Within three weeks our family celebrated a marriage, two baptisms and a life well lived.
At the end of June we gathered in Regina for our son Ray’s marriage to Lydia Krause. The next day we celebrated the baptism of my great-niece and great-nephew, twins, Jasmine and Denver. Then, just two weeks later, some of us gathered again, to say goodbye to our 98-year-old uncle, Norman Sykes.
Through the years we have made an effort to gather and celebrate the significant moments in each family member’s life. The taking of photos has been an important part of these celebrations. We have photos that were taken every fifth year on our parents’ wedding anniversaries, and have a number of extended family photos taken at weddings, baptisms, retirements, Christmas and funerals. Life is fleeting, but the memories of family celebrations and time spent together are wonderful treasures.
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Food, of course, is a key component of our celebrations. For Ray and Lydia’s wedding, they chose to have a fondue dessert reception following their morning ceremony. Two chocolate fondue pots were placed on each table, fruit kabobs inserted into grapefruit halves created the centrepiece and a variety of dippers including caramels, mini marshmallows, pretzels and mini-cream puffs completed the menu.
One of the masters of ceremony gave a humorous demonstration on the correct etiquette of using fondue forks. The fondue pots then became a gift for the guests to take home and a reminder of the fun they had at the wedding.
Uncle Norman was a gentle, and generous man who left school at the age of 15 to work full time so his younger brother could continue with his education.
Norman also encouraged his wife, my aunt Mary, to complete her education degree and to follow her passion for teaching. He shared his mechanical skills with his three sons, who pursued interests in engineering and restoring antique cars.
Norman farmed for many years, an occupation that complemented my aunt’s teaching career because he was able to care for the house and the boys during the winter. He became an excellent cook and was well known for his shortbread cookies and chocolate cakes.
He placed a high priority on his family and especially his marriage of almost 71 years. His strong family values, generous spirit and honest work ethic are a legacy worth sharing with the younger family members. I have found an easy way to do this is through making one of Uncle Norman’s recipes.
I encourage you to celebrate the significant moments in your family members’ lives and take the time to remember past celebrations through pictures, stories and food. Share these with your children, grandchildren, nieces and cousins so they will learn of the values and roots of your family.
Uncle Norman had two shortbread recipes, one for whipped and the other for a rolled shortbread. Both are delicious.
Norman’s rolled shortbread
1 pound butter 500 g
1 cup icing sugar 250 mL
½ cup cornstarch 125 mL
4 cups flour 1 L
Cream butter thoroughly. Add icing sugar, cornstarch and flour. Mix until all is well worked in. (You may have to use your hands.)
Cut into four parts and roll into 12 inch(30 cm) rolls. Chill in the refrigerator.
Cut in 3/4 inch (1.5 cm) slices and bake at 325 F (160 C) for 15-20 minutes or until very lightly browned around the edges.
Uncle Norman always decorated each of his cookies with a hard silver candy ball. His son and daughter-in-law would tease him about the silver balls, saying that someday someone was going to break a tooth on one of them. His granddaughter, Andrea, always makes her shortbread cookies with the silver balls because it reminds her of her granddad. She has discovered that the formula for the silver balls has changed and they now shatter easily when bitten into.
One of Norman’s daughters-in-law, Gladys, has adapted the recipe by dipping half of each baked cookie into melted dipping chocolate.
Norman’s whipped shortbread
1 pound butter 500 g
1 cup icing sugar 250 mL
3 cups all-purpose flour 750 mL
Whip butter (margarine is just not the same) and icing sugar together with an electric mixer. Beat for three minutes.
Add the flour and continue to beat for another 10 minutes.
Use a spoon to drop small mounds on an ungreased cookie sheet or put the dough through a cookie press to make decorative shapes.
Bake at 300 F (150 C) for seven to 10 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom. The tops should not be brown.
Cool and store in airtight containers.
These could be decorated before baking with a sliver of red or green candied cherry.
The whipped shortbread is the recipe I grew up with. It seems that his grandchildren remember him for his rolled shortbread. I know Uncle Norman enjoyed trying new recipes. He also had two chocolate cake recipes.
This is the one that Gladys remembers him using.
Chocolate layer cake
2 cups sifted flour 500 mL
13/4 cups granulated sugar 325 mL
2/3 cup cocoa 150 mL
11/4 tsp. baking soda 6 mL
1 tsp. baking powder 5 mL
1 tsp. salt 5 mL
3/4 cup butter 175 mL
11/4 cups milk, divided 310 mL
1 tsp. vanilla 5 mL
3 large eggs
Into beater bowl, measure the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add butter and one cup of the milk and the vanilla. Beat on low speed for three minutes, scraping down sides of bowl once or twice. Add remaining 1/4 cup of milk and the eggs and beat for 21/2 minutes longer, scraping down sides of the bowl once.
Turn into two greased nine inch (22 cm) layer pans and bake at 350 F (180 C) for 35 minutes or until done.
Often this cake was put together with cherry pie filling. We don’t have Uncle Norman’s chocolate icing recipe but this is my mother’s recipe that would work well on this cake.
Chocolate icing
1 square bitter or unsweetened 28 g
baker’s chocolate
1 tablespoon butter 15 mL
2 tablespoons hot water 30 mL
2 cups icing sugar 250 mL
2–3 tablespoons milk 30–45 mL
1 teaspoon vanilla 5 mL
Put the chocolate and butter in a glass mixing bowl and put in the microwave on medium power for two minutes to melt. Remove and stir until all melted. Add the hot water and stir until thickened. Add icing sugar and milk and beat until desired thickness. Add vanilla and beat until fluffy. Spread onto cake.
Adding more icing sugar and milk, to thinto the desired consistency, can increase this recipe.
Credit card add-ons
What is really on your credit card?
Do you look closely at your credit card statements each month? Do you compare statements from month to month? You may discover recurring items that you question. If so, contact your credit card company immediately to check out your concerns.
Recently, I was checking my statement and realized I had an amount that was reoccurring each month. I had remembered receiving a telephone call from the credit card company asking if I wanted an additional service that it was offering. I could try it out for three months free and then I could decide if I wanted it.
After the free months it would be charged to my account. Well, I forgot to phone and decline the service after the three months and here I was getting charged for it and I wasn’t using the extra service. Free trials and limited offers all too often come with an added or future expense.
I often receive telephone calls from credit companies asking if I would like additional insurance or services. I say no for anything that is offered by telephone.
Usually I don’t need the item they are promoting and if I do, there are probably easier and cheaper ways to get the service, especially things like health or accident insurance. I have often felt that these phone calls prey on an individual’s fears.
If you are really concerned about the need for extra insurance, contact an insurance agent and ask for a review to determine your needs.
Responding to telephone solicited services can also open the door to identity theft. Never give your credit card number over the telephone to someone who has called you. If it is your credit card company, it should have that information already.
Caller ID on your telephone will show you who the caller is and if it is a 1-800 type of number, the easiest thing to do is not to answer it.
Betty Ann Deobald is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and one of four columnists comprising Team Resources. Send correspondence in care of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4 or contact them at team@producer.com.
