You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

Welcome to Camp Jingalo! The camp is named in honor of my crazy dog, Jingo. He loves having fun, and that usually includes a bit of trouble.

We've got a wonderful group of campers, and we're going to have a great week, and maybe cause a little trouble. ☺

Our campers are:

Alexandra
Almeta
Ann
Charlotte
E
Emily
Fairlee
Gastoryteller
Jane
jaxnsmom
Jennifer
Jkmays
Kat
Rachel
Rusalka

RESERVED

to Camp Jingalo.

Hello everyone.
This person to my left is jaxnsmom, your Camp Jingalo counselor. I am Almeta, her helper. I know that we will all get to know each other better as we have fun together during the week. Why not take a little time to introduce yourselves to one another.

If you have not already done so, grab a bunk and put your trunk at the foot of it. Up front here is a pile of sheets, blankets and pillows. Choose a set for yourself and make your bed. ONE pillow per camper, please.

You are not living at home right now, so we expect you to keep your belongings in your trunk or on your mattress. Please do not strew things around the floor. Stow your shoes under the bed. Be considerate of your fellow campers.

Breakfast is served at seven am, lunch at noon and supper at 5 pm. Nooo food in the cabin.

Coffee, tea, water and other beverages are set up in the mess hall at all hours, just help yourself. Remember to stay hydrated.

The Bulletin Board in the mess hall has important safety information posted, as well as flyers announcing various activities. Don’t forget to sign up for the Jingalo Show and the Chubby Bunny Contest and the Scavenger Spectacular! The sign-up sheets are on the board. Also on the board, are your Camp Jingalo assignments. Everyone will be pitching in to make the camp run more smoothly. Be sure to check the list for your name and assignment. If you click on your name link, you will be taken to a detailed list of those tasks that you want to accomplish this week.

Check the Bulletin Board frequently for a list of activities and announcements. If there is anything else you need help with, ask jaxnsmom or me.

Have fun reading and participating in the camp activities.

Lights out is at 9 and wake up call at 6.

Now go make your bunk and get some rest. We’ve got a big day tomorrow!

Ready campers?

You each have a job! The tasks are simple and do not detract from Camp Jingalo enjoyment.

Here are your assignments:

Alexandra tends camp mascots: fireflies, gophers, cows, hamsters, bears, horses and such
Almeta is in charge of wakeup call and lights out
Ann teaches us crafts and makes sure the mess hall has good food for us
Charlotte builds the campfires
E :) keeps campfire stories coming
Emily shares Spanking new Beauty secrets☻ and assigns camper nickname badges
Fairlee leads us in sing-a-longs
gastoryteller makes sure we campers write letters home to Mom and Dad
Jane monitors for serioius summer reads
jaxnsmom serves S’More Cocktails and Glühwein
Jennifer organizes swimming
Jkmays guards for camp raids
Kat judges the Chubby Bunny competition
Rachel arranges the canoe trips
Rusalka guides the nature walks




PARTICIPANTS
Alexandra
Almeta
Ann
Charlotte
E :)
Emily
Fairlee
Gastoryteller
Jane
jaxnsmom
Jennifer
Jkmays
Kat
Rachel
Rusalka

Sign Up for the Competition

BOO!!

I love summer camp,

Apparently my parents dropped me off at camp a day early. :(

There's no one here but me and Fairlee.

I've got my sunscreen, my insect repellent, my guitar and am ready to make my name-tag out of a slice of wood, seeds and berries.

Break out the s'Mores!



By Jingo, I can hardly wait to get started! ☻

Back to spying on Happy Camp for a while, and nicking their refreshments!

Awww, you poor abandoned waif...come over to the Happy bunch; we'll take care of you :-)

You can join in the sing-a-long.

Cathie wrote: "BOO!!

Can't let you guys get too comfortable :-)"

What are those things? You're frightening me.

They're your marshmallows running away from Jason :-).

(We had to get our mallows somehow;-)

Love the marshmallows Cathie!

Just joined and I'm glad to be here :)

Almeta wrote: "Apparently my parents dropped me off at camp a day early. :(

There's no one here but me and Fairlee.

Back to spying on Happy Camp for a while, and nicking their refreshments!"

Bad me!

OK - I've been asleep most of the last 24 hours, but hopefully I'm back!

Almeta wrote: "I've got my sunscreen, my insect repellent, my guitar and am ready to make my name-tag out of a slice of wood, seeds and berries.

Break out the s'Mores!



By Jingo, I can hardly wait to get sta..."

pass the smores and break out the guitar almeta- camp jingalo rocks! ;)

get well soon jaxnsmom!

waving hello to everyone at camp jingalo :)

S'mores Cocktail
1 small scoop vanilla ice cream
1 oz Chocolate Liqueur
1 plain/honey graham cracker
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3 mini marshmallows/1 large marshmallow, halved

In a small heatproof glass, top a small scoop of high-quality vanilla ice cream with 1-oz. Chocolate liqueur.
Crush graham cracker and combined with sugar and cinnamon. Pour over top of drink and top with marshmallows. Use a small kitchen torch to caramelize the marshmallows. Serve immediately with a spoon



Caramel S'more
1 small scoop vanilla ice cream
1 oz Baileys Caramel
1 plain/honey graham cracker
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3 mini marshmallows/1 large marshmallow, halved

In a small heatproof glass, top a small scoop of high-quality vanilla ice cream with 1-oz Bailey's Caramel.
Crush graham cracker and combined with sugar and cinnamon. Pour over top of drink and top with marshmallows. Use a small kitchen torch to caramelize the marshmallows. Serve immediately with a spoon.



S'more Martinis
32 ounces vodka
16 ounces chocolate liqueur (we used E & J® Cask & Cream Chocolate Temptation)
1 64-ounce pitcher
1 graham cracker
1 jar marshmallow creme (we like Marshmallow Fluff®)
16 martini glasses (disposable versions available at party stores)
1 bag wooden skewers
1 bag miniature marshmallows
Pour vodka and chocolate liqueur into pitcher and stir. Refrigerate for at least several hours until the mixture is very cold.

Crush a graham cracker in a plastic bag, then pour the crumbs into a small bowl.

When no one's looking, dip a finger into the jar of marshmallow creme, then run it around the rims of your martini glasses to lightly coat. Next, dip each glass into the bowl of graham cracker crumbs and shake the bowl gently to cover the marshmallow creme with crumbs. (You can do this the night before the party and stick the prepared glasses in the freezer if you like.)

If you have a grill going (or even better, a firepit or chimenea), offer each guest a wooden skewer and three mini marshmallows to toast over the flame (put the grill on high for the best browning). Note: Although the skewer package may advise soaking the skewers in water for at least 20 minutes, it's not necessary for this use.

Pour about 3 ounces of the drink mixture into each of the prepared glasses and serve, letting each guest slide their roasted marshmallows into their drink for garnish.

I don't even think we have graham crackers in this country.

And marshmellows aren't for cooking. They are for shoving more in your mouth then anyone else and still being able to yell "Chubby Bunny!" without spitting them out, throwing up or choking on them. Although we may do camp games differently in this place.

Hello cabin buddies! Sounds like we're going to have a lot of fun (although I may renege on that depending on what horrible hoops Jmom may have us jump through).

McVities Digestives are almost the same Rus - although it's funny we have graham crackers in NL and not Australia - usually NL is much farther behind in food times.

I vote for the S'more martinis - far more fun than making myself sick shoving 23 marshmallows in my mouth ;)

jaxnsmom wrote: "S'mores Cocktail..."

Now we're talking good stuff!!!!☻

Kat wrote: "I vote for the S'more martinis - far more fun than making myself sick shoving 23 marshmallows in my mouth ;)
..."

And you know it would take 23 because? :D

At night we'll sit around the campfire telling stories that get crazier with more s'mores (both types).

Camp Jingalo offers all sorts of fun activities!



And we start off each day with a lovely canoe trip or hike (with mimosas waiting at the end).

Almeta wrote: "Kat wrote: "I vote for the S'more martinis - far more fun than making myself sick shoving 23 marshmallows in my mouth ;)
..."

And you know it would take 23 because? :D"

Because that's the first number that came to mind of course ;)

We also have a professional chef, Tripper. He makes a mean breakfast, and watch out for his bartending skills!

Kat wrote: "Almeta wrote: "Kat wrote: "I vote for the S'more martinis - far more fun than making myself sick shoving 23 marshmallows in my mouth ;)
..."

And you know it would take 23 because? :D"

Because t..."

Should that be a challenge - who can fit the most marshmallows into their mouth? Of course pictures would be required :)

Rusalka, (hi guys, I'm sneaking around, heehee) you just gave me a new marshmallow game. Chubby Bunny!! ROFLOL.

Rusalka wrote: "I don't even think we have graham crackers in this country.

And marshmellows aren't for cooking. They are for shoving more in your mouth then anyone else and still being able to yell "Chubby Bunn..."

ROFL! I have a bizarre visual in my mind.

So, no marshmallows in hot chocolate? No s'mores? No rice crispie squares? I'm making myself hungry... I'm off to buy some marshmallows. If I'm desperate, I may even spear one on a fork and roast it over the burner on my electric stove.

I made oven smores last night Janice; this thread got to me, lol (I'm sneaking around again)

Hey - sorry that I've been neglecting camp duty. The s'mores and s'more-inspired cocktails sound amazing!

We used to make banana boats at camp. You slice part of the banana peel and pull the peel back. You then put chocolate chips and marshmallows in the side pockets. You cover the banana with aluminum foil and put the banana in the fire. They were soooo good.

Emily wrote: "We used to make banana boats at camp. You slice part of the banana peel and pull the pee..."

Never heard of them but they sound great.

Going "camping" This weekend at a cabin site along the Pere' Marquette River in Michigan. We are bound to have a few campfires. I'm going to try these!

Yummy!

jaxnsmom wrote: "Camp Jingalo offers all sorts of fun activities!





And we start off each day with a lovely canoe trip or hike (with mimosas waiting at the end).



"

I vote for canoe trip- it will be too difficult to hold my smores cocktail while hiking lol

Janice wrote: "Rusalka wrote: "I don't even think we have graham crackers in this country.

And marshmellows aren't for cooking. They are for shoving more in your mouth then anyone else and still being able to y..."

Marshmellows in hot chocolate is common. And for burning on the campfire. I only know of Smores from the Babysitter Club books.

But when I was in Scouts, we used to skip the marshmellows and just buy tinned uncooked self-saucing chocolate puddings and then chuck them in the fire to cook. Then we would try and explode the cans in the fire, and once we got bored we used to contemplate jumping into the paddocks next to the campground and go cow tipping (pushing cows over while they sleep). There was a nasty bull in there that stopped it becoming reality 99% of the time.

Or we got chased by roos.

ROFL! Rusalka, you live a charmed and hilarious life. I've never tried tipping cows. Ours always seemed to be awake, chewing their cuds, staring at us like hey haven't got a brain in their skulls. I've had cows chase me... not sure I'd want the experience of roos chasing me. They no doubt can run/hop much faster than me.

I do remember running for the fence as the bull (that no one noticed) came to investigate us :D

If there were no cows nearby, we'd go on snipe hunts. Very tricky birds!

jaxnsmom wrote: "If there were no cows nearby, we'd go on snipe hunts. Very tricky birds!"

I Thought Snipe were only indigenous to Tennessee.
You know, I never saw one, even though my boyfriend took me Snipe hunting at night all of the time!☻

Hi everyone. This seems to be a great team and I am sure Jingo will be proud of us.
I love the s´more recipes and I guess I will stock up on marshmallows before the toppler starts :-).

Oh my.... i've already missed so much. Looks like I got lost on my way to my cabin! I smelled the Smore martinis that helped me find my way! Cow tipping.... funny!! :) Never did that at camp... but a lot of people used to do that at college.

Well, I'll have to look and see if I can get graham crackers here because a Smore sounds really good! :)

Looking forward to hearing how we are to choose our books!

Honestly I'm more scared of roos than bulls. Roos can disembowel you with a swipe of their hind legs. How do they do that? They rise up on their tails and kick.

Gorgeous creatures, can be lovely when used to humans, incredibly tasty, but terrifying.

Actually one of our local politicians (state equiv not federal) ran into to one (literally) the other day and it made the Guardian in the UK and Huffington Post in the states. It was only a small one who was scared not attacking. But here http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05... or here with photos http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/...

Although this is my favourite, a jogger being knocked out by a kangaroo http://www.news.com.au/national-news/...

Yes, both in my city. Yes, I live in the capital city of Australia.

Also. (I need to stop afterthoughting on this thread, sorry).

As it is winter now here I will be bringing the Glühwein for us freezing southern hemisphere folk.

I can't say I've ever been chased by a roo, but my one and only calming experience as a child lasted about half an hour - until we started hearing Tasmanian Devils screaming in the paddock next to us. Still gives me shivers thinking about it.

Kat wrote: "until we started hearing Tasmanian Devils screaming in the paddock next to us. Still gives me shivers thinking about it. ..."

I can understand that! A very creepy sound.

Rusalka wrote: "Also. (I need to stop afterthoughting on this thread, sorry).

As it is winter now here I will be bringing the Glühwein for us freezing southern hemisphere folk."

I would not be opposed to drinking Glühwein, even though I'm in the thawing north. Would you share?

Oh wait here's some to try!

I have never heard of Glühwein before but I just read up on it and it looks yum! We should have a thread for all the dishes/drinks I learn about on this group.

Gluhwein sounds like a spiced sangria- yum! I agree with Pragya anytime I can learn about new food plus new books makes for a great day!

CAMP ANNOUNCEMENT

I'm looking for someone to be co-counselor. Duties are light - helping other campers with morale, snooping on other camps, checking in on Toppler during that week (timing very flexible), and helping tally scores for our camp. More fun than anything! I know Almeta would, but she's already been a co-captain. Rusalka and Kat have group duties already. So how about it, antone up for it? PM me soon!

Jennifer wrote: "Well, I'll have to look and see if I can get graham crackers here because a Smore sounds really good! :)......"

They'll be in the cookie aisle. lol

(Aussies and Brits will love that! )

Kat wrote: "I can't say I've ever been chased by a roo, but my one and only calming experience as a child lasted about half an hour - until we started hearing Tasmanian Devils screaming in the paddock next to ..."

Oh that's a terrifying thought!!

Under the cover of night, someone sneaks onto the campsite and...a surprise is found in the morning