Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park in Emporia VA

Where you camp with friends!®

2940 Sussex Drive, Emporia, Virginia 23847
Phone: 800-545-4248

Simple Desserts to Make When Camping

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camping dessertsIt’s tradition to have S’mores when you’re camping and they are always a big hit. You can expand your tasty treats around the campfire, however, with a few simple ingredients. We have some ideas for easy desserts your family will enjoy and you can easily pack to bring with you.

Bring along some fresh strawberries or pick some up at a local farmers market. You can dip them in a jar of marshmallow fluff and then roast them. You’ll get the creamy, toasted flavor of the marshmallow combined with the sweet, tart juicy bite of the strawberry. It will be a new favorite.

You can make a delicious apple crisp wrapped in foil. Combine some oatmeal, sugar, cinnamon, and a little bit of flour and a pat of butter. Chop apples to combine with this mixture and wrap it all in heavy duty foil. You can cook them on the grill or in the campfire. And there won’t be any dishes to wash!

Most will enjoy a fruit and yogurt parfait for breakfast or any time of day, really. You can layer the ingredients in paper cups and top with granola. Easy peasy.

You can even make cookies when you’re camping. Bring a couple tubes of ready-made cookie dough and spread it all in a cast iron skillet. You can cook it on the grill or over the campfire. Kids will delight in seeing one giant cookie and they will dig right in.

You can get creative and enjoy some very tasty treats when you’re camping. Have the kids help  make these desserts. They will love pitching in and eating the results.

Three Incredible Snacks That Your Little Camper Will Love This Summer

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Trail Mix for campingWe all do what we can to get our children up and out of the house during the summer months. However, with the lure of computer games, it is getting much more difficult. With that in mind, one of the best ways to get them up and about is a simple camping trip. And, after a long day of playing and hiking, they are going to want some snacks. SO with the thought of a healthy lifestyle, here are three snacks that are delicious and healthy!

There is no need to go crazy and find difficult recipes for this task. In fact, for our first snack, you just need three ingredients. More than likely you already have celery, raisins, and peanut butter in the kitchen, right? Well, we are going to create that old standby, Ants On A Log. Considering we are in the woods on a camping trip, it is the perfect snack!

Of course, you can not go on a camping trip without having some delicious trail mix on hand. However, we want to make it ourselves so we know what is going in and keep it healthy. By all means, you can go as wild with this one as you like. However, it is easiest to keep it simple and add in cereal, oats, nuts, even a little bit of chocolate.

We all know that kids love any type of food that is stuffed. Why not core an apple and stuff it with peanut butter? Kids will love the surprise of peanut butter. And once again you can even add a little chocolate to sweeten the deal for them.

These three simple treats will take your camping from blah to TASTY!

Finger Sandwiches For Hungry Kids

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sandwich ideas for campingThe kids are going to burning up a lot of steam while they dash around the campground and that means you’ll be hearing “I’m hungry” more often than usual. You can make a batch of finger sandwiches ahead of time to keep their appetites at bay until lunch or dinner is ready to eat.

The first finger sandwich you can make is the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich. To start, cut the crust off the bread, as kids tend to prefer sandwiches that are crust-less. Then, on one piece of bread, add peanut butter of your choice. On the other slice, add jelly. You can add any flavor of jelly or jam that you would like. Apple jelly is a wonderful choice if you do not want to use grape or strawberry. To finish the sandwich, push both pieces of bread together, and then cut the sandwich diagonally in order to make two small triangle-shaped mini finger sandwiches.

The next finger sandwich you can make quickly for hungry kids has two variations. You can make cucumber sandwiches, or tomato sandwiches, both of which are completely delicious. To make one of these sandwiches, begin by once again cutting the crust off each slice of bread. Then, add mayonnaise (a thin amount) to each side. Sprinkle a small amount of pepper on to taste.

After your mayonnaise has been added, it’s time to choose whether to make a cucumber sandwich or a tomato sandwich. All you need to do is make slices of whichever one you choose, and add it to the sandwich. Press the two pieces of bread together and cut across to make two triangle-shaped mini sandwiches.

We hope you all have an increased appetite while you’re camping due to the fun you are having.  We look forward to seeing you this summer and hope you’ve made your reservation now.

One Pot Recipes Save The Day

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Dutch Oven one-pot recipesYou don’t want to spend a lot of time cooking and cleaning up when you’re camping so choosing to use your Dutch Oven for a one-pot meal is a good idea. They are popular with campers because a Dutch Oven can take the heat and last for generations. The food tastes great, too. When it simmers and steams inside the sealed oven the flavors meld and are enhanced. Delicious.

You can find lots of Dutch oven one-pot recipes online, either on YouTube or on special cooking channels for websites like The New York Times. There are also many bloggers who publish tried and tested recipes. Nonetheless, you should make sure you use popular food blogs, in order to avoid spoiling your meal. There are many small bloggers who don’t have the means to cook all the recipes they publish, so they tend to take some photos from Flickr or Pinterest, and use random ingredients and quantities. This is why you have to stick with the popular ones, as they wouldn’t risk their fame by publishing fake recipes.

For instance, The Pioneer Woman, Simply Recipes and Country Living are all famous blogs you can trust. These modern bloggers don’t have a lot of time, so they’ve adjusted their cooking style and their recipes to the hectic life we all live these days. If they can put all ingredients in a pot, add water and spices, and cook it over low heat until all juices and flavors are released, they are surely going to do it.

Many of these recipes can be adapted to the campground. You really will be happy with your one-pot meals and the time it affords you to catch up with friends instead of cleaning up after dinner. We look forward to seeing you this summer.

Delicious Camping Chili Dogs

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chili dogThere are just some foods that scream they were created just for a campfire. Think about bacon and eggs, roasted nuts, s’mores. Of course, we can not forget about homemade chili dogs. There is something about a real wood fire that makes this simple dish soar off the plate. Most of us have loved this old favorite since we were kids. That hasn’t changed.

If you have never made this simple dish over the campfire, there is no need for fear. We are going to walk through it and ensure that you please everyone at the picnic table this summer!

 

You’ll find a very good chili recipe at Papa Funk’s Campfire Chili. You’ll be making it separately from the hotdogs. Once both are cooked it is time for the fixin’s. You can have a variety available for each person’s taste. You might like to have chopped onion, cheese slices or sauce, mustard, sauerkraut, hot sauce, and jalapeno.

People can make their own which makes things easy for you. These will be a big hit and we recommend you make extra because they taste even better the next day. You can squeeze a lunch out of them as well so you can get a two for one out of your effort.

We hope all your camping meals are fabulous and we can’t wait to see you this year.

Making The Best Grilled Sandwiches While Camping

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grilled sandwiches for RVingThere are plenty of reasons to love camping, but something that many people remember about any outdoor camping adventure is the food that you create around the campfire or grill. When you think about it, there is something wonderful about cooking food over an open fire, and then enjoying your meal in good company with plenty of fresh air around you.

While there are a number of great choices in camping foods, a grilled sandwich always makes for a delicious option. These sandwiches are not only easy to pack up for the trip, but they are also easy to make. These are a few considerations that you can keep in mind for grilled sandwiches.

Of course, you never want to overlook the idea of the perfect grilled cheese sandwich. Instead of the basic sandwich in between two slices of bread with butter and cheese, you can dress it up a bit. Think about buttering the bread and then adding some seasonings or coarse sea salt before putting it on the grill. You can also put together something on the side, like a few slices of bacon or ham.

Another tasty idea is a grilled pizza sandwich, which is a recipe similar to that of a grilled cheese with the exception of just using pizza toppings on the inside instead. Bring along some mozzarella cheese, pizza sauce and even a few pepperoni slices between the bread and then grill it to perfection as a way for something unique.

Finally, you can think about ending the meal with a dessert grilled sandwich. Pick up some bread and then think about bringing your favorite pie filling, including options like blueberry, peach or apple. Prepare the sandwich just like you would a regular grilled cheese and then put the fruit filling inside before putting on the grill. This is a wonderful, delicious way that you can finish up your campfire meal and make everyone happy.