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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1999-12-22, Page 5452 Exsq► Titres -Advocaat Wednesday, December 22, 1999 Mother and daughter carry on culinary traditions Christmas, food will be a central part of the event. Christmas was a special time as the Hern children were growing up for it was the one morning of the year when everyone ate breakfast together before open- ing the presents. Christmas din- ner was held at the Herns or at Olga's sister Mary's home until the family outgrew the houses. Today, the Herns rent the Kirkton-Woodham Community Centre and although the setting may not be traditional, they still have Christmas pudding using Olga's recipe. ************************* Plum Pudding 1/3 cup butter 1 cup brown sugar 2 eggs 1/2 cup milk 1 cup seedless raisins, washed and dried 1 cup currants, washed and dried 1/2.1b. container mixed fruit 2 cups sifted bread flour Olga Hern and her daughter Sheila Miller 'share a strong tradition and love 1 tsp. salt of cooking. In today'sTA, they share their family Christmas and appetizer 1 tsp. baking soda recipes 14fith our readers. (photo/Kate Monk) 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. nutmeg Blend butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, add milk, then fruits dredged with 1/2 cup of the flour, ,then the remaining flour sifted- with salt, soda and spices. r Turn into a four -cup mould. Cover and steam 2 1/2 hours. Serve with ice cream or sauce. BY OLGA HERN By Kate Monk.- - ITIMES-ADVOCATE STAFF SOUTH HURON — A positive attitude is the key to success in culinary skills, according to award-winning baker Sheila Miller of Hay Twp. "If you start by; saying it won't turn out, it probably won't," she told the T -A. Sheila comes from a long line of culinary experts. Her mother Olga Hern of Usborne Twp. is well-known in the area for her success in cooking as•was her mother Mary Martene. Olga and her husband Tom raised nine children (five boys and four girls) on their Usborne Twp. farm. Sheila and Olga agree, the chil- dren in their family learned to cook early in life Children too young to cook would set the table or do the dishes. Even the broth- ers were adept in the kitchen with the women recalling Ron Hern cooking eggs while standing on a chair. With 11 people around the table, the Herns would devour 10 pounds of potatoes a day, Olga said. The daily routine included baking a cake and biscuits. "I know my mother baked prob- ably every day," Sheila said, adding Saturdays included buns, six or seven pies and apple dumplings. Canning for the Hern family included 500 jars of pre- serves. Sheila was the eighth child in the family and says she always liked to cook. She recalls cooking the entire meal as early as Gr. 5 if her mother was away at an event. Olga would leave a note with instructions for Sheila to follow. Olga and Sheila remember entering fair and 441 competi- tions all their lives, starting with the school divisions. Baking, can- ning, vegetables, flowe'rs, crops and sewing competitions were all entered. Sheila has. been the culinary champion at the Exeter Fall Fair for the past four years, the cham- pion cook at the Zurich Fair for about 15 years and the baking champion at the .Bayfield Fair for the first time this year. Olga started showing in Crediton in the school division and still has the prize-winning doll's dress. When the children were young, she was too busy to compete but continues to show flowers at the local fairs. "I think this fair stuff gets in your blood," Sheila said. "It would be a shame if fairs didn't carry on. (It's a) rural tradition." She bakes around the clock when entering baking competi- tions at fairs to ensure everything is fresh. "Everything gets one chance," Sheila said. Olga admitted she tried the around the clock technique once and vowed never to try it again. Along with having a positive attitude, Sheila said measuring accurately is the way to get con- sistently good results in baking. When she tries a new recipe, she follows it precisely the first time and may vary the ingredients and measurements thereafter. When preparing pastry, Olga and Sheila recommend every- thing be cold including the water, shortening and hands. Just as coldness is a key to pastry suc- cess, warmth is needed for good. shortbread. They are advocates of making recipes from scratch rather than packages saying it often doesn't take any longer to make simple recipes from scratch and is less expensive. "Some things, if you just put the effort into it once or twice, you might not find it as difficult as you think," Sheila said. When the Herns gather for ************************* Pudding Sauce Mix in saucepan: '2 cups brown sugar 2 large tbsp. cornstarch. Add: 1/4 cup cold water, mix. Add: 2 cups boiling water, cook. Add 2 tbsp. butter, 1 tsp. vanilla or brandy flavouring. This isenough sauce for the pudding recipe. BY OLGA HERN ************************* Christmas Light Fruit Cake 1/2 Ib. candied cherries, cut up 1/2 lb. candied pineapple, cut up 8 oz. citron peel 2 lbs. bleached raisins, washed and dried Soak above overnight in 1 1/2 cups pineapple juice. Sift together: 3 cups bread flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/8 tsp”baking soda Cream together: 1/2 cup shortening 1/2 cup butter 1 cup white sugar Add: 4 eggs, one at a time 1 cup dessicated coconut Alternately add flour mixture and fruit to creamed mixture. Bake 3 hours at 250°. BY OLGA HERN (I have made this since 1961 for Christmases, anniversaries and weddings.) Red Pepper jelly 1 1/2 cup red peppers, seeded and chopped 1 1/2 cup white vinegar 3 oz. liquid pectin 1/4 cup hot red peppers, seeded and chopped 6 1/2 cup white sugar Combine chopped peppers and vinegar i ' processor. Whiz togeth, )eppers are very fine. P o large kettle. Add sugar. Heat on medium-high and stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil and boil 3 minutes. Stir in pectin. Return to a full rolling boil and boil hard one minute. Remove from heat and skim off foam. Pour into sterilized jars and seal. BY SHEILA MILLER ************************* Cheese Log 1/2 lb. grated medium cheddar 3 tbsp. green pepper, chopped 3 tbsp. chopped. pickle 1/2 cup crushed crackers 1/4 cup mayonnaise 3 tbsp. chopped onion 3 tbsp. chopped olives, optional 1 chopped hard-boiled egg 1/2 tsp. salt Combine all ingredients, shape, wrap and chill overnight. BY SHEILA MILLER Snack Mix 8 cups Cheerios 4 cups pretzels 8 cups Crispix 4 cups Cheese Bits (1 pkg.) 4 cups peanuts Combine above ingredients in a. large roast pan. Then combine the following ingredients and pour over the first mixture: 1 1/3 cup melted butter or margarine 2 tsp. garlic powder 4 tbsp. worcestershire sauce 2 tsp. celery salt Bake 30 min. at 250-300°F, stirring after 15 minutes. Cool and store in covered container. BY SHEILA MILLER ************************* Sausage Stack -Ups Summer sausage slices, medi- um thjkness Cream cheese (plain) Using five slice.s of summer sausage, spi oad softened cream cheese between slices, stacking them up as you go. Wrap and chill. When ready to serve, cut into wedges and put on tray with striped side facing up. These look very nice on their own or added to any cheese or meat tray. BY SHEILA MILLER