By junior high, most teens have taken all the camps that have ever interested them. Anything really exciting at this point can cost hundreds of dollars a week. What if you could create a camp that paid for itself a hundredfold over time?
Most teen-agers enjoy creative projects. A camp that enhances their creative skills while teaching them valuable life lessons that are good for your health and good for your bank account is a win-win for everyone.
Here’s how to make your cooking camp a success:
• Even teens need supervision. Hire a student from a local culinary program, get grandma to share her wisdom, or have five families with five teens each be responsible for one day of the week.
• Assemble a little collection of tried-and-true recipes kids love that only take 20-30 minutes to make on average
• Make sure they learn proper knife skills up front, then practice those skills a lot using the buddy system, much like you would have someone spot you while weight training
• Let them taste a lot as they go, learning to measure according to taste
• “Labor intensive” vegetarian recipes with lots of repetition allow for more time to socialize; teens love this part
Preparing and enjoying a meal together is part of "the joy of cooking." I once asked my grade school cooking class why is it adults don’t like to cook. One of the older boys replied, “because they aren’t good at it!” A short time later, a third grade girl who had been thinking about this said, “You know, if they learned when they were kids, like us, they would be good at it!”
Barbara Zagata is the Chef/Proprietor of Santa Barbara Soul Food and the founder of Camp Cucina. After cooking with children for 7 years she assembled a collection of their favorites---recipes so easy anyone can make them, yet so fabulous parents at her son’s alternative school who went on the camping trips said, "THIS IS THE BEST I EAT ALL YEAR!” and, take note, that's without a big fancy fully equipped kitchen. Just the right combination of ingredients!
To get your super affordable eBook “Wow! Look Who’s Cooking!” visit www.sbsoulfood.com
You can download the recipe collection today and be cooking like a pro by tonight!
A RECIPE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE COMPLICATED TO BE GOOD! It just has to wow! your taste buds! Every recipe in this collection will do just that! For less than the price of a couple of frozen pizzas!