friday field trip
August 10th is National S’mores Day! This week’s Friday field trip is to the campfire to officially celebrate National S’mores Day!
No one can not dispute that s’mores are an American icon. For so many of us, they bring back floods of childhood memories…for me, memories from throughout my lifetime.
In honor of National S’mores Day, I am sharing some ‘gourmet’ s’mores combinations my family has enjoyed over the years at campsites throughout New England. I hope you will try them and get inspired to come up with some of your own creations! S’mores to me are all about camping and Hershey’s chocolate bars. Both of these things bring back so many great memories from my childhood. I am a second generation camper. I camped my entire childhood; as did my children. There are many traditions involved with camping…that’s what makes it such a treasured family experience. Making s’mores has always been one of our traditions. As my children got older and schedules became more complicated, we gave up our annual camping trips…but, not making s’mores.
A photo of one of my family’s ‘gourmet’ s’more flavor – adding peanut butter to the traditional s’more combination.
A photo of our ‘gourmet’ s’more….adding peanut butter.
Of course, the most important component of a s’more is the Hershey’s chocolate bar. When I was a kid, I got the chance to visit the Hershey’s factory in Hershey, Pennsylvania…it was a trip I never forgot…who could forget an entire town that smells like chocolate?! The Hershey’s kiss shaped street lights in town gave an immediate sense of whimsy to the visit. In the days of my childhood, it was still possible to view the huge vats of chocolate as part of the Hershey’s tour – very impressive…the image (and smell) are still very vividly etched in my memory! Don’t miss the opportunity to visit Hershey’s if you are ever in the Hershey, PA area. ( I am not only in love with the Hershey’s products, but also in the great works they are involved in. Check out their website www.thehersheycompany.com to learn more about Hershey’s social responsibility and the Milton Hershey school.)
A photo of my family’s ‘gourmet’ s’more…in this version a Cookies ‘n’ Creme bar replaces the regular chocolate Hershey’s bar.
A Hershey’s bar, a couple graham crackers, a just-cooked marshmallow…the components everyone immediately recognizes as a s’more.
A photo of creating the traditional s’more.
A photo of the Peppermint Pattie ‘gourmet’ s’more. A York Peppermint Pattie replaces the chocolate Hershey’s bar.
Now, I am not knocking all the traditionalists out there, but over our many years of camping, my family has come up with many different variations of the standard s’more. I would like to share some of our favorites with you…they are affectionately referred to by my family as the ‘gourmet’ s’mores.
My favorite is to substitute a Cookies ‘n’ Creme bar for the chocolate. We also substitute the chocolate with a Peppermint Pattie. Both are great variations. The other popular combination in my family is to add peanut butter to the traditional combination of marshmallow and chocolate.
So, go find your perfect toasting stick. Celebrate National S’mores Day.
Create a s’more…create some memories :)
Thanks for visiting, Jackie