« July 2007 | Main | September 2007 »
We never camp, especially if there is a beach involved, without a huge container of "baby cornstarch powder". We sprinkle it on the mat outside and inside the tent to remove sand from the bottoms of our feet so it doesn't make it into the sleeping bags. We also keep some in the car in order to keep sand from taking over the floor. It also works to get sand out of your kid's scalp and your baby's diaper area.
Submitted By: Karen Hoffman
This quick and simple snack will fill you up in no time. It's fun to cook and eat!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Servings: Varies with size cut
Ingredients:
Stick of pepperoni
Metal skewers or natural stick
Directions:
1: Peel off the plastic and the casing
2: Cut the stick into 2” logs
3: Cook pepperoni on the end of a stick or metal skewer.
4: Heat over the fire to desired crispiness
Submitted By: Jim Donoughe
It starts with the letter A then goes to Z. Each player has to name an object that starts with the letter that is next in the alphabet. The item in Grandma's Trunk has to be able to be held or touched. If it is your turn and you can't think of the name of the object then that person is out. Keep going until one person is left or the others have all fallen asleep.
Submitted By: Annette Reynolds
We went camping at North Lake campgrounds in the Catskill Mountains every year my father and brothers would set up our green canvas WWII army tent that a friend of my father gave him; and my mother, my sisters and me would set up the rest of camp. the next day my father Took my brother and me hiking up to the site of the old Catskill Hotel I say site cause the hotel by 1963 was burn it down to the ground. All that remains of what was once America's most fashionable resort is the gateposts and the sweeping views from the cleared site. We found a wild blue berry bush right thereat the site & we pick a bunch of the blue berries and brought them back to camp. My mother washed them off and made blue berry muffins and blue berry pancakes for breakfast the next morning all on the camp fire. My father had just recently passed away and that is one of my dearest memories of him. He was the one who made camping fun and gave me such a love for it and for that area of the Catskills.
Submitted By: Barbara Sonin
Great for all small grills! Height adjustable BBQ Stand makes grilling easy and comfortable. Avoid unnecessary back pain next time you cook with this durable anodized aluminum stand that holds almost any portable grill, camp stove or cooler. Its sturdy platform adjusts up to 28”H x 20”W x 18”D and locks into position for extra security. The stabilizing leg braces and wide sturdy feet keep the grill from moving. This stand conveniently folds for compact storage and easy travel.
Enjoy this sweet dessert with your family. This will be a hit with the kids!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients:
1 large can peaches in heavy syrup
1 Butter Cake Mix
2 Sticks Butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Directions:
Submitted By: Sherry Padgett
We had just bought a new Jayco pop-up camper and we decided to camp at Stone Mountain, Georgia. We were just learning to put up the camper and Dad, like many great dads, wanted everything done just right! We had just put up the camper and he was attempting to put on the screen room that attaches to the canopy, when a bolt of lightening struck the lake next to us. You could almost feel the vibrations, and the sound seemed to reverberate around us. Suddenly, rain began pouring down! In seconds (it seemed like only an instant!), he was inside the camper with a frantic look on his face. With eyes bulging, rain soaking his head and clothes, and yet attempting to appear in control of the situation, he strove to reply calmly, (but with a note of fear in his voice), "That'll be good enough for now!" We all burst out laughing because the storm was the only thing that would have kept Mr. Perfectionist from finishing the job at hand. We still tease him when we are too tired to put up the screen house by saying, "Hey, we think we hear thunder in the distance. It's time to quit!" He laughingly jokes that we need a lightening rod, but we tell him we don't need one because we already have a human one - him.
Submitted By: Becci Tatum
Prepare your camping meals in advance or use those leftovers for those weekend outings. Make your meals in advance, seal them - using a “Food Saver” vacuum sealer and freeze them. Your frozen meals will last up to four to six months. I will buy specialty cuts of meats when they are on sale, marinate them, seal them, freeze them and enjoy tender flavorful steaks, chops, teriyaki chicken and green onion, pepper and mushroom burgers camping. Soups are also great, but the favorite is my smoked pork butt and baked beans. I have smoked approx forty pounds of ribs and pork butt already this winter. Cutting my portions for camping, I then seal and freeze them. I bring a pot of water to a boil and drop the whole sealer bag into the water, let cook for about twenty to thirty minutes and the meat is tender, flavorful and moist. Freezing your meals also cuts down on ice needed in your coolers and the meals laying flat, stacks nicely, plus you don’t have much of a mess. The sealer also works great for protecting your first aid kits and clothing if you’re into canoeing or kayaking, like we are.
Submitted By: Craig Phinney
Fire up your Dutch Oven and try out this tasty recipe on your next camping trip!
Prep Time: About 1 hour
Servings: 4-5
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Chicken Base (or 3 cubes bullion)
1 Tbsp Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Sage (or poultry seasoning)
1 med onion
2 lrg carrots
1/2 bunch ( 5-6 stalks) celery
1 Whole chicken (cut into 6-8 pcs)
1 Cup Cold Water
1/2 Cup Flour
4 Cups Bisquick or biscuit mix 2 cups water (approximately)
Directions:
Must use Dutch Oven or heavy pot with good lid. May cook on stove or campfire Combine water, chicken base & spices in Dutch oven - place on fire to boil. Dice onion, celery & carrot - add to water. Add cut-up chicken - Cover pot and bring to boil & simmer for 45 mins. You may need to add water to keep chicken just covered. Chicken should be tender & start to fall off bone. Mix 1 cup cold water with 1/2 cup flour - whip to smooth paste - add to chicken mixture to thicken broth slightly- must stir to avoid lumps. Mix biscuit mix & some water – you want a thick "dough" about the consistency of peanut butter. Use spoon to drop golf-ball size dumplings into broth on top of the chicken pieces. Simmer uncovered for 5 mins. Cover and simmer 10 more mins until the dough is cooked. Dough will turn into fluffy bread -should not be soggy. Serve by scooping chicken pieces and a dumpling with some broth into bowls. Enjoy. Note: all quantities and cooking times are approximate and will vary with the size of the pot and the heat of the flames. If the fire is too hot the broth will thicken too much and you will burn the mixture. The dumplings must be single layer on top of the chicken pieces. Note: The cut-up chicken, the vegetables, the chicken base and the spices may be combined at home in a large zip bag and frozen ahead of time. Thaw or just add frozen mix to the pot of water and start cooking. Will need to thicken and cook the dumplings as above.
Submitted By: Tim Riley
You can play with any amount of people, single or teams, so everyone can play at once if they want to or just two people can play. You have 5 bean bags that you throw at a board. Each bag is about 4 square inches and filled with either popcorn or pinto beans. You get one point for each bean bag that goes through the hole. You can either play up to a certain amount of points (we play to 21 or to 10 if there are small children) or you can play so everyone shoots 3 rounds, and the team with the most total points wins the game.
It has been a BIG hit for camping, and we make sure we bring it every time or we get yelled at!
Submitted By: Lynn & Jeff Timm
My best camping moment with dad was the year my dad figured out how to grill me a bagel with cream cheese on the campfire. It was during the morning and I was a very picky eater at the time. My dad, Robert, knew how to grill a bagel on a stick and manage to put cream cheese on it without burning his fingers - it was delicious!
Submitted By: Mabel & Jesse
Your family outtings just got easier with this convenient cooler from Igloo!
Our "deluxe" member of the Ice Cube™ family - this unique design from Igloo has changed the "shape" of the industry! User friendly and ergonomic. Unique cubical shape is easy to lift and carry. Has four handles: two rubberized comfort-grip handles and two molded-in handles. Built in storage compartment in lid for keys, cell phones, etc. Two detachable drink holders are designed to fit snuggly in lid as well as to the exterior body.
Features:
Try out this easy and delicious recipe on your next camping trip. It's a great snack!
Prep time: 20 mins
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
1lb. Imitation crab
2 medium sized tomatoes
1 onion
1 cucumber
1 bunch of cilantro
5 lemon or 8 limes
Hot sauce (optional)
Salt to taste
1 ½ cups of Clamato Juice or 1 can of tomato juice
Tostadas
Directions:
In a large bowl shred crab by hand or chop up. Add diced tomatoes, onions, cucumbers and chopped up cilantro. Mix together and add the juice of lemons, hot sauce to taste, clamato juice and salt to taste. Serve on tostadas. Cut up extra slices of lemons for extra taste and add more hot sauce for the extra kick. If you add more clamato juice you may serve it in a cup as a cocktail, with the tostadas on the side ( or crackers ).
Submitted By: Michelle Quiles
While camping with my girlfriends one summer on a site with no electricity and water, I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I usually know my bearings pretty well, so rather than wake my roommate to inquire where the flashlight was, I decided I could find the bath house without the flashlight. WAS I WRONG! I was lost for about 30 minutes wandering around our area of sites. I would be walking on pavement one minute and dirt and leaves up to my knees the next. I have never experienced pitch black darkness before, but this was definitely it! When I finally made it back to our site, my roommate says, "There you are! I was beginning to worry about you!" After being gone a total of about 45 minutes to go to the bath house, I replied "BEGINNING to worry?? How long do I need to be lost for you to actually worry???" From that trip on, I ALWAYS carry my flashlight. Even if our site is right next to the bath house!
Submitted By: Tracey Jarrett
Keep a small set of wind chimes in the camper. When you set up camp, place the chimes outside near your bedroom window. Crack your window, if the wind gets up during the night, the chimes will wake you so you can take action BEFORE the awning gets damaged.
Submitted By: Henry Donald
Make this chili ahead of time for your next camping trip!
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 16
Ingredients:
3 lbs. Ground Chuck
1 Cup Red Wine (dry)
1 Tbsp Minced Onions
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
3 Tbsp Chili-O Seasoning
1 Tbsp Mexican Style Chili Powder
1 - 3 lb glass jar of Prego Traditional
1 - 27 oz can (or 2- 16 oz cans) Bush’s Chili Beans
1 - 14.5 oz jar Del Monte Garden Select Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 bottle (7oz) Taco Sauce (Pico Pica brand found at Food Lion)
Directions:
Brown the Ground Chuck, Chili-O & Taco Sauce in a large frying pan. Place Ground Chuck and stir in remaining ingredients in a Crock Pot on Low Heat. A pot on the stove will work, but a Crock Pot is preferred. Allow the Chili to simmer 4 – 8 hours. You can vary the chili powder amount for your spiciness level. This Chili is great by itself, but our family enjoys Penne/Rigatoni Pasta, a side of Cole Slaw, a RC Cola or Cherry–Lemon Sundrop. After serving, save the rest and the flavor is even better the next day!
Submitted By: Mark Tate
You need two teams of four or more people, line up in volleyball formation. A blanket is placed over the net so that the teams cannot see one another.
The designated referee throws the ball into play. Each team may hit the ball as many times as they desire, as long as the ball doesn't hit the ground.
When they are ready, they send the ball over to the other team. As soon as one side puts the ball out of bounds or touches the ground with the ball the other team scores a point.
Add more balls as the game goes on, up to six.
Requirements:
Volleyball(s) or Balloons
We were traveling from Pennsylvania to Texas going home from our two week long vacation. We were entering into Kentucky when our cat sitter called with some bad news. Our fifteen year old cat had passed away. We stopped for the night in Louisville, KY and rested. The next day we decided to visit St. Louis as a side venture. We got to the St. Louis site earlier than we normally did, so I decided to catch up on laundry. While doing laundry, the weather changed from cool to dark and cold. I was leaving the laundry area and I saw something move quickly toward me. I could not see anything but little specks of white. When I got into the light I saw this beautiful creature. She was a tuxedo cat. I inquired about her at the store. I was told that she had been left behind, but adapted to everyone who worked there and some that had visited. The clerk asked if we wanted her. I was a little hesitant because we did not have the items needed to care for a cat on the road. The next day my husband packed the car along with our new friend, Ms. Burbank. We stopped and got the items we needed to travel with her. She is a great traveler. She now lives in Texas with us.
Submitted By: Lisa Cobb
Setting up camp is as easy at 1-2-3. With the CW Gear® Quick-Set Tents, pitching your tent has never been easier.
1. Lay the tent out on the ground
2. Unfold poles to upright position
3. Pull 2 cords at the top of the dome
It’s that simple! Now you can relax and enjoy your camping experience. Water-resistant nylon is treated for UV protection, and the mesh side windows and door allow maximum ventilation. Guaranteed to keep you dry during wet days, and cool during hot days. Each includes detachable rain fly, carry bag and stakes.
These sandwiches were introduced to me by my good friend and fellow camper, Bob Silva. We decided to get together the weekend of February 17, 2007 at our friend’s house to make these sandwiches and submit them for the Camping Club’s Newsletter and Recipes. Our friend, Eric Simonsen, lives in the Sierra Foothills just outside of Pioneer, CA. So, although we weren’t camping, we were among the pines and the deer, so the setting was right!
You'll have to figure out the amount of meat and cheese you'll need depending on the number of campers you are feeding. The easiest way to do this is simply go to the deli and tell them how many sandwiches you are making. Ask for enough Pastrami, Roast Beef, and Cheese to make them. With the combo of other ingredients, there should be plenty. Sometimes, if we have a larger group of eight or more people, we may add an extra sandwich or two to the number, just to make sure we have enough, or in case someone wants a little extra.
On February 17th, we had six people, so the recipe reflects this number. (Again, tell your deli how many you are feeding and that you want enough meat and cheese to make a Roast Beef, Pastrami, and Cheese sandwich for each. They will give you the right amount).
Also, we have an old tractor disc that is converted into a "Wok" type of frying pan, but any large skillet will work. The “Wok” style disc is nice, because the heat is in the center, and the edges are warm, or less-hot. Later in the recipe, you will need to remove a portion of the ingredients from the heat. With our disc, we simply push the ingredients to the outer sides. This may work with a wok, but, don’t try it with a flat pan. There simply isn’t the room, and it will take longer for one portion of the recipe to cook while the other portion will get over cooked.
Ingredients:
Olive Oil (Infused with Garlic and/or Rosemary is a nice option)
1 Onion
1 Green Bell Pepper
Worcestershire Sauce
8 oz of Liquid, suggest Red Ale, Porter, or Stout (optional, or use water)
2 8oz Pack of Sliced Mushrooms
Garlic Powder
Pepper
Sliced Pastrami
Sliced Roast Beef
Sliced Provolone Cheese
Bread & Condiments:
6 Sandwich Rolls (Toasted, if preferred)
Hawaiian Sweet and Hot Mustard (recommended, or any Mustard for those not liking the bite!)
Mayonnaise (recommended, or use sandwich spread if desired)
Horseradish (optional, but recommended)
Deli-Style Pepperonchinis (optional, but recommended)
Chopped Black Olives (optional, but recommended)
First, cut up an onion and a green bell pepper into thin slices. Heat up a little oil in the pan. Get it good and hot. Toss the onions and bell pepper into the pan. Stir them up and get them nicely coated with the oil and evenly warm. Add a splash of Worcestershire Sauce and continue to cook them just until they start to caramelize.
Add the mushrooms. The moisture content will be just about gone, so you should splash in the liquid. This will help steam the vegetables, keeping them from drying out. Season the mixture with a sprinkling of Garlic Powder and a dash of Pepper. Once the mushrooms have started to shrink and become limp push the mixture aside if you have room, or remove it from the pan. You don’t want to over cook the mixture. The onions and peppers should still have a slight bit of crunch to them.
At this point, have everyone prepare their sandwich bun with their preferred condiments (I like it all!).
Toss all the Roast Beef and Pastrami into the pan. Stir it quickly and use two cleavers or large knives and cut with a cross action to shred the meat (You can do this prior to adding it to the pan, if you want, don’t have the room, or can’t tolerate the heat). Don't over cook it as it is already cooked. It only takes a minute or two.
Re-introduce the Onion- Pepper-Mushroom Mixture until it is heated again.
Turn off heat and spread out the mixture. Cover the mixture with the slices of Provolone Cheese. Let the cheese begin to melt. Once it becomes slightly melted, stir it up in the mixture and call over your campers. Serve a nice spatula full of the mixture onto each campers prepared bun.
The sandwich compliment a good potato salad and pork-n-beans. We have these for lunch the second day of camping each time we go. They are very tasty and hardy!
Variations:
Try serving on Onion Rolls.
Instead of sandwich rolls, try using a long loaf of French Bread. Prepare as one, long sandwich and slice into smaller, bite-sized pieces.
Try using Italian Sausage sliced vertically with Mozzarella Cheese, smothering the sandwich with a thick and warm Tomato or Marinara Sauce and eat it open faced.
Try using Ham and/or Turkey with Swiss Cheese, substitute cranberry sauce for hot mustard and horseradish.
Try preparing with hamburger meat formed into oblong patties to fit the roles and use BBQ sauce instead of Worcestershire Sauce, toss in cooked bacon bits and top with Bleu Cheese.
Submitted By: Scott Hayden
My Mom and I enjoy spending time together. As a family we go on weekend camping trips with our horses. Our favorite destination is Lake Somerville, Texas at Nails Creek. They have a wonderful horse friendly camping area with great trails for both hikers and horses alike. When we are out camping and spending time together the rest of the world seems to float by. We forget about work and worries. I enjoy watching my mom enjoy herself and feeling the everyday stress of things just lifting away. We cook out, ride the horses around the lake and have a wonderful time telling stories of our family and friends. I love my Mom very much and treasure all the times we get to spend together camping and just being with one another. I hope we get to experience many more of those times to come.
Submitted By: Sheri Wise
Whenever we go camping, one of our evening meals is always steak, baked potatoes and a veggie. To make things go faster, I always precook the potatoes at home in the microwave. I then wrap them in heavy duty foil and put them in a ziplock bag for travel in the cooler. You simply reheat them on the grill or on the coals with the steak. This makes dinner go faster when you've lost track of time. I always make extra for fried potatoes for breakfast as well.
Submitted By: Joni Hally
This is a perfect dessert and very easy to make!
Ingredients:
Ripe Pears
Chocolate
Aluminum Foil
Optional (Liquor)
Directions:
Select a ripe pear for each diner, wash and core it top to bottom. Place about 2-3 squares of chocolate in the center hollow where the core was removed. You can use any chocolate you like such as milk, dark, with fruit and nuts, truffles, etc. Place the pear on a piece of aluminum foil large enough to wrap the pear. (Optional) pour 1/2 jigger of any liquor you like such as rum, brandy, triple sec, etc. into the center of the pear. Wrap the pear in the foil and place in the coals for 10-15 minutes.
Submitted By: Suzette A. Chafey
The first player must say the following:
"I'M GOING ON A CAMPING TRIP AND I'M GOING TO BRING...
The player will end the sentence with the item they will bring like a "Flashlight."
The next player must say the above sentence and his/her item must start with the last letter of the previous item.
Example: If the first person said "Flashlight", the next person must use the letter "T" as the first letter for what they will bring such as "I'M GOING ON A CAMPING TRIP AND I'M GOING TO BRING A TENT"
When someone brings an item that does not start with the previous person's last letter, such as Marshmallows when the last item was Tent, then everyone will say "You can't Bring Marshmallows!"
Everyone can keep playing until you arrive at your campground or the next stop on your trip!
My favorite camping story is about the time we shared our s'mores with the raccoons. We were at Wellesley Island State Park in New York State. It was campfire time and we were settling down to an evening around them campfire. Of course we had all our S'more supplies. There was a neat ledge behind the campfire pit that was just right for setting out all the s'more stuff. As we were chatting and enjoying the fire, all of a sudden the marshmallows disappeared! Next thing we knew, away went the graham crackers and we saw two little bandit eyes take off with them. I wasn't about to let them know we had chocolate bars too, so I grabbed them. I'm sure our little friends were waiting to catch us off guard again but we were saving the chocolate for another night of s'mores. We have laughed about those bandits many times over the years.
Submitted By: Debby Allen
Make this recipe over the campfire!
Prep Time: 10 Min.
Servings: 6-8
Ingredients:
Bag of Tator Tots
6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (Thawed)
Seasoning Salt
Directions:
I have been making this over our campfire for about 6 yrs now. My kids just love it! It is so easy! Hardly any prep time or work and you have a delicious meal. Place tator tots in a foil bag or make your own with aluminum foil. Place thawed chicken on top and sprinkle seasoning salt over all. Seal the bag and place on grid over campfire for about 20 mins on each side. Check occasionally for doneness. Sometimes it takes longer or less time depending on how thick your chicken is.
Submitted By: Carla Ward
When I was 5 or 6 years old, my Dad took my sisters and I camping in Hope, Alaska. My father moved from Texas to Alaska for work. We went for a visit and ended up camping under a tarp. Not in a tent, just under a tarp that he placed between two trees. He then sent the three of us Texas girls out for firewood so we could get the fire going. As we were gathering all the small sticks he circled around us as quietly as possible then came charging and growling at my sisters and I. Our first thought was BEAR! So we threw down the sticks and ran towards camp. He slowly walked up laughing uncontrollably. After we settled down, we went fishing for salmon, something we were scared of doing, since some of the salmon was larger than we were and we didn't think our cane poles could hold a fish that big. He taught us a song that we sing when we go fishing to this day, "Fishy, fishy in the brook come get on my little hook". No one caught anything and it wasn't until many years later that he admitted to removing the worms before dropping our hooks into the water. That was the first and last time my dad ever took us camping and it is one of the most cherished memories I have.
Submitted By: Hope Sherrod
Try this delicious camping spaghetti recipe! It's easy and great for the family!
Ingredients:
Directions:
Before going camping I will boil a bunch of spaghetti noodles al dente (instead of the usual 10-12 minutes, only cook for 8-9 minutes). After draining, I freeze them in a plastic bag, flattened out. At the camp sight by the second day of camping, the noodles have usually defrosted in the cooler, just drop them in hot water for a minute or two and then add sauce. This seems to save time and propane.
Submitted By: Lori DeLeon
You need a minimum of 2 people to play this game. The task is to find anything that is nature related near or around your campsite. You have two choices, you can pick up the object and take it with you providing you can mask the objects identity or you can write it down on a piece of paper and fold it so your opponent cannot see what you wrote!
Next… you take turns asking questions about the other's object but they have to be 'yes or no' questions. The first to guess the other's object wins the game.
Some example questions:
Is your object round?
Is your object blue?
Is your object big?
