Dill Pickles, Kensington Market and a multitude of matriarchs

My first batch of dill pickles

I grew up in a beautiful old house in a lovely neighbourhood in Toronto.  My bedroom had vaulted ceilings and lots of windows that faced our front yard.  Mom helped me choose my wallpaper - a lovely soft rose pink colour with ivory cameo designs.

One feature of our century home was that the basement was more like a cellar.  The ceilings were low (maybe 6½ feet high).  It was mostly used for laundry and storage, but I took over the room at the bottom of the stairs and transformed it into my classroom.  I had chalk boards, and a makeshift teacher's desk, and would spend countless hours down there teaching my imaginary students.

The only other time I went down there other than to "teach" was to help Mom make pickles.  Oh what an adventure it was each year...

Mom would pile us in her station wagon and off we'd go to Kensington Market to see Sam at the Augusta Fruit Market.  Sam was an older man who both my Baba Dora and mother went to for all their "produce preserving production" needs.  He would have a couple of boys load bushel upon bushel of "cukes" (small cucumbers) into Mom's car, along with tons of garlic and fresh dill, and off we'd go.

I don't remember how everything made it to the basement laundry room, but I do remember my job once it was all in place...scrubbing endless sink-loads of cucumbers.  I stood there for what felt like hours - and probably was - scrubbing every last hint of dirt from them...do you think that it what made me the clean freak I am today?!

I can remember Mom peeling garlic as the rinsed dill lay out to dry on the makeshift  counter tops (towels on the top of the washing machine and dryer).

I can see Mom dropping the garlic cloves & dill into each mason jar, then stuffing the cucumbers into them, contorting her hands to squeeze as many as she could into each jar, then pouring the brine over top and sealing the jars...

Oh how I wish we had photos of this assembly line operation - it was something to see, and to experience!

We would make tons and tons of jars...they lined the walls of our basement storage room, and everyone loved them.  We would anxiously wait for the pickles to be ready...it took weeks, and then, voila - pickles for everyone!

When Mom got sick it dawned on me, for the first time, that all the delicacies I grew up eating and enjoying would never pass to the next generation.  There was no way I could recreate these dishes from scratch, without any clues as to the ingredients, measurements, etc.

When I started going through My Golden Treasures I stumbled upon these 2 recipes...Auntie Adele's Cold Pack Dill Pickles and Louise's Boiled Brine Dill Pickles.  I can remember Mom boiling the brine, so I know she made her mother's recipe. I cannot explain to you what a thrill it was for me to discover that all was not lost.  I can keep the recipes going, and document them for my kids, brother, niece and cousins...so the recipes will not stop with the generation before...they can continue.

Bubbie Lou's original recipe card

And I have decided that it is high time I take my rightful place in the line of matriarchs and take on the Mount Everest of Mama's recipes: Bubbie Lou's Dills.  I find this intimidating and exciting at the same time.  My memories of pickle-making are those of a little girl...we hurdled mountains to make these things - or so it seemed from a young girl's eyes.  More than intimidated, I am on shpilkis (defined by the Urban Dictionary as 'bounc(ing) off the walls', nervous energy without purpose. In English - to be 'on pins and needles'.) because I am the third (maybe fourth if it originated with Bubbie Gertie) generation to make this recipe...I am keeping it going...

I think I might have backed out of the whole pickle-making adventure, except that I came home to find that my husband picked up a box of jars and a basket of mini cucumbers for me to start my project.  And so began my pickling adventure.  There was just one small problem - we were already committed to making 3 cases of tomatoes into sauce with my in laws over the long weekend.  So I put off my pickle project to the Labour Day Monday.  

When Monday came around I washed the mason jars, soaked and scrubbed the mini cucumbers, rinsed the dill, boiled the brine, and starting peeling garlic.  It all came back to me - the smells of the dill and the bubbling brine, even Mom's trick for easily peeling the garlic.  

All the years since I had last made pickles had slipped away, in my mind I went back in time...I was with my mother again, learning at her side, pickling under her watchful eye.  And so it was that I was overcome by a strange combination of comfort and loss.  I contorted my fingers and managed to squeeze all the cucumbers into the jars.  When I ran out of cukes, I managed to find a fantastic farm just minutes away that carries the most amazing produce and picked up 2 more baskets so I could finish off the job.  

All in all, it was not nearly as daunting an undertaking as I thought it would be, and even though I started small, making just 11 jars of cucumbers and 1 jar of green cherry tomatoes, I am left with a satisfying sense of accomplishment.  Next year I am planning on pickling a bushel!

So from my family to yours, here is a pictorial step-by-step of Bubbie Lou's dills pickles.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

Soak and scrub the cucumbers

Rinse and drain the dill

Pour 16 cups of water in large stock pot

Add 2 cups of PICKLING vinegar

Add 7/8 cup of coarse PICKLING salt

Add 2 tsp of mixed pickling spices

Bring combination of all ingredients to a boil,
boiling gently for 5 minutes and then let cool

Peel garlic cloves (2 cloves to each jar)

We're ready to start packing and pickling!

Brine is cooled and ready to pour

Place 1 clove of garlic and a few
sprigs of dill in the bottom of each jar

Pack each jar with cucumbers (or green tomatoes)

Pour brine over packed pickles until
brine reaches top of each jar, seal tightly,
store for 2 weeks, then fill jars with brine
to overflow and reseal...they're ready!  

Louise's Dill Pickles (Boiled Brine)

Brine Ingredients:
16 C tap water
2 C Heinz pickling vinegar
1 small C pickling salt (ie ¾  to ⅞ in the measuring cup)
2 tsp whole mixed spices

General Ingredients:
dill weed
garlic cloves, whole and peeled
small cucumbers, scrubbed

Method:
Boil the brine ingredients for 5 minutes or so, and cool.  In washed jar place dill..garlic..pickles..dill, garlic..(I am assuming it is layered throughout the jar), then pour brine to overflow (ie right to the top of the jar (I will be doing this in the sink!).  Seal tight - set on table or boards with papers.

In 10 days to 2 weeks, unseal and add brine to overflowing.  Wipe jars and place on shelf.

Salmon Patties...simply scrumptious!

The room is dark, except for the flickering glow of the television broadcasting the 6:00 news from CHCH TV in Hamilton.

Outside is a blustering winter night, snow blowing in the wind, people braving the elements to come home to their families and hunker down for the night.

A little girl is fast asleep in the cushioned orange swivel chair (remember, this was the 1970s) in her father's den.

From the floor below, savoury cooking smells start to waft upstairs, and then her mother's melodic voice calls up for the kids to come to dinner.

Heavy-eyed, the little girl pulls herself from sleep, turns off the television, and makes her way downstairs for dinner - mmm salmon patties.

This is a true memory, and as vivid today as the day - some 35 years ago - that I lived it.  And the salmon patties were so delicious.  Hot and crisp, dipped into HP sauce.  This is a lovely meal, with a side Caesar salad and some Duchess potatoes.  One that I plan on making the next time Sara is out (she is allergic to fish, so it is not something we indulge in when she is home).

From my family to yours, I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do.

Until next time, I wish you a wonderful day filled with family, fun, friends and fantastic food.  B'Tayavon & Buon Appetito!


Carol's Salmon Patties

Ingredients:

• 1 can salmon
• ½C bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 tsp worchestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Combine all ingredients, form into patties, fry in skillet until golden brown.  Serve hot with HP sauce or the white sauce Mom has written on the same page as this recipe.  

Carol's White Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• pinch of salt
• 1C milk

Method:

Combine ingredients in the order they are listed, heat in saucepan, whisk the whole time.  Serve hot on salmon patties.

A Guest Post For A SPECIAL Reason

Hello everyone surfing the Internet world, I am the ten year old offspring of Naomi, who is the offspring of Carol, who is the offspring of Louise, who is the offspring of Gertrude, who is the offspring of...


I forget.

My mom made me write in the introduction :"The ten year old offspring" because my writing is a bit awkward at parts.

Anyways, hi. So, I was just being the athlete I am, surfing.

Surfing the web.

When I was going to check out my blog. (I would promote it because it is just so amazing, but I care so much about it that I forgot the URL) When Naomi forgot to log out of My Mother's Treasure. I was about to log out when I saw something extremely amazing on the screen.

And this time it wasn't the reflection of my face.

It was the amount of views that this blog has reached.

Before I go on, there is one thing you should understand about how our household works:
Everyone worships me and feeds me grapes while I sit in my throne.

Hah. I wish.

Actually, I am probably the most talkative person in this household, not to mention the most observant of imperfect things. I guess you could call me a perfectionist. Anything and everything that goes on in my house, I notice.

Not so lucky for my family.

So, I notice on the clock when any of these happen:

• 1:11
• 2:22
• 3:33
• 4:44
• 5:55
• (and let's not forget:) 11:11

I have this ritual, that I find just the best thing ever known to man. But I was rudely awakened by everyone at school that: (and I quote) "Rebecca, be quiet. You are probably the most annoying person in this class. And you know you are extremely annoying when we are even counting our teacher."


Ouch.

So, the ritual is to say this every time I see that on the clock: (e.g. 1:11)

"It's exactly 1:11 which is three ones, which is all ones on that (alarm clock, computer screen, Rogers Cable Box, you get the idea)".


But I can't be jumping around. My voice has to be smooth, and so do my actions, and I have to say this extremely fast with fluid movements, and a soft smooth voice before the minute passes.

How is this a ritual with  my family? Mostly because, each time they tend to say:

"Go outside if you want to say that."


That is a problem, because I need to be looking at the clock when I say that, and not to mention:
Soft and smooth blinking.


Sorry, I took so long to explain it, that you might need to read the beginning again to remember what this was about.

Okay, continuing, the most amazing thing I had ever seen on the Internet was:

It was exactly 18000 views on My Mother's Treasure! So I quickly said:
"It is exactly eighteen-thousand views which is three words,which is eighteen-thousand views on that computer screen."


And I succeeded.

This might have been confusing, but this moment was mostly special because I succeeded at saying nineteen words really fast, before it became 18001 views.

Now a lot of people might write in response to this post:
"I wanted recipes because recipes are cool and make me so happy and all so give me recipes instead of reading this kid's writing."
or.
"I wanted to hear about Hanukkah and stuff because I like dreidels and latkes instead of reading this kid's writing."
or.
"Rebecca sounds amazing. Just like a goddess."

But I have one thing to say to every single one of those comments.
(Except for the last one.)

"Hey. Don't say that. My Mom says I'm cool."
and.
"On the Internet you can be anything you want behind that screen.
It's strange so many people choose to be awkward."

Thank you for reading this guest post.


Yabba dabba doo.

(^I learned how to sign off like that from a website that says it makes you look extra cool.)

White Cake...perfect for a wedding!

Our "Wedding" Cupcakes

I love a good love story...who doesn't?   Well, this love story has inspired me to make 6 dozen cupcakes for a family wedding this past Saturday, so I suppose I can share a little of it with you here...

My sister-in-law, Frances, is a florist and made
all the centrepieces...aren't they gorgeous!?!

As a teenager, Carlo's sister met, and fell in love with a young man, Antonio.  They both stood as attendants at Uncle Mario's wedding some 40+ years ago (pictured below).  As fate would have it, they both married other people and went on to have beautiful families.  But the love from their youth never died.

Marisa & Antonio:
attendants in Uncle Mario's Wedding

Years later, we were at a family wedding (Uncle Mario's daughter - coincidence?  I think not).  I was 3 months' pregnant with Sara and I can recall someone pointing out this man to me...he was my sister-in-law's long-lost love.  They did not connect that night, but the memory stuck with me.

Fast forward to a blustery winter's day a few years' back. We braved a snowstorm to go out and attend a family bridal shower (Uncle Mario's then future daughter-in-law - another coincidence?  No way!).  While we were there, a lady mentioned him to my sister-in-law, again!  This lady was adamant that they needed to reconnect.  That spring they did...he called, they went out and a whirlwind romance was set in motion.  They fell in love, again, and we, the newer generation of the family met Tony on my mother-in-law's 75th birthday.  The following January they were engaged - he took her for a ride in a horse-drawn coach while vacationing in Florida and proposed on the pier {{sigh}}.

They finally tied the proverbial knot this past weekend, some 45 years later.  They had a beautiful, intimate garden wedding at home, and in the age-old tradition of the familia making the sweet table, I was honoured to be considered part of this family and contributed my mandelbrot (biscotti) and cupcakes.  Thankfully I have 2 incredible daughters with tremendous artistic talent, so the cupcakes were gorgeous...but I wanted the whole shebang to be from scratch...

I found a recipe for "White Cake" from my grandmother...it looks simple and foolproof...so I decided to make the cake and icing courtesy of Bubbie Lou...she, too, loved a good love story, and had one of her own.

She and my grandfather grew up knowing one another.  The Regina Jewish Community was, and is, very small and tight-knit.  My grandmother was a young beauty and my grandfather the handsome athlete.

They fell in love in the 1930s and then the war broke out.  Bubbie was a war bride, getting married in a small, modest wedding on June 30, 1940.  Mom was born a couple of years later.

Meanwhile, Zaida had enlisted in the army, as had Bubbie's youngest brother, Uncle Paul.  The story goes that Zaida kept an eye or for his young brother-in-law during those years.  They were posted in Kingston, Ontario for a while, and Bubbie moved in, with baby Carol in tow, to live with her parents while Zaida was in training.  I believe Mom and Bubbie did move to Kingston for awhile.

World War Two ended before Zaida was shipped out, and they returned home to resume their normal daily life.  They went onto have 2 more children and live a happy long life together.  We all gathered together in Regina to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in 1990, just as Bubbie was succumbing to Alzheimer's Disease.

Five years later, they were both resident in Pioneer Village, Regina's long-term care facility.   Bubbie lay in her bed, in failing health, and Zaida sat at her bedside, holding her hand.  She opened her eyes, and through the fog of dementia she smiled at him and called him "Sunkie Poonkie", their pet name for one another.  So strong was their love for one another that it overpowered the all-powerful dementia.

And so, in my mind, I thought it was only fitting that I prepare the recipe of one bride for another...and thereby keep the love stories running through the generations, even if only through cake.

A little blurry, but I love, love, love this photo of them!

Aren't they a beautiful couple?

Mazal Tov and Auguri (congratulations) Marisa and Antonio...may you enjoy a lifetime of health, happiness and joy as you embark on this next chapter of your life together!

With Uncle Mario (where it all began some 45 years ago!)

Bubbie Lou's White Cake


Ingredients:

• ¼C butter (I use Imperial margarine)
• 1C granulated sugar
• 1 egg (unbeaten)
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 1½C sifted flour
• 2½ tsp baking powder
• ⅔C milk

Method:

Preheat oven to 350˚.  Blend butter (margarine) and sugar until crumbly.  Mix in whole, unbeaten egg, then milk.  Blend dry ingredients separately, add to batter and blend well.  Place in greased 5x8 pan (or greased  muffin cups if making cupcakes - this recipe makes an even dozen cupcakes).  Bake at 350˚ for 20 minutes, checking every couple of minutes until they are just starting to turn golden on top.  As I read on a foodie sight - white cake is supposed to be white!  If overcooked, the cupcakes will dry out and won't release from the paper cups.  The maximum baking time should be 30 minutes, but cupcakes may need less time.  After 30 minutes, remove from oven, cool on a rack, then ice/frost when they've cooled completely.  

Banana Bread....From Bubbie Lou, to Mom, to Me...

I can still picture Mom's kitchen in our third house - the house of my adulthood.  Mom would dig into her deep freeze and pull out a bucket of pre-made (by her, of course) muffin mix...she'd scoop out a dozen muffins and bake up a batch for us to nosh (nibble) on.

Oh how I wish I'd paid attention to the recipe...but, much like my kids do with me these days, I humoured her and listened with one ear.  And now I cannot find the recipe anywhere.  I know it called for raisin bran, but that's as much as I recall. 

But the message was not lost on me...I remember how nice it was to always find Mama's freshly-baked muffins on hand - the perfect quick fix for hungry kids and hubby. 

Now I am the mother and I make muffins -  Norene's Blueberry Orange muffins from Meal-Lean-I-Yumm are a huge hit, as well as Mom's banana bread muffins.  I love to add new things to the mix - shredded coconut, chocolate and butterscotch chips, walnuts...sometimes just a single additional ingredient, and sometimes all of the above!

The important thing is that I am using Mom's recipe...which I recently discovered was Bubbie Lou's before her. 

Whenever I make a batch of banana muffins I can feel Mom and Bubbie's hands on my shoulder, and I can see Mom's smile - the one that lit up her whole face, and made her eyes sparkle.  I know she would be so happy that I am keeping the recipes, the memories, the flavours and the traditions alive...just like she did before me, and like my beautiful girls will do one day...many moons from now.

In fact, just the other day my sweet Sara said that she was going to make a home just like mine, and cook all the delicious recipes that have been handed down from her matriarchs {{{{sigh}}}}.  Those are the moments that make it all the more worthwhile. 

From my family to yours, I wish you a wonderful day filled with family, fun, friends and fantastic food.  B'Tayavon amp; Buon Appetito!

Bubbie Lou and Carol's Banana Bread


Ingredients:

• ½C margarine
• ¾C brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1¼C ripe bananas - mashed (2 large or 3 small bananas) - I use 1 banana to avoid excess moisture in my muffins
• ¼C milk or orange juice
• 1½C flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¾ tsp salt
• ½C of frozen cranberries, walnuts,  etc. optional

Method:

Preheat oven to 350˚.  Cream margarine with brown sugar until smooth.  Add eggs, bananas and milk separately.   In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt & baking soda.  Add dry ingredients to mixture, stir in fruits and/or nuts, etc.  Pour into greased loaf pan (or if making muffins like I do, fill muffin cups ⅔ full.  

Bake cake for 50 to 55 minutes.  If using cranberries, bake for 60 to 65 minutes.  If making muffins bake for 20 to 25 minutes.  

Remove from oven.  Cool for 10 minutes and turn loaf or muffins onto baking rack to cool completely.

Rock Candy & Rogers' Chocolates

Rogers store (photo courtesy of pughs-news.blogspot.com)

David and Dad just returned from a Law Conference in Victoria, and they have brought back a fantastic treat - Rogers' Chocolates - from the place where it all started back in 1885.

Dad, Davie & Uncle Jim (Victoria 2012)

I think I need to backtrack a little.  Some of my fondest childhood memories are from our holidays in Regina.  It was so much fun to visit my mother's family out west...almost felt like we were living another life out there.  I loved the different foods that Bubbie Lou would make, and there were always treats available - she actually had a treat drawer - third drawer down on the kitchen island...take a look there and you were guaranteed a sweet delight every time.


Then there was a tall glass jar on the counter top to the right of the island (to the left of her fridge) which was always filled with rock candy, in an array of colours, all intertwined by tangled strings that held the candies.  They used to get them from the US - I guess like most things, availability was limited 35 years ago...today you can find them everywhere!  In fact, we did, at a candy store in Blue Mountain when we were there last May.  True to their genes, the girls love rock candy too.  So, we picked up some sticks for them to nibble on {{sigh}}...

Rock Candy

And then there were Rogers' chocolates...these nuggets of deliciousness with candy cores, smothered in chocolate and individually presented in beautiful pink wrappers.

Our box of Rogers' chocolates ... thanks Dad!

My family had a ritual whenever we ate a Rogers' chocolate.  I believe it all started with Bubbie Gertie - and later Bubbie Lou, then Mom - she would sit down at the table with a small dessert plate, a sharp knife and a box of Rogers' chocolates.  The family would gather round the table and watch as the chocolate was cut into 4, 6 or 8 wedges.  She would do this with a few chocolates, and while it seems silly, it actually made a lot of sense.  Each individual chocolate is large - the size of the palm of your hand - so the wedges were ample.  The first bite or two are delectable, but then the novelty of the flavour wears off.  If you divvy up a few chocolates, everyone gets to enjoy a sampling of a variety of tasty treats.  

Open the box and you find these chocolates wrapped like a gift!

Open the tissue and there is "decorative shred"
protecting it's delicate contents

Peel back the decorative shred to reveal
a treasure-trove of chocolate delights

See?  I wasn't kidding about the size of each
chocolate...mmm...peppermint, my favourite

I can still envision Bubbie Lou sitting at her kitchen table, serving each of us a wedge, and I can see Mom doing the same at her kitchen table.  As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, Davie and Dad have just returned from Victoria with a box of chocolates, and yesterday I added my name to the list of matriarchs who follow the family tradition of dividing, then eating a Rogers' chocolate!

Rogers'  Vanilla Cream chocolate - Bubbie style!

So from my family to yours, I hope you get the opportunity to try these tasty treats, and that you enjoy them as much as we do.

Until next time, I wish you a wonderful day filled with family, fun, friends and fantastic food.  B'Tayavon & Buon Appetito!

Sara and Carlo's Fantastic Fajitas

Life in our household is always busy...


With a teen and tween who are energetic and involved in many different activities, it seems that we are always running somewhere or doing something with one or the other of our kids.  As with most families, there are "time sacrifices" we make for our children, which we do willingly because it enriches our children's lives.

One area we will not cut corners, for many reasons, is mealtime.  Family meals are woven into the fabric of our family, dating back generations.  It is arguably my favourite part of the day, and not just because I love food, but because I adore my family.  

Every night, Carlo and I sit down to dinner with our daughters and share our day's experiences - the highs and the lows - as the girls animatedly inform us about schoolyard and classroom events.  We learn so much about the young ladies they are, and the women they strive to become one day, and I always marvel at how blessed I am to be surrounded by such amazing people.  

But mealtime is not restricted to dinners.  We share all meals on the weekends, and have our favourite lunch dishes as well - the latest being Sara and Carlo's fantastic fajitas.   They make the most incredible wraps...and I cannot eat just one...ever!   I think Sara was the first to come up with the idea for this dish, and it took a lot of convincing (and begging) to get them to agree to let me share it on my blog.  

This wrap is a favourite because...let me list the reasons!

1. It is flexible.  You can add whatever fillings tickle your fancy.  The base is sauteed vegetables (an assortment of peppers, mushrooms and onions).  Then you can add rice, hot peppers, salsa, grated cheese, even beef or chicken strips.  
2. Which brings me to reason #2 - it uses up leftovers and masks them in a delicious meal...gotta love those leftovers!  We will use beef or chicken from dinner the night, or 2 before, and even leftover basmati rice.  Waste not want not!
3. It is fast and easy to prepare.  It takes no more than 20 minutes to prepare everything, and then another 5 in the oven to toast it up.  Perfect!

So, from my family to yours - below is a pictorial step-by-step recipe of our fajitas.  I hope you find them as fantastic as I do!  Thank you to Sara and Carlo for inventing - and preparing them, time and time again.

Until next time, I wish you a wonderful day filled with family, fun, friends and fantastic food.  B'Tayavon & Buon Appetito!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Heat 2 -3 tbsp olive oil to large skillet

Slice vegetables (I used red, yellow & orange peppers,
along with white and green onions here)

A couple of pickled hot peppers (diced) are a nice addition 

Combine sliced and chopped veggies in a large skillet

Saute veggies until softened (not soggy)
and onions are translucent

Lay out your wraps

Add rice (along the centre of the wrap)

Layer sauteed veggies over rice

Top with salsa and then grated cheese
(cheddar or mozzarella are great)

Roll wraps, place on parchment-lined cookie sheet and
bake for 5 to 10 minutes - until light golden
brown and crispy.  Serve while hot.