Rose Murray

Every birthday party needs a cake

Edna Staebler (1906-2006) was a Canadian icon made famous by her wonderful Schmecks cookbooks. A native of the Waterloo region and descendant of Mennonite settlers, Edna had countless friends both at home and around the world. Last night, six of us gathered in Kitchener, Ontario to hold a birthday party for our dear friend. We all cooked dishes from her books and regaled each other both with our food and our “Edna” stories. Tastes and ingredients have changed over the years, but we all decided these recipes from the 60s and 70s made a pretty good feast. Our menu: Sardine-Stuffed Eggs (Edna’s twist on Devilled Eggs), Butter-Fried Chicken with Milk Gravy and Dumplings, Schnippled Bean Salad, Beet and Red Cabbage Salad, Tomato Mould (Aspic), Neil’s Harbour Bread, Raisin Muffins, Apple Crisp, Birthday Cake and Ice Cream. The Schnippled Bean Salad is already on my Recipe Page. Now, I’ll add the Tomato Mould because everyone seemed to have fond memories of this 60s jellied salad. Our birthday party was a decided success. Edna would have loved it.