TheCampingGuy.com Blog | Camping Tips

Let’s face it…camping meals need to be easy to make, easy to eat and easy to clean up. Did you know that potatoes just happen to be a great way to get all of those things and still have plenty of room for flavor? So here’s some great ideas on how to satisfy your whole family on your camping trip using many potatoes…and a few other things as well.

1. Po’ Boy Foil Bowl
Chop up 1 small potato per camper, depending on their appetite. Put the chopped potatoes in a clean, plastic bag, add a splash of olive oil, pepper, salt and whatever dried herbs you have. Add a couple of hand fulls of chopped vegetables like: carrots, celery, onion, tomato, broccoli, etc. and shake the bag. Dish out about a cup of the mixture onto sheets of aluminum foil. Wrap the ingredients tightly, leaving a small opening at top and grill over open flame or in the coals of a fire, for up to 30 minutes. Use tongs to check the packages regularly–if they steam when you open them, your po’ boy is ready! Serve straight from aluminum!

2. Baked Potato Burrito
One baked potato per camper. Leave the skin on and cut the potato in half, long ways. Scoop a chunk from each half and place scooped potato in plastic bag. Add lots of salt, pepper, seasonings and a can of drained, black beans. Mush the bag until thoroughly mixed. Place potato halves onto aluminum foil sheets, scoop potato/bean mixture onto the halves and top with other half of potato. Gently wrap in foil and, turning gently and regularly, cook the potatoes over open flame or in the coals of a fire. Be careful when opening and eat with a spoon!

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There are a few key things to keep in mind when planning a campout during a holiday–especially Thanksgiving. First and foremost, you must have atmosphere. Without it, you could find yourself surrounded by bored and listless guests who wish they were warm at home. You also need a great camping list geared especially toward Thanksgiving, and some great camping games to go along. Here are some tips to ensure you have everything you need to complete your Thanksgiving Campout.

Atmosphere: A holiday campsite isn’t a holiday without the tidings of decor. Inexpensive, plastic tablecloths especially made for Thanksgiving are a great start. Add a festive centerpiece and paper place mats (sheets of construction paper with cut out ‘hand-shaped’ turkeys glued to them) and voila! You have a festive table. Hanging cornucopia party lights, when used properly, are also a nice touch of holiday greetings. Place a Thanksgiving welcome mat at the foot of each tent to finish off the look of your site.

A Camping List is, as you know, is essential to any camping trip. For a Turkey-themed trip, here are the things I suggest you take, starting with the obvious: Clothing and toiletries, camping blankets, camping tents, family tents, outdoor cooking grill and utensils, THE TURKEY, sides, breakfasts, sandwich fixin’s for the turkey sandwiches – next day, snacks, hot and cold drinks, lots of water, decor, music, lights, a fire pit, marshmallows, hot dogs and an outdoor heater.

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Do you know the best part of camping?…..the food! I happen to believe that food tastes a whole lot better when you’re outside cooking up a camping meal. But, nobody wants to break-up the fun to go and cook a meal….groan! So, here’s a couple of easy camping meals that you can prepare that are tasty and most of all, a snap to make and cleanup.

Don’t let the name of this first one throw you, it’s very good!

Camp Hash

2 TB cooking oil
1 large onion — chopped
2 garlic cloves — minced
4 large potatoes — peeled and cubed
1 lb smoked sausage — cubed
1 can chopped green chiles — (4 oz)
1 can whole kernel corn - drained

In a Dutch oven, or large cooking pot heat oil. Saute onion and garlic until tender. (I can smell the aroma as I’m writing this!) Add potatoes. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 20 mins. stirring occasionally. Add sausage, cook and stir until potatoes are tender and well browned, about 10 mins. more. Stir in chilies and corn; cook until heated through and serve out of the pot.
Bonus: Leftovers can be put in your breakfast omelet.

I love how the sour cream gives this dish a distinctive taste!

Simple Stroganoff

2 tsp butter or margarine
1/4-cup water
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2-cup sour cream
1/2-cup onion- chopped
1 lb Round steak - cut
1/2 tsp Paprika

Melt butter or margarine in a skillet. Brown the strips of round steak. Add onions and brown. Stir in soup, water, sour cream and paprika. Cover and cook over low heat about 45 minutes, or until meat is tender. Stir frequently. Serve over hot, wide egg noodles or rice.

Simple, easy and good eating. And, the Cleanup is confined to one pot. Try these out this weekend and let me know what you think. Or, if you have a great camping recipe you want to share with all of us put it in the comments section.

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A number of campers have written me to ask about what campfire treats I like best. Well, here’s a few that I like, that you may want to try.

Everybody has heard of Smores, right? This is a classic campfire treat made with marshmallows, Hersheys milk chocolate and Graham crackers. Toast two marshmallows to your liking and put them between two Graham crackers and a piece of chocolate. It’s no small wonder why Smores are always a hit.

BUT, how about…SMORES WITH A TWIST!!

Use chocolate chip cookies or peanut chip cookies instead of Graham crackers and chocolate. Next time you’re camping, try it and let me know what you think!

Chocolate Bananas
This next one we used at Scout-o-Rama where we invite the public to see what Scouting has to offer, and we had people lined up to taste these. Take a strip of tin foil about 12 inches long, cut a whole banana lengthways, then stuff it with chocolate, or caramel or Rolos (chocolate/caramel chucks). Squeeze the banana back together and wrap it tightly in foil. Put the foil-wrapped banana on a fire or on BBQ coals for about 3-5 minutes. Take if off the coals, open it up and dig out the gooey, chocolatey insides with a fork or spoon. CAUTION: It’s Hot! Use tongs to pull it out of the coals and to peel back the foil.