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Everyone knows that we are an outdoor family. Camping is a regular activity for us, but with the weather cooling down so quickly, it’s about to start getting harder and harder to sleep under the stars without turning into popsicles. Luckily we still have a few more warm(ish) weeks left this year, so over the weekend I gathered up our gear and set it up in the back yard for some family fun outside. Most of the time I like to go “out of the box” when it comes to our camping trips and outdoor days, so for this occasion I made sure to glam it up, because glamping is a super fun way to spice up a regular old camping trip and really go all out with it! I also set up a s’mores bar, and even though we don’t usually indulge like this, I thought it would be a great way to celebrate!
When I first started thinking of our Glamping weekend I knew I wanted comfort and style to give it that “wow” factor, so I headed out to Walmart and loaded up my cart with some gorgeous supplies. We have a couple of traditional camping tents already, but one that I didn’t have yet was a screen house, so that was the first thing I bought. It was less than $50, and it has more than enough space for the whole family!
I created a “family room” area with an extra tall airbed, a bean bag, and a cute rug for wiping off feet or even sitting on. To give it style, I covered the air bed with a gorgeous quilt I bought, and heaps and heaps of pillows. I’m one of those people who has mountains of pillows on everything – my bed, my couches, etc. I’m a big fan of cushy spots! Want a quick tip? You can instantly add style and flair to anything by heaping on the pillows. It is also a great idea to mix and match patterns – they add a little variety and look great together!
I fell in love with a fire pit I saw while I was out shopping, and since ours needed to be replaced anyway I went ahead and bought it. The size is perfect, and I love that it is round. Our old one took up a ton of room and it was super heavy, so it was a bit of a pain to do anything with. This new one is super lightweight, and it cost me less than $50 which was awesome!
For the food, I kept it simple by whipping up a ridiculously easy spread featuring some of our family favorites: pizza and s’mores. What could be better than that? My main goal here was flavor, fun, and of course simplicity. I wanted something I could prepare outdoors that wasn’t messy, so pizza was a great choice. And of course I went with Freschetta® Brick Oven pizza which is our family favorite. I love it because it tastes great, and not only do they use high quality ingredients but they also only use natural yeast with no chemical leaveners.
Grilling the pizza was super easy – I kept it frozen while my grill preheated on high, and then placed it on a double layer of aluminum foil and cooked it for around 15 minutes on low with the lid closed. *If you’re grilling this yourself, keep a thermometer handy so you can know it’s done when it reaches at least 160 degrees internally.* If the brick oven variety isn’t your thing you can also check out the Freschetta® Naturally Rising pizzas too, they are just as yummy!
The kids love their pizza plain, but my husband and I are into spice, so I made a quick Red Pepper Ranch to dip ours into and it was delicious! To make it all you need is a cup of Ranch dressing, two teaspoons of tabasco sauce, and a teaspoon of chili powder. Mix them all up and voila: instant spice dip! After pizza it was time for the big finale: s’mores!
We all love s’mores, so there is no way I would do an outdoor activity without them. It’s one of our favorite family traditions, and over the years we have perfected the art of s’mores making. Want to know how? Well, first start with some warm marshmallows roasted on the fire.
Once your marshmallow is nice and toasty, lay it on top of a graham cracker. But not just any old graham cracker – the only brand we use is Honey Maid. Why? Because they’re the classic.
Next, pile on the fixin’s. When we do s’mores we go big, with any and every kind of topping you can think of – sweet, salty, fruity, and everything in between. The key is to find the perfect combination, so go ahead and experiment!
Once all the toppings are piled high, add on your second graham cracker and voila: the ultimate s’more!
YUM! After s’mores we usually sit around the fire for a while, play outdoor games, and then head on to bed with full bellies and hearts. I love our outdoor weekends, and I’m going to be sad when it gets too cold for our weekly outdoor days. But for now, I’m going to enjoy them while they are here! Want to recreate this setup? You can find everything here at your local Walmart!
