wendyyurekrecipes
Wendy Yurek says “We are what we eat and what we eat tells our story. I think this is most easily explained if I start by telling you Wendy Yurek’s story.
Wendy grew up in St. Thomas, a small town in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. She is the middle daughter of Bruce and Grace Wilson. Bruce and Grace shared similar heritage. Although their ancestors roots were different (Germany and England), both families were multi-generational Canadian farmers. They were both raised on mixed use farms in West Lorne, Ontario. They raised livestock (beef cattle, milk cows, chickens, pigs and horses) as well as growing crops such as corn, alfalfa, soybeans and tobacco. The farms produced alot of the fruit and vegetables that they ate and the proporties were adorned with beautiful gardens providing flowers for the diner tables centrepieces.
Food at the Wilson home was quintessential Canadian farm country fare. They ate what was produced on the farm. Even after Bruce and Grace left the farms for life in the city, they returned almost every weekend to help with harvests and other farm chores. Sunday dinner was almost always at Grandma and Grandpa Wilson’s followed by watching Bonanza before leaving for home with fresh eggs and unpasteurized milk with a thick layer of cream on top. The freezer was always full of beef from the farm. Wendy recalls plucking feathers from the slaughtered chickens when she was a child, not her favorite chore.
Typical meals were meat, potatoes, vegetables and fruit. Breakfast on the weekends would probably include bacon and eggs from the farm. Roast beef was always the evening Sunday meal with freshly made pies made with fruit picked from the orchards. The close proximity to Port Stanley (a fishing village about 10 miles away) allowed the addition of fresh perch from Lake Erie. When the fishing season was open, you could go down to the docks and buy fresh perch to bring home and cook.
In 1978, Wendy married her high school sweetheart a handsome and charming lad (also a St. Thomas native), Daryl Yurek. Daryl’s family is the classic immigrant family-one generation removed from Europe. Daryl’s father, Lou, was the oldest of three sons. Baba and Pop Yurek immigrated from Poland and brought with them their traditional Polish recipes. Pierogi, Golumpki, Kapusta, and Shashlik were always cooking on Baba’s stove. Daryl’s mother, Gemma, came from Malta (a small island 60 miles south of Sicily). Malta and it’s foods are influenced as much by its Arab history as its proximity to Italy. Her pantry contained spices such as oregano, thyme, basil, cumin, curry, chick peas and olives. She brought her recipes for Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Lasagne, Dolma, Stuffed Artichokes, and her love of seafood.
In the last 44 years, Wendy has lived a full life which has included living in several places that have expanded her cuisine choices. Toronto, Montreal, London England and Boulder, Colorado have all been home. Toronto’s mosaic culture and Asian influence, Montreal’s French cuisine, England’s European, Indian and Arabic cooking, and Boulder’s “Wild, Wild West” flavour have all brought additions to Wendy’s repertoire of recipes.
This website is Wendy Yurek’s collection of recipes, gathered along her journey through life. The recipes are complete with pictures, videos, and easy to follow directions. They have all been made in Wendy Yurek’s kitchen.
Please enjoy!
Wendy grew up in St. Thomas, a small town in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. She is the middle daughter of Bruce and Grace Wilson. Bruce and Grace shared similar heritage. Although their ancestors roots were different (Germany and England), both families were multi-generational Canadian farmers. They were both raised on mixed use farms in West Lorne, Ontario. They raised livestock (beef cattle, milk cows, chickens, pigs and horses) as well as growing crops such as corn, alfalfa, soybeans and tobacco. The farms produced alot of the fruit and vegetables that they ate and the proporties were adorned with beautiful gardens providing flowers for the diner tables centrepieces.
Food at the Wilson home was quintessential Canadian farm country fare. They ate what was produced on the farm. Even after Bruce and Grace left the farms for life in the city, they returned almost every weekend to help with harvests and other farm chores. Sunday dinner was almost always at Grandma and Grandpa Wilson’s followed by watching Bonanza before leaving for home with fresh eggs and unpasteurized milk with a thick layer of cream on top. The freezer was always full of beef from the farm. Wendy recalls plucking feathers from the slaughtered chickens when she was a child, not her favorite chore.
Typical meals were meat, potatoes, vegetables and fruit. Breakfast on the weekends would probably include bacon and eggs from the farm. Roast beef was always the evening Sunday meal with freshly made pies made with fruit picked from the orchards. The close proximity to Port Stanley (a fishing village about 10 miles away) allowed the addition of fresh perch from Lake Erie. When the fishing season was open, you could go down to the docks and buy fresh perch to bring home and cook.
In 1978, Wendy married her high school sweetheart a handsome and charming lad (also a St. Thomas native), Daryl Yurek. Daryl’s family is the classic immigrant family-one generation removed from Europe. Daryl’s father, Lou, was the oldest of three sons. Baba and Pop Yurek immigrated from Poland and brought with them their traditional Polish recipes. Pierogi, Golumpki, Kapusta, and Shashlik were always cooking on Baba’s stove. Daryl’s mother, Gemma, came from Malta (a small island 60 miles south of Sicily). Malta and it’s foods are influenced as much by its Arab history as its proximity to Italy. Her pantry contained spices such as oregano, thyme, basil, cumin, curry, chick peas and olives. She brought her recipes for Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Lasagne, Dolma, Stuffed Artichokes, and her love of seafood.
In the last 44 years, Wendy has lived a full life which has included living in several places that have expanded her cuisine choices. Toronto, Montreal, London England and Boulder, Colorado have all been home. Toronto’s mosaic culture and Asian influence, Montreal’s French cuisine, England’s European, Indian and Arabic cooking, and Boulder’s “Wild, Wild West” flavour have all brought additions to Wendy’s repertoire of recipes.
This website is Wendy Yurek’s collection of recipes, gathered along her journey through life. The recipes are complete with pictures, videos, and easy to follow directions. They have all been made in Wendy Yurek’s kitchen.
Please enjoy!
- Birthday
- June 24