Hello Blog Friends!
Just popping in with a short wrap-up post about Season Eight (yes EIGHT!!!) of the Day Camps Cook-along.
The theme, for this series, was intended to provide our young chefs with some recipes to prepare, over the Christmas Season and to enjoy at home or gift to friends and family. Six families (a total of 12 young cooks) registered for the 3-episode “season” logging onto Google Meet on successive Saturday afternoons in November.
Episode #1:-Chef Michelle (with tech assistant, her daughter, Maria) joined us from Exeter UK to share her recipe for Turkey Tetrazzini. Here is her intro:-
This is my childhood favourite dish… always served in a bowl I had which featured Peter Rabbit! It’s from a cookbook called “The I Hate to Cook Book”. We always had it when there was leftover turkey. It doesn’t have to be made with turkey – you can use chicken or some meat substitute, or leave the meat out completely. You can use different vegetables. But this is the classic version (and the nicest…) even if some people might pick out the mushrooms.
Episode #2-Chef Jessica led this session from her Montreal kitchen, sharing a variety of sweet and savoury treats, perfect for gift-giving or munching at home. Here is her intro:-
Christmas Traditions– In Jessica’s family, tins of Christmas treats were regular gifts to friends, neighbours, washing-machine repair workers, and babysitters. Although Jessica’s mom liked to mix it up with different items every year, somehow these sweet and savoury treats kept coming back. Make them part of your gifting tradition – if you can stop eating them yourself!
Episode #3-Chef Syndi Belle led this final episode (featuring some traditional Christmas Gingersnap cookies) from her suburban kitchen, helped out by her assistant, Chris. Here is Syndi Belle’s intro :-
I love Christmas cookies. I love that the flavours are different with things like ginger and peppermint. I love that they often come in different shapes like gingerbread men, snowflakes or Christmas trees. And most of all, I love gifting them to my family and friends. For a few years now my family and I have celebrated Christmas outside of Montreal where we live. This means that I only see many of my family and friends a few weeks before Christmas, and then again in the New Year. I began a tradition of making a variety of Christmas cookies, making packages, and then delivering them to my family and friends. This small treat was my way of wishing them a Merry Christmas even though I would not be with them on that day. I hope these Gingersnap Christmas Cookies are a way for you to connect with your family and friends, and make wonderful memories with them!
All in all it was a great season with some joyful shenanigans, as the young cooks learned new kitchen skills while connecting with friends from near and far. Everyone is already looking forward to Season 9- coming soon, in 2025!