As a family that has been cooking outside for multiple generations, one common question we hear is “where do your recipes come from?”. Our roots are in the deep South regions of the United States; but our travels have exposed us to flavors worldwide. That being said, most of the flavors you’ll find in our meal offerings are inspired by our own home-cooking experience and the comfort foods that we enjoy most ourselves.
In the early years, our camp kitchens were anything but lightweight, packable or tidy. It was only after we realized the power of dehydrated food & ingredients, that we jumped full force into making some of our favorite traditional family meals available to everyone. Translating these family recipes to cook-in-bag camp meals took a lot of tinkering in the test kitchen, and more taste tests than you can imagine, but boy was the hard work worth it!
Our Top 4 Entrees Inspired by Family Recipes:
The Good Day Sunshine Bowl
Straight out of our family recipe box, this flavorful oatmeal bowl is a natural backcountry breakfast. Often filling our mason jars at home, Debbie’s famous granola is packed with whole-grain rolled oats, hemp hearts, chia seeds, amaranth and quinoa and guaranteed to help power you through the day!
Reinterpreted as our Good Day Sunshine Bowl, this concentrated balance of protein, antioxidants, essential fats, minerals and fiber helps regulate your digestive system, provide an energy boost and help keep you fuller longer! Grab your Sunshine Bowl and let’s get hiking!
Learn more about The Good Day Sunshine Bowl
Many Beans Salad
Grandma was famous for her bountiful garden and she incorporated her harvest generously into family meals. Her love of vegetables meant that the traditional three bean salad was a Many Beans Salad at our table with the more beans and vegetables in the bowl, the better!
When creating a backcountry version of a bean salad, including a multitude of veggies (and micronutrients!) was a no-brainer and thus Grandma’s Many Beans Salad was served up for the outdoors.
Learn more about The Many Beans Salad
Dottie’s Chicken & Dumplings
Debbie’s mother, Dorothy, was well-known for her scratch-made cooking and Southern chicken and dumplings was a meal that brought everyone to the table. A long running family joke meant that many a phone call began with “Momma – now, how do you make those dumplings?” and led to laughs and long chats even after everyone knew the recipe by heart.
Creating a dish for the family business named after our much loved matriarch is an ode of love to Dorothy, known as Dottie to her friends and family.
Learn more about Dottie’s Chicken & Dumplings
Mom’s Banana Pudding
Served at family gatherings, taken on picnics and even on campouts Banana Pudding was a popular dessert in our home, made with careful layers of fresh bananas, pudding and vanilla wafers. And since it’s made with bananas, leftover pudding sometimes found it’s way onto the breakfast menu too!
While the dried version discourages anyone to snag a bite before the dish has been prepared, we do keep a secret stash of cake toastees in the office for those of us who just can’t resist the delicious treat 🙂
Learn more about Mom’s Banana Pudding