This summer I am working in the kitchens at my childhood camp of choice, Camp Shetek. As a result, I have gotten to understand the camp meal plan very well. So here, in no particular order, are five of my favorite meals out at camp as both a camper and a staff member.
Egg Bake/Coffee Cake
Best to start out with the camp classic of breakfasts. One of my clearest memories for my younger camps is how excited Jason Gray, or resident musician would get, on Wednesday because it was egg bake and coffee cake day. The egg bake is alway at just the right level of fluffiness, and it was the perfect amount of savoriness to balance with the coffee cakes sweetness.
Alfredo
I am a carb junkie, so anything involving pasta usually makes on to my top food lists. The alfredo is sauce is homemade too, so that just makes it even better. We always have a really good homemade bread that our resident bakery expert Debra whips up on these days too.
Chinese Chicken
This was always one of my top meals as a camper. For this meal we make two special sauces from scratch. The first, orange sauce, is my responsibility to make during this meal, so even though I can't enjoy it, curse you citrus allergy, I can still appreciate the effort that goes into it. The second sauce, soy garlic, could win a spot on this list all on its own. It is so rich, it just melts into the rice.
Cornbread
This is a breakfast we only serve to the younger camps, and I remember being so sad when I got to the senior camp week and realizing it wasn't on the menu. Once again, Debra works her magic on this meal. I personally eat the Cornbread with a drizzle of honey, a little dab of butter, and ocassionally a sprinkle of camp granola on top.
Thanksgiving Dinner
This is one of the meals that, even as a staff member, I have difficulties turning down seconds for. Just picture it: melt-in-your-mouth tender pieces of butterball turkey, buttery mashed potatoes, homemade gravy, and Debra's famous heavenly buns. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Honorable Mention: Cinnamon Rolls
I felt that this one should still get a mention. As this is the last meal for most of the camps, eating these always brings back a wave of nestalgia to when I was a camper. At the same time, this is one of the easiest meals to prep for since we just have to pop the cinnamon rolls into the oven after letting them rise overnight, so from a staff perspective this is a great way to finish off the week.
Bonus: Camp Granola
Okay, so technically this isn't a meal, but this is still probably my number one favorite camp food. And apparently I'm not the only one, as we have been having to ration in order to ensure everyone who wants it gets at least one scoop. So, If you ever make it out to camp, be sure to try it, and if you can get your hands on some of Heidi's peanut butter version, that's even better.
