6 Easy RV Camping Meals to Make in a Tiny Kitchen that Still Feel Fancy

I just got back from a 2-week RV camping trip in the Pacific Northwest—my favorite region for camping! When camping in a recreational vehicle (RV, caravan, or motorhome) you are traveling with a home on wheels and the ones that we’ve rented come with a small, but complete, kitchen. I will stock up my fridge and pantry at the beginning of the trip and then we are pretty much free to travel wherever we are allowed to park. For this trip, we flew into Portland and rented an RV before traveling along the coast, making our way up to Olympic National Park in Washington before heading back. Although the rental company offers kitchen and houseware kits for rent, I always pack all my kitchenware and cozy bedding for a comfy glamping experience where I still have the right utensils and dishes to make some tasty meals. Cooking in this tiny kitchen on wheels is such a fun challenge for me.

Below are some of the best meals from the trip. Since packing too much cookware is a pain, all my camping meals are made with my trusty camping pan (an older version of this one) and occasionally a small sauce pot. Even if you aren’t into camping, these are easy, mostly one-pan meals made with little hacks and shortcuts that can also be useful for busy evenings at home. While I’m not traveling with measuring cups, I tried to provide enough info to inspire you to try some of these easy (but still seemingly a bit fancy) concepts yourself.

(Note: all “recipes” below worked as 2 servings for meals I shared with Spouse.)

one-pan Pork Belly Silog

Silog is a category of Filipino breakfast dishes that comprise of some kind of meat + garlic fried rice + a fried egg. This lardon style of pork belly is not a traditional meat to have as part of a silog (deep fried lechon is the more typical version) but I feel like this easy camping hack version still keeps to the spirit of a lechonsilog and works well as an easy one-pan breakfast or lunch.

Ingredients

1 package Trader Joe’s Fully Cooked Pork Belly
2 portions of microwavable jasmine rice
Maggi sauce
Garliki fermented garlic paste (or chopped garlic, to taste)
2 eggs
1 lemon, quartered
sliced cucumber (optional)

Procedure

Remove the pork belly from the packaging and remove the top layer of fat. (You can render this and use it in place of oil/butter in another meal, but I feel like it is too fatty to include in this dish.) I like to rinse the excess salt from the pork belly as I find it too salty otherwise; this step is optional. Once the piece of pork belly is prepped, cut it into small pieces.

Heat the camping pan on medium-high heat and fry the pieces of pork belly until they are a nice crisp golden brown on all sides. Use tongs to remove the pork belly and distribute to two plates/bowls. Add the rice to the pan (no need to microwave the rice beforehand). Fry the rice in the rendered pork fat and season with Maggi sauce, to taste. When the rice starts to get crisp in some areas, push it to the side and add a generous amount of garlic to the pan. Saute the garlic until fragrant and then mix it together with the rice. Distribute the garlic fried rice to the two plates/bowls. Squeeze a quarter of a lemon over each plate.

Fry the eggs in the residual pork fat. Distribute the eggs and the cucumber, if using. Serve with the remaining lemon wedges.

Smoked Fish Tacos with Cabbage Slaw

This idea is a perfect way to use your favorite smoked tinned fish or, if you are traveling in an area known for seafood, you can likely pick up some vacuum-sealed smoked fish from a local fish market. This trip, I picked up some smoked black cod/sablefish from an historical multi-generational family-owned smokehouse in Astoria, Oregon but unfortunately, it was too salty for my taste. At least my slaw helped to balance it out a little! If you find yourself RV camping through Seward, Alaska, though, the smoked black cod at Saltwood Smokehouse is absolutely delicious and works fantastically with this recipe concept. This recipe is better if you can plan ahead to give the slaw a little time to marinade, but it is not a deal breaker if you don’t. I served these fish tacos with a packet of this microwaveable street corn rice and half a can of refried beans.

Ingredients

8–12 oz smoked fish, drained
4–6 tortillas
about 2 cups cabbage, finely chopped
red onion, thinly sliced
cilantro
1 lime, juiced
honey
salt
sesame oil (optional)
hot sauce
yogurt/labneh/sour cream/crema

Procedure

In your slaw bowl, start by making the dressing: combine the lime juice, honey, and salt to taste. Once combined, add the cabbage and onion and toss to coat. If possible, allow to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Make the “crema” by combining whatever hot sauce you have with whatever creamy component you have until you get a drizzling consistency.

If desired, heat your smoked fish. Heat the tortillas (over the gas burners, in a dry pan, over the campfire, or in the microwave—whichever method is convenient for you). Just before serving, finish off the slaw by tossing with some cilantro and sesame oil, if using.

Distribute the fish among the tortillas and top each with a portion of slaw then a drizzle of the hot sauce crema. Serve with the easy rice and bean sides of your choosing!

one-pan creamy sun-dried tomato gnocchi

This dish is perfect for the end of the trip when you have some odds and ends in the fridge that need to be used up. I had some baby kale that I was able to throw in for health and I also used up the rest of an onion. A few scraps of aromatics and some greens will certainly enhance the experience, but the base ingredients are also flavorful enough on their own that if you don’t have the other ingredients to spare, you’ll still be able to make a hearty, cozy, cheesy carb dish to fuel yourself after a day of exploring. (This recipe makes good use of jarred sun-dried tomatoes that are packed in oil but I sometimes find these preserved tomatoes to be a tad too salty; give yours a taste before you start cooking to determine if you’ll need to salt this dish.)

Ingredients

onion, chopped (optional)
Garliki fermented garlic paste or chopped garlic (optional)
1 small jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1/2 package Boursin cheese of any flavor
2 tbsp tomato paste
filtered water
1 package gnocchi
salt, to taste
fresh greens such as baby kale or spinach (optional)
grated parmesan cheese packets (optional)

Procedure

Heat the camping pan on medium heat and pour some oil from the tomato jar into the pan. Use this oil to saute the onions and garlic, if using. Use kitchen shears to cut the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces while in the jar.

Add the cheese and tomato paste to the pan, as well as about 1/2 cup water. Stir to melt the cheese and combine everything into a sauce. Add the gnocchi directly from the package and once all the gnocchi are separated, add enough water to barely submerge the gnocchi. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the gnocchi are soft and the sauce is thickened and coating the gnocchi. Add greens, if using, and cook until just wilted.

Serve with sprinklings of the parm packets if you have them.

Steak Lettuce wrap bowls with summer tomato nectarine salsa/salad

These bowls allow each camper to enjoy a little DIY ssam or wrap making experience with the lettuce and seaweed sheets, or they can choose to eat everything together like a grain bowl. For the steak, I used chuck tail flap and the bottled sauce from Nong’s Khao Man Gai that I picked up in Portland as a very versatile condiment for the trip. I have found it is handy to pack one type of sauce that can be used a marinade, dipping sauce, dressing, condiment and more in one bottle; whatever version you have of that can be used to marinade the steak for this dish. For the rice component, a sticky style Japanese or Korean rice would work best here; I used a multigrain blend that I bought in Japan specifically to use as a special treat for a camping trip.

Ingredients

3/4–1 lb steak, thinly sliced
your choice of marinade
1 handful cherry tomatoes, halved
1 nectarine or peach, cut into small pieces
1/2 lemon or lime, juiced
salt, to taste
chili crisp, to taste
cilantro
2 portions microwaveable sticky rice
baby gem lettuce
1 package seaweed/nori sheet snack
1 scallion, sliced (optional)

Procedure

Add steak to a zip-top bag and pour in enough marinade to thoroughly coat. Seal the bag, massage together, and marinate overnight.

To make the summer salsa/salad, combine the tomatoes and nectarine pieces with citrus juice, salt, and chili crisp to your taste. Allow to sit and marinade while preparing the rest of the meal.

Microwave the rice according to package instructions. Plate the rice, little gems, and nori sheets.

When ready to cook, thoroughly drain and wring out the excess moisture from the steak. Heat your camping pan on high and sear the steak. Distribute to the serving bowls. Finely chop some cilantro and mix that into the salsa/salad before distributing it to the serving bowls. Finish off the bowls with more cilantro and the scallion.

Miso-Glazed Salmon and Soba Noodles

This recipe for miso-glazed salmon with Asian beurre blanc and soba noodles by Lucy Rosenberg has become a go-to recipe for me and it is even easy enough to make in an RV kitchen. I made a few small swaps since I was working with a more limited ingredient list and it still turned out delicious! Please be aware that any substitute you make of your own fruition means that you are no longer making the tested recipe and cannot blame the recipe developer if it goes wrong!!! But I was able to make this recipe concept very successfully with the following alterations and without measuring anything.

• Did not have vinegar so subbed in meyer lemon juice

• Used honey instead of maple syrup

• Omitted pepper and red pepper flakes

• Used Trader Joe’s Everything seasoning in place of plain sesame seeds

• Added a drizzle of sesame oil as a finishing touch after plating which is why the sauce looks split but that is actually just a separate drizzle of sesame

• I boiled the soba noodles in my camping pan then drained and chilled them while making the rest of the recipe. I then dried off the pan to cook the salmon. I used my small sauce pot to make the beurre blanc sauce.

Kofte and Chickpeas in Harissa

Unlike the other meal concepts on this list that I tried to keep flexible for common ingredients, this dish relies heavily on a partial can of Heyday Canning Co’s Sauce Harissa Lemon Chickpeas. I stumbled upon this product while stocking up and it ended up being an incredibly convenient and flavorful item to have in my RV pantry; I used about one-third of the can for a shakshuka-like dish and the rest as a sauce for the kofte here. If you don’t happen to have this product with you, you could still make the kofte without the sauce; it’s a bowl formula I rely on both at home and when glamping. Some sort of “Middle Eastern” or North African spice blend will set you up for success with making these meatballs (I got mine from the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul years ago and it still tastes fantastic) and you could simply brown them in your camping pan and serve them with the other accoutrements shown in the photo.

For the tomato and cucumber salad, I added torn pieces of fresh mozzarella because I had that already opened in my RV fridge. Cubed feta, halloumi, or even monterey jack could work well here or you could skip the cheese entirely.

For the rice, I have had some trouble finding a good product to accompany this type of dish. I’ve tried a microwaveable packet of saffron rice and a chicken broth rice as seen here, but was not in love with either. I have tried a few microwaveable lentil packets that I’ve enjoyed; those would indeed work well here too. You could also omit the rice and grab some fresh pitas or naan to serve instead.

Ingredients

3/4 lb ground meat, such as beef or lamb or a mix of both
your choice of Middle Eastern/North African spice blend
1 bread loaf endcap
filtered water or milk
Garliki fermented garlic paste or chopped garlic
salt, to taste
olive oil
2/3 can Heyday Canning Co’s Sauce Harissa Lemon Chickpeas
1 handful cherry tomatoes, halved
1 persian cucumber, diced
1/2 lemon, juiced
cheese, cubed (optional)
1 packet rice or lentils
yogurt/labneh/sour cream/crema
mint or parsley, chopped (optional)

Procedure

Tear the bread into small pieces and add enough water to moisten. Combine with meat and spice blend. Add garlic, and salt if needed. Mix together thoroughly and form meatballs, small patties, or your desired kofte shape.

Heat some olive oil in your camping pan on medium-high heat. Brown the kofte. Reduce heat to low and pour in the harissa chickpeas. Cook together until the chickpeas are heated through.

In the meantime, combine tomatoes, cucumber, lemon juice, cheese (if using) to make the salad. Salt to taste.

Microwave the rice/lentils according to package instructions.

Plate the rice/lentils, saucy kofte and chickpeas, and salad. Add a dollop of yogurt/labneh/sour cream/crema topped with a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of spice. Finish off with fresh herbs, if you have them.

Thank you for reading! The rest of this post will be a collection of photos I took while tide-pooling at Ruby Beach in Olympic National Park. I was able to visit at an extremely low tide of –2’10” on July 15, 2026 (one of the lowest tides of the year!) and was in awe of how many magnificently colored sea creatures I got to see.

10 Ways to Make an Edible Flower Bouquet (Without a Garden)

I love flowers just as much as the next girlie girl but what I love to receive more than anything is the gift of good food. And if your Valentine this year is like me, you might want to consider skipping that generic bouquet of roses for something homemade and edible instead!

One of the most frequent questions I get about making pretty food is asking where I buy the flowers I incorporate into my food styling. The answer is that most of them come right from my own backyard—growing your own edible flowers is the best way ensure the freshest and safest blooms that you can eat. I totally understand, though, that not everyone has their own outdoor space to grow in, which is why I also love creating flowers that are made directly out of actual food. The truth about edible flowers like pansies, violas, and zinnias is that while they make your food look beautiful, they don’t actually add that much, taste-wise. That’s why making your own flowers out of food is an even better option!

You won’t need a garden or access to a farmer’s market to make these pretty and impressive edible bouquets below! Whether you are looking to make a thoughtful dish to wow someone on Valentine’s Day or just wanting to treat yourself or your dinner guests with something special for the eyes as well as the palate, here are 10 ideas for how to make your own edible flower bouquet.

Sashimi Rose Rice Bowls

I love making these with salmon sashimi but you could use any kind of sashimi you wish. Use the thinnest piece and roll it into a tight spiral for the center, then continue to wrap pieces of sashimi around until you have formed your desired size for your “rose”. Serve these over a bowl of sushi rice, which will help to hold the rose formation in place. I usually like to style these with leaves cut from cucumbers. Here is where I learned how to do the cucumber leaves. You could also roll Japanese pickled ginger into roses and serve that as part of your edible sushi bouquet as well.

Charcuterie Board Pizza with Charcuterie Roses

My Valentine’s Day tradition with Spouse is to have a chill pizza night at home. You could make your at-home pizza date even more epic and romantic by turning your pizza into an edible bouquet! For this pizza, I was inspired by my love for charcuterie boards and I other than the melty cheese, I actually added most of the ingredients on top of the pizza after it was baked. Rolling slices of charcuterie like salami and pepperoni into roses is an easy way to make one of the most delicious edible bouquets.

I developed the recipe for this Charcuterie Board Pizza for 3 Little Pigs. You can find the full recipe here on their website.

Radish Violas on Toast

Dress up a simple toast with your favorite spread by adding these cute violas made out of purple daikon. Or make a whole bunch of crostini to snack on while having a romantic movie night at home.

Here are step-by-step photos that show how I made these. I used mini toasts for the base and pâté for the spread in the tutorial but you could use whatever spread as you want. You just need something that will hold the cut radish pieces in place.

For an alternative color option, soak the purple daikon slices in something acidic like lemon juice and they will turn hot pink! You could also use white daikon and soak them in some beet juice to make pink flowers if you can’t find purple daikon.

Sweet Potato Roses on Cheddar-Stuffed Focaccia

Unlike actual flowers, baking can often improve the appearance of flowers that are made out of veggies, curling their “petals’ and making them look more natural. I think that is very true when making roses out of sweet potato and baking them into the surface of an easy from-scratch focaccia. You can find the full recipe for this mushroom, sweet potato, and cheddar stuffed focaccia here on my blog.

Tomato Rose Caprese

I love making these tomato roses in the summertime when I can get all sorts of fun varieties of cherry tomatoes from the farmers market. But you can still make them with regular ol’ store-bought cherry or grape tomatoes; I actually find that it is easier to work with tomatoes when they are firmer, and adding a little sprinkle of salt at the end can really help improve the flavor.

Here are photos that show how I made these.

Use these beautiful raw tomato roses to make caprese, serving them with mozzarella (or burrata) and basil or a drizzle of pesto. Or, make an easy caprese-inspired tart by baking up a store-bought puff pastry for the crust, topping with something mild and creamy for a spread, and filling your canvas with these tomato roses before finishing off with some fresh herbs.

Labneh Painted Toast

I always say that toast makes a wonderful edible canvas. And I have found that thick, creamy labneh works great as an edible paint when it is combined with any number of natural powers to make different colors. You can make your own powders by blending dried herbs and freeze-dried fruits in a spice blender until very fine, and then mix that in with the labneh to get your desired shade. Here are some colors I have successfully made:

• red: chili powder, paprika

• orange: paprika + curry powder

• yellow: ground turmeric, curry powder

• green: matcha, moringa powder, spirulina powder

• blue: butterfly pea flower

• purple: elderberry powder, beet powder + butterfly pea

• pink: beet powder

• peach: hibiscus powder

I like to use a mini offset spatula to spread my edible “paints” onto my toast. And I sometimes use bee pollen or sesame seeds as finishing touches.

Savory Custard Tart with Veggie Flowers

This savory cheesy tart is more custardy than a quiche or frittata, but any of these eggy tart options are a great vessel for holding together a veggie bouquet. Simply make your egg mixture as you normally would, arrange your vegetable pieces, and then bake according to your recipe. I made these roses out of orange bell peppers; I used a sharp knife to cut off the exterior, keeping it intact as one long strip. Then I rolled the strip into a spiral to form a rose. I cut leaves out of zucchini using the same method that I used for the cucumber in the sashimi bowls above.

Root Vegetable Rose Bouquet Tart

Pretty much any veggie ingredient that can be thinly-sliced and made soft can be turned into edible roses. I love making them with beets and fall squash because of the beautiful rich color that the beets bring to the edible bouquet.

My general formula that I have used for the many bouquet tarts I’ve made like this is to make a flavorful short crust and bake it all the way in the tart pan. Then, fill it with a cheesy spreadable filling that does not require baking. Then fill it up with a whole bunch of edible roses! For this specific version that I made a couple of autumns ago, you can find the full recipe here on my blog.

Pickled Pattypan Squash Toast

The cross-section of pattypan squash already looks like the shape of a flower to me so that’s how this idea came to be. Slicing the squash thin with a mandolin and then quick-pickling them allows the slices to become softer and more pliable for shaping them into flowers!

Bell Pepper Poppy Focaccia

I think I have saved the easiest idea for last! Inspired by the beautiful California poppies that grow in my neighborhood, I made this focaccia bouquet design using orange bell peppers to resemble poppies. I just cut the bottoms off of the bell peppers and did a tiny bit of shaping to define the petal shapes a little better. Any tender green stems and herbs would work great for leaves, including even the carrot fronds that I used here.

I hope this list will inspired to make your own edible bouquets at home! If you try one of these ideas and share it on Instagram, please tag me so I can admire how it turned out!