Vacationing in Nova Scota

Everyone needs vacation time, which can take many shapes...like the 9 month honeymoon my daughter Joanna and her husband Ezra took, backpacking through Africa and South America. I call those "National Geographic" vacations. Personally, I love to hear about those or watch them on TV, but you'll never find me taking one. I prefer over-the-top-pampering, like the cruise in French Polynesia we took one year to celebrate a special anniversary. At the other end of the spectrum... I love to sleep in, eat whenever, and play tourist locally.

My Honey is off this week and we're taking advantage of great weather to drive around exploring more of Nova Scotia, and I thought I'd share some of the scenery and...naturally...some of the food we're enjoying.

Although you might be tired of hearing about our spending time with Boaz, his parents and his nanny (my other daughter), we certainly aren't tired of visiting them...especially since camp is only an hour and a half from our home. At the top of the post is the view from their cabin (early in the morning, before all the campers are out of bed). And this is Bo in one of his favorite haunts...the gymnasium.

So after a day of hanging out with them, my Honey and I drove off on our own adventure further along the Lighthouse Route than we've seen. We were hoping to find a motel on one of the sandy beaches along the South Shore. like Risser's Beach or Summerville Beach with pristine white sand. But everyone else had the same idea - no vacancies!- so we spent the night in Liverpool at the charming Lane Privateer Inn. That's the view from the rolling lawn and our window.

We ate a delicious supper in one of their three dining rooms...the formal, the pub and...my choice .. the Snug Harbour Bookstore. While waiting for your food, you can browse through the gorgeous books for sale.

I had a lobster, avocado and bacon club...

and my Honey had panko coated scallops with a mild curry sauce. For dessert...

...who could resist the brownie, smothered in hot fudge sauce with some vanilla ice cream on the side.

All that delicious food means some exercise is required...a long walk on the shore of the Mersey River (I hear the Beatles every time I say it) followed by a leisurely sleep at the inn and we're ready for more adventures.

We headed north to the Fundy Shore, passing through a different kind of beauty...forests, forests, and more forests, with an awesome smell of pine wafting through the air as we drive with the windows wide open. No wonder we passed three lumber mills along the coast. But seriously, this photo doesn't do justice to the view. I wanted to capture the virginal vista...not a billboard, not a store, no signs of modern life except for the paved road for miles. And when you're at the top of hill...the pristine view is endless green ... nothing but trees and a sprinkle of calm lakes. It's also where you'll find Kejimkujik National Park a perfect place to camp, hike and canoe.

But we're heading north to the Fundy Coast, to Digby (for their famous scallops)

Just check out the famous low tide at the Digby wharves. This was the view from our terrace table at the Fundy Restaurant

with the seriously best scallops ever!!! The lightest batter...the sweetest, juiciest, hugest scallops...I'm still drooling. No wonder Digby scallops are considered the best in the world.

We didn't make it to Brier Island the perfect spot for some whale watching and other eco-lovely things to do. It's at the end of Digby Neck...and we were too impatient for the two ferry rides...We were starving and worried that we wouldn't find a place to stay. (We had been on the road for four hours and it was definitely time for lunch.) That trip will have to wait for another day.

Now we're off to Annapolis Royale ( for some history and more great food). More about that later this week.

And for you Presto Pasta Nighters...I will be hosting this week (and posting on Friday), but I apologize for not responding as you send me your emails (to ruth@4everykitchen.com ), after all...I'm on vacation!

Pictou Lobster Carnival Fun

We're on vacation this week, touring around the province, so I probably won't be doing too much cooking.

Nova Scotia is a fantastic province to explore...gorgeous scenery and tons of festivals. Check out the Pictou Lobster Carnival I wrote about for Foodtv. It's just a sample of what's to come. But an adventure is just that...head out in the direction of sun and see what we find.

And don't forget to send me your Presto Pasta Night Entries for this week's roundup...#74. Just email ruth@4everykitchen.com and check back for the roundup on Friday.

Cooking at Camp

My big question to all you home cooks...what's the largest number of people you've cooked for at any one time? I've often hit 25 and once or twice even made it to 30. Remember, I'm talking about actually doing the cooking, not ordering in! This post will be especially eye-opening for those of you who cook for 1, 2 or even 4 people occasionally.

First a little background...Last summer and this, I've had many an opportunity to join Joanna and family at Camp Kadimah, (Boaz is naturally the main attraction for us) usually having lunch with them and during one typical, chaotic lunch ...280 campers and another 135 or so staff, make for quite a noisy experience...I began to think about actually cooking three meals a day, every day for 6 weeks, and frankly, couldn't imagine it. So I asked Joanna, (who is the camp's Director) if I could spend a 24 hour period with the kitchen crew, to find out.

Meet the morning crew. Missing from the photo is Kathy, the incredible baker, but more about her in a minute. Anne (little one fifth from the right) is the unbelievable, unstoppable master of the kitchen and runs it with military precision and yet lots of fun at the same time. She has a staff of 20 who work (8-9 per shift) in two shifts - 6AM-2PM, and 2PM to "Done", which is somewhere between 8-10PM. You'd expect all that chaos in the dining hall to be magnified a million times in the kitchen trying to get the meals out and the replenishing of trays, but you'd be wrong. It's so organized and calm, it's ....well there are no words, but I now know where to go for a little peace next time I visit!

In just one 24 hour period from lunch to lunch I probably have enough info to write a book, but I thought I'd share some highlights, challenges I'd never considered and some mind-boggling statistics....

If you think getting ingredients, etc., is a challenge for you....Not only is this a summer camp on a beautiful lake in rural Nova Scotia with the closest town 30 minutes away, it's a Jewish camp so the kitchen needs to be kosher, and every ingredient that comes in a can, jar or package must be kosher as well. Kosher meat and chicken are shipped in frozen from Montreal (4 giant orders throughout the summer). Just an aside...I missed it, so no photos, but I will share the recipe at the bottom of the post...Israeli Grilled Chicken was prepared the night before I arrived because they ran out of kosher bottled lemon juice they needed for the planned Greek Style Chicken and couldn't find any in any of the local stores....

...and how many chickens does it take for one dinner....85 chickens cut up!!!! and it would have been more but...45 campers were on an over-night. Not a piece was left!

Kosher kitchen means dairy and meat cannot be served at the same meal (or prepared together), all ingredients must have a kosher label, countertops are covered with butcher paper when preparing the meat meals. There are two sets of a gazillion dishes, pots, pans, utensils, fridges, sinks etc., to pay attention to (They can't come into contact with each other or they stop being kosher). Oh, and don't forget the special diet restrictions - lactose intolerance, celiac disease, other allergies and dietary issues to consider when coming up with the summer menus. This year there are 20 vegetarians, 20 who are lactose intolerant and others with different eating issues. Back in late Spring, Anne and Joanna got together to come up with some new recipes and to plan out the entire summer meal schedules so they can stock the kitchen adequately...and know exactly when to order what. I'm exhausted just thinking about the challenges. I need a cookie fix!

Which brings me back to Kathy, just as sweet as her cookies.

She makes 600-1000 chocolate chip cookies every single day - that's more than 10,000 for the summer (she works 6 days a week!) This year, she will also bake 48 individual birthday cakes for campers and staff, 55-60 challahs every Friday for shabbat dinner,

...close to 1000 muffins daily - chocolate chip, banana, and blueberry were on yesterday's to do list, plus 4 giant baking trays (17"x25"/42cm x 62cm) of never fail brownies. On Friday, because shabbat (the sabbath) starts Friday when the sun sets and ends at sundown Saturday, (there is no cooking on Saturday so breakfast and lunch are cold meals prepared on Friday), she also whips up 600 cinnamon buns that everyone loves for Saturday breakfast.

And I thought my KitchenAid was big! This monster mixer is mounted on the floor and comes up to my chin!!!

What else does a kitchen need to be able to cook up all those meals....

3 huge walk in fridges (size of small bedrooms) - one for dairy products, one for meat & one for produce; 3 huge double standup freezers; 2 store-size chest freezers for freezies, popsicles, etc., (holding 90 cases- 120 freezies per case) several deliveries throughout the summer, It would take 10 tubs ice cream just for one meal!; 3 deep fryers;

1 huge griddle (that's just the start of 300 pancakes for breakfast this morning)

Some of the 14 gas burners (here with 6 giant stock pots for lunch's mac & cheese...more later), what you can't see in this photo are the water spouts over burners so the staff can fill those giant stock pots with water right on the stove. By the way, a full pot of cooked pasta needs two strong people to carefully carry it to one of the many sinks and pour it out over the biggest colanders ever;

14 ovens that hold (altogether) 48 racks!

a bazillion pans, bowls, platters, ....

and of course a huge bbq grill for all kinds of meals...here I am with Carla, (who sometimes looks after Boaz when she's not busy in the kitchen) with some of the 400 hamburgers coming off the grill so we can start on that many hot dogs.

I'm sure your head is reeling from those numbers, but that was just to get your attention. Here's a snapshot of the day, which, by the way, was considered especially light since lots of kids were out of camp on overnights or day trips...

5AM Anne arrives to make sure the schedule and task lists prepared, each person assigned their roles, stations, etc. and to go through inventory to see what needs to be reordered.

6AM Morning crew shows up check out their tasks for the day and to begin prepping for breakfast and lunch. The campers and staff won't be up for breakfast for at least 3 hours!

But there are cereal containers to fill, bagels to be cut (300),

(just one of 2 shelves of cereal), condiments and sides to organize...

tomatoes to be sliced, cream cheese set in cups, eggs to boil, pancakes to make, lunches to be packed for the day trippers ...I need a coffee break and it's only 8AM with no sign of kids!

9AM Campers and staff finally arrive for breakfast and while some kitchen staff are managing that, others are starting on lunch...

Today it's Mac 'n Cheese, and you really do need to see the ballet in person, but here are some snapshots... (by the way...Gramma (not me this time, it's what everyone calls her. She's the one with the broken foot, which certainly doesn't seem to stop her) is making vegetable stew for those who won't be eating BBQ burgers tonight, although there will be veggie burgers. She's also whipping up the best coleslaw I've had in a long, long time, and salads for the salad bars) ...but back to mac 'n cheese...

Anne will use up all this cheddar cheese

That's Anne doing the grating

One of the staff using a huge paddle (you could use it to row a boat!) to stir one of the 5 giant pots of pasta

It takes two strong people to carry this very hot, very heavy pot to drain

"Only" 14 pans of Mac 'n Cheese being prepared for the oven (it's a light day)

Secret ingredient being mixed in after an hour in the oven

Dishing it up on platters - a precision event, too bad I didn't video it! That's Anne in the blue tank top supervising

Everyone loves Mac 'n Cheese...especially Bo

Before we start working on supper...there are a bazillion dishes to wash

tip of the iceberg

one of three dish washing stations

washer and dryer runs all day long!

In the meantime...watermelon ready for tonight's dessert.

Perfect ending for a bbq supper of hamburgers & hot dogs.

Before I share recipes...three things I must mention...
1. The kitchen was spotless and shining all day long and all containers were replenished and ready to start all over again before staff left for the day;
2. Anne spent an extra hour recording the daily stats....how much served, how much left (not much I assure you), weather conditions, staff hours;
3. My feet were throbbing and I was incredibly pooped - hat's off to the fantastic kitchen crew!!!!

And in case you want to whip up some mac'n cheese for 400 you'll need...
60lb/27kg macaroni pasta
3 litres/quarts) sour cream
20 litres milk
160 cups grated cheddar cheese
salt, pepper & onion powder...sprinkled over the top of each pan
enough slices of processed cheese to cover the top of each pan

Directions: (this job will take 6 of your friends)
1. Boil and drain the pasta...
2. Mix all the ingredients together except for the sliced cheese in 10 giant pans
3. Bake at 350F/170C for 1 hour
4. Hide the sliced macaroni in each of the pans and bake for another 30-45 minutes..or until the hungry hoard arrives for lunch.

And the ingredients for the Israeli-style Grilled Chicken...(Joanna's recipe, multiplied by a gazillion by Anne)

85 chickens, cut into serving sizes
Marinade:
20 cups of oil
2.5 cups turmeric
5 cups ground coriander
10 cups ground cumin
1 cup + 4tbsp paprika
1 cup +4 tbsp garlic powder
10 tbsp black pepper
2 cups salt
2.5 cups turmeric

Well, I'm pooped just writing about it. I do want to thank Anne and her equally amazing crew for letting me join in the kitchen fun. And I continue to be in awe of them all!!!

And, because I did share a pasta recipe...this will be my contribution to Presto Pasta Night. I'm hosting this week, so don't forget to email your entries to me at ruth@4everykitchen.com

Presto Pasta Night #73

Don't forget, this week's Presto Pasta Night #73 will be hosted by Katie of Thyme for Cooking who will be doing a magnificent job, I know. You can send your fantastic entries to her directly at thyme2.kate AT gmail DOT com.

I've spent the last day and a half at camp and although I did get to spend time with my delicious grandson (who thoroughly enjoyed the BBQ especially the dessert), his parents and my other daughter ( Bo's nanny for the summer), I really went to spend time in the kitchen. I mean ...imagine cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner for 360 campers, their counsellors and other staff totalling 450. And do that everyday for 6 weeks! Truly an awesome experience and I'll be writing about it in the next few days.

So, naturally I didn't have time to make any pasta for this week's roundup. Today, the camp kitchen crew cooked up everyone's favorite...mac'n cheese. Next week I'll be sharing the recipe for FOUR HUNDRED...you heard me! This week, I'll just be checking out everyone else's great pastas.

Sad News and a Big Loss

I've been putting this off for a couple of days. I hate bad news and frankly I'm stil in shock about this one...

But Sher of What Did You Eat?, a wonderful blogger and long time Presto Pasta Night regular passed away on Sunday of a sudden heart attack. I know there are plans for a couple of July 27th Memorials for her food blogging buddies. You can find out more details at either Kalyn's Kitchen or Mary the Sour Dough Chick.

Ironically, Sher's last post was for Presto Pasta Night which makes me sad and glad at the same time.

I'll be thinking of her when I post my entry for this week's Presto Pasta Night Roundup hosted by Katie of Thyme for Cooking. Send your entries directly to thyme2.kate AT gmail DOT com and take a moment to pray for Sher's family.

Presto Pasta Night Roundup #72

Last week Gay, the fabulous Scientist in the Kitchen did a great hosting job. See for yourself. I must admit, it's wonderful to share the hosting with such terrific bloggers.

Somehow, emails from Tigerfish of Teczcape often seem to get lost in the ethernet. It has me wondering how many others out there are having the same problem. If you don't see your dish in the roundup and don't hear from me (I always mean to let you know as soon as I receive them, but lately I don't seem able to get around to it until I actually post the roundups on Fridays), then at least leave a link in the comments and you'll be added to the following week's roundup. So I apologize for any I've missed - we all want your recipes and stories!!!

It's hot in many of your kitchens and this week's roundup really reflects that...so let the summer dishes reign!

And now to the real stars, starting with Tigerfish's awesome looking Beef with Oyster Mushroom Fusili


Ivy of Kopiaste was actually the first email I received...late last Friday, too late for last week's roundup but not for this week's. She shares a wonderful Farfalle with Aubergine (that's eggplant to us North Americans), Peppers & Purslane. And if that's not enough of a reason to read her post...check out the perfect place to go swimming. I'm certainly ready to hop on a plane.


Allergy mom of Allergic Kid is a first time PPNer with a great post that got me sidetracked for a while. Read...and I bet you will be too. I'm not sure how old her angel is, but definitely a cool kid if ever there was one. And best of all...I love his name for farfalle...Butterflies! This time served with great stuff in the larder just when you think there's "nothing to eat in the house".


Marija of Palachinka is back with a great idea. Pasta with Poppy Seeds. I love them, but frankly never gave them a thought outside of baked goods...that is until now!


Abby of Eat the Right Stuff has another fantastic salad idea...Salmon & Avocado Pasta Salad with a cooked vinaigrette that sounds awesome and definitely will hit my table soon.


Corrine has a Gourmet Love Affair and shares not one but three perfect pasta dishes that are especially fabulous for all this hot weather I'm having. The photo is of the Lemon Pepper & Asparagus Pasta, but they all sound delish.


Maybelle's Mom at Feeding Maybelle made her own egg pasta and topped it with a fresh "Sauce". It was so delicious...this was the only photo. Personally, I think it says it best!


Ben of What's Cooking? is a great PPNer. This week he made some fantastic looking homemade Cannelloni with Beristain Sauce...and I truly can't wait to try it out. Check out the secret sauce ingredient.


Lesley of Beachlover's Kitchen made a great dish of Fried Sambal Chicken & Shrimp Mee. She even made her own Sambal...how awesome is that!


Ferdzy of Seasonal Ontario Foods shares this brilliant Pasta with Peas & Spinach...quick, easy and no slaving over a hot stove for hours either, which is a bonus in this heat wave we're having.


Daphne at More Than Words has a great soup to share with us. Okay, I'll be holding off until the first cold rainy day, but check out her awesome Tom Yam Seafood Soup.


Sarah at What Smells So Good? (This time, it's Spicy Yellow Prawn Noodles)that I'm drooling for.


Marye of Baking Delights took some time away from baking to whip up this delicious Cajun Style Rotini, and I'm glad she decided to share it with the rest of us.


Katie of Thyme for Cooking shares another interesting story and a great Couscous, Spinach & Green Bean Salad - the only possible salad I could prepare in all this muggy heat. And next week we're lucky enough to have Katie host Presto Pasta Night. You can send your entries directly to her at thyme2.kate AT gmail DOT com


Kitchenetta of Got No Milk tried this Southwest Pasta that has me drooling. As soon as it cools down enough to actually boil water for pasta, I'll be making some.


Serena of Rock Cakes had a dilemma...what to do with that packet of frozen minced pork. She came up with two wonderful dishes, but I'll just mention the Pasta with Meatballs, Roasted Mushrooms & Courgette (Zucchini) and Marsala among other things. Check it out. The rice dish looks great too.


Courtney of Prescription for Good Food says this is a great dish, and I believe her...Turkey Sausage & Arugula Pasta.


Gay, our fabulous Scientist in the Kitchen and last week's terrific Presto Pasta Night host, found time to share this recipe for Linguine with Last Year's Tomatoes (not to mention the 10 cloves of garlic).


Deb at Tastie made the perfect Easy Weeknight Chicken and Pasta dinner. See for yourself!


Sher of What Did You Eat? is back with a variation of a favorite of mine...Angel Hair Pasta with Sweet Red Pepper Pesto. Nothing better when you can't decide what to do.


Nuria of Spanish Recipes was very creative and came up with Eggplants Stuffed with Pasta and Veggies. Looks very impressive!


And finally, it's my turn...with Pasta with Roasted Chicken, Marinated Grilled Vegetables and Goat Cheese. The only way I managed it was to boil up the pasta in the morning and add the quick stir fry of cooked pasta to the chicken & veggies. And when exactly is this heat wave to end?

One late arrival before I turn over the reins...

Sherra of Our Taste of Life whipped up this Tuna Vegeroni Pasta that was too cute to wait a week.


Next week's guest host: Katie of Thyme for Cooking will be doing a magnificent job, I know. You can send your fantastic entries to her at thyme2.kate AT gmail DOT com

Plus...Don't forget to check all the Presto Pasta Night Roundups dating back to March, 2007, see who's hosting for the next four weeks and check out guidelines and tips for entering and hosting.

Over at Presto Pasta Nights there are also pasta-related posts that I hope you like.

So far you can learn about gnocchi making and Jamie Oliver's way to make your own pasta. What else would interest you?

If you're a Facebook member, please visit the Presto Pasta Gang on Facebook.

And, of course, a very big thank you to all of you for playing along and visiting every week!!! I can always count on you to make it special.

Don't forget to join in the fun yourself. It's simple....

1. Post a pasta recipe on your site. By pasta, I mean any noodle dish - hot, cold, spicy, creamy, saucy, stuffed, from any and every culture - Pad Thai, Singapore Noodles, Macaroni & Cheese, Pasta salads...the possibilities are endless!

2. Mention Presto Pasta Nights in the post and add a link back here.

3. Email the link to your post to this week's host with the following information:
The name you want to go by, publicly; your blog name; name of the dish.

Check here to see who's hosting in the next few weeks.

Entries will be posted every Friday, so you'll have some great new recipes for the weekend. Please make sure your entries are in by Thursday evening.

Don't worry if you don't have your own blog, you can email your recipe directly to me at ruth@4everykitchen.com and I'll post it for you.

If you're interested, please join the Presto Pasta Night Gang on My Facebook and let's see where the fun takes us all this year!

And if you'd like to be a Presto Pasta Night Host yourself, check out the details and email me directly at ruth@4everykitchen.com