I have always said that second to the kitchen, the place where I feel the most at home and love spending my time is outdoors. There is just something so therapeutic about feeling the sun on your face, the wind in your hair and smelling those fresh woodsy/ocean/floral scents.
My love of the great outdoors comes from my Dad, as I have many great memories from my childhood of exploring Texas beaches, hiking the Rocky Mountains and camping in many national parks. To this day I’d rather vacation at a national park or spend hours walking the beach over any time at an amusement park or walking around a busy city.
When Eric and I started dating I was astonished that he had NEVER been camping and had only been to one national park. I vowed to change this and immediately set out on a mission to get my city loving guy to be a nature enthusiast. Luckily for me it didn’t take long for him to realize why I loved the great outdoors so much. Over the years we have narrowly escaped encounters with bears at Yellowstone, have hiked countless state parks here in Texas, and camped out in Montana, Wyoming, Arkansas, Tennessee, and of course here in Texas!
We have become quite the campers, carefully planning several trips a year and every once in awhile just getting a wild hair and hitting the open road. However, the last year or so, our schedules have been super busy with work and we have struggled to find time to pack up the tent and trek into the unknown.
Since we have both been super busy and stressed lately, I decided that if we couldn’t get out of the city, I could at least bring a little of the camping fun to our own backyard! Some of our favorite parts about camping is firing up the grill, lighting a bonfire, and hanging out with friends and family until the wee hours of the night laughing, playing games (like cards and ladder ball) and just taking a break from all the distractions and stress of every day life (I LOVE not being able to “connect” online when camping)!
Enter my backyard “glamping” (glamorous camping) themed dinner party! All the things we love about camping (the rustic, woodsy feel) with half the work! This was a great way to have friends together laughing and playing games (no cell phones, TV or internet allowed) around a bonfire, without having to pitch a tent and worry about the lack of modern day plumping! Which considering all the rain we have had lately, was perfect!
To make my glamping dinner party a success, I headed to Walmart to grab everything I needed. Since we do camp a lot, we have quite a bit of traditional camping gear, but since camping can be quite rigorous, it seems like there are always things that need to be replaced. Portable camping chairs and tables are a must and something we are always replacing! Since sitting around a bonfire is such a fun part of camping I also picked up a fire pit, perfect for roasting marshmallows and giving that camping feel! Lanterns paired with outdoor lights made things rustic with a touch of modern, and camping cots added to the outdoorsy feel while providing additional seating. Other themed décor included flannel blankets and scarfs, metal buckets filled with pine cones, fire wood, chalkboard for the menu, etc.
As far as the dinner menu, since top on my list of favorite camping activities is s’mores I knew a s’mores bar was a must (since when we really are camping we keep s’mores pretty basic)! I have done DIY s’mores bars in the past for various events and it is always a hit but this time I decided to focus on the flavors of fall. While at Walmart I stocked up on Honey Maid graham crackers in a variety of flavors, and of course a variety of chocolate, an assortment of marshmallows and other fall ingredients to help make the perfect fall s’mores bar. While s’mores are my favorite, for our actual dinner I kept it simple and grilled Freschetta Brick Oven® Pizzas (available in a ton of varieties at Walmart) and served a simple veggie tray with my go to Creamy Caramelized Onion Dip.
While we may have not gotten a break from our busy city lives for an entire weekend spent outdoors, I’m glad that at least for one night we could have some fun and still have a comfy, warm bed to sleep in! 🙂
Below are all the recipes for everything I served at our glamping party!
Grilled S’mores Stuffed Apples
by Heather H. of Kitchen Concoctions: www.kitchen-concoctions.com
Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Serves: 4
Printable Version
Ingredients:
4 apples (Gala, Granny Smith, Fuji), cored
2 whole Honey Maid graham crackers, broken into pieces
¼ cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup mini-marshmallows
Directions:
Place each apple on a piece of heavy-duty foil. Stuff cored apple starting with crushed graham crackers, chocolate chips and marshmallows; repeating ingredients as necessary. Fold foil over apples and seal tightly.
Grill, covered, over medium heat for 20-25 minutes or until apples are tender. Right before serving thread several mini-marshmallows onto a wire roasting stick and hold over coals or open flame to roast marshmallows until golden. Open foil carefully to allow steam to escape. Top apples with additional roasted marshmallows. Allow apples to cool slightly before slicing and enjoying.
Maple Bacon S’mores
By Heather H. of Kitchen Concoctions: www.kitchen-concoctions.com
Prep Time: 3 minutes Cook Time: 3 minutes Serves: 1
Printable Version
Ingredients:
1 sheet Honey Maid graham crackers, broken in half
1 slice crispy bacon, broken in half
1 piece dark chocolate
1 large maple marshmallow
Roasting stick
Directions:
Prepare campfire.
Place bacon pieces on top of graham cracker. Place chocolate on top of bacon.
Thread marshmallow onto end of roasting stick and roast over open flame until marshmallow begins to turn golden brown.
Once cooked, sandwich roasted marshmallow between cracker pieces on top of chocolate.
Enjoy immediately!
Pumpkin Lovers S’mores
By Heather H. of Kitchen Concoctions: www.kitchen-concoctions.com
Prep Time: 3 minutes Cook Time: 3 minutes Serves: 1
Printable Version
Ingredients:
1 sheet Honey Maid graham crackers (cinnamon flavored), broken in half
1 tablespoon pumpkin butter
1 piece white chocolate
1 large caramel or pumpkin spice marshmallow
Roasting stick
Directions:
Prepare campfire.
Spread pumpkin butter on one half of the graham cracker. Place white chocolate over pumpkin butter on graham cracker.
Thread marshmallow onto end of roasting stick and roast over open flame until marshmallow begins to turn golden brown.
Once cooked sandwich roasted marshmallow between cracker pieces on top of chocolate.
Enjoy immediately!
Creamy Caramelized Onion Dip
By Heather H. of Kitchen Concoctions: www.kitchen-concoctions.com
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Yields: 2 cups dip
Printable Version
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large sweet or yellow onion, diced
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1 (8-ounce) sour cream
½ teaspoon each kosher salt and black pepper
Directions:
Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and caramelized. Set aside to cool completely.
In a small food processor or blender, combine cooled caramelized onions, cream cheese, sour cream, and remaining salt and black pepper. Blend at high speed until smooth and creamy. Serve dip immediately with fresh veggies or chips or store covered in the refrigerator for up to one week.
How to Grill Freschetta Brick Oven® Pizzas:
- Preheat grill on high for at least 5 minutes.
- Remove pizza from carton and clear plastic film.
- Place double layer aluminum foil, large enough to cover the bottom of the pizza, on center of grill. Place pizza on foil in center of grill.
- Turn grill to low and cook for 13 to 16 minutes with lid closed.
Remove pizza from grill and let pizza stand 2 minutes before slicing and serving.
Tips:
- Keep pizza frozen prior to grilling or baking.
- Pizza is done when all cheese is melted and bottom of crust is golden brown.
- Refrigerate or discard any uneaten pizza.
- Due to appliance and grill variances, cooking times may need to be adjusted.
- Weather conditions such as wind or cold air temperature may affect cook times.
Want to plan a fun glamping adventure of your own? Pick up some Freschetta pizzas, made with premium ingredients, including natural yeast, real tomatoes and cheese; and everything you need for killer s’mores, including Honey Maid graham crackers and check out these other fun glamping ideas!
This looks really fun, Heather! I'm a little bit more glamping over camping but I do enjoy the outdoors too. In the Austin area, I've only camped at McKinney Falls but there are so many places I'd love to try!
Heather – Your s'mores recipes all sound amazing, but I'm dying to try the caramelized onion dip! What a fun way to bring a little glamping to your backyard party! #client