The Virtual Campsite Cookbook

Menu Ideas


One-Pot Meals

Roll-Your-Own Trail Soups & Stews

Choose the ingredients to create your own one-pot meals based on your own tastes. Select one, or more, item from each category below. The ingredients for each meal can be packaged together in one bag for quick meal preparation.

Directions:

1. Select and assemble your ingredients from the grocery store, camping outlet or food coop. Amounts of each ingredient can be adjusted to suit individual preferences and appetites.
2. Determine the order of preparation based on the cooking times of each ingredient. Items with similar cooking times and methods may be dumped together in a plastic bag. Put the bulkiest or main items in a large bag, and put the other items in smaller bags and seal them. Place these smaller bags inside the large bag and seal it.
3. Check the instructions for each component to be sure you include any extra items such as butter, dry milk, etc. that are needed.
4. Decide how much water you need to start with based on what is needed for each ingredient.
5. Write instructions for each package in the meal down, based on the items determined above. Include order of preparation, cooking times, ingredients not included in the bags, etc.
6. Include the instructions for each package with the package. Include the instructions for the whole meal with the large bag, in addition to the instructions for that bag.
7. Lable each bag

These are some ideas for the ingredients that may be used.

Meat or substitutes:

Fresh, canned, smoked fish, jerky, hard salami and sausage, pepperoni, TVP (textured vegetable protein in beef, ham & chicken flavors), bacon or meat bar (compressed, precooked), freeze-dried

Pastas, grains, legumes & bases:

macaroni, noodles (egg, spinache, etc), Oriental noodles, spaghetti, dried potatoes (instant mashed, diced, shredded, sliced), dried beans, lentils, split peas, wheat/bulgar, rice, packaged mixes (Rice-a-roni, Hamburger Helper, Lipton, etc)

Dried vegetables:

Onions, carrots, celery, tomato and tomato powder, green and hot peppers, green beans, various vegetable flakes

Sauces: powdered form in foil packets.

Cheese sauce, sour cream sauce w/dried milk, Stroganoff, spaghetti, gravey mix, sweet and sour, soups

Seasonings:

Salt, black/white pepper, bouillon cubes/powder (beef, chicken, vegetable), marjoram, dill seed, summer savory, parsley, garlic fresh/dried/salt/powder, chives, basil, thyme, caraway seed, curry powder, commercial mixtures (Mrs. Dashes, etc.)

Additions:

Sunflower seeds, nuts, coconut, margarine, sesame seeds, wheat germ, roasted soybeans, bacon bits


Menu Ideas

Standard supermarket items not requiring a recipe. This is a handy memory jogger when preparing menus.


Breakfast:

Instant Oatmeal & Cream of Wheat Packets
Pop Tarts
Bagels and Cream Cheese
Omelettes
Scrambled eggs in a bag

Lunch:

Macaroni and Cheese
Crackers
Lunch Meats, Sausage
Instant soup mixes; packets
Use individually as is, or combine together for unique custom mixtures. Add additional ingredients such as cheese, meats (canned, dried, fresh), nuts, seeds, herbs and spices.
Peanut Butter
Cheese
Raisins
Fruit; dried, fresh
Hard cheese/cloth wrap soaked in vinegar

Supper:

Rice-a-Roni
Packet Dinners
The best are the Lipton brand noodle and rice dinners, although many other brands are availble. They require adding water, and some need milk and/or butter added. May be fortified by adding meat.
Uncle Ben's Rice mixes
Instant Mashed Potatoes
Instant Pudding
Kool-Aide