Falls Creek Camp Cooking

Last week DD and I had the privilege of going to Falls Creek to cook for 21 junior high students and 6 adults.  It was a blast!  Before leaving I had worried a little about what to fix, would they like it, etc.  No worries - kids loved the food and we loved fixing it for them.

There was a cooking contest put on by the camp.  DD's honey butter rolls won first place in their division!  And DD's strawberry cake won second place!  We were pretty excited as were the students.

So enjoy the recipes.  Any questions about cooking for a crowd - just write!

Honey Butter Rolls

The award winning recipe from Falls Creek:  Very easy:

We used Bridgeford frozen roll dough - any brand will do.  Thaw, let rise, and bake according to package directions.  While still warm, brush or spoon over the rolls with a mixture of:

1 stick melted butter (adjust according to number of rolls prepared)
1-2 Tablespoons honey

That's all!  Enjoy!

Chicken Strips

Chicken Strips

Chicken Breasts, Cut into strips Panco Bread Crumbs Melted Butter seasoning such as italian or fresh herbs salt buttermilk Cut chicken breasts into strips. Put them in a bowl and cover with buttermilk and let soak. To prepare for cooking, add a beaten egg to the buttermilk and chicken and mix. Put the panko bread crumbs in a dish or pan. Add your choice of seasonings. Roll the chicken in the breadcrumbs. Place on a cooking sheet. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees about 20 minutes until done. This recipe is not very precise.  Allow about 3 to 4 strips per person.  You will get approximately 5 to 6 strips cut from each boneless chicken breast. Seasonings are completely up to the cook.

Honey Bun Cake

Honey Bun Cake

1 box yellow cake mix ½ cup sugar, this can be cut down or out 4 eggs ½ cup vegetable oil 8 oz. sour cream 1 cup brown sugar 5 tablespoons cinnamon 2 cups powdered sugar 4 tablespoons milk 1 tablespoon vanilla Mix together the cake mix, sugar, eggs, oil, and sour cream. Separately mix 1 cup brown sugar with the 5 tablespoons cinnamon. Pour 1/2 of the cake batter into a greased 9 x 12 pan. Sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture over the batter and swirl it together with a knife. Pour remaining batter in as well as the other half of the brown sugar mixture. Swirl again. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. Mix frosting ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour over hot cake.

Fresh Strawberry Cake

Strawberry Cake or Flex

1 3 oz. pkg strawberry jello ½ cup boiling water 1 package White cake mix 1 cup crisco oil 4 eggs ½ cup mashed strawberries 1 tsp. vanilla 1 pound confectioners sugar ½ cup mashed strawberries 1 3 oz. cream cheese, softened 1 tablespoon shortening dash salt 1 tsp. vanilla Mix jello with boiling water. Let cool. Meanwhile, mix cake ingredients. Add cooled jello. Pour into 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until done. Mix frosting ingredients and frost cooled cake.

Meal In One Baked Potatoes

Meal in one Potatoes

½ pound ground meat, lean beef or turkey ½ cup chopped onion 1 tsp. garlic, minced 1 15 ounce can kidney beans, drained 1 15 ounce can tomatoes, not drained 1 8 oz. tomato sauce ½ cup chili sauce 1 tsp. dried oregano ¼ tsp. salt 4 medium baking potatoes Brown meat, onion and garlic until meat is cooked. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer 5 minutes. Cool, and freeze at this point if desired. Bake potatoes at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Heat filling. Split tops of potatoes, fluff and fill. Serve with grated cheese, sour cream.

Overnight Coffee Cake

Overnight Coffee Cake

2 cups all purpose flour 1 cup sugar ½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 1 cup buttermilk ⅔ cup butter, melted 2 large eggs Combine first 7 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; add buttermilk, butter, and eggs. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer until moistened. Beat at medium speed 3 minutes. Spoon batter into greased and floured 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan. Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and chopped pecans (if desired). Sprinkle over batter. Cover and refrigerate 8 to 12 hours (overnight). Uncover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Can be drizzled with a powder sugar glaze. Serve warm.

Summer Corn Soup with Salsa

Ended up at home today with an allergy attack and needed something warm for dinner.  Casual Cooking to the rescue:

3 fresh ears of corn
4 cups water
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
1 or 2 ribs of celery, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup heavy cream
Gray sea salt
Salsa

Remove the corn kernels from the cobs and place the cobs in the water with the onion, celery, and bay leaf.  Bring the water to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.  Remove the cobs and discard.  Add the kernels and simmer for 5 minutes.  Transfer in batches to a blender and blend thoroughly (I blended twice).   Strain through a sieve placed over a clean saucepan.  Push on the solids to extract all the liquid.

Add the cream to the soup and heat gently.  Garnish with snipped chives and Salsa.  Serve immediately. Serves 4 as a first course.

Amazing Strawberries

From Casual Cooking these strawberries are amazing!  You will read the recipe and think it is crazy - trust me and try it.

Strawberries - rinsed and hulled (cut into large slices if necessary)
1/8 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Gray sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cream cheese, softened

Mix the sugar, vinegar, and a pinch each of the sea salt and pepper.  Stir well and pour over the strawberries.  Let it sit for about 15 minutes.  Serve with a dollop of the cream cheese.

Michael's recipe called for using mascarpone cheese, but I didn't have any.  It also suggested serving the strawberries with a biscotti, but I didn't have one.

This recipe made enough for 3.  DH didn't think it was a good idea to use balsamic vinegar with strawberries - silly man - so I had to eat all of them!  It was fantastic!

New Cookbook

It has been awhile since I wrote.  Guess I was waiting for inspiration. . .and I found it!  While at a friend's house I started looking through  Michael Chiarello's Casual Cooking.  The more I looked the more intrigued I became.  Now I want to make most of the recipes in there and talk about them.  No, this is not going to be another Julie and Julia.  It will be more like my take on Casual Cooking.  Here is my first attempt - but I forgot to take a picture!

Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon Salt

3 chicken quarters
1 teaspoon (or a little more) grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon (or a little more) chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon gray sea salt
Black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees (or 425 if you are using a convection oven).

Rub the chicken down inside the skin and out with olive oil.  Cut the lemon just zested into rounds.  Oil a roasting pan and lay the lemon slices on the bottom of the pan.

Mix the zest, rosemary and sea salt together.  Rub on the chicken under the skin and on the outside of the skin.  Place on top of the lemon slices.

Roast in the oven for 15 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 425 (or 400 if convection) and continue roasting until the juices run clear.  (Check after 15 minutes, then adjust time accordingly).

This was amazing.  The recipe called for a whole chicken but I didn't have one.  That is why these recipes will continue to be my take on Michael's ideas!