A Month of Christmas Baking: Devil Bars #FoodwaysFriday

Photo by Katie Harvey.

The Christmas cookies I remember best from my childhood were affectionately nicknamed "Devil Bars" by my family. They were called this due to the fact that whenever my mother made them they were impossible to stop eating because they were so delicious. The base of this cookie is shortbread, a thick layer of caramel lies in the middle, and the bar is topped with milk chocolate.

I always make Devil Bars over Christmas, and this year is no acceptation. They freeze well and are easy to make. The caramel is the trickiest part, but using condensed milk makes it much easier than making it from scratch, and it may even be more delicious. I find it is best to make them the day before and leave them to chill in the fridge overnight.

Here is my recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup butter, softened 
• 1/4 cup white sugar 
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1/2 cup butter

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C).
2. In a medium bowl, mix together 2/3 cup butter, white sugar, and flour until evenly crumbly. Press into a 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
3. In a 2 quart saucepan, combine 1/2 cup butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and sweetened condensed milk. Bring to a boil. Continue to boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for about 3 minutes. Pour over baked crust (warm or cool). Cool until it begins to firm.
4. Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1 minute, then stir and continue to heat and stir at 20 second intervals until chocolate is melted and smooth. Pour chocolate over the caramel layer and spread evenly to cover completely. Chill in the fridge overnight.

Have you ever eaten this cookie? What do you call them?

-Katie Harvey

Living Heritage Podcast Ep094 Beware the Christmas Terror - The Hobby Horse

Dale Jarvis, Terra Barrett, and Ryan Davis (plus bonus Yeti!)

Ryan Davis has been running the Mummers Festival since 2009. He holds an MA in Folklore and a BA in Communication Studies. It was his interest in festivals, celebrations, and costuming that led him to mummering traditions. The Mummers Festival promotes the continuation and evolution of traditional arts and performance by encouraging active participation in mummering activities. The Mummers Festival helps to keep mummering alive and contemporary.

One of the traditions the Mummers Festival has helped to safeguard is the hobby horse. With its devilish spirit and snapping jaws, it might not be the first thing one associates with the season of comfort and joy, but it is a centuries-old part of the Yuletide season in Newfoundland and Labrador. In this podcast, we chat with Ryan about all things hobby horse!

Download the mp3

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The Living Heritage Podcast is about people who are engaged in the heritage and culture sector, from museum professionals and archivists, to tradition bearers and craftspeople - all those who keep heritage alive at the community level. The show is a partnership between HFNL and CHMR Radio. Past episodes hosted on Libsyn, and you can subscribe via iTunes, or Stitcher. Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.

Basic Folklore and Oral History Interviewing Course starts Jan!

Frances Densmore with Blackfoot chief, Mountain Chief, during a 1916 phonograph recording session for the Bureau of American Ethnology.

Wednesday Nights
7pm-9pm
January 10th - January 31st, 2018

Calling all budding folklorists and armchair historians! This workshop is open to anyone with an interest in local history, culture and folklore, and who wishes to learn more about safeguarding our cultural heritage through the medium of oral histories.

The course will give a background on conducting research interviews in the field. It will provide an overview of the methodology and explore the practical matters of creating, designing, and executing effective oral history research projects, project planning, interview questions, ethical issues, and recording equipment.

Over the four week course, participants will conduct an interview, prepare archival metadata, and work collaboratively to create a finished oral history project.

The workshop will be taught by folklorist Dale Jarvis, the Intangible Cultural Heritage Development Officer for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. He has been working for the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador since 1996, and holds a BSc in Anthropology/Archaeology from Trent University, and a MA in Folklore from Memorial University.

Participants will need to bring their own laptop/tablet, all other materials provided. If you have your own digital recording device (tablet, iPhone, mp3 recorder, etc) you are encouraged to bring it, but it is not required.

Workshop fee: $100 (preregistration required, limited to 8 participants)

Location: Newman Building, 1 Springdale Street, St. John’s

Register online at:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/basic-folklore-and-oral-history-interviewing-course-tickets-41107537752

For more information, contact Dale Jarvis at 709-739-1892 x2, or email ich@heritagefoundation.ca

"Down in the Sands: Boyhood Memories of Salmon Cove" Booklet Launch

Please join the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, in partnership with the Salmon Cove Future Development Association, in launching Down in the Sands: Boyhood Memories of Salmon Cove on Tuesday, December 12 at 2:00pm at the Salmon Cove Community Centre (SCPC Fire Department) on Main Road. Copies of the booklet will be available at the event. We hope to see you there!

Download the Architectural Inventory of Heart's Content Heritage District

In late November, the Heritage Foundation staff members travelled to Heart's Content to launch Architectural Inventory: Heart's Content Heritage District. This inventory was conducted by Eddy O'Toole, a past student with the foundation, and myself.

The inventory took months to research and compile; containing architectural inventories of the various pre-confederation properties in the Heart's Content Heritage District, as well as the intangible information that was learned through oral history interviews with older community members.

If you would like to read the inventory, click here to access the PDF.

-Katie Harvey

Heart's Content Cable Station #FolklorePhoto

Photo courtesy Heart's Content Mizzen Heritage Society.

The Cable Station in Heart's Content is an important landmark in Newfoundland and Labrador. It is now a Provincial Historic Site, and a museum which tells the story of the first cable landing that connected North America to Europe. Here is a photo of an unknown man standing in front of the Cable Station with his horse and cart.

-Katie Harvey

#CollectiveMemories Monday - Memories of McMurdo's with Claudia Earle and Nancy Knight

Claudia Earle and Nancy Knight

On October 23, 2017, as part of the Collective Memories project, I interviewed Nancy Knight and Claudia Earle. Nancy attended our Townie Childhood Memory Mug Up with the Marjorie Mews Library and was interested in being interviewed about her memories of growing up in St. John’s. Nancy invited her longtime friend and schoolmate Claudia to join in on the interview. The two discuss growing up in different neighbourhoods in St. John’s, attending Bishop Spencer School, celebrating holidays such as Christmas, Valentine’s, and Easter, and playing children’s games. The pair also describe some of the changes they have seen over the years and remember the shops of downtown St. John’s.

Listen to the clip below to hear more about McMurdo’s Drug Store on Water Street or click here to listen to the full interview on Memorial University’s Digital Archives Initiative.

~Terra Barrett

A Month of Christmas Baking: Lassy Mogs #FoodwaysFriday

Photo courtesy Rock Recipes.

December has begun, and Christmas is in the air. If you're anything like me, you've already started your Christmas baking. I love having a variety of cookies, cakes and baked goods for my guests over the holidays. So, for the month of December I will post various traditional Newfoundland recipes that are sure to please any crowd.

Molasses is a staple in the diet of Newfoundlanders, and lassy is simply short for molasses. The origin of 'mog' is a little less clear. Some people believe it means girl, while others say a mog is a small, slow rising cake. Historically, molasses were used as the main form of sweetener for baked goods in Newfoundland. White sugar was more expensive, and so it was saved for special use or for teatime.

Here is the recipe, which yields a dozen cookies (courtesy of Rock Recipes). You can alter the amount of molasses you use based on how dark you want your cookies to turn out.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups + 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 Tbsp powdered ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup molasses
• 2 tsp vinegar
• 1/2 cup chopped dates chopped to the size of raisins
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 cup toasted pecan pieces

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. First, toast the pecans at 350 degrees F so that they can cool to room temperature while you prepare the rest of the recipe.I toast whole pecans on a baking sheet for 10-12 minutes tossing them at the half way point. I then cool them and break each one into 2-4 pieces by hand. This little extra effort ensures nice big crunchy bits of pecan in every bite.
3. Sift together the flour, baking soda and spices and set aside.
4. Cream together the butter and brown sugar for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
5. Beat in the egg for another minute or so.
6. Blend in the molasses and vinegar. (The vinegar often occurs in old recipes as a way to boost eh rising action of baking soda.)
7. Fold in the dry ingredients by hand and when almost incorporated fold in the dates, raisins and pecans.
8. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the parchment lined cookie sheets about 2 1/2 inches apart.
9. Bake for 14 minutes and let the cookies cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
10. Store in airtight containers. These cookies will freeze very well.

Enjoy, and let us know how they turn out!

-Katie Harvey

Granny and Grandad Go Fishing #FolklorePhoto

Granny Wood. Photo courtesy Anthea Tinline. Date unknown.

These photos are of Athea Tinline's granny, Olive Wood, and her granddad, Ralph Wood, who are prepared to go fishing and/or berry picking in Salmon Cove. Ralph is carrying a kettle in anticipation of having a boil up along the way. Do you usually have a boil up when you go fishing or berry picking?

Grandad Wood. Photo courtesy Anthea Tinline. Date unknown.