Cast Iron is my primary choice for campsite cooking. If weight is not an issue, pack a 12" and maybe a 10" diameter pot. When choosing a brand, choose an american made Lodge as opposed to an asian import that lacks in quality. There are two types of dutch ovens. One type is made to use over a direct flame and has a dome shaped lid, and may be selp-basting. The other type is raised on 3 short legs and has a lipped cover that can hold hot coals. This one is the most versitile as it can be used over an open flame, directly in a campfire. or over a campfire with the use of a tripod. It may seem that it would take longer to cook using a dutch over, requiring firing up a campfire or charcoal fire, but I have found a way aound this with another piece of equipment I cannot do without. Again, this will not work for backpackers! I carry one of the CampChef double burner stoves with me on my camp trips. They put out much more BTU's (30k)than you are used to on your home range (7-10k). Either type of the Dutch ovens will seat on the surface of this stove. It produces enough intense heat to get a boil going fast, and then you can turn it down unbelievably low to keep a simmer going, because of the excellent seal produced by the dutch oven and lid. The propane tank can do double duty as a fuel source for other items such as a propane lantern when not cooking. If I want to bake on the stove, I can do that too. I have what is called a charcoal chimney for starting charcoal. This generally takes 10 to 15 minutes to get hot coals when using newspaper and a lighter to start the coals. However, by utilizing the other burner of the stove to start the coals, I have hot coals in 5 minutes or less. Then they are ready to pour on top of the dutch oven. I also like to carry a couple of teflon coated saute pans, a 7" and 8". Gotta flip my eggs in the morning and use the larger one for omelots. With these four pots & pans, a coffee pot, and a few utensils I've got everything I need to cook for 4 to 6 people.

I am glad you enjoyed the reading. It sure was a wonderful trip. I am now trying to get all the pics offf my cell phone...sigh ...no memory card...and then I will get the whole thing put together. Will keep me busy for weeks ! c

Gotcha. My kid is in our HS Marching Band, so I am on your page. We usually don't have any foods kept hot even for home games, and the kids eat standing up or sitting on benches/steps right outside the music room. Food is served off folding tables. We have plenty of trash cans around and all recyclables are saved for fund raising. For home games we have a collection fund, about $20 per person for the season, and we order from local restaurants. One person knows what and how much the kids will eat (has it down to a science) so she is in charge of ordering, other parents pick it up and help with set/up etc. Usually its pizza, breadsticks, garlic bread, ceasar salads, fettucini alfredo, Subway type sandwiches, Panda Express, Mexican (trays of enchiladas, beans/rice). High carbs, etc. I can ask if you want. Our away games, given that we are in Los Angeles where distance isn't as much as a factor as is traffic, means we get the kids on a bus, stop someplace to eat, not fast food, usually one step up, like Portillos (chain, they have a big room for 80 kids). Kids bring $ for themselves, about $10, I packed a sandwich for myself when I chaperoned. I can't see how we could serve dinner off a bus, unless tables were brought with us, and I wouldn't want to impose our group on another HS's facilities. As much as I advocate parents bringing food, this system works for us. Its reliable and we know what will be the most appealing to all kids. That being said...it sounds like you guys have a different schedule going, so I'll add my own idea of a blintz casserole which could be breakfast as well as lunch. This freezes well (unbaked!) and could be served room temp. Blintz Casserole 2 pkg frozen blintzes - mix cheese/fruit 1 1/2 pts sour cream 6 eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 cup orange juice 1/2 cup sugar Cinnamon Mix together the sour cream, sugar, vanilla extract, orange juice and eggs. In a large baking pan melt 1 stick of butter/margarine. Put in frozen blintzes and coat with the melted butter. Arrange blintzes in pan. Pour sauce into pan and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees F.

I have made maple syrup and maple sugar. Boil and boil and boil early spring sap until you have syrup. A cup of syrup starts as about 40 cups of sap. Maple sugar has even more water removed and needs to be watched carefully to keep it from turning into a hard mess. It is good to boil syrup outside or in a sugarhouse to keep the steam and heat out of your home. Special evaporating pans and reverse osmosis systems are used by those who make syrup commercially today. I was looking for cookbooks with Indian recipes (curry, dal, etc.) through my local library's website. One listing that showed up in an Indian cooking search was for Native American Indian recipes. It is The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen by Sean Sherman. I have it at home now. Sean's recipes use no European staples such as wheat flour, dairy, sugar, and domestic meat. He uses ingredients that were available in North America prior to the arrival of European settlers. The recipes feature wild game such as bison, rabbit, venison and native fish. They also use native plants such as beans, assorted herbs, blueberries, wild turnip, plums, purslane, wild rice, etc., etc. The author is promoting indigenous restaurant food and catering. Here's some more info: https://sioux-chef.com/