BREAKFAST MENU IDEAS

Eggs-in-a-Bag

Crack as many eggs as you'd like (no more than 3)  into a sturdy Ziploc bag (the freezer bags are recommended). Add onion, peppers, ham, bacon bits, pre-cooked sausage crumbles or whatever else you'd like. (Cheese is not a good idea because during the cooking process the cheese gets much hotter than the eggs, and the bags may melt.)  Close the bag, getting out all the air you possibly can. Then each Scout gets to "smoosh" up their eggs to make them scrambled. Drop the bags into a pot of boiling water. Takes about 5-10 minutes to cook. If you are cooking with a number of Scouts, it might be a good idea to write names on the bags with permanent marker before cooking for easy identification. This is an especially good meal to make while you are camping and have to heat up your water for dishes since the pan itself never gets dirty, and you have your water already heated.

 

Egg-in-a-Hole

Take a piece of bread and butter it on both sides. Cut a hole out of its middle. Place bread on a hot skillet and crack an egg into the hole. When sufficiently cooked on the one side, flip over! You can fry the hole too.

French Toast

Ingredients:

3 slices of bread, 1 egg and 1/4 cup milk per person you are serving

cinnamon and nutmeg (optional)

maple syrup and butter

 

Directions: Mix eggs and milk together in a large bowl. Heat a griddle.  Melt some butter on the griddle. Dip each piece of bread into the egg-milk mix and then cook on griddle, flipping once. Serve with syrup or jam!

Peanut Butter French Toast

Directions: Beat 3 eggs in a bowl. Add 1/8 c milk. Set aside. Using 2 slices of bread, make a peanut butter sandwich. Dip the sandwich in the egg mixture and toast lightly on greased griddle. When browned, flip over and toast other side. The Scouts love this. You can also add banana slices to the sandwich!!

 

 

Pancakes

At home, measure out enough dry pancake mix (Just Add Water variety) for your patrol into a clean empty ½ gallon milk jug.  Write on side of jug how much water will be needed.  When ready to cook, add water and shake vigorously to mix, then pour onto hot griddle to cook

Remember, it’s easy to add bacon, sausage patties, or sausage links to this or any other breakfast, and you will be glad you did!  Cook them at home before the camp-out, drain well, then wrap in 2 layers of foil and freeze.  (This will keep it cold until you use it, and help keep the cooler cold, too.)  When you start cooking breakfast, place the foil pouch in a pot (to prevent burning) and then place the pot  (with its lid on) over low heat on the stove or directly onto campfire.   Turn the foil pouch every 4-5 minutes to heat evenly and prevent scorching.   Heat for 15-20 minutes (depending on if the meat was still frozen or not) and enjoy.  No mess, no grease to dispose of, and extra protein for breakfast!

 

Yummy Hash Brown Patties

Ingredients:

1 ¾ cup Instant Potatoes
1 2/3  cup Milk
1 2/3 cups Water
½ tsp Salt
3 tbsp Butter
1 Egg
¼ cup Crushed Corn Flakes

Instructions:
Mix package of Instant Potatoes as directed for 4-5 people. Bring water and salt to a boil. Remove from heat. Add milk. Stir in butter, and potato flakes. Mix in egg. Shape into Flat Patties. Roll in Crushed Corn Flakes. Fry golden brown in a small amount of butter.

 

Oatmeal Breakfast (Good in cooler weather)

Box of instant oatmeal packets

Boiling water

Ziplock bag of brown sugar

Toasted muffins with apple butter or jam

Bananas or grapes

 

Quick preparation, boil water and each Scout makes his own bowl of oatmeal, toast muffins over fire and top with apple butter, finish with fruit. 

 

Hot weather Breakfast Sundae

 

Ingredients:

Vanilla-flavored yogurt (frozen if you can keep it that way with dry ice)

Two of these:  blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or sliced strawberries

Small box of granola or small jar of wheat germ

Each Scout mixes his own breakfast in his bowl, using a couple of spoonfuls of yogurt and some berries, and topping it with crunchies.  Quick, delicious and refreshing in hot weather.

 

 

 

Egg Soufflé in a Dutch Oven

 

Ingredients:

12 eggs, whisked well

1 lb. bacon or sausage, pre-cooked and crumbled into small pieces

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

 

(For best results, cook the meat at home, whisk the eggs, and put eggs, cooked meat, and half the cheese (1 ½ cups) into a gallon-size freezer bag and pack it in the cooler.  Reserve the rest of the cheese in a separate bag to use as a topping)

 

Place 8 hot coals beneath a Dutch Oven (don’t forget to protect the ground underneath if necessary)  Pour egg mixture (or beaten eggs, cooked meat, and one half of the shredded cheese) into bottom of oven and top with reserved shredded cheese.  Place top on oven, put 14 hot charcoals on top, and bake for 30 minutes.  Check for doneness and bake a few minutes more if necessary.

 

 

Easy Biscuits & Gravy

 

Ingredients:

 

Biscuits (make ahead of time at home, 2 per Scout)

Frozen sausage gravy mix in bags (see # of servings on package)

 

At camp:  Boil large pot of water (can be used for dishwashing after breakfast) and cook gravy bags according to package directions.  Wrap biscuits in foil and reheat carefully on inside a pot over the campfire or the stove burner.  (Be careful not to overdo this, you just want to warm them, not burn them!)  To serve, let each Scout split his biscuit on his plate, and pour gravy from bag onto his biscuits.   Nice hot breakfast for a cold morning, little clean-up.   Add some juice or a banana for a balanced meal.

 

 

 

 

 LUNCH MENU IDEAS

Bags of Gold

Cubed cheddar cheese

Canned biscuits (3 per scout)

Canned tomato soup

 Wrap 1/2-inch cubes of cheese in biscuit dough. Drop into hot tomato soup. Bring to boil with the lid on.

Hummus, Alfalfa Sprouts and Cheese in a Pita          (a vegetarian option)

Ingredients:

Hummus - can be bought already made in the grocery deli department

alfalfa sprouts

sharp cheese

pita bread

Directions:  Combine first 3 ingredients and spread on pita bread as a sandwich, and enjoy!

Mini Pizzas

Ingredients:

2 English muffins or hamburger buns for each Scout

1 jar pizza sauce for each 8-10 pizzas

pre-cooked sausage crumbles, pepperoni slices, canned sliced mushrooms, peppers, etc.

Large bag shredded pizza blend cheese or Mozzarella cheese

 

CHECK TO SEE HOW MANY MUFFIN HALVES WILL FIT IN THE BOTTOM OF THE OVEN.   You may need to prepare more than one oven, depending on how many pizzas you need to bake.   Or you could bake one batch at a time, and the Scouts could eat the first batch while the 2nd batch is cooking.  And the 3rd .  .  .

About an hour before you want to eat, heat charcoals in charcoal starter.  Line inside of oven with one layer of foil to catch spills.   After the coals begin to turn white, place 15 coals underneath oven and 15 coals on top of lid, then begin preparing pizzas.   

Spread English muffin halves or hamburger bun halves with pizza sauce. Cover with pepperoni, green peppers, etc., and top with shredded mozzarella cheese.  Carefully lift off lid and place mini pizzas in bottom of oven.  Bake 10-15 minutes or until cheese is slightly browned. 

 

Pizza in pie cookers

For each pizza ‘Sandwich’:

2 slices of bread, or bun halves,  buttered on one side

2 teaspoons pizza sauce

Small amount of pizza toppings, as desired:  crumbled pre-cooked sausage, canned mushrooms, pepper slices, and of course, CHEESE!

Place one slice of bread into one half of cooker, buttered side against the cooker, fill with pizza toppings, top with other slice of bread (butter on top), then attach 2nd half of cooker.  Cook over flame about 5-7 minutes (depends how hot the fire is) turning frequently.

PBJ Wraps

 

Ingredients:

2 or 3 tortillas for each Scout

Peanut butter

Squeeze bottle of Grape jam

Spread peanut butter on one side of tortilla, then squirt jam on top of peanut butter.  (Not too much!)  Roll from one side and enjoy!  

Optional:  Use banana slices instead of jam

 

Deli Wraps  

(Great for sack lunches, which are required on some campouts)

 

Ingredients:

2 or 3 tortillas for each Scout

An assortment of sliced ham, turkey, roast beef or other lunchmeats

An assortment of sliced provolone, cheddar, mozzarella or other cheeses

Mustand & mayo (packets or small bottles)

Plastic jar of dill pickle spears

 

Each Scout can make his own sandwich wrap using his favorite meats & cheeses.  Pickle can be wrapped in middle of tortilla or eaten separately.

 

Easy Stuff:

 

Beefaroni, Ravioli, Spaghettios etc. are all easy to prepare and serve, as long as all Scouts in the patrol like this choice and agree upon it beforehand.

 

Canned soup in popular varieties (chicken noodle, vegetable beef, etc.) is also easy to prepare and serve.  Again, make sure everyone agrees on the choice(s).

 

Think about the kinds of things you like to eat for lunch at home and it’s probably good for the camp-out, too.

 

 

DINNER MENU IDEAS

 

Quesadillas

 

4 small tortillas (8”) for each Scout

Cooked chicken chunks in foil pouch (6 oz. per Scout)

One can mushrooms

Chopped green peppers

Chopped onion

1 can diced tomatoes

Cheese (about 6 oz. per Scout)

Taco sauces, if desired

Sour cream, if desired

 

Place 2 tortillas (or more if they will fit) on the lightly greased griddle on the camp stove.  Place toppings as desired onto each.  Sprinkle with cheese last.  Put another tortilla on top and cook about 2 minutes, then turn over and cook the other side.  OR:  Line bottom of Dutch Oven with 1 layer of foil, then put tortillas (as many as will fit) side-by-side on bottom.  Add toppings, then put a tortilla on top of each one, then a layer of foil, and build another batch of tortillas, toppings, and a tortilla.  Put lid on oven, bake at 350: for about 15 minutes.  They are better on the griddle (because the tortilla browns a little bit) but a little easier to burn, and the Dutch Oven cooks more quesadillas in less time.

 

Chicken Soup With Dumplings
(serves 8)

Ingredients:

Six  5oz. cans canned chicken or chicken chunks in foil pouch

2 cans green beans

2 cans corn

2- 26 oz.  can chicken vegetable soup, plus 26 oz. water

2 cups biscuit mix in a gallon ziplock bag

3/4 cup of milk (or liquid from vegetables)

 

Directions: Open cans of vegetables, drain liquid into a cup and save, and put vegetables in pot. Place chicken soup, water and chicken into pot also. Place pot over bed of coals and stir occasionally. When small bubbles break out in the liquid in the pot, prepare dumpling dough by combining biscuit mix and liquid in a gallon-size ziplock bag, squishing together until blended. When large bubbles appear in pot, cut corner off bag and squeeze golf-ball-sized blobs of dough into soup.  Cover pot and cook until dumplings are done, about 15 more minutes. Total cooking time approximately 35-45 minutes.

 

Hobo Dinners

 

Light charcoal briquettes in pile about 20-30 minutes before you want to start cooking so they can heat and turn white.  Just before preparing foil pouches, spread briquettes into long narrow pile (6”-8” wide and long enough to fit all the foil dinners, at least 6” X the number of dinners)  You can lay a long line of foil directly on the ground to prevent damage to the ground if necessary.

 

Ingredients:

Choose one:  breaded chicken patties (frozen); Lean ground beef patties (thawed); pre-grilled chicken breasts (frozen); Very thin chicken breast fillets, thawed.

  [One of the above for each Scout]

Then have these available for Scouts to build their own dinners:

Frozen hash brown patties

Canned peas

Canned corn

Canned carrot slices

Canned mushrooms

Canned green beans

Sliced onions

Ketchup

Steak sauce

Garlic salt, salt, pepper

 

Using heavy-duty aluminum foil in 12” squares, put meat/chicken in middle of foil, hash brown patty on top of that, then whatever other ingredients are desired.  Everyone must choose at least 2 vegetables)  Add seasonings, then fold over and wrap foil securely.  Write initials or a number on the outside in Sharpie marker.  Place on white charcoals and cook about 40 minutes, turning every 10 minutes

 

Walking Tacos

 

Ingredients

Two 2-oz.  snack-size bags of Fritos for each Scout*

6-8 oz. pre-cooked ground beef per Scout

1 packet dry taco seasoning per pound of ground beef

¾ cup water per pound of ground beef

Large bag shredded cheese (Mexican blend or sharp cheddar)

Small bag of shredded lettuce (prepare at home)

Small bag of chopped onions  (prepare at home)

Small bag of diced tomatoes  (prepare at home)

1 pint sour cream (squeeze bottle very convenient!)

Taco sauces

 

Heat water in skillet, mix in dry taco seasoning.  Add ground beef to heat, don’t overcook!  Each Scout should open a bag of chips, and spoon in his choice of ingredients.       (See note on next page)

 

*Snack size bags of Fritos can be purchased at Sam’s.  However, another alternative is to buy a regular-sized bag of Fritos and large (20 ox.) Styrofoam cups and let the Scouts make their tacos in the cups.  This actually works better, because it allows the Scout to have as many chips as he wants, he can re-use the cup as many times as he wants, and there is less trash.  (Scouts seem less likely to leave Styrofoam cups lying around than to leave pieces of the Fritos bags on the ground!)

 

 

 

Foil Onions

 

6 medium sized onions, peeled and thinly sliced.

1 stick of butter

Garlic salt, pepper & salt to taste

 

Spread 24”  heavy duty aluminum foil on table and place butter in middle of it in small pieces.  Spread onion slices on top and sprinkle spices over all.  Wrap foil securely into square and place on campfire or charcoals for 10-15 minutes, turning frequently.


Variations:  Use 5 potatoes and 2 onions, sliced thinly

                    Add fresh or canned mushroom slices

                    Add slices of green pepper

 

 

 

Scoutmaster Stew

 

Ingredients:

 

2 tall cans Dinty Moore beef stew

2 cans peas

2 cans green beans

2 cans corn

3 cups dry biscuit mix in gallon-sized ziplock freezer bag.

1 cup liquid (juice from veggies, milk, or water)

Empty beef stew into large pot. Drain each can of veggies into empty Dinty Moore can, and add veggies to stew.   Add one cup liquid to dry biscuit mix and squish with hands to mix.  Heat stew mixture until boiling, then cut off corner of ziplock bag and squeeze biscuit mix into stew in golf-ball sized piles.  Cover pot and continue to boil gently over lower heat for 15 minutes.   (If the heat is too high, the stew will scorch and burn onto the pan and taste bad.)  Serves 6-8

 

 Easy Jambalaya in the Dutch Oven

6 cups water

2 boxes (8 oz) Zatarain’s Jambalaya

1 lb ground pork, cooked at home & drained

2 lb pre-cooked smoked sausage, kielbasa, etc. 

1 can (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 chopped onion    (prepared at home & brought in sandwich bag)

1 chopped green bell pepper  (prepared at home)

1 stalk celery, chopped    (prepared at home)

Add 6 cups of water and the contents of the Zatarain’s box mix, the chopped onion, pepper and celery, and the can of tomatoes.  (Do not drain tomatoes first) Slice smoked sausage into ¼” slices and warm in water.  Add [cooked] ground sausage and stir   Place the Dutch Oven over 12-15 hot charcoals. Simmer for 35 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to prevent sticking.  Serves 6-8

 

 

Shrimp Etoufee

(Pronounced AY-2-FAY)

 

3/4 lb butter  (3 sticks)
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup parsley,

1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon Louisiana Hot Sauce
2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 can diced tomatoes
4 lb peeled shrimp
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

Minute Rice to serve number in patrol, prepared according to package directions

Place Dutch Oven over 12-14 hot charcoals.   Put butter into bottom of oven and cook onion pieces until they are clean.. Add parsley, salt, lemon juice, garlic, tomatoes, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce and simmer 5 minutes.   Add shrimp, cover and place 10-12 hot charcoals on lid of oven.  Simmer about 10 minutes, or until shrimp turn pink and are done.   While shrimp simmers, prepare rice and serve shrimp mixture on top of rice.  Serves 10-12

 

 

 

 

Dessert Menu Ideas

 

Scoutmaster Fruit Cobbler (a Philmont recipe)

Ingredients:

1 box white or yellow (or your choice) cake mix

3 cans pie filling (cherry, apple, peach, blueberry, raspberry . . .)

1 stick butter or margarine

1/2 can lemon-lime soda (Sprite, 7-Up, etc.)

 

It’s pretty simple.  Heat charcoals til mostly white as you pour ingredients.  Empty pie filling onto empty Dutch Oven, then pour dry cake mix on top.  Lay butter over top and pour can of soda in and place lid on Dutch Oven.  No mixing is needed!  Place about 12 white charcoals under oven and 14 more on the lid and bake for 30-40 minutes.

 

Black Forest Dump Cake

Ingredients:

1 box chocolate cake mix

2 cans cherry pie filling

1 can cherry cola  (Cherry Coke, Cherry Pepsi, etc.)

1 stick butter or margarine

 

Heat charcoals til mostly white as you mix ingredients.  Cut butter into small pieces and place around the bottom of the Dutch Oven.  Pour pie filling on top of butter, then pour dry cake mix on top.  Pour can of soda in and place lid on Dutch Oven.  No mixing is needed!  Place about 14 white charcoals under oven and 14 more on the lid and bake for 30-40 minutes.

 

Caramel Apple Crisp

 

Ingredients:

1stick of butter

1 box white or yellow cake mix

2 cans apple pie filling

1 cup wheat germ

1 bag caramel squares, unwrapped (or one jar of caramel ice cream topping)

1 can lemon-lime soda

 

Heat charcoals til mostly white before you start mixing ingredients.  Cut butter into pieces and place in the bottom of the Dutch Oven.  Pour pie filling on top of the butter, then add the dry cake mix.  Unwrap caramels and place in cake mix evenly distributed.  Pour cup of wheat germ on top of caramels, then pour can of soda in and place lid on Dutch Oven.  No mixing is needed!  Place about 14 white charcoals under oven and 14 more on the lid and bake for 30-40 minutes.

 

 

 

 

S’mores Treat in Dutch Oven

 

Ingredients:

1 box chocolate cake mix

1 package graham crackers, broken into small pieces

1 small (6 oz.) package chocolate chips

2 cups miniature marshmallows

1 can cola-flavored soda

1 stick butter

 

Heat 28 charcoals til mostly white before you start mixing ingredients.  Cut butter into small pieces and place evenly around the bottom of the Dutch Oven.  Line bottom with graham cracker pieces.  Pour cake mix on top of those, and add chocolate chips and marshmallows, then pour soda over all.  Place lid on Dutch oven and bake with 14 coals on top of lid and 14 coals underneath oven for about 30-40 minutes.

 

 

Campfire Brownies

 

Ingredients:

Boxed Brownie mix for an 8” X 8” pan

Read box to see what else you need to bring, usually some cooking oil, eggs, & water.  These can be measured out at home and put into a labeled ziplock bag (break eggs into bag & leave the shells at home)

 

Heat 28 charcoals until they’re mostly white before you start mixing ingredients.  Place 14 underneath the Dutch Oven and 14 on the lid and let the oven preheat while you prepare the brownie mix.    If your patrol box doesn’t have an 8” X 8” or a 9” X 9” pan, bring a foil pan that size.   Pour brownie mix into pan, add bag of wet ingredients from home, and stir until you can’t see dry powder anymore.   Place pan into preheated Dutch Oven and bake for 15-18 minutes.  Remove from oven when they’re done, and wait about 30 minutes (It will be tough to do!!!) so they will cut more easily.   Cut into squares to serve everyone in your patrol.