My Scandalous Affair With Stove Top Stuffing I Trail Cooking

Long, long ago, in the dark ages of outdoor cooking, there were so few carb options to add to meals. I mean, it was bad enough with how few trail recipes existed then, but we didn’t have what exists now.

There was no Amazon, full of easy-to-use choices you could have in 1-2 days. Even the few REI locations had only a small wall of freeze-dried meals and a very, very tiny section of ingredients you could use. Finding freeze-dried peas was an achievement (the Seattle REI sometimes had them); usually, I had to order from the Campmor catalog and wait up to 2 weeks for my order. Imagine if my kids had to wait 2 weeks these days…..

As I started hiking and backpacking more, I started thinking about what recipes I could make. What only needed boiled water. And sitting time to rehydrate.

I sound like an old cranky person when I say, “The young hikers these days… they don’t know how good they have it!” And yet, it is truthful. I mean…I am talking only about 2001. 25 years ago, many hikers were not even that old. They only know a time when the internet existed, with the ability to shop online and access many dehydrated or freeze-dried ingredients. I mean… in 2001, I never thought I would own a freeze-dryer at home.

We had very limited choices (which is why the first cookbook is so streamlined in ingredients), especially for carbs. We had instant rice, instant couscous, mashed potatoes, ramen, and…..Stove Top Stuffing mix.

And I have always been a fan of that salty, bready choice.

Plus, it was affordable, easy to make, and filling.

And did you know that just like ramen bricks, you can eat the stuffing dry? A salt-lock crunchy carb, as you tootle down the trail. Yum yum!

I ate so much stuffing I got a new trail name: Stove Top Stuffing Sarbar.

You should all be happy that modern food came along and I found other things to eat……and that no photos exist of me eating it (let’s be grateful for that….)

That first meal:

It’s early summer of 2002. I am starting to backpack a lot. I cannot afford freeze-dried meals for every trip. I learned that in 2001. I had a ladies’ hiking group on the Backpacker forum, and we decided to take a trip in Olympic National Park.

We were going up for a couple of nights, so I had to think about food.

I snagged a single-serving packet of Mountain House-branded freeze-dried peas, a can of chicken breast with a pop-top lid… and a packet of Stove Top Stuffing, chicken flavor, of course. (My sweet backpacking tent from Target is in the middle. Oh, those were the days!)

You want that delight of a “recipe”? This is it, except for my bougie self added in butter powder when I revisited it.

I ate that same meal far too many times, and found so many ways to eat mushy bread while hiking.

Stovetop Stuffing and Chicken

In a gallon freezer bag:

1 6-ounce box Stove Top Stuffing (use lower sodium)
½ cup freeze-dried chicken
½ cup freeze-dried green peas
¼ cup butter powder

FBC Method:

Place the freezer bag in an FBC Cozy or similar. Add 2½ cups boiled water and stir well. Seal it tightly and let it sit for 15 minutes. Fluff up and serve.

One Pot Method:

Bring 2½ cups water to a boil, and add the dry ingredients. Stir well, cover tightly, and let it sit for 15 minutes. In cooler temperatures or at high altitudes, insulate the pot. Fluff up and serve.

Serves 2.

Notes:

I used canned chicken breast with a pop-top lid back then. You would want a 5-ounce can.

Stovetop stuffing usually takes 1½ cups of water + butter to prepare. The extra 1 cup of water is for the peas and chicken. Should you use canned chicken, reduce the water to 2 cups total. You do not need to drain the can of chicken; the broth adds flavor.