Category Archives: camping

Grilling Tips for Your Outdoor and Camping Adventures

One of the best parts about going on a camping trip is bringing along your trusty barbecue. You get a chance to cook truly delicious food in an outdoor environment that is both impressive and intimate. It’s a way for you to enjoy nature while getting back to your roots and wholesome food. And when you and your entire family into the mix, it creates an experience that can’t be replicated anywhere else no matter how hard you try. Outdoor grilling is a vital part of any camping trip which is why you should take care of the basics and throw in a little bit more. When you can put your own intricate twist on traditional barbecue food, it will be further enhanced by the outdoors and your natural surroundings.

It’s important not to skimp when looking for your outdoor barbecue, and spending a little bit more money is always worth it. One of the problems with finding a cheaper grill is that they are often too small to handle family cooking. While it might be able to accommodate two or three people, a more moderate sized family will need a heftier piece of equipment. Thankfully you can get away from smaller models with a midsized product from any of the major brands. They are bit heavier and harder to transport, but that’s nothing that can’t be solved if you have a vehicle along for your trip.

gas grills

You need to be organized because emergency situations definitely can happen, and it’s always best to use a preventative approach. Make sure that food safety is one of your biggest priorities while bringing along several coolers for your food. It’s important that you keep all of your food while refrigerated and organized for the duration of your trip. It’s also a good idea to plan things out on a daily basis so that you don’t run out of food by the end of your vacation. This is a common mistake for people who simply throw everything they think they need into a cooler without keeping proper stock.

When it comes to the grilling process itself, you should ensure that you have a proper area for your chosen gas grills. Make sure that you take care of outdoor safety as well because you wouldn’t want to start any forest fires. Always have some water on hand or even a fire extinguisher to be extra sure. You should always take the time to cook food thoroughly as well because nothing is worse than getting a bout of food poisoning without any local amenities around. It can certainly end your trip pretty quickly which is why you have to keep a careful eye on your gas or charcoal grill at all times. Most importantly, make sure that your fire is without properly by the end of the cooking process to preserve the site properly.

Halloween Figurine

I love Halloween and all of the festivities. It could be that I’m just partial to candy holidays – Halloween, Valentine’s Day and Easter. But I do love the innocent naughtiness that’s connected to this day. It’s fun to decorate the yard for trick or treaters and I love to watch the little children all dressed up. We don’t have small children anymore, so it’s not really necesary to decorate the house. But I do like to set a fun foyer for the children to see when we hand out the candy. (Of course my husband and I do dress up in a Halloween costume to join in the fun!)

I love to put a Halloween figurine or two on the table next to the cauldron holding all of the candy. I’ll also put a figurine or two in the window, shut off the lights and put a small votive candle beside it. The candlelight gives the Halloween figurine quite the creepy glow. Of course I shut the doors to these rooms so the cats can’t knock over the candles. I have two black cats so it’s fun to keep them in the foyer and let them have the run of the yard. They do love Halloween and all of the kids in their Halloween costumes as well!

Great Congealed Salads

If you enjoy congealed salads, consider some great American recipes for flavor combinations. I’m talking about adding fruit and other ingredients to Jell-o in order to create light, tasty desserts. Most flavors of Jell-o are now available in sugar-free versions, so you can make delicious desserts that are low calorie, low carb, and low fat.

Adding fruit to Jell-o

When you’re adding fruit to Jell-o, you need to do it when the gelatin begins to thicken. If you don’t, all the fruit will float to the top. Which flavor combinations do you like? We enjoy fresh raspberries with lemon gelatin, canned pineapple tidbits with line gelatin, mandarin orange segments in orange gelatin, sliced strawberries with cherry Jell-o, and fresh sweet cherries in cranberry gelatin.  Experiment with your own combinations to discover which ones you and your family like best.

Adding cream cheese to gelatin

You can make a rich dessert by adding cream cheese to gelatin, and any flavor of Jell-o tastes great with this creamy addition. Just make sure the cream cheese is soft, then mix it well with an electric mixer until all the lumps of cream cheese are well incorporated into the Jell-o. Once the two are thoroughly blended, you can add fresh or canned fruit and chopped nuts. Top with whipped cream or Cool Whip, and you have a tasty dessert!