COOK OF THE WEEK - MARLENE BANWART

I met Marlene Banwart about a month ago at the Farmer’s Market here in Humboldt. With each of us having such a busy schedule, we finally found a time we could get together to visit about Cook of the Week. Marlene absolutely amazed me with everything she does “in her spare time” as she says. Marlene is a very busy lady. I haven’t figured out if she ever has time to even sit down and rest for a minute during any given day! Marlene and her husband, Rich, reside in West Bend, not far from the famous Grotto. Her parents were Darnell and Frances Vernia, both deceased now. Rich’s father, Art, is deceased, but mother Madeline Banwart is a resident at the West Bend Health and Rehab Center. They have both lived in West Bend all their lives and celebrated 40 years together this past Feb. 15. They both graduated from the West Bend Community School and Marlene also graduated from Iowa Lakes Community College. Marlene belongs to Saints Peter and Paul’s Catholic Church in West Bend. Rich attends the Apostolic Christian Church in West Bend. Marlene is a real estate broker and owns Banwart Real Estate Services. She is also the owner of AdVentures in Design, a desktop publishing business. She does the website, brochures and cards for Harris Funeral Homes and also the West Bend Chamber postcards for retail promotions in West Bend. For 23 years she operated Marlene’s Cakes, baking and decorating birthday and wedding cakes. She only does cakes occasionally now. Once a year, she does the calendars for Whittemore with all their birthdays and anniversaries on it and then runs all the ads on the calendar also. She really whet my appetite again for graphics (which I had gotten away from) when she showed me her Corel DRAW Graphics Suite program. That is quite an upgrade from the Print Master program I used to use. I’m sure I will be going out and buying one and trying to learn all there is to know. She showed me so many different tricks you can do with a picture with that program. She can even restore old pictures, taking the cracks out, a person out, etc. This was so fun to watch that I forgot to have her give me her recipes and had to call her the next morning to have her email those to me and that was why I was really there! Also in her “spare” time, she machine embroiders on towels, baby blankets, etc. using many unique ideas and original wording. Her mind must be spinning, continually, thinking of everything she is going to do. Marlene says if something isn’t copyrighted, she might even creatively borrow an idea! She also crochets afghans and showed me three baby afghans she was making to sell or give to new grandbabies. Speaking of grandchildren, she has four of them. Claire (9), Nick (7), Anna (5) and Katie (2 months) are the children of their one daughter, Jenny, and Gary Folkert who live in Bloomington, MN. Jenny is a physical therapist and Gary travels for Cargill. Marlene is a member of the West Bend Chamber of Commerce and the West Bend Economic Development, Ladies Aid, Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Calico Country Quilters in West Bend and Embroidery Express in Mallard. She lists her hobbies (although I’m not sure how she finds time in the day for any hobby) as baking, machine embroidery, crocheting, reading, learning to quilt and spending time with her grandchildren. As to her husband’s work and hobbies, she stated, “He’s retired – his hobby is watching me work!” Their favorite meal is BBQ Ribs. Chocolate Snowflake Cookies2 cups sugar1/2 cup vegetable oil(4) 1 ounce squares unsweetened chocolate, melted4 eggs2 teaspoons vanilla extract2 cups all-purpose flour2 teaspoons baking powder1/2 teaspoon salt3/4 cup powdered sugar Combine first 3 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; using an electric mixer, beat at medium speed till blended. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add about 1/4 of dry mixture at a time to chocolate mixture, mixing well after each addition. Cover and chill dough at least two hours. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in powdered sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Cookies are best when chewy so don’t over bake.Minted Walnuts1/4 cup white syrup1 cup sugar1/2 cup water1 teaspoon peppermint extract10 large marshmallows3 cup walnut halves or pieces Combine syrup, sugar and water. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until boiling. Cook to soft ball stage. Remove from heat and add peppermint and marshmallows. Stir until smooth and add walnuts. Pour onto lightly buttered pan. Separate walnuts while warm.Chocolate PeppermintPatty Candies3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk1-1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract4 cups powdered sugar Combine the sugar and extract in a bowl. Stir in the powdered sugar to make very stiff dough. Turn onto a surface coated with powdered sugar and knead until it is no longer sticky. May add more powdered sugar, if needed, to achieve this. Shape into 1 inch balls. Place on wax paper lined cookie sheets and flatten to 1-1/2 inch circles. Let dry 1 hour. Turn and let dry another hour. Melt 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips with 2 tsp. of shortening in a double boiler on stove or a bowl in microwave. Dip each disk in the chocolate and place on wax paper to cool. Store in a cool place.Overnight French Toast8 slices Texas toast bread6 eggs1/2 cup sugar2 cup milk1 tsp. nutmeg1/2 teaspoon cinnamon3 tablespoons melted butter Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan and put bread in pan. Combine eggs, milk, nutmeg, cinnamon and butter. Pour over bread. Cover. Refrigerate overnight. In morning, warm at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Bake at 350° for approximately 30 minutes until brown. Serve with maple or other flavored syrup or fresh fruit.Rope Taffy5 cups sugar2-1/2 cups milk2-1/2 cups white syrup1/4 cup butter1 package gelatin1 cup cold water1/2 bar paraffin wax (Size of an egg) Dissolve gelatin in cold water, add other ingredients and mix well. Boil until hard ball stage (250 to 252 degrees) or 1 hour, stirring constantly. Take off stove and add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Cool on buttered pans. Pull until white. String outside on sheet or clean table.Banana Crush Punch4 cups sugar6 cups water1 large can pineapple juice1 large can frozen orange juice5 ripe bananas, mashed in blender3 large bottles ginger ale or 7-up Mix together all but the ginger ale. Freeze. Remove from freezer 1-1/2 hours before serving. Add 2-1/2 to 3 bottles of ginger ale before serving. Yields 2 gallons of punch.Amish White Bread2 cups warm water2/3 cup white sugar1-1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast1-1/2 teaspoons salt1/4 cup oil6 cups bread flour In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water then add the yeast. When yeast is proofed, mix in salt and oil. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough adding more flour if necessary. Place in a well-oiled bowl and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes and divide in half. Shape into loaves and place into oiled pans. Allow to rise until dough has risen 1 inch above the pans. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes.Vegetable Pizza1 can crescent rolls Put on bottom of 9 x 13 pan (or small cookie sheet) and seal all the seams. Bake 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Cool. Mix together: Best if made the day before. 4 ounces cream cheese1/4 cup sour cream1/4 cup mayonnaise1/2 teaspoon dill weed1/2 teaspoon garlic powder Mix really well. Could make only 1/2 the recipe for the 9 x 13 if you don’t like “dressing” on your crust. (Best to cut the crust before adding the topping.) Spread topping over the cooled crust, then top with raw vegetables, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, onion, green peppers, etc. Top with sliced olives and shredded cheddar cheese. Keep refrigerated.Autumn Butternut Casserole3 cups cooked, mashed butternut squash1/4 cup plus 1-1/2 tablespoons butter, divided1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon brown sugar, divided1/4 teaspoon saltdash of white pepper1-1/2 tablespoons butter6 cups sliced unpeeled Jonathan apples (about 2 pounds)1/4 cup granulated sugar1-1/2 cups corn flakes, coarsely crushed1/2 cups chopped pecans Season squash with 1/4 cup butter, 1 tbsp. brown sugar, 1/4 tsp. salt and pepper. Heat 1-1/2 tsp. butter in a skillet; add sliced apples and sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar. Cover and simmer over low heat until barely tender (about 5 minutes). Spread in a 3-quart casserole; spoon mashed squash evenly over apples. Mix corn flakes with pecans, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 2 tbsp. of melted butter. Sprinkle over the squash. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. If you are reading this, then you probably enjoy new recipes. If you would like to share some of your recipes with the community, YOU could be Cook of the Week. Please contact me, Sally Cuthbertson, if you would like to be in this column some week. I can be reached by phone at 515-373-6346 or email me at sacuthbe@msn.com. I will be happy to email or send you my short questionnaire and set up a time to come and visit you at your convenience. I’m always looking for NEW Cooks of the Week. Also, if you are new in town, this is a good way to introduce yourself to the Humboldt community and surrounding communities. I look forward to visiting with you. The COOK OF THE WEEK 3rd Edition Cookbook is available. Cost per copy is $10.70, plus $4.80 shipping/handling. Order a copy today by sending a check or money order, along with name and shipping address, to: Humboldt Independent, 512 Sumner Ave., Humboldt, IA 50548.

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