Fort Wayne – Sharon Boucher Goyings knows that any new cook will make mistakes, but she says they shouldn’t give up.

A former resident of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Boucher Goyings says, “There’s no where to go but up. Keep trying.”

Relating an early cooking experience she had with her first husband, the late Laurie Boucher, Boucher Goyings says, “We were only married a couple of months. I wanted to make stuffed cabbage leaves. I didn’t cook the leaves but I did the meat. I had about 13 toothpicks in each one to hold them together.”

“My husband said, ‘They’re really good.’ ”

“I said, ‘Yeah?’ ”

“And he says, ‘It’s really good they’re all gone. Don’t make them again,’ ” she says laughing.

Life has changed for Boucher Goyings since those early days in Halifax. Ten years ago, she remarried. She and her husband Dave Goyings reside in Paulding, Ohio. Her son, Jeff Boucher, 28, still lives in Halifax. She flies there often to visit him and other family and friends.

Retired from the RBC (Royal Bank of Canada), Boucher Goyings, 57, spends much of her time helping seniors at a local senior home.

During the 2010 Winter Olympics, which were held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Boucher Goyings made gold, silver and bronze medals and ribbons for people at the seniors’ home. She made treats to serve, too.

“I love to work with seniors. I like to read to them and do things with them,” she says. “I just love it. They’re precious.”

Q. What’s your favorite cookbook?

A. The cookbook I love is my mom’s (the late Muriel Jessup), an early book from the 1950s – “Kate Aitken.” It’s still at my mom’s house. It always reminded me of Betty Crocker and Aunt Bea. When I go home I have to pull out the cookbooks. I also like my “Purity” cookbook, it’s from Maple Leaf Mills Limited of Toronto. It’s the one I go to a lot.

Q. Where did you get the recipe for “Seafood Bubbly Bake”?

A. Seafood bake is from a good friend, Gwen Mosher. She created this recipe. My brother, Kenny Jessup, loves this recipe. I have not made it here, but you can find the frozen haddock here. Instead of getting the fresh, you get the frozen. It’s truly a family favorite.

Q. What’s your go-to meal?

A. I love spaghetti with the homemade sauce. That was a comfort for me growing up. My dad (the late Ken Jessup), was at sea a lot. He was in the Canadian navy. And that was his favorite. And the tea biscuits. Mom’s tea biscuits just melted in your mouth. No one could make them like her.

Q. What’s one thing people would not find in your refrigerator?

A. Beets. My husband likes about everything but not beets, and neither do I. I think the best way they can be served … is to someone else.

Q. If you were stuck on an island, what’s one food you would have to have?

A. Oh, peanut butter. I’m a peanut butter freak. Growing up in the winter, my mom would make a grilled cheese sandwich for my brother. I don’t like cheese so she would make me a grilled peanut butter sandwich with a bowl of chicken noodle soup – just because I was spoiled.

Tweedie Squares

Bottom layer:

1/2 cup butter or margarine

2/3 cup white sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

2 squares semi-sweet chocolate, grated

2 egg whites stiffly beaten (reserve yolks)

Cream together butter, sugar and add flour; baking powder; salt & milk. Fold into batter grated chocolate and egg whites. Pour into a lightly greased 9-by-9-inch baking dish. Bake in a 350 degrees oven for 25 minutes. Let cool, then top with the next layer.

Middle layer:

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 1/2 cups icing (confectioners) sugar

Beat all ingredients together until creamy and smooth and pour over cooled bottom layer. Follow with top layer.

Top layer:

2 squares semi-sweet chocolate

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Melt ingredients together until smooth; pour over middle layer. Keep in refrigerator until cool; cut into squares for serving before they harden. Makes 16 pieces.

Mom’s Butter Tarts

Pie Pastry:

1 pound lard

5 cups flour

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

Mix egg and vinegar in a measuring cup, beating egg. The fill up to 3/4 level with water. In a separate bowl, mix together lard, flour, baking powder and salt; add the egg mixture to it and mix just enough until blended. Be careful not to over mix or dough will get tough. This will make enough pastry for 3 pies, 12 large tarts or 24 mini tarts.

Filling:

Roll enough dough to make 12 large tarts or 24 minis

1 egg

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vinegar

2 tablespoons cold water

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon melted butter

1/2 cup raisins, optional

Melt butter. Add egg, sugar and remaining ingredients; beat well with a spoon. Fill unbaked tart shells 3/4 full and bake in a 400-degree oven until golden. Keep a close watch during baking. Let cool and share.

Seafood Bubbly Bake

1 pound each of white fish, such as haddock; scallops; shrimp; and lobster

1 green onion diced

1 small onion chopped

1 to 2 teaspoons minced garlic or as desired

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

2 to 3 tablespoons butter

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups butter-flavored crackers, crushed

1 cup grated cheese, if desired

Chopped parsley, as garnish

Mix seafood, onions, garlic and seasonings together and pour into a deep 9-by-13-inch casserole dish sprayed with cooking oil. Top with butter and pour on heavy cream. Top with crushed crackers and grated cheese. Bake in a 450 degree oven for about 30 minutes then top with freshly chopped parsley before plating. Serve hot with rice medley or roasted potatoes and fresh roasted vegetables. Makes 4 servings.