Smoky Mountain Camping Trip-Day 1

I thought I would share our trip to the Smoky Mountains with you all!  This is Day 1.

We left early, Monday, June 1 and dropped off Max at the kennel at 7am.  We had to drive two vehicles.  I took one kid and most of the camping items in my SUV and the other three kiddos rode with Eric in his car.  We stopped in Kentucky for lunch...at, of course, Cracker Barrel.  It's kind of our family's favorite. :)

One of my favorite meals is their roast beef.  Mmm!

Once we reached our campground, we set up camp, made dinner and relaxed for our first evening.

We did have reservations for a campground that was actually in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park but it was cancelled due to not reopening until June 8 so thankfully we found an opening at this campground - Greenbrier.  It was right outside the national park.  

They had lots of nice places to gather.

This pavilion will come in handy our last night in the downpour!

They had grills you could use also which was nice.

I have never seen this before but they had two wash stations to do your dishes.  How nice!

Basketball, volleyball and playground.

Their shower houses were unique.  You had your own individual bathroom with a sink, toilet and shower in one.

We made beef stew in the Dutch oven for our first dinner.  So good!

Put some French bread on the side and it was just right!

This is the recipe we used.

Old-Fashioned Beef Stew

1/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 lb. beef stewing meat

5 tsp. vegetable oil

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

4 1/2 cups beef broth

2 bay leaves

1 med. onion, peeled and chopped

5 med. carrots, peeled and cut into 4 inch rounds

2 lg. baking potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 tsp. salt

Combine the flour and pepper in a bowl, add the beef cubes and toss to coat well.  Heat 3 tsp. oil in a large pot.  Add the beef a few pieces at a time; do not overcrowd.  Cook, turning the pieces until beef is browned on all sides.  About five minutes per batch; add more oil as needed between batches.  

Remove the beef from the pot and add the vinegar and 1 cup broth.  Cook over medium-high heat, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits.  Add the beef, broth and bay leaves.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to a slow simmer. 

Cover and cook, skimming broth from time to time, until the beef is tender, about 1 1/2 hours.  Add the onions and carrots and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.  Add the potatoes and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes more.  Add broth or water if the stew is dry.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  

Then we made hot cocoa and banana boats for dessert.