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Post by cweston on Jul 27, 2022 12:49:59 GMT -8
I typically do a 3 days to a week of (solo) car camping before a high-elevation BP trip.
My camp kitchen is ultra-minimalist: I usually just use my BP stove and use up my partially-spent isobutane canisters that way, for coffee and hot meals. I carry a mid-sized cooler and minimal kitchen gear.
So, cooking two different things on two different burners is out, any long cook is out, anything that requires true simmering is out.
I'm the cook of my household, and we eat very well at home, so I don't feel the need to be gourmet for these few nights.
Some of my staples with this setup are bacon and eggs, some sort of skillet dish with smoked sausage, onion, peppers, etc.
Anything that starts with frozen items prepared at home is a bonus, since it helps keep the cooler cold.
Anyone had luck cooking some sort of pre-made pasta sauce in a zip bag that you drop in the pasta water to heat?
Chilequiles (or queso sauce) with chile sauce prepared at home and frozen sounds like a winner.
Any other suggestions welcome.
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Jul 27, 2022 13:27:49 GMT -8
I am not a food snob, and will gladly eat warmed Hormel chili from a can. Poured over any sort of sausage, and I have a meal. OK, so now that I've set the tone, here's some suggestions:
Corned beef hash (canned), and eggs. Canned tamales, red quesadilla sauce, black beans. Biscuits, sausage gravy, sausage patties. Bagels, provolone, some sort of hard salami, all warmed in a skillet, as a sandwich, turn a few times until the cheese begins to melt. Soups and a grilled cheese sandwich.
If I am really lazy, I will just eat more of my F-D meals.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Jul 28, 2022 9:03:34 GMT -8
I have done a LOT of car-camping meals over the years, and strive to keep them simple. While I do use a 2-burner Coleman stove, I still basically want one-pot meals, or a pot and a skillet. So: Pasta, with bottled sauce. I soup it up by sautéing veggies (onion, pepper, mushrooms, broccoli) and mixing them with the sauce (in the non-stick frying pan). Blackbean and corn chili: 1 can each black beans, crushed or diced tomatoes, corn. Onion and pepper if available. Season with chili powder and cumin. All sorts of meals of the more liquid sort, made and frozen at home. Eggs with veggies, maybe some of those frozen hash brown patties from Trader Joe’s Pre-cooked rice with add-ins, esp. tuna or canned chicken, veg, maybe some kind of canned or dried soup (I made some good glop in New Zealand with that rice and powdered tomato soup, then tuna or chicken). Pizza: either Boboli-type crust or pita bread, add pasta sauce, onion & pepper/fungus (pre-cooked), cheese. Put some water in the skillet, put on the lid and steam/bake until the water is gone and the cheese is melting. “Panchiladas”—layer tortillas with enchilada sauce, beans, meat if desired, cheese. Cover and simmer for 15 min or until it starts to burn on the bottom. Oh, yeah, and those grilled cheese sammies Zeke mentioned
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Jul 29, 2022 5:18:01 GMT -8
We are going car camping in a couple of weeks. I'm going to cook spaghetti al dente at home and put it in a ziplock in the frig/cooler. To cook it I will be using a non-stick skillet for easy clean up. 1/2C water, some chicken bullion, a couple of handfuls of frozen mixed vegetables and 2-3 tablespoons of butter and just bring that to a simmer then throw in the spaghetti and toss. Top with Parmesan.
P.S. We eat this at home all the time but I have yet to try the precooking/field prep of the pasta part.
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balzaccom
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Post by balzaccom on Jul 30, 2022 19:23:46 GMT -8
We're big fans of the pre-packaged salads for car camping. Toss in some hummus and chips, or some dolmas, or cheese, salami and olives, and it makes a meal--even a relatively healthy one.
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Post by oldbill on Jul 31, 2022 3:35:58 GMT -8
Much of my car camping is after taking a flight so I don't pack anything other than what I would for a backpacking trip. I only bring a cup to heat water in. Need to watch my saturated fat intake so those pre-packed salads (especially with less cabbage) with some precooked chicken strips make a good meal. Wraps with tuna, salmon and low-fat mozzarella are another staple. Bagels, maybe toasted over the burner if I'm ambitious, with low fat PB for breakfast.
Traveling with my girlfriend is a whole other experience. She packs a frying pan and small stove. Even a collapsible kitchen sink.
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jazzmom
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Post by jazzmom on Aug 2, 2022 7:41:08 GMT -8
If I'm car-camping locally (i.e., driving instead of flying) and in a developed campsite where campfires are allowed, I'll take at least one grilled meal. I have a small fold-up grill good for one or two people. Steaks and marinated boneless skinless chicken thighs are my favorites -- they pack small, cook quickly and are great as leftovers, hot or cold.
I'm happy with just grilled meat and a salad but if you need/want a starch, I think egg noodles are the easiest car camping staple. They cook in a few minutes and are super forgiving and go with just about anything, including pasta sauce.
Our rainy dinner (i.e., can be cooked in the vestibule) is almost always pasta with meat sauce. I make and freeze the meat sauce at home. Barilla makes good precooked shelf-stable penne in a pouch. You can probably heat it in the pouch in boiling water but I just cook it in a lidded pot with a little water, drain, then add the sauce and heat through.
Also, if you're solo and have sufficient cooler space, you can just freeze any one-pot dish, like a stew, chili, etc. As long as it's not frozen, it doesn't take long to reheat on a backpacking stove. I think it's worth taking a small heavier lidded pot for car-camping. A non-stick one makes clean up a lot easier.
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rangewalker
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Post by rangewalker on Aug 17, 2022 15:35:41 GMT -8
My first car camping trip this year, I brought frozen stir fry veggies, jar of homemade Josh Rogen curry paste, and minute rice. A brother dropped by and we went to WalMart in the Hispanic section and resurrected on of our three can challenges from the 60's, refitos, green chilis, and Argentine Corned Beef. Of course wrapped in a tortilla with cheese, red salsa, so a bit adulterated. Seriously, I have trended toward a lot of the Indian dishes in pouches so if we pickup something local we can supplement, and not worry about the cooler.
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Post by bobcat1 on Aug 18, 2022 21:17:02 GMT -8
Just got home after a month-long trip that included a week of backpacking, a week of wilderness canoe tripping, and the rest was campground camping in between and before and after. Ate well, all from supermarkets and quite a bit of home dehydrating and advance preparation. No cooler, not many cans although I did use foil packets of chicken, tuna, and salmon. It did get a bit repetitive but only with stuff I liked so it worked out ok. When in towns, I did stop at grocery store and buy prepackaged salads for the next meal. Breakfast was either oatmeal with various things added (protein powder, nuts, dried fruits) or a skillet scramble with powdered eggs, dried hash browns, and single-packed Spam sliced into chunks. Lunch was bagels or crackers or tortillas with pbj or summer sausage or tuna or hummus, and a standard variety of snacks like jerky, gorp, etc. Dinners were based on rice, potatoes, or pasta with several sauces, veggie combinations and meats for each base. All dinners and the oatmeal based breakfasts were one-pot meals and worked for campgrounds or in the backcountry where my kitchen consists of one-burner stove, one pot, one cup and one spoon. In the campgrounds I also had a second pot usually reserved for hot water for drinks and then for dishwashing, and a skillet for breakfasts. I also had a plate, more silverware and a bowl - just a little more civilized than the backcountry and not so much juggling to clean out the one pot before heating dishwater.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Aug 22, 2022 17:57:59 GMT -8
I’ll sometimes bring Chinese takeout from a favorite restaurant. Tasty and simple.
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