With the campgrounds less crowded, the temperatures cooler, and the absence of pesky insects, camping in the fall is a completely different experience from camping in the summer. Another big difference? The foods you eat and the holidays you celebrate. With Halloween just around the corner, you and your family don’t have to wait until October 31 to prepare and enjoy some of these easy Halloween camping recipes.
Carved Pumpkins Made from Bell Peppers.
While you might assume that the only way to celebrate Halloween is with some sugary treats, there are some healthier snack alternatives too. One of our favourite Halloween camping recipes is for bell pepper jack-o-lanterns filled with sliced vegetables. To make this healthy Halloween treat, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- 1 flat-bottomed orange bell pepper
- 1 cup of dip in your family’s favourite flavours
- 2 large flat-bottomed yellow peppers
- Celery sticks, baby carrots, cucumbers, and other small or sliced vegetables
To create a jack-o-lantern bell pepper, remove all seeds, stems, and ribs from the inside of the vegetable. Spoon your favourite dip into the orange bell pepper and fill the yellow bell peppers with a vegetable assortment.
Rice Krispy Brain Treats
Rice Krispy bars have been a favourite treat in Canada for generations. They’re also easy to make. With Halloween just around the corner, all it takes to make a Rice Krispy bar look like a brain is to add some red gel icing and food colouring to resemble blood. Here are the other ingredients you’ll need:
- (1) 10-ounce bag of miniature marshmallows
- 3 tablespoons of butter
- 6 cups of Rice Krispies cereal
- Non-stick cooking spray
After gathering the ingredients, red gel icing, and food colouring, take the three tablespoons of butter, place it in a pot, and stir until melted. Next, add the marshmallows and continue stirring until they have fully melted and then add a few drops of the red food colouring.
Now you’re ready to stir in the six cups of Rice Krispies cereal. Keep stirring until you can see that the mixture has an even coating. Grab the bottle of non-stick cooking spray and coat your hands with it.
With your greased hands, reach in the bowl for approximately one-fourth of the mixture. Roll the mixture into a ball, flatten it, and create an indent in the middle to give the Rice Krispy bar the appearance of a brain. Cook the bars according to instructions on the cereal box, take them out of the oven, add red icing for the final touch, and serve.
Simple Finger Foods
Halloween camping recipes don’t need to be elaborate to be enjoyable to eat. You can buy a dozen cupcakes from a local store and place Halloween-themed toppers on them. Some fun examples include upside-down witches’ legs, black cats, pumpkins, and spooky ghosts. Another idea is to create mini meat and cheese kabobs and choose a Halloween-themed pick to hold them together.
Spider Hot Dogs
Hot dogs grilled over an open flame are tasty any time of year, and Halloween gives you the perfect opportunity to make them look a little different than usual. Start by buying one package of hot dogs and ensure each person has a stick to hold their hot dog over the campfire.
Making campfire hot dogs spooky is as simple as cutting a pattern in the shape of an X at both ends. The marks should point inwards towards the middle of the hot dog, where you should leave at least one inch of space clear to place the stick. As each camper holds their hot dog over an open flame, it’ll slowly become a spooky spider complete with creepy legs.
Spooky Fingers
You’ll need eight ounces of white chocolate, 20 pumpkin seeds, and 20 pretzel sticks to make this simple Halloween treat. To start the process, place the white chocolate in the microwave and check on it every 30 seconds until melted.
Next, grab a cookie sheet, line it with wax paper, and fill it with pretzel sticks. Spoon melted chocolate on each pretzel stick and then immediately press a pumpkin seed at the top to give it the appearance of a fingernail. Place the cookie sheet of pretzel sticks, white chocolate, and pumpkin seeds in the refrigerator for 15 minutes, then remove and enjoy.
Whether you camp with just your partner, your young children, or have grandchildren visiting you on the road, these Halloween camping recipes should be a hit with everyone.