Summer Campout Week, Last Day - Would You Like Chocolate With That? ~ S'Mores and More

Oh, the last day of my Summer Campout! I hope I have inspired you to do some camping.

Don't forget to enter the Giveaway! It's not too late.

For chocolate goodness while camping, of course you must have s'mores around your campfire. I agree that they are delicious, but we have decided that we don't like bothering with the pieces of chocolate that can shift around. We have developed our own yummy version of S'Mores. Here it is:

Nutella S'Mores

Instead of using chocolate pieces, spread Nutella (if you have never had this, you are missing out!!) on a graham cracker, then top with roasted marshmallow and another graham cracker. Or you could go wild and spread the Nutella on both graham crackers! Yum! **

Another camping treat is making your own ice cream. We make vanilla, but I like to add M&Ms or mini chocolate chips to mine. Here's the recipe:

Ice Cream In A Bag

1/2 cup half and half
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix these ingredients in a sandwich-size ziploc bag and seal. I suggest double-bagging it. In a gallon-size ziploc bag, fill 1/2 to 3/4 with ice and add 5-6 tablespoons rock salt. Add the double-bagged mixture. Seal and shake, roll, or throw for 5-15 minutes and you will have ice cream! It is COLD, so you might want gloves on. Take out ice cream, add desired mix-ins and EAT!

Have fun trying these out! Thanks for camping with me!

** Now you know why Nutella is included in my Summer Campout Giveaway package! Giveaway details are in yesterday's post.

Summer Campout Week, Day 4 - Activities and a Giveaway

Yes, today is the day of the Giveaway! I'll give you info after the post.

Camping is so much fun for kids (most kids anyway!). There are so many things to do and there is dirt! Does it get any better?

Here are just a few activity ideas:

Hiking

Learning about wildlife

Swimming

Boating

Bicycling

Archery

And don't forget...DIRT!!

Doesn't it look like fun? If not, maybe you could survive one or two nights for the kids!

What do your kids like to do when camping?

On to the Summer Campout Giveaway! I am having a little giveaway of a package of items from the summer campout: Camper's Tea for Two, my collection of Camping Recipes, and Nutella. Um - Nutella?? You will have to stop by tomorrow to find out why that is included!

Just leave a comment on this post to be entered in the Giveaway and 1 person will be randomly chosen and sent an e-mail. This Giveaway is open only through 7/13. The winner will be announced next week.

Come back tomorrow for the last day of Summer Campout Week!

Summer Campout Week, Day 3 - Works-For-Me-Wednesday : Camping Recipes

It's Day 3 of Summer Campout Week at my blog. Are you having fun yet? I hope so!

What works for me when we're camping - easy camping recipes. It's important to keep it simple when you're camping. I learned this from experience and even tried serving camper's lemon chicken and rice once - my husband said, "Honey, this is nice, but it just isn't camping food - it's too fancy." So true - go for the hamburgers, hot dogs, and easy stuff! It all tastes better when you're camping.

Here are 3 camping recipes for you to try:

Omelets In A Bag

For each omelet: 2 eggs, diced ham, diced onion, other desired additions

Put ingredients in a ziploc bag; squish to mix. In a large pot of boiling water, place bags and move around with spoon for 4-5 minutes. Pour onto plate.


Hamburger Surprise

For each serving:
8 oz. ground beef
1 carrot
1 med. potato
1/2 onion
garlic salt & pepper
olive oil
Worcestershire sauce
Foil

Make hamburger patties on foil. Cut up carrot, potato, and onion on patties. Add salt, pepper, and sauce to taste. Sprinkle with olive oil. Wrap in foil. Cook 10 minutes on each side in hot coals.


Campfire Fruit Cobbler

Topping: (mix at home and take in sealed container) each serving - 1 tablespoon quick oatmeal, 2 tablespoons quick baking mix, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Skin, core, and dice large apple, peach, pear, etc. and place on square of foil. Top with 1 serving of topping. Bring ends of foil together over fruit - double fold to seal, fold over ends and seal. Place directly on hot coals for about 15 minutes. Carefully peel back and enjoy. (It's been a while since I had this one; you might have to be careful about scorching the bottom and maybe use some oil on the bottom to avoid sticking.)


Now you have some new camping recipes to try! And who says you have to be in the woods to have these? You can camp in your back yard or even your living room and make these recipes on the grill! Sounds like a fun adventure...

For more Works-For-Me-Wednesday tips, stop by Rocks In My Dryer.

Giveaway? Oh, not YET! Soon, soon...keep checking back!

Lisa :)

Summer Campout Week, Day 2 - Tea for Two-sday: Camper's Tea

It's Day 2 of the summer campout, but it's Tuesday - I always have Tea for Two-sday. So, how can I combine camping and tea? Sun tea? Tea setting on a picnic table? Well, it struck me the other day while I was in the shower (my best idea place!).

I give you Camper's Tea for Two! I want you to have the supplies you need in case you didn't have room for all the tea stuff in your camping gear, or if you're on a hike. All you need is hot water - could be from a stove or a fire!

Now, this is nothing fancy - you're supposed to be roughing it, remember? I used a plastic soap container to put the supplies in. It snaps shut, it's waterproof - and - it's frugal!

Open it up and here's everything neatly packed inside.

Can you believe it all fits in there? Here is everything all spread out: 2 bags English Breakfast tea, some sugar, some dry milk, 2 stirrers, and perhaps most important - 2 pieces of shortbread!

What do you think? Will you try this on your next camping trip? I'm going to use this one; you'll have to get your own. :)

No giveaway yet today - keep checking back!

Summer Campout Week Begins

But FIRST, I have to say Happy Chocolate Day!!
That's right, July 7th is Chocolate Day - I confirmed it on the internet. To celebrate, please go find some chocolate right now before reading any further. Now you can sit back down and munch on or drink your chocolate as you read along...

It's Summer Campout Week on my blog! Even if you're not a camper, you can handle this, because you don't have to go for days with no shower (unless you want to - but then I might not sit right next to you!). And, I will be having a little summer campout giveaway sometime this week, so keep checking back!

Got your stuff packed up and ready to go?

Good! Now you might want to get your tent set up before it gets too dark...

Now we're ready! If you've never tried camping, this is a good time to start. With gas and other costs increasing, camping is becoming a very affordable vacation option. You can take a short drive or a long drive and get away from the hustle and bustle. You can really rough it with outhouses and no showers or you can find campgrounds with full bathrooms, outlets and showers. The prices per night are very reasonable and you get to breathe fresh air and enjoy God's beautiful creation!

No camping equipment? A few years ago, we realized that for the same amount as one hotel night on the coast, we could buy all the basic camping equipment we needed and use it for years. You definitely need a tent (or borrow or rent a camping trailer), sleeping bags, air mattresses, camping stove, lantern, chairs, dishes, etc. Those are just the basics. You can actually find all these things quite reasonably on Craig's List or at thrift stores or yard sales. There are also lots of sales on these items in the regular stores. It's best to look at a camping checklist to make sure you have everything you need. And don't forget Bug Spray and Sunscreen!

Now you'll want to find places to camp and possibly make reservations. Here are some resources to find all that info:

National Park Service
Reserve America
KOA

A great resource is family and friends who know the best spots for camping. Ask them!

That should be enough to get you started. If you're already a camper, hope you get the chance to camp at least once or twice this summer. If you're not a camper, I hope I have made you start to consider it. It is SO much fun for the kiddos!

Stop by all this week for Summer Campout Week (and a Giveaway!)!