Cheley Mac

If you watched the news much at all in September, you saw all the flooding that devastated many parts of Colorado.  One of the towns that was affected holds a special place in my heart.  Estes Park, Colorado.  It is the headquarters for the Rocky Mountain National Park, a popular summer resort, and the home of Cheley Summer Camps.   Cheley is a sleep away summer camp for both girls and boys.  There are two sessions, each lasting 27 days long.  I went three summers in a row and did one session each time.  As a teenager this seemed like a long time away from home, but was the most amazing adventure I could have asked for.  During this time there are daily activities including: hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, horse back riding, rock climbing, fishing, and riflery.  The camp was divided between boys and girls.  The girls camp was called Senior Chipeta.  This was a large campground filled with cabins, each housing about 12 girls.  I had the most amazing summers at this camp.  I challenged myself physically, made a ton of life long friends I still keep in touch with, and got to live in the mountains away from my parents learning how to take care of myself.  We had counselors who guided us and taught us how to do these activities and how to respect the wildlife and each other.  For meals, there was a large dining hall that we would all gather at for breakfast lunch and dinner if we were not out on the trails.  The food was actually fantastic though you wouldn't expect that from a cafeteria.  We had something different every day.  I do not remember every meal I had there, but I do remember a few.  One was the chicken tetrazinni.  They called it Chicken Ta-Ta for some reason (I never knew why) and it was a creamy concoction of chicken, spaghetti, mushrooms, and cheese.  The second was Chili Mac.  It was like chili and macaroni & cheese mixed together!  It was especially delicious on a cool night after hiking up and down mountains all day!  I have over the years come up with my own version to eat on a nice cool evening and think of all the wonderful memories I made at Cheley.

Cheley Mac

Serves 6

1       Pound            Ground Beef

1       Each              Small White Onion, Diced

1       Each              Green Bell Pepper, Diced

3       Each              Garlic Cloves, Minced

1       28 oz Can       Crushed Tomatoes

1       15 oz Can       Tomato Sauce

2       Cups              Water

2       Tbsp              Chili Powder

1       Tbsp              Garlic Powder

1       Tbsp              Paprika

1       Tsp                Dried Oregano

1       Tsp                Ground Cumin

2       Tsp                Salt

1       Pound             Velveeta Cheese, Cut into Cubes

2      Cups                Large Elbow Macaroni (It Must be LARGE!!  Because I said So!!)

In a dutch oven or large pot, brown the beef, let drain.  While draining add to the pot the onion, pepper, and garlic and saute for 5 minutes.  Add in the beef, tomatoes, water, and seasonings.  Bring this to a boil.  Let boil for 2 minutes, then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Add in the noodles and cover pot.  Simmer on lowest heat for 30 minutes.  Turn off heat, add in cheese.  Let sit 15 more minutes.  Stir to mix in the cheese, then serve hot.  I top mine with cheddar, sour cream, and sliced green onion!  Love as Always, "Big K"