Marina Tracy’s Shortbread

2 cups flour 

2 Tbsp sugar 

½ cup shortening 

1 egg 

½ cup milk (use extra to moisten if needed) 

3 tsp baking powder 

½ tsp salt 

Mix egg & milk with dry ingredients. 

 Press into two 9” pans. 

Poke with a fork to ventilate. 

Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

St. George's Fondant-Filled Easter Eggs

This is the recipe for the chocolate-coated Easter Eggs which were made and sold each year as a fund-raiser by the women of St. George's Anglican Church in Lennoxville. Each egg flavor was decorated with a different frosting design to tell the flavors apart. In the eighties, the women made in excess of 500 eggs each year and they sold out quickly.

Mix together and knead:
3 lbs icing sugar
2/3 can condensed milk
½ lb butter
1 Tbsp vanilla
½ tsp salt

plus your choice of any one of the following flavourings:

Chocolate: 1 ½ tsp vanilla + ½ Tbsp cocoa powder

Cherry: ½ cup chopped drained cherries + ½ cup milk

Maple walnut: 1 ½ tsp maple flavour + ½ cup chopped walnuts

Coconut: 1 ½ tsp coconut flavour + ½ cup coconut

Peanut butter: 1 cup peanut butter + 2 Tbsp corn syrup

Form into half-eggs (flat one side, about 4" x 2" x 1.5"), dip into melted semi-sweet chocolate, let cool on baking paper. Decorate with icing if desired.

Maple Nut Apple Muffins

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup grated apple (2 medium)
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup plain yoghurt
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp oil
1 ¼ cup flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

In bowl, combine oats, apple, syrup, yoghurt, egg and oil.

In another bowl, combine balance of dry ingredients. Stir liquid ingredients into flour mixture until just combined. Spoon batter into 12 large paper-lined muffin cups.

Bake 400° for about 20 minutes. Makes 12-15 muffins.

Morning Glory Muffins

Into a large bowl, mix:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 ¼ cups white sugar
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt

Stir in:
2 cups grated carrot
½ cup raisins
½ cup nuts
½ cup coconut
1 apple, peeled, cored and grated

In bowl, beat:
3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 tsp vanilla

Stir into flour mixture until batter is just combined. Spoon into well-greased muffin cups, filling to the top.

Bake 350° for 20 minutes. Makes about 14 large muffins.

Banana-Oatmeal Muffins

combine and set aside:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup milk

In a large bowl, combine:
2 cups flour
½ cup white sugar
5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg

To soaked oats mixture, add:
½ cup margarine, melted and cooled
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups mashed bananas (4-5 medium)

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix only until the flour is moistened. Fill greased muffin cups and bake at 375° for 20 minutes.

Basic Muffin Batter

To this batter, you can add anything you have on hand: chocolate chips, fruit, berries, nuts, etc.

1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup sugar
½ cup milk
¼ cup melted butter or margarine
1 egg

Stir together dry ingredients.

Mix melted butter, beaten egg and milk. Add liquid ingredients to dry, stirring only to moisten.

Bake 375° for 15-20 minutes.
Yields 8 medium muffins.

(Most of Mom’s more recent muffin recipes came from Muffin Mania, (c) 1982 by Cathy Prange and Joan Pauli.)

Date Squares

3 cups rolled oats
2 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar

Filling:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
1 lb dates

Dice dates and add water. Cook until tender. Add brown sugar and cook until thick.

Mix together first 6 ingredients. Put one-half of oat mixture in greased 12x8 inch pan. Press down. Spread with date filling. Top with remaining oat mixture and press down. Bake 30-40 minutes at 325°. Cut in squares while warm. Cool in pan.

Apple Sauce Raisin Squares

1 egg, beaten
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ cup plain yogurt
¾ cup brown sugar
1 cup apple sauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp grated lemon rind

Mix above ingredients. In another bowl, stir together:
½ cup raisins
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup natural bran
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
¼ tsp nutmeg

Add to wet ingredients and mix only until combined. Turn into lightly greased 8” or 2 litre square cake pan.

Lightly press: 1/3 cup sliced almonds into top of batter. Bake in 350° oven for 45 minutes. Let cool, then cut into 25 squares.

Bruce’s Rum Balls

1 box (275 g) Girl Guide Cookies (the traditional cream-filled biscuits of vanilla and chocolate. You can substitute the same volume of similar cookies if you wish.)
¼ cup cocoa
1 cup icing sugar (because they are not sweet enough on their own)
½ cup corn syrup (as above)
2 Tbsp rum (Mom puts in less than this; Bruce triples it. This recipe is very flexible)

Crush cookies and mix with cocoa and icing sugar. Add syrup and rum. Form into balls. Roll in additional icing sugar if desired.

Store in an airtight container in the cold room in the basement until Christmas.

Lemon Glacés

Base:
1 cup flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1/3 cup margarine

Mix and pack into 8” x 8” pan. Bake at 350° for 15 – 20 minutes (not until browned).

Topping:
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup brown sugar
¾ cup coconut
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
pinch salt
1/8 tsp baking powder
½ tsp vanilla extract

Mix and place on top of base. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes.

Frosting:
2 tsp grated lemon rind
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup icing sugar

Mix frosting ingredients. Frost when hot from oven. Cool, and cut into about 36 small squares.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

1 ½ cup sugar
½ cup soft margarine
½ cup oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup sour milk or cream
2 cups shredded zucchini, seeded
1 ½ cup flour
4 Tbsp cocoa
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
Chocolate chips

Cream margarine, add oil & sugar. Add beaten eggs, vanilla & sour milk / cream. Add sifted dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Put into 9” x 13” pan. Top with chocolate chips. Bake at 325° for 40 – 50 minutes.

Moist and light, this recipe is especially good for using up those unfortunate torpedo-sized zucchini which kind of get away on you.

Snicker Doodles

2 ¾ white flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup shortening
1 ½ + ¼ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients. Form into balls and roll balls in:

¼ cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon.

Place on ungreased baking sheet about two inches apart. Bake 12-15 minutes at 375°

Store in decorative tins in the cold room until Christmas.

Secrets

½ cup shortening
½ cup margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs (well beaten)
2 pkg. crushed graham cookies/crackers
24 cut up marshmallows
4 Tbsp coconut
4 Tbsp nuts
1 tsp vanilla

Stir all ingredients together and pack in dish. Keep cool.

Apple Crisp

5-10 medium apples, cut up in medium slices or pieces. Sprinkle with topping:

¼ cup flour
¼ cup oatmeal
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup margarine

Bake for 30 minutes at 350°. For a crisper top, broil for a few minutes once cooked through.

Orange Scones

2 2/3 cups white flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
½ cup margarine
1 Tbsp orange rind
½ cup raisins/currants
3 Tbsp vinegar
¾ cup orange juice or part water
1 egg

Combine all dry ingredients, cut and mix in margarine. Add all wet ingredients. Roll out and cut in rectangles or small circles. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake in 425° oven for 15 minutes. Best served warm.

Zucchini Pickles

1 gallon zucchini
8 small onion
2 green pepper
2 red pepper
½ cup salt
1 quart crushed ice

Chop and combine. Let sit for 3 hours or more. Drain.

5 cups sugar
1 ½ tsp turmeric
½ ground clove
2 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp celery seed
5 cups white vinegar
1 tsp pickling spice

Combine and boil. Add drained vegetables, boil until tender. Seal.

Bread & Onion Stuffing

1 ½ cup butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 tsp poultry seasoning
3 quarts day-old bread, cubed
1 ½ cup hot water or bouillon

Melt ¼ cup butter in skillet, add onion, sauté until yellow, not brown. Add remaining butter and seasonings.

Add half of bread, cook 4 minutes stirring constantly. Combine with rest of bread cubes in large mixing bowl. Sprinkle water/bullion over mixture, tossing until well blended. Pile lightly into poultry.

(Shape remaining into balls, bake 20 minutes.) Makes enough to fill a 12 lb turkey and 10 balls.

Everyday Meat Loaf

2/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1 cup milk
1 ½ lbs hamburger
2 beaten eggs
¼ cup grated onion
1 tsp salt
½ tsp sage
dash pepper

Soak bread crumbs in milk; add meat, eggs, etc. Mix well. Form in loaf pan. Cover with piquant sauce, below. Bake 350° for 45-60 minutes.

Piquant Sauce

3 Tbsp brown sugar
¼ cup ketchup
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp dry mustard

Tourtière

Ground beef and/or ground pork and/or ground turkey, about 1 to 1½ lbs in total
1 onion, chopped
½ cup cooked rice or bread crumbs
salt and pepper
chopped celery leaves
allspice, sage, savoury, parsley and marjoram

Cook ground beef, pork or turkey (1 or all 3) with onion until done. Drain. Add up to ¾ cup boiling water. Add spices. Cover and cook for ½ hour. Stir in cooked rice or breadcrumbs (or both). Place all in uncooked pie crust and bake for 35-40 minutes at 350°.

Cranberry Juice

8 cups cranberries (washed, picked over)
18 cups water (less if you wish)
¼ cup lemon juice
3 cups sugar

Cook, mash and strain first three ingredients. Add sugar to juice. Bring to boil. Put in sterilized jars and seal.