Last year I did a series of posts on camping … and then the season ended. It’s a shame we only go camping a couple times a year!
If you missed reading those posts, they can be found here: What to pack for a camping trip – General supplies, Cooking, and Other items to consider. (Plus, if you sign up for the newsletter, there is a Camping Checklist and a blank list you can print out and use for your own camping trips!)
Last weekend we used the lists again. Our own personal list seems to change a little each year. We went from diapers and bottles to the iPad (if we allow it / if there is electricity) and child-sized fishing poles. It probably won’t be long before we have to start bringing extra friends, sports equipment, and fight over whether or not makeup is allowed while “roughing it” :-). The kids grow up way too fast!
This camping weekend was our chance to meet up with a couple of my college friends and their families. It’s turned out to be an annual event after the first one a few years ago where we had a big surprise (you can read about that here). Each year it seems our trip is a little better than the last. The first year we had to deal with lots of mosquitoes – mainly because we didn’t know about some gaps in our camper! This year our bug problem was more the house flies biting when the storms were moving through. We were fortunate there too though that it rained Friday night and while we were cooking supper on Saturday, but for the most part it was sunny and not-too-warm! I was grateful there were no major storms. I’m not a fan of storms to begin with but when you’re housed in a tin can (or a tent), they’re even less fun (to me).
We had some wonderful evenings for toasting marshmallows over the fire and making s’mores! sigh I love marshmallows. Especially when you gently toast them over the fire so they are golden brown on the outside and melted completely through so they’re just about ready to fall off the roasting stick. Deeeelicious! I’m not one of those burnt-to-a-crisp fans (the marshmallow below is too burnt for me!) In fact, if you’re one of those burn’em marshmallow cookers, I’m not sure we can be friends (just kidding! ♥️)
Truthfully, agree with my husband on the topic of s’mores. I love marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers, but in most instances I would prefer to eat them all separately. Although I do have my S’mores Brownies recipe which is a big hit – in our house and wherever we’ve taken it.
But there are so many alternatives to the standard s’more lineup!! Not just the one I tried this weekend – using dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate, (I didn’t think it would make a difference, but I thought it was better – then again, I love dark choc!). And I’m not talking about making s’mores waffles, milkshakes, pie, etc. I’m referring to the different flavors you can make!
One of our favorites is this:
- vanilla wafer cookies
- slices of banana
- toasted marshmallow (of course!)
What do you get when you put them all together? Banana Cream Pie! Seriously – give a try, it’s wonderful.
How about doing the same with strawberries? Or, I’m guessing any fruit would taste wonderful with sticky marshmallow. Or lemon curd for a lemon meringue pie. Oooo – I just had an idea: dark chocolate, fresh raspberries, a shortbread-type cookie and the marshmallow. Mmm. My mouth is watering.
Now I’m going to want to try them all! I also found some drool-worthy ideas over at Delish, like the S’mores Krispie Treats or the S’mores Skillet Cookie Cake.
Ok, I’m now going to go for a 5-mile hike to wear off the calories I just visually consumed. 🙂
It sounds like a great camping trip. Though I’ve not tried the S’mores Brownies recipe, I think it’s good. I saved your recipe, thank you.