Session 3 Theme at Camp Natoma: Dinosaurs & Diggin' for the Golden Soapstone
Campers: 55
Staff: 21
Cooking for 76 was a welcome change of pace from last week. Having a smaller camp not only meant fewer dishes to wash but smaller class sizes, which inspired me to try archery on my off-time. Turns out I have a knack for archery and earned my Yeoman pin (level 2) in 2 rounds. Every person gets 5 rounds to earn as many pins as possible, so I might be able to get my First Rank pin (level 5) before camp ends, since I have 3 more rounds left.
One of the new staples I have introduced to the standard camp menu is Lentil Stew (click on link for recipe). For one of my Cal Poly food service classes, we had to take a normal recipe and upscale it to serve 50. We've been using that same recipe at camp, but I've modified it to include carrots and celery for some color to increase the visual appeal. The lentils are very thick, which is convenient for washing dishes because they fit perfectly in the trays and don't require bowls.
We pair the lentils with quesadillas made with both flour and corn tortillas.
For our theme dessert this week, we made Golden Soapstone bars (i.e. Lemon Bars) using lemons from the huge box we got at the food bank. Since there is no internet reception at Camp Natoma, it worked out well that I had my friend Cami's lemon bar recipe on file. We quadrupled the recipe and by the end of dinner there wasn't a bar left.
Another dessert this week that got rave reviews was Sophie's chocolate zucchini cake with a heavenly chocolate frosting from her new Martha Stewart Cupcakes cookbook. We are swimming in zucchini because the nearby Thacher winery gives us a big bag of zucchini from their garden every week and we also brought back two cases of zucchini from the food bank at the beginning of the week. Having a dessert with hidden zucchini is a nice way to use it up and prevent people from getting zucchinied-out.
We make muffins to go with breakfast once or twice a week at camp, and our banana muffins are always a huge hit. We ran out of white flour, so all the baked goods before the Wednesday food order delivery were 100% whole wheat. The cornbread and banana muffins tasted even better with all whole wheat flour, and their texture wasn't denser, surprisingly.
The original recipe makes a loaf, but at camp, muffins are simpler for serving to a larger audience. Our small oven cooks things VERY quickly, so one batch of muffins is usually done in 12-15 minutes (not the typical 25 min), allowing for a quick turn around of muffins in the morning. This banana bread was one of my favorite after school snacks as a child, so the scent of these muffins baking in the morning at Natoma always brings back good memories.
Best Banana Bread
2 very ripe bananas (with peel: 13 oz)
2 eggs
2/3 c sugar (4.7 oz)
1/2 c oil (4.3 oz)
1/3 c milk (2.8 oz)
1 3/4 c whole wheat flour (7.4 oz)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c walnuts (1.8 oz), optional
sliced almonds, optional
Preheat oven to 350º. Use food processor to purée bananas. Add eggs and sugar; blend. Add oil in stream while running.
In a small bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt and add 1/2 of total and blend with ingredients in food processor. Add milk and blend. Add second half of dry ingredients and blend.
Add walnuts and blend just a couple seconds. Pour into greased loaf pan and sprinkle with cinnamon and optional sliced almonds.
For a loaf, bake 55 -65 minutes. Cool 15 minutes in pan, then on wire rack. (Convection: 350º for 40-45 minutes.)
For a 6x10 pan + 1 small ramekin, bake 25 min.
For muffins check at 20 min, may need 25. Serves 12.
For a 6x10 pan + 1 small ramekin, bake 25 min.
For muffins check at 20 min, may need 25. Serves 12.
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