Another Good Idea--No Recipe Required

Over the summer, we had a very small and informal camping-themed party for all of the cousins/grandkids. We put up a tent, watched a movie with woodland creatures, and had hot dogs and s'more desserts.

For the kids, we simply dipped large marshmallows in chocolate and then crushed Golden Grahams cereal. Then we put the marshmallows onto some long sticks. These were a hit with the kids for sure. The whole time, you could see one or more kids wandering with a marshmallow on a stick in their hand.

(By the way, in case you are wondering, that scrumptious s'more bar dessert in the background is already on our blog. You can find the Betty Crocker recipe for Warm Toasted Marshmallow S'mores Bars here.

Campin' Out @ Home

Sarah saw this dessert recipe and it gave us the theme for our Sunday dinner before Independence Day. It was one of the all time yummy, love-at-first-bite desserts. Oh, and the rest of the dinner was pretty good, too. As Megan said, "I love summer food." Well, this one was a pretty easy dinner all the way.

GRILLED MEAT LOAF PACKS

1 1/2 lb. lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1 (1 oz.) pkg onion recipe and dip soup mix

1 egg

3/4 c. milk

1/2 c. plain bread crumbs

1/3 c. ketchup

1 gab (1lb. 4 oz.) refrigerated new potato wedges

3 c. ready-to-eat baby carrots

Fresh parsley, if desired

Heat gas or charcoal grill. Cut 6 (18x10 inch) sheets of heavy-duty foil; spray with cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix beef, dry soup mix, egg, milk and bread crumbs. Shape into 6 loaves (4x2.5x1 inch). Place one loaf on each foil sheet; top each with about 1 T. of the ketchup. Place about 1/2 cup potatoes and 1/2 c. carrots around each loaf.

Bring up 2 sides of foil so edges meet. Seal edges, making tight 1/2" fold; fold again, allowing space for heat circulation and expansion. Fold other sides to seal.

Place packets on grill. Cover grill; cook over medium heat 25 to 30 minutes, rotating packets 1/2 turn after 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender and meat thermometer inserted in center of loaves reads 160 degrees. Garnish with parsley if desired.

Cooks notes: I used barbecue sauce and Clayton said he would have liked it better if I had used the ketchup. Wonder of wonders....it's worth the cost to use Reynolds Non-stick foil. Also, the refrigerated potatoes are good because they are semi-cooked and don't take as long as fresh potatoes to cook. This recipe came from the Betty Crocker website. They note that these can be made 24 hours ahead and refrigerated. Neat trick!

HONEY LIME FRUIT SALAD (CROWD SIZE)

1/2 c. honey

1/2 c. thawed frozen limeade concentrate

1 T. poppyseed, if desired

12 c. cut up fresh fuit (cantaloupe, kiwifruit, pink grapefruit, watermelon, berries, grapes, etc.)

1/2 c. slivered almonds, toasted

Mix honey, limeade concentrate and poppy seed in medium bowl.

Carefully toss fruit with honey mixture.

Cooks note: This came from Betty Crocker kitchens. We didn't use the almonds (Pete's allergies) and I'm not sure I would like the nut texture with the fruit anyway. Niel freaked over the poppy seeds, but the salad was eaten up faster than most plan fruit salads I've served.

COCONUT CREAMED CORN

4 ears corn (kernels cut from cob)

1 c. lite coconut milk

1/4 t. salt

2 T. chopped fresh cilantro

1 T. lime juice

1/4 t. crushed red pepper (optional)

Combine corn kernels, coconut milk, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat to maintain an active simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the coconut milk has evaporated, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in cilantro, lime juice, and crushed red pepper, if using.

Cooks notes: This recipe came from Delish.com I just used frozen corn (an economy size bag) and doubled everything else. Loved the kick from the red pepper and might even increase it a tiny bit.

WARM TOASTED MARSHMALLOW S'MORES BARS

1 pouch (1 lb. 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix

1 c. graham cracker crumbs

1 c. butter or margarine, melted

3 c. milk chocolate chips (18 oz. or 1 1/2 pkg)

4 1/5 c. mini marshmallows

Heat over to 375 degrees. In large bowl, stir together cookie mix and crumbs. Stir in melted butter until soft dough forms. Press into ungreased 13x9" pan.

Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until set. Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Let stand 3 to 5 minutes or until chocolate begins to melt Spread chocolate evenly over crust.

Set oven control to broil. Sprinkle marshmallows over melted chocolate. Broil with top 5 to 6 inches from heat 20 to 30 seconds or until marshmallows are toasted. (Watch closely: marshmallows will brown quickly). Cool 10 minutes. Serve warm. Store any remaining bars tightly covered. To reheat, place individual bar on a microwaveable plate. Microwave uncovered on high about 15 seconds or until warm.

Cooks note: These were on ...yes...Betty Crocker's website...one of my favorite sites. This was a really easy recipe, one that could easily be taken to a potluck. I didn't really think they needed to be reheated. Clayton and Sean spoke dibs on the leftovers and made sure to take them home! Oh, and the pictures don't do it justice.