At Outdoor Leadership Training we like to help the kids to be as independent as possible. One way to grow our self-reliance is by learning to cook in multiple ways. We all know to roast hot dogs, but when you fry your donuts, you are rocking! Jews worldwide make Sufganiyot (donuts) at this time of the year to commemorate Chanuka.
Success starts with a great recipe. Fortunately, I have my wife’s support. She made 4 recipes this week. Each was recipe was x 4! That means she separated challah with a blessing. My Dad always taught me that the key to success was in preparation. I got out there early today and got plenty of wood for the cooking fire. The kids did all the hard work. They rolled out the dough, cut it into donut shapes, added more flour, and stacked up the raw donuts with flour to prevent sticking. The kids showed a lot of good manners and took turns, helped each other, and worked as a team!In every group, there were some kids who really got into the baking. Surprisingly, the other kids were very careful to bring the “bakers” fresh donuts as quickly as they could! The ones that did not like to bake so much showed a lot of appreciation for the “bakers”. Way to go!!!
Frying them over the fire is so much fun!Fortunately, powdered sugar is not expensive! The kids love to sprinkle it on heavy!!!
Lots of kids asked what we were going to fill the donuts with. When I told them we were going to frost them with powdered sugar there were a few groans. In the end, no one had a problem eating them. I think that they learned an important lesson, even though it’s not what you wanted or expected, it may still turn out surprisingly well!Happy Campers!!!
Baruch David Greenman (Rav BD) has been working magic with youth in nature for over 20 years. During that time he has seen kids blossom in so many ways.
Rav BD grew up as a volunteer in the Museum of Science and History in Fort Worth, Texas. That sparked in him an infectious love of nature.
