Red White and Blue Biscuits

     These patriotic biscuits are guaranteed to disappear quickly from your Fourth of July celebration table.  Tangy, tart and overflowing with berries, the flaky biscuits baked for 22 minutes in my 10 inch dutch oven with 10 coals in a ring around the bottom and 22 spaced evenly on the lid.  Use dried cranberries if you can't find the fresh ones and be sure to oil your dutch oven well to prevent them from sticking.

Red White and Blue Biscuits
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tblsp chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen)
2 Tblsp granulated sugar for topping

     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven.
     In large bowl, stir together flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt.
     With two knives or pastry cutter, blend in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
     Stir in fruit.
     Make a well in the center and gradually stir in buttermilk until just blended.
     Dough will be sticky.
     Drop by tablespoonful into dutch oven.
     Sprinkle tops evenly with remaining sugar.
     Bake at 400 degrees for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown.
     Serve warm, can be reheated.

Spoon wet batter into well-oiled oven

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown

A flaky buttermilk biscuit brimming with berries

Summer Stuffed Peppers

     There is something about stuffed peppers made in a dutch oven that is beyond compare.  Baked and braised, these 'broasted' bundles come out tender, juicy and loaded with flavor.  Nothing too fancy and very easy to prepare, this classic recipe from Mr. Food tastes like it came right out of your grandmother's kitchen.  In my 10 inch deep oven the peppers cooked for a total of 50 minutes with 10 coals in a ring around the bottom, 14 placed around the outside of the lid with 6 briquettes placed evenly in the center.  Halfway through cooking time baste them with the remaining tomato sauce or finish them off with a topping of your favorite shredded cheese right before you take them off the coals.

Summer Stuffed Peppers
1 29 oz can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 lb ground beef
1 cup uncooked instant rice (Minute Rice)
1 small onion, chopped
6 bell peppers, washed, tops removed and seeded

     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven.
     In a medium bowl, combine tomato sauce, water, garlic powder, salt and pepper; mix well.
     Remove 1 cup of mixture to a large bowl and add to it ground beef, rice and onion; mix well.
     Stuff each bell pepper with an equal amount of the meat mixture.
     Place 2 cups tomato sauce in prepared dutch oven, place peppers upright in sauce.
     Spoon half of remaining sauce over peppers.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes, spooning remaining sauce over peppers halfway through cooking time.

Spoon 2 cups of sauce into dutch oven before adding peppers

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes, spoon remaining
sauce over peppers halfway through cooking time

A vintage recipe that never goes out of style

Chicken Chow Mein Casserole

      Call me lazy but with the warm summer days approaching and trips to my favorite campground planned, I have been scouting easy, no-fuss, one-pot recipes that I can assemble quickly in the time it takes to light the coals.  This casserole from Better Homes and Gardens does require a little prep work but if you do all your chopping at home all you have to do is open a few cans when you're ready to cook.  In my 12 inch dutch oven, the casserole baked for a total of 45 minutes with 12 briquettes around the base of the oven and 28 spaced evenly on the lid.  At the 35 minute mark, when the casserole was hot and bubbling, I sprinkled on the noodles and let it cook for 10 minutes more.  The flavors are mild but the vegetables are crisp-tender and the crunchy noodles really give it some pizazz. 

Chicken Chow Mein Casserole
4 cups chopped cooked chicken
4 stalks celery, chopped (2 cups)
2 medium carrots, shredded (1 cup)
1 cup chopped red sweet pepper
2 4 oz cans sliced mushrooms, drained
2/3 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
2 Tblsp diced pimiento, drained
2 10 3/4 oz cans condensed cream of chicken soup
2 cups chow mein noodles

     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven.
     In an extra-large bowl, stir together chicken, celery, carrots, sweet pepper, mushrooms, almonds and pimiento.
     Add soup to chicken mixture; mix well.
     Transfer chicken mixture to prepared dutch oven.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
     Sprinkle with chow mein noodles.
     Bake for 5 to 10 minutes more or until heated through.
     Makes 6-8 servings.

Mix all ingredients but noodles and spoon into prepared oven

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes then
add topping of noodles

Light but filling, an easy recipe when you can't call for take-out

Golden Sweet Cornbread

      This cornbread recipe from Del Monte caught my eye because it requires no measuring and can easily be whipped together at your campsite.  Brimming with corn and a little on the sweet side, in my 10 inch dutch oven it baked for a total of 30 minutes with 10 coals around the base of the oven, 14 around the outside of the lid with 4 briquettes spaced evenly in the center.  It's very moist so be sure to test the center before taking it off the coals.  For convenience, this one can't be beat.

Golden Sweet Cornbread
2 packages (8.5 oz each) corn muffin mix (Jiffy size)
2 eggs
1 14.75 oz can no salt added cream style corn
1 15.25 oz can no salt added whole kernel corn, well drained

     Lightly oil or spray 10 inch dutch oven.
     Stir together all ingredients in a large mixing bowl; batter will be slightly lumpy.
     Pour batter evenly into prepared oven.
     Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
     Cool 10 minutes before serving.

     Variations:
     For FIESTA CORNBREAD, stir 1 4 oz can diced jalapenos, drained and 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese into batter before baking.
     For BACON AND ONION CORNBREAD, stir 1/2 cup chopped cooked bacon and 1/4 cup sliced green onions into batter before baking.
     For BLUEBERRY CORNBREAD, gently stir 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries into batter before baking.

Pour batter into well oiled 10 inch dutch oven

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or
until tester comes out clean

Leave the measuring cups at home when you make
this moist and tasty cornbread