Boy Scouts take it to the kitchen for fundraiser
Date: 10/13/2009
By Lori Szepelak
Correspondent
CHICOPEE -- Tried and true family recipes are featured in Boy Scout Troop 1849's All-American Recipes cookbook now on sale.
Proceeds raised from this fundraiser will help purchase a desperately needed trailer that would be used to hold camping equipment owned by the troop. In addition to the trailer, the boys hope to raise enough funds to also purchase cooking utensils, tarps, folding tables, lanterns, grills, pots and pans, folding chairs and tents.
"Our current equipment is worn out," said Life Scout Brandon Aube, 14, a ninth grade student at Chicopee High School. Aube is the troop's Senior Patrol Leader.
Prior to a recent scout meeting at the Moose Family Center, Aube and Scoutmaster John J. Pise Jr., sat down with Reminder Publications to explain why they think a cookbook fundraiser this fall is a better seller than the traditional magazines and candy bar offerings.
Many of the recipes are, not surprisingly, ideal for camp outs, according to Aube, and the scout families have put together a delightful, pleasing-to-the-eye cookbook that covers all the bases.
The cookbook is divided into several sections, including appetizers and beverages, soups and salads, vegetables, main dishes, breads and rolls, desserts and a miscellaneous chapter.
Features of the colorful cookbook include a "Favorite Recipes" page, examples of food quantities for 25, 50 and 100 servings, suggestions for substitutions for a missing ingredient, and graphics of common baking dishes and pans. Also, there is a section on food labeling definitions and guidelines on food safety and tips for losing weight.
Some of the more creative names for appetizer recipes include Aubes' Stuffed Mushrooms, Crabbies, Hot 'n' Honeyed Chicken Wings and Mom's Taco Dip. Examples of soups and salads include the traditional Chicken Soup, Split Pea Soup and Corn Chowder, as well as a Crazy Russian Borscht, Frankfurter Soup and Golombki Soup. Salad recipes include Layered Fruit Salad, Macaroni and Olive Salad, and Mediterranean Marinated Cucumbers.
The vegetable chapter has several tempting entries including Oven Sweet Potato Fries, Skillet Cauliflower Gratin and Baked Potato Salad.
The main dishes section is the most lengthy, and runs the gamut from Baked Scrod, Chicken Cacciatore and Cranberry Pork Roast, to Lazy Man Pierogi, Seafood Stuffed Peppers and Spicy Kielbasa.
Ali Wentworth's Cinnamon Buns leads the breads and rolls section, along with recipes for banana bread, bread dough, broiled icing, corn bread, Easter bread, "gooey" cinnamon buns, a muffin surprise, spinach bread and zucchini bread.
The desserts section is also lengthy, and is dominated by recipes with chocolate as its main ingredient, but also features recipes for Peanut Brittle, Hawaiian Macadamia Bites, and Johnny Appleseed Squares.
A miscellaneous section rounds out the cookbook's offerings, with recipes ranging from Coca-Cola Chicken and Campfire Core Maple Cinnamon Apples to Grandpa Pete's Blue Cheese Spread.
Boy Scouts were eager to share their recipes with Reminder readers. A sampling follows:
Big Ol' Mess by Jonathan Rose1 lb. smoke sausage, cut into chunks
3 jalapeno peppers, sliced
1 green pepper, cut into bite size chunks
1 sweet onion, cut into bite size chunks
1 foil cooking bag
1/4 c. Tabasco sauce
1 10-ounce jar sweet and sour sauce
Place sausage, peppers and onion in foil bag. Mix Tabasco and sweet and sour sauce in small bowl and pour over the mixture in foil bag, seal edge tightly. Place foil bag on grill. Cook for about 45 minutes turning every 15 minutes. Slit open and serve right out of the bag.
Campfire Core Maple Cinnamon Apples by Jimmy Machia8 large baking apples
Maple syrup
3/4 c. brown sugar (packed)
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Combine sugar, raisins, nutmeg and brown sugar in a small bowl. Wash, core apple then spread out on sheet of tin foil, sprinkle with cinnamon and swirl with maple syrup. Close up core in tin foil and fill the center of core from mixture in bowl. Fold up tin foil over apple and wrap another sheet in opposite direction from first. Place apples in coals of campfire and turn occasionally until apple softens. Remove from coals and let stand five minutes before eating.
Golombki Soup by Kyle Mrozinski1 qt. beef stock
1 qt. water
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. ground beef
3 strips of bacon, chopped
2 tbsp. butter
2 c. chopped, fresh cabbage
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cans crushed tomatoes
1 c. cooked rice
Salt and pepper to taste
In frying pan, cook bacon until crisp, reserving one tablespoon bacon fat. Clean pan and brown beef in reserved bacon fat, drain and set aside. In large pot, melt butter and saut cabbage, onion and garlic. When softened, add stock, water, beef, bacon, tomatoes and rice. Let simmer 45 minutes and season to taste.
Committee members who were instrumental in pulling the cookbook together were Nancy Lavallee, chair, Darlene Desroches, secretary, Laura Maziarz, treasurer, and Karen Cardinal, George Fotopoulos, Michelle Kapper, Donald Lavallee, Edward Mrozinski, Michael Nawrocki, Tanya Pina, Todd Philbrick, Glenn Poe and Dawn Turcotte.
Troop 1849 leaders who oversaw the project included Pise and assistant scoutmasters Paul Aube, Darren Descoteaux, Edward Dupont Jr., James Machia, Jeffrey Peets and Edward Pelletier.
Scouts in Troop 1849 include Brandon Aube, Lucas Aube, Eric Boisvere, Billy Cardinal, Justin Dandurand, Billy Dandurand, Jarrod DaSilva, Jon DaSilva, Carlton Descoteaux, Chris Fotopoulos, Elijah Brady Harris-Lariviere, Stephen Howes-Dupont, Nick Kapper, Tyler Kapper, Colin LaPierre, Stephen LaPierre, Donald DJ Lavallee, Jim Machia, Joel Madru, Stephen Maziarz, Kyle Mrozinski, Roy Nawrocki, David Nawrocki, Andrew Peets, Cody Peets, Joe Pelletier, Zachary Philbrick, Matt Poe, Jonathan Rose, Nathan Roy, Randy Ryder, Claudio Scalia, Justin Spencer, Jacob Tuck and Andrew Turcotte.
For more information or to order a cookbook, send an e-mail to
cookbooks@bsatroop1849.org and list your name and telephone number for Pise who will reply to all inquiries.
