Cooking while on vacation - What do you cook?

[Aggiemom]

We are staying at the BCV with a full kitchen this trip. My biggest challenge is finding recipes/ideas without a ton of ingredients. I don't want to have to bring a lot with me since we are flying in and only plan on 1 grocery stop. I would love to hear your ideas of what you cook while on vacation.

So far I have:
Breakfast

I have Egg in a Hole, Cereal (hot & cold), Egg and Bacon burritos, yogurt parfaits, and fruit.

Lunch

Sandwiches and salads

Dinners

Rotisserie chicken, fresh pizza, chicken korma (jarred sauce) with rice, penne with italian sausage & sauce, fajitas with rice, Philly cheese steaks

[bnoble]

What do I cook? Very little.

We *always* stay in a unit with a full kitchen, in Orlando or elsewhere. Breakfast is usually toaster waffles, cereal, pre-cooked bacon, and pre-cut fruit. I do make real coffee, but that's it. I used to make scrambled eggs, which are dead easy, but I don't even bother with that anymore.

Lunch? We are almost always in a theme park, so that's where we eat. If we aren't, it was a sleep-in day, but that means we usually go out for brunch.

Dinner is usually in a park as well, after an afternoon break. If we are taking the night off, I'm as likely or not to call in for delivery, or in a pinch I will go to the nearest Publix or Winn-Dixie for a rotisserie chicken. If I am forced to cook, it is something dirt simple: tacos, spaghetti, etc.

Edited to add: in other words, just because you have a kitchen, doesn't mean you have to use it. On the other hand, having a blender right there in your room and/or real wine glasses and a salsa bowl is a really good thing.

[Brandie]

We discussed this a while ago . . .

Here it is: Meals at "home", over in the DVC forum. There's some good ideas over there!

[josh]

Coffee pot hot dogs usually. I made the easiest Chicken "Parm" ever the other day: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-parmigiana/ Not as good as something with 50 ingredients, but good, filling, cheap, and easy.

[George]

... pre-cooked bacon...

OK, now we're even after my shaving-with-Dove-body wash admission.

[bnoble]

OK, now we're even after my shaving-with-Dove-body wash admission.

Nonsense. Pre-cooked bacon is not Real Bacon, but it is closer to that than it is to "ham".

And, you still need to get a soap-and-brush kit. Thank me later.

[Janine]

Lunch? We are almost always in a theme park, so that's where we eat. If we aren't, it was a sleep-in day, but that means we usually go out for brunch.

Same

Dinner is usually in a park as well, after an afternoon break. If we are taking the night off, it is something dirt simple: tacos, spaghetti, etc.

Same exact things. Pasta or tacos (and salad), or take-out by the pool.

Breakfast is quick (we're trying to make RD), cereal, yogurt, quick bread (that I made and froze at home and brought with me in a suitcase), fruit or granola bars. And real coffee!!

[Aggiemom]

We discussed this a while ago . . .

Here it is: Meals at "home", over in the DVC forum. There's some good ideas over there!

Brandi, I read through the posts there saw a lot of crock pot recipes. There were some yummy looking recipes, but I don't think we'll have a crock pot in the unit. I didn't think it would hurt to start the discussion again and hope for some fresh ideas.

[George]

Nonsense. Pre-cooked bacon is not Real Bacon, but it is closer to that than it is to "ham".

And, you still need to get a soap-and-brush kit. Thank me later.

I'll keep you posted.

[dmandaro]

Hi. We stay at our timeshare with a full kitchen. This was our menu and grocery list for the week of July 4th - our timeshare does the shopping for us. We are 2 adults and 3 children.

Frozen pizzas baked in oven, bagged salad
Macaroni with red sauce, bagged salad
Chicken breast baked in oven with lemon juice and olive oil, parsley, paprika, salt, bagged salad, baked potatoes from the microwave, apple sauce, Pillsbury crescent rolls
Macaroni and cheese, frozen broccoli
French Toast, pancakes, bacon, eggs, fruit, coffee, grilled cheese

Grocery FROZEN Food Items
Two boxes of Frozen Low Fat Buttermilk Aunt Jemima Waffles
One bag of Green Giant Steamers – Broccoli (NO SAUCE)
(2) Freschetta Brick Oven 5 Italian Cheese Pizza (Square pizza)

Grocery COLD Food Items
Carton of Eggs
(2) 96 oz. Lactaid Milk (Dark Blue Cap)
One Coffee Mate Fat Free Hazelnut Creamer – 32 oz
One stick of Butter
One box (they come 8 to a box) of Yoplait Go-gurts (any flavor)
One 16 oz. container of Chobani Vanilla Yogurt
(2) Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
One container of Sabra Hummus - Classic
1 pound Boar’s Head Turkey
1 pound Boar’s Head Lacey Swiss
¼ pound of Boar’s Head Low Sodium Ham
One package low sodium Oscar Mayer Bacon
One package of Perdue Fit and Easy Boneless, Skinless chicken breast

Grocery Fruits / Veggies
Bananas – on the greener side
Pint Blueberries
Pint Strawberries
½ pint Raspberries
(2) packages Mott’s Sliced Apples (red apples) – NO DIP
Purple or Green Grapes – as long as they are sweet
Bag of Baby carrots
5 Bags Fresh Express prepared salad KITS (Caesar Lite Kit, Strawberry Fields kit)
One Lemon
(3) Microwaveable baked potatoes

Grocery Food Items
Box of Multi Grain Cheerios
Box of Regular Cheerios (yellow box)
Box of Honey Comb Cereal
1 box of Nutrigrain Cereal Bars – Apple Cinnamon
Aunt Jemima Lite Syrup
1 package of Weight Watchers Multi Grain Bread
2 packages of Martin’s Potato Sandwich Rolls
2 cases Bottled Water
(1) 28 oz can of Tuttorosso New World Style Crushed Tomatoes with Basil (can is green)
1 Box of Stay Fresh Ritz Crackers
1 six pack of Motts NO SUGAR ADDED Apple Sauce
1 box of Ronzoni Ziti
1 box of Ronzoni Elbows
Small Filippo Berio olive oil
One small 16 oz. Velveeta original cheese loaf
2 boxes of 100 Calorie Packs Pringles 8-packs
1 box Microwave Popcorn, 94% fat free – any brand
1 package of Reduced Fat Chips Ahoy Cookies
1 2-liter bottle of Coke Zero
6 pack of Budweiser LiteThings to bring from home

Bring from home:
Paprika, Parsley, Kosher Salt in baggies
Cinnamon in baggie
2 tbs Flour for mac and cheese in baggie
(all placed in a small tupperware)

[annie415]

OK I am throwing some idea, very simple

1) rotisserie chicken, with leftover eithe a fried-rice (soya sauce) with chicken and wathever vegetable you have, then heat some egg-roll with it, or do a chicken-noodle with the left-over, it is a nice simple lunch that my kids love, or do chicken-salad sandwich.
2) cook some italian sausage for one night, with leftover do a penne pasta with tomato sauce end sausage and some grated cheese OR do some italian sausage sandwich
3) tacos night, with leftover make a tacos-pizza (just buy pizza pie, pizza sauce and grated cheese) with salad OR do a tacos salad with the leftover

I would keep it simple. I know I would eat lunch at the parks, so really just some easy breakfast and some easy dinner.

[Brandie]

Brandi, I read through the posts there saw a lot of crock pot recipes. There were some yummy looking recipes, but I don't think we'll have a crock pot in the unit. I didn't think it would hurt to start the discussion again and hope for some fresh ideas.

Aggiemom, you are right . . . lots of crockpot recipes. It isn't a problem to bring it up again. (That other thread is pretty old, so I wasn't sure if you'd seen it.)

[bnoble]

I'll keep you posted.

If you want, I'll send you one. Kind of like the corner dope pusher, first one's free.

And, in the cold light of day, you are right. Pre-cooked bacon is pretty shameful.

[George]

If you want, I'll send you one. Kind of like the corner dope pusher, first one's free.

And, in the cold light of day, you are right. Pre-cooked bacon is pretty shameful.

Much like shaving with Dove Body Wash is a poor substitute for the real thing, I'd wager.

Thanks for the generous offer, but let's up the ante a bit. I'll invest in a good shave kit if you'll try Benton's bacon. You can mail order it, but I think Zingerman's might sell it.

[bnoble]

I think Zingerman's gets most of their bacon from Neuske's (and it is delicious), but I will find out.

[bnoble]

Crap. You are reminding me that I missed Camp Bacon. Again.
http://www.zingermanscampbacon.com/?...mpaign=zcobbar

[bnoble]

Looks like it is in their mail order catalog. I will have to stop over there to see if they also have it at the deli.

[featherface]

I like to keep it easy as well as somewhat healthy. Breakfast is cereal, yogurt, muffins & cereal bars. Lunch is usually in the parks but I pack snacks for the littles, cookies, pudding cups, cheese crackers, apples. If we happen to be at the hotel for lunch (even when we stayed at the POP) lunch was soup n lunchmeat sandwiches. For dinner I like to fix enough food to last more than one night. For our next trip I'm going to barbaque pork steaks, hamburgers, hot dogs & brats on arrival day. I'll make enough for 3 days. Then put them in there own containers in the frig. I'll also make a large amount of baked beans and coleslaw and grill a bunch of corn on the cob with the husks still on. leaving the husks on the corn keeps them from drying out in the frig, then just microwave (with the husk still on) 1 ear at a time for 1 minute. When you peal off the husk the corn will still be fresh. Then in the evening I can just heat up some of the meat in a pan of barbaque sauce, and microwave the beans, corn or whatever.. It's also easy to make smushed potatoe's to to go with it., just put whole unpealed potatoes in boiling water until they get soft, then hold them under cold water and pull the skins off with your fingers or just leave them on, put them back in the pan with some butter and a pack of dry onion soup mix or dry hidden valley ranch dressing. It's very easy and dont take long. Then after the 3rd day we're ready for a day off and I can cook some more stuff. Another thing I like to do is cook chicken breast with a can of cream of chicken soup in a crock pot. Then it's really easy to boil some egg noodles to go with it in the evening.

[George]

Crap. You are reminding me that I missed Camp Bacon. Again.
http://www.zingermanscampbacon.com/?...mpaign=zcobbar

Drat. Next year?

As a consolation prize, during your upcoming DLR trip, you can take a detour to Slater's 50/50 for a burger. Their 50/50 patty is, yup, 50% ground beef and 50% bacon. During the month of July, they're offering a 100% ground bacon patty, which may be offered past July based on popular demand.

I love Neuske's too, but man, you have to try Benton's.

[dannyjojo]

My in-laws own a condo near WDW, which they don't rent out. Most of the time they & the various family members drive, so the freezer is stocked with homemade lasagna, steak, lamb chops. The pantry has home canned tomatoes to make spaghetti sauce, etc. And the once canned strawberry jelly so they didn't have to bring more down over the next year or so (strawberry jelly is a staple food for the grand kids). Basically, if Nonna makes it at home, she will also make it at WDW.

[3Caballeros]

Home-made PIZZA!

Our girls had some friends over the other night and my plan was for everyone to make their own individual pizzas for dinner. Then, zip zow plooooey! Huge storm rolled in and out went our power for the next 3 days. Well, back to dinner. No power. How am I going to bake these pizzas? The gas grill!
Oh, my! They were the best pizzas ever! But, you don't have to use a grill for this to be a simple and SUPER easy meal.
I get the individual pre-made pizza crusts (Mama Mia is my brand of choice and can be found at Super Wal-Mart), your favorite jarred marinara sauce, Hormel's no-nitrate pepperoni and different shredded cheeses. We assembled these by candlelight and enjoyed them immensely! Few ingredients and fun
When not grilling these delightful dinners, just bake in the oven or toaster oven until cheese is bubbly.

[Lotus14]

Stouffers is your friend! Our last trip, we had their mac and cheese as well as the lasagna for different meals. Yes, it's not homemade but it's still cheaper and easier than eating out sometimes. We also had a meal of fish sticks (I have little kids) and another baking frozen ravioli topped with jarred spaghetti sauce and topped with mozzarella. Along with a bagged salad or some microwave steamed veggies.

When we camp, we make taco salads using taco meat, lettuce, and Fritos. It's a HUGE treat for the kids because they don't get Fritos at home and it's SUPER fast to make.

We keep it very simple for breakfast at home and on the road. Cold cereal, frozen waffles, Pop Tarts, instant grits. We'll eat out just one breakfast on a trip because we're trying to make rope drop. Lunch is usually in the park or out. Dinner is sometimes in, sometimes out but we never make a big fuss over it. I'm willing to cook some to save some cash/time, but I'm not willing to go crazy buying lots of ingredients and spending lots of time prepping food.

[Brandie]

My in-laws own a condo near WDW, which they don't rent out. Most of the time they & the various family members drive, so the freezer is stocked with homemade lasagna, steak, lamb chops. The pantry has home canned tomatoes to make spaghetti sauce, etc. And the once canned strawberry jelly so they didn't have to bring more down over the next year or so (strawberry jelly is a staple food for the grand kids). Basically, if Nonna makes it at home, she will also make it at WDW.

Ooh! Does Nonna deliver to DVC resorts?

[blyday]

Drat. Next year?

As a consolation prize, during your upcoming DLR trip, you can take a detour to Slater's 50/50 for a burger. Their 50/50 patty is, yup, 50% ground beef and 50% bacon. During the month of July, they're offering a 100% ground bacon patty, which may be offered past July based on popular demand.

I love Neuske's too, but man, you have to try Benton's.

LOL.....I loved how you 2 had this entire conversation in the middle of this thread and everyone else just went on with the thread topic around you!!!!

That said....saw this post and had to go and check this place out. I'm thinking that might be worth a cab ride this upcoming September when we are at DLR!!!!!

[Pampered Mom]

They need to start a bacon thread, though they would probably ban me after I tell them the different ways I cook it. Mmmm, bacon.