Follow Along with Lunch

Written By Justin Kitch

Parents, you’re invited to the Camp Curious lunch! Our chefs will demonstrate a delicious recipe you can enjoy with your camper. If you choose to cook alongside our chefs, parent participation and supervision is required.

Here, you can find the Daily Cooking Instructions that you can use to follow along with the chef!

⌄ Mon: Scallops in Brown Butter

  1. Pat scallops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper
  2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium/high heat.
  3. Sear scallop on one side (should be brown and a bit crusty), about 2 minutes.
  4. Flip scallops over and cook the second side. Remove from the heat and put on a platter
  5. Add the butter to the pan. Cook until it becomes golden brown. Add shallots and capers and sauté for 1 minute
  6. Turn the heat off. Add the lemon juice and parsley.
  7. To serve, place the scallops on a plate and serve the sauce over them.

⌄ Tues: Chips and Queso

  1. Place half of the jalapenos in a bowl and cover with vinegar. Season with salt and pepper
  2. Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and remaining jalapeño. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened and onion is translucent, but not browned, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add milk and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and add cheese, one handful at a time, whisking so that none of it settles on the bottom (it can burn that way), encouraging it to melt.
  3. Keep an eye on the pot and continue whisking until the cheese is completely melted (it can take a while for the American cheese to totally melt) and the mixture is thickened considerably, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and keep on low until ready to serve (you can always thin with milk if it thickens too much).
  4. To serve, ladle queso into a large bowl and top with sour cream, scallions, reserved pickled jalapeños and cilantro. Serve with chips for dipping.

⌄ Wed: Hakka Noodles

  1. Have an adult help you put a wok or large skillet on the stove
  2. Add the oil
  3. Add cumin seed and cook for 2 minutes – let the seed brown
  4. Add the garam masala
  5. Add ginger garlic paste
  6. Add soy sauce and cook for 1 more minute to let all the spices and flavors blend
  7. Add the onion and stir
  8. Add the pepper and stir
  9. Add the carrot and stir
  10. Add the cabbage and continue to stir and cook until the carrot is soft – about 5 minutes
  11. Add the bean sprouts and stir
  12. Add the ketchup and continue to stir until the ketchup is incorporated
  13. Add the cooked noodles and stir until they are well coated and hot.

⌄ Thurs: Pesto Pasta with Chicken

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Sprinkle salt and pepper on chicken. Coat with olive oil and place in a baking pan. Bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes.
  3. While chicken is cooking, boil a pot of water with 1 teaspoon of salt. Add dried pasta and cook for about 12 minutes. Drain.
  4. To make the pesto, remove the stems from the basil leaves. Discard the stems.
  5. In a food processor, chop finely the basil leaves, garlic, salt, pine nuts and Parmesan cheese.
  6. Add the olive oil to the food processor and puree until it becomes a rather smooth paste.
  7. To serve, toss the pasta with the pesto. Slice the chicken and place on top or toss to incorporate into the pasta.

⌄ Fri: Pain Perdu (French Toast)

  1. Preheat oven to 375°
  2. In medium mixing bowl crack and whisk your eggs, add half and half, warm honey and salt
  3. Whisk, pour into a pie pan and set aside (you can even do this the night before to make preparation of the pain perdu easier on a hectic morning. If you do this be sure to refrigerate the custard).
  4. Put your large non-stick skillet over medium to low heat
  5. Add 1 T butter and allow to melt
  6. Add 2 slices of the French Toast into the skillet
  7. Cook until each side is golden brown – about 2-3 minutes
  8. Once cooked, place it back onto the cooling rack
  9. Add another T of butter and repeat
  10. Once all pieces are cooked and on the rack, put the rack into the oven for 4-5 minutes
  11. Top with honey, maple syrup, coconut syrup Nutella, or anything you like – use your imagination and try it all! Serve immediately while hot

* You can even “stuff” French toast with bananas, berries, Nutella, ham, cheese etc. by putting these items between 2 slices while on the skillet! This is truly a delight!

⌄ Ingredients List

  • Monday: Scallops in Brown Butter
    • Ingredients
      • 6 fresh sea scallops
      • ¼ teaspoon salt
      • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
      • 2 tablespoons olive oil
      • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
      • 2 teaspoons thinly sliced shallots
      • 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
      • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
      • 3 tablespoons minced parsley
    • Equipment
      • Paper towels
      • Knife
      • Citrus squeezer
      • Measuring spoons
      • Skillet
      • Wooden spoon or other tool for sauteing
    • For those who may have allergies or alternate food preferences:
      • Can substitute scallops with:
        • Shrimp
        • Any white fish cut into roughly 1-inch pieces
        • Chicken cut into roughly 1-inch pieces
        • King oyster mushrooms
        • Tofu cut into roughly 1-inch pieces
      • Can substitute shallots with:
        • Onion & garlic
        • Scallion
        • Leek
      • Can substitute capers with green olives (or just leave out!)
      • Can substitute parsley with any herb of choice (or just leave out!)
  • Tuesday: Queso with Chips
    • Queso
      • 1 tablespoons vegetable oil
      • 1 cloves garlic, finely chopped
      • 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
      • 1 jalapenos, seeds removed, finely chopped
      • salt, to taste
      • freshly ground pepper, to taste
      • 1 cup whole milk, plus more if needed
      • 1/2 pound cheddar or Monterey jack cheese, shredded or diced
      • 1/2 pound American cheese, shredded or diced
      • tortilla chips, for serving
    • Optional toppings:
      • 1/4 cup sour cream
      • 2 scallions, white and light green part, finely chopped
      • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped (leaves and stems)
      • Pickled Jalapeno (store bought or homemade, ingredients below)
        • 1 jalapenos, seeds removed, finely chopped
        • 1/3 cup white distilled vinegar
        • salt, to taste
        • freshly ground pepper, to taste
    • For those who may have allergies or alternate food preferences:
      • Can substitute all cheese with vegan cheese
      • Can leave jalapenos out
  • Wednesday: Hakka Noodles
    • Ingredients:
      • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
      • 1 tablespoon cumin seed
      • 2 teaspoons garam masala powder
      • 2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
      • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
      • 1 cup chopped red onion
      • 2 tablespoons fresh green hot pepper
      • 1 cup thinly sliced carrot
      • 1 cup thinly sliced napa cabbage
      • 1 cup mung bean sprouts
      • 2 tablespoons ketchup
      • 12 oz. lo mein noodles (or any noodles you like) cooked
      • 2 tablespoons sliced scallions
    • For those who may have allergies or alternate food preferences:
      • 1-3 vegetables are recommended, however, they can all be left out if unavailable. Other suitable vegetable substitutes are: bell pepper, snap peas, snow peas, brussel sprouts, bok choy, broccoli, and mushroom - all thinly sliced or shredded.
      • For those who do not like spicy foods, leave out the green hot pepper
      • Can substitute garam masala powder with curry powder (or left out)
  • Thursday: Pesto Pasta with Chicken
    • Chicken
      • ½ pound chicken breast
      • ¼ teaspoon salt
      • 1 tablespoon oil
      • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
    • Pasta
      • 4 ounces pasta
      • water with 1 teaspoon salt
    • Pesto
      • Basil leaves
      • 4 cups fresh basil
      • 1 garlic clove
      • 1 tablespoon pine nuts
      • ¼ teaspoon salt
      • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
      • ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
    • For those who may have allergies or alternate food preferences:
      • Can substitute chicken with tofu or vegetarian chicken
      • If pesto ingredients are hard to find, can use store-bought version
  • Friday: Pain Perdu (French Toast)
    • Ingredients:
      • 1 cup half and half
      • 2 large eggs
      • 2 tablespoons honey warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
      • ¼ teaspoon salt
      • Several slices of bread (day old and stale)
      • 4 tablespoons butter divided into 1 tablespoons pats
      • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
      • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • For those who may have allergies or alternate food preferences:
      • Can substitute half & half with:
        • Any type of milk (cow, goat, oat, soy, almond, etc.)
        • Coconut cream
        • Soy cream
      • Can substitute honey with:
        • Maple syrup
        • Agave nectar
      • While not ideal, if spices (cinnamon/vanilla extract) are unavailable, they can be left out
Justin Kitch
Previous

Weekly Materials/Ingredients List