Camp Mini Feast

I made this Instructable specifically for the camp food contest since it's my favorite type of food.

Quick and easy is a must for camp meals and foil meals pack well. I mix it up with the use of a cast iron pan in all my meals to help even out the heat, but meals can be made in foil only if need be or to cut weight. But, if you're camping close to your vehicle, or don't mind the extra weight (Think canoeing, kayaking or ATV camping) then one good sized pan isn't that bad.

A skillet, pan or even a dutch oven can be used, but a dutch oven won't need the foil. I hope you follow along and make your own, though cook times vary depending on your fire, A good bed of coals is ideal.

Good luck and pleas vote!

Some squash, I generally stick to a; 1 per adult rule. Works pretty well.

Mushrooms; Since there's 2 adults and a 2 year old, I'm going with 4. though 2 per adult works.

Meat... I'm the only one who eats it here, so I can use a smaller pan.

Seasonings. A bay leaf, Pinch of chili powder (Literally, just a pinch.) and one of my favorite seasonings from Weber. Garlic, salt and pepper work well too. And some salt for dusting the top of your meal.

Butter. You're on your own here. I used 2 TBSP. It's enough for us, but more wouldn't hurt.

And about 1 cup of water. (Helps steam the veggies better)

A Cast iron skillet or pan. (No wooden handles!)

And about 2 feet of aluminum foil. Heavy duty.

I started using cast iron in my camp meals since it helps even out the heat and allows me to use less foil overall.

(I can often save one piece and use it for several meals if I am careful.)

gather the spices together and set them aside, I usually put it in the foil so Some sticks to it and ends up on top of your food too.

Preheat your cast iron for a few minutes. It doesn't have to be too hot, just enough to melt your butter and coat the pan.

Add your spices to your skillet and then pat a bit onto the meat.

My wife won't eat any meat other than fish, so this is for me.

Set your spiced meat onto the skillet directly into the butter and spices and set it close to your fire so the pan stays nice and warm. If your butter is bubbling you're good.

You can stab some holes in your meat if you think it will help it cook but I rarely do.

Mushrooms first, dice your vegetables to your preferred size and cuddle them up to your meats.

The tighter you pack everything into your pan, the juicier the meat will be and the better everything will cook.

Once your veggies are piled high, you can add a little salt to the top.

My salt is a mixtureof crushed lemon peel, garlic, sun dried tomato and kosher salt.

Though I use cast iron, I still wrap it in foil. This seals in steam and cooks very evenly.

It will also keep flames from singeing your food. Wrap it open side up and seal it well.

Settle it down into your coals and cook for 30 minutes or so. As long as you remembered to add the cup of water, it's fairly hard to overcook but you should still check on it after about 25 minutes.

Unfortunately, it rained so no fire for me, but you can cook like this in your oven too. :)

I'll add pictures as soon as it's done cooking... And yes, I DID make this Instructable while I was cooking. Good luck, and don't forget to vote!

Edit: DONE and delicious! My steak looks small because I almost forgot to photograph it!