Weekly Menu 8-18-2025
This week, it’s about camping! No, I’m not talking about tent camping and open fires with coffee percolating in a tin coffee pot —this is not the type of camping I’m referring to. It’s more like glamping, but hey, we’re getting up in age, so a nice, soft bed, a propane-fueled stove with an oven, and easy chairs we can relax in while enjoying the outdoor beauty. Don’t get me wrong, we enjoy sitting around a campfire in the evening, having coffee outdoors in the morning, taking short hikes, and enjoying the sights and sounds that go with camping.
After spending a considerable amount of time and effort on upgrades to the house, hosting company, and writing courses, we plan to take a few days off to relax. I’ll still be working though, since a new writing class just opened and I have my homework assignments…
Enough of that, let’s get to what’s for dinner!
Monday
The first night camping, we always break out the can opener. Yup, it’s Dinty Moore Beef Stew – and believe me, it tastes great when camping. Canned biscuits, canned sliced peaches, and big bowls of steaming stew remind me of camping as a kid and when our kids were young. Easy-peasy is the name of the game.
Did you know…Dinty Moore was the name of a cartoon character?
| Dinty Moore Beef Stew Biscuits Canned Peaches |
Tuesday
Tonight, supper is on the grill. These pork chops are brined in a mixture of honey, apple cider vinegar, red pepper flakes, and water before grilling, resulting in tender and flavorful meat. We’ve made it before, and the pork is delicious; another great recipe from Eating Well.
We’re camping, and the best side for tonight’s pork is fried potatoes. For freshness, we’re grilling zucchini slices alongside the pork to complete the meal. There is nothing like the smell of grilled meat when camping. The fresh air brings out the appetites, and even the simplest of dishes just taste better!
| Grilled Bone-In Pork Chops Fried Potatoes Grilled Zucchini Slices |
Wednesday
We’re grilling again, only tonight it’s burgers. Not just any burger, but Frisco Burgers from Cooking with Curls. These burgers are sandwiches between toasted sourdough bread slices that have been sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese for extra flavor. Your favorite cheese slices are added along with crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, onion slices, and pickles. Don’t forget that the thousand island dressing is spread on the toast for additional flavor, and if desired, applewood-smoked bacon. Is your mouth watering yet?
To complete this meal, chips, additional pickles, and relishes are all that’s needed. Maybe a checkered tablecloth spread on a picnic table and dinner served on paper plates!
| Frisco Burgers Potato Chips Pickles & Relishes |
Thursday
Sometime during the week, we hope to meet Vicki and Freddy, good friends who live in Mt. Airy. We’d love to meet them for lunch and spend some time chatting and catching up. It’s ironic that we called and spoke more often when we were living in California than we do here in North Carolina. However, I must add that if we can’t catch up with each other during this time, we still plan to eat out.
Vicki and I became friends when she discovered my crochet site and ordered patterns. I still recall her order form, where she had written that she loved my patterns. We’ve now been friends for well over twenty years!
| Dining Out |
Friday
Yes, it’s Subway again! Subway is our go-to menu plan when we’re extra busy, want a leisurely lunch, or plan to break camp the next morning and don’t want to deal with many dishes.
Ron will opt for the tuna, and I’ll get the veggie with chips. Fanfare, it’s not; wholesome, delicious sandwiches, it is!
| Subway Sandwiches Chips |
Saturday
We still have sausages left in the freezer! Will we ever get through them? I like them better than Ron, but they are in the freezer, and after camping, washing, and putting everything away, we’re usually ready for an easy meal without all the fuss. So tonight, it’s grilled sausages – tasty and somewhat on the hot side.
I’m thinking Creamy Parmesan Polenta from Jo Cooks would make a nice side dish to nestle the sausages in. The recipe includes the whole dish; for this meal, I’m referencing only the Parmesan Polenta, which is fantastic! And, for freshness, sliced tomatoes, while they’re still summery-good!
| Beef Sausages (Freezer) Creamy Parm Polenta Sliced Tomatoes |
