Just thought I'd get a thread going on this wonderful way to cook . Not only is it good for camping but is a great way to cook in a no power SHTF situation !

To cook with a DO all you need is some sort of fire , ie: charcoal from a bag or hot coals from your fire place or fire pit/campfire .  The only thing you need to get started in this is , wanting to learn how and a DO , there are lots of tools to make DO cooking more easy but to get started all you really need is a medium size DO that you can buy at Walmart for around $40 !

Tools

Lid Lifter
Lid stands
Charcoal chimney
Heavy welder type gloves
Long set of tongs
Cooking table or hard surface to cook on

All of the above are real good to have and I suggest getting them if you really get into it ! You can use a pair of channel locks to lift the lid and anything clean to set the lid on when you are cooking will work just fine , I am sure you can figure it out after a couple of times cooking in one !

I have some pics I'll post along with some recipes from time to time , I know some other people here cook in these wonderful black pots and would like them to help me with this thread ! (post away guys and girls )

This is Chicken and rice with squash casserole

Strawberry Cobbler


Stack cooking


This is an old dinner post , I think it was meatloaf with roasted potato's and some sort of bread !



I will post some recipes but I'll tell you up front that I have been cooking for a very long time and I don't measure much of anything but I'll do my best to help you threw the cooking !

More to come and I hope some of the other DO cooks will help me out here......

Links for DO cooking .
Yahoo DO Group
Byron's DO Cooking
Chuckwagon Supply
Lodge DO's
Campfire Cooking Tools
Campfire Cafe TV

I'll add more later.

bah dupe,,, dont make me go archive searching

great DO post, thanks for putting it up!

Ya , I know but I am trying to get my post count up......

Thanks for links I have been looking into doing DO cooking

My question is why the alum foil?

I never used foil in my dutch oven.

Originally Posted By bobwrench: My question is why the alum foil? I never used foil in my dutch oven.

Foil and non-stick spray are your friends when it comes to easy clean up , you don't have to use it at all but it sure will make it alot quicker on the cleaning end !

Have never used foil in my dutch oven either. If seasoned right usually clean up is pretty easy, but will have to try lining it.

I like to sear 1/2" porkchops on both sides, put in a betty crocker augraten potatoe kit with added sour cream and bake the whole thing for an hour and half or so on medium heat.

Originally Posted By colklink: Have never used foil in my dutch oven either. If seasoned right usually clean up is pretty easy, but will have to try lining it. I like to sear 1/2" porkchops on both sides, put in a betty crocker augraten potatoe kit with added sour cream and bake the whole thing for an hour and half or so on medium heat.

I might have to try that one myself !

Try this one.

Do your pork chops the same way then add two packs of Uncle Bens wild and long grain rice ( I like mushroom flav ) add a large can of mushroom soup and some fresh mushrooms just for kicks and bake for the same amount of time .

I think you will like it .......

How to Season Cast Iron

When you purchase most cast iron cookware it will need to be seasoned !  This is a process of baking a coat of oil on the surface of the cookware as to make it a non-stick surface !

The best way I have found to do this is to coat your cookware in Crisco shortning and bake it in a oven at 350f for 20 mins , then turn off the oven and let it cool , when you can handle the cookware do it atleast one more time the same way. I like to do mine 3-4 times.

This thread motivated me to cook a pot roast using my 12 quart Lodge BSA dutch oven.  It turned out ok, although a little overcooked.  I'm still learning that those little grey coals put out a lot more heat than you would think....

Originally Posted By KG5S: How to Season Cast Iron When you purchase most cast iron cookware it will need to be seasoned !  This is a process of baking a coat of oil on the surface of the cookware as to make it a non-stick surface ! The best way I have found to do this is to coat your cookware in Crisco shortning and bake it in a oven at 350f for 20 mins , then turn off the oven and let it cool , when you can handle the cookware do it atleast one more time the same way. I like to do mine 3-4 times.

That's exactly how I've done all my cast iron cookware.

I have not cooked in my DO in a few years. I think it's way past time to break it out. Thanks for the kick in the butt.

Originally Posted By Merlin: This thread motivated me to cook a pot roast using my 12 quart Lodge BSA dutch oven.  It turned out ok, although a little overcooked.  I'm still learning that those little grey coals put out a lot more heat than you would think....

Was it overcooked on the top or bottom ? If it was overcooked on the top take a few onions cut in long pieces and place on top and cook it that way , if it was on the bottom try using some sort of meat trivet !

One I like that I came up with off the cuff was take round steak (Cubed works or just pound it with a steak hammer) cut the meat in strips about 1" wide and 3" long dredge in flour, drop a dollup of shortning in the DO, Once it melts and gets hot drop in the meat brown it up. Salt and pepper to taste, once brown add a can or two of Cream of Mushroom soup and half the called for water. cover and bring back to a simmer. While this is simmering(stir occasionally) take a second dutch and put some biscuits either made or canned I don't care which, and arrange them in the Dutch, place on about 12 coals under and 8 on top and bake until Golden Brown by this time the meat and gravy should be good to go put a couple biscuits on the plate spoon over a generous spoon of the steak and gravy and Enjoy!

It's starting to cool off some here ( 106 down to around 98 )  ! When it cools a little more I'll go out and cook some good stuff and post some pics !

Hot Wings :

1-2 pounds of chicken wings
5 TBLS cayenne pepper
2 TBLS paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

ETA : you can put what ever you like in this recipe and it still will come out good .

Place chicken in large bag add all spices on top , close bag and shake to coat all the wings good.

Place a pat of butter in the bottom of your DO then add chicken and cook for about 1 and 1/4 hours , the chicken will fall off the bone ......

A good rule of thumb is : take the # of DO you are using and subtract 3 coals for your bottom coals and add 5 coals for your  top , this will give you an average of about 350f cooking temp !

IE : if you are using a # 12 DO put 9 coals under it and around 17 on the top !!!

KG5S this is a great thread.  

I want to learn to do this.  I have to get a Dutch oven though.

Will you post your chicken and rice recipe?

Also, we use a charcoal grill regularly.  If we use this same grill with our dutch oven, should we remove the grates and set the DO right in the coals?  Or should we set the dutch oven on the grill grates?

You're dealing with a complete dutch oven newbie here.  I've cooked over open fire with those metal thingies in a triangle shape that hold the pot over the coals (sorry, having a blank moment, can't think of the name of them though it's a name I know like my own).  

Anyhow, I have not tried this, but would like to do so.  It's a good summer for it.  Our HVAC has been out all summer, and we're in a heat wave in KY.  So we're grilling out every day.  I don't wanna heat up the house with the cookstove.

We also have regular fires in our firepit in the fall and spring--any day that the  weather is fit we have a small fire.  

And I've never seen a "meat trivet" which you referred to in an earlier post.  Elaborate please.  Maybe I've seen one in a cooking store and just didn't know what it was.

Oh, and if you would post your recipe for the chicken and rice and squash casseroles in the first series of pics, I'd be grateful, and although I'm a foodie, I need quantities--or at least close guesses--on the amounts of spices.  I cook dumping stuff in my hand once I'm used to the recipe, but the first few times I like to measure a little so I know I'm getting somewhere close to the original recipe before I start to deviate.

Thanks!
Kittis

Originally Posted By KG5S: IE : if you are using a # 12 DO put 9 coals under it and around 17 on the top !!!

If we're only buying one DO at a time, what's your recommendation to start with as far as which size to buy?  I like to have some leftovers, cuz I don't like to cook every day, but maybe that complicates things?

Kitties

Originally Posted By KG5S: Ya , I know but I am trying to get my post count up......

Whore!

I'm not trying, but I'm somehow managing to do it with the beekeeping thread.

Kitties, who would have MORE posts, if she didn't keep posting under uxb.

Lets see if I can get you started :

If I were you , I'd go to walmart and pick up a # 12 Lodge DO , they use to be around $30 but with the price of everything going up , I saw them at wally world for $40.... The #12 is a great oven , I have 2 of them and use them both at the same time more than any of my other DO's . If you have 2 #12 DO's you can cook your main dish in one and the other is used for veggies , you can also cook 3 kinds of veggies in one DO , just make each veggie it's own little foil well to put them in. The first year I did Do cooking I only owned one DO a # 12 !

A meat trivet is like a bakers rack you put in the bottom of your DO to keep the meat from over cooking on the bottom and any bakers rack you can fit in your DO will work just fine .

As far as cooking in the grill , all you will need is a hard surface like any piece of flat steel , ie: road sign, concrete patio or just a gravel drive way will do , I use a DO cooking table , witch is a big steel table but you don't have to have one of those .  The Do's you will want are camp DO's , they have little legs under them so you can put coals under it . You can use normal wood coals from a fire pit to cook with but you will have to watch your food a little closer cause it is harder to regulate the heat than with charcoal briquettes.


I'll get the chicken and rice recipe up ASAP , I don't have it written down so I 'll have to think about it a bit .

Originally Posted By KG5S: Lets see if I can get you started : If I were you , I'd go to walmart and pick up a # 12 Lodge DO , they use to be around $30 but with the price of everything going up , I saw them at wally world for $40.... The #12 is a great oven , I have 2 of them and use them both at the same time more than any of my other DO's . If you have 2 #12 DO's you can cook your main dish in one and the other is used for veggies , you can also cook 3 kinds of veggies in one DO , just make each veggie it's own little foil well to put them in. The first year I did Do cooking I only owned one DO a # 12 ! A meat trivet is like a bakers rack you put in the bottom of your DO to keep the meat from over cooking on the bottom and any bakers rack you can fit in your DO will work just fine . As far as cooking in the grill , all you will need is a hard surface like any piece of flat steel , ie: road sign, concrete patio or just a gravel drive way will do , I use a DO cooking table , witch is a big steel table but you don't have to have one of those .  The Do's you will want are camp DO's , they have little legs under them so you can put coals under it . You can use normal wood coals from a fire pit to cook with but you will have to watch your food a little closer cause it is harder to regulate the heat than with charcoal briquettes. I'll get the chicken and rice recipe up ASAP , I don't have it written down so I 'll have to think about it a bit . i72.photobucket.com/albums/i195/KG5S/2.gif

Okay on the stack cooking, is the top one set up there because it needs less intense heat?  For instance, I cook stuff on the grill all the time--but I "time" it by putting the potatoes (cut up and seasoned, wrapped in foil) on first, then the "squash" (cut up zucchs, yellows, etc) on last cuz they cook really quickly, etc.

Is the top one the stuff that needs less heat or something?  Is that the point of the "stacked" cooking?

Also, I'm a big fan of whole chickens--how do you do a whole chicken in a dutch oven--you know, like a smaller fryer or something is bound to fit right down in one.  I do them in a crock pot sometimes, but my favorite way is roasted right in the oven.  We've tried it on the grill, but it got too blackened so the skin wasn't yummy like my oven roasted chickens.  Thoughts on doing whole chickens?  If you put them in the DO, I guess they'd be more baked than roasted, but still, i bet they'd be good.

Kitties

Chicken and Rice in a DO

1 chicken breast per person ( You will only be able to put about 3 with bone in a # 12 , if you want to cook for a bunch use boneless or chicken tenders )
2 box's of Uncle Ben's wild and long grain rice ( or you can use any rice , I just like the Uncle Ben's )
1 quart fresh mushrooms
2 TBL spoons of rubed sage
1 large can of mushroom soup
2 cups water
3 Tbl spoon butter

Mix all together  place chicken breast on top ( if using bone in , if boneless is used you can just mix it in ) cook for about a hour to an hour and a half.

You can vary anything in this or other recipe to your taste , I like to put an onion in the rice and more sage but that is just me !

The stacking is just to save space on my cooking table and you won't have to use as much coal.

Whole chicken are great in a Do , just do it as you would in a regular oven . If you do a lot of chicken roasting , you might want to get a deep DO , that way you can do a much larger chicken !

I've been playing around with the Dutch oven this summer. I've had one for years but all I had done with it is cobblers and bisquits. This summer I hooked up with the folks from RFD-TV's "Campfire Cafe" program and a couple of other folks who were inspired by them (long story, not important*). I got inspired myself. I bought a new 12 inch deep Lodge pre-seasoned DO to add to my 10" and also bought an imitation cowboy cookset.

So far, I've made two Black Forest Ribbon Cakes, a Blueberry Dump Cake, a batch of Mountain Man Breakfast, Apple-Stuffed Pork Chops, Stuffed Apples (with Jack Daniels soaked raisins), and a batch of cinnamon rolls. It's been great fun and good eating.

I think I've got the hang of fire management now. I've decided to lay it aside until the weather cools down a bit. Tending coals in 95+ degree heat is no fun. But come fall, I hope to do quite a bit more Dutch oven cooking. I've built a fire pit in the back yard so I'm pretty much good to go.

* BTW, writing THIS STORY is really what got me going on the Dutch oven this summer.

ETA: I'm primarily using wood fire coals, not charcoal. While camping in Michigan recently I supplemented my wood coals with charcoal for use on the top of the DO because the firewood up north burns up so fast. Back home in Missouri I pretty much stick to the coals I make myself. We've got lots of oak and hickory here and it burns really nice. Charcoal sure is handy for the lid, though.

(apples with Jack Daniels soaked raisins

BTW, great article BladeSwitcher.

And any thoughts on controlling the fire are most welcome.  I have a fire in our makeshift fire pit EVERY night in the spring and fall when it isn't raining.  Most of the time, it's just me and my glass of whatever big fat California red I have open at the moment, but this would be a cool skill to have.  Most I've ever made over open fire is stew.

I love this thread!

Care to share recipes?

Kitties

Originally Posted By KG5S: Chicken and Rice in a DO 1 chicken breast per person ( You will only be able to put about 3 with bone in a # 12 , if you want to cook for a bunch use boneless or chicken tenders ) 2 box's of Uncle Ben's wild and long grain rice ( or you can use any rice , I just like the Uncle Ben's ) 1 quart fresh mushrooms 2 TBL spoons of rubed sage 1 large can of mushroom soup 2 cups water 3 Tbl spoon butter Mix all together  place chicken breast on top ( if using bone in , if boneless is used you can just mix it in ) cook for about a hour to an hour and a half. You can vary anything in this or other recipe to your taste , I like to put an onion in the rice and more sage but that is just me !

Thanks!  This looks easy.  If you didn't have mushroom soup, what would you do to substitute?

Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Originally Posted By KG5S: Chicken and Rice in a DO 1 chicken breast per person ( You will only be able to put about 3 with bone in a # 12 , if you want to cook for a bunch use boneless or chicken tenders ) 2 box's of Uncle Ben's wild and long grain rice ( or you can use any rice , I just like the Uncle Ben's ) 1 quart fresh mushrooms 2 TBL spoons of rubed sage 1 large can of mushroom soup 2 cups water 3 Tbl spoon butter Mix all together  place chicken breast on top ( if using bone in , if boneless is used you can just mix it in ) cook for about a hour to an hour and a half. You can vary anything in this or other recipe to your taste , I like to put an onion in the rice and more sage but that is just me ! Thanks!  This looks easy.  If you didn't have mushroom soup, what would you do to substitute?

Cream of chicken......

Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: (apples with Jack Daniels soaked raisins BTW, great article BladeSwitcher. And any thoughts on controlling the fire are most welcome.  I have a fire in our makeshift fire pit EVERY night in the spring and fall when it isn't raining.  Most of the time, it's just me and my glass of whatever big fat California red I have open at the moment, but this would be a cool skill to have.  Most I've ever made over open fire is stew. I love this thread! Care to share recipes? Kitties

As for the fire, I think the key is simply to take your time to get your coals right. You can boil or fry over flames but for any kind of baking or roasting you need coals.

Get a good fire going, then let it die down to where there is very little, if any, flame visible. What you want is coals, not fire. During the daytime it may appear like there isn't much going on but remember what it looks like at night. THose coals are HOT!

The fire pits I've used have been big enough that I could keep the fire spread out into two separate piles. The cooking coals stay under the pots while another fire burns off to the side. The side fire is your coal supply. THis part of the fire can have flames and probably will as you add more logs. The idea is to keep making coals so you've always got some more to add.

Again, this all takes time. My experience this summer has been that I'll spend about an hour and half getting coals ready and just about an hour actually cooking. Because I'm fairly new at this I haven't been completely willing to rely on my wood fire. About 30 minutes before the recipe calls for top coals I've been starting a chimney starter full of charcoal just so I know I'll have good coals for the top. Yes, it's cheating and wasteful but it's given me some piece of mind.

BTW, I use a cowboy cookset type arrangement in which the pots hang from different length hooks, suspended over the fire — often your pot is a foot or more above your coals.  -- You can see a fairly clear photo of this type of set-up in the article I referenced in my earlier post -- You vary the temperature by your selection of hook and how many coals you have under the pot. You can push more coals under the cooking area to raise the temperature and pull them away to lower it. Of course, it's a lot easier to raise the temperature than lower it since the cast iron holds heat so well. I try to err on the side of caution and cook slow. Some recipes call for removing the pot from bottom heat entirely and just use top coals at some point (almost all the cake and bread recipes tell you to do this).

A good rule of thumb I've learned is that if you can hold your hand under the pot (above the coals) for just about three seconds before you have to snatch it out of the heat, that's about 350 degrees.

As for recipes, I've bought several books but, so far, everything I've cooked has come from the "Campfire Cafe" folks cookbook, "Over the open fire," Its a pretty easy book to follow, even for a non-cook like me. SOme of the recipes are for sorta fancy food but it's all been good so far.

Pam ALford, the show's host was listing her recipes on her web site (www.campfirecafe.com) but I just checked and they all seem to be missing. I don't know if that's a temporary situation or not. I have found some of the same recipes on the KOA web site (probably from the series of workshops they did at the campgrounds).

Here's one that I've personally made. It was a big hit:

Mountain Man Breakfast

Ingredients

1 pound(s) whole hog, mild pork sausage
1 bag shredded hash browns, frozen
12 eggs
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 pound(s) cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions
Sauté sausage with garlic until done in a deep camp Dutch oven. Whisk eggs in mixing bowl. Add onions, red pepper and green pepper to sausage mixture and stir. Add hash brown potatoes to mixture, using enough to mix well but don't overload the Dutch oven - leave room for the eggs! Stir mixture slightly, then pour beaten eggs over the top allowing them to sink into the potatoes. Hang over medium hook and bake until eggs begin to set firm. Remove from fire and top with cheddar cheese, cover, add top coals and hang on higher hook to continue baking for approximately 30 minutes. Serves 12 to 14.

Originally Posted By KG5S: How to Season Cast Iron When you purchase most cast iron cookware it will need to be seasoned !  This is a process of baking a coat of oil on the surface of the cookware as to make it a non-stick surface ! The best way I have found to do this is to coat your cookware in Crisco shortning and bake it in a oven at 350f for 20 mins , then turn off the oven and let it cool , when you can handle the cookware do it atleast one more time the same way. I like to do mine 3-4 times.

The Lodge pre-seasoned Dutch Ovens and skillets are great. They claim the pre-seasoning is the equivilent to five years use. I don't know about that but the 12-inch deep DO I got from them was good to go. THe preseasoned iron is only a few dollars more. There's no reason not to go that route.

BTW, Amazon.com carries the full Lodge line at good prices and shipping is free over $25. When buying cast iron, free shipping is important.

Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Originally Posted By KG5S: IE : if you are using a # 12 DO put 9 coals under it and around 17 on the top !!! If we're only buying one DO at a time, what's your recommendation to start with as far as which size to buy?  I like to have some leftovers, cuz I don't like to cook every day, but maybe that complicates things? Kitties

I've had a 10 inch for a couple of years but have only used it to do cobblers and bisquits. It's too small for much else. When I got into DO cooking in a bigger way this summer I bought a 12-inch deep. The Campfire Cafe folks told me to go with the deep since they said you can do anything in a deep that a regular will do. I've since read that the regular depth ovens are sometimes called "bread ovens" because it's easier for the top heat to work inthe shallower ovens. I've backed a couple of cakes in my deep and didn't have any trouble with getting enough top heat. In fact, I burned one of the cakes on top (nothing a knife couldn't fix, though).

Anyway, based on my limited experience, I'd say the 12-inch deep would be a good choice.

Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Also, I'm a big fan of whole chickens--how do you do a whole chicken in a dutch oven--you know, like a smaller fryer or something is bound to fit right down in one.  I do them in a crock pot sometimes, but my favorite way is roasted right in the oven.  We've tried it on the grill, but it got too blackened so the skin wasn't yummy like my oven roasted chickens.  Thoughts on doing whole chickens?  If you put them in the DO, I guess they'd be more baked than roasted, but still, i bet they'd be good. Kitties

THe "Over the Open FIre" cookbook has several recipes for whole birds — whole chicken, turkey, game hen, etc . . .

I haven't tried the pre-season ones but I plan to soon , I am wanting to get a # 16 and I think it might be too big to fit in my oven , my # 14 had a little room left but not much !

Mountain Man Breakfast .......ROCKS.....

Thanks for the contrabution , keep em comming......

Campfire Cafe is a great show , I haven't picked up Over the Open Fire yet but I will one day , they sell it in our Scout shop !

I would like to own one of Campfire Cafe's cooking pit and cowboy cook set's but dang those things are expensive !!!

I gather that serious DO cooks have dedicated ovens. THey have one pot for breads and cakes and other for meats. THe reasoning is that the cast iron absorbs flavors and you don't necessarily want you bread to taste like pork, onions, etc . . .

Seems like that might be another good reason to line the DO with foil when baking cakes and breads. BTW, Reynolds makes a NON-STICK aluminum foil. I think they call it "Release" foil. That's what you want to use in your DO.

It probably goes without saying, but no metal utensils should be used in the DO. Use rubber, silicone, wood, plastic, etc. but not metal. You don't want to booger up the seasoning. Also, a good nylon scrub brush is super handy for clean-up. Never pour cold water into a hot DO, for fear of cracking it. Wait for it to cool and then heat your wash water over the fire or heat water in a separate pot to pour into for cleaning.

Originally Posted By KG5S: Campfire Cafe is a great show , I haven't picked up Over the Open Fire yet but I will one day , they sell it in our Scout shop ! I would like to own one of Campfire Cafe's cooking pit and cowboy cook set's but dang those things are expensive !!!

There's a guy on e-bay that sells a decent imitation cowboy cookset. Just do a ebay search for "cowboy cookset." I got mine from him for $40. I shouldn't tell you this because I'm hankering for one of his free standing units but I'm waiting for the right price (his BIN on those is $125). Don't want to draw too much attention to the guy . . .

Also, if you can find an artisan blacksmith you could probably have one made for $75 or less.

THe Campfire Cafe units are nice but unnecessarily fancy. All we're talking about is three steel rods and a few hooks.

Originally Posted By Bladeswitcher: Originally Posted By KG5S: Campfire Cafe is a great show , I haven't picked up Over the Open Fire yet but I will one day , they sell it in our Scout shop ! I would like to own one of Campfire Cafe's cooking pit and cowboy cook set's but dang those things are expensive !!! There's a guy on e-bay that sells a decent imitation cowboy cookset. Just do a ebay search for "cowboy cookset." I got mine from him for $40. I shouldn't tell you this because I'm hankering for one of his free standing units but I'm waiting for the right price (his BIN on those is $125). Don't want to draw too much attention to the guy . . . Also, if you can find an artisan blacksmith you could probably have one made for $75 or less. THe Campfire Cafe units are nice but unnecessarily fancy. All we're talking about is three steel rods and a few hooks.

Drop me an IM if you can find the pit kit and all the things that go with it for a cheap price, that set up would be perfect for my Scout Troop to have !

I didn't know Amazon sold Lodge , they have a # 16 for $88 , thats a steal !

Originally Posted By KG5S: Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Thanks!  This looks easy.  If you didn't have mushroom soup, what would you do to substitute? Cream of chicken......

Yeah--I'm actually trying to avoid the canned soup thing, cuz it's so hard to find them not full of msg and preservatives, which I'm not supposed to have.  I mean, I CAN eat them, but I'm not supposed to.  The "cream of" soups--if you've ever read the label, there's not much cream and not much "of" in there. Mostly fake stuff.  So I have to try to find ways around them.  SO MANY great recipes are made with cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup--all the cool green bean casseroles.  

It's frustrating.  Heavy sigh.

Kitties

Originally Posted By uxb: Originally Posted By KG5S: Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Thanks!  This looks easy.  If you didn't have mushroom soup, what would you do to substitute? Cream of chicken...... Yeah--I'm actually trying to avoid the canned soup thing, cuz it's so hard to find them not full of msg and preservatives, which I'm not supposed to have.  I mean, I CAN eat them, but I'm not supposed to.  The "cream of" soups--if you've ever read the label, there's not much cream and not much "of" in there. Mostly fake stuff.  So I have to try to find ways around them.  SO MANY great recipes are made with cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup--all the cool green bean casseroles.   It's frustrating.  Heavy sigh. Kitties

DANG IT!

I keep doing that.  THIS WAS KITTIES not uxb.

I have a buddy who's a welder--actually he's my customer on my mail route.  He's making me a pot rack that will fit where I need it in my kitchen.  I wonder, if he had some plans, if he couldn't weld me up a nice free standing unit?  He'd need to see a picture I guess.  I'll see if I can print the pic from the article.  I'm wondering what sort of "rod" you have to have to do this.  I'm certain he could at least cut the rods for me--and no doubt could weld on any connectors and bend the metal for some hooks.  I have my grandfather's bellows and coal pan, but it's not set up.  I don't know if it ever will be or not. Learned to smith from him when I was about ten. More good memories.  
This is such a cool thread.

Kitties

Originally Posted By uxb: Originally Posted By KG5S: Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Thanks!  This looks easy.  If you didn't have mushroom soup, what would you do to substitute? Cream of chicken...... Yeah--I'm actually trying to avoid the canned soup thing, cuz it's so hard to find them not full of msg and preservatives, which I'm not supposed to have.  I mean, I CAN eat them, but I'm not supposed to.  The "cream of" soups--if you've ever read the label, there's not much cream and not much "of" in there. Mostly fake stuff.  So I have to try to find ways around them.  SO MANY great recipes are made with cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup--all the cool green bean casseroles.   It's frustrating.  Heavy sigh. Kitties

I am sure you could make your own of either soup , I don't have a recipe for them but I bet I could find one !

I bet it would taste a hell of alot better than the caned stuff also.....HMMMM..........let me see what I can find !

Kittes/UXB . . .

I responded to your IM but was afraid it went to the wrong address. Write me again from the proper address. Who was your writer friend? I may know her. Is it Sandy (Wiseman) White?

Bladeswitcher...

IM sent.

Two, actually.

Uh...I blame the chardonnay for the first one...AND the forum malfunction...YEAH, that's it.  It's the FORUM's fault....

Uh...nevermind.  IM sent.

Originally Posted By KG5S: Originally Posted By uxb: Originally Posted By KG5S: Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Thanks!  This looks easy.  If you didn't have mushroom soup, what would you do to substitute? Cream of chicken...... Yeah--I'm actually trying to avoid the canned soup thing, cuz it's so hard to find them not full of msg and preservatives, which I'm not supposed to have.  I mean, I CAN eat them, but I'm not supposed to.  The "cream of" soups--if you've ever read the label, there's not much cream and not much "of" in there. Mostly fake stuff.  So I have to try to find ways around them.  SO MANY great recipes are made with cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup--all the cool green bean casseroles.   It's frustrating.  Heavy sigh. Kitties I am sure you could make your own of either soup , I don't have a recipe for them but I bet I could find one ! I bet it would taste a hell of alot better than the caned stuff also.....HMMMM..........let me see what I can find !

HEEEEEEYYYYYY!

It has to be easy.  

NO, I'm not kidding.

Kitties, who abhors hours in the kitchen, and has neve succesfully (sp?) made her own chicken broth because,.....well.....something always interrupts.  Or she forgets to freeze the necessary parts or....something.

[confession]
I BUY CANNED CHICKEN BROTH OKAY?  I ADMIT IT. SMITE ME WITH A STICK.
[/confession]

Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: HEEEEEEYYYYYY! It has to be easy.   NO, I'm not kidding. Kitties, who abhors hours in the kitchen, and has neve succesfully (sp?) made her own chicken broth because,.....well.....something always interrupts.  Or she forgets to freeze the necessary parts or....something. [confession] I BUY CANNED CHICKEN BROTH OKAY?  I ADMIT IT. SMITE ME WITH A STICK. [/confession]

IMO, that's the joy of Dutch oven cooking. It pushes you beyond your comfort zone and gets you to do things you would never do in the kitchen.

I'm a 47-year-old male and had never baked anything in my life (short of a frozen pizza). This summer I've baked three cakes over the open fire. I made two of them at a family reunion campout with a bunch of moms (all experienced cooks) in attendance. They were all blown away that I made those cakes in a dutch oven.

Just follow the steps in the recipes, keep your heat under control and take your time.

This thread just keeps getting better everyday !

I sure wish it would cool down a little so I could get outside and do a little cooking we went over 100f yesterday and we will go over 100f today also.......

Originally Posted By KG5S: This thread just keeps getting better everyday ! I sure wish it would cool down a little so I could get outside and do a little cooking we went over 100f yesterday and we will go over 100f today also.......

Yep. Almost as bad here.

Originally Posted By KG5S: This thread just keeps getting better everyday ! I sure wish it would cool down a little so I could get outside and do a little cooking we went over 100f yesterday and we will go over 100f today also.......

Yes, same here.  I carry mail tomorrow and the ambient temp is supposed to be 99.  Heat index will be way higher.  In the car?  Crap, it'll be 120.  

Kitties

If we can get a little rain , I'll get some new pics up soon . I am teaching my Scout Troop the cooking merit badge and we have a campout comming up Sept 7th and 8th but we are under a burn ban and that means no fire to cook with......

Maybe the rain gods will smile on us soon.......