Oh the nostalgia. Good Old Yogi Bear. I wasn’t even sure if the boys knew who Yogi Bear or Boo-Boo were, but they still enjoyed seeing the larger than life characters greet campers young and old. Even Benny gave him a high five (very out of character).

When we first pulled into camp all the boys saw was the waterpark to their left and they couldn’t contain their excitement.  Levi went down the slide close to 50 times, no joke. My husband can contest to that because an adult had to go with him each time because he was under the height requirement. Levi is still asking “when can I go down the water slide again?”

There was a little rain off and on, but we were able to grab some ice cream and walk around the Hartville Flea Market. Both of the kids branched out from their normal ‘cotton candy’ flavors. Levi ate mint chocolate chip and Benny devoured Strawberry Cheesecake.

I find it odd that Levi still gravitates toward being a lefty when it comes to sports. He definitely writes right handed. But when it comes to hitting a baseball or even bowling, he always wants to throw with his left. Same with Putt-Putt. Notice…Lefty?!?!

This place really offered a lot fun activities. Outback Ray came Saturday morning. This was so fun. He brought a huge variety of animals. The kids were captivated the entire show. Levi was even a volunteer.

Yes, that is Levi with a Mexican Black Snake wrapped around his body. Way braver than his momma, for sure!

On to the Menu!

Make Ahead Meal #1- Campfire Mac n’ Cheese:

This was easy and delicious! Levi took one bite after much persuasion, but he was a no-go for the mac. Next time I will switch up the noodles to a more “kid friendly, looks like Annie’s mac n’ cheese” version.

I made these up the night before. I started with making the pasta. I tried a new type, chickpea pasta. Are they healthier for you? I have no idea, but would assume. I plan on doing a little more research. I would love feedback on that if anyone has any words of wisdom on substituting chickpeas for flour. I have recently made a delicious cupcake recipe using chickpeas…so good!! (I will add a post about it under my 5F’s – ‘FOOD’). But I digress.

I did follow a recipe for the meal, but lets be honest… I never measure anything when it comes to cheese, the more the merrier.

• 1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
• 8 oz. jar prepared Alfredo sauce (just over half a jar)
• 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup half & half or whole milk
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• Aluminum containers
• Aluminum foil
• Non-Stick cooking spray

Directions:

1. Cook Pasta per directions on package. Drain and rinse with cold water. *important*
2. Stir in Alfredo and all the cheeses. Add milk, enough to keep the mixture loose.
3. Add S & P.
4. Spray your aluminum containers with cooking spray.
5. Divide Mac.
6. Spray aluminum foil and cover each container tightly.
7. Label if desired.

When you are ready to eat, cook over the fire for about 10 minutes.

Just a side note, this was ‘Brian approved’… which to me means a lot! http://www.laurenslatest.com/camping-mac-n-cheese/?m

Make Ahead Meal #2 – Pancakes:

I prepped all the dry ingredients for the pancakes the night before we left for camp. When it comes to pancakes, I have tried everything to make them healthier, more flavorful, fluffier… there is something about all purpose flour in pancakes that you just can’t substitute when you want a real deal pancake. Now, I have recipes that use whole wheat flour, oats, brown sugar, greek yogurt, blah blah…and they are good, but really, we are camping people, we need the real deal!

This is my all time favorite pancake recipe! The only thing I add from the original recipe is 1 tsp. pure vanilla. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/162760/fluffy-pancakes/

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 TBSP sugar
• 2 TBSP melted unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk + 2 TBSP white vinegar (Homemade buttermilk)

1. Add white vinegar to milk and set aside for 5 minutes.
2. Melt 2 TBSP of unsalted butter, cool.
3. Add all dry ingredients, whisk together.
4. Whisk milk mixture with egg, (cooled) melted butter, and vanilla.
5. Add wet ingredients to dry, mix well.
6. Cook pancakes over the campfire on a well buttered pan/cast iron skillet.

 

 

Foil Meals for the Fire – Catfish and Veggies:

Brian was able to have a little adventure of his own with a few friends the day before we left for camp. They chartered a boat on Lake Erie for the day and caught a good amount of fish. Catfish, Walleye, and Bass.

I have only eaten Catfish fried, but I found a recipe that looked favorable and easy, so I went for it, along with adding my own spin to the recipe. http://americanprofile.com/articles/pesto-catfish-packets/

• 1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 catfish filets (I would recommend not using catfish unless you like the flavor… go for a more mild fish like Walleye or Tilapia)
• 2 TBSP jarred pesto
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Dash of black pepper
• 6 cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
• lime slices
• 1/ 2 diced squash
• 8 fresh green bean

1. Cut 2 pieces of aluminum foil, drizzle each with 1 TBSP of olive oil.
2. Assemble foil packets
   

   
3. 1. Place fish in the middle of the foil, spread 1 TBSP of pesto over each filet.
   2. Add 3 cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup of squash, 4 green beans, 2 limes slices to each packet.
   3. Sprinkle with S & P.
   4. Pull foil end together and roll down, then take sides it. Make sure there are no opening in the foil.
4. Place packets over fire and cook for 10 minutes. (The additional foil container on the right in the picture below is the leftover mac n cheese… even better the next day!)

 

The flavor on these were great… but I have come to learn that Catfish is quite a “fishy-fish”. With that being said, I will for sure make these again but with a more mild fish

Until our next adventure…