By Marie Fagan Peart | marie@haldimandpress.com
Mary Sheppard kindly welcomed me into her home to chat about some of her favourite recipes.
As I stepped into her farmhouse, I immediately felt this warm, hospitable embrace. When I commented on how lovely her home was, Mary smiled and told me how much she has loved living here. Surrounded by trees, it is a beautiful setting.
The date squares is a recipe Mary said they often made at home when she was growing up.
Mary hails from north of Caledonia and had attended “Welcome School,” which was SS No. 2 Seneca. It still stands along Highway 6, converted to a private home now.
She met her future husband, Stanley, through the young people’s group at the United Church.
In those days every church had a group for the youth, and they would travel to various churches throughout the area. They were married in 1956 and she moved with Stanley to Cheapside, where they purchased a farm. Together, they raised four children. Her family has now grown to include 14 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.
There are many things that Mary loves to do. She really enjoys cooking, reading, and making quilt tops. She belongs to the Travelling Book Club, which has been meeting for 25 years now.
They meet once a month, except for the winter. She is currently creating quilt tops so there will be one quilt for each grandchild. She told me the story about making a quilt for the first grandchild that got married. She didn’t realize at that time she was setting a precedent! Most evenings there is some hand stitching to be done for the next quilt. Mary is so grateful to still be able to engage in all the things she loves to do.
The second recipe is for nuts and bolts. Mary made this for every family gathering because the kids liked it and it wasn’t too sweet. But in recent years, her granddaughter has taken over. She is now the one arriving at the family gatherings with a big bowl of nuts and bolts. Enjoy!
Date Squares
Oat mixture
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
2¼ cups oatmeal
1½ cups brown sugar
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1½ cups butter or margarine
Date mixture
3 cups chopped dates
½ to ¾ cup of white sugar
1½ teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup boiling water
Mix above oat mixture ingredients together. Pat half the mixture into the bottom of a greased 9×13” pan.
Mix above date mixture ingredients in a saucepan and cook over low-medium heat until dates can be mashed and mixture has thickened. Add more water if needed for spreading consistency.
Spread dates over the oat base in the pan. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture over top.
Bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes. These squares freeze well.
Nuts and Bolts
½ cup butter or margarine
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 teaspoons seasoned salt
8 cups Cheerios cereal
8 cups Crispix cereal
4 cups of pretzels
2 cups of Goldfish crackers
1½ cups mixed nuts (optional)
M&Ms candies (as many as you like!)
Melt butter in a bowl in the microwave. Add seasonings.
Mix remaining ingredients, except candies, in a large roasting pan. Pour seasoned butter over and mix well.
Bake in a 250°F oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
Once cooled, add the M&Ms. Can be stored in plastic bags or in two white honey pails.
