Ok, I swear I am not obsessed with creating table settings, this one just kind of happened.

This little table craft I created when trying to create festive covers for everyday solar outdoor lights to hang outside our front door for Halloween.

I had a friend coming into town, and I thought, well, I have made so many, why not make them into place card holders for my mother’s tiny table, now in our dining area.

I get it, honestly, in my DNA from my mother. Each year, the house was decorated to the nines inside and out.

Every year, the month of October was spent making our costumes and new decorations to add to the overwhelming homemade decorations that she had made and kept over the years.

While my generation doesn’t want a whole section of the attic full of bins of decorations, I still want to create small and simple crafts that can be stored taking up little space, or can even be discarded after a season or two.

These ghosties can easily be stored in a container the size of a shoebox for next year and are made of inexpensive materials.

More storytelling later, see the instructions below on how to make your own little hosty ghosties for your Halloween tablescape.

Hosty Ghosties and Witchy Hats

CRAFT: HOSTY GHOSTIES & WITCHY HATS

Materials:

* Paper Egg Cartons

* Good Pair of Scissors

* White Acrylic Paint

* Black Acrylic Paint

* Paint Brushes

* Halloween Colored Ribbon

* A kitchen fork

* Hot Glue Gun

* Hot Glue Sticks

* Copper Wire

* Needle-nose pliers and wire cutters

* Cardstock or other stiff paper

* Sharpie marker

Optional:

* Gloves to keep the paint off your hands, I just use my kitchen disposable gloves for food prep

* Star hole punch

Instructions:

Cut Out the Cones:Begin by cutting cone shapes from a paper egg carton.

* For witch hats, tear and fan out the bottom edge of the cone slightly to give it that worn, floppy “old hat” look.

* For ghosts, leave the cone shape as is so they remain tall and simple.

Set Up for Painting:Use the lid section of the egg carton as a stand to hold the cones upright while painting.Paint the outside of each cone using white acrylic for ghosts and black acrylic for witch hats.Be sure to paint about one inch inside the underside of each cone so that if you hang them on a string of lights, the unpainted paper won’t show.

Let Them Dry & Make the Bows:While the paint dries, make small bows using Halloween ribbon and the fork method (see the tutorial link from Red Ted Art).These bows will be used to decorate both the ghosts and witch hats.

Add Optional Star Cutouts (for Witch Hats):Once the black paint is completely dry, use a star-shaped hole punch to make a few small openings in each hat.These stars will allow light from the LED strand to shine through. (The hole punch I used can be found [here].)

I warmed up the faithful hot glue gun and started on the witches’ hats, adding complementary combinations of ribbon and bows to each hat.

Decorate the Witch Hats:

* Warm up your hot glue gun.

* Apply a thin line of glue around the rim of the hat.

* Attach a ribbon around the base, trimming it to fit.

* Glue a contrasting bow over the ribbon’s seam to finish the look.

Decorate the Ghosts:

* Use a black Sharpie (or paint) to draw fun or spooky faces on each ghost.

* Take half of your leftover bows and cut the ends short, then hot-glue them on the back to create small bow ties.

* Attach bows to your ghosts—on the side of the head for girl ghosts and under the “chin” for boy ghosts.

I then took half of the remaining bows and cut and hot-glued the ends to the back, making them look more like bow ties.

I then adhered the bows to both the girl and the boy ghosts. A side hair bow location for the girls and a bowtie for the boys.

Place Card Holders From Ghosties & Witchy Hats

* Cut the Wire:Use copper wire and cut a piece about 1 inch long.

* Prepare the Cone:Using a small punch or awl, make two small holes near the top of the cone—one on each side, directly across from each other.

* Form the Paper Slot:

* Straighten your wire.

* With needle-nose pliers, curl the center of the wire two full turns to create a small circular loop.

* Gently pinch the loop together so it forms a narrow slot—this is where the place card or paper strip will sit.

* Attach the Wire:Bend each end of the wire outward slightly, then insert each end into the holes you made on the sides of the cone. Adjust as needed so the loop stands centered on top.

How to style your Little Spookies

Cut small strips of paper and write your guest’s name on them, and place them at the top of the place holder. I chose to match the girl ghosts with my girl guests, etc, but you certainly don’t have to!

You can either pop them over an LED light string or just place them around your space for decoration.

If you find this craft instruction interesting, I hope you will follow me for more camp recipes, camp and seasonal crafts, and adventure stories here at Rambler and Range. Happy Spooky Season!

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In the spirit of writing about comfort food and fall recipes, here is another easy one-pan meal, sure to fill you up at the start of your day.

The eggs are cooked in the dish like shakshuka and are a wonderful addition to the protein already in the recipe.

Don’t feel like reading the recipe. Watch the video below:

TUSCAN FARMER’S BREAKFAST

Feeds: 4 Equipment: Large Sauce Pan, Can Opener, Spoon or Spatula, extra pan for toasting bread (optional)

Storage: D75/R25

Ingredients:

* One large portion of the sausage of choice. I usually use about a pound.

* 1/2 onion diced

* 4 cloves of garlic minced or garlic powder (see notes)

* 4-6 eggs (In a travel carton in the shell)

* .5 tsp of salt

* 1 cup of chicken broth

* 1 14 oz can of cannellini or great northern white beans

* 1 14 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes diced

* 1.5 tsp Italian seasoning (extra for garnish)

* 1-2 tbsp avocado oil

* .25 tsp of chili flakes (optional)

* Crusty bread sliced (optional)

Note: I usually use beef sausage to add a heartier flavor

Prep at Home

Pre-dice your garlic and onion and place them into separate bags with a paper towel and place them into your cooler or camp fridge.

I also sometimes skip the fresh minced garlic for garlic powder on the trail. I am not lazy, just efficient.

Pre-slice the sausage for longer, thinner cuts so the sausage cooks more quickly. Place in a ziplock for your cooler or camp fridge.

Don’t forget to label what recipe they are for!

Cook at Camp

Heat your 10-12inch skillet to medium heat and add your avocado oil. Sauté the onions until they are translucent (about 3 minutes over medium-high heat)

Add sausage and brown a little. Turn the heat down to medium and add the minced garlic. Sauté until fragrant and golden brown, stirring often.

Turn the heat down if necessary. Sometimes the camp stoves can be overpowered by the actual temperature rather than what the dial suggests.

Then add the herbs and cook for one more minute.

Add the diced tomatoes with the liquid, then the beans with the liquid removed, and then the chicken stock. Add salt and chili flakes to taste.

Bring the pan up to a simmer for about 5-7 minutes. Once the liquid has reduced, make four or six small wells in the tomato bean mixture.

Crack the eggs into the wells and let them cook until the egg whites are solid white and the yolk is still runny.

Sprinkle fresh Italian parsley or more Italian seasoning on top, and then scoop and serve.

Optional: I top mine with a little mozzarella cheese or sour cream if I have it. If you have a bit of crusty bread, toast it in another pan to dip into the sauce.

Egg travel tips

In most of my camp meals, I pre-crack and scramble the eggs into a plastic carton that fits better into the fridge.

There are plastic egg cartons meant for camping travel, but I have had mixed results with the container being tossed inside of a camp fridge on a hard day of off-roading.

I commonly make this meal on the first or second morning of camp so that I don’t have to worry about the whole eggs in the refrigerator.

Optional workaround: You could soft-boil the eggs at home, slice them in half at camp, and add them to the mixture so that they warm up with the rest of the meal.

The key here is also extremely fresh eggs. Since the other ingredients in the dish are canned, the fresh egg makes the meal seem more luxurious.

Also, canned tomato, beans, and potatoes can be a workhorse for many meals and are basically already precooked and only need to be warmed in a pan.

Simple Breakfast

It’s that simple!

This is one of my favorite recipes because I can start it and then walk away to make coffee or enjoy company around a morning campfire.

I usually use my carbon steel pan for this recipe so that the tomato doesn’t strip the seasoning out of my other cast iron skillet.

If this camp recipe inspires you to up your camp meals, please follow for more camp recipes, camp cooking tips, camp crafts, and adventure stories.

Next week, R&R will be providing a commemorative camp craft.

In my last post, I ended our discussion with a major camp cooler or refrigerator packing tip.

Tip #1: Know how and where to pack your fresh herbs so that they last the longest and can be used to keep camp recipes tasting fresh and gourmet every time you cook.

I also mentioned that I plan my recipes based on what fresh ingredients might need to be used first, like basil, which hates the cold and doesn’t make it very long in dry storage either.

Tip # 2: Plan your meal order based on how long your fresh ingredients will last, like your herbs.

This week I have created a guide for how and where to store many of the most popular herbs and made some art to place in or near your kitchen to remind you how to pack.

The Three Categories

When working through the list of common kitchen herbs, I found it easiest to divide them into three categories.

The first being hardy herbs that enjoy being on the trail just as much as you do. They are your ride or die, pun intended. These usually encompass a heavier flavor profile.

The second are moderately hardy herbs. Think of them as fair-weather campers that can last a while but have a tendency to tap out when it’s rainy or cold for too long. Keep in mind, these pack a fresher flavor profile and can really add that extra touch to your meal.

Last but not least are the delicate herbs. Think of them as the people who say they camp but actually pull along an airstream or drive their RV to a place with hookups. They don’t like it too cold and they don’t like it too hot, just like Goldilocks. These are your most moody and unpredictable bunch.

Without further ado or more camp puns, see the groups below and their keeping instructions.

The Hardy Bunch

* Rosemary (2-3 Weeks)

* Thyme (2-3 Weeks)

* Sage (1-2 Weeks)

* Oregano (1-2 Weeks)

* Bay Leaves (Several Weeks Fresh - Months if Dried)

* Gently rinse and pat completely dry with a paper towel

* Wrap in a very lightly damp paper towel

* Place in a resealable bag or plastic container

* Store in the crisper drawer of your home fridge. Keep in mind this is your coolest area of your fridge, so place it closest to the ice, dry, ice, or coldest section of your cooler.

Packing Location: Bottom or closest to the ice in your fridge or cooler.

Tip: Bay Leaves can make a great garnish. Yes, I just said garnish on the trail. Presentation is 75% of the meal.

The Moderately Hardy Herbs

* Parsley (Up to 2 Weeks)

* Cilantro (1-1.5 Weeks)

* Chives (7-10 Days)

* Dill (1 Week)

* Rinse Herbs under cool running water to remove dirt.

* Shake off excess water, then gently pat dry with a paper towel or clean dish towel. Make sure the herbs are almost completely dry

* Wrap the bottom of the cuttings in a lightly damp paper towel and place in a plastic bag or reusable container.

Packing Location: Middle of your fridge or cooler.

Tip: Place them in the middle section of your cooler so they don’t get too cold. Parsley and Cilantro can be stored in glass jars with a little bit of water in them at home.

The Delicate Herbs

* Basil (3-5 days)

* Mint (5-7 days)

* Tarragon (5-7 days)

* Rinse under cool, gentle water to remove any dirt.

* Shake gently and pat dry with a paper towel or kitchen towel. (Avoid crushing the leaves)

* Keep at room temperature if possible. You can wrap the ends in a slightly damp paper towel to keep them hydrated in dry storage.

Packing Location: Dry Storage

Tip: Use more quickly in camp meals to ensure you don’t have to go without.

Basil is a special case and is extremely delicate. It is best to use this as soon as possible. At home, instructions are to leave it on the counter in a jar like cut flowers, changing the water every couple of days.

How to Get Your Herbs to Chill

A lot of the herbs listed above can be proportioned in the freezer to make it even easier to add to your camp cooking when you don’t have access to fresh herbs or don’t want to worry about trying to keep them.

Freezer Life 2-3 Months

The hardy herbs can be frozen on their own.

Follow all of the cleaning directions above, but instead spread them on a baking sheet in a single layer and then freeze for 2-3 hours before placing them into a freezer bag for storage. Don’t forget to label your bag.

Freezer Life Up to 6 Months

The herbs from the hard and moderate sections can also be stored finely chopped and then added to an ice cube tray.

Finely chop the herb, fill the cube tray about halfway, and then fill with oil of choice or melted butter. Freeze and then transfer the cubes into a labeled freezer bag.

These cubes can easily be added to soups, salad dressings, marinades, egg dishes, and can be used as a compound butter.

Delicately Frozen

I bet you are asking, what about the delicate group?

The more delicate herbs are best finely chopped and then preserved in your oil of choice in an ice cube tray and then frozen. After a few hours, place them in a freezer bag and label it! It preserves their flavor and keeps them from turning black.

Herbs that Have No Chill

Cilantro and Parsley leaves, if they are whole. Basil, unless preserved in oil.

That’s Herbs Folks

The herb artwork above can be downloaded or will be available here for purchase for your own kitchen.

The sizes in this article can be downloaded and added to your offline notes app so you always remember how to care for your herbs on the trail.

So there you have it - your very own herb survival guide. Just like every off-roader, each herb has it’s on the trail comfort zone.

Treat them right, and they will make your camp meals taste like you are cooking in Gordon Ramsey’s kitchen, just under a five-billion-star sky. Who needs a Michelin star when you have that?

Want more camp recipes, camp crafts, or practical camp guides? Stay tuned for our next post and podcast. Remember! Stay Wildly Refined.

It is finally comfort food season! Last weekend, the fall foliage put on a colorful show in Crested Butte, and the chilly nights are motivators for warming meals.

This dish is, you guessed it, a one-pan meal and is packed full of protein and carbs to fill you up for a longer autumn night at camp.

As promised, I will save the story for after the recipe!

COMFORTING ITALIAN MEATBALLS,

SAUTEED PEPPERS AND ORZO

Feeds: 4 Equipment: Pot of Dutch Oven, Metal Spoon Storage: D50/R50

Ingredients:

* 2 lbs Mild Italian Sausage

* 1 Small Yellow Onion

* 2 Cups Orzo

* 3 Garlic Cloves, minced

* 2 Large Red Bell Peppers

* 4 Cups of Chicken Stock

* 1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella

* .25 tsp Salt and Pepper

* .5 tsp Oregano or Italian Seasoning

* 2 tbsp of avocado oil

Prep at Home

If you bought sausage links, de-case the filling. Roll the sausage blend into small bite-sized meatballs. Smaller balls mean the meat cooks more quickly. Put the meatballs in a hard-sided container so that they don’t get mushed in the fridge or cooler.

Slice the yellow onion and bell peppers into long thin slices and place into a zip-lock with a paper towel in the bottom together.

Portion the rest of the ingredients needed in to zip lock bags and add all ingredients to one gallon zip-lock bag, label with the recipe.

Cook at Camp

Heat your Dutch oven or deep pan on your stove with avocado oil on medium-high heat. Add the precut onion and peppers to the pan and sauté until they are slightly caramelized and the onion is translucent.

Add your minced garlic and spices and sauté for another 2-3 minutes until fragrant.

Add your Italian sausage balls and cook them until they are browned but not cooked all of the way through. Push them to one side of the pan.

Add the orzo and toast for a few minutes before adding the chicken stock.

Turn the heat to medium and cook the mixture for 10-14 minutes until the orzo is well-cooked. Stir every couple of minutes to prevent burning in your pan.

A few minutes before serving, add the basil to let it wilt. Serve with mozzarella cheese on top.

Tips:

* Use a bigger pan than you think you need. I almost always use my Dutch oven or Stanley stock pot. The broth takes up a lot of space until it is absorbed into the orzo.

* Use a spoon instead of a ladle for easy clean up and serving. Fewer utensils means more time around the campfire.

* You don’t have to prep this meal at home and can just grab the ingredients to prepare at camp. Just remember this is a raw-to-cooked recipe, and special care should be taken to make sure the sausage doesn’t spoil and that your prep surfaces aren’t contaminated.

* Put your basil in dry storage. Basil doesn’t like the cold and will turn black or brown once it is exposed to cold.

This recipe is a D50/R50 for half dry storage, half refrigerated. It is a great meal that doesn’t take up very much space in either the dry storage or refrigerator.

As we discussed in our last recipe post, it is important to distribute your ingredients not only to make wholesome but also filling meals.

This is the first recipe I will post with a raw ingredient because precooking the sausage balls does not have the same texture as when they are cooked raw at camp. I cooked this on our very first night camping because two of the ingredients are at risk.

The meat we know could pose a risk of food-borne illness, but the basil is delicate and doesn’t like to be too hot or too cold. Sounds a little like Hansel and Gretel. Hints: the tip above to keep the basil in dry storage.

Not every recipe includes fresh herbs, but when it does, there are a couple of herbs that I have found last much longer on the trail, and some that really struggle to keep.

If you are on a multiday trip, remember, restocking fresh herbs can be difficult in the backcountry or even at grocery stores in small towns. Sometimes, the fresh ingredients are what set camp cooking apart, so I always try to include them when I can.

Camping Work Horse Herbs

My two personal favorites to include in recipes are cilantro and parsley. They both keep well in a zip-lock or herb bag from the grocery store with a moist paper towel wrapped around their stems. I keep them in my home fridge in mason jars and change their water out as needed.

Cilantro

One of the most versatile herbs for on and off the trail, Cilantro can be used in soups, curries, dips like guac, and even an easy roadside quesadilla for lunch. Remember to wrap its stems in a damp paper towel in its bag, and remember to place it on top of refrigerated or cooler items to keep it from getting crushed.

Parsley

Fresh, bright, and also versatile, Parsley can be used in soups, pasta sauces, on roasted proteins, and in egg or potato salad. Again, store in a plastic bag with the stems wrapped in a moist paper towel, and place at the top of your fridge or cooler.

Learning what ingredients I can carry for longer means I can plan to use them in more recipes to keep the meals I make seem gourmet every time.

Don’t underestimate the power of meals on the trail. It can be one of the biggest moral boosters and stress relievers to know you are nourishing your body well when traveling.

In my next post, I will make a list of herbs and how to store them for your meals at camp and at home to get the most use out of them. Hopefully, this recipe inspires you to bring the best from your kitchen to camp. Stay tuned for more camp recipes, camp cooking tips, camp crafts, and adventure stories.

Later this week, I will be hosting some family from out of town out at camp, wherever the tracks take us. As the nights get darker earlier and the chill hangs in the air, I find myself considering hot meals to warm our stomachs, hands, and souls.

One of the biggest considerations I have when making camp meals is how much food I can carry in our refrigerator and dry storage bin to feed an army. We’ve taken plenty of trips as the support vehicle, where our kitchen and water tank fed the entire traveling group.

I might have rather drunkenly bragged about a one-pan meal a time or two. My camp family never lets me live this down.

Learning how to balance the space you have for food means you can carry more, stop less for groceries in town, and know you have quality ingredients to make fantastic camp meals.

I promise not to write about my feelings, family history, and a whole host of other topics, and just get straight to the recipe.

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN AVOCADO SOUP

Feeds: 4 Equipment: Pot, can opener, ladle Storage: D25/R75

Soup Ingredients:

Main recipe

* 1lb Precooked shredded chicken or chicken baked and chopped at home (breast or thigh)

* 2 Cans of Amy’s Southwestern Soup

* 1 Fresh avocado or 2 small guacamole to-go servings

* 1/4 Cup fresh cilantro for topping if desired

* Sour cream or crema for topping

Optional add-ons that take it to the next level

* Crumbled cotija cheese (optional)

* Sliced rustic bread of choice or tortilla strips (optional)

Baked Chicken Spices:

For 1 lb of chicken baked at home. Bake chicken thigh or breast according to instructions based on weight, after mixing the spices and rubbing them over the chicken. Allow the chicken to sit in a bowl for about 10 minutes to dry brine before cooking.

* 1 tsp ancho chili powder

* 1 tsp smoked paprika

* .5 tsp onion powder

* .5 tsp garlic powder

* .75 tsp of salt (Adjust to taste)

* .5 tsp of black pepper

* A small pinch of cinnamon (Optional)

Instructions:

Chicken: Season liberally. Add to the air fryer or oven for advanced prep. Cook in a skillet at camp, let cool slightly, and then dice.

Soup!

Open the cans of Amy’s soup and pour them into the pot. Add the cooked chicken and turn on the medium until the chicken is warmed through and the soup is warm enough to eat.

While the soup is heating, prep the fresh avocado by slicing it into strips and placing it into four bowls.

For the optional bread, I like to slice it and then toast it over the fire like in the photo below.

Ladle soup over avocado slices, garnish with cilantro and sour cream. Serve with toasted bread or tortilla strips.

Tip: When doubling the recipe to feed eight, I include both chicken breast and thighs to make it a little heartier. Adding the bread makes this meal more filling if you have some extra hungry people.

Here I took the grate off of our stove and laid it near the fire (not over the fire) to grill the bread. I did the same with the soup by setting it on rocks near the fire.

Bringing anything liquid or boiling water takes a lot of energy at high elevation, so I opted to save our propane and cook near the fire instead.

This meal is easy to pack and organize: about a quarter (25%) of the ingredients can go in your dry storage bin (like seasonings, bread, or packaged items), while the other three-quarters (75%) need to stay chilled in a cooler or fridge (like meat, dairy, and avocado). None of the ingredients are bulky—they only take up a small portion of your cooler and bin—so you’ll still have space left for other food. I call this a D25/R75 recipe, where ‘D’ stands for dry storage and ‘R’ stands for refrigerator or cooler storage.

Plus, the topping ingredients and the bread can be used in other recipes.

This is also a fantastic meal for camping with a cooler and ice, because the precooked chicken poses less of a risk for food-borne illness.

I hope this easy meal brings you joy at camp and serves as a reminder that even the simplest meal can be wonderful! In the words of my brilliant husband, “Bone apple tea!”

If you enjoy this simple camp recipe, I’d love for you to join me more often for camp meals here on Substack. Subscribe for more camp recipes and camp crafts. Follow along, and let’s keep mealtime wildly refined.

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