Hunting or fishing camp is a special, hungry time. Many camps serve traditional meals. Others are always looking for something new. Here are a few Campout suggestions to spice up you Outdoors Menus.

Coffee Cake    Preheat the Dutch Oven and lid. Mix 1 cup of self-rising cake flour, 2 tbsp. of instant coffee, ¼ cup of sugar, a pinch of salt. Stir in ½ cup of canned milk. Grease the oven pour in the mixture. Cover and cook until the bottom is firm and browned, in about 10 minutes. Then turn the cake over and brown the other side. Add some brown sugar to the top of the cake. I also melt some butter, or honey to the surface just to sweeten things up.

Rustic Rub    A handy all-purpose spice rub is good to have on hand. Mix up this rub and store in a sealable jar. The Rub is perfect for all meats at camp. To make the rub, mix 2 tbsp + 2 tsp. of Paprika. Add 2 tbsp of garlic powder, and salt. Add 1 tbsp + 2 tsp of black pepper, 1 tbsp of cayenne pepper and onion powder. Now add 2 ½ tsp. of dried oregano, and dried Thyme. This makes ¾ cup of rub.

Basic Camp Baking Mix    This all-purpose mix can be used for breads, biscuits, pancakes, sinkers, fish batters, or cakes. 1 cup of flour to 1 tsp of baking powder, ¼ tsp of salt, 1 tbsp of shortening, and 1 tbsp of sugar. Use more baking powder at lower altitudes. Melt the shortening in a small pan. Stir up the mix with a fork and add just enough water to make a smooth consistency. Add the shortening to the mix quickly, so it does not thicken r harden. The dough can be thickened or thinned for pancakes or bread. This recipe doubled will fill a 12-inch Dutch Oven.

Dutch Oven Sinkers    Add ½ cup of sugar to 2 cups of baking mix. Include some nutmeg, 1 fresh egg, or equivalent powdered, and enough canned milk to make a stiff dough. Break off small chunks and fry in oil. At high altitudes, over 6,000 feet, have the oil less hot, around 350 degrees or less. Sinkers are basically, sweet fried bread. Serve with powdered sugar, or a dipping bowl of jam, Apple Butter, or…

The great thing about cooking is when the cook makes the recipe their own. Add some extra this or that and see how it turns out. Sometimes, you are missing something, so you need to adapt. These old recipes have served old hunters and campers well. Test these recipes before you are 15 miles in the Back country.

Montana Grant