Camping Help - Geneva,IL

Pasta salad! Boil the curly colorful pasta as directed on the bag and set aside. Cut into bite sizes, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and zucchini and then cut in smaller chunks onion (yellow or purple) and mush 2 garlic cloves (the babies of the bunch) and chop that for a second after mushing it. Put all the veggies in a pot and add 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup olive oil, and 1/4 cup red wine or apple cider vinegar. Add a dash of salt, a dash of pepper, and 1 teaspoon oregano. Cover the pot and bring it to a light boil for 6 or 7 minutes and turn it off. It will stink, but keep going. Combine the veggies with the pasta and toss. Let it cool a bit, then add your favorite italian salad dressing or greek dressing. Put it in a large ziplock bag and put it on ice. Once you are there, you can serve it room temperature.

Use fresh veggies! No cheating!

We camped a bunch of times this summer and these food ideas and basic camping ideas helped me.
1. bring the Mott's apple snacks. Its apple slices cut up already in slices than put in snack size bags. I usually bring 2 boxes.
2. I got an extra tent at a garage sale for $1 for the kids to play in.
3. I saw this put have not down this. Bring a pack n play and put all the kid type toys in there to grap easy when needed.
4. go to wal mart and get your kids a lantern..the tiny ones are i think $5 ea but that was the begining of the summer. You might find some bargains.
5. I bring a cooler just for drinks..bottled water and whatever drinks only plastic.
6. Next time start checking garage sales and freecycle for items you need months ahead.
7. do a treasure hunt. i did this for the kids that we camp with. the camp site is only 30 min from my house. so i drove up there and took photos. got the photos developed. i used photos instead of words since some of the kids didnt read. at the end i had a bow and arrow for each family ( similar to nerf) this was last summer at five below and they have not broken yet. only $5.
8. If you have a Trader Joe's supermarket near you get some easy delicious food.
9.find out before you arrive if there are bikes paths or a gourge close by?
10. have fun

Ok, here a really easy no brainer, and people like it.
make some past (spiral, bow tie, penne - but NOT spaghetti)
get a salame and cut into little squares
get mozzarella cheese and cut into little squares
cherry tomatoes - cut in half
can of artichoke hearts quartered
green onion cut up (not small)
bottle of roasted red bell pepper - cut up (not small)
bottle of ceasar dressing or some other creamy italian dressing - use until everything is coated BUT NOT drenched
mix it all together
get fresh basil - roll 4-5 leaves into - well - like a cigarette (I'm not a smoker) and chop finely for really pretty tufts of basil. Top salad with it and some shaved parmesean cheese. DONE! It's really really easy.
I know you said no refridge, but keep cold until going to picnic. Go to trader joes and get one of their insulated "cold" bags for the travel.

Bug spray - You'll laugh, and I havent tried it (our summer out here as been unseasonally mild), but try vodka. read this:
http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/vodka-use...

Kids food: kids will be running and running all around and it's hard to sit them down when they are with cousins and stuff, so keep it easy with finger food. Cubes of cheese, crackers, strawberries with no top, grapes, apple slices, maybe peanut butter to dip apples in (or Sunflower butter for any allergies), Little PBJ squares. things that kids can grab and run with.

Good luck, sounds like fun! I miss camping - my husband isn't a camper. Not even sure he can put a tent up.... ha ha. He also needs to shower every day. Oh well, grandpa will have to take the boys camping.

Something like baked beans will be easy to make and keep well and can be eaten at any temperature. If you don't cook much, this is an easy way to start!

Making things from scratch is great, but it sounds to me like you need to dive right in with this, so we'll do it the 'easy' way :)

You can start with canned baked beans ( Bush's are the best and have natural flavorings) and you can 'doctor' them up, as my mom used to say :)

Dump the baked beans into a casserole dish and add in some cut up bacon, a scoop of brown sugar or some maple syrup, a few squirts of ketchup and one of mustard.

Stir it all up and cover the pan with a lid or foil and bake it at 350 degrees for about 4half an hour. Keep them covered while they bake and then check them.

Stir them up- if they seem too 'dry' or stuck together, add a little more water until they have some liquid.

Taste them! A good cook has to taste to know what to add! Use your own judgement- if they need a little more sweet flavor to you, add a little more brown sugar or syrup. If they need a little more 'tang' add another squirt of mustard and ketchup, etc. You probably won't need to add salt, because canned beans are usually high in sodium, but you can also add a shake of garlic or onion powder to liven things up!

Put them back in, covered, to cook for another 15 minutes or so. You can take them hot or cold.

Trust your taste buds and don't be afraid to experiment! Have fun and feel confident- baked beans are always popular :) good luck!

Depending on how long unrefridgerated (good at room temp for about 12 hours) here are 2 choices:

- Fresh mozzerella balls (the small ones, about the size of a cherry tomato)
- Cherry tomatoes
- Pesto or fresh basil
- Cocktail Skewers (aka 1/2 size of regular skewers, you can cut your own, but cutting bamboo is a pain)

Stab tomatoes and mozz balls alternating. Drizzle over pesto. Done. (If using fresh basil always stick a basil leaf on the stick after the tomato).

NACHOS!

- Colorful tortilla chips
- Pico de Gallo (salsa fresca)
- Guacamole
- Bag o' shredded cheese
- Refried beans
- Jalapeno slices (if you want some heat)
- Tinfoil baking dish with cover.

Pour in chips until dish is half full. Blob on the refried beans & guac. Pour on 1/2 the bag of shredded cheese and 1/2 the pico de gallo. Pour in the rest of the chips. Repeat toppings. Place in ground oven, or on grill until warmed up.

Hi M.
What I would suggest would be roast potatoes and roast veg and some stuffing-very easy to make but delicious.Prepare and cook them before you go.For a treat for the children chocolate rice krispy buns.
Roast potatoes-peel and cut potatoes into chunks,put rosemary,salt and paprika(a small bit if you have it).Place in an oven roasting dish with some olive oil and cook in oven 200degrees for 30-40mins.
Vegetables-peel and cut up some carrots,brocolli ,onion,turnip.Put some rosemary,garlic,salt and small paprika with some olive oil.Place in roasting dish cover with tin foil and cook for 40mins or until carrots are soft.
Stuffing-In a big pot melt a large chunk of real butter onion,1apple,1pear cut some small and melt slowly.Add some parsley,salt and mixed herbs.Add in some breadcrumbs and mix all together until everything is moist but not too wet.Place in a roasting dish and ensure that you cover with tin foil and cook in oven for 20-25 mins.
When food is cooked store each dish in a disposable tin foil dish.These are very handy as the food can be reheated in them.Make sure you put tin foil on each dish to keep food fresh and easier to transport.Wrap them nice and secure.
For the kids I would bring some rice krispies buns,very easy to make and delicious.Melt some cooking chocolate in a bowl over a pan of boiling water.Place some rice krispies in a bowl with some marshmallows.Mix in the melted chocolate.Spoon some into each bun case and refrigerate for 1hr.These are easily transported in a large plastic container with the lid on.
To entertain the kids I would bring a football,a kite,some of their toys etc,but there will probally just want to run around enjoying the nature.
Lemons are great to keep bugs away.So maybe sqeeze some lemons and mix with water and put in an used cleaning spray that has been throughly washed out.
Enjoy
B.