Is it Dinner Time Yet?

This summer Champlain College student, Sarah Lucia, a Professional Writing Major spent some time writing a few articles providing some great camping tips! Thank you so much Sarah!

Start Your week Right with Breakfast
Who Get's Dish Duty
Always Hungry for Lunch

Here are some great dinner time ideas for camping!

Nights can get quite chilly when camping, especially come September and October, and a hot bowl of soup always tastes great. Some people prefer to have their soup on simmer for hours before serving, but that is not always feasible at the campground. This simple soup only requires about an hour of cooking time.


Chicken Noodle Soup 

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast, cooked and chopped
1 cup of noodles, uncooked
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 can mixed vegetables
1/2 teasoppn Italian spices
1 teaspoon sweer basil
1/4 teaspoon dried minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried chopped onion
2 cans chicken broth
3 cups water
Salt, pepper, to taste

Preparation: 
At home boil one skinless boneless chicken breast for 30 minutes. Cool and keep refrigerated until ready to make soup. At the campground put chicken broth and water in a large pot. Bring to a low boil. Add all ingredients and cook for about one hour stirring occasionally. Salt and pepper to taste, and serve with break or crackers.

Steak on the Campfire:

Hot dogs and hamburgers aren't the only meat you can have while camping. Marinated steak tastes great on the fire or grill!

Start the fire. Build up a nice campfire and let it burn down to embers for best cooking results.


     Marinate the meat. Season the steaks with salt and pepper and place them in a large plastic bag with a zipper. Generously douse with your favorite marinade and seal the bag. Place in the cooler and allow them to marinate for at least 30 to 60 minutes.

Using a thick stick or a fire poker, stir the fire and make sure there are enough glowing embers on a portion of the fire pit that you can use for grilling.

Place the campfire grill over the glowing embers and allow it to heat up for at least 10 to 15 minutes.
     Grill the steaks. Grill the steaks for 5 to 7 minutes on the first side, depending on thickness.

Flip the steaks. Grill the steaks on the other side for an additional 4 to 6 minutes. Flip and grill for another 2 minutes. Cut into the steak to make sure the inside is at desired color.
 
     Serve and enjoy. Remove the steaks from the heat and allow them to cool for 1 to 3 minutes, serve and enjoy.

Great side dish for your steak: Sautéed Mushrooms and Onions

Ingredients:

1 cup sliced mushrooms
3/4 cup onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons red wine or 1 1/2 teaspoons wine
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sauté onions in olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes on medium heat or over the fire in a frying pan. Add mushrooms and sauté for another five minutes.Add red pepper and sauté for two more minutes.Put on low and add lemon juice and wine.Add seasonings. Best served warm.
Lemon Dill Grilled Fish Fillets
Going fishing during your camping trip? Here is a great recipe to season and cook your freshly caught fish.


-    Ingredients:1 lemon1 tablespoon kosher salt
-    1 tablespoon dry dillPepper to tasteOlive oil or butter4 foil sheets

Lightly grease the bottom of the foil sheets with olive oil or butter. Place the fish fillet on top and sprinkle each with 1/4 of the salt, dill and pepper as desired.  Slice half the lemon into rings. Squeeze the juice from the other half of the lemon over the top of the fish.  Place two rings over each fish and drizzle with olive oil or add a small pat of butter.  Fold in sides and roll tightly to seal the packet.
     Place the packet over the smoldering white coals for 3 minutes. Flip and continue cooking for 3 more minutes.Remove from the fire and allow to sit for at least 5 minutes before eating.



Cooking Tips
Use dead, dry wood for clean burning. Never bring in wood from over fifty miles from the campground to avoid invasive species killing native trees.


     Start your fire in a fire pit to avoid spreading of the fire. The fire pit also provides a wind barrier to prevent your fire from blowing out.

     Keep preparation to the minimum by chopping, shredding, or slicing ingredients at home.Measure the necessary amounts and pack them in disposable or reusable containers or zip-close bags.

Pack perishable items in a cooler loaded with icepacks or ice blocks, and keep cold until ready to cook.

Instant hand sanitizer is great for conserving water.

Explore the area surrounding the campground. Look out for great local farmers markets where you can get some fresh vegetables and fruit.
\If you are cooking over the fire, plan to cook in batches and unless you have a helper, plan for meals that only require one skillet at a time. If you are going to a park that has fire rings on the campsites, you will have a rack with enough space for two pots or pans.

If cooking on a rack, bring aluminum foil to cover the rack so no food directly touches it.

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