Program Spotlight — Bishul (Cooking)!

You can find us in the middle of camp in the Beit Midrash complex but the scents and smells are wafting throughout the camp.  What are we?  Chug Bishul– The Cooking Chug!! 

Campers excitedly rush in everyday, always with the question, “what are we making today?”  And we have made some delicious and nutritious recipes—old favorites like chocolate chip cookies, pancakes, and guacamole and salsa, to several exciting new (for cooking chug!) recipes like bourekas and tropical couscous.  This year the campers had a clear favorite—Chocolate raspberry mousse cake.  It was a special treat that we made on Friday in honor of Shabbat and it looked beautiful, smelled heavenly, and best of all tasted divine!!  And what do you do when the temperature in the kitchen is already in the high 90s and you haven’t yet turned on the oven?  CHOCOLATE!  We ended this week’s cooking chug dipping strawberries, pretzels and other foods in melted chocolate, jimmies and sugars and created beautiful and delicious treats for all!

Along the way campers have learned how to properly slice, dice and chop all kinds of vegetables and herbs, how to correctly measure dry ingredients and liquids, how to check to be sure eggs are kosher, and how to safely use the stovetop, oven, griddle, blender, and other appliances.  And best of all, they are ALL getting proficient at dish washing, drying, and cleaning the kitchen!!

One of the goals of cooking chug, other than to eat good food (obviously!) is to give campers the skills to cook at home with minimal supervision.  Everyone who has taken cooking chug is leaving with a book of recipes that we made at camp.  All are recipes that take very little time to prep and cook. We hope the campers will continue to enjoy these recipes throughout the year as they prepare them for themselves and their families!! 

~Anne Tanhoff Greenspoon — Chug Bishul Instructor