Camera: Canon 5D | Lens: EF24-105mm | Setting: f/4, 1/8, ISO 1600

As a nine-year old girl with big, brown, criminally beautiful eyes tells me you're not supposed to call people weird. They're "artsy." So, I have a bunch of artsy friends who like to make a tradition out of gathering deep in the desert totally off the grid on the weekend after Thanksgiving. It starts with all participants knowing just three things:

1. Who's coming and how the responsibilities of food, drink, firewood, and frisbees are divvied up
2. A location in the form of a geodetic datum
3. That we're going to make a couple pots of feuerzangenbowle, the stuff you see ablaze here

There is little chance that anyone's pancakes on planet Earth can beat those of Chris "BajaTaco" Marzonie. He has the temperature dialed in just right on his camp stove that toasts each pancake with a joyous, nameless heavenly color. The sweet-scented steam rises with a gentle whisper. But is that all?

No, there's more. It gets much better. He custom tailors each one to the indulgences of the stomach to which it's destined . . .

I wanted to title this, "The S'mores That Are Probably Better Than Sex" but decided that might be too strong. And likely inaccurate. Say not another word about it, Mark. Not one more . . .

Guacamole isn't as pretty as the setting you're eating it in. But it's there - in the blue bowl.

Nothing goes with camping quite as well as . . . appetizers. This tasty guac is slightly spicy but can be modified to taste (just add more lime or avocado to dilute the spice factor). Definitely a crowd pleaser, so long as said crowd's been blessed with a proper bag of tortilla chip triangles. Equally important, this guacamole spreads into your tacos or fajitas just fine.

At camp we don't let a 3-year-old halfling picky eater dictate what we'll cook for ourselves. We're wine drinkers, as you may know,  and we like spicy food. Neither of which are for our daughter. And since this website is called Adventure Parents, we like to dabble in the guilty (or not-so-guilty) pleasures that make us happy. This quick appetizer - side question: who out there likes camping appetizers beyond a bag of tortilla chips and jarred salsa? - does the trick, and it's pretty easy to prepare.

We've jumped on the ground turkey bandwagon, sure, but even though we're pseudo-converted I have to admit sometimes the stuff needs a little pizazz. (Yes, Mark's addiction to BBQ sauce frequently comes in to play.) Here's an easy-to-prepare recipe that will satisfy your burger craving but is lower in fat and cholesterol than its mean red-meat cousin. Cook these patties on a portable grill grate over coals, or pan-fry in a camp-stove if you have to. You know why we love grilling while we camp? Clean-up is a snap. Just remember to pack some aluminum foil and a spatula for flipping.

This meal, combining the healthy protein of shrimp with a Latin-style vegetable blend of serrano peppers, onion, cilantro, red pepper, and garlic packs quite a nutrient-rich, sensory-loaded punch. Prepare this meal at home and your family will rave about it. But it goes better served with a splendid view of the spires in Valley of the Gods, or with a sunset at the Sea of Cortez . . . it will take an evening in the great outdoors spin the dial up to 11 on a scale of 10.

I know it doesn't look like much - but sink your teeth in and you'll fall in love

When you cook a peach cobbler in a Dutch oven at the campfire and serve it to your friends, you'll have allies for life. I like pulling off the lid when the dessert is ready and walking it around so everyone gets a solid whiff of the sweet peaches and perfect cinnamon rising in a puff of steam. They moan.  They groan. They smile.

Everyone - everyone - will be your BFF. That's because they don't even know how easy this is. Suckers.

The first time we roasted marshmallows and smooshed them together with chocolate between graham cracker halves, Ania's eyes grew wide and she finally asked, "What is that?"

"Oh, just something you're going to love."

Oh, and she did.  But you knew that was coming.  She laughs her way through every s'more she eats around the campfire, and I mean laughs.  Strings of marshmallow cling to her mouth and chocolate builds up in the corners of her lips, too.  No one's immune to the ridiculousness of s'mores and what they'll do to your face. And heart.

Well, what do you say to a little fresh salsa?

It's the one ingredient to a sweet trip that makes it worth doing at all. At the end of the day, after miles by foot, and time under the sun, nothing quite hits the spot like cold, fresh salsa.

Let that cheese melt and dig in
Not a fan of ground beef?

Check out this chili - it spices up ordinary ground turkey into a dish that will please your taste buds. And with the lower fat and cholesterol, your heart and waistline will appreciate it, too! I love that this recipe is a one-pan meal, with not much prep time or clean-up required.

If a little siesta or a hot-blooded revolution doesn't fix your wounds, then a potent swill of tequila gets the job done.

This is the goodness.  Just look at it.  Smell it.  Feel the heat. Watch the cheese closely, you'll actually witness it sliding off of itself.

Bell peppers.  Mmmmm.

Eat them like an apple, duh, or slice 'em, dice 'em, chop 'em, leave 'em whole . . . but definitely use them in your camp fajitas.

Not much is healthier than chicken fajitas.  Bell peppers contain truck loads of Vitamin C, especially the red and yellow, and plenty of Vitamin B6.  With cubed chicken, or canned chicken meat for ease and cleanliness, you'll add a big dose of protein for recharging after a big day of outdoor adventure.

"Camping?  No way. What if there's no Starbucks nearby?"

Your worries are over. It's simple to make a café mocha on a camp stove even when you're a two-day hike to the nearest smock-clad barrista or on the furthest Baja beach. I'm talking about the real thing, too: chocolate, and milk, foam, and yummy cinnamon.  Yes on a camp stove. Hear me out.

First, are you sure you want to support Starbucks rather than your nearest hard-working local coffee shop owner? Second, you can make a yummy café mocha right on your stove top faster than you can get through the drive through on a Sunday morning.

Family meals while camping
Drive-thru cheeseburgers with french fries and milkshakes shouldn't be the norm when you're on a road trip with the kids.  In this article, Brooke shows four easy things to do to make tasty, healthy, and simple meals for the whole family when it comes to camping or picnicking along the way.

Put these tips to use so that you can be guilt free when you finally stop for pizza and beer on the way home form your next family road trip.

Turkey sandwich featuring choice peppered turkey, pepperjack cheese, wheat bread, oil and vinegar . . . oh yeah, and fajita vegetables including jalepeno, onion, and bell pepper
This could be a column all of its own.  What do you do with left over food from camping or road trips?  I recall the days before owning a 12 volt refrigerator (um, that would be the Engel) that food gets pretty nasty sitting in a cooler of melted ice that's been riding in the truck bed on dusty roads.  You ever seen cheese that's been soaking in water?  It turns to this disgusting yellow mush blob.

Well, this time I got lucky with a pretty cool assortment of leftovers.

Spicy breakfast burritos with chorizo, eggs, bell pepper, onion, jalepeno
What's my favorite way of keeping warm food warm while stumbling around a cold campsite?  Tortillas.  Forget bowls and plates, wrap up that hot goodness in a tortilla and it'll stay warmer longer.  Here's one of our favorite morning dishes with a kick.

There is nothing like a meal at camp that you can eat hot out of a bowl. Nothing.