When readers’ questions arrive, they spark a search. It usually starts at home, looking through the piles of paper on our desks, in past articles, in filing cabinets or in our cookbooks. If no answer is found there, we start looking elsewhere. That could be asking family or friends, doing an internet search, or phoning and e-mailing those we think might have an answer. If all this fails, we turn to our readers for help. All of this can take can take several weeks.
On the other hand, some answers can be found quickly. For example, I recently received the following e-mail:
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Ask tough questions to determine if business still works
Across the country, a hard conversation is unfolding. Many producers are starting to ask a tougher question: can we keep doing this the way we always have?
“Would you have a book in your collection entitled: Best of The Fairs, Prize Winning recipes from Canadian Fairs. I’m looking for a recipe that I’m pretty sure is in this book called Two Hour Cinnamon Buns. It wasn’t near the two hour bun recipe in the book, but maybe in the last half of the book. Thank you. Louise.”
Knowing I didn’t have this cookbook, I began thinking about who might. The first person that came to mind was a friend I could e-mail whose husband had worked for the Canadian Association of Exhibitions. I also wondered if the public library would have it.
After procrastinating for another 20 minutes, I thought of a friend Cindy, right in our little town, who had worked for the exhibition. I called Cindy and she knew she had one fair cookbook and would call me back. In a few minutes she called to say she had that particular book and the recipe for two hour cinnamon buns was on page 11. Whooo, I thought, this is my lucky day. In less than an hour after getting a question, I had the answer. Some days things just fall into place – and some days they do not.
Two hour cinnamon buns
3 cups warm water 750 mL
1/2 cup granulated 125 mL
sugar
6 tablespoons oil 90 mL
1 tablespoon salt 15 mL
2 eggs
2 tablespoons yeast 30 mL
7-8 cups flour 1.75-2 L
1/4 cup melted butter 60 mL
1/2 cup brown sugar 125 mL
11/2 teaspoons cinnamon 7 mL
1 cup raisins,optional 250 mL
Mix water, sugar, oil, salt and eggs. In a separate bowl, mix yeast and four cups (one L) flour. Blend well. Add remaining flour. Let rise 15 minutes. Punch down. Let rise again. Punch down. Halve the dough.
On a floured surface, roll to 16 x eight inch (40 x 20 cm) rectangle. Combine butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread over dough. Sprinkle with one cup (250 mL) raisins. Roll like a jelly roll. Seal edge. Cut in one inch (2.5 cm) slices. Place cut side down in greased nine by nine inch (22 x 22 cm) square cake pan that has been sprinkled with brown sugar. Cover. Let rise one hour. Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 20-25 minutes. Makes 16 buns.
Submitted by Donna Hickle of the Hanna & District Agricultural Society, Alta. Source: The Best of the Fairs, Canadian Association of Exhibitions, 1986.
Old cookbooks
Dear TEAM: Where can one obtain the old recipe books from 1940-80? The old style of cooking was by far better than this modern junk. – L.W., Sundre, Alta.
Dear L.W.: Possible sources of older cookbooks could be:
- Bookstores. There are older cookbooks that have been reprinted, often keeping the character of the original book. Also, some new cookbooks are made up of older, heritage type recipes.
- Garage sales and auctions.
- Used book sales put on by charities.
- Gift shops of museums. Often they sell heritage cookbooks. In Saskatchewan, the Western Development Museum, with branches in Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Saskatoon and Yorkton, are selling the original 1955 From Saskatchewan Homemakers’ Kitchens cookbook. Women of the Saskatchewan Homemakers’ Clubs compiled this cookbook in honour of Saskatchewan’s Golden Jubilee and dedicated it to the women of yesterday. In 2005 the Western Development Museum, with the support of the Saskatchewan Women’s Institute, reprinted the cookbook in honour of the province’s centennial.
The reprint is exact, without alteration, from the original book in which the recipes and sketches are done by hand. To get a copy, visit one of the museum branches or phone 306-934-1400, e-mail: info@wdm.ca. Members of
Saskatchewan Women’s Institutes also have copies.
Cooking with kids
Kids can learn how to use a microwave and also get practice in reading recipes when making this tasty square. Everyone in the family will love to eat it.
Mars bar squares
3 Mars bars
1/2 cup butter or 125 mL
margarine
3 cups Rice Krispies 750 mL
1 cup chocolate chips 250 mL
1 tablespoon butter or 15 mL
margarine
Melt Mars bars and 1/2 cup (125 mL) butter or margarine in microwave on high for 11/2 minutes. Stir partway through the heating.
Add Mars bar mixture to Rice Krispies. Press into an eight by eight inch (20 x 20 cm) pan.
Melt chocolate chips and one tablespoon (15 mL) butter or margarine by heating in the microwave, on high, for approximately 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir until the chips are melted. Put on top of the Rice Krispies mixture.
Cool and slice. Yield: 25 squares.
Mouse cupcakes
Using food to create a “mouse” will be fun for the kids. Their creative talents will no doubt lead to other designs. Makes eight mice.
1 chocolate cake mix
8 scoops vanilla ice cream
16 sandwich or mint cookies
small candies – red hots,
M&M’s or skittles
shoestring licorice
Prepare cake mix according to package for cupcakes. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake and cool completely before removing from pan.
When cool, top each cake with a scoop of ice cream. Decorate to resemble a mouse with two cookies for ears and candies for eyes, nose and mouth. Cut and insert licorice for the whiskers. If melting has occurred, place in the freezer for a half hour before serving.
Tip: Freeze the cupcakes for easier handling.
Source: www.amazingmoms.com.
Skewered fruit snack
Fruit outside the bowl may have more kid appeal.
Buy 12 inch (30 cm) bamboo skewers and cut them in half with scissors to make them kid-friendly kebabs. A blunt end will still work when threading the fruit. In fact, you may want to blunt any remaining points for small children.
Fruit: two cups (500 mL) of three or four different fruits.
Choose from strawberries (hulled and halved), pineapple, melon or mango chunks (about the size of an eraser), kiwi, pieces of apples or pears, grapes or mandarin sections.
Dip:
3/4 cup low-fat vanilla 175 mL
yogurt
1/4 cup low-fat granola 60 mL
2 tablespoons unsweetened
shredded coconut 30 mL
In a small bowl, combine yogurt, granola and coconut.
Take a six inch (15 cm) long skewer and thread with pieces of fruit. Repeat with remaining five skewers. Serve as is, sprinkled with icing sugar or with the above dip.
Makes six skewers. Adapted from Today’s Parent, May 2005.
Backpack treats
Here are some simple treats to pack for your next hike, whether it’s around the block or up and over the closest hill.
Apple surprise: Using an apple corer or a knife (have an adult help you with the knife), cut out the inside of an apple. Remove the core and all apple seeds. Fill the apple with peanut butter or a mixture of peanut butter and raisins.
Orange sipper: Using a knife or the tip of a potato peeler, poke a hole about one third of the way through an orange. Insert a plastic straw into the hole. When thirsty, suck the juice out of the orange. You may need to “massage” the orange.
Favourite crackers: Add cheese slices to go with them.
Trail mix: Mix equal amounts of any combination of these ingredients: oat, corn, rice or wheat cereal; chocolate chips; raisins or other dried fruit bits; shredded coconut; peanuts or other chopped nuts.
Source: Kidz Korner by Melani Roewe.
Alma Copeland is a home economist from Elrose, 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.
