Geocaching is an awesome whole family sport that everyone can enjoy. Pack an easy dinner recipe and make it a great summer outing to share with your family. All you need is some online information, a trinket or two and a GPS and in this case, a dinner time family adventure, a terrific packed dinner of easy dinner recipes to eat on your adventure. Geocaching is like hunting for hidden treasure, only the true treasure is the experience of the hunt. Go online and look up the location of a geocache in your area, then pack a picnic dinner, grab your GPS and head off for a family adventure. The online websites will tell you the location of the cahe. Use your GPS and track the location. Open the cache when you find it and you'll never know what you'll find. There should be a log book to write in and tell who you are and when you found the cache. Sometimes there are trinkets. You may take one if you leave one behind.
Read the logbook and see who has found the cache before you. Look at the contents of the cache. You are allowed to take one thing if you leave something. Never take the cache itself. Sometimes items are left in the cache with a tracking bug on them to track where the item should go. Sometimes there are instructions or requests to move the trinket further along on its journey.
Geocaching will have you tramping through forests, walking through fields and literally going who knows where. You can even plant a cache of your own and monitor it to see who uses it. It's really an adventure. And it is an activity that is appropriate for all ages. Give it a try. You never know what you'll find.
For some easy dinner recipes for this outing I am suggesting either panini or wraps. Both are high portable and easy to keep cool until time to eat. In the pacific northwest, geocahes tend to be located in state parks, beaches and other locations which also have the advantage of having great picnicking facilities. Those are very handy to have with the family along. Also they have BBQ pits, so by packing in some charcoal, or with a quick run to the car, we can toast our panini over the grill to render them soft, warm and oozing with cheesy goodness, plus we can finish off with a toasted marshmallow, always a summertime favorite. The panini are good cold too, in case your adventure does not bring you close to a convenient grill.
Enjoy!
What to bring:
1) Instructions and location coordinates printed out from the internet.
2) Good walking shoes. Make sure everybody has good durable walking or hiking shoes.
3) Sunscreen - you never know what weather you'll run into.
4) GPS - you won't get far without this!
5) Bug spray - if is needed at the time of year in your area.
6) Water for everyone.
7) Snacks for keeping energy up while searching.
8) A cooler to keep dinner cold.
An Easy Dinner Recipe from Dinners In A Flash
Turkey Panini with Brie and Toasted Pecans This is SO good, you'll love it!
Serves 4
Ingredients
3 Tb Butter 1 1/3 C Pecan pieces Salt and pepper, to taste 1 Loaf of focaccia bread, cut into quarters then halved horizontally 1/3 C Mayonnaise 3/4 lb Deli sliced turkey breast 3/4 lb Brie cheese Instructions
Preheat a panini press (or a large skillet or grill pan with olive oil). If you are planning to take the panini on a picnic, you can skip this step, wrap the sanwiches in foil, keep them cool and toast them on a grill later.
In a skillet over medium heat, cook pecans in butter, stirring often, until golden, crisp, and fragrant - about 5 minutes. Salt and pepper generously. Drain on paper towels.
Spread focaccia with mayonnaise. Top with turkey, then slices of brie, dividing evenly between the sandwiches. Top with pecans and bread tops. Toast in the panini press or pan fry on both sides, pressing down until cheese is melted and sandwich is golden and crispy.
Note: Panini are great picnic foods. Wrap them in foil, keep cool until ready to grill then grill them directly on the grill in their foil packets. Delicious!
