A River Wedding with Caprese Pita Cracker Bites
These Caprese Pita Cracker Bites are easy to assemble and serve camping, with garden tomatoes and fresh basil.
For summer entertaining, we like to keep it simple. For stylish camping and entertaining, or what some call “glamping,” it needs to be even simpler!
This past weekend we attended a river wedding on the Klamath River near Happy Camp, CA. The destination was Paradise Point, and the gorgeous couple had all the special details worked out, which for us, included camping!
Westy-camping.
Westy-camping, beautiful Klamath River, a gorgeous river wedding with a stunning couple, great people, fabulous food and a day of rafting the Klamath with Adventure Whitewater, it’s great to live in Southern Oregon near the great State of Jefferson.
We pulled in on Friday afternoon and set up camp close to the water, on a rugged, small bluff that overlooked the river.
A sweet kiss by the sun in the morning and beautiful cirrus clouds in the evening! Of course, our VW Westfalia was a hit. Everyone is always interested in all the tiny details of this quaint vehicle. Quite honestly, “Rosemary” gets a lot of attention! There were no hook-ups, so this is called “dry camping.”
Why we love the “Westy” life.
We love to pick up and go in this rig, which makes last-minute trips, or dry camping easy, because we keep everything packed inside. It’s so simple, we’ve got the details down for setting up a quick camp site.
This season of camping for Paul and I is a season of less. It’s an overall bending into simplicity, because our nature tends to be more is better. Paring down to a small space, minimalizing all the “camping gear,” and even the menu (which has taken me time to learn this), stretches us to a new way of enjoying the camping life. Which is why we love the Westy life!
Set it out, they will come.
We invited a few friends over for appetizers. I did think ahead to “summer food,” and what would be fresh and tasty. (The chairs and table are from REI.)
Hammered Aluminum Trays.
I took a couple hammered aluminum trays and stored them in the cooler. Perfect for pulling out an already chilled party tray, to keep the appetizers cool. This was my first time to do this, which now I’ll add to our “master camping list” as a necessary item.
Caprese Pita Cracker Bites.
I made the Caprese Pita Cracker Bites and served them with an easy proscuiotto wrapped melon; placed back into the cooler until we gathered for some fun and drinks before dinner. Oh, that’s one of Blue Diamond Almond’s newest flavors: Sea Salt. (Along with Q Squared NYC melamine appetizers plates that weigh almost nothing!)
Set it out–they will come!
River wedding details.
We all came together to celebrate an amazing couple–Alisa and Jordan. We knew the beautiful bride before this weekend, but how wonderful to get to know her new husband and his family!
Little did we know we’d come away with so many new friends!
The next day, the wedding was held on an enchanting bluff overlooking the river, where most of the guests stood looking on, decorated with baby’s breath and fresh blooms hanging down from fishing wire – an elegant backdrop.
The perfect setting for a river wedding!
The beautiful couple! Congrats Alisa and Jordan!
Oh, and did I mention a special guest attended the wedding? (Sasquatch, otherwise known as Big Foot.)
Adventure Whitewater.
Short and sweet, we then set out for lunch and white water rafting for the rest of the afternoon. About 50 were in rafts, guided by the Adventure Whitewater crew. (Adventure Whitewater is a river guide service and wilderness outfitter that provides high-quality white water rafting trips for up to 150 people on the beautiful un-crowded rivers of Northern California. The guides are fabulous cooks, too!)
The bride and groom had their own catamaran. {Sweet!} … (photo credit to BellaJane Photography for the 2 river shots).
Back to dinner, dancing, and celebrating the the couple, these 3 days were magical, filled with beautiful mountain weather, breathtaking views … a breeze that was so refreshing.
We dipped into the river several times a day, and slept like babies at night, with the soothing sound of the handsome river outside our comfy Westy bed.
Fun and simple camping:
There are many elements to consider when hosting others in your campsite! Here’s how we keep it fun and simple:
MUSIC: UE Boom boxes. We have 2 of these little boxes that we use with outdoor entertaining in the backyard, but we love bringing them with us, because they are compact, and have great little speakers.
Camping is about enjoying the outdoors, but good music is essential.OTHERS: Worrying about how everything is supposed to look, or be, or taste, just trying to impress, never exists with camping. You’re expected to sort of be “winging it.” Think of others first, like what can you offer them for comfort, or to drink, or eat, and then … there’s the coffee in the morning! We love to make our Storyville coffee in our REI French Press and share it with friends. Getting together is all about connection and getting to know each other in a more intimate way. We’re headed to “empty-nest-land,” so it’s even more important for us to be with our friends. What better way, than in the great outdoors?
DRINKS/SNACKS: Good food is always important. Friends like to come to your camp and hang out, enjoy a summer drink, and nosh on some yummy treats!
Sweetness of new experiences and friendships.
This river wedding weekend was full of so many experiences, on so many levels. We came away feeling that life is sweeter. We never want to slip into the same old story (same camping grounds, same camping partners, same recipes–year after year), but instead, we’re enjoying simple ways of living, savoring new relationships, savoring old friendships (we camped for the very first time with some of our dearest friends), getting to know others on a deeper level, and creating new memories.
By the way, did I tell you that we had NO cell service whatsoever on this trip? It was … freeing. Our minds were less cluttered, I felt like I trained a new muscle to not have to pick up my phone constantly to check my emails. More on that later …
What’s your favorite small bites or appetizers you like to serve while camping?
Get the Recipe:
Caprese Pita Cracker Bites
Ingredients
- Pita Crackers
- Mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
- Fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced
- Fresh basil, finely chopped
- DeLallo Balsamic Glaze
Instructions
- Lay out on a platter or tray pita crackers.
- Assemble thin slices of fresh mozzarella cheese and a tomato slice on each cracker.
- Drizzle with balsamic glaze.
- Sprinkle with freshly chopped basil.
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One our way home, Paulie and I stopped off several times to take in the views before heading back to the Rogue Valley heat!
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
Oh my goodness my free spirit side is in love with this whole camping, river, wedding…I love your focus on paring down. Those aluminum trays came in handy, chilled for appys – perfect!! Love this post so much, thank you for sharing your pictures. I feel like I was there!