July was spent at Camp VanEs where I act as head cook and Jerry acts as dishwasher and kitchen help for the kids camps. Each year VanEs offers affordable camps making the camping experience accessible to families who otherwise could not send their kids to camp. We’ve volunteered for the past few years to help with costs and to experience the energy and fun that goes on at camp.
This year we were blessed to have our granddaughters, Tova and Clara helping out. They were amazing considering they were 14 and 12. We also had Theo, another young person, who was a great help. Tova and Clara did the first two weeks. As prearranged, Tova went back to Vernon, Clara went to camp (at VanEs) and our daughter, Tracy replaced them.
Each of the three weeks we were there, we cooked for around 60 people. Favourite dishes were Mac & cheese, shepherds pie, tacos (on Tuesday of course) and our hamburger barbecue and build your own sundae night.
We were tired when it was over but satisfied. Hopefully we’ll have the energy and be invited back next year to do it again.
Shepherd’s Pie for a Crowd (60)
Prepare a full package of Trio Gravy mix. (The big one from Costco)
Prepare a large container of instant mashed potatoes. (The container I use makes 80 servings and is available at Wholesale Club.)
Brown a 10 pound tube of ground beef on the grill (medium heat) until all the pink is gone. Set aside.
Generously grease 3 large baking pans (approx 14 x 18). This step is necessary to keep the dishwashers happy.
Spoon in ground beef until pan is about half full.
Add a generous portion of frozen peas and carrots.
Ladle on gravy and mix. You want it to be moist or a little wet but not soupy.
Spoon on mashed potatoes and spread like you’re frosting a cake. You want a half to 3/4 inch layer of potatoes.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about an hour. Remove foil and bake an additional half hour.
Your shepherd pies can be made ahead and frozen. When baking, put in oven frozen and allow an extra hour to cook.
At Our Own Pace 