Here is a reality check:

*Cooking over the open fire takes longer than cooking on an over or stove, is more difficult then you realize. There is a learning curve. Think trying to lean over a hot fire to check food while not burning your finger tips.

*Washing dishes while camping is a big pain in the ass. Avoid it as much as possible. Having greasy dishes is even worse. You can't leave the dishes for the morning either or you risk wildlife over night.

*Smores - if you are doing these for kids - nice in theory but messy, requires a longer cool down then you realize from the fire, and someone gets burned. If the kids are really young skip them.

Trader Joes has a lot of semi-prepared / pre-marinated options that would be great. Last time I went camping we had their carne asada and made fajitas.

And see if you can get a camp stove to bring - might even be worth purchasing if you can't borrow one (though ask around and someone probably has one.) Relying on a for for dinner is one thing, but a camp stove is money in the morning when all you want is a cup of coffee and to throw some hit chocolate at the kids. Plus it makes things like Mac and cheese, queso, scrambled eggs,etc. a lot easier to manage. (Speaking of eggs, breakfast tacos are a pretty great camping breakfast.)

I would get a couple of cast iron pie irons. Gander Mountain sells them at a good price with free shipping.

If you don't know what they are, you put a piece of buttered bread in each side (or brush iron with oil if you'd rather not deal with buttering bread), fill with whatever ingredients you would like, close it, and stick it in the fire. Wait a few minutes, flip it.

You can put anything in them. For the kids you could do a basic "pizza" one with pepperoni, cheese, marinara.

For the "fancier" one you could use garlic (chopped at home and brought in a container), fresh basil, fresh mozz, etc.

I would suggest foil packet stew. Chop beef, potatoes, carrots, onions and celery very small. Mix veggies with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Marinate the beef overnight in soy sauce. Wrap everything in layers of HEAVY aluminum foil. I do one layer foil, one layer wet paper towel, another layer foil. Cook about 20-30 minutes over coals.

Or a one pot stew. "Hobo stew". That's really rustic. Basically the same as above only you cook it in a pot over the grill. Add more liquid.

Anonymous wrote:I was hoping for something a little classier.

That's kind of an obnoxious response when you just asked for something more rustic than steak, but anyway you could try to do fajitas, or something in a dutch oven maybe.

Anonymous wrote:Pasta

Boiling water for that long over a fire is wayyyyyyy too complicated. It was misery when I did it once

Keeping the steak fresh is too dicey.

Go canned. My favorite is Rediburger from Worthington. It's ready veggie manwich basically. Just heat in foil over the fire and slap on buns. Canned corn and beans are great sides. And no mess.

http://www.amazon.com/Loma-Linda-Redi-Burger-19-Ounce-Cans/dp/B000AYDFUI/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1367721895&sr=1-1&keywords=worthington+rediburger

The pic on the label is misleading - it's not in a patty form.

Anonymous wrote:I was hoping for something a little classier.

Yet classy? Which one is it?

You could do skewers - prepare skewers with veggies and meat before leaving the house and keep refrigerated well. You could always do hamburgers, the ol' standby. Worst case, yet so yummy when it's a chilly evening, is soup.

Anonymous wrote:I can help you but need more details.

Have you ever cooked over an open fire before? If no one bringing a camp stove? What types of pots and pans or grill will you have available?

Kids or grownups? How many?

I have cooked over open fires many times as a boy scout, but that was two or three decades ago. No camp stove. I am a good cook and used to bbq etc. we could bring some skillets, pans etc. as necessary from home.

6 grownups, 7 kids.

Pasta

First, ignore however commented about not being "rustic" enough. Tell them you are bringing roadkill jerky b/c that seemed the most "rustic" choice.

These recipes look pretty good to me, but it's been so long since I've done this:
http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/06/25-delicious-camping-recipes.html

I bet 21:46 will have some good ideas. I would also look up "scouting" recipes or cookbooks.

I can help you but need more details.

Have you ever cooked over an open fire before? If no one bringing a camp stove? What types of pots and pans or grill will you have available?

Kids or grownups? How many?

I was hoping for something a little classier.

I'd tell that person to plan their own menu, but fwiw over the open fire we usually do hot dogs and beans, and smores of course.

Going camping next weekend - had been planning to cook up some steaks but have been told this is not "rustic" enough. What could I cook over an open fire? it will be for a bunch of people...