Foil packet desserts too: baked apples with brown sugar and cinnamon. You can slice the apples or just cut out the core (keeping the bottom intact) so the apple forms its own "bowl"

I guess it depends on what you consider "camping", which to me means "back woods". In which case no meals are the best meals to cook because then you have to lug pots and pans. The best camping food are my home made granola bars actually!

In addition to that, a bit of dry cured meat like jerky or certain types of sausage that are OK out of the fridge a few days.

Sunset has a great roundup of easy to put together camping meals:
http://www.sunset.com/food-wine/kitchen-assistant/camping-cooking-recipes-00400000043368/

as well as a feature with Guy Fieri on what he cooks when he "car camps:"
http://www.sunset.com/food-wine/kitchen-assistant/campground-cooking-recipes-00400000043132/

Prepping before you actually leave is always a good idea. Cut up veggies, marinate meat, bake a cake or some cookies and haul it in. I like wraps with grilled veggies and hummus, granola for breakfast, steak or fish (if you're lucky enough to catch any!) for dinner. Have fun! You must live somewhere warm.

Other things you can make in foil packets: fish (we do salmon, but I'm guessing this works with other kinds as well), and BBQ chicken wings (messy, but good). Potatoes and corn on the cob work well over a fire too - just search the web for instructions.

We always bring along a few Clif bars as well, just in case a meal goes horribly awry. That way we're not starving to death.

I'm allergic to sleeping outdoors (my idea of roughing it is one plug in the bathroom) but these ideas sound great!

Our favorite camping meal is kielbasa sausages stuck on the end of sticks and grilled over the campfire! Because they're already cooked (not raw sausages), you only have to worry about grilling/charring them to your liking. And no cooking dishes to wash! Slap them on some rolls with mustard--yum. If you don't have a campfire, they're also easy on a pan over a camping stove (slice them lengthwise for quicker heating).

We also like to do baked potatoes in the campfire. Wrap them in foil (make sure to poke some holes in the potato skin first!) and stick them deep under the firewood (best if you already have some embers). They'll need at least an hour, preferably longer. Then we like to split them open, sprinkle some cheese on top, and lay them on the "hearth" of the fire to melt the cheese.

For dessert, it's always s'mores, although we make them with LU's Petit Ecolier (little schoolboy) cookies, the dark chocolate ones. WAY better than Hershey's.

For breakfast we usually just have cereal and milk or bring baked goods, although occasionally we've been ambitious and done Bisquick pancakes and bacon (cook the pancakes right on the bacon grease). One last tip: condensed milk makes all camping coffee (even instant!) taste much much better.

Besides the staples (potatoes, carrots, onions), our most recent outing resulted in two Tin Foil Dinner All-Stars: sweet potatoes and mushrooms. We also learned that zuchinni is a dud - too squishy.

um, is this car camping or backpacking? this makes a huge difference in what we bring. when car camping (the car is within easy reach of cooking), we go all out. weight is no issue, so we bring the cast iron pots and pans...potatoes, veggies, steaks, fish, and pancakes in the morning. on the other hand, if backpacking, where weight is a big issue, a few light pans and some good dehydrated food. for breakfast, oatmeal (with your choice of spices)!

When I was a kid, we used to take a banana, split it down the middle, and stuff it with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips. Wrap it in foil, stick it in the fire for awhile, and then enjoy.

While on a week long canoe trip there were two culinary high points. The first being the breakfasts which were steel cut oatmeal made with sweetened condensed milk (also used in our coffee) brown sugar, butter and wild blueberries picked that morning. The other was after a long day of paddling we would have hors d'oeuvres of 4 yr old canadian cheddar cheese, hungarian salami, smoked oysters, sardines and kalamata olives - all of which traveled really well.

Whatever i can put on the grill is good; there is nothing like BBQ in a camping trip!

We usually car camp the first night, arrive late and then heat up a packaged cheese fondue in a regular teflon camping pan. Bread, fondue and wine. Perfect first night. It's pretty much tradition for us these days.

I'm trying to remember what my mother used to do. When I was growing up, my family of 8 (two parents and six kids) would go on two to three week long canoe trips in Algonquin Park in Ontario. So, except for the first few days, fresh wasn't an option, and canned goods were too heavy. We occasionally caught a fish or two, but we generally had terrible luck in that department.

I'm remembering lots and lots of peanut butter. Trail mix, crackers, dried fruit etc for snacking. And dark chocolate. The expensive kind, because it tends not to melt as easily.

Dried apples can be put in oatmeal in the morning and in a cobbler in the evening. As can raisins, apricots, dried blueberries etc, you get the idea. Bisquick is really versatile as well.

I second the beef jerky suggestion. TVP (texturized vegetable protein) is a good source of protein in the bush. And instant mashed potatoes with heaps of margarine taste reeeallly good after a 10km portage!

The best results around the campfire came from casseroles etc. made from freeze dried shrimp and fish that we found in Chinatown. We would have paella, or fish stew, or curry. You can also get powered coconut milk. Daal is really good too, especially with fresh naan or chapati made over the camp fire.

Oh, yeah, and if you decant the scotch into a tinted water bottle, the rangers don't notice ;)

I just went camping last weekend but brought my portable stove. We made zucchini and mushroom omelets for breakfast & packed prosciutto, mozzarella, and arugula sandwiches on focaccia for the hike. For dinner it was Giada's penne with steak and arugula. The only pre-trip prep work I did was make the dressing for the pasta. Ah camping... I want to go back already!

We did have s'mores, but next time I must bring the LU's Petit Ecolier! What a great idea. I love those cookies, and it totally eliminates being stuck with a nearly-full box of graham crackers-- I'm not a big fan of them.

don't forget salt and pepper. speaking from experience.

My husband and I are more backpackers than a car-campers by nature, but the era of the backwoods campfire seems to be over, alas. So, when we camp we're working with a whisperlite stove, an ultralight pot and pan set and whatever food we can cram into a bear cannister, which can kind of cramp your culinary style, y'know?

We've found that hot and spicy food is incredibly satisfying when you're on the trail and campfire-less. What we usually do is bring along two vacuum-packed pouches of punjabi chana from the Indian grocery (or Trader Joe's), dried couscous in a ziploc, and a couple of Knorr chicken bouillon cubes and a squeeze tube of harissa to jazz up the couscous for dinner the first night; oatmeal packets, dried tart cherries (TJ's) and good tea for the morning; pita bread, the best quality tinned sardines/kippers/tuna in olive oil (pop-top essential here) and a lemon for lunch; and salt and pepper peanuts (TJ's), dried fruit and the best quality chocolate we can find for treats. Add a hip flask filled with our favorite scotch, and that is one FANTASTIC weekend on the trail.

Have a great trip and let us know what you decide to cook!

Some people swear by freezing eggs cracked into nalgenes, but now that the weather is warming up, I don't know how long they'd last well.

Peanut butter mixed into instant oats with dried fruit is a great energy morning meal. Also, ramen noodles made with only a smidgen of water and smidgen of the pack of seasoning with hot pepper flakes or better yet Thai curry paste in a squeeze tube, peanut butter, dehydrated cilantro. Mmmm. In fact, most groceries sell garlic, ginger, and cilantro squeeze tubes that greatly enhance almost any camping (esp. backpacking) trip recipe that includes the requisite couscous, ramen, etc.

We always called those foil packets "hobo dinners", and hamburger patties are also a nice sub for the chicken or tofo you mention.

For backpacking, where you don't want to carry in such perishables, I like to do red beans and rice with summer sausage. The kind from the packet can actually be pretty tasty, and maybe it isn't "real" cooking, but you are camping after all!

Bacon-wrapped hot dogs!!!!!!!

For dessert, bring a couple of oranges and some pre-mixed (or mix it there) chocolate cake batter. Cut off to top of the orange (save it!) and scoop out the flesh. Fill up your empty orange with the cake batter, pop the top back on, and wrap it all in foil. Set it in the coals on the campfire, and wait a bit for your tasty treat!

Fire roasted peppers and garlic make for a great side/appetizer too! Just toss the peppers on the fire and wait till the outer skin chars. Garlic should be wrapped up in foil (cut off the top and drizzle olive oil and a bit of salt).

We used to make one-pot spaghetti as girl scouts... brown the meat or chicken in the pan, pour in canned or jarred sauce with some extra water, and cook the pasta right in the sauce. In fact, I've been known to recreate that one in the dorm kitchen to avoid doing extra dishes...

Anytime we go car camping, we always have sea scallops and risotto the first night.

For real camping, I eat a lot of brown or red rice, plain (or sometimes w/ a packet of tuna or some sunflower seeds tossed in) - it's filling and doesn't take up a lot of room. Also soups made from beef jerky, rice and some dehydrated veggies are wonderful. For bread, bannock can be made easily (mix the dry at home and put in a Ziplock bag, then add water on site):

2 cups flour
2 tbs baking powder
1 tsp sugar
2 pinches salt
1 cup water

1 Mix dry ingredients.
2 Add enough water to make dough form into patties
3 Fry until golden brown on each side

And seriously, don't forget the spices. Sometimes I pack a hunk of dry cheese too, like parmesan. It's good for nibbling and won't spoil during the camping. Oh, I could go on. Camping food is fun!

You got to have chili billies! Basically, take a can of chili and heat it up over the fire. cut a small bag of fritos sideways (so you have your own "bowl"). pour the chili over and top with cheese. YUM.

We used to have these all the time when camping with girl scouts.

And we called the foil dinners "hobo packets" but they were oh so good! :)

For me, bacon, eggs, and pancakes in the morning all cooked on a cast iron skillet in the bacon grease are a must. Needless to say, I "car camp". :) Dinners are usually grilled chicken, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, and some sort of cold salad mixed up ahead.

I love my pie iron for cooking over the fire.

http://www.campingcomfortably.com/coleman-camp-cooker.html

I use them to make grilled sandwiches, veggie burgers, grilled burritos, omelets, any kind of sweet or savory pockets with crescent roll dough... I'm sure you can find plenty of recipe ideas if you google for it.

s'mores!!!!! (extra delish with dark chocolate instead of milk... and a little whiskey n ginger ale to keep you warm at night :)

We are in the car camping camp, we usually make chana masala, but this week I wanted marinated tempeh. I slice and marinate at home, put in a ziploc, then throw on grill or in a pan on cookstove when you get there. I marinated in a yaki sauce (Bone Suckin Yaki) and the smell of that being cooked up is delicious. Even the carnivores ate up all the tempeh!

For breakfast, we scramble some eggs, then fold into a tortilla with melted cheese. serve with green salsa on the side.

One of the best things my husband and I have done is to do a bacon wrapped Cornish game hen in the fire. We bought a medium bird at the Mexican market by our house (pre-marinated). We wrapped it in the bacon and tin foil at the camp site. Then we buried in the hot coals for about an hour. It was so good. The bacon created a caramelized crust and the game hen was very moist. Best camping meal yet!

I would think you could do chili or sloppy joes pretty easy in a dutch oven over a fire. Foil packets are great like mentioned. Kebabs should be easy too. Precut the meat and stick it in a resealable bag with marinade. Put the cut veggies in another bag and assemble when you get there.

We canoe-camp, which usually means we can lug along more cooking gear than a backpacker. I like one sweet potato (or a couple of carrots), one potato, one onion, and a little bit of ham cubed and cooked together in a dutch oven. It's delicious and you don't even need salt.

I second the baked apples for breakfast. Heaven!

Campfire potatoes are a must!!

Dice up a bunch of potatoes, some bacon, some butter, season with seasoned salt and some pepper. Wrap up the mixture tight in some heavy duty foil. Put right in the fire or on a burner and let cook. So good!

Also, pie irons are a must. We made sandwiches with cheese and ham for dinner. We also stoked the fire back up for breakfast and made jam and cream cheese sandwiches. The local chipmunk joined us for breakfast that morning, ha! :)

When car camping, chocolate chip cookies or peach cobbler in the dutch oven over the camp fire - sooo delicious! It doesn't matter what's for dinner if there is hot fresh dessert!

When backpacking, I like to mix couscous, dehydrated veggies (from the bulk section @ the grocery) and some TVP - super light weight, filling, and nutritious! Of course, jerky could be easily substituted for the TVP if you like that sort of thing... We also eat lots and lots of Oreos on the trail. And our extra nalgene is full of top shelf tequila.

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions!

My camping trip went great this weekend - in spite of quite a downpour.

Because we were short on time, we opted for some easy camp food alternates when doing our weekend shopping.

Dinner Friday: Hot Dogs roasted over the camp fire on sticks and Corn On the Cob cooked in foil (husks still on) in the fire coals. Desert: Bananas topped with chocolate & marshmallows wrapped in foil and thrown in the coals. Delicious!

Breakfast Saturday: Scambled Eggs & Baked beans sandwhich cooked over a camp stove. French Press Coffee.

Dinner Saturday: Burritos! Rice (pre-prepared) & Beans cooked over a camp stove, tortillas warmed in a skillet over camp stove, cheese melted over top, rice & beans poured into tortillas, diced onions and tomatos and a little hot sauce to top it off. Delicious!

Breakfast Sunday: Rained out. Diner instead :)

Go camping, it's great fun.

Favorite camp meal is "beans and wiens". Simply chopped hotdog wieners and baked beans. Sometimes, less is more. My friends and I eat better at camp than we do at home. In previous years we've made "crown kissed beer steaks", "sake clam bake", "coq au vin", and "japadogs", to name a few, but nothing really beats the good ol' simple foods. A crowd favorite is our "comatose passoutghetti", it definitely induces food coma. Maybe someday I will share the recipe, but for now I will just say, it's ground beef, ketchup, spaghetti, and a lot of love.