I'm on vacation this week, visiting my parents in Virginia. Yesterday, my Mom handed me a purple folder which contained a somewhat random sample of pages copied from my Grandmother's recipe binder. Most include notations Grandma Cummings made about substitutions or advice or the recipe's source. These are wonderful, and vividly congure up my Grandma and her unique cooking style.
Included are: the original Tillamook casserole recipe, her mother's breakfast cake, Scottish trifle, Lemon Angel & Peach Chiffon pies, salmon loaf, lefsa, etc., etc. Many of these were from Grandma's Mother or Mother-in-law or Grandmother. It made me wonder which recipes my children will think are important to copy out of my binder and pass on.
What about you? Pot roast? Kung Pao Chicken? Mustard ring? Rivel soup? Cinnamon rolls? Pie? List a few of the most memorable dishes your Mother/Grandmother/Great-Grandmother/Mother-in-law or Father/Grandfather makes or made.
You don't have to give the recipe for them- just a list of faves (or not-so-faves) and who made it.
9 comments:
My Grandmother's (Dad's Mom) chili is a family favorite that is rarely messed with. Occasionally one of us thinks that we can update it; then we taste the new and old side by side and forget about updating a classic. Aside from that, my family is all about the holiday baking and candy making. My mother and I have a great time during Christmas time making so many batches of cookies, candies, and cakes that we need help giving them all away. Without a doubt though, the one recipe that will survive the ages is my mother's fruit cake recipe. Everyone wants it. Her own mother, my grandmother, begs her for a fruitcake every year. She still wont let me in the kitchen when she makes it, but I'm working on her.
Go Davey! (And welcome, by the way.) Just tell her that she has to reveal it to someone someday or it will never get passed down and the whole idea of a great fruitcake will be forgotten in 2 generations.
Like your chili recipe, the Tillamook Casserole recipe I mentioned has been tinkered with by each of us in this generation, and we all still like the original, too.
It's essentially these things layered twice and in this order: cooked wide egg noodles, ground beef with taco seasoning and tomato sauce, canned corn, and shredded cheddar cheese- preferably Tillamook brand. Bake. I add a can of chili to- or sometimes instead of- the meat.
Maren - am I supposed to know what Mustard Ring is, or was that just an example? Sounds nast-o-rama.
davey - I would like to get on the holiday goods give-away recipient list.
I remember Grandma Younce's chocolate chip cookies were very unique and yummy - there was something different about them. I haven't thought of those in a long time, I should see about getting that recipe.
I like my purple folder too, especially the personal notes in it, but I don't think I'll be trying salmon loaf any time soon.
Marsha (my mother-in-law) makes a marshmallow/pineapple/pistachio pudding fluffy thing, probably a Utah classic - is is ambrosia salad? I don't know but she makes it for most family gatherings and while I'm rolling my eyes I'm also stuffing my face with it.
Favorites from my side include of course Casserole, Chicken & Noodles (I'm still terrible at the noodles, and they have to be homemade to be right), lemon meringue pie and mom's apple tart. Mmm, hungry yet?
I think I've had that marshmallow/pineapple/pistachio pudding fluffy thing and it looked very odd to me, but tasted good.
Our Grandma Mecham was a fabulous cook and I loved her pies, her Molasses cookies (which I've tried to make and they just aren't the same in my kitchen), and this weird side dish it seems like she always included on clear green glass saucers - a piece of lettuce, with a canned pear half filled with cottage cheese on top. I've also tried that at home; it definitely isn't the same.
I don't really remember Nana's cooking, but I do remember the mustard ring - surprisingly a great addition to ham on Easter. And I remember the mint icecream chocolate bars that she always gets from the Schwans man. I still try to find a way to be offered one everytime I visit.
Yes, I was hoping the mention of Mustard Ring would get someone going. I had it one time- back at Nana's old house... I think it was Thanksgiving. It looked a bit scary to me, but tasted quite nice.
It's kind of what you'd imagine: a mustard colored ring (made in a jello ring mold) with a pleasant tangy mustard flavor and the consistancy of... hmm... meringue? I have the recipe and occasionally offer to make it, but Quinn has yet to feel nostalgic enough about it to give it the green light. I understand it was an essential holiday condiment for Ezra.
K- I call any fluffy salad which might include some form of jello "ambrosia". I'm not sure of the real definition, not being from the Intermountain West myself. Like you, I'm generally not a fan, but always manage to taste a bit to see if I've changed my mind.
Also, if I remember correctly, Grandma Younce used milk chocolate chips. I think. I remember her German Chocolate cake. I had never had anything like that at our house; it was so very decadent with all that coconut and caramel and nuts in the frosting!
Davey- If you're still reading: what kind of treats do you make at Christmas? We need a better idea here.
I'm all about finger food. I mean sure, I can make cherry, pecan, pumpkin, coconut cream, and mince meat pies. (Does anyone else think that mince meat pie may have been an old joke that got out of hand?) But I prefer the cookies and candies route.
Tea cake surprise, lemon bars, 7 layer cookies, fruitcake cookies, spice cookies, haystacks, peanut butter cookies, all of these are standard must haves. Lately the seven layer cookies have been made in a couple of batches, different flavors and what not, plus my bother in law loves them but hates the coconut so we do a batch without.
This last year I made buckeyes which were a huge success but they were also way to lumpy and funny looking, so I'll try again this year. This year also marked a return of the long lost bourbon balls; and rum balls, I made those up on the fly.
But nothing tops fudge. Homemade melt-in-your-mouth, if you've had better I'll give you a dollar fudge. I don't mess around with this. I don't make white chocolate or peanut butter or anything else. There are two kinds of fudge. With nuts or without; that is all. Fudge requires time. No special recipe. It's on the back of every jar of marshmallow fluff I've ever seen. It just requires uninterrupted stirring for close to 20 minutes. Have to pee? Suck it up. Have to feed the baby? Should have planned ahead Dog needs to pee? Clean it up later. Don't even stop to scratch your nose. Stir constantly and your fudge will turn out so perfect you can use it to bribe people to clean up after the dog, or feed the baby.
My favorites come from my Mother: Chicken and noodles over mashed potatoes (noodles MUST be homemade); another chicken dish that had peas in it, but I doubt that it will ever be duplicated because I don't think my Mother remembers making it; mashed potatoes -- for years I was the masher because it had to be done by hand, and I had the most stamina -- and pie crust. When I was about 12 I pestered my Mother to death to make pies for me. One day she said she was going to teach me how to make pies and she would never again make a pie for me. After that my Father and I would make pies together -- 4 or 5 at a time. My Mother never made a pie again until I was married. We went to visit, and I was SO surprised that my Mother had made a pie for dinner. It had been at least a decade since she had last made one. Anyway, I would like to see davey's chili recipe because I have one from a colleague at work that I really like. Also, I got a pumpkin pie recipe from my secretary that I have never even tried to modify, it is so good.
Yes, Davey, I have more questions, too. What are the seven layers in the cookies... and what exactly is IN mincemeat pie? I mean, I've seen the jars of Grandma's brand mincemeat at the store near Christmas, but I've never had the pie. Can you describe the flavor and maybe why people like it?
Ooh, I have another. Mom's Chocolate Chip Crunch Cake. Mmm... This is the white 2-egg cake with a crunchy-gooey brown sugar/ marshmallow/chocolate chip/nut topping that requires 2 glasses of milk per piece. I was craving it tonight and made it. Now I shall eat as much as I want of it while watching a movie.
Post a Comment