Patrol Cooking

Patrol Cooking Tips

• Plan a thoughtful, tasty, and nutritious menu.  Great meals equal a great campout!  When it's cold and rainy, you'll get tired of pop-tarts and boiled hot dogs pretty quick.  Use the Patrol Meal Plan form on the Troop website.

• Work together -- Patrol cooking is exactly that, not everyone standing around watching the cook doing all the work.  Divide up tasks such as preparing and mixing ingredients, and cooking side dishes vs. the main course vs. dessert.  Those who aren't cooking should take care of the cleanup.  But keep in mind, your Grubmaster is the one in charge.

• Clean up as you go, don't leave a huge mess around your stove and chuck box that is going to take you an hour to clean up.  For foods such as pasta sauce that leave a lot of residue in pots and bowls, use bread or tortillas to wipe it up and eat it.

• Cook the right amounts for your Patrol, and eat everything you make!  Easier than cleaning up and packing out messy and wasteful leftovers.  A Scout is Thrifty...

• Use pot lids or foil to help your food/water heat up faster, but don't leave your burner on full blast -- it wastes gas and burns your food.

Recipes

Breakfast Burritos

• Jimmy Dean Roll sausage - a 16 oz tube per 5-6 scouts 

• 2 tbsp cooking oil 

• 1 dozen eggs - 2 per scout 

• 1 pkg shredded cheddar cheese 

• 1 pkg of medium size burrito shells (tortillas) - 2 per scout 

• jar of salsa

Fry up Jimmy Dean sausage, make sure it is completely cooked.  Drain excess grease and put sausage in a covered pot or bowl to keep warm.  Carefully crack eggs into a separate pot, and beat thoroughly.  Season with a little salt and pepper.  Warm up the oil in a frying pan on low to medium heat.  Pour egg mixture into the frying pan.  Keep stirring eggs so they don't stick.  Cook eggs until they're not runny - do not overcook.  Layout the eggs, sausage, cheese, and salsa then let people make their own burritos.  Make sure everyone only takes their fair share!

Variation -- use bacon or cubed ham instead of sausage.

Campfire Chili Dogs in a Blanket

• 8 6" tortillas 

• 8 hot dogs or half-smokes 

• 15-oz can of chili with beans 

• 1 large pkg Shredded American cheese 

• Chopped onions (optional) 

• Sour cream (optional)

Place each tortilla on a sheet of heavy-duty foil.  Place each hot dog in the center of the tortillas.   Top each with 2 tbsp of chili, 2 tbsp of cheese, and 1 tbsp of chopped onions.  Roll each to enclose filling; secure with toothpicks.  Wrap tightly in foil.  Place on grill 4-6 inches from coals.  Cook 10-15 minutes until thoroughly cooked.  Serve with sour cream.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter French Toast

For Each Person: 

• 2 slices multigrain bread or English muffin 

• 1 egg, slightly beaten with a bit of milk 

• 1 pinch sugar 

• 1 pinch cinnamon 

• 1 tbsp peanut butter 

• 2 oz dark chocolate 

• Butter or vegetable oil for the griddle

Spread peanut butter evenly on both slices of multigrain bread, as for a sandwich.  Place chocolate on the bottom slice and cover with the other slice.  Press gently.  Add sugar and cinnamon to the beaten egg mixture.  Dip the peanut butter sandwich in batter, then place it on a preheated, well-greased pan.  Cook over low heat on a buttered griddle a few minutes on each side, pressing gently with a spatula from time to time, until bread is golden brown and chocolate is melted.  Serve with maple syrup or jam.  Goes great with a sliced banana on the side!

Coca-Cola Chicken

• Boneless chicken breasts (2 per scout) 

• Can of Coke 

• Bottle of ketchup

Cook chicken either by stir-frying or boiling.  Mix ketchup with Coke in a pot or bowl and stir to make a sauce.  Add to chicken, and simmer; stir every once in a while.

French Toast

• 1 loaf of bread (20-25 slices) 

• 4 eggs 

• 2 cups of milk 

• 2 tsp of vanilla extract 

• 1 tbsp powdered cinnamon 

• 2 tbsp sugar 

• butter 

• Pancake syrup 

• Powdered sugar, jelly (optional)

Slice bread diagonally to make triangles.  Beat eggs well with a whisk or fork in a large bowl.  Mix in the milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar and beat some more.  Heat griddle on medium-high and butter lightly.  Using tongs, dip both sides of bread slices in the batter mix till well coated, and lay them on the griddle; fill the griddle with as many pieces as you can make at one time.  Cook until nicely browned, flip and brown the other side.  Repeat with the rest of the bread.  Serve with syrup & butter and enjoy!

Hard-Boiled Eggs

• eggs for each scout (most people will only eat one, but have a few extras just in case) 

• salt & pepper 

• hot sauce

Carefully put eggs in the pot.  Fill with enough cool water to cover eggs by at least an inch.  Add 1/2 tsp of salt.  Cook on high, bring to a boil and let boil for 1 minute, then immediately remove from heat.  Cover and let sit for 12-15 minutes.  Remove eggs from water, and let cool.   Each scout can peel their own egg and season with salt/pepper and hot sauce.

Hot Ham & Cheese

• 2 pkgs ham lunchmeat 

• Sliced American cheese 

• Loaf of wheat bread 

• Dijon or spicy brown mustard 

• Small can or jar of sauerkraut (optional) 

• Butter

Preassemble your sandwiches with ham, cheese, sauerkraut, and Dijon mustard on the bread.  Heat up the griddle with medium heat and put some butter on it.  Toast the sandwiches on the buttered griddle on both sides until golden brown and steaming; add more butter as needed because the bread will soak it up.  Slice sandwiches in half, and serve with pickle spears and potato chips on the side.

N'awlins Jambalaya

• 2 boxes of Zatarain's Jambalaya Mix or Red Beans & Rice mix 

• 5 cups water 

• ¼ stick butter 

• ½ cup sliced green onions (optional) 

• 1 lb boneless chicken breasts 

• 1 lb smoked sausage or ham 

• ½ lb small or medium-size cooked peeled shrimp (optional) 

• Tabasco sauce

Boil chicken breasts in water until white and cooked through.  Remove chicken, save water and add the rice mixes and butter; return to a boil, let boil for one minute, then reduce heat to low and cover.   Simmer for 15 minutes and stir occasionally.  Meanwhile, dice chicken and sausage.  If also using shrimp, soak them in a bowl of cold water to thaw.  When the rice mix starts to thicken, add the chicken, sausage, shrimp, and onions.  Simmer for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally.  Say "oooWEEE!" as you add a dash of Tabasco.

Pizza Bagels

• 2 pkgs of plain bagels 

• 1 large pkg of sliced pepperoni 

• 1 pkg sliced white or orange American cheese 

• 1 jar/can Marinara or pizza sauce

 Warm up the griddle on LOW heat.  Slice the bagels into halves, and generously coat with pizza sauce.  Top with a slice of cheese on each as well as several pepperoni slices.  Warm up the bagels on the griddle until the cheese is melty.  Optional:  make the bagels into sandwiches and lightly toast them on the griddle on both sides.

Spaghetti Dinner

• plastic jars of spaghetti sauce - 1 per 4 scouts 

• box of spaghetti or other pasta noodles - 1 per 4 scouts 

• mild Italian sausage - 2 for every 1 jar of sauce 

• 1 pkg of Sloppy Joe mix (secret ingredient!) 

• 2 tbsp cooking oil 

• Italian bread - 1 medium loaf per 4 scouts 

• butter spread or spray 

• powdered garlic or garlic salt 

• Italian herb mix (optional) 

• bag of mixed salad greens 

• other salad ingredients (such as baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, croutons) 

• salad dressing(s) of choice 

• Parmesan cheese to garnish spaghetti and salad

Start heating up a pot of spaghetti sauce over low-medium heat.  Stir frequently to avoid burning or splattering.  Fry up Italian sausage in a frying pan; break it up so it is crumbly.  Stir cooked sausage and packet of sloppy joe mix into the sauce; reduce to low heat and continue to simmer.  Boil water in a large pot for noodles add oil to prevent sticking.  Put noodles into boiling water -- *DO NOT BREAK!*  As noodles soften, they will slide into the water.  Cook noodles for about 10 minutes until soft, then drain water.  While noodles are cooking, prepare bread:  Slice and butter bread, sprinkle with garlic and Italian herbs for taste.  Wrap bread in foil.  Place bread on top of boiling spaghetti noodles or saucepot, or on the griddle to warm it up.

Open salad greens and add other salad ingredients.  Serve spaghetti, sauce, and salad buffet-style.

Yosida's Chicken Dinner

• Boneless chicken breasts, 2 per 3 scouts 

• Teriyaki sauce - 1 regular size jar 

• Pepper 

• 2 tbsp cooking oil 

• Minute rice bags - 1 pouch per 3 scouts 

• Frozen mixed vegetables - 1 pouch per 3 scouts 

• Butter

Boil rice pouches according to a package while preparing chicken.  Cut chicken into bite-size chunks.  Put oil in a large frying pan on medium-high heat.  Immediately stir-fry chicken.  Cook until all sides of the chicken cubes are white.  Drain any liquid.  Pour Teriyaki sauce onto chicken, and season with pepper.  Continue simmering and stirring until the mixture is no longer goopy.  Put chicken in a warm place to keep warm  While cooking chicken, cook vegetables in a separate pot with some butter on medium heat and stir.  Serve chicken, rice, and vegetables at the same time.

Desserts

S'mores Pie Sammiches

• (ingredients to serve 1)

• 3-4 marshmallows 

• 1 chocolate bar 

• 2 slices of bread 

• butter 

• aluminum pie pan 

• campfire

Butter both slices of bread generously.  Put a slice in the pie pan, then add the desired amount of marshmallows, and a few squares of chocolate bar.  Cook over fire or coals for 5-7 minutes.  Let cool and enjoy!

Other Recipe Resources

• Boy Scout Trail

• Taste of Home

• Scout Life