Dark Hot Chocolate Mix

Becca here with an amazing dark hot chocolate mix!  I've tried LOTS of different kinds of hot chocolate before, both premade from the store, and homemade.  And while several of them were good, I prefer a dark chocolate flavor, and find many of them too milky and/or sugary sweet for my preference.  I was most recently really disappointed by the Starbucks Dark Hot Chocolate mix that was super, super expensive at my local grocery store, and not good at all.  So, after googling recipes that were different than what we'd tried before, my kids & I tried this one last week and declared it a winner!  It's definitely my favorite hot chocolate that I've tried so far!  It is a nice blend of sweet and creamy, but with the deep dark chocolate flavor as well.  Even better, the recipe uses ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry right now!  I hope you'll try it soon.  And be sure & let us know how you like it!

Dark Hot Chocolate Mix

1 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder (I use Hershey's Special Dark)
1 cup sugar
1 cup powdered milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients in an airtight container.  If it's a really tight seal, let the kids shake it well to combine (my recommendation!); otherwise, stir well to combine.

To make hot chocolate, add 3 Tablespoons to 8-10 ounces of hot water (or 2 Tablespoons to 6 ounces for a kid-sized serving is what we do).  Enjoy!

Warm Banana "Boats" - Camping Friendly!

Becca here with a fun recipe for the campfire!  Feel free to use the grill (as we did) or oven instead too.  My family recently camped out in the backyard, and I was wanting to serve a healthier alternative to the traditional s'mores, since we'd had treats at several different occasions that week.  Plus, all three of my kids seem to end up sticky from head to toe with the melted marshmallows, and I was wanting to use ingredients we already had at home, marshmallows not being one of those things.  I remembered watching Pioneer Woman's show on Food Network recently (we don't have any sort of TV hooked up at our house, but you can watch the episodes online) and they made these "Campfire Banana Boats" she called them I believe.  You don't really need an exact recipe, I used what we had what I remembered her doing on the show, and they turned out great!  Our bananas were slightly green on the tips still, and while they were good, I think they would have been even better with bananas that were fully ripe, so you might keep that in mind.  Enjoy!

Warm Banana "Boats" - Camping Friendly!

*Amounts given are per serving (1 banana per person), feel free to substitue your family's favorite ingredients, or things you have on hand.  Right at 3 Tablespoons total of mixture is the perfect amount, we found, with at least half of that being chocolate or something that melts.

1 banana
2 Tablespoons chocolate chips
1 scant Tablespoon roasted sunflower seeds
a pinch of coconut flakes
aluminum foil

With the banana still in the peel, slice through it lengthwise through the top peel and actual banana, being careful to not cut through the bottom peel, leaving it intact. 

Pull the banana 'boat' open, and full the opening with the toppings. 

Wrap the whole thing in foil.

Cook on low heat on the grill, in the oven at 350, or place in a warm spot near the campfire (but not over direct flame) for 15-20 minutes, or until banana and toppings are warm & gooey.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy! 

Slow Cooker Baked Beans {Using Dry Beans}

Becca here with a recipe for making traditional baked beans in the slow cooker, beginning with dried beans.  Dried beans are obviously a very economical option, and really require no more extra work or effort, just a bit of planning ahead to allow time for them to soak before cooking.  Making the baked beans in the slow cooker means that you can just add the ingredients in the morning, and the meal is ready for dinner when you are!  Plus, the smell of these cooking all day is amazing!  The beans freeze well, and would be the perfect dish to have while camping!  You could either plug your slow cooker in at the campsite and leave them cooking, or have them already prepared and just heat them over the campfire when you got there.  We enjoyed this on a recent family campout in our backyard, along with our favorite homemade cornbread and banana boats, a recipe I'll be sharing soon.  This makes a very large batch, perfect for sharing at a potluck, or freezing half to have on hand for a quick meal later.  My recipe was inspired by this one.

Slow Cooker Baked Beans {Using Dry Beans}

2 pounds dried great northern beans (navy beans would work fine also)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
4 teaspoons salt (I use Real Salt)
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 teaspoons powdered mustard
1 cup molasses (I used Grandma's original unsulphured)
1 medium onion, chopped
4 slices (4 oz) bacon, coarsely chopped - I use kitchen shears to quickly slice through all 4 at the same time, and use nitrate free bacon
1 cup tomato sauce (ketchup would work also, or 3 Tablespoons tomato paste, whichever you have is fine)

The night before you want to eat the beans, in a large slow cooker (mine is 6 quart), add the dry beans, and fill with water.  Leave sitting overnight to soak.

In the morning, drain off all of the water, and add enough fresh water to just cover the beans.  You'll be adding other liquids, so don't add to much water, just enough to barely cover the beans.

Stir in remaining ingredients, except tomato product (dark brown sugar, salt, black pepper, powdered mustard, molasses, onion, and chopped bacon), cover, and cook on high 8 hours.  Stir in tomato product just before serving.  Enjoy!