books and baking

Hello everybody, how are you?

Today I wanted to share this absolutely super cute video from Epicurious of these adorable kids trying foods from famous books. This has been a recurring theme of at least one summer camp week for many years now.

Each year, we hold a summer camp called Books & Baking and though I try to feature books for a bit older age group than the books featured in this video, I still find it very entertaining. I hope this makes you smile!

Does anyone remember the classic series of children's books called the Nutshell Library by Maurice Sendak? Or maybe the accompanying animation with Carole King singing the book "Chicken Soup with Rice"?

​Chicken and Rice Soup With Celery, Parsley, and Lemon 
By Ali Slagle

INGREDIENTS

• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 4 stalks celery, leaves reserved and stalks thinly sliced
• ¾ cup jasmine rice (unrinsed)
•  Kosher salt
• ½ cup fresh parsley leaves
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest plus up to 1/2 cup lemon juice (from 2 to 3 lemons)
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional)

PREPARATION

1. In a large Dutch oven or pot, combine the broth, chicken, celery and rice. Season lightly with salt. (Some broths have more salt than others, so start easy.) Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the rice starts to break down and lose its shape, 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, finely chop together the parsley leaves, lemon zest and up to 1/2 cup celery leaves. Transfer to a small bowl, grate the garlic clove into the bowl, season with salt and stir to combine.
3. Using tongs, remove the chicken from the pot and transfer to a medium bowl. Using two forks, shred the chicken into pieces, then stir it back into the soup. Remove from heat, stir in the butter (if using), and season to taste with salt. Stir in the lemon juice a little at a time until the soup is bright but still tastes like chicken. (You may not use the full 1/2 cup juice.)
4. Divide the soup among bowls and top with the parsley-lemon mixture. (The soup, minus the lemon juice and parsley mixture, can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; the rice will absorb liquid as it sits, so add more chicken broth when reheating. Add the lemon juice and fresh herb garnish just before serving.)

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Here are just a few photos from previous Books & Baking Summer Camps.

During our weekly summer camps, we create at least five different recipes. Shopping lists and necessary tool lists will be provided with plenty of time to gather supplies prior to the camp. The cost of the week's summer camp is per household, so any siblings or friends in the same household are welcome to attend for free! 

For the 2022 Summer Camp - Books & Baking, we will be creating

• cupcakes from Alice in Wonderland,
• pumpkin pasties from Harry Potter,
• cookies inspired by the Hunger Games,
• golden tickets from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,
• and lastly some delicious blue french macarons inspired by Percy Jackson.

This particular camp is a student favorite and such a wonderful bonding activity for friends trying to avoid the summer boredom set-in. Scheduled right in the middle of the summer break, June 20 - 24th, this is a great way to keep the kids entertained and learning new and fun ways to make treats for the whole family.

Books & Baking Camp

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NEW 2022 SUMMER CAMP ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

We hear your requests and are creating a new Movies & Food camp this year -
We picked a few of our favorites! 
​

• Sound of Music (Schnitzel with Noodles)
• ​Encanto (Arepas)
• Pixar short film Bao (Bao Buns)
• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Spaghetti and Meatballs)
• Ratatouille (Ratatouille)

If you have any other ideas, please let us know!
We are still in the process of creating the curriculum - this camp will be posted soon!