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Copyright Janet Groene 2025.  This blog has had 276,000 views. To ask about rates for reprint rights to this content, or to place an ad on all six Groene sites for one price, email janetgroene@yahoo.com

Are you a budget camper? A full-timer or van lifer? For me, camping isn’t Porterhouse steaks on the grill every night. Yet it has to be more than hot dogs and s’mores. Here’s to everyday camp cookery for ordinary folks.  

THUMBNAIL RECIPE OF THE WEEK

The next time you get Chinese take-out, save a couple of soy sauce packets for future camping trips. 

Thai Thai Chicken

In a zip-top bag place 1 t. each powdered ginger & dried cilantro flakes +½ cup chopped,  unsalted peanuts. Add two unopened individual packets soy sauce.  I

In camp brown 6 portions chicken. Drizzle lightly with about 1/4 cup ketchup + 2 T. water or rice wine. Open soy sauce packets and add with dry ingredients from the bag. Sprinkle over chicken. Cover and cook, turning chicken over once,  until chicken tests done. Serve pan juices over rice. 

CAMPING & RV RECIPE OF THE WEEK

Deep Sea Dumplings

Use any canned  or homemade chowder as long as it adds up to about 6 cups. Manhattan style chowder is tomato based. Milk-based New England clam chowder is not recommended for this recipe. 

6 cups Manhattan style clam chowder

1 cup tomato juice, Clamato or bouillon

1 ½ cups biscuit mix

½ teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

Milk

Small can shrimp, drained and rinsed

While chowder and juice or bouillon come to an active simmer (not a hard boil)  in a large saucepan, mix parsley flakes and paprika with biscuit mix. Add milk to make a thick dough. Do not over-beat. Cut up shrimp and fold into dough. 

Add water or tomato juice if soup is getting too thick. Drop dough by teaspoons into simmering chowder and cook 10 minutes uncovered, then 10 minutes tightly covered. Do not peek during the last 10 minutes. Serve at once. Makes 4 to 6 portions. 

See more of Janet’s galley-tested, space saving recipes at https://www.Boatcook.blogspot.com

BONUS RECIPE

Surprise Ingredient Seafood Salad

1 pound cooked seafood in bite-size pieces

1 loaf day-old white bread

4 hard-cooked eggs, diced

4-5 ribs celery, diced

Large sweet onion, such as Vidalia, diced

1/3 cup pickle relish

3 cups lite mayonnaise

Suggested garnish: minced parsley, grated carrot or crumbled egg yolks

Prepare seafood ( I like imitation crab plus whatever else is on hand such as bits of

 leftover poached fish or grilled salmon.) Remove crusts from bread and dice bread. Mix everything in a large bowl until the bread disappears. Serve now or chill. 

IS 2026 THE YEAR YOU WILL GO FULL-TIMING?

The 4th Edition of the Groenes’ book Living Aboard Your RV, A Guide to the Full-Time Life on Wheels, is available from Amazon at   https://amzn.to/3knbvll/

The book starts with making the decision to go full-timing. Then it leads you through choosing and outfitting the RV as a home plus topics such as making money on the go,  choosing a "home" state,  home schooling, finding affordable campsites and more.  It ends with advice on easing out of full-timing, when and if that day comes. 

Need a retirement gift for someone? Someone with job burnout? Amazon can wrap and ship it for you if you like.

BLACK POT RECIPE OF THE WEEK

This one-pot meal is only as good as the kielbasa. Get the best and most authentic German or Polish sausages your town offers. Then add the chunkiest applesauce on the shelf. 

2 pounds kielbasa

2 tablespoons lard, bacon fat or vegetable oil

3 large onions

4 cups (quart jar) unsweetened applesauce

½ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon crumbled thyme

8 small sweet potatoes, peeled

Slice kielbasa lengthwise in four pieces, then slice. (I prefer very small bits to release more flavor, but you may prefer bite size chunks.) Peel and dice onions.

Heat fat in the pot. Layer kielbasa and onions in the bottom of the pot. Cover with water. Cover the pot and place over medium heat on well started coals. Let simmer slowly until onions are very tender and flavorful. Stir and add a little water if needed.  Mixture should be thick and creamy. 

Spoon applesauce over the kielbasa layer and stir in the brown sugar. Sprinkle with thyme. Nestle sweet potatoes in the applesauce. Cover the pot and cook over moderate coals just until sweet potatoes are fork  tender. Watch carefully so it doesn’t burn or boil dry.

Remove a sweet potato to each plate and spoon the sausage-applesauce over all. Serves 8.

LIFESAVER SAUCE OF THE WEEK

Here’s a quickie. In a small nonstick skillet, stir and heat one part buttermilk and one part freshly grated Romano cheese. When it’s smooth and melty, spoon over hot vegetables, toast, biscuits or campfire-baked potatoes in foil.   Variation: use bleu cheese instead. Heat gently. 

Tips For the Camp Cook

* Mix 1 teaspoon instant coffee and 1/4 cup each powdered cocoa and brown sugar. Stir into your next brownie mix, cake batter or pecan pie filling.

* Heat a 10-ounce jar of raspberry jam and stir in 2 tablespoons of raspberry liqueur such as Chambord. Spoon over grilled peach halves, or campfire-baked apples.

* To assure a proper lasagna or other recipe, drain excess liquid from ricotta before using. Brands vary. 

* Make a quick sandwich spread. Cut up a jar of dried chipped beef. Fold into two 8-ounce bricks of softened cream cheese. Add a flavor ingredient such as  chopped scallions, capers, pickle relish, grated strong cheese, chopped olives or Dijon mustard. 

    For tips on getting the most into your emergency food locker, see Survival Food Handbook.  It's a guide to stocking an emergency pantry in a small space such as a camper boat or cabin with the most nutrition per inch, per ounce and per dollar using familiar, affordable supermarket staples + recipes to use them to make a meal.

    http://amzn.to/1WdYqbe

Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week

Here’s a south-of-the-border dish with a difference. It makes use of inexpensive canned tamales.

Mexicali Casserole

3 cans, about 15 ounces each, any flavor tamales

2 cans, 12 ounces each, whole kernel corn with green and red pepper, drained

Small can sliced ripe olives, drained

½ cup stuffed green olives, chopped

I package Jiffy cornbread mix

Egg and milk for cornbread mix

6-ounce package grated Cheddar cheese

Put tamales in a greased casserole and sprinkle with corn and olives. Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees, then drizzle with cornbread mix, prepared according to package directions. Bake until cornbread is golden brown. Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese and let cheese melt. Cut in squares. Serves  12. 

Cook’s note: Bring a pancake turner for easy serving.