It’s the kind of good news story we could all use a little more of right now. Cape Breton Island’s Mary Janet MacDonald has brought hope and cheer to thousands during the COVID-19 pandemic through her love of cooking and people.
Almost every single Sunday afternoon since the first pandemic restrictions were put in place in March 2020, MacDonald has been livestreaming how to make her favourite recipes from her kitchen in the village of Port Hood. In two and a half years, her Facebook audience has swelled to 62,000 followers.
MacDonald didn’t set out to be an internet sensation. In a phone call from her Cape Breton home, she explains her accidental rise to fame. Wanting to stay connected to her far-flung family (the 71-year-old has seven adult children and 12 grandchildren) when the pandemic began, one of her daughters suggested she use Facebook Live to show the family how she makes the cinnamon rolls she had been baking regularly since her children were little.
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The following Sunday afternoon MacDonald demonstrated how to make her iconic cinnamon rolls. Music is an important part of her life so while she worked, she played the latest CD from her niece, the famous fiddle player Natalie MacMaster.
What MacDonald didn’t realize was that her Facebook privacy controls were set to public so it wasn’t only her family members who were able to watch her make the cinnamon rolls. Others were tuning in and were captivated not only by MacDonald’s cinnamon rolls but also by her warm and friendly personality.
Although it was not her intention to become a public persona, MacDonald embraced the opportunity to bring joy and a sense of connection to others during this difficult time. Her family helped her set up a website plus a YouTube channel and Facebook page for her show.
A granddaughter came up with the name — “Tunes and Wooden Spoons” — as a nod to both the cooking and musical elements of her show. Cape Breton is famous for its talented musicians and MacDonald would go on to invite many of them, including Natalie MacMaster, to be guests on her show.
MacDonald laughed when I asked if she had training as a professional chef or baker. “No,” she said. “It’s not that I’m a great baker; it’s just that I enjoy doing it.” She figures it’s her authenticity that makes her real-time show so popular. “It’s genuine. I make mistakes and that’s okay.”
After a few shows, one day MacDonald spontaneously ended the episode by saying “You matter to me. I love you. Love one another.” After that, she closed each show with these same words. MacDonald has received many heart-warming messages from people who find comfort in her weekly show and many messages recounting the acts of kindness she had inspired.
In the early days of the show, MacDonald’s focus was on the family recipes that were passed down to her from her mother and mother-in-law. These are recipes that she has made over and over again and have become the basis of her 2021 cookbook, Tunes and Wooden Spoons: Recipes from a Cape Breton Kitchen (MacIntyre Purcell Publishing).
Her daughter Margie did the photography for the book which became a bestseller with 17,000 copies sold so far.
For her second cookbook, Love Without Measure, published a year later, MacDonald took her inspiration from a dozen local matriarchs who are the backbones of their families and communities. They ranged in age from their 80s to more than a hundred years of age.
MacDonald interviewed each of the women so she could share their stories and recipes in the book. “I learned so much from them,” she says.
While having an internet cooking show was new for MacDonald, the territory wasn’t completely unfamiliar to her.
The former 4-H leader said she has always had a passion and love for showing and teaching, and she has helped to compile many community cookbooks.
Now that the pandemic is easing, MacDonald is reducing the frequency of livestreaming to once a month instead of weekly. This will free up some more time to spend with her grandchildren, she says.
MacDonald treasures the opportunity she has had to connect with so many people. “It’s been a real pleasure to read so many open-hearted messages telling me what the show has meant to them. But as much as they have received, I have received triple,” she says. “It’s been such a journey.”
Resources
To learn more about Mary Janet MacDonald’s show and cookbooks as well as her recipes visit tunesandwoodenspoons.com, or check out her cooking and baking demonstrations on YouTube.
Cheddar Broccoli Soup
Mary Janet MacDonald says this is her all-time favourite soup. “My goodness — can’t get enough of it. Thanks to Joan Haley MacDonald from Antigonish for this gem. You have to try this soup recipe and you will not regret it.”
(Reprinted with permission from the second Tunes & Wooden Spoons cookbook Love Without Measure, MacIntryre Purcell Publishing, 2022).
This makes a big batch that will stay fresh in refrigerator for 2-3 days but does not freeze well due to dairy content.
Prepare all your ingredients beforehand and have them at the ready before you begin your soup.
- In a 4- to 6-quart Dutch oven:
- Melt 1½ tbsp butter and add,
- 3 medium/large carrots, diced small
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 small onion, diced
- Sauté the above for 3-4 minutes — stirring frequently.
- Add 2 cloves minced garlic and stir for an additional 30 seconds or so.
- Add 1 box (900 ml) low-sodium chicken broth.
- Add 2 large potatoes (peeled and diced) (about 3½ cups).
- ¼ tsp thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
Bring to a boil over medium/high heat then reduce heat to medium and cover and cook for 15 minutes.
Add 3 cups chopped broccoli florets and cook for 5 minutes longer or until all veggies are tender.
Meanwhile, melt 4 tbsp butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 6 tbsp flour and whisk for about 1 minute.
While whisking vigorously, slowly pour in 3 cups milk (1% or 2% is fine) and keep whisking until no lumps remain. Switch to a spatula and keep stirring until it thickens and then stir in ½ cup whipping cream (35% fat). Remove this mixture from heat right away and once the veggies are tender in your Dutch oven, slowly add the milk mixture to the soup. Stir until soup is nice and hot and remove from heat.
- Add 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ⅓ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- Stir until cheese has melted and serve.
