Diary of a Week of Camp Food

Shredded Spicy Chicken Tacos

I mentioned in my last blog that camp food doesn’t always have to consist of hot dogs, burgers, and chili. In between all the work we did out there (and of course relaxing) I kept some scribbled notes of what we cooked and/or ate last week. Aside from the plank-grilled salmon, we really didn’t eat that gourmet but I tried to mix things up enough with what I brought so that we weren’t eating the same stuff every day. And it certainly helps that we have a stove and convection/microwave oven in the RV! I’m sure the menu would have been quite different if I just had to rely on our trusty charcoal grill. We typically only ate two full meals a day out there. I had plenty of snacks on hand to eat in between meals.

Saturday Dinner
Grilled Beer Brats topped with Ranch Style Beans, chopped onion, and cheese
Potato Chips

Plank-Grilled Salmon Plated

Sunday Brunch
Spring Eggs (scrambled eggs with diced green onion, dice Roma tomato, real bacon bits and cheese)
Toasted English Muffins

Sunday Dinner
Plank-Grilled Salmon
Rice Pilaf
Green Salad

Monday Lunch
Tuna Melts
Potato Chips

Monday Dinner
Leftover Grilled Tri-Tip from our Friday dinner before we left
Baked Red Potatoes
Corn on the Cob

Tuesday Lunch
Lunch Buffet at Chinook Winds Casino!

Tuesday Dinner
Spaghetti made with hot Italian sausage, mushrooms, onions, lots of seasonings
Garlic Bread
Green Salad

Wednesday  Brunch
Bowl of Cheerios
Hard Boiled Eggs

Our Trusty Charcoal Grill

Wednesday Dinner
Grilled T-Bone Steak
Leftover Rice Pilaf
Corn on the Cob
Green Salad

Thursday Lunch
Leftover Spaghetti
Garlic Bread

Thursday Dinner
Shredded Spicy Chicken Tacos (Parboiled a chicken breast with a Serrano pepper, onion, garlic, lettuce and spices, then shredded and served on tortillas with tomato, lettuce, sweet onion, Southwest Corn Salsa, cheese, and sour cream

Friday Brunch
Can of Progresso Light Chicken Noodle Soup with the leftover spicy chicken and chicken broth added
Rice Cakes

Friday Dinner
1/4-lb. Grilled Burgers served on English Muffins
Potato Chips
Green Salad

Shredding the Chicken

And there you have it! We had an unmemorable lunch of boiled eggs, string cheese, and Goldfish crackers on the drive back because we didn’t feel like stopping on the drive home anywhere.  I had brought all the food in a cooler and a box, with the exception of the vegetables which we bought at a produce stand about an hour from camp.  The only time I had to drive to a grocery store was to get ice every few days for our beer/soda cooler since the RV fridge is too small to store many cans. And yes, most meals were eaten off paper plates. Hey, it’s camping!

Plank-Grilled Salmon ~ Wow!

Plank-Grilled Salmon

Well I survived my vacation at our river property. We got a lot accomplished as far as getting the well pump working, new hot water heater in the RV, a leak fixed, the mower fixed, lots of weed-wacking, and a thorough cleaning of the inside of the RV.  However, we found plenty of time to relax around the campfire at night and lazing in the sun reading during the day. The salmon aren’t really running this time of year, so we put off getting the ramp to our dock fixed to concentrate on all the other work needed. And the one thing we did do was eat some fantastic meals.

Camping doesn’t always have to be just hot dogs, burgers, and chili. One night we tried our hand at plank-grilling some salmon a friend of ours gave us right before we left on our trip. He gave us his tried and true instructions on how to prep the plank before grilling, then I used some of the veggies we picked up at a produce stand on our way out there for the recipe. I must admit this was the juiciest and most flavorful piece of salmon I had ever tasted! We used a piece of alder wood for the plank, as that is what my husband found in the scrap pile at the cabinet shop he works at. Most people use cedar planks, but the alder gave it as good of smoky taste as cedar would. Don’t be afraid to plank grill your fish, it was fuss-free grilling and you can bet that won’t be the last time we cook our fish that way!

Plank-Grilled Salmon

1 wood plank
Olive oil
3 sliced lemons
1 salmon filet
Mayonnaise
Lemon pepper
Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Blend
Sliced green onions
Sliced tomato
Black pepper

Plank-Grilled Salmon Plated

First thing you need to do is soak the plank of wood for at least 8 hours, but I soaked it overnight. I submerged it in water in the bottom of a cooler then put some other wood on top to keep it under water. When ready to cook, dry off the plank and rub it thoroughly with olive oil. Heat the grill to high heat, then sear one side of the plank for about one minute to seal the wood. Carefully remove the plank with tongs and place a layer of sliced lemons on the seared side of the wood. Place the fish on top of the sliced lemons. Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on top of the fish, then season with lemon pepper and Mrs. Dash. Top with sliced green onions and tomatoes and sprinkle with black pepper.  Place the plank back on the grill, close the cover, and cook for about 20-25 minutes depending on the thickness of a fish. Take a quick peak periodically to make sure the plank hasn’t caught fire (ours didn’t) and keep a squirt gun handy in case it does. Test the fish at the thickest part with a fork. It is done when the fish flakes easily and is no longer translucent. We served this with a green salad and rice pilaf. Absolutely delicious!