Tic Tac Box for Spice Holder

Tic Tac Box as Spice Holder

 THIS BLOGGER USES THESE FOR CAMPING.

 (Photos: Erica McCartney; Styling: Linden Elstran)

ORANGE BROWNIE CAMPFIRE TREAT

An easy campfire dessert treat:

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The process:

1. Cut the top off the orange – about 1/3 way down. (adults should to this)
    
2. Let the kids use sturdy soup spoons to scoop out the inside of the orange – careful not to rip or puncture the orange peel
• ** This will be messy, but it is a fun part of the activity for the kids – so be ready with paper towels and wet wipes.
   
3. While the kids are scooping out the oranges – mix the brownie mix, per pkg. directions*
    
4. Let the kids fill their own oranges – approx. 2/3 full
    
5. Place orange cap back on top and, while keeping orange upright, wrap orange in heavy-duty foil (as shown). *a couple layers works best. And the “curly-cue” top serves as an easy way to pull oranges from hot coals
    
6. Place finished wraps in a bed of coals, (not on flaming campfire), and cover until it is a mound of hot coals with just the “curly-cue” sticking out.
    
7. Approx. cooking time is 20 – 25 minutes, but this is variable depending on size of oranges and quality of hot coals – so check after 20 minutes to see if done.
    
8. Remove from coals and let sit a few minutes for the foil to cool to touch – then let the kids unwrap their own orange-baked brownies – and dig in!
   
   ps. Have a camera ready.

ALL PHOTO AND ARTICLE CREDITS TO:  THX FOR SHARING!

1. http://campingwithgus.com/2012/09/08/easy-camping-treat-recipes-ideas-for-kids/

Tacos-in-a-bag DIY

Camping Tacos-in-a-bag recipe

Here is all you need for this camp meal for kids:

• small bags Dorito chips, (2.5 – 3.5oz.), one per camper*
• 1/2 cup cooked and Taco-seasoned hamburger per camper
• shredded/chopped lettuce
• shredded cheddar or Mexican-mix cheese
• diced onions
• diced tomatoes
• mild or medium salsa or taco sauce
• plastic forks or spoons

*NOTE: You can use qt.-size Ziploc baggies and 

bulk bags of Doritos or Taco chips if desired. 

(but it won’t be as novel to the kids as actually using small bags of Doritos)

The concept is so simple. Each camper spoons the ingredients they want into their individual bags of chips. Then they just scrunch them a little to mix things up – and they’re done! Eat with a plastic fork or spoon and toss everything in the trash for clean-up.

Note: A little prep at home can make this a no-cook, fast and easy camp meal. Just cook the hamburger/taco seasoning mix at home, and bring to camp in a gallon-size Ziploc. (can be served cold at camp, or warmed in a skillet) The vegetable slicing and dicing can also be done at home, and brought to camp in Ziplocs.

The basic steps for the Adults:

1. The taco seasoned hamburger can be used cold, but it tastes better warmed – so just use a skillet to heat it up a little.
2. Place all ingredients on the camp table in bulk containers or on plates. Spoons can be used for all ingredients, but for portion control – a 1/2 cup measuring cup works best for the hamburger mix.
3. The chip bags should be opened by pulling apart the top seam, (leaves extra folding room), so if your camping kids are young you might want to pre-open the bags for them
4. Instruct the kids to put 1/2 cup hamburger mix, and whatever other ingredients they want, into their bag of chips.

The basic recipe steps for the Kids:

1. Add the ingredients they want
2. Fold the top of the bag closed and scrunch and shake the bag to mix everything up
3. That’s it! Open the bag, grab a fork or spoon, and dig in.

Things to watch out for:

• Don't let the kids over-fill their bags. (have extras for hearty appetites)
   
• Don't let them get carried away with the scrunching and shaking – you could have taco chunks flying through camp
   
• Most camping kids, (except for the very young), will want two, so you should plan for this from the start.

Volcano Grilling Pizza

http://beprepared.com/blog/8109/food-storage-personal-pizzas-on-the-volcano-grill/?sc=FBOOK&oc=FB0001A070


We've been craving pizza around here at Emergency Essentials, so we grilled up a few personal pizzas on a Volcano Grill last week. 100% food storage. 100% Awesome.

Here’s our recipe—I hope you love it as much as I do.

--Sarah

Food Storage Personal Pizzas

Ingredients:

• 1 Batch of Provident Pantry Honey Wheat Bread and Roll Mix for the crusts
• 2 cups reconstituted Tomato Powder for the sauce (more or less powder depending on how "tomato-y" and how thick you want the sauce to be) – just add water until you like the consistency
• 3 Tbsp. Provident Pantry Italian Seasoning
• 1 Tbsp. Provident Pantry Garlic Salt
• 1.5 cups reconstituted Freeze Dried Italian Meatballs, quartered (or your choice of freeze dried meat)
• 2 cups reconstituted Provident Pantry Freeze Dried Mozzarella Cheese
• ½ cup each reconstituted veggies of your choice—we used mushrooms, onions, green peppers, and tomatoes.

Adjust any of these ingredients to taste

You know what to do…

1. Make the bread dough according to the directions on the can. Divide the dough into as many parts as you want for your pizzas.
2. Mix up and spoon on the sauce.
3. Sprinkle on some cheese.
4. Add your preferred toppings.
5. Toss on a little more cheese to keep everything in place.
6. Grill.
7. Relish the awesome flavors that you combined with your own hands.

Here are a few things we learned during this process:

• If you are using a Volcano Grill to cook your pizza(s), open the vents slightly. It needs to "breathe" when the propane burner is running.
• To avoid a fuel smell with the propane, adjust the burner air-to-fuel ratio by adjusting the air shutter valve.
• Cover the Heat Deflector Plate (which goes over the flame inside the Volcano) with aluminum foil, then punch some holes in it to let the heat through—that will direct the flames farther outward so the pizza cooks more evenly.

• It doesn't take very long to cook these pizzas—especially if they’re personal pizzas. So keep an eye on them, and if they look like they’re cooking unevenly, rotate them in 5 minute increments until done
• Covering the grill rack with aluminum foil makes cleanup quick and painless.
• You can make a REALLY great deep dish pizza in the regular oven if you use a whole (or most of a whole) batch of dough in a 9x13” pan and load it up with toppings. (Uhhhh. Yum. See the photo of that pizza below.)

Hungry yet? Dig in!

Do you have a favorite pizza recipe? Maybe a magical sauce? Let us know in the comments.

--Sarah

- See more at: http://beprepared.com/blog/8109/food-storage-personal-pizzas-on-the-volcano-grill/?sc=FBOOK&oc=FB0001A070#sthash.QBeWuWys.dpuf

Egg Carton - Lint Fire Starter DIY

photo credit: jillee


Anyone else do this? Save dryer lint. Since I don't use dryer sheets I feel "safe" that I have no chemicals in my lint......great fire starter. You can melt wax (soy unless allergy issues) and pour over this as well. I re-melt used candles for this purpose.  The blog I found this photo on went on to use, chemical candle --- not something I will do. Our little family has used these for 30 + years. 

Fire Starter Cotton Dipped In Wax

Cotton swabs dipped in wax become instant campfire starters. Lightweight. Great for backpackers.

Campfire Feather Sticks DIY

Using "feather sticks" increases the surface area of your kindling and makes it easier to get your fire going.
SCHOOL OF WILDERNESS MEDICINE AND SURVIVAL.

CampFire Starter Idea

Fire Starter Idea

http://www.marthastewart.com/306916/twisted-newspaper-fire-starter

Twisted Newspaper Fire Starter

Using newspaper to get a blaze going usually results in just another flash in the fireplace. An old-fashioned solution: these newspaper twists. 

Make a Twisted Newspaper Fire Starter

Tightly roll a sheet of newspaper, bend it in half, twist the ends together, and fasten with twine. Keep a basketful by the hearth and you'll always be ready to heat things up.

SOURCE

Martha Stewart Living, January 2011

 

WE MAKE THESE AND TAKE ON CAMPING TRIPS.

HAVE 10 IN ZIPLOC IN OUR 72 HOUR PACK-OUT KITS.

HAVE A 5 GALLON BUCKET OF THEM FOR OUR BUG-IN KITS.

Campfire Checklist

Camping Fire Checklist

CAMPFIRE 

Outdoor Camping and Campfires…

~~ drop me a note if you find any checklist that needs updating.

CHECKLIST for having a CAMPFIRE

~ Call ahead. Campfires may be banned.

~ Waterproof matches

~ Lighter fluid (if you use).

~ Clothes Dryer Lint (our fire starter)

~ Camp Shovel - folding shovel (military kind). YOU MUST GET THAT FIRE OUT even if it's in a fire ring. Use shovel to spread ashes. GET IT OUT.

~ WATER JUST FOR PUTTING OUT CAMPFIRE~ We take @ least 1 extra water jug 1 gallon~ IT may take up to 5 gallons or more for larger  campfire. YOU need this, also for fire emergencies.

~ Firewood~  DO NOT CUT forest trees, unless you have a USFS permit. BUY it or BRING your own.

~Kindling-Tinder (small pieces of wood & chips).

~Ax or Hatchet or Camp Saw- IF you have pre-cut firewood, you may not need these.  Even if we have bought firewood, we still take these in case we need to make wood smaller.

                  

Camping With Children - Ideas

Tip: If your kids are under 8 years-old, consider using ropes and stakes to enclose this area and mark it as “out-of-bounds” for the kids. Tie strips of cloth or paper towels, (if you are not expecting rain), on the ropes as flags to make them more visible.

Bad Weather Sanity Ideas for Camping with Kids:

Prepare with these games and activities to keep them occupied.

 bad weather kit. (as pictured)

Disposable Ponchos, Day Pack, Magnifying glas, UNO Cards, Checkers Games, Crayons, Color Book, Reading Book, Playing Cards. 

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For emergencies, and your peace of mind, – every kid in camp should have a camp whistle on a lanyard around their neck! It’s a handy way for them to summon help when they need it.

Camp Safety Whistles

****BLOGGER NOTE: When our daughter was about 5 yrs we went camping for over a week. She wandered off following an ELK. Yes, we noticed right away so she we on  THEIR trail. After that we put a military whistle around her neck from the time she got up until bedtime. Just an idea*****

Save your strength, – every kid needs their own camp flashlight, instead of arguing who gets yours or who has had it the longest and whose turn it is now.
(*this is a great camp light for kids, but you can just pick some up at the Dollar store if you want)
Kid’s Camping Flashlights

****We do this we use more expensive lights and put them on lanyard. We use it yearly**** BLOGGER*

Magnify Nature! – An inexpensive plastic magnifying glass can provide an activity that will help them learn about nature while they think they are just having fun!

You will need a magnifying glass, a piece of string about three feet long, and a small pencil and pad for each young camper. Tie a stick to each end of the string and plant one end in the ground. Use the stick on the other end to draw a circle on the ground. This is their area of exploration.

Challenge each young camper to see how many different things they can see with the magnifying glass in their area, and make a list. The camper with the longest lists gets something special. (like sitting in the “King’s Throne” for the next meal)

Magnify Glass- found ours @ Dollar Tree or Dollar General. ****BLOGGER NOTE.

Nature Rubbings! – This mostly works with different kinds of plant leaves, but it can be done with any textured items; like tree bark or rough rock surfaces

It’s an easy idea. Just lay a piece of white paper over a leaf, or what ever textured surface you want, then “rub” a crayon or piece of charcoal over the paper. The high points of the surface will produce darker lines. After a little “rubbing” you end up with an image of the item on the paper.

Kids can build a collection of pages of rubbings throughout the camping trip.

Note: This camping activity isn't usually a long one, and will require a little more participation by you. (ps. unwrapped crayons used on their sides – instead of the tips, make the best rubbings)

And you know kids love to play with compasses when they go camping, it is one of the camping activities for kids that allows them be real explorers.
Camping and Hiking Compass

***Our little boy LOVES his own compass. Hubby hides things and then they use the compass (together while Mom is cooking) to find the treasures! We bring rocks that we have purchased in town @ rock store, since he collects  rocks)******Blogger Note.

Ideas: HomeMade is Easy Blogger & 

http://campingwithgus.com/

Knotted Wrist Bands

Dutch Oven Heat

Camping Spice Containers Tic-Tac Containers

http://www.thekitchn.com/turn-tic-tac-containers-into-spice-storage-skruben-174664

Matches In Mason Jars

Store matches in mason jar
Add a piece of sand paper in the cap on which to strike the matches....
I PLACE THE SANDPAPER INSIDE the lid w/ glue dots. KEEPS it DRY.***this blogger.

Camping Hand Washing Station

Improvised hand washing station   pintrest*

Porta-Potty You CAN MAKE

Porta- Potty You Can Make

Our family camps. We use what we camp with for EMERGENCY EVACUATIONS as well.

I have given the site where I purchased my bucket, seat & emzymes.

 What's here:
Biodegradable T.P  (but the cheap stuff works just as well)
Papertowel roll
Sani-wipes
Garbage bags to line pot
http://beprepared.com/double-doodie-plus-bags-with-bio-gel.html I have used these all up camping! BUT
   they are better to use!
Hand sanitizer bottle is under bags---sorry.

http://beprepared.com/tote-able-toilet-seat-lid.html

This site is where I got my bucket & toilet seat.

http://beprepared.com/enzyme-300-packet.html

A MUST!

Camping Tarp Set-Up Tip

Tarp setup tip.

You might like this one.

Here's a quick tip for setting up a tarp shelter. Pull some of the ridgeline through each grommet and use a small stick to hold the tarp in place.

I'm not sure who first came up with this idea, but it's one of my favorites.

No photo credit was given by publisher.

Dinners Camping

Please DO NOT COPY MY PHOTOGRAPHS. copyright HomeMadeIsEasyJennyHW

Foil Dinners. We went camping in Utah (forgot the table cloth, yuck) summer 2011. Our daughter taught us this and we just loved it. Also note "Stephens Hot Chocolate" on table. WE don't camp without Stephens Chocolate. ALL of the veggies came from my container garden. We also used white chicken. SO GOOD.

Food Storage, Emergency Storage, Candles

LARD CANDLE For Emergency Kit

I have had lard go bad and wish I would have seen this before I tossed it all out.

NOW I know and did this to make sure it worked.

Crisco Candle

Simply put a piece of string in a tub of shortening, and it will burn for up to 45 days.