The Krispy Kreme post has got me thinking, what is everyones favorite canoe country treat.  I've tried the freeze dried "apple brown betty" and was pretty impressed.  Whats worked for everyone else?

The jello cheesecake mixes work pretty well.  If a rookie will be making it, I always give them a pan and a spoon to make the crust before we pour in the cheesecake mix.  If there are no rookies then we do it the veteran way and just mix the crust right into the cheesecake.  The rookie way doesn't taste any better but it's good entertainment.

Another good one is to make vanilla pudding and stir in some miniature Oreos (they come in a bag).  You can add a few drops of peppermint extract to the pudding if you want.

Warm tortillas with butter, sugar, and cinnamon is also mighty tasty if you realize you've overpacked on tortillas. Or if you also have dehydrated apples, rehydrate them with hot water, drain, mix in cinnamon and sugar and roll up in a tortilla.

You mean there's more to camping desserts than Copenhagen and Scotch?

Kidding actually.  Cheesecake is a standard and we put the dutch oven to use for brownies as well.

My favorite is my wife's trick learned from her Brownie days: slice an apple in half, spoon out both cores, put squeeze margarine in one half, brown sugar in the other, put the halves together, wrap in foil and roast in the coals.  These are great because you can save them for late night after the food bag's up.  To kick it up a notch (thanks Emeril): warm up a little brandy and flambé the apple right before eating. Oh baby.

Partial to Kodiak PJ.  But not opposed to the scotch.  Also usually bring some peanut M & M's

Here's one of my favorites:

Rice Pudding
     
1 cup Minute Rice
1/2 cup raisins (or other dried fruit bits)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup Instant Milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon  Lemonade Powder
     
At Home: Bag all ingredients together.  

In Camp: Add mixture to 2 cups boiling water.  Stir. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes. 4 servings.

Cache Lake Pudding. Vanilla is the best in my world but the chocolate is not bad.  High sugar content and it sets up pretty well even in warm weather.

TB

???There used to be a old Brown Betty desert made by Betty Crocker that was called apple easy. It was fantastic! But it was discontinued and I haven't found one close yet. Is there any out there in the instant variety that anybody has great success with?

wrote on May 6^th, 2004 at 10:34am:

My favorite is my wife's trick learned from her Brownie days: slice an apple in half, spoon out both cores, put squeeze margarine in one half, brown sugar in the other, put the halves together, wrap in foil and roast in the coals.  These are great because you can save them for late night after the food bag's up.  To kick it up a notch (thanks Emeril): warm up a little brandy and flambé the apple right before eating. Oh baby.

Thanks canoejack,

That sounds really good & easy. What kind of apples work the best & how long do you leave them on the coals?

WW

Hey woods - Any kind of baking apple - Jonathan, Macintosh.  Avoid the "eating" apples like red delicious - they get too mushy.  As for time, I'd say about twenty minutes or so, depending on the heat of the coals of course.  Rotate and flip them a lot.  You can squeeze them with your hand or poke them gently with a stick to see if they're getting soft - just be careful not to puncture the foil and lose all the "good stuff" sizzling away in there.  Enjoy!

Canoejack,

Thanks for reminding me of that old baked apple trick.  I haven't done it in the Q, but I might next year.  We used to do them as kids on family camping trips and in the fireplace at home.

A couple of other related hints:

Try to wrap the foil in such a way that the foil is your bowl for eating the apple.  Make sure you can easily unwrap without tearing up the foil too much.

Sprinkle the inside of the apple with cinnamon before you put the other stuff in.  Also a tablespoon or two of raisins inside also adds to the flavor, if you have them along.

Candied ginger and dark chocolate, followed by a nip.   :)

Lay out a soft shell tortilla and spread peanut butter on the middle half or so.  Add three large marshmallows and sprinkle a few chocolate chips over the top.  

Roll the tortilla shell with the ingredients in it so it resembles a tube, then wrap the entire thing in a single layer of aluminum foil.

Set the wrapped tortilla in the fire or on the coals.  Let it sit for a few minutes, but turn it occasionally so it bakes evenly.

When you're all done, you have a glorified S'more that's pretty darn tasty!

Chocolate cake.

Any cake mix (Betty, Duncan, etc.) will work in a Bake Packer.  Get a tub of the icing mix and you are in business.  Might try to 1/2 or 1/3 the mix at home with only 2 people on board this year.  

Will definately try the no-bake cheesecake this year too!

I have, in the past, made many desserts from scratch . . . brownies, cake, crepes, pies, etc.  However, I think those days may be gone forever.  

On the trip I just completed, we had dessert every evening with dinner and one concern was to have enough fuel for our 2-week trip.  One concession I made was to take instant desserts that did not require cooking or heating.  My selections included:

Mountain House Blueberry Cheesecake (for 4...all others for 2)
Backpacker's Pantry Lemon Cream Pie
Backpacker's Pantry Mocha Mousse Pie
Backpacker's Pantry Banana Cream Pie
Backpacker's Pantry Strawberry Cheesecake

These typically weigh in at between 3.5 and 5 oz. each (except for the Blueberry Cheesecake--6.5 oz).  All are prepared by mixing with COLD water (not a problem in May) and the taste and consistency of each was EXCELLENT.  I was both pleased and a bit surprised.

They may not be quite as good as a freshly baked brownie, but then the preparation time is typically about 2-3 minutes and the set-up time 8-10 minutes!  That you can do while you are waiting for your walleye fillets to brown in the skillet.  The other downside is that they all come in foil lined pouches, so you'll have to pack it out (after you burn off the paper, probably) but it does make the package water proof.  Finally, these desserts mix in a bowl, not directly in the package.  I found my miniature whisk very useful for mixing them.

Of course, I threw in a couple of the old reliable packets from Natural High (Three Berry Cobbler and Apple Cinn. Crisp), but they take boiling water and are frankly not nearly as tasty.

So, I'll start my future trip planning with ... How many of these "instant" desserts do I pack?

FYI:  I can't find all of these brands and choices locally, but I did find (and buy) most all of them from Wildnerness Ventures (a.k.a.   (You need to Login or Register) of Irvine, CA using their web site.  BTW:  The used on Wilderness Dining is not an endorsement ... its just who I used.

dd

My personal favorite dessert is Jello cherry-cheesecake.  It's easy to fix but pretty weighty.  I definitely want to try the rice pudding and baked apples mentioned on this thread.  I'm not sure what the purpose of the tsp. of lemonade powder in the rice pudding is.  Can you share any insight Bannock?

Uncle Ben's markets a Cinnamon & Raisin Rice pudding, which is pretty good to this I, will add extra raisins.  It takes about 15 mins to prepare using Milkman powdered milk, which has some butter fat content as the carrier. This has been a standard dessert for me over the past 5 years.

Bona Petite!
flp

just came back from the kipawa area in quebec. i made pudding twice. vanilla once and chocolate once. we buy the cheapest brand there is and use condensed milk. we just add one can of water to one can of condensed milk, mix and cool in a pot in the lake. it comes out more like a custard and is very sweet. if you want it more pudding like just add more water. i also made cherry cheese cake. again bought the cheapest brand there is and used evaporated milk and cooled in the lake and added a can of cherry pie filling on the top when it was ready. i was able to feed 19 people with these receipe's, a large number of which were 14 year old boy scouts with no complaints.

wrote on Aug 13^th, 2004 at 10:51pm:

just came back from the kipawa area in quebec. i made pudding twice. vanilla once and chocolate once. we buy the cheapest brand there is and use condensed milk. we just add one can of water to one can of condensed milk, mix and cool in a pot in the lake. it comes out more like a custard and is very sweet. if you want it more pudding like just add more water. i also made cherry cheese cake. again bought the cheapest brand there is and used evaporated milk and cooled in the lake and added a can of cherry pie filling on the top when it was ready. i was able to feed 19 people with these receipe's, a large number of which were 14 year old boy scouts with no complaints.

Yes.  I've done the same thing on backcountry trips before.  Just keep in mind that bottles and cans are verbotin in the Q, making the use of evaporated milk a bit more problematic (although I did locate a vintage trash dump on my Scripture Island campsite this summer...complete with relic tin/steel cans).

dd

If powdered milk isn't rich enough for your taste, try adding some Coffee Mate creamer.  I used it last year & found it helped a lot.  It's real good to make the instant hot chocolate creamier.

IMHO Sanalac is much better than Carnation. What's really, really good is instant chocolate pudding poured over cheesecake! Two great tastes that taste great together.

I find a wet towel in a windy spot cools a bit better than lake water and you never have to worry about lake water finding it's way into the pan.

Hey dlk - Here I thought it was the rum that made the hot coco thin. I think you put me on to something here. I could just mix a little into the zip-loc at home too right?

 ;) You got it!  Any recipe that calls for milk, I just add some creamer to the instant milk when I'm re-packaging.  We've always used Carnation, maybe I need to try your suggestion - thanks.  

What is blueberry bannock and how do I make it?

A great question, and all you had to do was ask!!

Here it is! old salt's world-famous Bannock Recipe. If you liked Snowdogs laker concoctions, you'll love this one. Bannock can have many varieties, for Blueberry, just add fresh picked, if you are there in season, or use freeze-dried that you bring. I buy fresh and dry my own.

Here's what made the voyageurs sing as they portaged their 2-3 90 lb packs all in one trip. ???

Bannock   8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

4 cups flour
2T baking powder
11/2 t. salt
1 t. cream of tarter
2T sugar
1 cup shortening  (I like the butter flavored kind)
3/4 cup powdered milk (I like db's Sanalac)

Mix above ingredients together until texture is even, at home.
Yield: 6 cups mixture.
I figure 1 cup mix per person, per meal, unless you are double-portaging, in which case you would double it. ;D

I pack mix in a gallon zip bag, so I can add water without messing up a pot. Add water to make a thick batter, pour the batter into an oiled, hot skillet, like drop-biscuits. DO NOT pat down with your spatula, this is a rookie mistake that will win the poor unfortunate permanent dishwashing duties, not only for the duration of current trip, but for years to come until another rookie repeats the offense. ;) After they are cooked 1/2 way, flip them gently and DO NOT pat down. When they are done, serve HOT and they'll make you want to kiss your grandma and thank old salt. We serve with honey. ;)

For pancakes, waffles, and muffins, add 1 egg per cup of mix, vary water. Don't forget to pack the waffle iron and muffin tins if you choose these options. ;D ;D

wrote on Aug 17^th, 2004 at 5:03am:

IMHO Sanalac is much better than Carnation.

My opinion is the same, I always take it.

I also take cherry pie filling, sometimes whole, but usually
dried. It's kind if a gooey mess, but the taste is hard to beat.

-aj

Maybe a couple dumb questions for those using Sanalac in their recipes, but I'll ask anyway.  

Is Sanalac a coffee creamer or a different brand of powdered milk?

You're using the Sanalac INSTEAD of powdered milk?  Can't imagine it being used IN ADDITION to the powdered milk.

Almost anything is better than powdered milk, but what makes Sanalac (or other products) better?  Creamier?  Better flavor?  Not so "thin"?

Sanalac is a brand of powdered milk. To me, it tastes better, not sure why. I always use ''a little extra'' in recipes calling for powdered milk. For example, in the bannock recipe above, 3/4 cup may actually be 1 cup, or thereabouts. I do the same with puddings and anything else requiring milk. 8) ;)

wrote on Nov 15^th, 2004 at 3:45pm:

To me, it tastes better, not sure why. I always use ''a little extra'' in recipes calling for powdered milk.

The best way I can describe the taste difference is that it
doesn't have a "grainy" taste like other products. I still
drink milk with most of my meals and find it to be okay
in the bush. I also like pudding (peanut butter chocolate
is my favorite) and can't tell the difference from "real"
milk.

I am like o_s in that I always add extra powdered milk
when it is called for in a recipe. I am probably different
in that I don't measure. Just pour until you just know that
you have enough...

-aj

I don't measure either. I just provided the recipe (with measurements) because I was asked. Anything close is good, more is better. ;D ;D ;D

PS  Snowdog will offer a different perspective. That's why we're brothers. ;) ;)

Adding extra weighs more.  If I'm not carrying the food pack, we add extra.  ;D ;D ;D

Also - Sanalac comes in a big box full of of individual quart sized foil pkgs. It took me years to go through a box on just cheesecake and pudding and I've noticed no deterioration in flavor.

It's been more years since I used Carnation. The problems I noticed with it were, it wouldn't keep from year to year, it's consistency would change. Caking, yellowing... so I'd have to get a new box every year and even then it had a certain 'boxy' stale flavor. It was OK for choc pudding but not great for cheesecake. Grainy, gritty sounds familiar too.

FWIW - It's been a while since I purchased either so things may have changed. I don't know what either would taste like as just milk and I'd rather have a nobake cheesecake than a real one anytime.

yadda-yadda - Hey it's November:
Since most of my trips are solo, I'll split a box of cheesecake into quarters by weight (as exactly as possible;-)). The required milk powder, mix and crumbs (w/ added sugar) are bagged separately inside a ziplock that with the addition of a little water becomes both shaker and bowl. Add filtered water to the milk and shake. Add mix - shake. Add the butter sealed crumbs on top and wrap in a wet towel while the Walleye is frying... Serve w/ coffee followed by a quiet evening paddle... Pure heaven and the night has just begun. There's still cocoa and rum laced with, oh I don't know, perhaps Coffee Mate? - Life's little pleasures are in the details...

wrote on Nov 16^th, 2004 at 7:25am:

It's been more years since I used Carnation. The problems I noticed with it were, it wouldn't keep from year to year, it's consistency would change. Caking, yellowing...  Grainy, gritty sounds familiar too. FWIW - It's been a while since I purchased either so things may have changed.

Nope.  The Carnation is still grainy, gritty and cakes up and yellows with age.  I've got 3 or 4 partially used old boxes (or should I say bricks) stuffed in the back of the pantry somewhere.  Anyone NEED MILK?  (lol)

But, if you are interested in the history of the Sanalac product,   (You need to Login or Register is an interesting link.

dd

As for powdered milk, my school  cafeteria manager gave me about 10 lbs of powedered milk... two years ago, I have taken what I need to use in BWCA, and the rest I keep sealed in air tight jars and it is still good.  I even use it around the house in making cornbread or pancakes or bannock or other things of that nature that putting milk in makes it better.  I can't remember the brand name of this milk, but it is good...  Mixed with water you can't tell much difference in it and skim milk as for taste.

Bruce

wrote on Nov 17^th, 2004 at 6:52pm:

I can't remember the brand name of this milk, but it is good...  Mixed with water you can't tell much difference in it and skim milk as for taste.

Too, there is a difference between "powdered" milk and "instant" milk.  Carnation, for instance, is an instant milk.  I'm not sure which Sanalac is.  I know that the dry milk at my local Co Op is powdered milk.  As far as I can tell the difference between the two is effort in mixing.  Instant mixes quickly.  Powdered takes beating.  An egg beater is used at home.  On the trail, a whisk or fork will work with a lot of effort.

Now that mixing is to make it "drinkable". The quality of powdered milk is very close to real milk while the instant ... is not.  :-)  I don't know if the hard mixing is needed if using it in recipes.  I just use instant for recipies because it is cheap, easily gotten, and seems to work well.

Has anyone tried Milkman instant milk? We use this exclusively for trips we can't tell the difference between it and 2%. It even taste good on cereal.
flp

Never heard of it. Where do you get it, outside of Florida? :-/

Generally, I do not mix up powdered milk or instant milk either one for drinking in the BW, rather I mix it dry with what ever mix I am planning on using milk with, or that calls for milk in the mixture and then mix it all together at the same time when I cook it.  For desserts that I carry and prepare, I just figure the amount of powdered milk required to make the mixture and place all of it together in a small plastic bag which is rolled tight to remove air and placed in a larger stronger bag marked "desserts" or "Breakfast" to keep things nice and orderly.  By the way... the milk I use is from the USDA, or commonly called "commodity milk" and therefore no brand name... but really very good!!

Bruce

Well, the topic seems to have shifted a bit, but to get back to desserts for a minute:  One of my favorite trail desserts, especially with little kids, is to take crescent roll dough (in the tubes -- pilsbury-esque), take a marshmallow, get it a little wet, roll in in cinnimon sugar (you can add butter if you want too), then wrap that whole thing in a crescent roll triangle dough piece, stick the package on a stick, and roast it slowly over the coals (you have to do it slowly or the marshmallow won't melt).  AWESOME!!!

One other -- apple crisp (you can get a mix) in a dutch oven.

OH!  One other -- oranges, cut  in half, scoop out an eat, use rind to put muffin mix in (some sort of chocolate chip or orange muffin is great, but really anything would work), set in a dutch oven of sorts (or just in the coals) and then bake.  Yum!

Thanks to Alana for these recipes.

Here are a few that we've done.

First off, for the apples, instead of brown sugar we use red hots.

Here is another one, if you like bananas (I don't, but...). Anyways, take a banana, cut a flap lenghtwise so that you can get at most of the banana. Remove some of the banana and replace with mini marshmellows and mini chocolate chips. Replace the flap, wrap in tinfoil and place over the coals for a little while. Remove and eat.

Another nice little way to spice up marshmellows over the fire is to add a caramel square. Just push the marshmellow down a little further and place a caramel square on the end of the stick. Brown the caramel and marshmellow then when you remove the marshmellow, it pulls up and over the caramel.

We do the pudding thing to--it has become the dreaded rite of passage----the passing of the pudding---make a sauce pan of it-any flavors will do--one person takes a drink of it,then stores a mouthful and passes it to the next--faciel expressions are great---we have to doe it every trip now---WE also take metal buntcake pan and center over burner use any water based mix---cakes-brownies-makes awsome biscuts--put fry pan lid on top--just keep an eye on it till its done