Pensic Prep and Proposed Menu 2013

Going to Pensic  this year is going to be interesting on many levels, and I have to admit I’m a bit nervous about it. From a purely food/cooking standpoint I will have the challenge of making food that my girls (ages 9, 12, 14) will eat while still having food that I’m interested in cooking and eating. It’s tough enough at home, often, to make food that all three girls are interested in. (This is why I need other grown-ups to cook for.) 

The girls don’t tend to at much at events. For a weekend, that’s not an issue, really, but for an entire week that could cause some issues. I asked them a few days ago what foods they’d be interested in eating, so I have a better chance of having them eat appropriately. All of them wanted porridge. Perfect! That’s a basic breakfast item that’s easy to make, so I know I can easily do that one. They also all liked the chicken and rice I made for GNEW, and the dish I did up with the leftovers after we got home. Ok, so that’s a beginning. We’re taking Peanut Butter and Jelly for their lunches, because I’m not going to push for them to eat period food for lunch, and that’s something they can grab for themselves if I’m at a class.

Here’s what I’ve come up with so far for a proposed basic menu, subject to change, of course, based on scheduling and how much we have leftover at any given time. (We’re going to be there for approximately a week.)

Breakfasts: Porridge of multiple varieties, Almond Rice Pudding, Muesli, sausage/bacon, Bread Pan cakes

Lunches: PBJ for the girls, Salmon in herb vinegar, sliced ham, cheese, Cold Roasted Chicken, random leftovers

Dinners: These are a bit trickier…

                Chicken Boiled in Herbs, served with Rice Lombard

                Bratwurst with Apples and Onions, and Cucumbers in Sour Cream (for Potluck)

                Meatballs and Pasta (Yes, I found period recipes fo these…separately…but I’m serving them together)

                Lentils (soup? Salad? We’ll see how they turn out. )

                Cabbage with herbs and chicken (from leftover chicken)

                Sausage with Apples and Onions (done with Kielbasa) served with a cooked grain…spelt?

                Combination s of leftovers…Soup? Ham and Rice? We’ll see what I come up with, but I know we’ll have leftovers and I don’t want to bring them home.

This both seems like a lot of food, and not enough…but I’m really not sure how any of us will be eating. I haven’t been to a Pensic in 13 years, and we didn’t really cook in camp, much less cook period dishes, last time. Next year, though, I’ll be cooking for many more people, and I have a much higher standard for how I want that food to be prepared. This is a dry run, and practice, and we’ll see how it goes.