Tessa G - CHS SPOTLIGHT

Wearing a dress was never a chore. I had no problem being feminine, I was naturally a girly girl and I had accepted that. However, I lived by the ‘’Desire Until Told’’ philosophy. I was happy to do something until I was told to. ‘’Tessa you have to wear a dress.’’, ‘’Tessa you have to pin your hair up.’’ my mother chided. ‘’No.’’ I said defiantly. ‘’It’s a matter of respect.’’ ‘’But I don’t want to.’’ ‘’Doesn’t matter.’’ I wore my dress, pinned my hair up, and obeyed my mother. That house in Pembroke was a traditional one, with muted colours and quiet surroundings. My great aunt’s family lived a certain way of life: secluded, private, respectful. Mennonite. It was my mom’s heritage and was subsequently mine too: dress, hair, gender roles and all.

We sat at the lengthy table, that random April afternoon, the adults exchanging stories at volumes suitable for lullabies, the children sitting silent- listening. We ate meat, veggies and potatoes, a meal nutritious enough to fuel your body for farm work. Lunch was short and soon transitioned to cleanup, the women washing and drying the dishes, then preparing dessert.

Live selflessly, act only in necessity, care for others dearly. Funny enough, these values are reflected in their cooking. Marshmallow whip is a mennonite staple, passed down to the daughters through the classic cookbooks, Cook With Less or Mennonite Community Cookbook. To anyone else, the ingredients on my great aunt’s counter would seem random if not distasteful. Pineapple and strawberry Jell-O, with cream? And marshmallows? Don’t knock it ‘till you try it.

Bright pink and gelatinous, it was a ten year olds slime addiction come to life. Served cold and sickly sweet, marshmallow whip was doled out to the eagerly awaiting children, hopping from foot to foot in anticipation. The first bite coated your mouth with bouncy goo, a true candyland explosion. Even in my swallowing dress and my too-tight hair, my pink stained tongue was enough to keep me happy for the two hour drive home.

----8 servings----

INGREDIENTS:

1 package strawberry Jell-O
1 cup hot water
1 cup cold water
1 quart crushed pineapple
½ of mini marshmallows
2 cups whipping cream

INSTRUCTIONS:

Dissolve gelatin into hot water
Add cold water and chill in refrigerator until partially congealed
Whip gelatin until light and fluffy
Add crushed pineapple and mini marshmallows- fold in
Whip the cream on a high setting for 4 minutes
Fold whipped cream into mixture and return to refrigerator
Serve when desired, good up to one day refrigerated

~ Recipe ~
Ingredients

Mustard Seeds - 1 Tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 Tbsp
Oil - 3 Tbsp
Turmeric - ½ Tbsp
Chili Powder - ½ Tbsp
Coriander Powder- 1 Tbsp
Cumin Powder - 1 Tbsp
Salt - According To Taste
Ginger, garlic and green chili paste - 2 Tbsp
Water - 2 Cups
Garam masala - ½ Tbsp
Tomatoes - 1 Large OR 2 Medium, Diced
Potatoes - 4 Large, Diced
Fresh Coriander - 2 Tbsp (For the Garnish)

~ Instructions ~

Heat your pan on medium heat, and put your oil in it
Put in cumin and mustard seeds, until they start crackling
Then, put your ginger, garlic and green chili paste into the pan
Stir well, and after put your diced tomatoes in, adding salt at this point, and let them soften and cook for about five minutes
At this point, add all of your seasonings (Turmeric, Chili Powder, Coriander Powder, Cumin Powder)
At last, put your potatoes in, mixing it all well together
Next, add your two cups of water and cover your pan, cooking until your potatoes become soft
Make sure to check in between, feel free to add hot water as needed
Take the time now to add your garam masala and coriander, for garnish

Now is your time to finally taste the warmth and have it with a fresh rotli!

Instructions:
1) Prepare two little plastic cups, one large glass cup, and small dessert spoons. Place one spoon in each little cup, and set aside.
2) Pour as much milk as you see fit into the large glass cup.
3)Squirt some ketchup into the milk for a pretty pink tint!
4)Where there's ketchup, there is mustard, so you better not forget a few drops of ordinary yellow mustard.
5)You’ll need some sweetener, so add roughly a spoonful of apple sauce into the mix. It makes for an intriguing texture. Don’t bother stirring yet though, we like to let it sit at the bottom for a while.

6)And what goes better with applesauce than chocolate? When we created this recipe, it felt like we were creating a scrumptious candied apple drink. Adding nutella was and still is more than necessary. So throw in a spoonful of nutella, and stir until the milk has visible apple and nutella chunks floating around.

7)Now add lots of lemon juice, everyone loves lemonade!

8)Don’t forget the orange juice pulp! This recipe is only useful when there is very little to drink in the fridge, so you want the bottom of the orange juice to be dumped in your concoction.

9) Sprinkle in some salt with a very fancy french accent, and stir for five minutes.

10) Finally, you can pour your potion evenly into the two little cups and begin to drink! The correct way to drink this potion is to use the little spoons you had already placed in the cups, and drink it like soup. Heads up, there might be some gagging! The magic of the potion is that it makes your taste buds feel like they’re being tormented, but really it’s a delicious beverage that you will absolutely never forget!