July 21, 2018 by Nicole Collins
You're getting a 2 for 1 lesson today!
Today, I'm giving you a DIY project alongside a recipe guide! And, neither are anywhere near difficult, so you really need to just run out and grab your supplies asap.
I wanted to work on a project like this, because lots of loved ones in my life have been upping their backyard game this season. The bestie is about to move in to a house that will soon become party central thanks to her in ground pool and her huge backyard. Another friend has an aunt with an AMAZING back deck that's perfect for testing co*cktail recipes, AND she's got parents with a brand new (and totally gorgeous) gazebo. Lots of places to party this season!
Today's project is less of a tutorial and more of a method. So, it's flexible and adaptable to your own style!
Today, we're making Tabletop S'mores Stations!
First, let's talk about our tabletop fire pit. You're going to need only 3 things for your portable fire: a some kind of carrier/planter/pot/bucket, some decorative rocks, and some gel chafing fuel. This is such an easy an inexpensive project. I was able to make 4 of these (3 for gifts and 1 for me) for under $50. I think that's quite a steal!
I found these serving caddys on clearance at Walmart; and as soon as I saw them, I knew they'd be totally adorable for this project. In the pros column: 1. It's galvanzied, and I'm absolutely in love with that look. Plus, galvanized metal doesn't retain heat like some other metals, so I don't have to worry about my tray getting crazy hot. 2. It came with little buckets that were perfect for holding my skewers, chocolates, and marshmallows. 3. It has handles, so it's easy to carry. 4. It's only $6 for the set (in the store)! In the cons column: 1. This tray is a little more shallow than I would've liked. That's the only con, and I can totally live with that. Walmart has had these sets out all summer; so if you head out now, I'm sure they'll still be in the stores.
If you can't find these, or if you're not obsessed with galvanized everything like I am; there are plenty of other options for a carrier. A wooden box/planter would be an excellent option. A terra cotta pot in any size would also work here too. I wanted my fire pit to have an elongated rectangular look to it, but you could absolutely make yours circular or square. Whatever! We could even forego using the buckets in the serve caddy for our accompaniments, and we could turn each one of those in to an individual fire pit!
Next, we need gel chafing fuel. I did a lot of research on this stuff before committing to this project; because, of course, I want us to be safe. And here's what I learned...First off, there are a lot of names you might know this stuff by: canned heat, Sterno (a brand, but some people refer to chafing fuel as Sterno the same way we would refer to tissues as Kleenex- which is really just the brand), or chafing fuel.
There are even different types of gel chafing fuel: methanol vs. ethanol. In everything that I read, ethanol is food safe, while methanol can give off more toxic fumes. So, go with ethanol. Make sure you read the label carefully. Also, Sterno sells a S'mores Canned Heat which is designed to be used in their table top s'mores machine. But, I didn't find this specific container to be necessary. It's still ethanol gel. I also chose a can marked as green gel, because it's more environmentally friendly...which made it feel a little safer in my mind.
I bought two different brands and sizes of chafing gel for this project. Ideally, we want the can to fall in line with the top of our carrier. But, since I chose such a shallow carrier, I needed smaller cans of gel. So, I got Sterno brand 3 pack of 2.6 oz cans. Smaller cans means lesser burn time, of course. I also went to Party City and got their brand of chafing gel in 6.4 oz cans, and they were a great price of $1.49/can. These make a bigger flame and burn for up to two hours, but, they protruded out just a bit in my carrier. I didn't mind it, but keep your carrier size in mind along with the aesthetics when you're choosing can sizes.
The last thing we need is decorative rocks to capture some of the heat, to hold our cans in place, and to make our carrier pretty, of course! I splurged a little on this item and got mine at the craft store for $2.75/bag. But, you can also find decorative rocks at the dollar store. Since my carrier was shallow, I didn't need to put any rocks under my gel cans. But, keep in mind, the bigger or taller the carrier, the more rocks you'll need. It's just important to make sure your chafing gel cans are sitting flat and stable.
That's it for our tabletop firepit! Grab a carrier, fill it with pretty rocks, place in chafing gel cans, and get ready to party! Or, if your carrier is shallow like mine, you'll place the gel cans in first and then fill the carrier with rocks.
Now for the s'mores part! To get a fire, you just quickly (and carefully) light the chafing gel, and it's ready to use. And, since chafing gel is, by design, made to use indoors; you can have s'mores all year! This tabletop firepit can be used indoors or outdoors. Yahoo!
Everyone knows how to make s'mores. Roast the marshmallow, grab a square of chocolate, and sandwich it between two graham crackers. But, s'mores look a little different when The Yummy Muffin is invited to play! Along with the chocolate squares, I MUST have Reese's peanut butter cups. Swap out the chocolate square for a Reese's and OMG. But, if you read my post earlier this week, you know I might have an unusual Reese's obsession. It's amazing though, I'm telling you!
Also, have some different flavors of cookies on standby to replace the graham crackers. My top three choices are chewy chocolate chip cookies, caramel coconut shortbread cookies (also knows as Samoas), and Oreos. Sm'oreos anyone? You don't even need the extra candy when you use cookies for your sandwich. But, why not?!?! So many possibilities when you switch up your ingredients. Go digging through your pantry, and I bet you'll find something you never thought to use for s'mores before.
One more tip before I send you on your way, if you're going to use bamboo skewers to roast your 'mallows, you need to soak them in water for at least 30 mins before you use them. We want to saturate the wood so we don't burn the house down when the stick catches on fire. We took all of that time to make sure we were using safe chafing fuel, after all! I even went as far to get some of these totally ADORABLE metal roasting sticks. They're extendable, so they're perfect for tabletop roasting or for campfire roasting! These will be getting a lot of use this summer!
So guys, who's having s'mores tonight?!?!?!?!?! Seriously, this project takes like 3 minutes to assemble, so I hope the answer is EVERYONE! A little rain won't stop us from having a grand old time tonight!
Have fun, and let's craft!
Tabletop S'mores Station
Materials:
For the Tabletop Fire Pit:
For the S'mores:
marshmallows
graham crackers
chocolate squares
Reese's peanut butter cups
chocolate caramel shortbread cookies (Samoas)
chewy chocolate chip cookies
Oreos
bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 mins
Directions:
If using a shallow carrier, place chafing gel cans in the carrier. Fill in carrier with decorative rocks to secure cans. If using a deeper carrier, place decorative rocks in carrier first, and nestle chafing gel cans in between the rocks to secure. In both instances, make sure cans are sitting flat, and that the tops of the cans are in line with the top of the carrier.
When ready to use, remove the lid from the gel can. Use a stick lighter to light both cans. Roast s'mores as desired. When ready to extinguish, place the lid on top of the fire. Allow it to cool according to package directions. When cool, tap the lid to securely seal it back on the can.
To make s'mores, use bamboo skewers or metal roasting sticks to hold marshmallows over the chafing gel's flame until it reaches your desired doneness. Use chocolate, Reese's, graham crackers, and/or cookies to build your s'mores. Enjoy!
Project Notes:
*The chafing gel cans will be extremely hot when you're finished roasting your s'mores. No touchy!
*Make sure you get ethanol chafing gel and not methanol. I also prefer green gel.
*These are the metal roasting sticks I got. I love them, because they're expandable; so they can be used for tabletop fires or for campfires!
*You can enjoy s'mores all year long, because these Tabletop S'mores Stations can be used indoors or outdoors!
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