Hachis Parmentier & Gramps Camp

Both sets of Grandparents would host an annual gathering for their Grandchildren at their respective cabins. Each side called the event a different thing (parental: Cousins Camp maternal: Gramps Camp). We got to be with our cousins for 4-5 days and play together. When I mean play instead of workshops, we had play shops. Each of our mothers would create multiple play shops for us to participate. We would paint shirts, go on treasure hunts, have a flag ceremony every day, have a fashion show, and play and play and play.

Nicol & Gamma Rae Face Painting

Food was also part of this event. There was the annual pig party and sometimes an ice cream drop.

Pig Party with Benjamin

An ice cream drop is a team event. One person lays with protective clothing - goggles, hairnet, and a tarp over their clothes - with an ice cream cone in their mouth. Their teammate stands on a table or chair and drops a scoop of ice cream into the cone. Everyone wanted to be paired with Gamma Rae because she would lay on the ground and laugh so the target was hard to hit.

The tradition continued this year. Here are a few pictures of Gramps Camp.

Pig Party

Pig Party

Pig Party

A Parade of 1 Fire Engine, 2 Flags, & a Bunch of Wavers

Marshmallow Guns

We are a meat and potatoes family. Here is a different kind of pie.

Hachis Parmentier (a meat and potato pie)
Source: Newspaper Clipping from Grandma's recipe box

Ingredients:

4 potatoes, about 1 1/4 pounds
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 pound ground beef (I used stew beef)
salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
2 springs fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

(This one is numerated.)

1. Peel the potatoes, cutting each into six pieces of equal size. Put the potatoes in a saucepan and add water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer about 20 minutes or until tender.
2. Heat one tablespoon butter in a saucepan and add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until onions wilt.
3. Add the beef and cook, chopping down with the side of a heavy metal spoon to break up the lumps. When the meat has lost its raw color, add salt, pepper, bay leaf, thyme and tomato paste. Cover and cook about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaf.
4. Preheat the broiler to high.
5. Meanwhile, drain the potatoes and put them through a food mill or potato ricer. Return potatoes to the saucepan and add  remaining two tablespoons butter, stirring until butter melts.
6. Heat the milk and add it gradually to the potatoes, beating with a wooden spoon. Add salt to taste, nutmeg and half the parsley.
7. Add the remaining  parsley to the beef mixture. 
8. Spoon the beef into a flame-proof baking dish. A dish that measures about 8 by 11 1/2 by 2 inches is ideal for this. Spoon the potatoes over the meat and smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle with the cheese.
9. Place the dish under the broiler and broil about five minutes or less, until the potatoes are nicely browned. Serve with mushroom sauce.

Yield: 4 servings.
 
Notes: I added mushrooms to the beef mixture adding them with the onions. Also I used an 8 by 8 by 2 inch pan for the broiling.