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  The 4 th of July is a must-camp weekend for thousands of Americans, including us. These are some of our favorite campsite-friendly recipes that are suitably festive for celebrating the birth of our country, and take into consideration the need for easy preparation and cleanup. Enjoy them, and have a happy 4th! Independence Day Supper for 8 (follow the links for recipes) Warm Chips and Salsa* Marinated Flank Steak     Vegetarian Sloppy Joes Grilled Corn       French Potato Salad S’Mores 10 Ways       Old School Homemade Ice Cream in Red, White and Blue Strawberry Lemonade*     Ice Cold Beer For the *Warm Chips and Salsa, lay a sheet of foil on the grill and poke holes in it. Spread a generous layer of your favorite tortilla chips on the foil and warm them for about 5 minutes. Serve with your favorite salsa, homemade or store-bought. For the *Strawberry Lemonade , just add sliced strawberries to your favor...

(From the 4th of July Camping Menu) AKA Ice Cream in a Can From The Real Family Camping Cookbook : When you're making ice cream at the campground or at a cookout, you can buy one of those plastic ice cream maker balls (I think L.L. Bean carries them) or you can do it old school, like this. You'll need a 1 lb. coffee can and a 3 lb. coffee can - try a diner or a college cafeteria for the big one.  Or you can use a clean paint can the right size. Serves: 8 Ingredients: 1 ½ pints half and half 1/2 c. sugar 1 t. vanilla extract 3/4 c. strawberries 3/4 c. blueberries crushed ice 1-2 c. rock salt 1 clean 1 lb. coffee can with the plastic lid 1 clean 3 lb. coffee can with the plastic lid duct tape Preparation: 1. Put the half and half, sugar and vanilla in the 1 lb. coffee can and mix well.  2. Put the lid on the 1 lb.coffee can and tape it securely shut with duct tape. 3. Put the 1 lb. coffee can into the 3 lb. coffee can and surround it with crushed ice and rock salt. 4. Put the...

( From the 4th of July Camping Menu ) This is a simple potato dish that everyone loves. It's attractive and addictive and it just happens to be vegan.  Because olive oil is used rather than mayo, this keeps well on a camping trip or cook-out. Use a thin-skinned potato of any kind - as long as it doesn't have that thick, rough skin that baking potatoes have, it'll be great. French Potato Salad Serves: 8 Ingredients: 6-8 large potatoes, thoroughly scrubbed and cut into bit-sized pieces olive oil, about 3/4 c. dried or fresh herbs to your taste, such as oregano, basil or parsley salt & pepper Directions: 1. Thoroughly scrub the potatoes and cut into bite-sized pieces. 2. Put the potatoes in a large pot of water, bring it to a boil, then generously salt the water. 3. Cook the potatoes until just tender, around 8 minutes but check them at 5. 4. Drain the potatoes in a colander. 5. In a large bowl, dress the potatoes with olive oil until each piece is lightly coated. 6. Sprin...

(From the 4th of July Camping Menu) This is a simple and fun cookout dish. The catsup, tomato sauce, brown sugar and soy sauce combine to make a yummy, tangy barbecue sauce and you'll be surprised at how enthusiastic people get about it, especially since it's so easy (and *shh* vegetarian). Vegetarian Sloppy Joes  Serves: 8 Ingredients: 1 large, yellow onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 3 T. olive oil 2 packages (12 oz each) TVP (Texturized Vegetable Protein) – I like MorningStar Farms Recipe Crumbles* 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce 4 T. tomato paste 2/3 c. catsup 1/3 c. brown sugar 3 T. soy sauce 8 hamburger buns Directions: 1. In the bottom of a pot, sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil until soft. 2. Add the frozen TVP and sauté until lightly browned. 3. Stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, catsup, brown sugar and soy sauce. 4. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until the sauce thickens and the flavors are well combined. 5. Toast the hamburger buns and dish out a larg...

The perfect, Classic S'More. (From the 4th of July Camping Menu) We make S'Mores every night when we camp so we like to try different variations for fun.  On the 4th, put all the ingredients out in separate dishes and let each person create their own masterpiece. Vive le difference! From The Real Family Camping Cookbook : S’Mores 10 Ways 1. Classic S’Mores Legend has it that S'Mores were invented by the Girl Scouts, did you know that? Serves:  8 Ingredients: 8 graham crackers 8 marshmallows 4 Hershey’s milk chocolate bars green, pointy sticks Preparation: 1.  Toast each marshmallow on a long stick over the fire until it’s golden brown. 2.  Put a piece of chocolate on a graham cracker and put a hot, roasted marshmallow on top of the chocolate. 3.  Cover with a second graham cracker and smush together to make a S’More. 4.  Bon appétit! 2. S’Mores au Chois (“oh shwah”) – S’Mores Your Way Instead of Hershey bars, substitute any kind of chocolate you like. ...

Marinated flank steak is a great main dish that grownups and kids both like. It's delicious and seems to take a special effort, but actually it's easier to make than hamburgers. From The Real Family Camping Cookbook : Marinated Flank Steak Flank steak likes to be marinated and kids like teriyaki sauce.  Serves: 8 Ingredients: 4-6 lbs. of flank steak 2 c. of teriyaki sauce 10 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed 3/4 c. of pineapple juice 1/3 c. of brown sugar 6 T. of soy sauce Preparation: 1.  Put everything except the steak into a large Ziploc bag and mix well. 2.  Add the steak and marinate - overnight, all day or at least for a couple of hours. 3.  Grill 3-5 minutes on each side. 4.  Slice the steak and serve with potato salad and corn. “Give them great meals of beef and iron and steel, they will eat like wolves and fight like devils .”
- William Shakespeare, King Henry V Return to the 4th of July Camping Menu.

Hm.. I wonder what that sign means? Every camping trip is an opportunity to gain nuggets of wisdom by making mistakes ... and let's just say some of us have gained a lot of nuggets. Here are our 8 worst camping mistakes, at least so far:  1. Arriving late There's nothing quite like setting up a big tent in the dark while three kids say (not in unison but repeatedly) "Can I have a S'Mores?" Cue the mosquitos. Seriously, I know it's hard to get out of the house, but get to the campsite by three. Then you can unpack while the kids play, make a big fire and locate the flashlights and the bug spray before dark. 2. Setting up in a valley Each campsite has its own eccentricities and it's your job to figure them out. We once pitched our tent in what turned out to be the bottom of a little slope. It seemed inconsequential until it poured that night and the tent filled with water. A little rain is nice, but not on your feet at 4am. 3. Camping on a slope Usually, whe...

(From the 4th of July Camping Menu)  From The Real Family Camping Cookbook : Besides being the most delicious thing in the world when it's in season, corn keeps well, making it a great camping food. We like to cook it with the husks on (minus the silk).  It's fun to prepare and soak the corn and it always turns out perfectly. Serves:  4 Ingredients: 4 ears of corn, with the husks on butter salt & pepper and hot sauce Preparation: 1.  Leaving the husks on, remove the floss or silk from each ear of corn. 2.  Fold the husks back around the corn and submerge the corn in water to soak. After they have soaked for about 15 minutes, retrieve the corn from the water, wrap the husks around them more tightly, and place them on the grill, over medium heat, for 5-10 minutes. 3.  Remove the husks and serve the corn with butter, salt & pepper and hot sauce. Variations: •  You can also take the whole husk off before grilling and wrap each ear in foil spread wi...

Because today is the first day of summer, I am reminded of one of my favorite, favorite children's book, Summer by Alice Low, illustrated by Roy McKie. McKie is well known by the books he and Dr. Seuss created together, like 10 Apples Up On Top, In a People House, My Book About Me, etc.  All wonderful books. But there's something special about Summer. The simplicity and sweetness of Low's poetry, coupled with McKie's joyful and innocent illustrations truly evoke the carefree summer days of childhood. I encourage everyone to go out and buy a copy if you don't have one already - but get a vintage copy on eBay, because when they reissued it a few years ago they changed the colors and omitted a couple of key pages. (I don't know why some people think they can improve on perfection, but there you have it.) Anyway, there are plenty of decent copies of the old one to be had. For a wonderful bio on McKie, go here: http://bit.ly/kCoXRS .  That site is www.vintagechildre...

Our traditional Father's Day fare has always been boiled weisswurst (white veal sausage) with potatoes, carrots and cabbage and lots and lots AND LOTS of mustard.  I don't know how this tradition came about, maybe we discovered weisswust one Father's Day by accident - it's kind of hard to find. We used to buy it at Eagle Provisions in Park Slope but now we buy it at Prime Meats in Carroll Gardens. Anyway , this year, in a break from tradition, steak was requested. Sounds yummy, but it's been so hot and muggy in Brooklyn that the whole big, hot steak on a plate thing sounded kind of, well, hot. So I suggested steak salad, and I think it's going to be just the thing.  Serve this with crusty bread or toasted Portugeuse rolls and plenty of nice, cold beer. From The Real Family Camping Cookbook :     Steak Salad   On camping trips, this makes a delicious lunch on day 2 with your still-fresh lettuce and meat. Wash your lettuce at home, dry it well and pack it in a Zip...

I was reminded by a friend to ask Pete his favorite Father's Day present of all time. To my surprise he answered that it was this commemorative groundhog plate. I like how Pete looks a little scared in this picture. I bought this plate at the Goodwill in Croton-On-Hudson, NY.  It was part of a seemingly complete set of woodland creature plates, but at four bucks a pop the set would have totaled about sixty bucks. So I chose the obviously best one, the noble groundhog, and proceeded on my way. That night I kicked myself for cheaping out and not splurging on the complete set. So the next day I sped back over to the Goodwill. Alas, the plates were gone! Another family had snapped them up and were probably displaying them in their living room (minus the groundhog). So let this be a lesson to all of us: when you find a complete set of commemorative wildlife plates, buy them all. Nonetheless, because Pete is quite a groundhog enthusiast the plate was a big hit all by itself and has a pro...

Guest Dad blogger Benjamin Solotaire submitted this photo of his own Dad's art studio in Portland, Maine. The late Robert Solotaire was a much-admired painter who gave us lush Maine landscapes, New York Cityscapes and large-scale industrial scenes. He had an unusual point-of-view, often viewing his subject matter from the back; a loading dock, a highway underpass, a patch of hedges unnoticed by others. This is a photo of the studio where he painted, in the overgrown backyard of his old house in Portland. Robert Solotaire's work can be viewed at robertsolotaire.com . I know that wasn't exactly wordless, but didn't you want to know?

by Andrew Hunter It's Day 2 of our countdown to Father's Day, and guest blog ger and new dad Andrew Hunter sh ares with us some big city survival tips.  This morning, my son and I watched our first sunrise together. I am a new parent. So, lately, I have seen plenty of sunrises. But the one this morning was the first that my son showed interest in. He has just awaken from the fourth trimester so everything interests him these days. This morning after his 5 o’clock bottle he started to fuss because he wanted to sit up and look around. I positioned him on my lap to face our kitchen window. The sun started to peek over the church a few blocks away. I leaned over to look at him. He had his eyes set on the bright outline of the church spire and a big smile on his face. Nico As you might expect of a new father, when I saw his grin, memories of my own childhood discoveries of nature flooded my mind. Most of them were set in the mountains of Idaho, where I spent my summers. My grandpar...

Thanks to guest Dad vlogger Peter Valentine for showing us how to tie camping gear to the roof of the car - using the versatile "Mover's Knot". You can visit Peter at his wesbite, hungrybutscared.com , or stalk him on Twitter @peterbvalentine . You may also like: Packing the Coolers for Camping How Do You Pick a Campsite? Our 8 Worst Camping Mistakes

 From  The Real Family Camping Cookbook : A cool dish for a hot afternoon. We usually have steak and Italian bread the first night of camping, and then use the leftover bread to make this delicious, healthy and kid-friendly salad the next day for lunch. It's easy, too! Bread Salad or Panzanella Serves:  4 Ingredients: 4 cups of leftover Italian bread, cubed 1 large tomato, diced 1 cucumber, peeled and diced ½ of a red or yellow onion, sliced thinly 1 small clove of garlic, minced 1 anchovy, chopped ½ c. of fresh basil leaves sliced, black olives, as desired ½ c. of olive oil the juice of 1 lemon salt & pepper Preparation: 1.  Make the salad dressing: Pour the olive oil and lemon juice into a jar with a screw top.  Add the garlic and the anchovy and shake well.  Salt and pepper to taste. 2.  Put the cubed bread in a pot and drizzle with about half of the dressing.  Toss it well to coat the bread. 3.  Add the tomato, cucumber, onion and bas...

  Although I’ve visited Portland, Maine and the surrounding areas many times, this weekend I went someplace I’ve never been: The Gilsland Farm Audubon Center in nearby Falmouth, Maine. Bee hives The Gilsland Farm Audubon center is just five minutes from Portland, and is Maine Audubon’s headquarters.  It has a large, modern environmental center with a well-curated Children's Discovery Room and a 65-acre wildlife sanctuary that includes more than 2 miles of trails. The view from Pond Meadow Trail We chose the Pond Meadow trail, which winded through the forest, past ancient, fallen trees and striking metal sculptures by artist Wendy Klemperer, and led us out to the salt marsh. Sculpture by artist Wendy Klemperer Serious birders frequent the Center. We are groundhog enthusiasts, so in the notebook at the front desk where you write down which birds you spotted, we wrote, “groundhog.” (We saw one with badger markings on his face. Maybe we should keep our ow...

I'm just posting this because I like the clothespins.  Betty thinks of everything. And you gotta love that the recipe has only one ingredient: Betty Crocker muffin mix.  I respect that.  

Site 42, somewhere in New Jersey Where to camp, where to camp? If you're like us, you're looking for something simple in a campsite - just a shady, little lot to call home for a few days. To pick one, we look around on the internet, call up a bunch of campgrounds and then we reserve a site without seeing it, except on an aerial map. (Check out reserveamerica.com , or google "state parks camping" and you'll find what you need. Sometimes we camp in private campgrounds, too. Try gocampingamerica.com or KOA, or just google "private campgrounds" and you'll turn them up.)  We like a campground with features for kids , like nature trails, a playground and a lake or pool to swim in. Most campgrounds have ice in the front office and many have a snack bar or ice cream stand, too. That works for us. After you look around for a while, you'll find a campground that you like. Maybe a friend recommended it or maybe there were a lot of pictures on the website ...