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If you, like many people, have been to Google’s homepage today, (or if, like us nerds, you heard about this already,) then you know today is the 30th anniversary of Pac-Man. Yep, that hungry little puck of yellow pixels has been eating energy pellets, navigating mazes, and doing battle with ghosts since 1980. His influence is undeniable, his appetite insatiable, and his game surprisingly still quite fun. Yes, there were regrettable (if hilarious) consequences to the cultural zeitgeist of Pac-Man, but we try not to spend too much time dwelling on those.

So, in honor of the first guy to turn eating while moving into a cultural pastime, we have here some recipes for RV cooking. Sorry, no instructions for making energy pellets.

Appetizer: Bacon & Cheese-stuffed Mushrooms

• Fry and crumble 4 strips of bacon
• Remove the stems from 15 fresh, large mushrooms and wash the caps
• Combine the crumbled bacon with 8 oz. of cream cheese, 2 Tbsp. of sour cream, 1/8 tsp of dill seed, 3 cloves of minced garlic, and mix well
• Stuff the mushroom caps with the mixture
• Toss a pinch of dillweed on each mushroom
• Lightly butter a baking sheet and place the caps on it
• Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees

Main Course: Sloppy Joes

• Brown and drain 1 lb. of ground beef and a 1/2 cup of chopped onion
• Add 3 Tbsp. of ketchup, 1 Tbsp. of mustard, 1 tsp. of chili powder, and 1 can of chicken
• Simmer for 30 minutes
• Toast rolls or hamburger buns and spoon on some sloppy joe
• Garnish with cheddar cheese and slivered onions

Dessert: Apple Pie Cake

• 1/4 cup of butter
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp. of salt
• 1 tsp. of cinammon
• 1 tsp. of nutmeg
• 1 tsp. of baking soda
• 1 cup of flour
• 1/2 cup of chopped candied walnuts
• 1 cup of diced apples
• 1 tsp. of vanilla
• 2 Tbsp. of hot water
• Mix the ingredients in the listed order.
• Grease a 9″ pie pan and fill with batter
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes
• Serve with whipped cream and à la mode

What is it about cooking on the road or at a campsite that brings out our inner fat kid? Why do we intrinsically crave food cooked in kettles, cast iron skillets, and open-flame grills the second the city fades from view? There are certain foods that, yeah, you could make any time you want, but you really only make them when you travel. S’mores are an obvious example. Homemade beef stew and chili are another RV and campfire mainstay. Anything barbecue is an obvious choice for when you pitch the tent or pull out the awning, but all too often, these nostalgic dishes get abandoned in favor of hot dogs, trail mix, prepackaged food, and other simpler fare. The main culprit for these missed opportunities? Lack of preparation.

It’s all well and good to have the desire to cook up a mess of hearty vittles, but if you don’t have the ingredients or the utensils, you’re out of luck. When you’re preparing your trip, remember to plan for some meals! If you’re camping, most of the ingredients will have to be brought with you or purchased at the closest general store. If you’re in an RV, you have a bit more freedom. You should keep your eyes peeled for farms that will sell you fresh produce (usually for much cheaper than at the store), especially if they let you pick your own stuff. Aside from making for a fun activity and a great vacation memory, it’s even cheaper and allows you to find the plumpest, freshest supplies. If you’re in an area known for its cheese, get some! If you’re in potato country, ask the farmer and his wife about some tasty recipes for hashed browns, skillet potatoes, mashed potatoes, potato pancakes, and the like. If you’re planning on catching fresh fish, don’t forget the garnishes and fresh herbs that will really make the dish sing.

As for utensils, your best bet is to grab a few sturdy, multipurpose essentials. You’ll want a teakettle, particularly if it can be hung over a fire. You’ll want a big stock pot for cooking chili, soup, spaghetti, and anything else requiring a big ol’ cauldron. Include a few different pans and skillets, at least some of which are non-stick to save yourself some cleanup. Bring some Pyrex measuring cups. If you have a seasoned cast-iron frying pan, bring it along too. RV users will benefit greatly by owning a slow or pressure cooker, as you can leave it to slowly cook dinner when you leave for a mid-morning hike. Tin-can Tourists who want to get a little more gourmet can also store food processors, ice cream makers, bread makers, waffle irons, and sundry other comfort food knick knacks.

Last, and still quite important, is eating and serving utensils. That pot of award winning chili you just cooked isn’t gonna do much good if the only thing you have to eat out of is your cupped hands. Be sure to bring along break-proof or break-resistant plates and bowls, mugs, and cups, though not too many. Bring just as many as you think you’ll need before one washing, and make sure to clean the dishes as soon as the meal is over. It’s a lot more eco-friendly than disposables. Some wine glasses can be fun, and if you have an RV, you can handle their safe storage easily. If you’re camping, though, and still feel like popping some bubbly with friends, bring a few pieces of disposable plastic stemware, and rinse or wash it instead of throwing it away. Then you can use it for several nights of inebriated, off-key singing around the fire.

We don’t know about you, but all this talk about travel cooking has us starving. What’s your favorite campground or RV food? What’s your go-to snack? Found any brilliant recipes in your travels? Tell us in the comments!

The cooking range, that is. If you’re intending on preparing a meal in your RV using the liquid propane stove, and it doesn’t seem to be working, what do you do? Well, the obvious answer is to check your tank make sure you actually have any propane. Intense, burning desire to have your food cook has been shown in scientific studies to produce next to no actual heat, so you’ll want a tank that actually has fuel. If you do have the gas, but you’re still getting no heat, your next step is probably to order a pizza.

But wait!

One of the most common and most easily eliminated problems when troubleshooting your stove top is the tendency for cooking gunk to gum up the works. All you need to do to fix it and get back on your way to boiling up a delicious pot of chili/cake frosting/whatever you’re cooking is to do the following:

• First, completely shut off the liquid propane tank valve
• Inspect the burners and valves of your stove top
• If one looks like it’s become clogged, remove it from the system
• Mix some detergent and warm water in a mild solution
• Soak the part for several minutes
• Gently scrub the part clean with a toothbrush or other soft bristled scouring device
• Dry the part completely and reattach
• Open the liquid propane tank valve

There you go! That simple task should help surpass a lot of unnecessary troubleshooting. Granted, if it still doesn’t work, you’ll definitely want to have the system looked at by a professional. You should probably close the liquid propane tank valve again and leave it closed unless you need it for something else or have had your cooktop repaired.

If your propane cooker is broken, it can definitely be a hassle. But look at the bright side. It gives you the moral high ground to order a pizza, guilt free!

Well, I certainly know describing RV food preparation that way doesn’t really make it very much more appetizing. Regardless, something you may not have considered too deeply before you started planning out that RV trip was what you wanted to do for food. Eating on an RV is similar to regular dining in some ways, and in some ways, it’s very different. Sort of like how your high school reunion is different from your time in high school. Yeah, all your old classmates are there. Even some of the teachers. Songs you remember rocking out to as a kid are being half-heartedly plucked out by a local garage band playing for beer money. The elements are there, but they don’t add up to the same thing. Fortunately for you, preparing food in your RV is vastly less depressing than seeing your high school crush has turned into a paunchy grouch that smells like wine coolers.

What the heck? It's only our 10 year reunion!

One major concern is space. No, not outer space (though that does concern us too. Anything could be out there! We don’t trust it),  but fridge space. You’re going to have to really consider what specific perishables you can’t do without, because your real estate for such endeavors is going to be a sixth of what it would normally be. You’ll also want to factor in how well it can handle periods of less-than-frigid temperatures, in case of a malfunction in the unit or a loss of battery power. Most veggies can survive pretty well, but that big ol’ tupperware full of lutefisk is going to go so bad, so hard, so quick, you’ll probably have Homeland Security on your tail. Take stock of where the farms and grocery stores will be on your trip, so you can get the perishables and incidentals on a more daily basis.

Cooking space is also something to keep in mind. While we’re sure someone has found a way to cook an entire Thanksgiving bird in their RV, that person was probably Hercules, and that guy’s half god. Think smaller in everything but flavor. You want smaller ingredients, smaller cookware, and smaller portions, but the biggest flavor you can jam into your comparatively tinier meal. Also, find some canned and boxed ingredients that you like, and spring for the nicer ones when you can. It will make a difference, and will keep eating out of a can from feeling like eating out of a can.

Now, of course you have the option of dining out. There are many fantastic places to eat on the way. Finding great diners and restaurants on the road is one of the best parts of the trip, so pick up a guide to travel eating, or check the internet for highly rated eateries before you get to each town.

Lastly, by way of example, here’s a tiny size, big flavor meal you can easily make with only a few ingredients. If you’ve never had fried green tomatoes before, you don’t know what you’re missing.

• Put 2 tablespoons of your favorite cooking oil (or butter) and heat it in a frying pan.
• Slice up a few green tomatoes. One usually does this in about 1/2″ thickness, but you can vary to taste.
• Mix some cornmeal up with some salt, pepper, some spicy stuff like cayenne or cumin, chili powder, and any other seasonings you think you’d like.
• Toss the tomatoes in the cornmeal until they’ve got a decent coat.
• Fry them ‘maters up in the pan for about 3 minutes each side on medium heat.
• Serve ‘em hot, on a bed of couscous or rice pilaf if you like. They also go great on burgers, sandwiches, or with a steak fillet.

Man, this is making me hungry! I wonder if the lunchlady has any more of that lutefisk.