Fun-to-Cook Foods for Camp Chefs             written by Keith Sutton - BassPro Shops       For many of us it's more fun to use simple, yet unique cooking       methods when preparing camp meals and treats.       Food never tastes better than when cooked outdoors. And nothing       quite highlights a fun campout like favored foods prepared using       special outdoor cooking methods.       Modern camp cooking can be much like cooking at home. Push a       button to light the camp stove or gas grill, or start a charcoal       fire, and you're ready to prepare a hot, delicious meal. For       many of us, however, it's more fun to use simple, yet unique       cooking methods when preparing camp meals and treats.       This might include a pot of delicious beans prepared in the old       North Woods style in a "beanhole," or showing the youngsters in       hunting camp how to cook breakfast Boy Scout-style in a paper       bag.       We can teach the kids how to whip up some homemade ice cream in a       coffee can, or take a more traditional route and cook a complete       meal in aluminum foil. There are dozens of ways to making camp       cooking fun and memorable, including those that follow:                          * Beanhole Baked Beans                         Cooking in a hole filled with hot coals is the way lumberjacks       once made big pots of sweet baked beans to feed the whole camp.       This is still an excellent means to prepare a great side dish       for supper. You'll need a Dutch oven and the ingredients listed       below. To start, soak the beans overnight as described. Then       several hours before meal time, dig a hole big enough to set the       Dutch oven in (with a little extra space around the sides),       build a hardwood fire in the hole and allow the wood to burn       down to coals. Proceed in the following manner:             *   3-1/2 cups dried navy beans             *   4 quarts water             *   1/2 pound salt pork             *   4 tablespoons tomato paste             *   1 cup molasses             *   1/2 cup brown sugar             *   2-1/2 teaspoons dry mustard             *   1 teaspoon black pepper             *   1/2 teaspoon thyme             *   A pinch or two of ground cloves             *   2 small onions, peeled                         Cover the beans with 2 quarts cold water and soak overnight.       Drain the beans and reserve the liquid. Cover the beans again       with 2 quarts fresh cold water and bring them to a boil.       Immediately lower the heat and simmer the beans for 45 minutes.       Drain the beans well once again, reserving the water. Cut a 1/4-       pound slice of salt pork and place it on the bottom of a Dutch       oven. Mix the tomato paste, molasses, brown sugar, dry mustard,       pepper, thyme and cloves into the beans. Pour the bean mixture       over the salt pork in the Dutch oven. Bury the whole onions in       the center of the beans. Cut the remaining salt pork into small       pieces and arrange these on top of the beans. Pour the reserved       bean liquid over the mixture, then cover tightly.       Place the covered Dutch oven over a bed of coals in the hole       you have prepared, then rake more coals and ashes over the top       and sides. If your oven has a bail, leave it in an upright       position for easier removal. Top the pot with aluminum foil or a       layer of green leaves to keep out the dirt, and shovel earth       back into the hole to a depth of four or five inches, tamping it       down well. Now let the beans cook six to eight hours. When you       return from a day's hike or fishing expedition, you'll have a       special treat in store.                          *  Breakfast in a Paper Bag                         Don't want to clean up any breakfast dishes? Try cooking the       day's first meal in a paper bag. It really works! You'll need a       lunch-sized brown paper bag for each camper's meal and a long,       green, pointed stick to hold each bag near the campfire coals.       For each breakfast, you should have:             *   1-2 bacon strips             *   1/2 cup or so frozen hash browns, thawed             *   1-2 eggs                  *   Start by opening the paper bag and placing the bacon                 strips on the             *   bottom. Toss in hash browns. Break in the eggs.                         Now fold down the top of the paper bag at least three times but       leave 3"-4" of air space above the food. Insert the pointed       stick only through the top folded part of the bag. Prop with       rocks, or hold the bag on the stick about 4"-5" over the hot       coals for about 8-10 minutes. Be careful not to touch the coals       or hold the bag over flames or you'll set your breakfast on fire.       When the aroma makes your mouth start watering, remove the bag       from the heat and carefully pull out the stick. Open the bag and       fold down the paper. Eat right out of the brown bag. Throw your       "dishes" in the fire.                          *  Ice Cream in a Can                         Kids and grownups alike love making ice cream in a can. All you       need to make dessert for three or four people is some duct tape,       a 1-pound coffee can with lid, a 3-pound coffee can with lid,       some crushed ice, some rock salt and the following ingredients:           *   1 pint half and half or whole milk           *   1 egg, beaten (optional)           *   1/2 cup sugar           *   1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup           *   or 1/4 cup sliced strawberries                 Add the above ingredients to the 1 pound coffee can and mix       well. Put the lid on the coffee can and secure with duct tape.       Place the 1-pound coffee can into the 3-pound coffee can.       Surround with crushed ice and rock salt and place the lid onto       the 3-pound coffee can.                  Have two people sit on the ground and roll the cans back and       forth 3-4 feet apart. Roll for 8-10 minutes. (The kids can kick       the can back and forth as well.)       Check to see if the ice cream is hard; if it isn't, replace the       lid, and add more ice and rock salt. Roll for another 8 minutes.       Remove the lid to the 1-pound can and serve in bowls.                 *  Foil Dinner                  If you make a single dinner entree, you may not please all your       diners. But if you put out a variety of fixings and let everyone       choose the ingredients for an individual foil-wrapped dinner,       the whole crowd will be happy.       Start by placing 18-inch long rectangles of heavy-duty aluminum       foil on a table. Then place a variety of meats, vegetables and       fruits, each cut in bite-sized pieces, in individual bowls.       These might include such items as hamburger, chicken, cubed       steak, sausages, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, onions, pineapple,       green peppers and more. Use whatever you have on hand that your       diners might enjoy. Put some spices on the table, too.       Now, allow each person to get a piece of foil and the foods he       or she likes. Lay the foil flat, place the food on top, season       to taste and fold the foil in half so the food is between the       folded pieces, near the fold. Then, beginning at the place where       the two end edges meet, make a fold of about 1/2 inch and firmly       press this, sealing the seam. Then fold the seam over two more       times, 1/2 inch at a time, and press to seal.  The two open ends       are then sealed in the same manner, and the packet is ready for       the cooking fire. Cook in coals about 12 minutes per side or       until done. Open carefully so the steam inside the foil packet       doesn't burn you. Eat and enjoy!                 Return to Home Page                                  Any unauthorized redistribution or reproduction of any material contained herein is strictly prohibited;all rights Reserved.