Last Saturday marked the final episode of Season Three of the Day Camps Cook-Along. As we journey together through Lent we chose the overarching Theme-“Signs of Hope” and our three chefs shared stories about how their recipes helped them connect to this theme.
Episode 1– Chef Victor shared his Chocolate Lava Cakes. He wrote:-
“The history of the chocolate lava cake began with a mistake, a failed attempt to make a chocolate cake too quickly. A chef in New York pulled a chocolate sponge cake out of the oven before it had time to fully cook. It should have been a disaster, but luckily, he decided to try the sticky, runny mess anyway. To his surprise, it was even more delicious and decadent than a regular chocolate cake.
In our household, we eat chocolate lava cakes on special occasions, but also on bad days when we need cheering up. The warm, gooey chocolate center helps us feel warm and gooey on the inside too. This dessert can also be a reminder of hope because hope is what truly gets us through the bad days. Whenever we feel sad, frustrated or scared, we have hope that God will help us overcome those challenges. We hope that you enjoy this dessert as much as we do!”
The Day Campers and their families had a super time making lava cakes and for our extra Activity Challenge they also received instructions on “How to Make a Volcano” as a follow-up activity. We received a super photo of the volcano made by one if our participants in Edmonton!
Episode2– Chef Syndi-Belle shared her recipe for Irish Soda Bread. She wrote :-
“This recipe has traveled from Ireland to Ottawa and now to Montreal. My uncle loves to send me different recipes, and he shared this one with me, and here’s what he said about this recipe:
I was worried about the recipe because “soda bread” sounded a little unappetizing. But when I saw the rest of the ingredients, and how small the amount of soda in the bread was, I kind of figured it would be good. The Irish eat it with butter…along with their tea or coffee.
I often see Irish bread recipes with “soda bread” in the title. My very good friend and former colleague (a nurse/midwife) is Irish from Ireland, Ann McCorkell. Ann lived and worked in Canada for about 40 years. She has returned to Ireland. I asked Ann what gives it the name “Irish soda bread.” Ann said that Irish wheat has very little gluten in it. As a result, yeast is not a good leavening agent for their flour. Instead of yeast, they use baking soda and baking powder. So, Irish soda bread simply means there is no yeast in it. Ann is an excellent cook…and outstanding in baking, so I trust her opinion.”
Before baking, after baking and tasting a piece!”
All the Day Campers enjoyed crafting their yummy loaves. For the activity challenge we riffed on the Irish theme and sent everyone a story about St. Patrick along with directions to make “DIY Snake Stuffys”
“ March 17th we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, the patron saint of Ireland. When we talk about Ireland we often think about shamrocks and leprechauns but did you know that St. Patrick is remembered for bringing the Christian faith to the people of Ireland and traditionally he is credited with also banishing snakes from the island. Of course poisonous snakes can be very dangerous so it is good to know that St. Patrick saved the people and animals of Ireland from being bitten by a snake but there are also many kinds of non-poisonous snakes that can help to reduce the number of insects in our gardens. Today you can make your own friendly pet snake stuffy to remember St. Patrick.”
Episode 3-For our final session Chef Jessica joined us to teach everyone how to make “Honey Cakes”. She wrote:-
“What’s so hopeful about honey? Sometimes, gardens that haven’t had anyone taking care of them for a long time don’t have a lot of life in them. They can be pretty sad and lonely places! One of Jessica’s favourite things to do is to help gardens like this become healthy and full of life again. An import- ant sign that there is hope for a garden is if there are bees flying around, loving the flowers and helping make fruits and vegetables grow. Not all bees make honey, but honey always reminds Jessica of the hopeful feeling of knowing that a garden is going to be okay!”
After creating some delicious little honey cakes we sent our campers off with their last activity challenge- How to Make a Bug Hotel.
“Attracting Bees –Many garden bees are ground dwellers so they won’t have a need for a hotel room. They will dig a little hole in the soil for winter hibernation and you may see some groggy bumblebees when you are out digging in early spring if you wake them too early. Solitary bees, however, like to nest in hollow stems for the winter. Contrary to their title, they will often pack a number of bees in a stem before closing off the opening with some mud and then having a good snooze until spring. You can encourage bees and other valuable insects to spend the winter in your garden, or on your back porch or balcony. We need insects, especially bees, to keep our eco-systems functioning. Bees are pollinators so they help to make flowers, trees and vegetables grow, and of course honey bees make honey!”
We received lots of positive feedback from the four families who joined us from across Canada and later this year we hope to offer Season 4 of the Day Camps Cook-Along 😊