OCR Text |
Show : - , . '1 t , t t 1 i " I - S J . , j ' " ' ,,. , '"H i K , .- r if . xj Ruth Huffaker, a cook at the North Davis Hospital, was nominated as a favorite cook because of her ood cinnamon rolls. Hospital Cook Praised By DONETA GATHERUM LAYTON -- The person who nominated this favorite cook simply said, "I think the person that does the cooking at the Davis North Hospital deserves praise. When I was in the hospital, the cinnamon rolls they served for breakfast were the best I've ever tasted." A CALL TO the hospital revealed there are four women who are cooks at the hospital. Each one excells. The person responsible for the delicious cinnamon rolls received the quarterly citation for being the outstanding out-standing employee for the quarter ending Nov. 30, 1982. Her name is Ruth Huffaker. THE CINNAMON roll recipe is a favorite of patients, hospital employees and Mrs. Huffaker's family. The mashed potatoes added to the roll batter gives the rolls lightness and flavor. CINNAMON ROLLS (Household Portions) l'2 cups scalded milk xh cup sugar V cup shortening 1 Tablespoon yeast put in Vi cup warm water 2 eggs (beaten) 1 cup mashed potatoes 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. vanilla SCALD MILK, add shortening, sugar, salt and potatoes. pota-toes. Cool. Add yeast and eggs. Add about 5 cups wheat or white flour or enough flour to give you a soft dough. Let rise. Roll out. Spread with butter, sugar, raisins and cinnamon. Roll out. Let rise then place in oven till brown (375 degrees) about 30 minutes. The hospital uses commercial white flour. Mrs. Huffaker Huf-faker grinds her own wheat into whole wheat flour. She believes in using natural foods in cooking because of the higher nutritional values the natural foods have. The nutrients added to commercial foods have shelf lives that deteriorate within a few weeks. All the nutrients taken out are not put back when commercial flours and other food stuffs are enriched. MRS. HUFFAKER credits her mother with passing on to her family a number of practical homemaking skills including cooking and sewing. "My mother cooked with taste and feel," Mrs. Huffaker says. Whether she is preparing food for the hospital patients pa-tients and employees or for her own family, Mrs. Huffaker Huf-faker uses the taste and feel method. "I start with a basic recipe and make a few changes until it tastes and feels right," she says. "Originality is very important in my cooking." MENUS USED in the hospital are prepared by the dietitian. Each cook follows the basic recipe but good cooking requires something more than just a recipe. "You have to put yourself into it. Somethings turn out better for one person than they will for another," Mrs. Huffaker explains. Mrs. Huffaker started working part-time at the Davis North Hospital when it first opened six years ago. She moved into a full-time cook position just a few months later. Her cooking experience up until this time centered cen-tered around her home and family and one job as a cook helper in another hospital. THE CHALLENGE of working with people and pleasing them has been good for Mrs. Huffaker. The hospital atmosphere is pleasant. "I like the ladies I work with. They are all easy to get along with and pleasant," Mrs. Huffaker says. For the past three years, Mrs. Huffaker has been assigned to the early shift. She starts work at 6 a.m. and continues until 1 p.m. This is a good schedule because Mrs. Huffaker has her afternoons free. BEFORE SHE was assigned to the morning shift, Mrs. Huffaker worked for three years as night cook. On an average, the hospital is filled with 40 patients. About 125 to 150 employees and other people come through the cafeteria at lunch time. THE HOSPITAL serves many breakfast entrees, dinner din-ner entrees and full course meals in the cafeteria. The experience Mrs. Huffaker has had through rais ing a family of seven children and through cooking in bulk at the hospital has developed a bulk cooking pattern pat-tern Mrs. Huffaker finds hard to break. "I do everything every-thing in bulk. What we don't eat up at home as soon as it is cooked, I freeze. Breads, cookies, fruit slush treats and many other items are always stored in the Huffaker freezer to be used on those days when Mrs. Huffaker can't find time to cook or on frequent but special occasions occa-sions when the 1 1 Huffaker grandchildren come to visit. "MY GRANDCHILDREN especially like a fruit slush that I make by blending up canned fruits with juices. I freeze the mixture in small cups. Sometimes I insert a popsicle stick before the slush freezes," Mrs. Huffaker says. "This is a good treat and it doesn't have the sugar content you find in popsicles." Mrs. Huffaker enjoys canning and drying the fresh produce that comes from the small family garden. She hates waste so the fresh produce that the Huffaker's can't use and store is given to children and neighbors. AN ORGANIZED person, Mrs. Huffaker likes to plan ahead so she can have time to enjoy other things. In January, she starts preparing for Christmas. Her project pro-ject this year is to make a quilt for all her married children. She always sews outfits for her granddaughters granddaugh-ters at Christmas time and for birthdays. Her sewing is as creative and original as her cooking. Mrs. Huffaker recalls her mother never used commercial commer-cial patterns. She would just cut a pattern out of a piece of newspaper. JUST RECENTLY, Mrs. Huffaker had a sister move into the Layton area. The women got together and decided to involve themselves and some members of their families in a wedding decorating business. It started when Mrs. Huffaker loaned out lace tablecloths for weddings. This expanded into silk flower arrangements, arrange-ments, centerpieces and scenic backdrops. "I like it best when I am busy," Mrs. Huffaker explains. Mrs. Ruth Huffaker is a happy person because she is certainly a busy lady. Besides her job at the hospital, her family, her sewing skills , her wedding catering business busi-ness and several hobbies, Mrs. Huffaker finds time to help her husband who is an LDS bishop and to give additional service by serving in the Layton West Stake Relief Society presidency. ANOTHER FAVORITE recipe that is appreciated in the home and in the hospital is for banana bread. BANANA BREAD (Makes 3 loaves) 3 cups sugar (part brown) 1 V2 cup butter 6 beaten eggs 6 cups flour 1 cup sour milk 3 tsp. soda IV2 tsp. salt 3 cup nuts 9 large bananas MIX INGREDIENTS as you would a cake. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. This cheese fondue recipe is a basic one. Many variations varia-tions can be added to adapt the food to the situation and the tastes of the people. Just place other foods in layers . among the basic ingredients. The recipe is in large quantity. quan-tity. Divide the ingredients into thirds to get a family-size family-size serving. CHEESE FONDUE Beat 30 eggs. Add Vi gallon skimmed milk and blend well. Take three 12x15 inch baking pans. LAYER THE bottom of each pan with buttered slices of bread. Place a layer of grated cheddar cheese on top of the bread. Add another layer of buttered bread slices. Distribute the egg and milk mixture over the top of the three pans. Top with a layer of grated cheese. Set the baking pans inside pans of water. Bake in the oven at 300 degrees for one hour. If the cheese is browning too rapidly, cover the pans with foil. Serve with bacon. Sprinkle with paprika or parsley to give color to the dish. Future articles will highlight the other Davis North cooks. |