campfire fiesta

My campfire fiesta won't exactly have decor. After all, hanging streamers and piñatas from the trees is a guaranteed way to get heckled by adjacent campers. But I will be needing provisions and gear — everything from aluminum foil for cooking the marshmallow cream puffs to a cute tablecloth to cover the picnic table.

I've chosen floral oilcloth that's both easy to clean and in keeping with the Mexican-themed meal. I'll also bring some reusable plates and utensils, a portable kitchen sink for washing dishes, and cute citronella candles to keep the bugs away. If you camp with portable iPod speakers, you might want to bring along some glow sticks too, in case a dance party breaks out around the fire ring. Check out my cute and functional finds below.

After a long day of pitching tents, cooking food, and preparing dessert, the gang at your campfire fiesta definitely deserves a drink. No camping trip is complete without beer, so fill a cooler with plenty of ice and ask guests to bring their own brews. I'll also pick up a few bottles of red and white wine.

As the host of this fireside fete, you can also offer a fun addition to the bar menu. Since you probably won't have the time or energy to whip up something like a guavarita, opt for spiking a watermelon with rum. It's summery and refreshing, it will go great with the Mexican-inspired main courses, and it's easy to eat around the campfire. Just consume with caution, since it will undoubtedly be strong! To find out how to make it, read more

This week I'm celebrating the waning days of Summer with a Mexican-inspired menu for my campfire fiesta. But I know that if I don't serve s'mores, there may be a wilderness mutiny. So I'm bringing along milk chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers to make the traditional fireside treat.

But I also want something special to kick the s'mores concept up a notch, so I'll use the same marshmallows and chocolate as filling for easy cream puffs. Baked in foil, these gooey goodies are made from buttery biscuit dough that's dusted with cinnamon and sugar. They're even better with high-quality milk chocolate, so be sure to splurge on the fancy stuff. To get the recipe, read more

When my friends and I go camping, the food planning comes first. Once we've figured out who's making every appetizer, cocktail, main dish, and dessert, we focus on other details like who's bringing bug spray and how to get where we're going.

So for this week's campfire fiesta, I'm forgoing invitations in favor of a flurry of emails to work out the logistics. September is prime camping time: It's just getting summery in Northern California, while the more scorching regions of the country are cooling off. This Mexican-tinged menu celebrates the last days of Summer by featuring lots of fresh produce.

To start, I'm offering tortilla chips served with a gourmet caramelized black bean "butter" and store-bought pico de gallo. Some chips will inevitably get crushed in transit, so we'll put those into the main dish — tamale chicken packets — which cook over the fire with little effort. I'll also be grilling corn, brushed with lime and feta cheese, and a jicama-mango salad that you can make in advance and assemble on site. To get the recipes, read more