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09 March 2009

MeCha Meal Planners: Travelin' breakfasts for a crowd? [More:]I'm going on a work-related field study trip later this month, and we're all divided into food teams to make specific meals. I'm on a breakfast team and need to make 2 breakfasts.

We'll be sleeping and eating breakfast in a camplike cabin with only basic facilities. A stovetop, a sink, maybe an oven. It would be smart of us not to take too many pans and utensils, so simple is good. We need to provide *some* choices but not a lengthy menu of options - no eggs to order, or anything like that.

What are some good breakfast menus that hit the major nutrient needs, are tasty, and are easy to make for a crowd?
Oh, and we have to bring everything in coolers, so perishable things need to survive 2 days in a cooler, chilled.
posted by Miko 09 March | 12:57
Pancakes, scrambled eggs? Yogurt and granola are pretty easy. Hard boiled eggs prepared in advance. Fresh fruit.
posted by doctor_negative 09 March | 13:02
Mr alto and I go on an organised camping trip each year, with about 100 people. There is a basic kitchen, with facilities similar to those you describe, and three people are assigned to breakfast duty each day. Every day there is porridge, made simply with oats and water (large quantity = a long time boiling) and served with milk (should keep 2 days in a cooler) and brown sugar.

Then there's usually some kind of protein source - hard-boiled eggs and/or bacon, usually, and loaves of bread are on hand for people to cut their own, though the logistics of toast have proved too tricky to date.

(then again, I suspect that toast is culturally more significant in the UK than it is elsewhere).

We don't really get choice, though - I'd be inclined to try to keep choice to a minimum, for the sake of the cooks' sanity.
posted by altolinguistic 09 March | 13:10
By "choice" I mean, like, more than one kind of flavored cream cheese. ;) We have done this kind of trip before, so many of the pitfalls are familiar -- I'm just hoping to get away from the same-old same-old. (the same-old is usually: bagels with flavored cream cheeses, or 3 diff breakfast cereals, or a big pan of scrambled eggs 'n' bacon).

I'm thinking of making my newly patented Muesli one option...
posted by Miko 09 March | 13:15
Muesli! With a choice of apple juice, milk or soya. Serve with a dollop of yoghurt and sliced bananas, or berries.
posted by essexjan 09 March | 13:19
If you can bring a crockpot, overnight breakfast risotto or overnight oatmeal are big hits, super easy to prepare (chuck stuff in pot, turn on, ignore til the morning), and shelf-stable except for the milk.

How many people are we talking about here?
posted by Fuzzbean 09 March | 13:48
Breakfast tacos would be fairly simple, if you can do something buffet-style. Eggs and potatoes could be made on the stove, tortillas could be warmed in the oven. A can of refried beans heated up, and you're all set. A bag of grated cheese would keep in a cooler, and a jar of salsa can kept sealed until it needs to be opened.

(I'm a fan of savory breakfasts, and bypass the sweet/cereal breakfasts entirely.)
posted by mudpuppie 09 March | 13:48
Breakfast tacos; they aren't just for breakfast anymore!

I'm a savory breakfast fan too; sweets in the morning make me queasy.
posted by Hugh Janus 09 March | 13:58
I'm a big fan of breakfast tacos. And if you wanted to add bacon (and who doesn't want bacon?!) you could cook it ahead of time and it'll keep in a cooler without a problem. Just heat it up in the oven with the tortillas.
posted by deborah 09 March | 14:01
It's about 15 people.
posted by Miko 09 March | 14:13
Pancakes and french toast are both tried and true. Super-easy.

I once had a recipe for pan-fried "doughnuts" made with Bisquick, but that's been lost to the ages and Google isn't turning up anything.
posted by eamondaly 09 March | 14:23
Will you have access to electricity?
posted by essexjan 09 March | 15:03
yes.
posted by Miko 09 March | 18:05
I love the Omelets in ziploc bags idea, not sure if it's appropriate for your trip.
posted by LoriFLA 09 March | 20:22
Ohhh, we did omelets in a bag a couple years ago for our family reunion. They turned out really nice.
posted by deborah 09 March | 22:32
My mother always made pinwheels for a traveling breakfast thing. If I were going to recreate it, I'd take one of those croissant in a can things, slap a piece of ham and a square of scrambled egg and a piece of cheese. Cut the corners in toward the center, pull the tips in and secure with a toothpick. Bake until the bread is puff bread is done.

We ate them cold from a ziplock bag on many a camping trip.
posted by rhapsodie 09 March | 23:57
Late reply, as I'd gone to bed last night. If you have electricity, then you can make pancakes in advance and reheat them. Stack the cooked pancakes with a piece of waxed paper between each for easy separation and keep them chilled. To reheat, pop a couple in a toaster for half a minute. They'll come out lovely and warm, with a slightly crisp exterior and lovely and fluffy inside and not soggy as they would from a microwave.

Serve with syrup, bananas, berries, etc.
posted by essexjan 10 March | 16:46
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