By keeping a supply of staples on hand, you always can whip up a tasty meal.
By Janet Groene, F14766
May 2020
Have you stocked your RV’s emergency pantry for summer? As I write this, I’m facing a refrigeration failure with possible electrical problems, so it’s a good time to remember that unexpected stuff happens.
An emergency pantry may be needed for any number of reasons: a campground evacuation when floods or fires threaten; a mechanical problem; a trip that is delayed; a freezer that thaws and ruins its contents; or a lack of cash on hand.
On the brighter side, you may need extra food so you can invite your campground neighbors for a meal; so you’re ready when the campground hosts a gala potluck; or so you can stay another week in a great remote camping spot.
Whether you have a large pull-out pantry or a tiny bin under the bed, do make space for extra food. The American Red Cross recommends keeping a three-day supply in case an evacuation is necessary and a two-week supply at home. Of course, RVers take their home with them. Following are recipes that make use of stowable supermarket staples to make a meal.
Breakfast Pan Dowdy
1 can apple pie filling
1 can pie-sliced apples
1 jar Old English cheese spread
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups biscuit mix
Milk or water
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Set the oven to 375 degrees. Spread the pie filling and apples in a greased 9-inch-by-13-inch baking pan, and dot with small bits of the cheese spread. Mix the 1/4 cup sugar with the biscuit mix and add milk or water to make a thick batter. Mix the 1/3 cup sugar and cinnamon and set aside. Bake the apple mixture for 5 minutes and then top with the batter. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Return to the oven until the biscuit top is toasty. Makes six to nine servings.
Nutty Hoe Cakes
1 cup stone-ground cornmeal
2 tablespoons finely chopped nuts
½ teaspoon salt
Hot water
Flour
Bacon fat, lard, butter, or vegetable oil for frying
Mix the cornmeal, nuts, and salt. Add hot water to make a stiff dough. Form it into eight patties. Spread some flour on a plate and lightly coat the patties. Fry them in hot fat until crisp. Serve with maple syrup. Makes four servings.
Sweet Potato Biscuits
Drenched in honey, these biscuits will warm up a cold morning even if you have no eggs and bacon.
3 cups biscuit mix
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup sugar
1/4 cup water, milk, or cream
1 can pumpkin
Flour
Heat the oven to 375 degrees (these biscuits also can be “baked” in a heavy, lidded skillet, turning them several times). In a bowl, combine the biscuit mix mix with the cinnamon and sugar. Add the water, milk, or cream, and then add enough of the pumpkin to form a thick dough. Move the dough onto a floured cloth and knead it briefly just to mix well. Pat it to ½-inch thickness and cut it in rounds, squares, or wedges. Arrange on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 12 biscuits.
Ham Aloha
2-pound canned ham
1½ cups water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
Small can crushed pineapple with juice
Dice the ham into very small pieces. In a cold saucepan, whisk together the water and the cornstarch. Stir in the remaining ingredients, ending with the ham. Heat gently, stirring until the sauce is thick. Serve over rice. Makes eight servings.
Grilled Ham
2-pound canned ham
2 cups water
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup raisins
2 tablespoons butter (optional)
Cut the ham into six to eight slabs. Whisk together the water, brown sugar, and cornstarch in a pan and bring to a boil. When it’s thick, remove it from the heat and stir in the raisins and the butter. Cover and let it steep while the ham grills. Spoon the sauce over the grilled ham slabs. The sauce is good with canned sweet potatoes. Warm the sweet potatoes in the can’s juices, then drain them and spoon some raisin sauce on top. Makes six to eight servings.
Red Flannel Hash
2 tablespoons dried onion flakes
Water or broth
4 to 6 servings instant potato flakes
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 can corned beef
1 can beets, drained and chopped
Rehydrate the onion flakes in a little water or broth. Stir them into the potato flakes with enough water or broth to make “mashed” potatoes. Heat the oil in a large skillet, and drop the potatoes by tablespoons to brown them. When they’re crusty on the bottom, stir and mix in the corned beef, breaking it up. Keep heating and stirring while adding the beets. Heat through. Makes six to eight servings.
Barbecue
The result depends on your choice of barbecue sauce.
2 cans roast beef in gravy
1 or 2 cans original Spam
1 bottle barbecue sauce
Open the cans of beef and use scissors to snip the beef into shreds. Empty into a pan. Grate the Spam using the large holes of a grater. Combine with the beef and add barbecue sauce to taste. Serve in buns or over biscuits, mashed potatoes, rice, pasta, or what have you. Makes eight servings.
Pan Pizza
2 cups biscuit mix
Milk or water
8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon mixed Italian seasoning
Pepperoni to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese to taste
Make a thick dough with the milk or water and the biscuit mix. In a greased pan or heavy skillet, pat the dough ½-inch thick in an even layer. Spread tomato sauce to within ½ inch of the edge of the dough. Sprinkle with seasoning, arrange the pepperoni to taste, and sprinkle with Parmesan.
Bake at 375 degrees until the dough is golden brown around the edges. If baking in a skillet, cover it tightly and cook over low-medium flame until the dough is browned around the edges. Pass the cheese shaker. Makes four servings.
Clam Chowder
This recipe can be fine-tuned according to the number of servings desired.
32-ounce carton chicken broth OR 4 cups water and 2 Knorr fish stock bouillon cubes
2 to 3 (6-ounce) cans minced clams
1 or 2 cans diced potatoes, drained
1 can mixed vegetables, drained
1 or 2 cans diced tomatoes with green pepper, undrained
½ teaspoon dried, crumbled thyme
1 bay leaf
1 can smoked oysters, rinsed, drained, and cut up (optional)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
If using bouillon cubes, dissolve them in hot water. Combine everything in a pot and heat to boiling. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 to 20 minutes to blend flavors. Remove bay leaf; adjust seasonings. Makes six servings.
A favorite recipe shared by Steve and Lisa Thomas, F453140
Hamburger Stroganoff
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8-ounce can mushroom stems and pieces, drained
10¾-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
8-ounce package noodles
1 cup dairy sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Cook the ground beef in a 10-inch skillet until browned. Remove the beef and cook the onion until it’s soft. Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, mushrooms, chicken soup, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes, and then add the cooked beef and heat an additional 5 minutes.
Cook the noodles as directed on the package; drain. Stir the sour cream into the meat mixture and heat thoroughly, but do not boil. Stir in the hot noodles and serve. Sprinkle with chopped parsley for color.
Pantry Basics
You’ll have your own favorites, but here are some items that work. Check use-by dates and rotate supplies every few months.
Biscuit mix
Bouillon
Canned Boston brown bread
Canned and dried fruits
Canned meat, seafood
Crackers (stackable saltines are the most compact and versatile)
Dried cheese such as grated Parmesan
Dried chipped beef
Dried soup mixes
Evaporated milk, canned cream
Honey
Nonfat dry milk
Nuts
Oatmeal and other cooked cereals
Peanut butter
Pepperoni, jerky
Popcorn
Powdered drink mixes
Rice and other whole grains
Tomato paste
Vegetable oil
Share Your Favorite Recipes
If you have a recipe you enjoy making in your RV, share it with Janet at janetgroene@yahoo.com (put FMCA in the subject line).
Visit Janet at CampAndRVCook.blogspot.com, where new recipes and tips are added weekly; a subscription for e-reader devices is available at http://amzn.to/1DsP67t. Janet’s books, including the second edition of Cooking Aboard Your RV, are available in bookstores and at Amazon.com.