Advance Cooking Camps

When you’re out in the woods having a good time with your family, the last thing you want to do is spend a lot of time cooking and washing dishes. I’ve found that the best way to get the most out of your campgrounds is to cook some of your food ahead of time and make cooking as easy as possible.

You can wrap the fish in a double layer of aluminum foil and cook it over the coals of your campfire. Potatoes and corn on the cob (still in the husk) can also be wrapped in aluminum foil and cooked on the coals. Distribute the coals around the foil packets as evenly as possible so that the food cooks evenly. The corn will take 10-15 minutes to cook and the potatoes about half an hour. The fish doesn’t take long, 15 minutes or less depending on the thickness of the fish. And don’t forget the hot dogs! We always bring some hot dogs or sausages to grill over the fire on a stick. Watermelon can be carried and kept cold in a cool, shallow stream.

The following recipes are great to make ahead of time and take with you. The chicken can be eaten cold and the shredded roast beef is heated in a skillet or in foil and served on hamburger buns. Fruit salad keeps well for a couple of days in a cooler. Hmm!

BAKED CHICKEN

3 pounds fried chicken, cut up

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash the chicken and dry it. Melt butter and shortening in oven in 13x9x2-inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper. Coat the chicken pieces with flour and place them skin side down in the baking dish. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Flip the chicken pieces and cook for another 30 minutes.

EASY ROAST BEEF

6 pounds roast rump or loin

1 bottle of ketchup (14 ounces)

3 onions

1 stalk of celery

3 tablespoons BBQ sauce

3 tablespoons vinegar

2 tbsp. Salt

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons water

Cut the onion and celery into large pieces. Pour all the ingredients into a large roasting pan. Bake for about 6 hours at 300 degrees. Add more liquid if necessary. When the meat is done, it should easily break apart and shred with a fork. (There seems to be a lot of liquid, but when you separate the meat, it absorbs most of it.) Serve on crisp buns that don’t fall apart easily.

FRUIT SALAD

1 cup tangerines, drained

1 cup pineapple chunks, drained

1 cup sour cream

1 cup cottage cheese (optional)

1 cup miniature marshmallows (optional)

1 cup coconut (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and refrigerate.