Sharon has been at camp since she was 3 years old. She’s the mastermind behind the delicious homemade food at Highlands.
Once Mike and I turned the pages of our December calendars, camp was almost always on our minds.
We wrote about, made calls about, and constantly thought about every detail of the coming summer. Who will be able to return? Who won’t be able to return? (Oh, shoot!) Possible new campers, and campers referred to us by our camp families were always so appreciated! Andy and Tracy are the ones that have camp on their minds. How lucky all we Bachmanns feel, to have camp be such an important part of our daily lives.
One of my jobs at camp is planning the menu and ordering the food for our meals. A favorite meal for everyone is our Sunday Dinner following our Sunday Morning Assembly. Turkey and all the trimmings are a tradition every Sunday at camp. Yum…!! It makes me hungry just to think about that! Most days, when you walk to the middle of Junior Hill, you can catch a whiff of the mouth-watering smell of turkey and freshly baked yeast rolls. That has everybody ready for the bugle to blow, and Lodge bell to ring for dinner.
People often ask me how many turkeys I order each week for that Sunday meal?
The answer is 8, 21 to 24-pound turkeys. The cooks put the turkeys in the ovens very late Saturday night. The next morning the Lodge family arrive at 9:00 AM, ready to pull the meat off the bones. Those turkeys are put in a warming oven and then separated into piles of white meat and dark meat and the broth is poured over the meat to keep it moist. Oh my….it is so good! We always make a little extra so that we can use the turkey in one of the other camp favorites…
Tracy, has asked that I share one of our favorite Camp Highlands recipes. This one is great for chicken or turkey that maybe you have leftover in your refrigerator or freezer. This recipe was given to me years ago by my dear Western Springs friend, Ann Shay. Her children and grandchildren came as campers and their family came for more than 13 years for Friends and Family camp. During camp, the campers and staff members when passing me on the path will say, “Sharon, when are we having turkey tetrazzini?” It is so good!
Easy Turkey Tetrazzini
I put this recipe in a 9 x13 pan, but you could also use a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.
When I make this at home, I purchase a roasted chicken at the grocery store and put all the meat in my casserole. Bake it at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until it is bubbly. It will serve 8 to 10 people.
8 oz. thin spaghetti, broken in half
Chicken broth
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 c. of milk
2/3 c. of mayonnaise
1/2 c. of celery diced small (optional)
2 c. of cooked chopped turkey or chicken
1 can diced mushrooms drained
2 T. of pimento (optional, for color)
2/3 c. of Parmesan or Mozzarella cheese, divided
Cook the spaghetti in chicken broth. ( I add some water)Drain well. Mix the mushroom soup, milk and mayonnaise until well blended. Add celery, turkey or chicken, mushrooms, pimento and half of the cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Put the rest of the cheese over the top toward the end of the baking time.
Valentine’s Day is coming. Mmmm…this would be a great dish to try! I hope you will enjoy this. If you do, we’d love hearing from you on how it turns out.
I hope that your summer calendar includes a visit to Camp Highlands this summer. Maybe you will be driving your son to camp? Maybe you will be able to get away at the end of camp to come for the Family Picnic and the Program that follows. Maybe, you will come and stay at the Highlands Lodge during the camping season, or at the beginning or end of camp? Maybe your family will stay after camp is ending for a few days or a week of Friends and Family camp? Whatever you and your family can arrange…I hope Camp Highlands will be on your minds for your son, and your extended family and friends. I believe more than ever, a summer, or part of a summer at Camp Highlands is a wonderful place for a boy to be. I hope this day finds you and your family well and enjoying this unusually cold winter. I’m glad that I can be in Gainesville, FL for four months. It has been very cool here too, but no complaints from me, I love hearing the birds chirping away outside my bedroom window in the early morning, and…..oh my, it is SO NICE to feel the warmth of the sun, even on a chilly day!
Happy Valentine’s Day to you and your families!
Sending love from Gainesville,
Sharon Bachmann