Campfire Cooking - Hurry Up Hunter's Stew is Simple and Easy

On a cool night, there's nothing quite so good or as easy as a pot of stew to feed a large and hungry family. We like stew because it is a simple one-pot meal to make while camping, but it is very hearty and satisfies a hungry crowd. The nice thing about this stew is that you can save time by using canned soup as a base. Progresso vegetable soup, for instance, makes a very good base that you can doctor up. Your own ingredients and a little love make it taste homemade. You can save time by doing some of the prep at home. For instance, cut up the vegetables and stow them in a Ziplock bag. Ditto for the stew meat, which you can also brown at home. If you really want to save time, make the stew at home, put it in Ziplock bags, and freeze. Then just pop it in a big pot to warm up -- it tastes just as good as if you slaved hours over the fire right there and then.

1 can Progresso vegetable soup

1 can vegetable stock

1 large carrot, sliced into coins

1 large potato, cubed

1 large onion, chopped

1 stick celery, chopped

1 pound stew meat

Brown stew meat (makes sure cubes are bite size) in your dutch oven. Add vegetables and saute till tender crisp. Add soup and stock. Add bay leaf. Simmer for at least one half hour. To thicken, add a teaspoon of tapioca. TIP: If cooking over an open fire, don't forget to use a lid to avoid getting ashes in your supper.