Festival Foodie

I love to camp in the fall. The air is crisp, the trees are a melody of colors, and the weather is perfect. I enjoy cozying up to a warm fire and watching the embers sizzle my stress away. Another love of mine is live music in the fall. Combine them both, and well, you have my heaven on earth.
My husband and I traveled to Mulberry Mountain last weekend for Harvest Bluegrass Festival. I was excited to set a naturally gluten free menu that kept our bellies full and our hearts light as we danced away to the sound of musicians seducing the strings of their instruments. Banjoes, brats, bunches of dried fruit, and boisterous buddies made our weekend absolutely blissful.
I like to keep my menu easy when I camp. No fuss so the focus is on enjoying mother nature’s gifts. We could all use a little help from nature to get us back in the right head space. I encourage you to throw your camping gear in the trunk before the winter chill peeps it’s head in, and pack some easy snacking goodies. So here you go… a few good snacking on the go recipes to keep in mind for your next camping excursion…Or just to have around the house!

>Tasty Trail Mix
• ½ cup dried cherries
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup unsalted almonds
• 1 cup plain M&M’s
• 4 cups rice chex

Mix together and munch away!

Puppy Chow
• 9 cups crispy rice cereal squares
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

In a saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate; add peanut butter and mix until smooth. Remove from heat, add cereal and stir until coated. Pour powdered sugar into large plastic bag, add coated cereal and shake until well coated. Store in airtight container.

Cranberry Mixer
• 2 cups sunflower seeds, raw
• 1 cup pine nuts
• 1 cup pumpkin seeds, raw
• 1 cup cranberries, dried and sweetened
• 1 cup raisins

Measure all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined.

Apple Pie Dip with Cinnamon Corn Chips

•1 1/3 cups peeled, cored, and diced apple
•1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
•2 teaspoons brown sugar
•2 teaspoons apricot preserves
•1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
For Corn Chips
•5 (6-inch) corn tortillas
•2 tablespoons butter, melted
•1 teaspoon cinnamon
•1 ½ tbs sugar

Combine all the dip ingredients in a bowl, then cover and refrigerate the mixture until chilled. Brush the tortillas with butter, and then cut them into wedges. Arrange the wedges on a greased baking sheet, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and bake at 350º F until golden brown, (about 10 minutes). Let them cool before serving.