When we first realized our joint connection to the dish, we determined that it would be fun to make it in the backcountry. You may remember stories from that trip, but we’d taken fresh corn with us for it, and the weather was much warmer and muggier than anticipated, spoiling the corn before the first night. The recipe turned into a pretty sad mashed potatoes and gravy instead.

Since then, we’ve made it more successfully in other contexts, and are happiest with it as a car camping recipe. It is so quick to put together that you won’t have a problem maximizing playtime during the day and still having a hearty, special dinner to share.

Our trips may be transitioning from extended camping trips to shorter, more spontaneous day trips, but including healthy and satisfying meals is still an essential. Wes and I recently became certified foster parents, and we’re excited to include kids in our near-future adventures. We don’t have any kids in the house yet, so we are using this time to do any last minute preparations we can think of. This includes figuring out how to streamline our normal routines so we can spend more free time playing with kids. It also includes figuring out some easy kid-friendly outdoor recipes.

We’ve started leaning back into the idea of portable foods wrapped in baked bready things. Most of our recent trips have included standard pigs in a blanket (hot dogs and cheddar cheese rolled in crescent rolls from the can). I highly recommend these, but if you swap crescent rolls for frozen puff pastry and hot dogs for buffalo chicken, you up your fancy game significantly.

The toughest part of this recipe is remembering to thaw your puff pastry in time to bake it (I prefer to stick it in the fridge the night before if I think of it), and deciding on your favorite shape to form it into. As you can see, I’m not great at picking a favorite shape (they’re all so fun!).

Everyone will love this recipe and it tastes just fine out of a cooler or even at room temperature. Feel free to swap the chicken with veggie chicken strips or baked marinated tofu to make it vegetarian and less perishable.

Even around the holidays, Brussels sprouts can be hard to sell, but this recipe will do it, and it will be wonderful to have something fresh and crunchy to add to your menu.

No cooking is required for this recipe, making it an easy side or appetizer. We like it best on crackers, hearty bread, or Melba toasts.

The celebration of the actual holiday in the outdoors adds to the revival of what truly matters about it- bonding with the people you love.We have heard many stories of Thanksgiving camping trips, and love spending it in our local wild areas ourselves. Even more exciting are the trips venturing deeper into the backcountry. In these cases, it is important to keep the logistics of food simple to allow you plenty of time to reach your destination and enjoy a relaxing time with your loved ones. Keep the meal confined to the essential dishes, and spread out the work among all the guests.

We thought through a few of our must-have dishes and adjusted to make them possible in the backcountry. Cranberry Bourbon Compote is simple and perfect to accompany any other Thanksgiving dishes. It is not as saucy as a standard cranberry sauce, but has the same flavor profile and is lightweight and non-perishable. It is delicious spooned over your other Thanksgiving dishes and would also be a great addition to a breakfast made out of leftovers.

Everyone knows kale is a superfood, filled with with tons of nutrients. It’s also sturdy, ultralight, and goes with just about any type of meal you would like to make. There’s still a chance that fresh kale could be ruined in your pack on a hot day, but once it’s dehydrated, it becomes invincible.

Yes, you can dehydrate just about every vegetable (great news!), but kale and other dark leafy greens are what to choose before everything else. They dehydrate quickly, but also rehydrate quickly, which is more important. If you’re looking for a side of creamed greens to go with your dehydrated mac n’ cheese, no problem!

This recipe takes dried kale a step further, though, by crumbling it into super versatile flakes. No more worrying about it breaking up in your pack- it’s already broken! No need to worry about a separate pot, or the disgusted faces on the picky eaters of the group. Throw some of this into every meal, and it will melt right in. If you’re short on time, try roasting your greens instead of dehydrating them.
The flavor deepens and you can eat them sprinkled right on top of your food instead of cooking the greens into it. Here’s a great recipe for how to roast them.

Some of our favorite options:

• Roasted kale flakes as a popcorn topping
• Green mac n’ cheese
• Quinoa and eggs with kale crumbles

Try this recipe out for your next trip (which will hopefully involve some snow!) and let us know what recipes you put your dehydrated kale flakes into!

This dip is inspired by a recipe on one of my favorite blogs, 101 Cookbooks. It is actually very similar to our Chunky Roasted Red Pepper Dip, but it’s smoother and a little tangier thanks to tomato paste and the pepper varieties. I tried a version with the heirloom bell peppers shown here, and another one with shishito peppers. Both were fabulous.

I recently got this Hydro Flask Food Flask, which is an awesome container for picnics and day trips. It kept the dip cool in 100 degree weather until we were ready to eat it, and is durable and leak proof, compared to the plastic storage containers I usually try to awkwardly jam into backpacks. Stanley and Klean Kanteen both make these in different sizes as well.

The original recipe calls for Pomegranate Molasses, which I didn’t have on hand, so I used a combination of balsamic vinegar and honey instead. Pita chips are my dippable of choice, but crackers or fresh campfire-warmed pitas drizzled with olive oil would also be lovely.

We had planned to paddleboard camp on Lake Minnewanka while we were in Banff, but the cold rain just kept coming. It had been raining all week, but Thursday was supposed to be the worst of it. We’d already made reservations, but called the very nice lady in charge at Bow Valley SUP, who helped us switch to a half day on Friday.We drove out to Canmore that morning, and the clouds parted. It became a perfect day.

They suggested we just drive up the road to the reservoir instead of heading back into Banff, since we now only had 3 hours. I was pretty disappointed when I heard that, but couldn’t believe how gorgeous just the little town reservoir was! A backdrop of the incredible Canadian Rockies and the glacial blue color of the water were still with us.

Paddleboarding was much easier and more relaxing than I expected. We rented inflatables, which were very stable, and took them up to a nice pullover point to have delicious falafel sandwiches for lunch. I wouldn’t recommend the chopping methods you see here, unless you’re desperate. Knives and inflatables usually don’t mix well. I had a LOT of supervision. You’d really “falafel” if you popped a rental board.

Instant mashed potatoes should be a staple food in your ready-to-go backpacking kit. They are a lightweight blank slate and they are filled with energy. You can buy them in flavored packets if you really want to save time, but you can also do the jazzing up yourself.

This trip, we combined them with broccoli cheese soup and bacon bits. We added the bacon bits a bit too early, so they reconstituted and became more like ham bits, but were still delicious. I would love to try a chili cheese version or maybe a southern version with hearty greens, mushrooms and garlic. Do you have any great ideas we should try?

We hope some of you are getting to enjoy your first tastes of fall right now. For us in SoCal, it feels like its a long way away. At least that means there is still time to get out and enjoy your favorite summer hikes!

Step 1: Find Your Space

If you don’t have a picnic table or fire pit identifying the location of your camp kitchen, you’ll need to pick one out. It should be about 100 feet away from your sleeping area, just in case you have unwelcome visitors come over while you’re sleeping. It should be sheltered from weather, and have a flat, stable spot to set up a stove. Once you find this kitchen space, drop all your kitchen/food related stuff.

Step 2: Find Your Food

Figure out where all the food is. This should include anything that has a smell (toothpaste, deodorant), especially in more primitive camping locations. Separate it out from the rest of your kitchen gear to make sure you can find it when you are ready to cook, and when you are ready to critter-proof. If you are lucky enough to have two coolers, use one for all the drinks and the other for the perishable food. Organize the food that is not stored in the cooler based on meals. I separate each meal into its own bag, and place all the bags in the shade while I’m at camp. If I leave camp, I lock the food away in either a car, bear barrel, or bear locker.

Step 3: Find the Appetizers and Snacks

Choose appetizers and snacks that don’t require any cooking or prep, if possible. These will save you while you’re trying to set everything else up. Offer them up to anyone who helps (and don’t forget to eat some yourself).

Step 4: Get Prepped for Cooking

Start by setting up any tables you brought with you. If you’re backpacking and you don’t have table access, clean up a rock, stump or flat piece of ground. Place your stove in its cooking location, but keep it stored in its carry case until you’re ready to cook. Set up trash and recycle cans or bags, and let everyone know where they are. If you’re going to separate it, keep it separated from the beginning so you don’t cut your hand trying to do it later. If you have an extra lantern, hang it in your kitchen area now. Headlamps should be used too, but a lantern will help illuminate the whole area.

Step 5: Be Ready to Clean Up

Your cleaning space should be near the cooking space, but separate enough to keep it clear what’s ready to be washed. Set up your “sink” if you’re using one, and place soap and scrubbies inside. Keep a clean, dry bandana or towel over here as well. Don’t fill the sink with water until its time to clean. You’ll want to avoid spilling it (especially backpacking), and you’ll definitely want your water to be warm when its time to use it. Here are a few other Camping Cleanup Tips.

I’m splitting this into three posts to focus on each section of camp. Here I’ll talk about setting up your camp sleeping area. In my next posts I’ll talk about setting up your camp kitchen and setting up a camp hangout space. I’m including general rules that should apply to just about any type of camping in any type of climate. If you have any hints, even if they are more specific, please include them in the comments below. I’ll also be highlighting some of our must-have gear at the end.

Step 1: Find Your Space

Pick out where to sleep before you do anything else. This spot matters. You want it to be flat and free of poky debris. You want it to be sheltered from weather, especially wind. Find the flattest area and drop all your stuff.

Step 2: Pitch Your Tent

Set up your tent with nothing inside. Place it in the position that looks the flattest, with a corner facing into the wind. Then get inside, and lay down. Take note of anything poking you through the tent floor, and pull it out. Also pay attention to any slight angle of the ground. You want your heads above your feets, and you don’t want to end up steamrolling your neighbor, or rolling yourself out the door.

Once you’ve picked the perfect spot and angle, lay down the footprint, put your tent on top of it and stake it down. The stakes should be angled toward the tent at about 45 degrees. They should be hammered all the way into the ground so no one trips over them. Do this step even if you’re sure the night will be windless. The wind will surely come if it senses any weakness.

Step 3: Set Yourself Up for Later

Do you live in an area that is prone to surprise rainstorms, dew, or any kind of condensation? Does it get really cold at night? If the answer is yes, or even maybe, you should put your rain fly on your tent. If you’re sure the answer is no, you probably still should, but at least have it easy to find in the middle of the night.

Stuff all your stuff sacks together in your tent bag, and then put the rain fly inside it. Keep this in your tent, in the corner by your feet, just in case.

Then, pull out your sleep gear. Unstuff your sleeping bag and allow it to refresh in loft. If you have a self-inflating air mattress, roll it out and open the valve. If you have an air-only mattress, give it a few breaths so you don’t have to do it all later. Fill the whole thing if you’re willing.

Step 4: Be Ready for the Temperature to Drop

Go through your clothing, and pull out everything you will want to wear as it gets colder. Place these things on top of your sleeping bag for easy location in the dark. Also find your headlamp and put it somewhere you’ll be able to find, like your tent attic, or just around your neck. And make sure there’s a pair of clean, warm socks deep inside your sleeping bag. These should stay in your bag throughout your entire trip. Its nice to know you’ll always have something snuggly and clean to put on, no matter what your feet went through during the day.

Now you’re ready to move on to the rest of camp, and you’ll be thrilled when its time to crawl in.

Roundup: A Few of Our Favorite (Sleeping) Things:

1. Nemo Fillo– This pillow is a mix of memory foam and air, allowing for any type of sleeper to customize it to their liking. Its great for glamorous backpacking (a little bulky) and car camping.
2. REI Half Dome 2 Plus– This is a mansion of a backpacking tent (I purchased it on accident thinking I had the regular “2”), but its the only tent I need. Durable, big enough for a big dog and lots of stuff, but I take it backpacking using the “fast pack” method (no tent body) and it works great.
3. Mountain Hardwear Lamina 35– I’m all about down if it makes sense for you, but if you’re looking for some of the perks of synthetic (affordable, plays better with water, vegan), this is a great option. Its shockingly compressible for the warmth it provides, and costs less than $200.
4. Smartwool Hiking Socks– If I took a career test today, I’m sure it would spit out “gear tester” as the top choice. If it can be destroyed, I’m gonna be the one to do it. There are a lot of great socks out there, but these are still the best. Worth the money cause they’ll last you as long as it takes you to lose them. And they just get softer with every wash. These socks come with me on every trip.

Underneath- Pendleton Blanket– Its always great to have a little extra warmth, just in case. Whether sitting around the campfire or just adding one extra layer of protection from the chilly side of the tent, this blanket should be your camping blanket. Its tough and its outdoorsy. It’ll last you a lifetime.