Fort recipe/menu ideas

[angeluna]

I thought there used to be a sticky of menu ideas for things to cook while at the fort. For example, great crock pot recipes, ect. I searched but can't find it. If any has a link to this I would greatly appreciate it!

 

[peg110]

Now that you mention it, I think you are right. Maybe I saw it on another board, however there is a thread at http://www.disboards.com/threads/quick-favorite-camping-recipe-ideas-for-the-fort.3378521/ that you could probably 'Re-Spark' interest

 

[bama_ed]

angeluna,

IIRC I don't think that thread was stickeyed but it hung around a long time.

The Search function at the top of the board is a helpful tool in this case. I searched in the Camping Board for keyword Recipes in the title and here is a link to the results. Plenty to sort through.

http://www.disboards.com/search/4156697/?q=Recipes&t=post&o=date&c[title_only]=1&c[node]=24+165

Bama Ed

 

[Mary2e]

We generally grill every 3 nights and cook enough to last us 3 meals. I buy chicken, ribs, and steaks usually, eating the steak the night it's grilled. We also buy 5lbs of potatoes and I cook them in the corningware covered casserole with butter & parsley which lasts us a few meals. We also load up on frozen veggies and just cook them in the micro every night or two. I buy the mixed bag of lettuce and a bottle of oil & vinegar to make salad.

So we don't end up cooking very much but have plenty of food to eat. last trip I purchased a really inexpensive cookie sheet at Walmart and made some oven fried potatoes. It also came in handy when reheating the friend chicken I purchased from Trail's End The $4 was well worth it.

FWIW - I mix up some seasonings and put them in small baggies so I can easily flavor what I'm cooking without bringing or buying the entire package.

It's really very easy to do, plus, we really enjoy it. On cooking nights, and because of having to heat the grill, I would say we start at 4pm and are finished eating by no later than 6:30pm - and as I said, it's the grill that slows us down, not the rest of the preparation.

I would say for an 8 or 9 night trip we don't spend more than 3-4 hours cooking, if that much.

 

[angeluna]

Thanks guys. I know what we normally do when we camp, I just remembered some really great ideas and recipes from that thread. I tried searching to no avail. Thanks bama_ed you are truly a Godsend on these boards. Mary2e we've grilled for several days before while at home but some reason not while camping. Duh. Guess we get preoccupied. Will have to try that this time!

 

[Mary2e]

A side benefit to not eating out, beyond not waiting or dealing with the crowds, is that we don't gain any weight. We eat our normal diet and can snack as much as we like because of all the walking we're doing. We do eat out for lunch, and we split it up between sit downs and counter service, depending upon where we are.

I actually keep a "FW food shopping list" which I update before every trip and changes slightly based on what is in season and on sale at Publix. It's pretty well refined by now and everything we need is on it so we don't have to run out to the store to buy anything.

I think we're a rare amongst the cabin stayers - I've seen most people grill hamburgers & hot dogs, but I haven't seen anyone really prepare a regular meal like we do. Housekeeping must look in our refrigerator and think we're nuts

 

[5stljayhawks]

I am advocate of precook messy/smelly stuff at home, freeze and pack - Gravy for biscuits, Bacon, Taco meat, spaggetti sauce....... 1/2 of meals are heat and serve!!! with minimal cooking.

 

[tiggerdad]

Crockpot meals are easy too, especially when you use disposable liners to avoid cleanup. Most meals you can put in the pot and go wherever for 6-8 hours and come back to a meal ready to eat.

 

[Elianor]

Tiggerdad, my husband laughed out loud at your squirrel pictures! Too bad we didn't get a photo of the raccoon that got into our tent, opened a tubby, and stole a chocolate muffin and proceeded to leave chocolate handprints in our tent!

We do some cooking at the Fort, but mostly in the morning. We have a hot water kettle that makes pressed coffee, instant grits, and oatmeal easy. Since we are tent campers rather than rv'ers we have to carry more equipment to cook. I agree with the camper who suggested cooking the messy stuff at home and reheating. A vacuum sealer is a neat tool for this. We dropped the sauce (in the plastic reseal bag) into the hot water on the stove, then the pasta along side and cooked it all at once. The clean up is easy because you just slit the bag open and serve out of the top with a spoon. This can be done with chicken and rice or any other thing you like to eat. We have a friend who picks up meals from her favorite restaurants and seals them up for eating during camping trips.

P.S. the spouse wants to know if the squirrels in the 1500 loop also have light sabers. Inquiring minds want to know (or be forewarned at least)!

 

[tiggerdad]

Not sure about 1500. Over in the 400 loop is what me and Ed refer to as the Squirrel Mafia. These guys are very good at their work. They practice the art of using decoys. I was literally sitting in my chair feeding bread to 4 squirrels on the ground in front of me when I heard a noise on the table behind me. I turned to find a 5th squirrel up inside the loaf of bread and come out with a full piece, stop and look at me, then took off with it. The others left as well. This is when I knew I was dealing with professionals. Here is a brief video of how they can be...



That is a pretty good idea on the sealed meals, especially the one with the local restaurant meals.

 

[Badamon]

Thinking I'm back to my original plan of cook ahead at home, seal it with the FoodSaver, freeze and pack it in my checked luggage. Renting an RV this trip for the first time. They'll be five of us (2 adults and 3 teenage boys), all pretty big eaters. Not confident on how well stocked the rental will be for prep/cooking and only a charcoal grill onsite. Anyone else freeze and fly with their prepared food? We'll have a car to go to grocery store, but thinking this will cut down on prep/cook time immensely and we'll eat better food too. I'm sure we'll do a grill night (hot dogs, burgers) or two, also.