Hobo Packs

Hobo Packs

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs hamburger meat (browned in a skillet)
1 diced potato per person
1 large diced carrot per person
1/4 cup diced onion per person
salt and pepper to taste (or garlic salt is good too)
1-2 cans of brown gravy
tin foil

Directions:
Prep a fire.  Let it burn for a while to develop hot coals.  Divide the fire pit in half with the appropriate safe tools, one side the fire and the other side hot coals.  Or let fire completely burn out and use hot coals.
For each person tear a piece of tin foil about 16 inches long.  On each piece of tin foil layer the ingredients: potatoes, carrots, onions, meat, and pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup of gravy over the top (this will keep everything moist).  Wrap the ingredients up tight in the tin foil.  Using large tongs place each tin foil pack in the coals of the fire, potatoes on bottom.  Let each wrap cook for 30 to 45 minutes.  Carefully remove from coals, unwrap and enjoy.

camping - planning and staying on budget (part 3)

Below is my family's list of kitchen necessities, again adapted for my own family's needs.  I think it is very important to keep a list handy and check off as you pack.  It is so easy to forget important essentials if you do not plan for what you need and stay organized.  

On my list I recommend cast iron skillets, these are such an essential for camping because they are so sturdy...you can literally put them in a fire.  They are fairly inexpensive and they last forever.  I have 3, a large skillet, a smaller one and a grill pan (great for pancakes).  To season them for first time use, place them on heat and rub cooking oil all around the inside.  To keep them seasoned I never use soap on mine, I just rinse and scrub them with plain hot water and then I place them on a burner to dry so they do not rust.   Mine are so well seasoned, I can fry eggs on them without them sticking.

My family also always brings camping dishes, these are found in the camping section of stores...plastic dishes work as well too.  You can always bring paper plates with you and while they are easier because you don't have to wash them, just remember you have to haul your trash out of most camp locations and all those paper plates really add up.  I bring one plate, bowl, fork, spoon, and butter knife per person in my family.  When we are finished eating each person is responsible for washing their own dishes, well except the baby.

We brew sun tea while camping as an alternative to soda, so I like to bring a plastic tea jug.  I really caution against a glass one because if you break it, it is really hard to clean up glass out of dirt and leaf debris.  Also we all have a cup, like a sports bottle with a lid on top.  The lid is nice to have because it is not nice to have taken only one drink out of your freshly poured tea and come back to it to find 3 bugs floating in it.  I also bring small mugs for the girls for hot cocoa at night.  But again for morning coffee we have the cups with lids to keep little curious visitors out.  

Our traditional camping night consists of roasting marshmallows and hot dogs if they are for dinner.  There are some nice fire roasters you can buy from the stores.  However, that is something I have not done yet.  We use good old fashioned wire hangers, only wire, no paper or plastic attached to them or you'll have a little fire on your hands.  Take a wire hanger and straighten it out, pliers can help with this.  Slip the marshmallow on the end and hold over the fire and its free if you visit the dry cleaners on a regular basis or someone in your household has uniforms supplied to them. 

Check out the list below.  I hope it gives you some great ideas to help you get started on your camping journey.  Happy camping!!!

Kitchen Supplies:

Cast Iron Skillets                                   Camping Plates                                 Camp Dishes

Ladle                                                         Eating Utensils X6                            Cuppies

2 Spatulas                                                Garbage Bags

Tea Jug                                                    4 Sports Bottles                                 tablecloth

Whisk                                                       Dish Soap                    

Knife                                                         Hand Soap

Carrot Peeler                                       Hand Sanitizer

Coffee Mugs                                         Dish Clothes/Towels

Paper Towels                                        Dish Scrubber

Large Serving Spoon                        Marshmallow Roasters

Can Opener                                         Cutting Board

Dutch Oven/lid                                  Groceries/Food

camping - planning and staying on budget (part 2)

General Supplies:

Firewood                             Bug/Sun Lotion                                    Toiletres

Lanterns                             Towels                                                       Toys for baby

Batteries                             Stove                                                         Heart Burn Med.

Wash Clothes                    Flashlights                                              Nasal Strips

First Aid Kit                        3 Sleeping Bags                                    Pain Medicine

Blankets                              Tents                                                         Children's tylonel

Fishing Poles                     Tackle                                                        Benodryl

Cot Pads                              Axe                                                            Broom

Camping Chairs               Propane Gas Canisters                         Ipod

Toilet Paper                      Dog Dishes                                               Books

Games                                 Pillows                                                       girls sleeping bags

playpen                              Grass Rake                                               Bibles

Shovel                                Note pad/pens                                      Dust Pan

Tarp                                    Air Mattresses                                        Baby harness

Stake & Rope for dogs  Door Matt                                                Water shoes

The above list is a personalized list for my family of general supplies we need to take to camp.  Gathering your general supplies such as your tent, tools, sleeping bags, lanterns, flashlights, camp stove, and camping chairs can be costly at first, but once you have them, they really last for years and you can continue to add to.  If you really want to camp, but don't have a large budget to buy all the supplies you need here are some suggestions to get you started.

Family - see if any of your family members will let you borrow some of their camping gear...some family members are very particular about this and may not be comfortable about letting you borrow...but you never know, if you ask someone may offer to let you have an item they don't use anymore.

Freecycle - join your local freecylce (you can find these groups on yahoo.com's group section)...watch the everyday ads and let everyone know what you are looking for.

Ebay - Find what you need on Ebay.  You can find items new or used for great prices.  We recently picked up a GREAT tent for a great price off Ebay...just be really cautious of shipping fees, if you aren't careful you can pay more than you would at the store new because shipping fees can be so expensive.   

Yardsales and Thrift shops - these are great places to find deals on camping gear...the only problem is they may not always be plentiful, but definitely keep your eye out.

Shop the Sales Ads -Be on the look at when sales ads come in or do searches online.  Starting in the spring time the stores will start carrying camping gear and you can really find some good deals if you do your homework.  I also do a lot of comparative shopping when I'm looking for particular items, I visit all the large stores and Amazon and compare their online prices to find the best deal, if you don't want it shipped many of the sites let you know if it is carried in their stores.

Be Resourceful! - This last tip really has helped us save money.  We always try and bring firewood with us when we go camping, however, while camping we make it our goal to not purchase anymore campfire wood.  We always go during the week when there aren't as many people, normally arriving on Sundays.  Because many of the weekend campers have left by the time we arrive we ALWAYS go and look at all empty sites for firewood left behind.  We almost lasted the whole week without buying firewood our last camping trip.  

Plan -  This is so important...if you do not have a plentiful budget you are not going to be able to just pick-up and go camping anytime you want.  I suggest you get your calendar out and calendar any and all camping trips so you can PLAN AHEAD.  This will help you save so much money!  Make yourself lists of items you need and a menu (see my last blog), make a weekly budget that can go towards purchasing supplies and food.  Figure how much gas, ice, and firewood will cost you.  There is nothing worse than getting to your campsite and realizing you don't have enough money to keep ice in your ice chest.  

Be on the look out for Part 3 of planning and staying on a budget...next I will cover the kitchen needs and supplies, plus some great camping recipes to come!

Camping Crafts

Try these two fun camp activities next time your out in the great wide open.

A Pine Cone Bird Feeder

Almost every child in school has made this project.  Think about how great it would be to have bird feeder hanging around your campsite, you could attract some wonderful birds.  This is so simple, find a pine cone, add peanut butter to the ends of each layer, then stick bird seed to it.  Watch the birds have a feast!

Bird House

You Need:

• Empty, Clean 1/2 Gallon Milk Carton
• Black, Brown or Grey Paint
• Lots of Twigs
• Low Temp Glue Gun or Tacky Glue
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Pencil
• String or Fishing Line

Instructions:
Measure and mark 3" from the bottom all around an empty milk carton. Cut into 2 pieces. Saving both the top and the bottom.
Cut a 2" circle in the middle front of the top piece.  Cut the bottom piece down to 1" high. Put some glue on all four sides of the bottom piece on the outside. Push the bottom piece into the bottom of the top piece, making a new base for the milk carton. Glue pour spout closed. Paint the outside of the milk carton in a dark color. This will help the spaces you will have between the sticks blend in. Set aside to dry.
Gather lots of thin, straight sticks. Thicker sticks will go faster but you may need a hand saw or pruning shears to cut sticks to size. Thinner sticks, as shown above, can be broken to size.
Poke a hole through the middle of the top ridge. Push string or line through the hole to hang the bird house.
Break or cut sticks to cover the bottom and all sides working around the hole cut in the center front. Glue them into place. Glue a small stick under the hole for a perch.

http://www.makingfriends.com/animal/birdhouse.htm

2 easy crafts, with little or no money, be sure to bring the elmer's glue and the peanut butter!

Camp Stove Stew

Delicious and satisfies the hungriest of campers...my stew will feed 6 people.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs stew meat (I buy any steak or roast that has the best value and cut it myself)
1/2 cup flour plus a brown paper lunch sack
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium onion chopped
8 potatoes peeled and cubed into bite size pieces
6 large carrots peeled and sliced
4 stalks of cut celery including leafy tops
2 beef bullion cubes
1 tsp thyme
6 - 8 cups of water
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Begin heating dutch oven up on top of camping stove on med/high heat.  Place flour and cut up meat into brown paper sack...shake vigorously.  Remove meat from bag and place it in hot dutch oven and brown for a few minutes.  Add onion saute for a minute, then add potatoes, carrots, celery, and thyme, then let those ingredients saute for another minute.  Slowly add water till all ingredients are covered completely plus bullion cubes.  Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer for about 45 minutes.  It is done when the meat and vegetables are tender, season to taste with salt and pepper.  For a thicker stew consistency use the left over flour in the paper bag...slowly sprinkle the flour in, stirring vigorously to prevent lumps. 

Camping - planning and staying on budget (part 1)

Camping is one of the cheapest family vacations you can take, but it can be costly if you don not plan accordingly and make a budget.  Long before we depart on our yearly big camping trip I start planning.  I plan for meals, a budget, and make my lists of what we will need on the trip.  Last year I actually made a list on my computer of everything we needed to take and so when I started planning for this year I opened the document and adjusted the list to fit our needs for this year.  I have just printed the list and am marking off what I have packed as I go.  Mind you, I ONLY mark off what is packed because something may make it to my freezer, but maybe not to the ice chest the day of, so I don't want to mark it off till I know for sure it is officially packed to come with us.

I don't know why it is but food seems to be  quite expensive when we camp...maybe because eating is such a big event around the campsite.  My last post was the menu of breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner we will be enjoying during our trip.  With that menu I have made my grocery list.  This list consists of every ingredient needed to make all of our meals and snacks.  See the example below.

About 8 weeks before our trip I divided out all the grocery items into weekly $25 expenditures.  This means each week I was budgeting $25 extra for my grocery bill so that I could start picking up our grocery items.  I of course started with canned items and other items that have a long shelf life.  The last items I will be picking up are produce, milk, and breads.  Because I have budgeted this ahead of time this saves us from having to spend $200 on groceries for our trip the same week and now we have more money for gas and other needs while camping because we don't have to pick up any groceries.  Plus what a relief to be able to start packing much of these things ahead of time.  I am not one who likes to feel rushed, because when I'm rushed is when I forget something.


Below is my Grocery List (feeding a family of 6) that goes with the Menu in my past blog:

Grocery List:

2 dozen eggs           pam                     coffee                           10 lb potatoes

garlic salt                 creamer             2 pack bacon               seasoning salt

sugar                         poptarts            salt/pepper                tea bags

peanut butter        butter                water                             jelly

oil                              chili                      graham crackers      granola bars

deli meat                 hot dogs            fruit snacks                 5 loaves bread

deli cheese             fruit                    mayo                             cheddar cheese

marshmellow         chips X2             ketchup                        hot dog buns

hershey bars        tin foil                celery                             cookies

carrots                   thyme                 dog food                        onion X3

steak                       melon                 beef gravy                     soda

hot cocoa              juice boxes       ground beef                 bagels

cream cheese      biscuits             chicken noodle soup   milk

instant oatmeal   canned ham     green beans                 instant potatoes

white cake mix    canned peaches                                      pickles

Stay tuned for Part 2 of planning and staying on budget and some camping recipes.

Camping- - - What's For Dinner?

It is that time of year where we head off to the river and camp for the week...below is the menu for breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dinner.  Also look for my camping on a budget blog, organizing for your camping trip blog, camping recipes, and activities to do while camping all coming in the next few days.  My family loves camping!!!

Menu:

Breakfast                          Lunch                           Dinner                         Snack

Eggs (2days)                 P&J -n- deli                 Hobo Packs***          Granola Bars

   Potatoes                       Sandwiches                Chili Dogs                    Smores

   Bacon                                   Chips                      Stew ***                       Fruit Snacks

Poptarts                                                                 Grilled cheese            Fruit

Bagels                                                                             Soup                        Campfire cake***

     Cream cheese                                                 Ham steak

Instant oatmeal                                                            instant potatoes

Drinks                                                                             Canned Green beans

Water

Soda

Juice Boxes

Tea

Coffee

*** Watch for these recipes***