes
1 cup long grain white rice
Large can diced tomatoes 28 to 32 ounces
2 cans, 15-ounces each, can chickpeas
1 cup golden raisins
Heat oil and sizzle meat, gradually stirring in onion, garlic, cinnamon and curry powder. When everything is well coated add water, bouillon and tomatoes. Bring to a low boil and stir to dissolve bouillon.
Cover, reduce heat and cook until onion and rice are tender. Stir in rinsed, drained garbanzos and raisins, cover, and simmer to heat through.
Cool completely and package for freezing, allowing 1 to 1 1/4 cups per serving. Heat and serve in shallow soup plates with naan or pita breads.
Cook’s Note: To make more servings ladle over rice, noodles, campfire-baked potatoes or other starch.
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