Recipes from our WW2 Page Family Christmas Dinner

Better late than never!  I meant to post this before Christmas. 

Below are the recipes sent to us by Iris Page and her daughter Michelle that were favourites with Morley and Grace Page's families at Christmas.  We served these at our most recent WW2 themed Christmas Dinner in the Museum on December 1 and 2, 2018.  In conversations with locals we established that the shortbread recipe was the one most of the community used including Marion Pearce and Marion Foreman which makes sense since they were neighbours and/or friends.  Thanks again to Iris and Michelle for sharing. 

Shortbread:

1 cup soft butter

½ cup brown sugar

2 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar, gradually add flour ¼ at a time. Roll out to ¼ inch thickness and cut into shapes, decorate with cut up candied cherries.

Bake at 325 for 9-12 minutes will be done when golden around the edges

Cherry Squares:

Bottom:

1 ½ cups flour

¼ cup brown sugar

½ cup butter

Mix like pastry and press in 11x7 pan. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes

Top:

2 egg whites (beaten stiff)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 ¼ cups brown sugar

2 tsp flour

1 cup glazed cherries , chopped up

½ tsp vanilla

Mix all the ingredients together and spoon on top of cooled bottom

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes

Butter Mallow Squares:

Bottom:

¾ cup soft butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 ½ cup flour

Mix like pastry, put in 9x12 pan and prick well. Bake at 325 for 15 minutes

Top:

2 envelopes of unflavoured gelatin

½ cup cold water

2 cups sugar

½ cup warm water

½ tsp vanilla

Food colour , red or green

Options – ½ cup maraschino cherries, cut up and /or ½ cup walnuts in small pieces, if you do both then use ¼ cup each

Soften gelatin in cold water

Combine sugar and warm water in a pot, boil for 2 minutes

Dissolve gelatin in hot syrup

Beat with mixer until stiff

Add vanilla, food colouring and cherries/walnuts, mix

Pour over shortbread bottom

Cool

Cut with hot knife

Is This Old Lady Crane?

Can anyone help Sandra Sales identify the woman in these photographs?  

"These are photos of a woman that our family lore says is “Old Lady Crane” - or Mary (Willson) Crane. Mary Crane was the daughter of Captain Gilman Willson of Port Talbot, who was a captain alongside Leslie Patterson in the War of 1812. Mary Willson was married to Peter Crane, the son of Thomas Talbot’s helper, George Crane, and his wife Isabella Finlay. Mary (Willson) Crane lived from April 14, 1814 to March 23, 1892. She is buried in the Tyrconnell United Church Cemetery.

The woman in this photo is dressed in the traditional mourning garb of the late 1870s and 1880s and wears a wedding ring. Mary Crane’s husband, Peter, died in 1882. Mary spent her final years in the house she and her husband built in 1861 on Concession 9, Lot 6, south half. Her son Benjamin Crane had taken over the farm by the time she died.

Because only family lore identifies this woman, I would like to see if there is any other labelled copies of this photo around. Or I would like to get the photo out to people who might be interested in this family.  

Sandra Sales"

Comments and photos can be sent to info@backuspagehouse.ca and I will forward on to Sandra.