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Giving From The Heart

Baker Raises Money For American Cancer Society, Friend In Need

By Beverly Kehe-Rowland 10 min read

We have all been blessed with talents. It is what we do with those talents that matters, and what could be more fulfilling than to share them with others? Sami Harrower of Jamestown has not only been sharing her talent of baking and canning for much of 2017, but has raised money by selling her goods to give to others and isn't stopping any time soon. For example, the profits from her baked and canned goods purchases between February and August were donated to the American Cancer Society. And although she is no longer taking orders for canned goods, she is now donating the money she takes in from her delicious baked goods to a friend's son who has incurred much debt from a freak accident.

"I am baking various fall-themed foods such as apple and pumpkin desserts and cheesecakes of various flavors and styles until the end of November. The proceeds go to Marc Bohall to help pay for medical bills and a prosthetic," she said. "I used to go to church with the family and learned of the need through the church's prayer chain and at prayer meeting. His mother, Mary Bohall, is my Facebook friend."

Mr. Bohall learned of the kind gesture after his mother saw the announcement on Facebook.

"I was surprised and never expected it," he said with a smile.

The 34-year-old was enjoying a game of kickball with his nieces and nephews on Labor Day 2016 when the accident occurred that would be the beginning of many months of hospitalization, medical procedures and time away from his job with the Town of Randolph.

"I went to throw the ball and I don't know if I stepped in a hole or stepped wrong," he shared. "I remember I hit the ground and started screaming."

He was transported to Olean General Hospital, where an X-ray revealed Bohall had not only dislocated his knee, but had torn an artery. After a flight to Erie County Medical Center, emergency surgery was performed to install a stent where the artery had been torn. At this time it was discovered he had four torn ligaments and nerve damage. Little did Bohall know he would not return home until near Thanksgiving, after spending two months at the facility and another two weeks at Heritage Village for further rehabilitation.

"I was on so much pain medicine the first five weeks, I had no idea what was going on," Bohall said.

Other painful procedures were necessary during the initial two month stay at ECMC, such as removal of necrotic tissue and surgery on a hematoma. An external fixator was attached to pins in Bohall's thigh and shin to stabilize the knee in order to clean the damaged area. Later an abscess formed on the site where the hematoma was removed, requiring a weeklong stay in the hospital in early December. He returned to the hospital in January, where he stayed for another four or five days, after a second abscess developed.

All along he and his wife, Kayla, knew he had a 99 percent chance of losing his leg. During the long wait, the knee could not be bent, no weight could be applied to the leg and the doctors did not want him to use crutches. It was impossible for him to stay alone. His wife was able to work from home most days and when she needed to report to her work location, Bohall's mother stayed with him.

"Her boss has been amazing throughout this," he said referring to his wife's boss at Filling the Gap.

Since the return to his home last fall, he has been visited by several visiting nurses and several physical therapists and has had to make many trips to Buffalo for check-ups. He speaks highly of his caregivers.

When he was finally able to have a nerve study, it revealed the nerve was dead from the knee down and he would never regain feeling in his foot.

"The surgeon told us he had hoped he could have saved the leg. The surgery went very well," Bohall said.

The Town of Randolph has allowed Bohall to take unpaid leave from his job, recently granting another year extension.

"All I want to do is get back (to work)," he said.

Although the couple, who will celebrate six years of marriage tomorrow, is very thankful for their insurance coverage, the plan changed in April, leaving them with higher co-pays. They are billed $500 for every hospital admission and their share of the cost of the prosthesis is $21,000. Because Bohall works on his feet and operates equipment for the Highway Department, a sturdier, more expensive prosthetic has been recommended.

Enter Samantha Harrower, the owner of a very giving heart, who is changing the world one kind gesture at a time. She is hoping to make a dent in the debt the Bohalls have accumulated and is ready and waiting for orders for baked goods.

"Since I was able to carry a rolling pin or be in the kitchen, I was there," she said. "If they couldn't find me, I was in the kitchen. When I was 14 or 15 I decided I wanted to do something with food for my career."

Soon after enrolling in a culinary arts class at BOCES, Harrower learned their focus was more on cooking than on baking, which was her true passion, "because it is scientific, but you can present it in an artistic manner."

The generous baker was awarded two 2-year scholarships from Jamestown Business College upon graduation from Randolph High School. With these scholarships, she earned a bachelor's degree in business administration, marketing and management.

"I went for the marketing degree, because I knew it would help with my future restaurant, catering or bakery business," she said.

Harrower has been the head chef at Prime Steakhouse since March 2017. Prior to this she was the fry cook and sous chef at Nic-L-Inn.

She has found that baking works well as a calming technique and likes to combine more than one recipe and then tweak it to her liking.

"For church and family functions, I am usually the one to do baked goods," Harrower said. "When I worked at Nic-L-Inn I made cookies, peanut butter fudge, puppy chow and sometimes chocolates or rock candy for my co-workers in the kitchen."

Her interests include running, yoga, zumba and Brazilian jiu jitsu. She likes to sew, embroider and enjoys singing. Collecting old Coca Cola memorabilia and penguins are other hobbies. She is a blood donor and attends Conduit Church.

"Another goal in my life is to hand-deliver the Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes to the children," Harrower added.

Available baked goods and their prices are as follows -- cheesecake $20-25.50, apple crisp $10, pumpkin or apple muffins $8.50 for a baker's dozen, pumpkin-chocolate chip cookies 1 dozen $6 or 2 dozen for $11.75, pumpkin bread (chocolate or regular) $6.75, apple Pie $12, apple butter-pumpkin pie $16 and pumpkin mousse $12. To order baked goods to benefit Marc, please call or text (716) 450-5303. Orders will be accepted until November 30, 2017.

Do you have an interesting holiday tradition, decorate to the max or bake massive amounts of cookies and have 8-10 recipes you are willing to share? If so, please contact me at bkehe25@gmail.com.

Apple Butter-Pumpkin Pie with Streusel Topping

1 pie crust

1 c solid packed pumpkin

1 c apple butter

1/4 c packed dark brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1c undiluted evaporated milk

1/2 c flour

1/2 c brown sugar

3 T butter

1/2 c chopped pecans

Combine pumpkin, apple butter, brown sugar, spices, eggs and milk. Pour filling into the crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and continue baking for 35-45 minutes or until the knife comes out clean. While pie is baking, mix: flour with brown sugar. Cut in butter. Stir in pecans and set aside. Remove pie from oven. Sprinkle streusel topping over the pie. Return to oven. Cover crust with foil and bake for 15 more minutes. Cool for one hour.

Energy Balls

1 c old fashion oats

1/2 c peanut butter

1/2 c ground flax seed

1/3 c honey

1/2 c mini semi sweet chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 T chia seeds

1/4 c shredded coconut

Mix all together. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll into balls.

Scooby-Doo Cookies

1c peanut butter

1c brown sugar

1 c butter, room temperature

2 eggs

1 c sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 c flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2-1 c chocolate chips

Mix in order given. Drop onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes.

Scandinavian Almond Cake

1 1/4 c sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

2/3 c milk

1 1/4 c flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 stick margarine, melted

Powdered sugar

Spray pan. (I usually use a Bundt pan. Double recipe if using Bundt pan.) Beat sugar, egg, extract and milk. Add flour and baking powder and combine. Add melted margarine and continue combining. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Edges must be golden brown. Cool in pan before removing. Cake will break if removed too soon. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Epic Gluten-Free Brownies

2 oz semi-sweet chocolate

1/2 c solid coconut oil

1/2 c honey

2/3 c coconut sugar or brown sugar

3 eggs

1 T vanilla extract

1/2 c almond meal

3/4 c cocoa

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

4 oz semi-sweet chocolate (for sprinkling)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 8" x 8" pan with parchment paper. Chop chocolate and melt with coconut oil. Cool slightly. Mix the rest of the ingredients with the melted chocolate mixture. Spread batter into prepared pan evenly. Chop the semi-sweet chocolate. Sprinkle over batter. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs. Cool then slice.

Coconut Carrot Cake

2 c brown sugar

1 1/2 c vegetable oil

4 eggs

2 c flour

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

3 c grated carrots

1/2 c chopped nuts

handful of coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line pans with parchment paper. In a large bowl, beat sugar, oil and eggs. Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Stir in carrot, coconut and nuts. Pour into pan. Bake 9" x 13" about 45 minutes or 2-9" pans about 35 minutes.

Blueberry Coconut Cake

1 c soft butter

2 c sugar

3 large. eggs

1 T vanilla

2 3/4 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 c buttermilk

2 lemons, zested

1 lb blueberries

1/2 c coconut

Spray Bundt pan with cooking spray. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda, baking powder and salt. Slowly add dry ingredients to creamed mixture, alternating with buttermilk. Beat in lemon juice. Stir in half of the blueberries. Pour batter into pan and sprinkle the rest of the berries over batter. Bake for 60-80 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool for 20 minutes and then turn out onto cooling rack. Frost or glaze, then sprinkle oat crumble over top of cake.

Oat Crumble

2 T butter

2 T brown sugar

3 T flour

2 T oats

2 T sliced almonds

Combine all ingredients. Sprinkle in baking sheet. Bake for 5-10 minutes. Cool on sheet. Sprinkle over frosted or glazed cake.

Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 c butter

1 1/2 c sugar

1 c solid packed pumpkin

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

6 oz chocolate chips

Cream together butter and sugar. Add pumpkin. Sift dry ingredients. Combine with butter mixture. Fold in chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

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