Posts Tagged ‘eGuides’

Princess Sasha and the Evil Knight

This story and 29 others will appear in the eGuide “Campfire Stories: From the Chill to the Giggle” coming October 1, 2010. To pre-order your copy at a 30% discount please click here.

Pre-orders are only $3.46. Your eGuide will be delivered to your email inbox on October 15, 2010. At that time, the eGuide will go on sale for $4.95. Order yours today!

Feel free to modify any story to fit your audience. That includes changing out the names of characters for names of people in your audience or changing the place name to be YOUR hometown.

Once, a long, long time ago, there lived an evil knight named Sir Kwingsly. Sir Kwingsly lived in the Deep, Deep, Dark, Dark, Deep, Dark and Dirty Mountains. He had a passion for kidnapping queens and princesses to either make his slaves or to eat. He had his black heart set on marrying Princess Sasha, the most beautiful maiden in all the land. But, Princess Sasha was guarded by a very powerful wizard named Igor.

Never-the-less, Sir Kwingsly managed to capture Princess Sasha. She was out gathering herbs for some magic brew Igor was making, when out of the bushes jumped a troll! (Sir Kwingsly was the king of the trolls, who also live in the Deep, Deep, Dark, Dark, Deep, Dark and Dirty Mountains.) This troll was at least eight feet tall and smelled like last week’s trash! The troll seized Princess Sasha and took her to the mountains.

When the horrible, smelly troll got Princess Sasha to Sir Kwingsly’s lair, Princess Sasha was in tears. She was certain that the evil knight wouldn’t make her his slave. Princess Sasha was certain that Sir Kwingsly was GOING TO EAT HER!!

Little did she know that a worse fate awaited her: marriage to Sir Kwingsly!

Word of kidnappings travel like lightning through the Deep, Deep, Dark, Dark, Deep, Dark and Dirty Mountains since everybody wants to know which beautiful Queen or Princess Sir Kwingsly has captured now.  So when the rumor of Princess Sasha’s kidnapping spread to Igor, Igor was outraged. He sent his fastest messenger to tell Sir Kwingsly to return Princess Sasha or prepare to die.

When the messenger delivered Igor’s missive, Sir Kwingsly roared in a rage of fury. The Deep, Deep, Dark, Dark, Deep, Dark and Dirty Mountains shook with his yells.

While the messenger was traveling to Sir Kwingsly’s cave in the Deep, Deep, Dark, Dark, Deep, Dark and Dirty Mountains, Igor was assembling his army. Hard on the heels of the messenger, Igor’s army marched toward the Mountains.

When Sir Kwingsly saw the army approaching, he called to his dragon Spike and told him to destroy the advancing army.

Igor didn’t even realize that Spike the Dragon was circling around to attack the army until the bravest knight in Igor’s company, Sir Wimpsly, charged the dragon. His lance was pointed at the dragon’s foul heart. The lance hit its mark… bold and true. And the dragon Spike was dead.

The army began cheering. But even as they celebrated Sir Wimpsly’s victory over Spike the Dragon, an army of trolls came thundering down the mountain. The battle for Princess Sasha was on!

Both sides lost blood, but Igor was using his wizardly powers to restore his wounded so they could continue fighting. Troll met knight in an epic struggle. But without their greatest weapon, Spike the Dragon, the trolls quickly lost heart.

Suddenly, a white flag was raised! The trolls surrendered.

Princess Sasha rode down the mountain on a lovely white charger to meet her benefactor, Igor. Princess Sasha and Igor returned quietly to their home in the woods, never to hear from Sir Kwingsly or his nasty trolls again.

Moral of the story:

• Don’t gather herbs without a companion.
• Only live where there are no mountains.
• Princesses rule and trolls drool.

Stone Soup

This story and 29 others will appear in the eGuide “Campfire Stories: From the Chill to the Giggle” coming October 1, 2010. To pre-order your copy at a 30% discount please click here.

Pre-orders are only $3.46. Your eGuide will be delivered to your email inbox on October 15, 2010. At that time, the eGuide will go on sale for $4.95. Order yours today!

Feel free to modify any story to fit your audience. That includes changing out the names of characters for names of people in your audience or changing the place name to be YOUR hometown.

Some of the best campfire stories aren’t scary at all. Read on to find out how a clever cook rescued a fair Princess.

Props:

• a smooth fist-sized rock

Once upon a time, there was a smart young cook named Bill. In the country where Bill lived, an ugly, evil Troll had captured the beautiful Princess Laura and was holding her hostage in his cave.

Princess Laura’s father, the King, had sent all of his knights one-by-one to defeat the Troll and rescue Princess Laura. But the Troll bested each knight and made a feast of their bones. Then the King sent each of his wizards, one-by-one to defeat the Troll. But the Troll bested each wizard and made a feast of their bones.

Finally, Bill, the cook asked the King if he could try to defeat the Troll and rescue Princess Laura. The King said, “Bill, if you defeat the Troll and rescue the Princess, you may marry her and have my kingdom when I am gone.”

So Bill packed up his trusty soup pot, got onto his little white mule and rode to the Troll’s cave. At the mouth of the cave, Bill made a small fire. He filled the pot with water, put it over the fire to boil and sat down to wait.

Pretty soon, the Troll came to the mouth of the cave. Before the Troll could grab Bill and make a feast of his bones, Bill stood up and said:

“Oh great Troll! It is known far and wide that you are among cleverest of all Trolls for you have stolen the fair Princess Laura. I have come to make you a soup that will the smartest Troll in the land!”

And since Trolls are very vain about being clever, the evil Troll didn’t grab Bill and make a feast of his bones. Instead, the Troll growled: “And just what is this soup?”

Bill said, “It is Stone Soup! See this stone? It makes the best soup in the world and when you eat it, you will be the smartest Troll. First, I need an onion.”

The Troll was being clever and asked, “Why do I have to give YOU an onion?”

Bill said, “Because if it is MY onion, then the soup would only work for me. Now, I need an onion!” And into the pot went and onion.

“When will it be ready?” demanded the Troll.

“In a little bit,” said Bill. “It just needs some carrots!” And into the pot went some carrots.

“When will it be ready?” demanded the Troll.

“In a little bit,” said Bill. “It just needs some potatoes!” And into the pot went some potatoes.

And a bit of beef.

And a handful of barley.

And a pinch of salt.

Finally, the soup was simmering and the Troll was starting to drool. Bill looked up and him and said, “It’s almost ready! Now, I just need to add the final ingredient: the Stone!” And into the bubbling soup went the stone.

The Troll was getting excited at the idea of eating soup that would make him the cleverest Troll in all the land.

“The soup it almost ready!” said Bill. “I should just taste it to make sure that it’s done.”

But the Troll didn’t want Bill to eat the soup and become clever. So the Troll grabbed the bubbling pot of soup and swallowed it all. The Troll started choking. He had swallowed the stone! In a moment, the Troll was dead.

Bill walked into the cave and rescued Princess Laura. They returned to the King and were married. When the King asked Bill how he had defeated the Troll, Bill just said, “I make a mean pot of Stone Soup!”

For this Fun Food Fridays I wanted to share one of MY favorite dishes with you: nachos! Good anytime and easy to make when you’re camping. A hearty plate of nachos can be a full meal or shared as a snack.

INGREDIENTS

– Nacho Cheese Doritos®
– 1 can refried beans
– 1 lb cooked, drained hamburger
– 1 can diced tomato (you can substitute fresh tomatoes as well)
– Shredded cheese

Cook and drain the hamburger. You can season it to taste. Heat the can of refried beans.

On a plate, spread a layer of Doritos® Top with a layer of beans, then a layer of hamburger. Add the diced tomato and sprinkle with cheese. Repeat again with the Doritos®, beans, meat, tomatoes and cheese for another full layer.

Then you have two ways of eating: either eat it as is for nice contrast between the hot beans and cold tomato, or put it in the oven to melt the cheese.

If you want to get really daring with your flavors, you can try the following variations:
Top with fresh jalapeno slices
Use shredded pepper jack cheese
Switch the regular can of refried beans for one with Chili and Lime

This recipe and 60 others are available in the eGuide: “Camp Cooking from the Pitch Your Tent/Set Your Hook Newsletter” This is an instant download that gets you 54 PAGES of camp cooking recipes! Many were sent in by newsletter readers! The eGuide is only $5.95 and you get it INSTANTLY.

Winter snows have arrived in Northern Arizona! Over the weekend, I was dying to get outside and just “do stuff” but the best I could manage was letting Lily, the EatStayPlay.com Mascot, drag me around the block. I’m not really a big fan of the white-stuff, but I know a lot of people are. And those people will be heading to Flagstaff in DROVES over the coming weeks.

That’s why, in this week’s “Mystery Mondays” post, I wanted to share with you an article about a Winter Car Kit to keep you safe.

The last time I was in Flagstaff to look at the snow (again, I don’t actually TOUCH the stuff!) I watched a party of four vehicles being rescued from the snow. So, I started planning an article about what you can do to minimize your risk when you’re out enjoying the snow. These people who were rescued were NOT caught in a storm. The day was sunny and mild. But, they got stuck in the snow anyway. Luckily, there were along AZ Hwy 180 so they didn’t have to wait for help. But what if they had been someplace not as accessible? Would they have been prepared? Are YOU prepared?

Read on!

Winter storms are considered deceptive killers… because most deaths are indirectly related to the storm:

• People die in traffic accidents on icy roads.
• People die of hypothermia from prolonged exposure to cold.

First off, your car’s in good working order, right? Each fall you should have the radiator system serviced, or check the antifreeze level yourself with an antifreeze tester. Add antifreeze, as needed. Replace your windshield-wiper fluid with a wintertime mixture and replace any worn tires, and check the air pressure in the tires. Plus, during winter, keep the gas tank near full to help avoid ice in the tank and fuel lines.<p>

(I’m 100% guilty of being lax on that! My tank currently says E and we’re getting to well below freezing each night with another storm moving in! Parking in a garage is NOT an excuse!)

Assemble a Winter Survival Kit for Your Car

Equip your car with these items:

• blankets (I prefer a space blanket to regular blankets. I can only get the heavy-duty space blankets seasonally so I always stock up when they’re available.)
• first aid kit
• a large, clean can and a way to start a fire (to melt snow for water.)
• windshield ice scraper (Buy a good on of these! It’s a myth that you can use a credit card to scrape ice!)
• jumper cables
• road maps
• mobile phone and car charger
• compass
• tool kit (you should have one of these in your car at all times ANYWAY)
• paper towels
• bag of sand or cat litter (to pour on ice or snow for added traction)
• tow rope
• tire chains (in areas with heavy snow)
• collapsible shovel
• container of water and high-calorie canned or dried foods and a can opener
• flashlight and extra batteries
• canned compressed air with sealant (for emergency tire repair)
• “hunter orange” material or red cloth
• extra clothing, including mittens

I’m sure some of you are thinking: “I live in a warm area. We don’t get FROST let alone SNOW! What do I need this stuff for?” Well, you may LIVE in a warm area but do you ever DRIVE to a colder area?

I don’t keep all my gear in my car, I’ve got a Grab-It-And-Go-Box’. You can assemble all these items in a big plastic container and then you just grab it when you’re leaving. When you get home, it goes back on a shelf. PROVIDED that you replace any items that you’ve used!

My father told me this story:

When I drove in on the back road, the ground was frozen. By mid-afternoon, when I was driving out, the ground had thawed into a muddy mess and I got stuck. Even without snow, I needed my “Winter Survival Kit.”

Here’s another thought for you:

Be sure you know how to USE all the gear in your kit! If you have tire chains but don’t know how to put them on, what good do they do you?! Make sure that all your gear is in good working order with fresh batteries, all the parts to the kit, and that the adhesive in the bandages is still good.

Before you head out…

Tell someone where you’re going, being as exact as possible, and when you’ll be back. Then, when you get back, call them and let them know! This is common sense that needs to be followed no matter the season, EVERY time you head to the great outdoors.

If you DO get stuck, here’s what you do:

Call for help on your cell phone. If you can’t get a signal, you can rest easy that your buddy back home is expecting you and will call out the cavalry (or the sheriff) when you don’t show up home on time.)

Stay in your car or truck. In the case of a snow storm, disorientation occurs quickly in wind-driven snow and cold. You can run the motor about ten minutes each hour for heat, but be sure to open the window a little for fresh air to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning and make sure the exhaust pipe is not blocked by snow or anything else.

To make yourself visible to rescuers you should turn on the dome light at night when running engine, but be sure to turn it off when you shut off the car. You should tie a colored cloth to your antenna or door. The best color is “hunter orange” which is that ugly neon orange that isn’t found in nature- meaning it stands out really well. Second best color is red.

Exercise from time to time by vigorously moving arms, legs, fingers, and toes to keep blood circulating and to keep warm. This is good advice if you’re stuck in any type of storm!

So, go out, enjoy the snow and BE SAFE.

If you are in Arizona and are heading to Flagstaff, I really do recommend the 2009-2010 Flagstaff Snowplay eGuide. It has this article and others as well as complete details about where to go to play in the snow. A big thing this year: Flagstaff has a bunch of places where you’re NOT allowed to go play in the snow. That’s new. The eGuide covers it all, for just $4.95. You can find it at:

http://www.EatStayPlay.com/Store/eGuides_Flagstaff.html