Backyard Campfire

Today I want to share one of our favorite summer traditions: A Backyard Campfire.

Needed Supplies:

• An outdoor fire pit. Believe it or not, these don't have to be expensive. We found ours for $35 at Walmart a couple of years ago. Searching online, I found a few under $50. We bought the cheapest we could find and though it's not the gorgeous designer kind, it works great for an evening camp fire roast with the kids.
• Firewood. Whenever sticks fall in our yard, we have our kids gather them and place them a bucket to use as kindling. For a great fire starter, keep the lint from your dryer. LIgh
• Hot dogs
• Hot dog Buns
• Graham Crackers
• Marshmallows
• Chocolate (For added fun, buy Reese's Peanut Butter cups instead of Hershey bars...YUM!)
• Roasting Sticks
• Camp Chairs
• Kids, friends, neighbors, whomever!

There's not much to say as to how to make this a great night. Without fail, it always wins the "hands-down best summer meal" year after year with the kids. Even the neighborhood kids look forward to "hot dog night" at our house. And while they enjoy the novelty of it all, we enjoy the quiet time as the fire burns down to just sit and chat and watch the stars come out.

Just a few safety tips: Check your community's weather and fire danger before starting a fire. Dry and windy? Probably best to wait for another night. Also, be sure to extinguish the fire completely before calling it a night. And, finally, depending upon the model you buy, you may need to have some sort of stone beneath the fire pit. We place ours on the patio. But, if you want to place it on your grass, water it down pretty good first and then use a large paver or stone beneath it to keep it from burning the grass.