S'mores Party and Backyard Campout

I couldn’t be more thrilled to kick off the second annual S’mores week here on Kitchen Concoctions.

What makes me more ecstatic than anything is that to kick off my second annual S’mores Week, I hosted a S’mores Party and Backyard Campout! Uh, can you say I was giddier than a school girl planning and preparing for my party (if you follow me on Instagram (and I think you should. Wink. Wink.) you saw some photos of the party).

And while I wish I could have invited each and everyone of you to my backyard bash, I hope that you have fun attending my virtual recap of my fun s’mores party and even get some ideas to host your own.

To get ready for my party I first planned my menu and went shopping for food and all things s’more. I wanted to keep the dinner menu easy and stress-free, and rather simple because I wanted the s’more to be the star of the party.

For the main meal I set up a hot dog ‘bar’. We grilled hot dogs and I set up a table with various hot dog toppings as well as the side dishes. Classic hot dog toppings we served at the ‘bar’ were ketchup, several types of mustard, mayo, relish, onions, and cheese. I also made up a batch of peppers and onions to have as a topping and of course hot dogs wouldn’t be complete without being topped with chili (I chose to serve this version of AllAmerican BBQ Chili Dogs). I hadn’t planned on serving hamburgers but had a last minute request for them, and I aim to please, so they were served with all the fixin’s as well. Side dishes consisted simply of a fruit salad, potato salad, grilled corn on the cob, and rice balls.

Because I was doing most of the cooking and because our party theme was so simple I kept the décor pretty basic (I apologize but I honestly forgot to take any pictures of this). Being a backyard ‘campout’ I just utilized our backyard décor and the natural setting we were in. We pitched a tent (you can’t campout in the backyard without one) and had our patio furniture, the food table, the s’mores bar, the grill and fire pit, and of course the plants and trees. Since s’mores get messy we opted to use paper plates and napkins for serving and I picked up a disposable tablecloth (I had envisioned a red and white checkered tablecloth but couldn’t find one).

Now for the DIY S’mores Bar!!! This was so much fun and enjoyed by all. All of my guests could not believe the selection of chocolate candy, flavors and various sizes of marshmallows and variety of graham crackers that made up the S’mores Bar. I mean, I am a self-proclaimed s’mores freak so I spared no candy, mallow, or graham for this event! The party goers were so impressed with the selection and had a blast coming up with different flavor combinations. And who doesn’t love standing over a fire pit and roasting a mallow into a hot gooey mess!

To make sure your s’mores bar is stocked to it’s full potential use the following list as a guide line:

S’mores Bar Check List:

Graham Cracker or Cookie Options:

Traditional Graham Crackers

Chocolate Graham Crackers

Cinnamon Graham Crackers

Vanilla Wafers

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oreo Cookies

Shortbread Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies

Marshmallow Options:

Jumbo Sized Traditional Marshmallows

Large Traditional Marshmallows

Mini Traditional Marshmallows

Peppermint Marshmallows

Strawberry Marshmallows

Toasted Coconut Marshmallows

Chocolate Marshmallows

Caramel Swirl Marshmallows

Chocolate Candy Options:

Peppermint Patties

Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Candy Bar

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Hershey’s Cookies and Cream Candy Bar

White Chocolate Candy Bar/Candy Melts

Mounds

Mr. Goodbar

The possibilities are truly endless!!! Especially if you host your S’mores Party at various times of year where the candy and mallow choices have larger selections.

And here are some of our favorite flavor combinations:

The Christmas S’more:

Cinnamon Graham Crackers

Peppermint Marshmallow

Peppermint Patty

The Chocolate Covered Strawberry S’more:

Strawberry Marshmallow

Strawberry Jam (spread on both sides of graham cracker)

Hershey’s Chocolate Bar

Chocolate Graham Cracker

The New York Cheesecake S’more:

Strawberry or Traditional Marshmallow

White Chocolate Candy Bar/Candy Melts

Traditional Graham Cracker

Cookies and Cream S’more:

Traditional Marshmallow

Oreo Cookie or Chocolate Graham Cracker

Cookies and Cream or White Chocolate Candy Bar

The Sinful S’mores Concoction:

Chocolate Graham Cracker

Mounds Candy Bar

Toasted Coconut Marshmallow

You could even take your s’mores bar up a notch and have a whole slew of s’mores flavored desserts as well. Some of my favorites are S’mores Snack Mix, S’mores Candy Bar, S’mores Doughnuts, The S’more Cookie, ChocolateBar S’mores Pie.

It made me so happy to see all the smiles on everyone’s face as they experimented with different flavor combinations, roasted their marshmallows and made a mess. A DIY S’mores Bar would be a hit at any get together or gathering and would be truly an event to remember. How can you not love a S’more; it seriously brings out the kid in you! This is surely a tradition we will repeat over and over again!

Disclosure: This post is part of Foodbuzz June 24x24. Foodbuzz24x24 is an online round-up of dinner parties or social gatherings hosted by 24 fabulous Foodbuzz Featured Publishers within 24 hours.