Baked Squares

November 1999 – Squares are a great sweet treat – thin delicious morsels. We had them all the time at home when I was a kid, they were great to pop in your mouth when you needed an after school snack, or a little dessert at lunch time. And also great to serve when people came over for coffee.

Many squares are kind of like a cookie, or have a cookie crust with a rich topping. They are quick to make and bake. A pan of squares is a good addition to a pot luck meal – they are easy to pick up and eat.

I remember attending “teas” when I was young – charity fund raising events held in the community centre or a church hall. The ladies of whatever group was holding the tea would make tons of squares and fancy cookies. Then they would assemble an assortment on a “tray of dainties”. You would pay your admission and be served, well, tea. Raisin bread, cheese and sweet pickles usually came first, then the “dainties”. Of course you would want to try every variety on the tray, because they all looked so good! These events usually included other money raising activities, like a bake sale, and raffle of crafted or donated goods.

For us kids, the highlight of the tea was the “fish pond” – small toys or books were wrapped up and sorted by age. We would pay our fee and get a fishing rod, which would be cast behind a screen (or the piano) where someone would bait the hook. We would reel it in and off we went with our catch! I would be hard pressed to pick my favorite – the dainties or the fish pond