Waking Up Camp

Looking back I realized that I have never given a good description of camp. So to catch everyone up here it is:
Camp is a cabin on a lake in Vermont. My great-grandfather on my fathers side of the family bought it for him and his children to run around in the summer time. My grandfather, aunts, uncles, cousins and now children of my cousins have grown up running around in the woods, playing in the lake, exploring the creeks and generally having a great time. In the late fall it was used for many years as a deer camp as well. We let the ice fisherman gain access to the lake and in return they make sure the place is taken care of. Camp hasn't changed much since the time it was bought. There is running water, but not hot water and you can't drink it, there are comfortable couches and chairs surrounding the wood stove, there is a galley style kitchen with some appliances from the 1960s, upstairs there is an open floor plan filled with lots of beds, the best part is the porch that faces the lake. Camp isn't insulated, when the wind blows outside you can feel it on your face inside. At one point we had over 20 people stay the night. Camp is much more than walls, floors, couches, dishes and a stove. Camp is a place of family bonding, fun, but most of all love.


Camp-itus is an illness that occurs to people who know and love camp and miss being there. It's like an itch that won't away and especially after a long winter everyone in my family has camp-itus. The only way to cure this illness is to go to camp. It is tradition for my family to go to camp in mid April around the time for my and my dads birthdays. My dads birthday is the 15th and mine is the 21st. Typically we are the last ones to leave camp and the first ones to open it. Abbie and I were the first to arrive on Friday and I able to make a fire in the stove without kindling. I felt accomplished. Starting a fire in the cold stove is hard, doing it without kindling is even harder.

We had a great night and I made some amazing pizza (a specialty of mine) for Abbie and I. We had a good night catching up and sitting by the stove. The next morning we work up and got to cleaning. Mice enjoy living at camp in the winter and so the cabinets are full of mouse poop. Abbie and I armed ourselves with bleach, sponges (they were bought just for this purpose and then thrown away), and paper towels and began from one end and worked our way to the other. Before anyone arrived camp had been cleaned. The weekend went well, my Aunt Patty, Aunt Peggy, Uncle Randy, Uncle Greg, my cousin Nathan his girlfriend Mikayla came and celebrated. It was bitter cold outside and the ice wasn't going to go out for another week. Many people woke up cold and when we went out to the lake to get a bucket of water I found I had to choose a new spot because the spot I was using before had frozen over!

Even though it was cold and the stove doesn't really heat up the camp 3 hours everyone had a very good time. Coming back from a winter and opening camp is more like coming home rather than going on vacation. The place is filled with happy memories from generations. I've been told by many of my friends that they like it, but can't explain why. I think its because places have memory. They hold the emotions of those who have come before. This is why people love camp, because it loves them back.

Pi Day

3.14 aka the number Pi. Ever ask yourself 'What is Pi?' Click here find out! Yes I did actually watch the entire video. Don't worry it's less than 2 minutes long. Unless you're still in school or in some sort of job that measures circles you probably don't use pi a whole lot. However, on March 14th (3.14) the nerdiest of nerdy holidays takes place. International Pi Day! Where celebrations are as follows: people eat pie. No joke, that's it. It's a nerds excuse to eat pie. Similar to International Talk Like a Pirate Day sometimes the day goes by unnoticed until very late at night while checking facebook you realize that your nerdy friends were more on their game than you were and made pie (cough cough, Alayna Bohan). I was hanging out with my cousin and his girlfriend and we actually remembered that it was Pi Day. Giving us the perfect excuse to have pie.

When my aunt got home we realized that we could also have a 'how to make pie crust' lesson. My Aunt is an amazing pie crust maker. And I'm at a loss for learning to make good pie crust. My mom, cutest woman in the entire world who never swears and is an excellent cook, I've watched her cuss out pie dough and throw it in the garbage before it was even rolled out to make rolli-polli pie. An ex boyfriend of mine from high school also made excellent pie crust. But he was a controlling chef and wouldn't let me help... ever. So consequently I can make things like tiramisu, flan and cinnamon rolls, but not pie crust. I won't give away any secrets but there was a lot of 'look at this color' and 'feel how it feels' and 'you just kind of do this'. Its the same with making bread, which my mom is very good at, You have to just know. Words cannot describe how it should be.

Crust was then baked and filled with cream cheese and cherry pie filling on top! Another had pumpkin pie with maple syrup instead of brown sugar!

North Dakota

My reason for going to North Dakota was to visit my parents. Sorry North Dakota, but you leave something to be desired in the way to scenery. However, it was actually very mild temperature wise. Most days were in the 20's and one day was up into the 50's. My parents took me a few of their favorite places, mostly in Minnesota as they live near the state line of North Dakota and Minnesota. Other than going to Itasca we celebrated a belated Christmas complete with roast beef dinner and tiramisu, our traditional Christmas desert which is only made once a year. We went out to their favorite state park near to where they live, my mom and I saw Silver Linings Playbook, and we went out to dinner a thai restaurant, and lunch at a place where it's name really is the only description for it 'The Blue Moose'.

 P.S. To anyone who is interested in making THE BEST tiramisu here it is. Warning: after making this and eating it you will forever be disappointed in any tiramisu you order at a restaurant.

TIRAMISU

Sponge Cake

4 eggs - separated

2/3 cup sugar, divided

1/4 cup hot brewed espresso (instant or regular coffee works)

1 cup flour

pinch of salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed sheet pan or jelly roll pan (14"x11" or 15"x10") with parchment. Beat egg yolks, 1/3 cup sugar and hot espresso on high till thick and voluminous(6 minutes). In another bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites on med. speed. At soft peak stage slowly add remaining 1/3 cup sugar while mixer is running. Increase speed till whites form stiff peaks. Fold 1/3 of whites to yolk mixture. Then fold in remaining whites. Sift flour and salt over top of egg mixture and gently fold. Spread in sheet pan. Bake till cake springs back when lightly press,( about 12 to 14 min.). Remove from oven and cool 5 min. Run knife around edges and invert on cooling rack. Peel off parchment. Cool completely.

Mascarpone Filling

4 egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup coffee liquor (Tia Maria)

pinch salt

3/4 cup mascarpone ( I use 8 oz pkg cream cheese)

1/2 cup heavy cream

Set up double boiler. Whisk egg yolks, sugar, coffee liqueur and salt. Whisk till mixture thickens ( 6 to 7 min.). Cool egg mixture by setting on ice bath. Whisk occasionally. Meanwhile Beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Add heavy cream and beat until it holds peak. Fold cooled yolk mixture into cream mixture. Keep cool.

For assembly

1 cup brewed espresso or strong coffee

1 oz unsweetened chocolate-grated ( I use cocoa powder)

Divide sponge cake into thirds. Lay 1st rectangle in a dish(Pyrex 9x12 baking dish works well). Brush liberally with 1/3 hot espresso. Spread part of cream filling onto cake. Sprinkle with 1/3 grated unsweetened chocolate. Repeat a layer of cake, espresso, filling and chocolate again and again (3 layers). Refrigerate ( 24 hrs is best)