I am sorry I am so late with this post today, as well as skipping yesterday. It's been a rough one for me. If you've never been pregnant before never let anyone tell you how pregnancy is going to go. Nobody else has been you pregnant before, so, they really just don't know what they're talking about. Anyway, did you know that yesterday was National S'mores day? It's the day when we can all celebrate and enjoy that delicious camp fire treat of a roasted marshmallow, a chocolate bar, and some graham crackers. It's a tasty treat that has experienced a renaissance in the way it's built and presented. Here on our blog we have shared a s'mores variation known as Chocolate Dipped S'Mores Bars. You may also remember this post where we talked about our favorite Campfire Dishes and showed you a picture of the S'mores bar Alicia had at her wedding reception. We love getting together and roasting our marshmallows to perfection over the fire pit in my parent's backyard. I also have fond memories of camping as a child and making s'mores to enjoy over the fire. Madalynn made this other fun variation on s'mores a while back and she is letting me share the how to with you. She used vegan marshmallows since she is trying very hard to eat vegan, but regular marshmallows will still work. She also used 86% dark chocolate and graham crackers without honey. In order to make it you first put the marshmallows on the stick, then coat in melted chocolate, and roll in the graham crackers. Then you freeze them. She also warns to refrigerate them before you serve them or they are really hard. Here is a photo of everything she assembled to make it. She used very dark chocolate, but I'm sure you could use less dark if dark chocolate isn't your thing. (It's my thing, but it is not my mom's thing.) This is a fun variation to use if you don't have a fire pit in the backyard and can't take the time to go camping, but you still need a S'mores fix. Even though yesterday was National S'mores Day, it's not too late. You can make this fun and tasty treat this weekend and enjoy a delicious s'more!
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A few years ago, I had a real problem. My husband and I had taken our two youngest up north for a weekend of camping. When we opened up the chuck box, we realized that for some reason all of our cooking equipment hadn't been put away and the only cooking utensil I had to cook with was one wide blade chef's knife, kind of like this one. Let me tell you, I got really good with that knife. I was kind of like the 13 year old kid in the book by Gary Paulsen, Hatchet, who was able to survive in the Canadian wilderness after a plane crash, with the use of his small hatchet. I could do everything, from chopping up whatever we needed, to flipping pancakes and eggs with that knife. The challenge of having to do everything with only a knife made the trip a challenge, and when I could handle it, it was so much fun and so rewarding! (That was also the trip when a young elk came down the path toward us and stared at us and stomped his foot at us. It was awesome!)
For me, cooking on the campfire has always been one of the highlights of camping. For one reason, food always tastes so good when you are out in the wilderness. I love a camp morning breakfast! The challenge of cooking in different ways is always a blast. One year, we found a really smooth flat rock. My husband cleaned it off really well and built the fire right by/semi-under it and it got nice and hot and we cooked our eggs and bacon right on that rock. The kids thought that was really cool!
Well, guess what! Today is National Campfire Day! So, in honor of that day I have chosen this as our Friday Fave question:
What do you love to cook on your campfire?
As soon as the question was asked, Lindsey said, "I call Peach Cobbler!" She continued, " Growing up the only time I remember having peach cobbler was when we went camping. (If you made it any other time, Mom, I guess I wasn't paying attention.) But, you always made it when we went camping. It was tradition and I looked forward to it every time. Peach cobbler was like family time to me and whenever I have it now, it is comforting. I didn't know people made cobbler when they weren't camping until I was in college!" Ha Ha! I know I made it other times when we weren't camping, but it is cool that she has those good memories of the camping times.
One thing that I used to make to take up with us camping is a recipe called Bierocks! I would actually make those in advance to take up. They are bread dough filled with shredded beef, onions and cabbage and whatever other veggies you would like to add to them. Madalynn says she loves them because they are so customizable and filling! You could grab them out of the ice chest and eat them cold, or wrap them in foil, throw them on the coals and warm them up. Bierocks are versatile like that! They are great for picnics and hikes. (That is another recipe I will have to share!)
Alicia says that she likes s'mores because they are classic and delicious. I know that she lived in a house with a fire pit when she was in college and while she was dating her husband, they would often make s'mores together. Consequently, at their wedding reception, there was a S'mores Bar.
Alicia said that she also loves banana boats because you can load whatever you want in them and they are also super delicious.
I asked my son, Jacob, what he liked to cook over the campfire and he said hamburgers and hot dogs! The old classics are great. And, there is something awesome about staring into the fire as you roast a hot dog on a stick, or a marshmallow, or don't forget the stuff 'm sticks! But, for me, I guess I have to pick anything we make in the Dutch Oven!
I have given you some recipes that we love in the past. Here is a Dutch Oven Breakfast Casserole! And, this Blueberry Cobbler can also be done with cherries or peaches or apples in the Dutch oven! They are all so good, and like I said, cooking them in the Dutch Oven in the outdoors makes them taste even better!
So, let us know what you like to cook on your campfire! What do you put in your foil dinners? We always like to try something new, even in our backyard fire pit! Oh! And don't forget the roasting sticks!
Here are some of the things we talked about:
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Did you know that tomorrow is National Lasagna Day? We love a good lasagna around here. Do you remember Lindsey's Zucchini Lasagna? So good! And, here is the Dutch Oven Lasagna we made in our solar oven! But, there are so many other Italian foods that we enjoy, we decided that today's Friday Fave question would be...
What is your favorite Italian Dish?
(Wocka Wocka! If my son was choosing is favorite Italian "Dish", he would choose his wife who is 1/2 Italian! Her mother is from Italy, so I hope she approves of all of our choices!)
Alicia says that she loves pizza the best. She loves it cooked in a brick oven. She says, "I like how the crust is deliciously chewy and the toppings are perfectly cooked. I like a margarita pizza because it's not to heavy or greasy but just so delicious." Here is a recipe for margarita pizza found on A Beautiful Plate. We also shared my favorite Pizza Crust Recipe and the Upside Down Pizza Pot Pie recipes on this post. Alicia also makes delicious calzones, kind of a pizza hand pie, that I am twisting her arm to share on the blog.
Lindsey says that even though she loves zucchini and zoodles, her all time favorite Italian Dish is Stuffed Shells! Why? She says, "The Cheese! Stuffed shells have just always been so good to me. You have a giant noodle stuffed with cheese and covered with pasta sauce and more cheese
What could be better?" I think this would be a good recipe to share on Renny's Recipes, don't you?
Maddy goes back to the basics and picks Spaghetti as her Friday Fave. She tries to avoid eating an overabundance of meat, so she says that she loves making her own sauce with tomatoes and various veggies that make a delicious, rich, meatless sauce and then ladle it over the spaghetti pasta.
You may remember my version of Chicken Cacciatore that you can make in the Crock Pot. It is a variation of a recipe I found on Panna by Chef Anita Lo. I love chicken simmering in this sauce. The taste is so rich and delicious. The crock pot version is so simple! So, this is the recipe I have chosen to be my Fave this week.
Well, those our Italian Faves! I hope you celebrate Lasagna Day with your favorite Italian Food! Talk to you next week!
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School is starting in Phoenix on August 7th! Wow! It starts earlier every year! But, I don't have anyone starting school. My youngest graduated from High School and he isn't starting college yet because he is first going to serve a 2 year mission for our church. So, I have hit this weird stage of having no children in school. You must understand that my oldest child started kindergarten in 1987. I have been sending children to school for decades! I taught school as a substitute teacher for many of those years. School has been a huge part of my life. Now, that has all changed.
Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying the stage of life I am in now, but I have been feeling a sense of nostalgia as I think about all of those years of finishing up our last week or two of summer before school started again. Unlike many parents, I always loved the summer with my children and we tried to take in as much fun as possible before school started again.
One of the things we liked to do with our kids was to head up to cooler climates in the mountains and pack a picnic with us. (Picnics in August in Phoenix are not very enjoyable.) This picture is of a picnic we took in Utah when we were dropping Lindsey off at college. Everyone looks a lot different now.
So, all of that being said, a few days ago I was looking at an article on ShareASale, one of our affiliate networks, about what people like to take on picnics. I decided to ask my girls what they liked to put in their picnic baskets! So, for Friday Faves #25...
What are your favorite picnic items?
Aside from the food, there a some other must-haves when you go picnicking!
As you can tell, I can go on and on about the fun to be had on a picnic day trip! Our family loves to get together and have fun! If it is cool enough, Don't forget the roasting sticks for marshmallows! You can order telescoping roasting sticks from Dollar Tree and have them delivered for free to your nearest store. They come in units of 4 for $4! Or, try the Stuff'em Sticks that I talked about in this post.
Whew! That is a lot of favorites! Tell us, What do you put in your picnic basket? We would love to know! And please, enjoy your last few days of summer vacation with your kids! Before you know it, those days will only be memories. Make them good ones! |
Creators of Hot Cocoa Bombs! (copyrighted)
Author
Helen Reynolds: Mother of six children , grandmother to eleven! I love to cook, craft and create things and I especially love doing that with my family, So, when my lawyer daughter, Lindsey, my artist daughter, Madalynn, and I came up with the idea of Hot Cocoa Bombs, this blog was born. Then, one more daughter, with her technical and science skills, plus creativity has joined in to round us out! Read more about us here! Archives
June 2024
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