Love Recipes by Camp Chef for Camp Recipes

Love Recipes!
"I call these recipes my grandmother's Love Recipes because when she made these tasty candies, we knew she made them with love. These are mostly classic candies that every homemaker made way back when the shortening was in every pantry in American kitchens. Substitute butter or a vegan butter for the shortening below... have fun with these old recipes!"

Chocolate Turtles

2 cups walnuts
36 caramels
3 Tblsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup semisweet or milk chocolate
1-1/2 tsp shortening

Cover baking sheet with waxed paper and arrange walnut halves in 28 to 30 clusters.
Keep separated by at least 1-inch apart.

Unwrap caramels and butter and place in top of double boiler set over boiling water.
Heat until caramels are completely melted stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat. Add vanilla and stir until butter and vanilla are thoroughly mixed.
Drop caramel onto center of each walnut cluster making sure that caramel touches all the walnut pieces to hold them together.
Melt chocolate with shortening over hot but not boiling water.
Spread over caramels and candies.
Allow to set before cutting into squares.
Makes 28 to 30 Turtles.


Wrap your Turtles in groups of twos or threes in clear paper.
Tie a red and pink ribbon around the package and give them away as a gift!
Makes a perfect Love gift in the next few weeks for Valentine's Day!


More Love Recipes coming... stay tuned.

Update: just saw the new "Whitewater Cooks" books! A cool book of favorite recipes!


Thanks to all the holiday cooks that submitted recipes!

Farmer's Market | FOOD! Resources

Those of you who are lucky to grow your own food know what I mean when I say that fresh is always best. A fresh plucked cherry tomato off of a sunshine-warmed vine is absolute heaven. Apricots picked off of a heavily laden tree so ripe that the flavor explodes in your mouth, is a culinary delight by itself. Even fresh churned butter recently milked from your cow is something that you have never tasted at the supermarket. Fresh is always best.

For the rest of us, we shop at our local markets. The fruit and the vegetables have been picked and shipped days before, rinsed repeatedly and then displayed in cold cases at the supermarket. The flavor loss is profound along with the nutrient content. Try to shop at great markets such as well-known Whole Foods that feature "Farmer's Market" produce. Or try to organize your local neighbors and share the produce that may be growing in their own backyards.

The best place for those of us in California are the Farmer's Markets. Local farmers flock into locations convenient for city dwellers and sell their produce. The markets are divine.

Freshly picked that morning, the produce has traces of the rich soil still clinging to the gems. Beets, onions, carrots, squash, herbs are in their glory when picked fresh. Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage can be eaten raw; the flavors are so rich. And, fresh corn... why cook it? The just picked corn is a flavor delight that can't be matched by store bought, frozen or canned.

If your town has no Farmer's Market or Farmer's Cooperative, try to organize one. Farmers and growers are generous souls. They want to see their produce sold and shared. They do not want to see any of locally grown produce wasted.

1. Contact a local government official and share your idea. They will put you into contact with the rules and regulations for food safety and other restrictions in government.
2. Contact the growers. Try to have common every day produce along with exotics.
3. Pick a one time date (start small) to organize a Farmer's Market festival.
4. Form a volunteer group to create flyers, email alerts and a Facebook event.
5. Locate a shaded area w/ public transportation nearby.
6. Provide large sturdy tables for the growers.
7. Bring a small local musical group to entertain the attendees.
8. Contact ethnic communities to bring demonstrations of food cooking. The food demonstration will draw in a lot of cooks and chefs to watch how other cultures prepare food.
9. Contact all restaurant buyers/owners in the area. They will flock to the event for the opportunity to buy fresh produce for their culinary staff.

If the Farmer's Market Festival is successful, the growers and community will come together to create a once-a-week market in your area. We did this in California and now, Farmer's Markets are available almost everyday of the week somewhere close by.

Be adventurous with your food! Buy an item that you have never tried and add it to your regular menus. Try everything! You will be delighted!