Congo Camp 2010

A few of the delicious cupcakes our chefs made.

Congo Chefs: Challenge finally hit Friday and all of the campers were extremely excited to being cooking cupcakes.

Each cooking team had various types of cupcakes that they made and the major part of the challenge was to decorate them well.

After taking a look at these cupcakes, though, one can easily see how these campers could compete on Top Chef with no problems. 

The tastiness of these cupcakes will be enjoyed after the counselors decide who won the competition!

Campers prepping the BBQ hot sauce.

Our Congo Chefs: Hawai'i had another Hawai'ian BBQ today.

These chefs prepared for the BBQ by making a spicy, BBQ sauce to spread over the various meats they are grilling.

A main part of this sauce is a Hawai'ian Spice Sauce called Sriracha.  The campers put just a little of this spicy sriracha to ensure that their sauce had a little Zing!

The campers are enjoying their day in the Hawai'ian heat and getting to eat some food with heat!

Some of the types of vegetables from which our campers will be choosing.

All of the campers have been enjoying the past few days in Congo Chefs: Challenge as they attempt to make various dishes and ensure those dishes are better than their fellow campers. 

We hope they have fun on their trip out to the store and we look forward to seeing the tasty treats they make once they return. 

One of the competing camper groups preparing their tacos.

Dessert Tacos, of course!  The Congo Chefs: Challenge started off their morning by seeing who could make the best dessert tacos.

The judges were the three counselors of the Congo Chefs: Challenge camp.  As they watched the campers make the tacos, you could tell these judges were getting anxious to try these sugary sensations.

All of the campers were adding the best ingredients into their tacos to ensure it won the challenge.  The campers were having a blast making their tacos and we are excited to see the other foods made throughout the rest of the day!

Extra cheesy Mac and Cheese.

The Congo Chefs Challenge campers made a midmorning meal to test just how cheesy they could make Mac and Cheese. 

Well, needless to say, they were able to master mac and cheese by blending in multiple cheeses.  After cooking the pasta, they then added the cheese and prepped the food for baking.

Once it was pulled out of the oven, the campers had the chance to enjoy this delicious, gooey treat.  The cheese clinged onto the pasta and our Congo Chefs cheese-craving was sated.

These campers will be taking a trip to the grocery store this week and then, as none have forgotten, they will be having a cupcake challenge on Friday. 

The sauted vegetables made by our Chefs.

For our Congo Chefs Challenge campers, before they start to compete, they are learning how to properly cook various meats and vegetables.

They started this morning by learning how to broil steak.  Once they broiled this steak, they then enjoyed the delicious final product.

After they made the steak, the campers then enjoyed some sauted vegetables.  It took no persuading to get these campers to eat their veggies.

The campers are looking forward to this Friday when they have the cupcake challenge.  We know we will be smelling sweet aromas coming from the room over the course of the week!

The Congo Chefs were reaching the conclusion of their baking bonanza today as they finished off their delicious dessert plates.

Each group was actually able to amass all of the terrific treats they bought yesterday onto the tops of their cakes.

Although our Chefs may be prepping for futures as the next top chefs, today they were prepping for tomorrow which will be their dessert bonanza!

After a trip to Harris Teeter, the Congo Chefs campers bought the ingredients they needed to make a multitude of sugary sweet treats.

The campers have split into three groups and have each selected the dessert they will make. One group plans to make a modified Funfetti Cake with a few extra additions, while another group is making a spruced up sherbet s'more sundae!

Today, the prep work is occurring as they mix, stir, whisk, and beat the various ingredients to prepare them for baking. Make sure to keep your nose awake to smell the delicious aromas that will be sifting through the halls from Congo Chefs tomorrow!

Congo Chefs have been continuing to work hard today on their delicious desserts.

Well, more precisely, baking cookies and cake were on the menu today for the Congo Chefs. They started off with some flour and a whisk and, later, they tossed a few more ingredients in to make the batter for the cookies and a separate batter for the cake.

Who doesn't love a tasty, delicious dessert during the day? How about three? Well, Congo Chefs gets this privilege today as they make three desserts on the first day of week 2!

"We select the ingredients, you make the food," the Congo Chef campers offered as a challenge to their Camp Counselor Derek.

Congo Chefs were making and cooking homemade ravioli today. Starting as soon as they arrived, the campers began to mix the eggs and flour together before moving onto the other ingredients.

In Congo Chefs this morning, they cooked up some tasty smelling German Potato Salad.

The Congo Chefs started their Monday morning by making Huevos Rancheros for breakfast! By slicing onions, warming tortillas, and prepping eggs, our culinary campers already have started to show their cooking creativity.

Rather than just pouring some packaged salsa over their eggs, the campers are using fresh veggies to make their salsa. They get through chopping up onions without shedding a tear and chop garlic without difficutly.

Everyone at Congo Camp loves to walk through the Congo Chef's hall to smell their wonderful foods and we know that their meal this morning will be delicious. We hope that they enjoy exploring cuisine from around the world this week!

Lucy Van Pelt, from Peanuts, once said, "All I really need is love. . . but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt!". Today was that day for a "little (well, a lot)" of chocolate in Congo Chefs.

Today, Congo Chefs worked with potatoes getting to create such varied dishes as Shepherd's pie and hash browns. The superb smell emanates through the halls of the school during the day and it is always fun to see what the Congo Chefs create.