But for city slickers like us, RV camping is a fun way to while away the weekend, leaving the stress of city behind. These days, with gas at $4 a gallon, we're certainly having to think twice before going out, but the allure of the road is simply too much to resist.

No e-mails?

No deadlines?

No to-do lists?

No problem.

RV camping is obviously not as posh as "glamping" - a newly coined term for glamorous camping, where affluent travelers pay hundreds of dollars to camp in luxury tents with personal chefs and butlers at their beck and call.

But for those who don't relish the thought of snoozing in a sleeping bag or traipsing into the woods every time Mother Nature calls, RV camping is the way to go.

It's been nearly two years since we bought the RV - 35 feet long and vintage 1995 - and in those two years, we've had many adventures. There was that one hot Labor Day weekend when the mercury topped 110 degrees and the rooftop air-conditioner overheated. "It feels like the edge of hell," my partner complained.

Then there was that night when the holding tank overflowed, causing every sink to back up. And there was that time when a friend's sewer line exploded like Old Faithful.

Yes, there's the occasional mishap - think Robin Williams in the film "RV," and you'll get my drift - but what RV camping has done for me is reintroduce me to nature, hearkening back to my Boy Scout days. It has forced a mandatory shutdown of the cell phone, the laptop and any other gadget that keeps me tethered to work and other adult responsibilities. More importantly, though - and perhaps surprisingly - it has taken me out of my culinary comfort zone.

It's not necessarily "Top Chef"-like pressure - Le Bernardin's Eric Ripert, after all, isn't eagerly awaiting my latest culinary creation. But cooking away from home still made me nervous.

It quickly became apparent, however, that camp cooking doesn't have to mean a steady ration of franks and beans or dehydrated foods. For those armed with the right tricks and tools, camp cuisine can be just as delicious as home cooking, even without your reliable and handy kitchen appliances.

Although we have a fully functioning kitchen in the RV, I have tended to gravitate to outdoor cooking when we camp. You just can't beat cooking over a roaring wood fire or a sizzling charcoal grill. Plus, with the convenience of aluminum foil, paper plates and other disposable items, cleaning up after cooking outdoors is easy.

Foodies with caviar tastes might scoff at the idea of eating a meal cooked in aluminum foil, but when you're trying to squeeze a weekend getaway into a 36-hour window, who has the time to wash pots and pans?

Keeping things simple, it turns out, is one of the top suggestions of chefs and camping enthusiasts when it comes to camp cuisine.

"Make things easy so that you have time to enjoy the dinner and the company of friends," said Brandon Shubert, executive chef at Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas, a camping destination on the Arizona-Utah border.

Evanne Schmarder, host of the online traveling cooking show "RV Cooking Show" (rvcookingshow.com), said many people forget that camping is "supposed to be fun. People stress out over cooking and every little thing, and they shouldn't."

Schmarder - who called in from her RV while traveling in Morro Bay with her husband, Ray - urged campers to "talk to your neighbors. If you smell something good next to you, talk to them. Ask for their recipe. You can head back home with delicious recipes and friendships to boot."

St. Paul, Minn.-based chef Andrew Zimmern, the host of the Travel Channel's "Bizarre Foods With Andrew Zimmern," cautioned against falling into "the Thanksgiving syndrome."

"People who never cook all year long ... suddenly feel like they can put together 12 dishes for 20 people - all at once. ... They aim too high and end up falling short of their expectations.

"You can have the most extraordinary food with the most ordinary of ingredients and utensils," Zimmern says. "Camping should be that. Simple."

DUTCH-OVEN CHICKEN

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon Lawry's seasoned salt

Pepper, to taste

2 1/2 to 3 pounds chicken pieces, washed and patted dry with paper towels

3 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced

2 red or green peppers, washed, cored and diced

1 cup chicken broth

1 can lager beer

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Yields 4 to 6 servings.

Prepare fire, either in charcoal grill or fire pit.

In resealable plastic bag, combine flour, seasoned salt and pepper, to taste. Dredge chicken pieces in seasoned flour.

In large Dutch oven over 20 to 30 white-hot coals, heat oil and brown chicken on all sides. Remove chicken from Dutch oven and add onion and peppers. Saute until tender.

Return chicken to Dutch oven, and add broth, beer, bay leaves and apple cider vinegar. Cover Dutch oven and top with about 20 to 30 white-hot coals. Braise for about 1 1/2 hours.

Note: Make things easy by combining ahead of your trip seasonings and flour in bag in which you will dredge chicken. You can also pre-cut onions and peppers and take them along in a resealable plastic bag.

(Recipe courtesy of Katherine Emmenegger, executive chef at Great News! Discount Cookware and Cooking School in San Diego.)

CHERRY CAMPING DELIGHT

1 box of graham crackers (you'll use two packets)

1 package vanilla instant pudding, prepared according to package directions

1 can cherry pie filling (or another flavor)

Chopped nuts or whipped cream, optional

Yields 6 servings.

Line 8-by-8-inch glass baking dish with 1 layer of graham crackers. Spread 1/2 the vanilla pudding onto graham crackers, spreading evenly to edges. Place another layer of graham crackers on pudding.

Spread remaining 1/2 of vanilla pudding onto graham-cracker layer. Add another layer of graham crackers, then top with pie filling. Spread filling to edges. Chill several hours before serving. If desired, top with chopped nuts or whipped cream.

Tip: Make this the day before beginning your camping trip, and serve it the first night.

- Lou DeFelice, Lakeside, Calif.

CAMPFIRE LAMB

1 leg of lamb (boneless works best)

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Yields 4 to 6 servings.

Find large rock with a flat side or flat section on 1 face. Flat side needs to be at least 8 inches across to avoid any mishaps.

Let large campfire burn down to hot coals. Season lamb to taste with salt and pepper.

Place rock - river rock works really well - in middle of fire, flat side up. Then lay seasoned lamb directly on hot coals, fat side down.

Cook for 4 minutes, turn and cook for 4 minutes more. Place lamb on flat side of rock and allow to cook for 25 to 40 minutes, depending on whether you like your lamb medium-rare or well-done. Let lamb rest off the fire for 10 minutes, slice and serve.

- Andrew Zimmern, host of the Travel Channel's "Bizarre Foods With Andrew Zimmern."

POCKET STEW

2 pounds ground beef

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 large onions, sliced

2 large carrots, chopped into small chunks

2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into small chunks

Olive oil or butter

Yields 4 servings.

Heat grill or campfire. Season ground beef to taste with salt and pepper, then divide into 4 equal-size patties.

Cut 4 squares of aluminum foil and fashion each into a small pocket. Place patty into each pocket, then add equal amounts of onion, carrots and potatoes. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Before sealing pocket, add a little olive oil or butter to keep meat moist.

Place on grill for about 25 to 30 minutes. Once the meat is cooked, unfold the pocket and dive in.

- Tammy Gamboa, El Cajon, Calif.

TASTY CAMPFIRE APPLES IN FOIL

3 to 4 apples

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 cup chopped walnuts

Yields 4 servings.

Peel and core apples and cut into slices. Combine melted butter, maple syrup and nuts in bowl.

Place small handful of apple slices onto a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Top apples with large spoonful of nut mixture. Fold foil, leaving an opening for ventilation. Repeat three times, making 4 packets total.

Place on campfire and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, or until apples are soft but not mushy.

- Janet Thorsted of Utah, in "Camp Cooking: 100 Years."

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