Happy Halloween to all our readers. I look forward to all the little painted faces coming to the door. In preparing for the trick or treaters, I enjoy making popcorn balls and puffed wheat cake. If we lived in a larger centre, I wouldn’t be able to do that because the children would be afraid to accept these homemade treats.
It’s another advantage of living in a small town, where everyone knows one another.
Maple syrup
Our Women’s Institute branch was sent a tin of maple syrup from a WI branch in Quebec with which we are twinned. We decided to have a luncheon using the maple syrup in the dishes, so all the members would share the tin.
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It also gave us a chance to try new-to-us recipes that featured maple syrup.
Maple chicken
2 pounds chicken 1 kg
pieces or breasts
1/3 cup flour 75 mL
1/4 cup vegetable oil 50 mL
1/2 cup maple syrup 125 mL
2 tablespoons vinegar 30 mL
2 tablespoons sherry 30 mL
2 tablespoons soy 30 mL
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon pepper 2 mL
1/4 teaspoon paprika 1 mL
Coat chicken pieces with flour. In a large nonstick frypan, add vegetable oil and cook chicken for five minutes, browning well. Turn often. Arrange in a 9 x 12 inch (22 x 30 cm) baking dish.
In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup with the rest of the ingredients.
Pour evenly over the chicken. Bake at 350 F (180 C) for 45-60 minutes, turning once during baking.
Cover with foil if it is browning too quickly.
Source: Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association.
Maple-glazed carrots
1 pound carrots, cut in 2 inch (5 cm) pieces 500 g
2 tablespoons butter or margarine 30 mL
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar 30 mL
2 tablespoons maple syrup 30 mL
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1 mL
1/4 teaspoon salt dash white pepper 1 mL
Cook carrots in water until tender-crisp. In a small saucepan, combine the butter or margarine, sugar, maple syrup, ginger, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, stirring often. Pour over cooked carrots, tossing to coat. Serves four to six.
Source: Cooking Collections by Federated Women’s Institutes of Canada, Centax Books,1990.
Creamy maple syrup dressing
1 cup mayonnaise 250 mL
1/2 cup maple syrup 125 mL
1/4 cup vinegar 50 mL
Mix all. Chill and serve with lettuce salad or shredded cabbage.
Source: Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association.
Maple sugar pie
Basic pie dough for a one-crust pie
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup maple syrup 250 mL
2 tablespoons butter 30 mL
1/2 cup packed brown sugar 125 mL
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 30 mL
1 teaspoon vanilla 5mL
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional) 125 mL
whipped cream, for serving
Prepare pie dough for a one-crust pie. Roll out the dough and line a nine inch (22 cm) pie pan. Chill the pie shell while you prepare the filling.
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C), with the rack in the lower third.
With a whisk or electric mixer, beat the eggs, maple syrup, butter, brown sugar, flour, vanilla, lemon juice and salt until smooth. Strain the mixture if it is lumpy. Stir in the nuts. Pour into the pie shell.
Bake until the pie is almost set, but still slightly wobbly in the centre, about 35 minutes.
Cool the pie on a wire rack. Serve with whipped cream.
Source: Classic Home Desserts by Richard Sax, Chapters Publishing Ltd. l994.
Tea towel trouble
Dear TEAM: I have been having trouble finding good quality tea towels to buy. I have bought some that appeared to be satisfactory, but after washing, they shrink so badly that they are a small thick mat.
Furthermore, I see the washing instructions state to wash in lukewarm water, not to use bleach and to dry on low. I’ve kept house for 50 years and have always washed tea towels in hot water with a bit of bleach and have not encountered any problems. I took one tea towel that was thick and stiff and soaked it in a bleach solution thinking that would soften the fibres, but it came out hard and stiffer than before, like a piece of canvas. Have manufacturers changed their methods of producing tea towels, or is it the cotton that is used, or what? – R.B., Neidpath, Sask.
Dear R. B.: The plain white cotton tea towel is difficult to find.
Manufacturers are meeting consumer demands by adding colour to match home decors, adding finishes so that ironing isn’t necessary and making weaves that may be loose and interesting so that they look nice but after washing may shrink or lose shape. If washing instructions are followed with poor results, return the towel to the manufacturer.
Hopefully, they will correct the problem.
New holiday cookbooks
- Company’s Coming, Home For The Holidays, by Jean Paré, published by Company’s Coming Publishing Ltd., October 2002.
Recently we received this colourful hardcover cookbook. It has such beautiful pictures that it would make a nice Christmas season coffee table book.
The 190 all-new recipes are easy to read and range from appetizers to desserts to Christmas goodies to meaty main dishes. There are also 20 tempting holiday menus that group the recipes. Special party, tree-trimming and table decoration ideas, and recipes for simple home-cooked gifts are included. It is available in bookstores for $24.99.
- The ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen Holiday Cookbook is an annual tradition and the 2002 edition has just been distributed. Once again the cookbook weighs in at 152 pages. This new edition is still a bargain at $5 including GST. Postage and handling charges apply.
The recipes have all been developed and tested in the ATCO test kitchen and written by their professional home economists. There are recipes for every occasion and palate, 11 menus and a generous dash of timely kitchen information.
The cookbook may be purchased in person from the ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen or by calling the order desk toll-free at 800-840-3393. They are also available at ATCO gas and ATCO electric offices throughout
Alberta.
Cookbook draw ATCO Blue Flame Kitchens and Company’s Coming have given us copies of their holiday cookbooks for our Christmas cookbook draw.
To enter, send your name and address to: TEAM Resources Contest, The Western Producer, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4. Deadline to receive your letter is Nov. 30.
A draw will be made from all the entries received and six copies of each cookbook will be given away to the lucky winners.
