Camp Cooking for Men

Technorati tags: camp cooking, easy camping recipes, camping dinners
This is a message for camp kitchen Mamas who need a break from camp cooking. Sure, you’ve mastered 2-step camp recipes, and different twists to roast smores, but once in a while do you just wanna take a hike and leave the cooking to someone else? Well, you know what your therapist will say, ‘He wants to help, he just doesn’t know how.’

If so, get this book for him: Mario Tailgates NASCAR Style.

3 reasons this cookbook is perfect for my husband

Reason #1 The recipe names are manly. Instead of 'weak' names like ‘Sunshine Eggs', he’ll be making ‘Eggs on Hell’ (pg 24-25). Same basic recipe that’s been handed down from your grandmother but with more umph (eggs, onion, garlic, jalapeno peppers and chili flakes, tomato sauce). Or how about Barbecued Wings Charlotte Style, (pg 44-45): Dump chicken wings in a medium pot along with two cups of apple cider vinegar, three-quarters of a cup of tomato paste, a quarter-cup of ketchup and a teaspoon of red pepper flakes. This can be prepared at home and transported in a cooler so all the flavors set in during your ride to your campground. 8 to 10 minutes of grilling at your campsite and your family's ready to dig in.

Reason #2 This book was written for NASCAR fans for their weekend-long tailgating parties. It is filled with photos of the flaming-orange chef himself, this time in a new NASCAR setting as he cooks and hangs out with drivers and fans alike. Which is why it’s perfect for a camping cookbook: it makes cooking so ‘macho’. And while he’s spreading Mario's Kick-ass Barbecue Sauce (pg 127) on the chicken sizzling on the grill, you can quietly enjoy a book by the camp pool.

Reason #3 The recipes are quite fool-proof and delicious. Maybe you have seen Mario Batali on the Food Network, a chef who has starred in the network's Molto Mario show as well as one of the chefs on Iron Chef America. Mario's 280-page recipe book. are easy to follow, and he explains them with wit and colorful visuals.

If cooking for kids, it’s easy to remove the offending ingredient from the recipe. For example, omit the hot peppers from his "Hot Dogs Chicago Style," (p 85) : four Viennese beef hot dogs spread out on a tray, and packed with so much mustard, dill pickles, sweet relish, onions and hot peppers that it looks like the buns are about to burst. And instead of Mario’s spiked concoctions, you may want to suggest the old favorite Strawberry Lemonade (page 196).

Need a camping grill? Check out the popular camping grill: Weber Q 220 Portable Propane Gas Barbecues