Canada Packers’ September Domestic Shortening Contest 1948 — I was DUPED again

Almonte Gazette December 1948

As announced last week, Miss Lillian Scott of Almonte won first prize in the Canada Packers’ September Domestic Shortening Contest which appeared in the columns of Chatelaine. A letter from Brenda York who conducted the column, and the recipe follows:

Canada Packers Limited Food Clinic,

Toronto, Canada. 29th, October, 1948.

To -Miss Lillian J. Scott, Box 292, Almonte, Ontario.

Dear Miss Scott:— This is indeed good news: I am most happy to tell you that your recipe for “Domestic Date Dreams” (which we have taken the liberty of renaming) has been awarded the First Prize in my September “Domestic” Shortening Contest.

It also gives me a great deal of pleasure to enclose Canada Packers’ cheque for One Hundred Dollars—the amount of the first prize. I wish you could have heard the Judges’ comments on your most delicious cookies—and seen how quickly they disappeared. They were so light and flavourful— quite unlike any other cookie recipe received in the contest.

The Domestic Shortening contest provided a precedent in that the panel of Judges decided that with so many delicious cakes and cookies Selected as finalists, two First Prizes would be given this month.

So, we are also playing “Santa Claus” to Mrs. D. S. Cummings, of East Kildonan, Manitoba for her fine recipe for “Orange Coconut Domestic Cake.” Your recipe and your name will appear in my column in the December magazine. So, I hope you will look for it there. Once again, my most sincere congratulations. I do hope you will continue to look for my magazine column each month, and will send along your favorite recipes.

Yours very sincerely,

BRENDA YORK. –

The recipe was sent to the ‘Good-Things-To-Eat reporter’ for Canada Packers – a fictional character named Brenda York, who was played by Kathleen Kay Hodgins (a U of T alumna), Mihalache says. Canada Packers was integrated into Maple Leafs Food in the early 1990s. Brenda York of Canada Packers, played by Kathleen ‘Kay‘ Hodgins, promoted the potential of that company’s margarine product, ‘Margene’ ..
  Read more here.. CLICK


“Domestic Date Dreams”

Ingredients

• ¼ cup or shortening or butter
• ¾ cup of brown sugar
• ½ tsp. of vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ cup of flour
• ½ tsp. of baking soda
• ¼ tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. of salt
• ¼ tsp. of cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. of nutmeg
• ½ cup if sour cream
• 2/3 cup of chopped dates
• 2 eggs

Method

• Preheat oven at 400°F.
• Cream together, shortening/butter, sugar and vanilla.
• Add eggs and mix well.
• Sift dry ingredients and add to the shortening/butter mixture alternatively with sour cream.
• Add the dates and nuts last. (The nuts were not initially listed in the ingredients)
• Drop good heapings of the batter on a greased baking sheet.
• Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes.

recipeby Miss Lillian J. Scott of Almonte, Ontario

Another recipe by Brenda York

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Click here-– for cookbook

Addie’s Apples II

About a year ago, I shared a couple of Adelaide Hunter Hoodless’ apple recipes with you. Click on this link if you’d like to re-read that post.

This year, I want to share with you (read: brag about) my recent triumph in the pie-making department. One of the members of the Women Inspiring Women WI is a prize-winning pastry maker. Elaine Tully will hold a couple of workshops later this fall for our WI, but first she wanted to have a technical rehearsal at the church kitchen. There I made my first ever peach pie. OH. EM. GEE. as they say. It was wonderful good!

Yesterday, I made an apple pie using Addie’s Apples. Literally. These apples were picked from the trees at the Homestead.

My hubby tried an apple fresh and found them rather tart. When I told him that I had made a pie he asked, “Did you put in lots of sugar?” Of course, I did, we’re talking brown sugar here!

The secret to success? Cold ingredients and limit handling: keys to fantastic pie crust. I used the pie crust recipe on the Crisco box and Edna Staebler’s Double Crust Apple Pie filling, copied here:

• 3 cups of peeled, cored, and sliced apples (I used 4 cups. Next time I will use more – the crust to fruit ratio can use some tweaking)

Toss the apples in with the following:

• 2/3 to 1 cup sugar, depending on tartness of apples
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (I omitted this – too lazy to grate the nutmeg)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Place in pie shell and dot with

• 2 or 3 tablespoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons of milk or cream

Cover with the top crust, flute edges, and slash the top to create vents for steam to escape.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes until the crusts are a pale golden colour.

***

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About WI
Women’s Institute is a local, provincial, national and international organization that promotes women, families and communities. Our goal is to empower women to make a difference.

About FWIC

The idea to form a national group was first considered in 1912. In 1914, however, when the war began the idea was abandoned. At the war’s end, Miss Mary MacIsaac, Superintendent of Alberta Women’s Institute, revived the idea. She realized the importance of organizing the rural women of Canada so they might speak as one voice for needed reforms, and the value of co-ordinating provincial groups for a more consistent organization. In February 1919, representatives of the provinces met in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to form the Federated Women’s Institutes of Canada.

The identity of the Women’s Institute still lies profoundly in its beginnings. The story of how this historic organization came to be is one that resonates with women all over the world, and is engrained in the mission and vision Ontario WI Members still live by today. CLICK here–

I still have this cookbook but some do not and have asked where they can get one.. It is all online now and you can Click here- to get those fabulous recipes and you can also see their blog also..

D & L Slade Co.– Way of Housekeeping Larry Clark — A Tide Mill

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D & L Slade Co.– Way of Housekeeping Larry Clark — A Tide Mill

Larry Clark

In 1775 the mill provided a footnote to the American Revolution. One of the earliest naval engagements of the war took place near the mill, and its gates prevented the British from sailing up Mill Creek and coming within firing range of Chelsea.
Henry Slade had bought into the mill in 1827, and the innovation introduced in his time was the grinding of tobacco into snuff to supplement corn. As Henry’s children David, Levi and Charles took an interest in the business, they – especially David – wanted to let their new ideas and ambition increase the business.
For one year, Henry turned the mill over to the hard-working David, who increased the mill’s profits to $500 until the older generation stepped back in. But soon David took charge again, creating the D & L Slade Co. with brother Levi. It would for more than 100 years turn out spices for New England home and professional kitchens

 

HISTORY

Re: D&L Slade Company Boston, Massachusetts

By genealogy.com user September 30, 2000 at 07:43:06

• In reply to: D&L Slade Company Boston, Massachusetts

Henry Slade (born 1791) purchased an old mill in Revere that was powered by tidewater.This mill has burned down TWICE, so the poor building that is falling to ruin currently is more modern than Henry’s mill.He used the mill to grind snuff, since he sold tobacco products.He turned over the use of part of the mill to two of his sons, Charles (born 1816) and David (born 1819), and they began to grind spice for wholesale grocers as Slade Spice Company.Charles eventually left the company and was replaced by his brother Levi (born in 1822)and D & L Slade was formed.When Levi died in 1884, the company incorporated, with David, Wilbur L. Slade (son of Levi), Herber L. Slade (son of Levi), and Henry Dillingham (son-in-law of David and husband of Anna Jeanette, David’s daughter, of course).They began to buy spice and sell it, and since they were sticklers for quality, they did very well and the company grew rapidly.They refused to put fillers in their spice, and they soon became the largest seller of unadulterated spice (something that was hard to find in those days).Besides the mill in Revere, they had a factory in Chelsea, and offices in Boston.When Bell Seasoning’s went on the market, they purchased that company, which had also been family-owned, but they retained the name of Bell’s on all its packages.Somehow the same nicety was not extended to the Slade’s brand when it was finally acquired by a large food corporation, and the Slade’s Spice name no longer exists.

THE SLADE MILL

The mill was one of several tide mills dotting the New England coast – an innovation that some say originated in the area. Tide mills worked by using a set of flood gates. When the tide surged in, the flood gates swung open to allow the ocean water to fill the marsh and mill pond. When the tide turned and began to exit the marsh, the gates closed, trapping the water. From this impounded water the mill drew off a steady stream to turn its machinery – similar to the way a mill on a river used the flow to drive its works.

In 1918 Slade would make the investment that keeps its legacy alive today. It bought out the Bell’s Seasoning Company. In 1867, William Bell had begun selling his blend of poultry seasoning through his market in Boston. Bell had started as a grocer in Lowell, Mass. before moving south to Boston where he could buy spices directly off the ships arriving in port.

Over the next 40 years Bell continually expanded the popularity of his Bell’s Seasoning – a blend of rosemary, ginger, oregano, sage and marjoram – until his sudden death at age 76. Sensing opportunity, Slade purchased the brand, but wisely did nothing to change the name or formula. Instead, he  incorporated Bell’s into his own lineup, which had expanded to baking powders, cumin, pepper and a wide range of spices. The company promoted them in its own cookbook.

The Slade name finally disappeared from the grocery shelves in the 1970s when the Slade family sold the company. Only the Bell’s brand name remains today – touted by a wide range of cooks as still the best poultry seasoning for a Thanksgiving turkey.

The Slade Mill, though, still lives on. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, its owners converted it to apartments in 2004.

Hat tip to: The Spice Mill on the Marsh by Thomas P. Smith

The Boston Globe
Boston, Massachusetts
07 Nov 1919, Fri  •  Page 16

The Fall River Daily Herald
Fall River, Massachusetts
15 Jun 1891, Mon  •  Page 3

Comments from Larry Clark

Drove from North Bay to Ottawa with a wedding cake for my sister in law. My wife baked the cake (3 layers) and had it iced professionally here. The baker was a little dubious when told of our mission but completed the cake. Everything went well until the time to cut the cake. They ended up using a hammer on the knife to break the cake open. The cake (and icing, when you managed to soften it) was delicious. Larry Clark

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I always believed in Betty Crocker– well, I wanted to believe that the first lady of food was real. Similar to finding out that Nancy Drew’s author Carolyn Keene wasn’t real, one day Betty Crocker was no longer real either. I realized that dear old Betty was just a brand name and trademark developed by the Washburn Crosby Company.

The story goes that they chose Betty as her name because it sounded as American as the Apple Pie she would show us all how to make. The original Betty Crocker New Picture Cookbook was first published in 1951 and everyone knows someone that has a Betty Crocker Cookbook in their home. Betty, like Margie Blake from the Carnation Company, was important to me as my mother died young, and food somehow replaced parental figures. Well, that’s what a few years of therapy taught me.

The recipes from any Betty Crocker Cookbook are from leaner times, and in the 50’s my mother used to make Tuna Pinwheels and Canned Devilled Ham Canape’s for her canasta parties. Bernice Ethylene Crittenden Knight was a stickler for an attractive food presentation, and she also made something called Congealed Salad for holiday meals. A combination of Orange Jello, Cool Whip, crushed pineapple, and wait for it, shredded cheese. I think my Dad called it “Sawdust Salad” and I seriously tried to remain clueless as to why. I’m sure everyone has a family member that says they’ll bring a “salad” to a family dinner, but then they bring some Jello concoction. Bonus points if it has marshmallows.  Actually I feel more justified in calling anything a salad if I dump leftover taco beef and salsa onto a little lettuce topped with shredded cheese.

Everyone baked bread, but I guess not all people like Betty’s Fruit Loaf recipes because on page 78 of my vintage Betty Crocker cookbook the former owner of the book hand wrote:

“Terrible, even Nookie the dog turned it down.”

The steamed brown bread baked in a can was another baking tragedy. It was so horrible my Dad took my Grandmother’s failed recipe target shooting at the Cowansville dump. I would like to think that some of those rats got to feast on one of those brown breads. Of course, maybe after sampling it, they might have wanted to be put out of their misery.

I also used to love Betty Crocker’s 7 minute-frosting that my mother would put it on some of her 1950s nuclear coloured cake. Then there were the Floating Islands, homemade Rice Pudding, chilled with whipped cream and cinnamon on top. My grandmother’s specialty was steamed English Pudding, and when she was done, she would soak lumps of sugar with orange extract and then place them decoratively around the pudding. One by one each lump would be lighted with a match which would result in a near miss family dinner explosion each time.

Nostalgic triggers a story about our lives, helping us reflect on traditions and moments about the days when our  parents and grandparents were alive. That’s why we should never lose print recipes, and real paper-based cookbooks. Those mystery meat recipes, books, and foods that were the same colour as radiation will always resonate with us because we get to see and relive the gravy stained favourites, and the personal notes in the margins. If reading about Betty Crocker has you craving a big slice of cake, you’re not alone. Time to bake!

 

You can also read Linda in The Townships Sun and theSherbrooke Record and and Screamin’ Mamas (USACome and visit the Lanark County Genealogical Society Facebook page– what’s there? Cool old photos–and lots of things interesting to read. Also check out The Tales of Carleton Place. Tales of Almonte and Arnprior Then and Now.

 

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Drawing by Paula Lentz Grade 6–circa 80s

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Chocolate Marshmallow Clusters– Fruit and Nut Clusters–Drew Gray Kindergarten Class–circa 80s

•  1 can Eagle Brand
• 1 (12 oz.) pkg.
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 3 c. miniature marshmallows
• 1/2 c candied cherries
• 1/2 cup raisins

• Combine Eagle Brand milk and chocolate chips and peanut butter in large saucepan.
• Allow chips to melt over very low heat, stirring constantly until chips are melted and mixed completely. Let cool until lukewarm, gradually fold in marshmallows, raisins and candied cherries until covered with chocolate.
• Spoon onto waxed paper ( lightly spread some butter on the wax paper, so no sticking) in small clusters.
• Let stand at room temperature, then chill in refrigerator to set.

Illustration by John Wright Grade 5 –Circa 80s

 

 

Easy Oatmeal Bread– Mrs. Elizabeth Mittler- Kindergarten Teacher

• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 2 Tbsp dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2/3 cup Molasses
• 6 cups flour

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl combine butter, salt and rolled oats.
2. Pour the 2 cups of boiling water over the rolled oats mixture. Cool to lukewarm.
3. In a small bowl combine the 1 cup warm water and sugar. Stir in yeast then add to the cooled oat mixture.
4. Mix in molasses.
5. Gradually add flour. (You may need to turn the dough out onto the counter to incorporate the final cup or two of flour.)
6. Divide dough in half, shape into loaves and place in two greased loaf pans.
7. Cover with a clean dishtowel and let rise until doubled in bulk (about 1.5 hours, but really depends on how warm your kitchen is).
8. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes to an hour, until loaves sound hollow when tapped.
9. Remove from pans to cool.

 

 

Clipped from The Ottawa Journal,  29 Jun 1977, Wed,  Page 61

Information where you can buy all Linda Seccaspina’s books-You can also read Linda in The Townships Sun and Screamin’ Mamas (USA)

Come and visit the Lanark County Genealogical Society Facebook page– what’s there? Cool old photos–and lots of things interesting to read. Also check out The Tales of Carleton Place.

 

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I Want Them to Bite into a Cookie and Think of Me and Smile – Zoomer.