by jphilo | Jul 13, 2016 | Family, Recipes
Galavanting from here to there and back again doesn’t leave much time for cooking. So today, because of present galavanting at Shadow Valley Family Camp, this recipe comes from the camp cookbook. A dairy-free fix would be easy with Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks and coconut or cashew milk. But even if there was time to fiddle with the recipe, I wouldn’t dare…because having a batch of Brown Sugar Snaps in the house would be way too tempting.
Family Camp Brown Sugar Snaps
Warning: These cookies are addictive. Unless you like to live dangerously, don’t read another word.
Truth be told, all the food at Idaho Family Camp is addictive. Every time a nummy recipe is posted, I’m enabling an addiction. Usually it’s my addiction. But post-wedding and post-family camp, inundated with veggies from our CSA, and deep into a twelve step, healthy eating program (which means Hiram puts the key to the padlocks on the fridge and pantry twelve steps up on a ladder I’m scared to climb), I’m feeling strong enough to resist temptation.
I’d never tasted these before or even heard of them before this summer. Brown sugar snaps are sort of ginger snap meets snickerdoodle, molasses crinkle meets sugar cookie. And as mentioned before, they’re addictive. Very addictive. Give them a try and leave a comment with your description. But remember, you’ve been warned. So don’t blame me when you can’t stop eating them!
Brown Sugar Snaps
Cream:
2 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
4 sticks butter
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
Add: 2 eggs and beat again,
Add:
5 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking soda
3 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Chill dough for at least one hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll dough into balls, dip in sugar, and place on a cookie sheet. Turn oven down to 375 degrees just before putting in cookies. Bake about 9 minutes. Cookies should have nice deep cracks. You will need to reheat the oven to 400 degrees between pans.
Save
Save
by jphilo | Jul 14, 2015 | Top Ten Tuesday
Today is my last full day at Family Camp. Here are the top ten rules to live by at Family Camp, 2015.
10. Take lots of pictures to document changes and progress from year to year:
9. Welcome unexpected visitors with calm, kindness, and wonder.
8. Spend as much time talking as eating during meals. (Please note: the photographer was too busy heeding this advice to take any pictures during meals.)
7. Work hard on your work crew in the mornings, but not too hard.
6. If you enter the chess tournament be prepared to sacrifice several hours for each match, if necessary.
5. Make time for conversation often.
4. Fun stuff for kids should always be a top priority.
3. Be grateful that Family Camp now has enough cabins and cabinettes so everyone can sleep in rooms with real beds and electricity.
2. Hug as many babies and toddlers as possible as often as possible.
1. Look up at the beauty of creation and give fervent, frequent thanks to its Creator. 
by jphilo | Jul 18, 2014 | Family
With a book deadline breathing down my neck, this summer has required some difficult choices. The hardest was the decision not to attend the July Family Camp at Shadow Valley in Idaho. Another, not nearly so difficult, was to cut back on blogging. Today’s post combines the two decisions by taking a peek back at a historic moment at last year’s Family Camp.
Yesterday, this view was the backdrop for Sunday morning worship at family camp.
Beautiful guitar music accompanied the singing.
The beautiful guitar was made from wood cut from a tree that grew only yards away from where we gathered to worship.
The only missing link was Hiram, the man who made the guitar, unable to be present because of limited vacation time. But everyone in attendance was thinking of him and grateful for his gift to Shadow Valley Camp, the gift of music to a family who loves to sing.
To learn more about how the guitar was made, the story is online at First You Cut Down a Tree. As wife of the guitar maker I may be biased, but the process is fascinating. So take a look and if you like what you see, leave a comment at either blog or both. Both the guitar maker and his wife would love to hear what you think!
P.S. Our grandson is so fascinated by his Papoo who makes guitars that we are using the photos of the process to make a picture book for his birthday. He’s gonna love it!
by jphilo | Jul 15, 2013 | Family
Yesterday, this view was the backdrop for Sunday morning worship at family camp.
Beautiful guitar music accompanied the singing.
The beautiful guitar was made from wood cut from a tree that grew only yards away from where we gathered to worship.
The only missing link was Hiram, the man who made the guitar, unable to be present because of limited vacation time. But everyone in attendance was thinking of him and grateful for his gift to Shadow Valley Camp, the gift of music to a family who loves to sing.
To learn more about how the guitar was made, the story is online at First You Cut Down a Tree. As wife of the guitar maker I may be biased, but the process is fascinating. So take a look and if you like what you see, leave a comment at either blog or both. Both the guitar maker and his wife would love to hear what you think!
by jphilo | Jul 12, 2013 | Family
Shadow Valley Family Camp’s first official meal was supper last night, July 11. But the carpenters and cooks who make camp a reality were planning construction projects and meals for months before they arrived. Many have been here for a week or more, doing advance work to make the week go smoothly.
For the first time, I arrived two days early and was able to participate in the Shadow Valley grocery shopping spree on Wednesday, July 10. During the spree, the cooks purchase almost everything necessary to feed close to 40 people 3 hearty meals a day for more than a week. Not a task for the faint-hearted. Therefore, the shoppers (see photo above) drive to Panhandler’s Pies Restaurant and Bakery in Sandpoint, Idaho for a hearty breakfast. And, yes, everyone had pie for dessert, which explains the smiles.
Fully fortified and mighty happy, the shoppers climbed into one van and a humongous extended cab pick up and drove to Costco in Coeur d’Alene. On the way Pam, master planner and list creator, read the shopping list categories: dairy, breads, pantry items, condiments, cleaning supplies, and produce.* Each shopper, or pair of shoppers, picked a list, looked it over, and asked questions that came to mind.
At Costco, each grocery guru grabbed a cart and got to work. Each item found was crossed off the list, and eventually the gaggle of gurus met in the front of the store with loaded carts:
In order of appearance: bread, dairy, cleaning supplies, canned and boxed goods, paper products, produce, and condiments.
And here are all the carts lined up at the checkout line:
Next stop was Walmart where we purchased the remaining items on our lists. The carts weren’t quite as full here, but the manager assigned us a lane and closed it down so other shoppers wouldn’t get frustrated by a long wait:
Then, it was back to camp to unload the vehicles,
and put everything away.
That’s not quite everything, but you get the idea.
Once that was done, the men ordered pizza for supper, and the shoppers took a well-deserved break. But first, the cooks set out brats and hot dogs to thaw, along with buns and cans of baked beans for supper on July 11. Yum!
*Many thanks to June who weeks ago not only purchased the items on the meat list, but also did all the advance meat prep, repackaging, labeling, and freezing!
