Looking for Fun Camp Cooking Ideas for Scouts

[pgvoutdoors]

In October I will be doing a presentation to the Boy Scouts district Roundtable for our area. The topic - "Outdoor Cooking": campfire, camp stove, dutch oven, and ultra-light.

I'm looking for recipes that would be fun for the boys to do.

I'll be working with adult leaders of Boy Scout troops but there will also be a group of Cub Scout leaders as well.

I'll have a setup outdoors to demonstrate some recipes, plus equipment on display, and a disc with recipes and information for them to take back to their Troop.

Any ideas will be helpful. The Roundtable will be held on October 8, 2009.

Thanks, PGV

[Ken]

Phil, are you looking for easy "pre-made" stuff or a do it yourself process?

[Rick]

Camp Fire Peach Cobbler

Ingredients


2 large cans (1 lb. 13 oz ea.) of sliced peaches
(You can also use other canned fruit. If you use pie filling then add enough water to dilute the syrup)
One box yellow cake mix
One stick butter/margarine

Equipment

Small dutch oven

Instructions

Pour peaches and juice from both cans into dutch oven.

Empty cake mix evenly on top but do not mix ingredients.

Cut butter into small pats and distribute over top of cake mix.

Put lid on dutch oven and bake in camp fire with coals on top and bottom for about 45 minutes.

[pgvoutdoors]

It can be any type of cooking. The Boy Scouts are ages 11-18 years old. It can be a simple good tasting recipe to a holiday feast in the field.

The Cub Scout are ages 5-10 years old and only do family camping.

[2dumb2kwit]

Camp Fire Peach Cobbler

Ingredients


2 large cans (1 lb. 13 oz ea.) of sliced peaches
(You can also use other canned fruit. If you use pie filling then add enough water to dilute the syrup)
One box yellow cake mix
One stick butter/margrine

Equipment

Small dutch oven

Instructions

Pour peaches and juice from both cans into dutch oven.

Empty cake mix evenly on top but do not mix ingredients.

Cut butter into small pats and distribute over top of cake mix.

Put lid on dutch oven and bake in camp fire with coals on top and bottom for about 45 minutes.

Dang....that makes me want to get a dutch oven, and try that in the back yard, tonight! LOL

[Rick]

You can dust Cinnamon over the top, too, if you like.

[Rick]

Tacos in a Bag

Ingredients:

1 individual Dorito chips bag
1/3 cup hamburger
1/3 cup refried beans
2 Tbsp shredded cheese
salsa

Instructions:

Cook the hamburger in a skillet.
Heat the beans.
Cut open the end of a bag of chips.
Spoon in some hamburger and beans, sprinkle on cheese, pour in salsa.

If hamburger is cooked at home, this can be a cold lunch with no mess or clean-up.

You can even use a can of chili rather than hamburger and beans.

It's also a great one for the last meal of the trail. Throw whatever is left together and toss in the bag.

[Ken]

For kids, I'd suggest beef stew, baked beans with LOADS of ham, bacon, and salt pork, or pasta with sauce and canned meatballs (because I'm leary of keeping hamburger in a cooler for any length of time).

And ya' GOTTA' bake rolls or make bannock.

For breakfast, it's gotta' be scrambled eggs, bacon, homefries, bacon, pancakes, and bacon.

[Rick]

This would be a cool one for the kids...

Eggs and Bacon in a Bag

Ingredients:

Two strips bacon (thick)
one paper lunch bag
one egg
one stick

Preparation:

Cut bacon strips in two, place at the bottom of the paper bag, covering the bottom. It is important that you have thick strips of bacon as thin ones will stick and adhere to the paper bag when cooked. Crack egg and put in paper bag on top of the bacon. Fold lunch bag down three times and poke a hole through it with the stick, so that the bag is hanging on the end of the stick. Hold over charcoal and watch the grease from the bacon protect the bag and cook the meal.

[DOGMAN]

the old "omelette in a bag" trick usually delights all participants. Setting up an omelette bar so everyone can choose their own ingredients is great breakfast campin' fun.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Omelet-in-a-Bag/Detail.aspx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ2NfUbbQWE

[pgvoutdoors]

I can see your going to make my job easy - Thanks

[Rick]

This one could be done by the younger ones with a little help. Requires use of a knife.

Beef and Veggies in Foil

Ingredients:

1/2 pound hamburger patty
1/2 carrot, sliced
1/2 potato, cut up
salt and pepper, to taste
Aluminum foil

Preparation:

Place sliced potatoes on foil. Place hamburger patty on top of potatoes. Salt and pepper lightly. Put the carrots on top. Salt and pepper again, if you want. Wrap up the foil, then wrap it again in another piece of foil. Cook it over the grill for 30 minutes. CAUTION: Hot steam will escape when you open the foil.

[crashdive123]

Phil - here are a couple of links that may give you some ideas as far as Dutch (the cooking utensil, not the people)Oven cooking goes.

http://www.usscouts.org/cooking/cook_05.asp

http://idos.com/

[crashdive123]

Tin foil meals are pretty simple. You can really add just about anything. I like this one:

Carrots
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Corn on the Cob
Onions
Red, Green, Yellow Bell Peppers

Cut the veggies into big chunks, halve the cobs of corn. Add Pace Picante Sauce. Fold it all up and toss it in the coals.

[crashdive123]

If you guys will be fishing, the kids might get a kick our of cooking on a plank.

[nesman89]

Saw this on Food Network. I think I'm going to make this very soon.


Ingredients

* 12 ounces fresh or frozen cherries
* 2 large eggs
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup whole milk
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* Butter, for the Dutch oven

Directions

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F or prepare charcoal for cooking outdoors by heating coals in a chimney starter until hot and ashy.

Butter the bottom and sides of a 5-quart Dutch oven. If using fresh cherries, rinse, stem and pit the cherries. If using frozen, place the cherries into a colander and allow to thaw completely before using. Discard the juice. Spread the cherries evenly over the bottom of the Dutch oven.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until frothy and lightened in color. Add the milk, vanilla and flour and whisk to combine. Pour the batter over the cherries.
Oven baking:

Bake on the middle rack, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until golden on top and a knife comes out clean when inserted into the middle.
Outdoor coals:

Place 18 to 19 coals on a Dutch oven table. Place a cooling rack, or other wire rack, that is at least 2-inches high, directly over the coals. Place the Dutch oven on the rack directly over the coals. Cover with the lid and place 22 to 23 coals on top. Cook with the lid on for 25 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for another 5 minutes or until golden on top and a knife comes out clean when inserted into the middle.

Allow to cool for 30 minutes before removing from the Dutch oven, slicing and serving.

[crashdive123]

Looks like a good recipe nesman89. How about mixing up all the ingredients and doing an Introduction for us when you get a chance. Thanks. http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=14

[your_comforting_company]

pigs in a blanket

hot dogs wrapped in biscuits, wrapped in bacon. held with toothpicks
cook on a skillet or oven, or on sticks.
one of my favorites and easy to make.
if you have biscuit mix you can just dip the dogs wrapped in bacon.

substitute sausage and pancake mix for breakfast too

[COWBOYSURVIVAL]

Amazing how you were all suckered into disclosing your recipes! PGV you suckered them right into it!

[crashdive123]

Amazing how you were all suckered into disclosing your recipes! PGV you suckered them right into it!

Heck - he ate some of it at the Jamboree!

[COWBOYSURVIVAL]

Heck - he ate some of it at the Jamboree!

Well I for one will need proof of this scouting outing to reveal my secret recipes....maybe I am wrong and you guys just gave him the so so recipes and are still hoarding the reALLY GOOD ONES!

[crashdive123]

Nah. Good food, good recipes, good spirits - all worth sharing.

[COUESAZ]

Banana Boats......

[Rick]

Oh, yeah!? Well, same to you!

[crashdive123]

Banana Boats......

This?

http://images.hayneedle.com/mgen/master:AQS005.jpg

[finallyME]

I just did Outdoor Leadership Skills training this last weekend. I didn't learn much, but I did learn a few things.

We cooked an egg in an onion shell.
We cooked chicken on a rock.
We cooked an omelet in a freezerbag in boiling water.

Also, when I am with scouts, I generally do a breakfast taco breakfast in a dutch oven (when not backpacking). Basically cut up bacon and cook in dutch oven. Then cut up potatoes and add to bacon and cook. Then cut up peppers and onions and whatever else. Then when the bacon is cooked, and there is a bunch of grease still in the oven, scramble eggs with it all. Then heat tortillas with cheese on top on the lid of the dutch oven, and serve. Every time I have done this, one boy will say he doesn't like onions, and another will say he doesn't like peppers, but they will all eat it and love it. :clap:

I try and stay away from briquets. I want to show the boys how to cook with a real fire.

There are lots of websites with Dutch oven cooking. I think my district even has one on their website. Giving a few websites to the leaders would be a good idea.

As for ultralite, I only have one recommendation. Read this site.
Trailcooking (http://www.trailcooking.com/).

Good luck. Our roundtable is on the 1st.

[Old GI]

Just fill a canteen cup halfway or so with water. Place some pine needles in and boil. Viola! Pine Needle Tea. Yeh, I know; it wasn't good when had to drink it to pass survival training. Nevermind.

[pgvoutdoors]

Thanks again for all of the suggestions...

I'll be doing a presentation to the Grand River District, Greater Western Reserve Council on October 8, 2009. The attendees will be - Scoutmasters, Parent Committee members, and Cub Scout leaders.

I'm currently registered with the BSA as:
Assistant Scoutmaster: Troop-5 Madison, OH
District Boy Scout Roundtable Commissioner: Grand River District, GWRC

I've been working as an adult leader for the past 15 years.

I'm always looking for ideas that may stimulate the interest of the boys in the fundamentals of Scouting and woods skills. This forum has been of help in the past and I don't hesitate to ask for help again. Please feel free to contribute at what ever level you see fit, your contributions will go to good use. Thanks...

[canid]

earth-oven, pit cooking and under fire cooking are versatile, fun and let you demonstrate the use of plants in cooking for purposes other than eating or burning, when it comes to wrapping, covering, etc.

don't mind me; i just woke up .75 cups of coffee ago.

[pgvoutdoors]

I like the pit cooking idea, I've used cornstalk leaves to wrap pork in for pit cooking.

[Rick]

You can use aluminum foil as well.

Old GI, I love pine needle tea. It was a great suggestion.

[canid]

same here. i usually have a supply of them on hand, for that and for making tamales.

when i lived in san francisco, you could get cheap, fresh banana leaves for cooking at many of the markets which sold asian produce.

there are so many option for wraping leaves, and when that fails, you can also set the food to be cooked on a layer of smaller leaved non-toxic plants, cover with another layer, then add the embers/ashes.

[pgvoutdoors]

Banana leave are a bit tough to get around here. Now cornstalks in Ohio, no problem.

[Rick]

you can also set the food to be cooked on a layer of smaller leaved non-toxic plants, cover with another layer,

You could, of course, use toxic plants but boy scouts dropping left and right will sort of put a damper on the whole outing.

[canid]

yeah, save that for the end of the demonstration, when you need to clear everybody out.