Tuesday, June 2, 2009

The care and feeding of volunteers.

One of my great pleasures is tending to the many volunteers who staff Dunwoody Nature Center's camp programs. They range from brand-new junior counselors barely in their tween years to just-graduated veterans who are volunteering the summer before college just because they like being at the Nature Center. AG and her BFF D are working next week with our smallest campers, the Teenies, who need laps to lounge in and lots of hugs in their first camp experience.

Gotta love 'em.

Last year, I inaugurated "Wonderful Wednesdays," bringing fresh-baked treats to the volunteers and teachers to enjoy as they darted from one activity to the next. Favorites have been the old school peanut butter bars reminiscent of my high school cafeteria outside Goldsboro, North Carolina to fresh, organic blueberry bars full of plump berries and topped with a cheesecake-like icing.

I'm trying a new recipe for them tomorrow: chocolate peanut butter squares. They taste like Reese's and are a breeze to make. If they're a hit, they'll make a return visit later in the summer.

Here's the recipe, submitted by "Nancy" to www.allrecipes.com:
Peanut Butter Bars
  • 1 cup butter or margarine, melted
  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 2 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • 4 tablespoons peanut butter
  1. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter or margarine, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.
  2. In a metal bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread over the prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

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