recipe<\/a>, equipment, or menu, simple, basic, and fancy-free is the best way to go. You can go fancy but that means more clean-up. I love cooking in foil.<\/p>\nKnow your equipment<\/span>. Check it operations before leaving (dull knife is much easier sharpened at home than attempting the impossible on a nearby rock – been there and tried that). Single use equipment is a waste of space. Find multiple uses for everything in the kitchen. But don\u2019t forget weight and space limitations. A personal favorite space and weight saver is a thin-ish plastic cutting surface, I found at Target, cut down to fit inside my largest cooking pot.<\/p>\nBe flexible<\/span>. Flexibility with meals, with tastes, and with schedule will make this whole cooking thing far more pleasant.<\/p>\nStart collecting recipes NOW<\/span>. Back of boxes, friends, family, magazines, cookbooks (children\u2019s cookbooks are a good source), anywhere and everywhere. Recipes for everything. My husband prefers rye bread for his sandwiches. This isn\u2019t always a big problem but there are some areas were rye bread can not be found. Over twenty years ago, I found a very versatile batter bread recipe in a magazine (Woman\u2019s Day, I think). So, now we never have to go without rye bread or whole wheat or cinnamon raisin or several other tasty alternatives to white bread. We aren\u2019t big dessert eaters but do enjoy a homemade cookies or two every now and again so I\u2019m collecting no bake cookie recipes.<\/p>\nJulia Childs may have had gardens of parsley and mounds of whip cream but you don\u2019t. So what if it didn\u2019t come out perfectly. Figure out what went wrong but don\u2019t tell anyone. Just say it\u2019s a new recipe and ask them to give it a name and rating. We include the recipe\u2019s location in its name. Example: Houston Lasagna for the time I didn\u2019t have the necessary Lasagne pasta and used slices of zucchini instead. It was a \u201cK\u201d or Keeper. Our rating systems: \u201cK\u201d Keeper; \u201cEO\u201d Emergency Only; or, \u201cNA\u201d which means Never Again.<\/p>\n
Other thoughts about meal planning:<\/p>\n
\n- Take weather and planned activities into consideration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- If a long hike planned – trail food to help maintain energy levels, light lunch, and a simple dinner.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- Rainy or cold weather predicted – comfort foods like soup or beef stew and biscuits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- Hot days, salads and convenience foods are best.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n