The last Hooray: Clay’s Park.

This could very well be our last trip out this season.

Our weather for the weekend: Upper 70’s low 80’s with plenty of sunshine. Perfection (especially for late September)!

We met some new friends in our neighborhood, who also happen to have a camper. They have a seasonal site at Clay’s Park and invited us out. Clay’s Park host the Yankee Peddler festival yearly, which happened to be the weekend we were there. Lots of fair food, crafts, beer, wine, face painting, etc.

The campground has a lot to offer especially in the summer months. They have a huge lake with inflatables and a nice beach. The lake was already closed for the season but thankfully the park also offered an indoor pool which was still in service for our visit. Score!

The menu this time around was pretty low-key.

I tested a new cookie recipe that was a hit. S’more Oatmeal Cookies. To tell you the truth I am not a huge fan of Campfire S’mores because of how messy they get. These cookies were chewy, gooey, with a little crunch and no mess. So they were an A+ in my book.

S’mores Oatmeal Cookies

http://www.wholebiteblog.com/new-blog/2016/5/28/smores-oatmeal-cookies

| Ingredients |

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup oats
3/4 cup crushed graham crackers (whole graham crackers crushed into small pieces)
3/4 cup dark chocolate chunks (or milk chocolate if you want a more legit s’more flavor)
1/2 cup mini marshmallows

| Instructions |

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, at least 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
Meanwhile, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until almost, but not fully, combined.
Add the oats and graham crumbs and mix until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chunks.
Chill dough at least 30 minutes. Once dough has chilled, scoop onto prepared baking sheets using a 2 tbsp. scoop and bake 12-15 minutes until golden brown around the edges and slightly pale in the center. In the last 5 minutes of baking, place mini marshmallows on top of each cookie, pressing them into the dough a little bit to make sure they don’t roll off.
Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

**These cookies spread out wide while they bake, so leave enough space in-between the cookies. **

Campfire Pizza

I have wanted to use my homemade pizza dough to make pizzas over the fire all summer, I finally got the chance. Unfortunately, the kids couldn’t enjoy the pizza because our fire skills were NOT on point this trip. Brian and I ended up making the pizza after the kids went to bed, by then the fire was finally hot enough to cook on.

A few things I learned:

Spread the dough thin
Spray each side generously with cooking spray
Place one side down and bake, without placing any toppings on
Once underside is cooked, flip over and then place toppings onto cooked side.
Don’t press down the dough once it has hit the grill
Cover toppings side with foil to allow cheese and toppings to warm faster (I didn’t actually try this, but I will next time)

These came out surprisingly well for my first go around. I will make these again for sure!

Pizza Dough (makes 2 crust, or 4 mini’s)

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/my-favorite-pizza/

1 teaspoon Active Dry Or Instant Yeast
4 cups All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water.
In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low-speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined.

Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you need it. ***It’s best to make the dough at least 24 hours in advance, and 3 or 4 days is even better.