Lefse and fondant have ~ become family traditions in the Richard Hogoboom family, Sutton Road, Trucksville, and a real family tradition it is for Millie, her husband, Dick, and her two boys to share in both projects. Lefse, a Norwegian bread made especially for Sundays and holidays, is made on a spe- cial grill, and a special cor- rugated rolling pin is used in order to roll the dough very thin. Millie, an attractive and ‘effervescent’ © young woman, radiates enthusiasm as she talks about her family and her work ar Jackson Township's _ correspondent for the Post. She loves people and her news gathering keeps her in touch with many, many wonderful people in the Back Mountain, she says. Her devoted interest in her writing has rubbed off on her ~ family and through her, her family in North Carolina have become weekly readers of the Dallas Post and not only follow the news but watch the ads as ‘well. It is not unusual for her to ‘get a call from the southland, asking her to check a certain item advertised in the weekly issue. A southerner from Charlotte, N.C., she met Norwegian Rich- ard Hogoboom from Fargo, N.D., while he was self- employed there as a manufac- turer’s agent. They were married in Sept- ember 1954, and moved to Wilkes-Barre shortly after - when Dick accepted the position as manager of the Wilkes-Barre office (later Wilkes-Barre- Seranton office) of Kidder, Pea- body & Co. Inc. located in the United Penn Bank. Dick is now assistant vice president of the investment firm. In 1955 they moved to the Back Mountain and 11 years ago moved into their beautiful red brick home on Sutton Road, an area they have watched develop from a few houses to a small community of its own. : is The Hogobooms have two sons—Andy, a sophomore at Wyoming Seminary, and Jack, in seventh grade at Wyoming Seminary Day School. Andy en- joys hunting and this year during small game season was successful in bringing home a pheasant and a grouse. He is also a mini-bike enthusiast and through his interest in the bikes is becoming an expert mech- anic. Jack likes sports and is on this year’s basketball squad at the Day School. Millie, who was familiar with southern cooking and southern hospitality, first learned about Lefse when dating her husband. Dick was away from his home and family for about 10 years when he first met her and Millie feels that her learning to pre- pare his family’s traditional Scandinavian dishes provided Dick with ties of home. One thing is certain—Millie’s southern and Norwegian com- bination of recipes has resulted in a variety of unique and deli- cious menus. That they stand her in good stead is proven when she invites six or eight friends home on the spur of the moment for dinner, and with little effort in a short time is able to serve them a complete meal. Entertaining is one of her loves, ‘“‘but,” she told the Post, “impromptu entertaining—not pre-planned.’ After her writing, her second love is tennis, and she plays about three times weekly. A bridge fan, too, Millie belongs to the Duplicate Club which meets Thursday mornings at 9:30. Her husband also shares her inter- est in both bridge and tennis. At one time she was active in numerous volunteer organiza- tions but has resigned from most of these in order to pursue her work as a Post correspon- dent. However, she is a member of the Back Mountain Library Board in which she is most in- terested. Dick’s parents are no longer living, but his grandmother, whois in her 90’s, still resides in 2, 5 Bowman, N.D. As a result, Millie has assumed the family tradition of making Lefse and although she does not serve it with Lutfisk, a type of cod that it usually accompanies, she makes it for the entire family when they are together, for her husband and two sons every Thanksgiving and Christmas. Her first Christmas gift from her husband’s family was the special electric grill used for making Lefse and the special rolling pin. The grill has to be a special one because the temper- ature must be at 500 degrees in order that the Lefse be success- ful. And because of the high temperature and tendency for it to burn, this is why making it a family-sharing project proves so effective. Millie rolls the dough while Dick and her younger son fry it. The same with the fondant— because one must work quickly in dipping into the chocolate, it is better when more than one shares in the project. So this, too, has become a family- sharing project at holiday time. The fondant is inherited from her mother’s family and is a Christmas tradition. Before sharing her recipes with the Post, Millie explained that for the holidays the Hogo- boom family will enjoy their own traditional menu: turkey with cornbread dressing, mash- ed potatoes, lefse, rutabaga, cranberry sauce, celery, olives, and homemade candy. They no longer have her mother’s Christmas molded salad be- cause her husband and sons are not overjoyed with it. Neither lefse nor fondant was ready when the Post reporter left the Hogoboom’s cheerful blue and white kitchen but the preparations and the recipes Millie shared left no doubt that they would be a success. Lefse 2—7 oz. pkg. French’s Instant potatoes 4 t. salt 2 T. butter 2 C. rich milk ’ ¥ 2 C. boiling water 2-3 C. flour Place French's instant pota- toes, salt and butter in mixing bowl. Add boiling water to milk, and add liquid to potato mix- ture. Mix quickly with a wire beater to a thick mashed potato consistency. Add just enough flour to be able to handle and roll on a floured board. Form into balls and roll very thin with a corrugated rolling pin. Bake on hot electric lefse grill—turning to brown on both sides. Makes about 18 pieces about 10 inches in diameter. Uncooked Fondant Beat until soft: 1, C. butter Add very slowly and cream until very light: 11b. sifted confectioners sugar. Add: Ly C. whipping cream 1 t. vanilla or mint Work the fondant well with hands and shape into small one- inch balls. Dust hands with powdered sugar to roll. Candied cherries or other fruit or nuts may be used for a center for the balls. Place balls on foil and re- frigerate until hard. Mints—roll fondant between wax paper until 4 inch thick. Cut out with small glass or very small round cookie cutter. Candy may be rolled in colored sugar or chocolate coated. Chocolate Coating Choose crisp dry weather. Work in room where tempera- ture is 60 to 70 degrees and where there are no drafts. Grate approximately: 1 lb. bitter chocolate 1 in. sq. parafin 1 T. oleo: 1 t. vanilla. Melt very slowly in top of double boiler over, not in, hot water. Stir constantly. Remove from heat and cool to about 88 to 90 degrees. Have candy centers (fondant) at room temperature. Immerse centers one at a time in choco- late, maintaining its temper- place on wax paper. Keep candy refrigerated. Photo by Alex Rebar N 8 3 y N 4 y 4 N 1 N 0 No N ; i YTTTTRURVTVTNTTATETRTRRT Millie Hogoboom flours a portion of Lefse dough before rolling it paper thin with the corrugated rolling pin made especially for that purpose. After it is rolled out, the dough is fried quickly at 500 degrees on the Lefse electric grill shown in the photo. Lefse, a Norwegian bread, is a holiday tradition in the Hogoboom family. wy and Customers office in Clarks Summit, left to right: Marion Shell, William W. Davis, Romayne Weight, Angela Bell, Helen Villaume. At the Dallas Post, also Greenstreet’s headquarters, left to right, first row: Angela Bell, Midge Smith, J.R. Freeman, Linda Dymond, Doris R. Mallin, Ellen Dobinick; second row: Connie Doty, Luceil Lanning, Charlot Denmon, Diane Johns, Shirley Thomas, Connie Brongo; third row; William W. Davis, Paula Valunas, Carl Davies, Edward M. Bush, Daniel Koze, Louise Whipple, Eleanor Rende, Myrl Young, Clara Kitchen, Shawn Murphy. A -
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers