Those Campfire Recipes ~ Tailgate Tacos

I'm always checking out new to me items in the grocery store and trying to figure out how I can create meals in the campsite...my requirements? Little prep and bonus points for non-refrigeration.  I found a couple of items recently that turned into Tailgate Tacos.

Albertson's has dehydrated refried beans in a seven oz. package. Add water and simmer for five, count'em, 5 minutes and you're set. I've seen bulk dehydrated beans at Winco also, but this is already measured, a big plus for me. Walmart stocks vacuum packed pre-cooked and seasoned ground beef. Six ounces of goodness just ready to heat up. These two items inspired me to an easy first night camp dinner.

Tailgate Tacos
makes 10 tacos

One 7 oz. package Mexicali Rose Instant Mexican Refried Beans
Two and one half cups water
One package Rosarita Spicy Seasoned Beef Crumbles
One package El Paso Stand and Stuff Taco Shells
One 8 oz. package Shredded Mexican Cheese
One 14 oz. Package Shredded Cabbage
Hot Sauce or Salsa

Mix water, beans and ground meat in skillet and simmer 5 minutes or until beans are fully re-hydrated. Layer taco shells with meat/bean mix, shredded cheese, cabbage and salsa. Eat :)

©Marcia Mauskopf 2014

Those Campfire Recipes - Poor Man's Pad Thai

I love easy and I love recipes that you can add to and still keep to the spirit of the dish. Poor Man's Pad Thai is one of those. The original backpacking recipe is simply a package of Top Ramen (the oriental broth flavor) and a big spoonful of peanut butter. This in itself is surprisingly filling but for those that need more you can certainly add.

Traditionally Pad Thai is a street food and varies according to what is available. According to Wikipedia, "Pad Thai or Phat Thai (Thai: ผัดไทย [pʰàt tʰāj], "fried Thai style") is a dish of stir-fried rice noodles with eggs, fish sauce (Thai: น้ำปลา), tamarind juice, red chilli pepper, plus any combination of bean sprouts, shrimp, chicken, or tofu, garnished with crushed peanuts, coriander and lime, the juice of which can be added along with Thai condiments. It is usually served with spring onions and pieces of raw banana flower." Adding elements like this keep it traditional and with a little enginuity be a fun and offbeat campground treat.

Here is what we have tried.
Canned Bean Sprouts
Canned Shrimp
Canned chicken
Chives

The only thing we didn't like was the canned shrimp...good while very hot and fresh but as the dish cooled it got extremely fishy. My favorite is at it's simplest, though. Crunchy peanut butter and garnished with chives...delicious!

My favorite version, just chunky peanut butter and chives.                                                          ©Marcia Mauskopf 2011

A Word About Dehydration

I bet you thought that I was going to remind you [like everyone else does this time of year] to drink your water...Actually, we're talking about the other kind of dehydraton and how very easy it is to do your own stuff for trail and camp.

I got my dehydrator a lifetime ago...I had the mistaken idea that I would save money with it and quickly realized that there isn't a savings over grocery bought dried fruits unless you have trees. But there is a much better reason to drying your own than saving money. Drying your own gives you access to fruit and veggies with no preservatives and saves a ton of space as you will see in the attached photos.

Of course the fruit can be eaten right out of the bag, but no one really tells you how to use fruit and veggies to cook. Here's what I do. Mid day I figure out how much I'm going to need for the dish that I am making, put it in a nalgene and cover with water. check and shake gently every couple of hours to make sure that the water is absorbed and if you need more water in it. If you are hiking the very act of walking will gently agitate. By dinner time your recipe addition will be re-hydrated and ready to cook.


Home dehydrated foods that are properly stored will last 6 months and if frozen a couple of years. Your main danger is mold. Always examine your dehydrated food for mold issues and dispose if it gets hit. Otherwise, Bon Appetit!

Drying can reduce storage size to 1/4 of original packaging.   ©Marcia Mauskopf 2011

#10 cans of peaches are less than $4 at Costco and peas are on sale for as little as 33¢     ©Marcia Mauskopf 2011

You can even dry lemons to flavor your fresh caught trout! This is 11 lemons from my tree. ©Marcia Mauskopf @2011

Those Campfire Recipes - No Campfire S'Mores

Today is the start of the 'No Open Fires' season here in Maricopa County. Now, I don't know about you, but I equate camping with flames, at night, warming my toes and making childhood treats like pudgy pies, roasted marshmallows and S'mores....

So what's a campfire junk food junkie to do? Make a family activity out of spreading ooey gooey goodness on graham crackers and enjoying S'mores as good as roasting marshmallows without the flames or sticks. Check it out, you are only three ingredients away from having them any time of the day.

No Campfire S'Mores

Nutella
Marshmallow Creme
Graham Crackers

Yup, you got it....spread Nutella on one cracker, treat another to a layer of Marshmallow Creme, smoosh together and fall in love. Best part? Not one bit of refrigeration means that this can even be a backpacking treat ;-)

No Campfire S'Mores                                                                                                                 ©Marcia Mauskopf 2011

Sunday Surfing - Hiking Food 5000 Calories Per Day.

I thought this was really interesting. Good ideas for packing your backpacking, hiking, camping foods. Found this on a really good blog, Eric the Black's Backpacking Blog. I know when I have time I will be digging through this blog more great stuff ;-)

Those Campfire Recipes - Tuna Casserole

My best friend the backpacker waxes poetically about his hiking buddy's culinary trail skills. Says his friend wants to make sure that not only does everyone eat good on the trail, but also insure that if he gets sick or injured he continues to do so.


What D. does is pre-package meals at home. All the ingredients are bagged together and the directions written on the ziplock with a sharpie. This way anyone can make a great dinner in camp.

My Tuna Casserole
1 box Au Gratin Potatoes
2 tablespoons Butter
2 1/2 cups Water plus water to rehydrate veggies and potatoes
2 6oz. foils of Tuna
1/3 cup dried milk
1 cup dehydrated vegetables

At lunchtime, place dehydrated veggies in a Nalgene and cover with water. by dinner time they will be re-hydrated.

Mix 1/2 cup of water with dried milk and set aside. Cover potatoes with  water and allow to soften (this cuts down on cooking time).

Once you are ready to cook, Drain potatoes and veggies and then combine with 2 cups hot water, 2 tablespoons butter, sauce mix and milk. Bring to boil, cover and simmer til tender, stirring ocassionally. Add Tuna and allow tuna to come up to temperature of potatoes and serve.

This is so simple in camp that even the kids can do it ;-)                                                                ©Marcia Mauskopf 2011

Those Campfire Recipes - Strawberry Banana Trail Pudding

When I discovered Freezer Bag Cooking I just about died and went to heaven and wanted to kiss the author that wrote the first recipe that I found. You see, I'm the camp cook (who am I kidding, I'm the all the time cook), and I want to relax in the campground as much as anyone else.  While freezer bag cooking is designed for the trail and I hope to be using it there soon, it makes life in the campground easier and more fun, too.

You'll need:

• 1 Package Instant Banana Pudding (4 serving size)
• 1 Packet Whipped Topping Mix
• 2/3 cup Dry Milk
• 1/2 Cup Dried Strawberries
• 2 Cups Cold Water Plus A Little More For The Strawberries
• 1 Gallon Size Freezer Bag
•  1 Quart Size Freezer Bag

At home, mix the pudding, dream whip and dried milk in the gallon bag, measure your strawberries in the quart bag and pack together. In the campground add a little water to the strawberries, zip shut and set aside to start rehydrating. If you are cooking other things and have hot water, use that as the strawberries plump up faster when the water is warmed.

Add 2 cups cold water to the dry mix and shake for several minutes. If you have kids in your group, this is a fun way to have them participate, handing the bag around the group and everyone takes a turn shaking it. The colder the mixture is, the firmer your pudding will be, so if you have an ice filled cooler, lay it in there for several minutes. once firm, drain excess water from strawberries, mix and serve.

If making this on the trail. it can be eaten as a very soft pudding without chilling, or if access to a patch of snow or a cold stream, it could be chilled using one of those, too.

Those Campfire Recipes - Easy Chilequiles

My Mother taught me how to make this easy version of this so good Mexican breakfast. I like it in the campground because once you start with the basic ingredients of tortillas and eggs you can add variations from cheese to beans and always have something warm and good.

This is one of those recipes that I just start throwing stuff in the pan...no measuring, just warm goodness. You'll need the following:

Eggs
Tortillas (corn or flour ok, works well with tortilla chips, too)
Butter

Your choice of:
Shredded cheddar cheese
Salsa or hot sauce
Chopped Tomatoes
Chopped Bacon or Some Sausage
Refried Beans

Start by melting some butter in your frying pan...you'll want a generous amount as the tortillas really absorb the butter and your pan will dry out causing the eggs to stick if you don't keep adding it. Tear up your tortillas and fry in the butter. Once they are crisp, add scrambled raw eggs and any other ingredients except beans and stir until the eggs are cooked. Top with beans and warmed salsa and enjoy.

Tortilla Chips, Eggs, Shredded Cheddar and Salsa.                                                                           ©Marcia Mauskopf 2011

Those Campfire Recipes - One Eyed Jacks

This is one of my favorite recipes at the camp kitchen and at my own kitchen, too....mouthwatering buttery goodness, protein, and, if cooked til the yolk is firm, a one handed One Eyed treat ;-)

You'll need the following for each "Jack":

• one egg
• one slice bread (I like sourdough with this)
• one generous pat of butter

This is the easiest recipe in the world. Melt the butter in your pan. Take the slice of bread and tear a hole in the middle about the size of the average egg yolk. Start frying the bread in the pan and break the egg over it so that the yolk hits the hole. Slowly fry/toast the bread until golden and the egg is cooked on the bottom, then flip and fry until the egg is completely cooked.

I like mine runny so it stays on a plate with a fork but if you cook until the yolk is hard you can eat this with one hand making it a perfect run around the campground food.

One Eyed Jacks Sizzling In The Pan ;-)