Small S'mores Dessert Bar -- Edition 2...

I imagine all of us have memories of a gathering of friends or family, a warm summer night, a blazing fire, and the delicious taste of roasted marshmallows or s'mores! Mark and I were able to have one of those evenings last weekend, and it was heavenly.

Tuesday I posted the "S'mores Dessert Bar -- Edition 1." I illustrated how we made a long 6' x 18" roasting table for s'mores that is perfect for a large gathering of friends or family. In this blog post I'll show a smaller alternative which is ideal for smaller groups, but first I'll list some advantages I've noted for roasting marshmallows over sterno cans instead of a large fire pit.

• Sterno cans don't create smoke; fire pits do.
• Sterno cans light immediately; lighting and keeping a larger fire lit can be a battle.
• Marshmallows catch fire and burn more easily over a fire -- light golden brown over sterno cans.
• Sterno cans are a little safer for little ones than a raging fire.

And now for the alternative to the s'mores table that I've come up with for a smaller group or gathering...

This s'mores roasting bar is put together in minutes and you can use virtually any container you might have around the house. I think ceramic pots or terracotta containers would work beautifully. I bought these metal buckets at Hobby Lobby. The large one is 8" in diameter at the top, the middle 6", and the little one is 4" in diameter. I bought them for a total of $7.50 @ 50% off...

I then purchased some sand at Home Depot for $3.15 (50 pound bag) and lugged it home the best I could. Who knew sand was sooo heavy!?! I filled the buckets with sand and placed a sterno can in each level with the top of the bucket...

Foil was placed on top of the sand. This isn't particularly necessary, but it will make it easier to take the decorative rocks out and replace the sterno can when needed.

Some polished river rocks were purchased at Hobby Lobby and placed on top of the foil and sand.

This S'mores Dessert Bar is perfect for smaller crowds and smaller people. It can be placed on a lower outdoor side table so that little ones can participate more easily.

I made this one for three of my grandchildren that will be visiting in a few weeks. I can't wait to roast some marshmallows and make s'mores with them!

Once again, I'll use this recipe menu to gather the supplies for the goodie table...

I love having the option of making a classic s'more or a s'more with a little more variety...

There you have it! 

A S'mores Dessert Bar idea for a large gathering or this idea for a smaller group. 

Two great alternatives for summer fun! 

Large S'mores Dessert Bar -- Edition 1...

With the celebration of Independence Day in the USA only a week away, I thought I'd share a fabulous idea that I came upon at the wedding reception for our son and his bride a couple of months ago. Below is the beautiful s'mores bar that my daughter-in-law's father made for their reception. I loved the stained wood and rocky base for the sterno cans.

A s'mores bar would be the perfect addition to a backyard BBQ on the 4th of July. With very little effort and money you can have a delicious and fun gathering place and dessert bar. 

Several weeks ago we decided to make our own version for an "after party" for some young adults that were going to participate in a church service project. Ours was a lot more rustic than the version at the wedding reception, but it did the trick and worked out perfectly.

Most of the materials were purchased at Home Depot. We bought two 2" x 4" x 8' ($2.75 each) lengths of pine for the frame. Make sure the wood isn't warped and is in good condition. The length of your s'mores bar will be determined by the length of your table. We have an 8' table, so we decided that the finished frame would be approximately  6' long x 18" wide. {Tip: Home Depot has some nice sharp power saws and they cut the wood for you, so make sure you have the length of wood cut before you pay!}

I stained the wood a light walnut brown and then put some mending brackets on each corner to hold the wood together. Since then I've put a satin sealer on the wood, which makes it look more finished. When we were ready to set the table up, I put some brown packaging paper down on the table and centered the wood frame on the table.

Then I placed some cookie cooling racks in the center of the frame and placed the sterno on top of those racks. {I wasn't sure if the heat of the sterno would damage the top of the table.} Two bags of river rocks {$3.77 each) filled in the center of the frame.

All that was left to do was enjoy it! This s'mores bar was a huge hit. Twelve people can crowd around the table at the same time. People came back over and over again to create their favorite s'more or try a new version, which brings me to the goodies table...

I chose to have the s'mores ingredients on a separate table. I found this adorable printable on Pinterest, printed it off and had it laminated.

{source}

The ingredients listed in these recipes were the ones I had on our "goodies" table, so guests could create any one of those recipes that night. {Tip: "The Nutty Buddy" and "The Samoa" were favorites so you might want to get plenty of those ingredients!}

A s'mores bar like this is perfect for a big crowd of 30 people or more. 

Thursday, I will post "S'mores Bar -- Edition 2" with a fabulous idea 

for smaller crowds and gatherings!

Update: Go here for a fabulous idea for a S'mores Bar for a smaller gathering!