Father's Day Camp Grilling and Beer Tasting with Whole Foods Market

Father’s Day is just around the corner on June 19th. I've partnered with Whole Foods Market to bring you a little Father's Day camp grilling and beer tasting inspiration for all you dads out there--new dads, single dads, grandads, animal dads and every other rad dad out there.

We invited our good friends Brad and Nancy and their son Ben, along with Eric and Susana and their boys Nico and Mateo, over for some urban camp grilling (think foil-wrapped camp food cooked on a backyard grill).  We also roasted s'mores over a portable fire pit, set up an outdoor movie screen for the kids, and had a blind beer tasting for the dads. Oh, and we can't forget the Warriors playoff game that happened to be playing that night. Go Dubs!

Take a look at our drool-worthy dinner menu:

• Two Kinds of Cool Kebabs: Grapes/Cheddar and Caprese (recipe from Sunset Magazine's new Camp Sunset cookbook)
• Candied Rosemary Hazelnuts (from Camp Sunset)
• Crackers/Olives/Cheese plate
• Grilled Wild Alaskan Salmon Foil Packets (recipe from the Whole Foods Blog)
• Simple Grilled Asparagus
• Hot Dogs from Fork in the Road (made with sustainable pasture-raised beef)
• Cabbage Crunch Salad from Whole Foods
• Pull-Apart Garlic Bread (from Camp Sunset)
• Peach Crisps in Foil Packets with Creme Fraiche Whipped Cream (from Camp Sunset)
• Classic S'mores

For the beer tasting, I wanted two IPAs and two Stouts, I wanted them to be from local or California breweries, and of course, the label had to be cute--Rachel from Whole Foods Gilman was amazing at helping me select a few craft brews for me to choose from. Here were my final selections:

Almanac IPA (San Francisco, CA)
With intense aromas of grapefruit and tangerine peel, melon, pineapple and pine trees. The finish has a clean bitterness and light saltine cracker note.

Iron Springs Casey Jones Imperial IPA (Fairfax, CA)
This double IPA has twice the hops and grains as its counterpart. Significant floral, citrus, and peppery notes on the nose, yet even with the enormous hop profile, the huge grain bill results in a very well balanced brew.

Modern Times Beer Mega Black House Imperial Stout - Special Release (San Diego, CA)
An imperialized version of Black House loaded with their house-roasted coffee.  Thick, chewy, and bursting with coffee aroma & flavor.

Bike Dog Brewing Company Milk Stout (West Sacramento, CA)
A sweet stout with chocolate notes and a hint of coffee and milk.

I hand painted a rough buffalo plaid pattern onto kraft butcher paper to line the tables. I designed some cute beer tasting cards for the dads to rate each beer.

Um, luckily I printed out four cards! And please note that Theo did not actually taste test any of those beers. ;)

Three rad beer-loving dads with their winning selections from the beer tasting--so fun that they each had a different favorite! They had a lot of fun discovering these new beers and were pleasantly surprised that Whole Foods had such a great selection of craft brews.

Delicious olives and cheeses including ones from Kite Hill (made with almond milk and so good!), Mitica Cana de Oveja Mitica and Fromi Brebirousse D'Argental.

These Candied Hazelnuts from the new Camp Sunset cookbook were so easy to make and highly addictive. You could also find the recipe here.

These Cool Kebabs from the Camp Sunset cookbook were super easy and quick to make. Even Theo helped out--he made the one with all grapes and one cheese cube ;)

And can we talk about these delicious little goodies? A Whole Foods Market exclusive, they're from Fork in the Road, a company that acts responsibly, humanely and compassionately and are made with sustainable, pasture-raised uncured beef without any antibiotics or added hormones.

I used this recipe for Grilled Salmon in Foil Packets for the main dish using fresh, wild Alaskan salmon from the fish section at Whole Foods, organic cherry tomatoes, lemons, olives, and fresh thyme, oregano and parsley.

For dessert I made these Peach Crisps in Foil Packets with Creme Fraiche Whipped Cream from the Camp Sunset cookbook.

It wouldn't be urban camping without s'mores by the firepit, right? Nick put together our Stahl Firepit in a jiffy. Should have started the fire earlier so it would be perfect for s'mores but the guys were too busy beer tasting!

Now THIS is urban camping! Go Warriors!

Setting out all the ingredients in a pan made it easy for everyone to assemble their s'mores. I used Elyon Natural Vanilla Marshmallows, and 365 Fair Trade Dark Chocolate, and Organic Honey Grahams from Whole Foods.

Let's not forget the amazing Father's Day gifts you could get at Whole Foods. These include a Kleen Kanteen, grilling tools, books, Allegro coffee and mugs, Kikkerland Bike Phone Holder, 3-in-1 Mini Screwdriver, TrueFlask Soft Touch Flask, Herban Cowboy products, and Thrive skin care products.

And my favorite photo of the night...

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Special thanks to Whole Foods Market for sponsoring this post. All content, ideas, and words are my own.

Happy Weekend: Kids Camp Out

We had our big annual preschool camp out a few weekends ago. It's something we look forward to every year, but I was a bit sad this year knowing Lucas would be an alumni at next year's camp out. But for the next couple of years Nick will be the main camp out leader/organizer. It's a lot of work and we don't really get to hang out too much as a family during the actual camp out, but he's an outdoorsy dude who loves doing it. So many families help out, but I think Lucas and Theo think it's extra cool that their daddy is the leader. My favorite thing about camping is watching the kids run around, having fun and finding inspiration in nature. I also love everything about camp food, sitting around a fire, coffee in the morning, and I even don't mind sleeping in a tent. :)

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Steep Ravine Cabins at Stinson Beach

Right before Memorial Day weekend, Nick took Lucas on a "big boys" trip to the Steep Ravine Cabins, just south of Stinson Beach.  Each bare-bones cabin dates back to the 1940s, and features a wood-burning stove, a dining table, sleeping platforms (apparently very hard so bring a tent mattress) and an outdoor barbeque. Perched high up on the side of a cliff, the expansive ocean views are to die for. I had never heard of these cabins before, but apparently you need to book them months in advance, and be quick -- reservations are available on the first day of the month at 8 a.m. PST, and the entire month books up in minutes. Seriously? Well, we were lucky that my friend Lisa did all the hard work for us and booked it quick style. Her plans fell through, she sent out an email to friends offering up her spot, I forwarded it to Nick thinking it might be a fun Daddy-and-Lucas trip (not realizing it was a hot commodity, duh!), and of course Nick jumped on it. Score!

We do a lot as a family, but I am a huge fan of one-on-one trips with the kids. Remember my Spring Break Trip to Legoland with Lucas? It's fun, easier than traveling with both kids (why did I ever complain when there was just one?), and best of all, Nick and I both get much-needed bonding time with each of the boys. The kids crave it and everyone is in a great mood when we reunite.

Crazy amazing views overlooking the ocean!

This trip coincided with a fun project Lucas' preschool class will be doing throughout the year and beyond:  a small stuffed tiger, named Ella, goes home with each child along with a journal. During her week-long visit with us, we jotted down our adventures in the journal and included photos or drawings of our activities. It was the perfect opportunity to take Ella to the Steep Ravine Cabins! Tucked into the side pocket of Lucas' backpack, Ella got to see the breathtaking views from the cabin, collect driftwood, learn how to eat a hot dog correctly (according to Lucas), sleep in a sleeping bag, and take a dip in the ocean at Stinson Beach.

+ Photos taken by Nick with iPhone 4
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Camping with Lucas and Theo

This past weekend we went on a school-wide camp out with Lucas' preschool. Each year parents and kids gear up for one night at Bort Meadow at Anthony Chabot Regional Park. We set up tents, grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, shared a potluck of sides and salads, roasted s'mores over the hot fire, climbed trees, enjoyed a big sing-a-long (Nick rocked it out on his acoustic guitar and played everything from "On the Road Again" to "I've Been Working on the Railroad" to "Carpet of Dreams" by the very talented childrens songwriter Jane Timberlake, to "Let It Go" from Disney's Frozen - you know this one got all the kids dancing and building pretend ice castles), drank hot chocolate, and then went to bed in our sleeping bags and tents under the big starry night sky. The next morning we enjoyed a wonderful pancake breakast with lots of coffee for the grown-ups.

This year I woke up in a tent on my birthday. Lucas came in and gave me about 17 kisses on the lips. Then he said, "Mama, are you an old lady today?" and I immediately smiled and said, "I sure am!" Then he said, "Well, who's going to take care of me?" and I said, "I'm old, but not THAT old. And besides, even when I'm a really old lady, I'll always take care of you." He says the funniest things these days and I'm soaking it all in (and jotting it down here).

I really enjoy camping -- the food, the cozy feeling, the s'mores. And it's getting easier with the kids. We learned our lesson this year and set up two tents -- one for me and Theo, who slept from 7:15 p.m. - 7:15 a.m. straight, and a smaller one for Nick and Lucas. Last year was disastrous as Lucas woke up Theo around 10 p.m. and both kids were wide awake. No thanks!

A few things that made it extra fun for the kids were the Lego table, glow sticks, LED finger lights, a stomp rocket, a constellation night light, and some fun books.

All in all we had so much fun but were exhausted. I came home craving noodles and soup (my total comfort food) so we braved the Ramen Shop that night after we cleaned up. I must say I had a wonderful birthday this year.