What’s your favorite camping food? - YouLookFab Forum

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What’s your favorite camping food?

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

As described in my post about trying to decide which bags to get for my bike, we are going camping. We will be watching the Perseid meteor shower from a dark place (https://www.darksky.org/our-wo.....sp/finder/ )

If I can get away with it, I’d like to just take pie irons & a little saucepan with lid. I’m a vegetarian; my son is not. He does not like chocolate, but s’mores are an exception. This is what I’m thinking of so far.

Supper 1: grilled pizza, s’mores
Breakfasts: eggs (me), pancakes (him), granola bars & fruit
Lunches: fresh fruit, PB sandwiches (him), quinoa & veggies (me)
Supper 2: Hot Dogs (him) Greek salad (me)
Supper 3: stew, grilled cheese sandwiches

Shopping list
Eggs
Potatoes, onions, (carrots), etc for stew
Can chicken soup (in case he hates the stew)
Bread
Cheese slices
Flour/pancake ingredients
Hot Dogs (in a jar, unrefrigerated)
Hot Dog buns
Graham crax or Leibnitzkekse
Chocolate—tiny bars & Ritter
Marshmallows
Feta
Can tuna
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Zucchini or other veg for quinoa
Lemons
Fresh fruit (find Upick nearby)
Granola bars
Olive oil
Butter

Thanks for reading & for any suggestions.

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33 replies

Latest reply was from Stagiaire Fash

rachylou

Veteran

The menu looks good! Not into freeze dried camping meals? Lol!

Camping these days for me, since I have Lilypup and you can’t really go hiking anywhere with a dog, is all about practicing my medieval cooking. I like dutch oven baking - biscuits, cornbread, etc. I’ve made roti. I’ve done chilaquiles and chili and bœuf bourguignon that proved popular. Crumbles for desert.

What I’ve never done is classic grilling, except steak of course. Now that you mention it, it would be the perfect opportunity for kebabs. That can go carnivore or vegetarian.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Rachylou, kebabs sound like a great idea—just have to make sure there’s a grocery close enough to get some meat for him that day. I don’t think he’d go for freeze-dried.
Your campfire cooking sounds wonderful, but idk how we’d get a Dutch oven on a bike, lol

ETA I have these little guys, now am wondering if I want to take one or two and bury them in the coals. What are your favorite medieval recipes for two?

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rachylou

Veteran

I suppose the real thing about medieval cooking is how to cook on an open fire with no temperature controls. And by medieval I mostly mean Jeffersonian, lol. But hmm, now I think I’d like to do a Yorkshire pudding. And something with breadsaice.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I used to LOVE it when my mom made Yorkshire pudding.
I’m thinking my best method to use the little casserole dishes would be to fill them with food, coat the outside with dish soap so they’re easier to wash later, and bury them in hot coals for a long time. Hm, maybe that’s how I want to do the stew. But really, your bœuf bourguignon sounds amazing.

rachylou

Veteran

Add a bottle of red wine to anything and it will be very popular. Hehe, esp the little kids

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Lol. The wine’s the easiest part to cut back—just get a split at the store. But a third of a bay leaf just sounds precious.

rebekahphoto

Veteran

We used to go camping a lot and I loved cooking outdoors.
our most successful meals required little prep and limited dishes-
we bring a saute pan, and a saucepan to boil water, mix side dishes etc

- steaks for grill & grilled zucchini topped with shredded cheese, or grilled corn on cob
- left over Steak mixed with eggs & potatoes for breakfast, as burritos
(I would bring pre-cooked baked potatoes wrapped in foil to chop up)
- Fajitas: sautéed veggies (peppers, onions, zucchini) tortillas & cheese (+meat if desired) salsa. easy 1 pan meal
-kabobs are a great idea, could use cut sausages for a meat option (they travel well)
- Couscous, with veggies, etc
-Grilled portabello "burgers"

We always would bring: Cheese, charcuterie, tin smoked oysters, crackers, hot dogs (tofu dogs) granola bars, Pringles, bacon, apples,

one fun dessert is a banana boat: make a slit in a banana peel lengthwise, take out the banana keeping the peel as whole as possible. Chop banana small, mix with chocolate chips & mini marshmallows. Stuff mix back into banana peel, wrap with foil and put in the fire coals for maybe 10 min.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Rebekah photo, those are some great ideas, thank you! That list of extras/side dishes/ snacks is especially good, so he can grab something to eat in-between meals. At home, frozen pizzas seem to fill that role.

Anonymous

I bring nothing perishable or complicated when I camp- so easy things like ramen, potatoes, pbj.
*but I camp with more elaborate cooks or at festivals with their own kitchen*

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

ST, we won’t have refrigeration, so non-perishable is essential. How do you cook the potatoes? Baked?

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

Don't forget to bring seasonings! Even just salt and pepper makes all the difference between edible camp food and bland mush.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Jenn, good one!! Did you do any car camping & cooking on your recent trip?

ophelia

Veteran

Be aware that marshmallows contain gelatin. The strange jars of “marshmallow fluff” don’t.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Ophelia, are you saying to beware the fluff or the gelatin?

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

Fashintern, no camping for us this trip, but we have done a lot over the years, especially when our son was younger.

L'Abeille

Veteran

Make sure you bring enough for between meals for your growing boy. My kids were always SO HUNGRY on camping trips: all that exercise in the fresh air, plus no access to the usual snacks.

Will you be stopping en route for ingredients or will you pack all you eat with you? My experience is mostly from sailing trips where you might have no chance to buy fresh food; but space is less of a constraint.

My recommendations: if you plan on fresh or frozen meat, it's on the first day's menu. Later on, a can of tuna or flakes of ham, or maybe canned chili, can feed the meat eater.

Bread: tortillas and bagels keep the best without getting squashed or soggy. Or you probably can get good firm Pumpernickl.

Produce: a small cabbage can be peeled a leaf at a time, used for sandwich greens or salad, or cooked. Granny Smith apples stay nice without bruising, and clementines are a handy snack. Of course carrots onions and potatoes.

Eggs keep well if turned upside down daily. Cheese--we had a small thermos that kept several hard cheeses cool. UHT milk is easy to find in Europe.

If cooking fuel or time are limited, couscous is a great side dish. Or the quicker pastas. Are instant mashed potatoes or minute rice even a thing in Germany? Because camping is their raison d'être.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

L’Abeille, sailing trips? I’m drooling—that sounds wonderful!! But the food….you are so right about my son—I can hardly keep him fed when he’s just lolly-gagging around the house. We will take some food and buy some things there. I had the same thoughts as you about fresh meat. How long can I expect it to keep? It will take us several hours to get there. Dried mashed potatoes—brilliant. I will look for them.

ophelia

Veteran

The gelatin
https://www.peta.org/about-pet.....n-made-of/
*Never mind* that source does not support no-kill shelters. It does contain some useful product info.
Many years ago, in a moment of longing & desperation, I used “the fluff” to make rice krispie treats & they turned out good.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Ophelia, thanks for the info. I was confused by the word “weird”. I do have Muslim friends who avoid gelatin (& therefore marshmallows) because horses have hooves.

nemosmom

Veteran

Coffee??? You can't forget the coffee!!!

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Nemosmom, YOU SAVED THE TRIP. Thank you.

Now I just need to decide if cowboy coffee or if I buy a pour over filter

Helena

Veteran

FI, can you get the vaccuum-sealed packages of jackfruit where you are? Heat that up with some bbq sauce and stick it on a bun, and it's just like pulled pork, but vegan and I don't think they need to be refrigerated (check the packaging though, just in case).

Enjoy the trip!

(and yes, definitely don't forget your caffeinated bevvie of choice - I would die on a trip without tea ha!)

DonnaF

Veteran

Espresso made in a Bialetti over a backpacking stove. Freeze 1/2&1/2 then wrap in heavy sweaters so it will last a few days.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Donna, I love Mokka pots, wonder if I can fit one into our gear. My creamer is taken care of though—I use protein powder, French vanilla flavored.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Latest permutations on the menu:

Breakfasts: oatmeal, eggs &/or pancakes, in pie irons (pudgy pancakes),
Snacks: granola bars, fresh fruit
Lunches for my son: peanut butter sandwiches, Hot Dogs (they come in jars here, no refridge required), grilled cheese sandwiches w pickles on the side
Lunches for me: grilled cheese sandwiches w mustard & sautéed onions w pickles on the side, salad Nicoise (canned tuna), breakfast burritos (potatoes made on night 1, leftover red beans)
Suppers
#1: foil packets—veggie stew for me, chicken & potatoes for him. Corn on the cob. S’mores for dessert.
#2: pulses of some sort—haven’t decided yet if lentils /dal or red beans. Rice. Cornbread in cocottes if red beans, not sure what else if dal. Not into making naan from scratch over campfire. Need ideas for greens in any event: any ideas, anybody?
#3 pudgie pizza pies, bananas Foster & whipped cream for dessert

I might do a simple Mac & cheese for one of the dinners—he misses the kids Mac & cheese from cpk. So far I haven’t found a recipe/ the right cheese to replicate it, and of course it has to be campfire proofed. If I do that, I'll also do portabella "burgers", cause I love them (& he does not, but might experiment while eating something he enjoys)

SarahD8

Veteran

Wow, I'm impressed! This seems like a very elaborate menu --much more do than the food my husband and kid took on their recent car camping trip.

With that in mind, I'd keep it simple -- buy premade naan and packaged Mac & cheese if you can find it (surely Berlin has a wildly overpriced expat grocery store?).

I've also heard a recommendation for pre-cooked baked potatoes for these sorts of trips.

And I've found vegetarian marshmallows at whole foods here -- maybe you could find them at a health food store if you want to make your s'mores vegetarian.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Sarah, if you can simplify it, please tell me how!

I think I'm going with the US rice & beans rather than dal/naan--just seems easier. I've never made "greens", might need to learn. I've just discovered this guy https://www.youtube.com/channe.....4ix18njx8g

I'm planning to make up the foil packets ahead of time, then freeze them so they'll be defrosted (double-bagged in ziplocks) as we travel. Here's the dream: we'll arrive, start a fire, set up the tent, bank glowing logs around packets, go to the beach, then have a classic campfire dinner with s'mores for desert, and be ready for the star show to begin. Cause life goes that smoothly, right? Lol. The back-up is hot dogs over the butane cooker for him, plain potatoes or something for me.

L'Abeille

Veteran

Lentil dal will cook up way faster than red beans if you're using dried (flashback to a long-ago canoe trip that didn't factor in enough soaking time) and in my experience was served with rice, not naan.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

L'Abeille, that is a strong argument for the dal, thank you. Sounds like the time for the Minute Rice you suggested earlier too. Now I "just" have to figure out something green for that meal.

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