Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon – National Park Theme

I wish there were a national contest for the most outstanding Teacher Appreciation Luncheon. I’m certain that the parents of students at Rolling Hills Country Day School would come in first place. Every. Year.

Going way beyond creative, in the past 5 years these parents have turned an ordinary auditorium into mysterious colorful Morocco, a charming Farmers Market, an all-star Ballpark, a clever Eco-Friendly environment, and a delightful Asian restaurant …

And now – into a National Park!

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

On August 25, 2016, the National Park Service turns 100! The Centennial will celebrate the achievements of the past 100 years and kick off a second century of stewardship for America’s national parks and for communities across the nation.

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Camp Rolling Hills Country Day

“Please join us for a woodsy afternoon luncheon at RHCDS National Park in honor of our Teachers & Staff and the 100th year celebration of U.S. National Parks.

So grab your hiking boots and camping gear as we adventure and explore the beauty of the great outdoors.

We’ll gather around the campfire for stories and s’mores.”

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Wearing our nifty new Outdoor Adventure T-Shirts, we arrive at the “national park” to find a fabulous Glamping-Style Buffet, and upon further exploration we find that our campsite features S’mores Around a “Live” Campfire, a General Store where we can take our cool new backpacks to fill with all the supplies we’ll need on our adventures.

These include a picnic blanket, canteen, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, lip balm – all embossed with the Camp RHCDS logo. Also included  – a neat little Pelican LED flashlight. Thanks to the generous parents, we’re equipped and ready to enjoy the great outdoors now and all summer long.

To ward off hunger along the trails, we are supplied a red bandana which contains a s’mores kit. Plus, we visit the Happy Trails booth to customize trail mix for the hike, choosing from a wide assortment of dried fruits and nuts and seeds. And finally we visit the Bear Country Bakery booth for bear claw brownies, muffins, and cookies plus hot coffee for energy. We definitely won’t go hungry on this trip.

Come, take a hike with us and check it out!

Maybe we’ll even spot a bear???

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

The Mess Hall

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Outdoor Adventure

Mess Hall Menu

SALADS

Quinoa, Avocado, Tomato, Spinach Salad

Strawberry Arugula Salad

BBQ Chicken Salad

MAIN

Cheeseburger Sliders

Famous Baked Beans

Corn on the Cob with Sweet Chili Butter

Breakfast Egg Scramble – Potato, Bacon, Onion

Chili – Vegetarian & Turkey plus the Fixins

Mini Cornbread Muffins

BUG JUICE

Lemon-Lime & Apple Water

Lemonade with Strawberries

Unsweetened Iced Tea

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

It’s Smokey the Bear!

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

The Bear Country Bakery & Happy Trails

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

The Campfire, S’mores & Happy Campers

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

The General Store

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

A Quick Easy Camping Recipe from the Mess Hall Chef

Corn-On-A-Stick with Sweet Chili Butter

And straight from the Mess Hall, Chef Jean Cordero shares her mighty delicious corn-on-a-stick recipe:

Corn with Sweet Chili Butter

1 c. sweet chili sauce (like Mae Ploy)

½ c. butter, melted

Combine sauce with butter.

“After boiling corn, generously coat with glaze and reheat either in the oven or on the grill. Yum, so so simple but loaded with flavor!”

Chef Jean @ Entertaining Friends Custom Catering / efcatering(at)aol(dot)com

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

To Ranger Tracey and Ranger Alex and your entire fabulous team of parent volunteers – thank you. What an awesome adventure!  Your creativity, ingenuity, and generosity are over-the-top. You never fail to enchant and enthrall us with your imaginative themes and attention to every detail. This year was certainly no exception. My only complaint is that we have to wait a whole year for the next one…

An Amazing Transformation

By the way, would you like to see the auditorium aka the MPR, before the parents performed their magic?

Amazing.

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Food Network

Food Network 

featuring

Quick Side Dishes

My friends at the Food Network are featuring Quick Side Dishes this week. It is my pleasure to share a terrific camping side, Chef Jean’s Corn with Sweet Chili Butter.

Corn-On-A-Stick with Sweet Chili Butter

#SensationalSides is a season long franchise where Food Network editors team up with bloggers to share recipes about everyone’s favorite side dishes. This week’s sensational side features QUICK SIDES. Get inspiration from our very popular Pinterest Board with over 450,000 followers called Let’s Pull Up A Chair here.

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ~ Celebrating Our National Parks

Feed Me Phoebe: 5-Ingredient Za’atar Beet Toasts
Devour: Beat the Clock with Easy, Under-15-Minute Side Dishes
Healthy Eats: 7 of the Quickest — and Healthiest — Side Dishes Ever
Creative Culinary: Pasta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes (Pasta Ponza)
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Five Fast & Fantastic Spring Side Dishes
TasteBook: Asparagus Ribbons with Lemon Juice and Shaved Parmesan
The Wimpy Vegetarian: Cilantro-Lime Cauliflower Rice (with Coconut)
FN Dish: Counting Down the 5 Quickest Spring Side Dishes Ever

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