Somewhere In The Woods, New Hampshire
Says the reader:
Chicken stuffed with smoked gouda cheese, rosemary, and prosciutto, served with cauliflower and broccoli, cooked in a foil packet on an open fire in the snow. Sides of M&M’s, garlic bread, and wheat thins. Location: camping with the Boy Scouts in New Hampshire; current temperature — about 28F.
Maughold says: Wow. Meals cooked in foil at Boy Scout campouts have come a VERY long way since the ’70s!
crownstreet says: On a freezing day like today, I can’t imagine wanting to spend more time outside. But this really does make me wish I was camping.
All that’s missing is a case of beer (which perfects the camping meal in the post-Scouting world.)
Heatherer says: This sounds like delicious camping food and a recipe would be welcomed! Most of the Boy Scout camping recipes I have seen are not things I would want to eat.
Dan Davis says: Is it too late for a 64-year old to join the Boy Scouts?
Joe Mc.. .Faul says: Fantastic! One of the best VFYT images yet!
David J. White says: Good grief. When I camped with the Boy Scouts we had foil dinners consisting of a ground beef patty with slices of potato and onion. What is the world coming to when even the Boy Scouts are no longer a save refuge from the foodies?
David J. White says: *safe refuge. (I wish the combox had a preview-and-edit function)
RB says: I am very curious to know if the boys planned and executed the menu.
The presence of cauliflower and broccoli tells me there must be a very involved foodie mom somewhere in the wings, as my scouting son and his friends are far more likely to make foil-wrapped dinners with the M&M’s and Wheat Thins. (“We’ll call it….Savory S’Mores!”)
Jeffrey S. says: Love it! I agree that this is one of the best VFYT’s! It reminds me of camping as a kid in the Eastern Sierra of California. Of course, we didn’t have the gouda cheese, rosemary, and prosciutto, but the memories are wonderful regardless!
cecelia says: I once assisted my den mother sister on a fall cub scout camping trip – we diligently got our camp out dinner from a den mother manual – a can of tomato soup, a pound of browned chop meat, rice and corn. We added onions. It was delicious! Although that may have been a function of spending a day hiking and setting up camp with a horde of cub scouts.
This looks a lot better.
the submitter says: VFYT submitter here. Re: broccoli, his meal is very much from the adult leader table — in scouting, the adults and scouts camp and plan/prepare meals separately. My wife was home and warm and had nothing to do with it!
The recipe is dead simple: Make a foil packet; slice a chicken breast and stuff with prosciutto, gouda, and a few pieces of rosemary. Season well with Goya adobo seasoning on both sides, and place in the packet. Dump in some frozen broccoli and frozen cauliflower, and seal it up. Place on hot coals, and wait ’till you hear lots of bubbling and see steam venting out. Slice open and enjoy!
While some of our younger scouts are still at the hot dogs and canned chilli stage, the older scouts on this trip cooked a delicious beef stew in a dutch oven using canned potatoes and 3lbs of steak.
RB says: I’ll have to give the recipe to my husband for the next campout. Thanks!
David J. White says: While some of our younger scouts are still at the hot dogs and canned chilli stage, the older scouts on this trip cooked a delicious beef stew in a dutch oven using canned potatoes and 3lbs of steak.
The smartest food moment I remember in Scouts was at a camporee in the early 70s, when two brothers brought nothing for the weekend except 5 lbs. of ground beef. They spent all weekend trading it to the other Scouts for other food.
But my favorite campout food was Vienna sausages.
Great photo! But I do hope they are not still camping—it’s below zero up in NH at the moment! Even in Boston we’re barely out of the single digits with a wind chill below zero.
There is a hotel in North Conway where, after a day’s skiing, you can relax in an outdoor pool and hot tub. The air around is heated by massive gas-lit fire pits.
I’m pretty outdoorsy and have hiked many of New Hampshire’s most difficult mountains, sometimes on multi-day treks, but you won’t ever catch me camping up there in January. Bravo!