Camp Merri-Mac and Cheese 2019

Mac & cheese is a perennial camp favorite and one that I love to teach the girls because I want them to know that they can make easy, delicious macaroni and cheese without the little blue box.  This is the first thing I taught my sons to cook and the first recipe they memorized.  I teach them like this:  5 x 5 = 25.  Remember…5 tablespoons of butter with 5 tablespoons of flour, then add 2.5 (2 ½) cups of milk.  Then it’s all ones…add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of dry mustard, 1 pound of cheese, and 1 pound of macaroni.  My boys and I love experimenting with different types of cheeses…our current favorite is half extra sharp cheddar and half chipotle gouda.

Ingredients:

• 1-pound macaroni/elbow noodles
• 5 Tablespoons butter
• 5 Tablespoons flour
• 2 ½ cups milk
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-pound shredded cheese (I like to combine cheeses—half Colby Jack & half Cheddar or half Pepper Jack and half Cheddar or Cheddar, Gruyere, and Parmesan—any combination as long as it totals 1 pound.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Butter a 9 x 12 baking dish
3. Boil 4 quarts salted water, add macaroni and a splash of oil
4. Drain macaroni when it is al dente (almost cooked, but still firm) and set aside
5. Melt butter over low heat in deep sauté pan
6. Add flour, one tablespoon at a time, whisking after each tablespoon—you are creating a roux—a thick, smooth flour/butter paste
7. Add milk, SLOWLY, whisking continuously to remove any lumps and continue stirring as it thickens
8. Add dry mustard, salt, and cheese and stir until cheese is melted
9. Add pasta and gently mix, then pour into buttered baking dish

• Bake for 15 minutes or until top is golden brown

OPTIONAL:  Top with buttered bread crumbs or parmesan cheese or crumbled bacon 😊

Camp Merri-Mac Brownies 2019

Brownies were never my favorite—it always seemed to me that they couldn’t decide whether to be a cookie or a cake and therefore, were neither.  However, my kids love them and when they informed me that they preferred the ‘box brownies’ to my homemade brownies I took it as a personal challenge.  These brownies are chewy and flavorful—I strongly recommend the mixture of vanilla and coffee/espresso…and a scoop of vanilla or coffee ice cream on top of one of these brownies when they’re warm!

 Ingredients:

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter
• 5 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate (or ¾ cup chocolate chips)

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• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla (or 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 teaspoon strong coffee/espresso)
• 2 eggs

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• ¾ cups flour
• 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt

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• ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray, then line with parchment paper and spray again with cooking spray. Sprinkle with flour and spread flour over bottom and sides of pan.
3. Over low heat, melt butter and chocolate, then remove from heat to cool
4. In one bowl, whisk together white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and eggs
5. In another bowl, sift together flour and cocoa powder, then add salt
6. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients
7. Add cooled melted chocolate/butter mixture to batter and mix completely
8. Fold in ¼ cup chocolate chips
9. Pour brownie mixture into buttered and floured pan, spreading evenly

• Bake for 20 minutes

Frosting/Topping: 

These are great with a caramel and crushed pretzel on top for sweet & salty brownies OR mini marshmallows and Teddy Grahams—put under broiler for 30-60 seconds—for s’mores brownies.

NOTE:  We put a double batch of these in a large rimmed baking sheet.  They make a thin, chewy brownie and it reduces the cooking time.  At home, I still put a double batch in the large pan, but reduce the temperature to 375 and increase the cooking time to 30 minutes. 

Camp Merri-Mac Smoothie Bowls 2019

When I asked the college-aged counselors I’m teaching cooking with this summer what recipes they wanted to make, one of the answers that came up right away was a ‘smoothie bowl.’  I had never heard of, let alone eaten a smoothie bowl, but an internet search and a few test runs later and we had a very popular camp smoothie bowl.  We used a variety of fresh and frozen fruits and my family’s granola recipe.

Single serving smoothie ingredients:

• ½ cup frozen berries or other fruit
• ½ banana, cut into chunks, frozen
• 1/8 cup almond milk, smoothie fusion juice, or other liquid

Granola ingredients:

• 3 cups old-fashioned oats
• ½ cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 3 tablespoons (packed) brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup assorted dried fruit

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Cut your banana and put it in the freezer (at least 5 minutes)
3. While you are waiting for it to freeze, make your granola
   1. Mix oats, seeds, and coconut in large bowl
   2. Put brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt, honey, and vegetable oil in a microwavable cup or bowl and warm them together (medium power, 30 seconds)
   3. Pour sugar mixture over oat mixture and stir
   4. Spread on rimmed baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes
   5. Add dried fruit, stir, and bake for last 10 minutes
4. When your granola is almost done, put your frozen fruit and frozen banana in a large cup. Use stick blender to crush it into tiny chunks
5. Add almond milk (or other liquid) and blend until it is the consistency of frozen yogurt
6. Put smoothie in bowl and top with additional sliced fresh fruit, seeds, coconut, and/or granola (If you do not have nut allergies—add ½ cup pecans or almonds to granola!)

Camp Merri-Mac Red and Green Pasta 2019

We love Christmas at camp and we love pasta!  Red and green (Christmas) pasta sauce seemed like the perfect thing to cook with the girls…especially after they’d had a morning of sweets between their stockings, donuts, and hot chocolate.  This is not a traditional pesto sauce in that it includes spinach and lemon, but it makes a great sauce for pasta…or for dipping garlic bread into and the marina sauce is full of hidden, healthy vegetables.  Both were very popular with the campers and could also be used on pizza or in lasagna or with any other Italian meal.

Ingredients for Green (Pesto) Sauce:

• 1 cup fresh basil
• 3 cups spinach leaves
• Juice and zest of one small lemon
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• ¼ cup pine nuts
• ½ cup shredded parmesan
• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup half & half—added last!

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients except half & half in food processor and run until pureed into a smooth paste
2. Pour pesto sauce into large sauté pan over low heat and slowly add half & half
3. Stir until sauce begins to thicken and remove from heat

Ingredients for Red (Marinara) Sauce:

• 1 sweet onion (Vidalia), cut into chunks
• 1 small green or red sweet pepper, cut into chunks
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• 4 cups canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf

Directions:

1. Place onion, pepper, carrot, and garlic in food processor and chop completely
2. Place olive oil in large sauté pan, add chopped vegetables and cook about 5-10 minutes or until softened and beginning to brown
3. Add salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and crushed tomatoes. Add bay leaf last
4. Simmer over low heat for at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally

SERVE OVER YOUR CHOICE OF PASTA—SIDE BY SIDE, MIXED, OR INDIVIDUALLY.  TOP WITH GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE.

Camp Merri-Mac Meatball Kebabs with Rice 2019

Earlier this summer we grilled meatballs to go with our red and green pasta sauces.  The meatballs were so good on the grill that we knew we had to make them again.  This time, we tried them on skewers, brushed with a honey barbeque sauce, and served over rice.  The campers enjoyed making them, grilling them, and eating them!

Ingredients:

• Frozen pre-made meatballs OR homemade (see recipe for spaghetti & meatballs)
• Onions
• Red, yellow, green peppers

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• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1-1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Thaw meatballs in refrigerator the night before
2. Cut onions and peppers into chunks about the size of the meatballs
3. Thread onion/pepper/meatball onto skewers (if using bamboo skewers, soak them in water overnight to keep them from burning)
4. Grill over medium heat, turning regularly, until vegetables start to brown
5. Brush with Honey BBQ sauce and grill for another 3-5 minutes

Oven Rice:

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked, long-grain white rice

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups boiling water
• 1 Tablespoon diced fresh parsley
• 2-4 Tablespoons butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Lightly spray 9 x 13 glass baking pan
3. Spread rice and salt evenly on bottom of pan
4. Pour boiling water over rice
5. Seal top of pan with heavy duty foil—seal tightly
6. Bake 20 minutes
7. CAREFULLY remove foil (steam burns!)
8. Add butter and fresh parsley and fluff with fork

Merri-Mac Cupcakes 2019

I love cupcakes of all sizes and flavors.  I thought it would be fun for the campers to make a variety of flavors of cupcakes and icings and mix and match to create their own concoctions.  The chocolate recipe is my family’s recipe—the one we all request as our birthday cake—double this recipe to make 3-layer cake—and the caramel, vanilla, and strawberry cupcakes were all new recipes this year.  The caramel cupcake topped with chocolate frosting and drizzled with caramel sauce and the vanilla cupcake topped with strawberry frosting and fresh strawberries were among the favorites.

Leslie’s Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

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• 1 cup cold
• ½ cup canola oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

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• ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line muffin pan with 14-16 paper liners
3. In one bowl, mix flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt
4. In another bowl, mix water, oil, and vanilla
5. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just combined
6. Fill each paper liner about 2/3 full with batter
7. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon chocolate chips on top of each cupcake
8. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cupcake comes out clean
9. Remove from pan and allow to cool before frosting

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
• 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 6 Tablespoons (or ¼ cup plus 2 Tablespoons) cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4-5 Tablespoons milk

Directions:

1. Beat ingredients with electric mixer until smooth and creamy. If too stiff, add more milk.  If too runny, add more powdered sugar.
2. Want vanilla buttercream frosting? Skip the cocoa powder.

Camp Merri-Mac Caramel Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

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• ½ (1 stick) cup butter, melted and cooled
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoons vanilla

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• ½ cups milk
• 2 eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line cupcake pans with paper liners
3. In one mixing bowl—whisk flour, baking powder, and salt
4. In another mixing bowl—whisk melted butter, sugars, and vanilla
5. Add butter mixture to flour mixture and mix
6. Add milk and mix thoroughly
7. Add eggs and mix thoroughly
8. Pour into cupcake liners, filling half full
9. Bake for about 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean

Caramel Buttercream Frosting:

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 3 Tablespoons caramel sauce
• 3-4 Tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Beat all ingredients with electric mixer until smooth and creamy. If too stiff, add more milk.  If too runny, add more powdered sugar.

Camp Merri-Mac Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 ¾ cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

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• ¼ cup butter, melted and cooled
• ¼ cup canola oil
• ¾ cups sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

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• ¾ cups milk
• 2 eggs

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Line cupcake pans with paper liners
• In one mixing bowl—whisk flour, baking powder, and salt
• In another mixing bowl—whisk melted butter, canola oil, sugar, and vanilla
• Add butter mixture to flour mixture and mix
• Add milk and mix thoroughly
• Add eggs and mix thoroughly
• Pour into cupcake liners, filling half full
• Bake for about 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 4-5 Tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

2. Beat all ingredients with electric mixer until smooth and creamy. If too stiff, add more milk.  If too runny, add more powdered sugar

Camp Merri-Mac Cinnamon Buns 2019

Cinnamon buns were another recipe requested by my college aged camp counselors.  They even took some time on a quiet Sunday afternoon to turn our camp kitchen into a test kitchen, trying different doughs and icings.  The end results were delicious, but took hours to make as the dough had to rest and rise several times.  We solved that problem by using frozen bread dough that we thawed the night before and then tried a couple of different icings…because, you know, it is all about the icing!

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf frozen bread dough—set out to thaw the night before
• ¼ cup softened butter or margarine
• ¾ cups brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons cinnamon
• ½ cup raisins OR pecans (optional)

Directions:

1. On a floured surface, roll bread dough into a rectangle about ½” thick
2. Spread softened butter on dough, going all the way to the edges
3. Mix cinnamon and brown sugar and sprinkle evenly over butter
4. Starting along LONG edge, roll dough—not too tightly or rolls will pop up in the middle
5. Pinch edges together to seal at seam
6. Slice into 2” chunks—serrated knife works best and place in greased pan, not too close
7. Place in oven (NOT PREHEATED) and turn oven on to 350 degrees
8. When oven reaches temperature (350), set timer for 20 minutes (CHECK: if not done, add another 5 minutes). Remove from oven and spread with your choice of icing

Cream Cheese Icing:

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 Tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 2-4 Tablespoons milk

Directions:

1. Beat all ingredients with electric mixer until smooth and creamy
2. If too stiff, add more milk. If too runny, add more powdered sugar

Caramel Icing:

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• ½ cup dark brown sugar
• 3 Tablespoons milk
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Put butter, dark brown sugar, and milk in small sauce pan and bring to a boil
2. Boil for one minute and remove from heat
3. Put ½ cup powdered sugar in bowl, add melted butter and beat with electric mixer
4. Add vanilla and second ½ cup of powdered sugar and beat with electric mixer again
5. If too stiff, add more milk. If too runny, add more powdered sugar

Camp Merri-Mac Taco Tuesday 2019

In Naples, Florida where I live, as well as in many other places, local restaurants feature ‘Taco Tuesday’ with specials on a variety of tacos.  They’re very popular at home and when a simple recipe for homemade tortillas popped up on my Facebook feed from King Arthur Flour, I decided it was time to initiate camp into the ‘Taco Tuesday’ trend.  The girls had a great time making their own tortillas and then filling them with a variety of toppings including grilled chicken, black beans, yellow rice, vegetables, and salsas.  Bonus—it was 2^nd session’s Christmas on Tuesday and we, appropriately, had red and green salsa!

Ingredients for Tortillas:

• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

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• ¼ cup oil or shortening
• 1 SCANT cup hot tap water

Directions for Tortillas:

1. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in mixing bowl
2. Add oil and hot water
3. Stir dough into a giant ball, divide into 8 balls and let rest 10 minutes
4. On floured surface, roll flat
5. Fry on ungreased griddle about 30 seconds per side

Ingredients for Grilled Chicken:

• 6 chicken breasts, split lengthwise into thin filets (also works well with boneless thighs)
• 1 package low sodium taco seasoning MINUS 1 Tablespoon (set aside for crème)
• Juice and zest of 1 lime
• ¼ cup olive oil

Directions for Grilled Chicken:

1. Place chicken, taco seasoning, lime, and olive oil into Ziplock bag and marinate overnight or for at least four hours
2. Grill over medium heat until cooked through
3. Cut into skinny strips

Ingredients for Red Salsa:

• 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 2 green onions, chopped
• ¼ jalapeno, seeded and diced (I prefer a milder salsa, so I also roast the jalapeno on the grill—you could skip that step and/or add more for a hotter salsa)
• 1 clove garlic, diced
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro
• Juice and zest of 1 lime
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon cumin

Directions for Red Salsa:

1. Place all ingredients in food processor and blend to a fine chop

Ingredients for Green Salsa:

• 6-8 tomatillos, roasted on the grill
• 2 green onions, chopped
• ¼ jalapeno, seeded and diced (again, I prefer a milder salsa, so I roast the jalapeno on the grill—you could skip that step and/or add more for a hotter salsa)
• 1 clove garlic, diced
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro
• Juice and zest of 1 lime
• ½ teaspoon salt

Directions for Green Salsa:

1. Place all ingredients in food processor and blend to a fine chop

Ingredients for Chipotle Crème:

• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 Tablespoon low sodium taco seasoning
• 1 Tablespoon cilantro, chopped/diced
• ¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder

Directions for Chipotle Crème:

1. Mix all ingredients thoroughly

Serving Suggestion:

Try these tacos—flour tortilla, grilled chicken, red salsa, green salsa, and chipotle crème with a little shredded cabbage and shredded cheese!

I hope you all enjoy!

Leslie Loughran