Comments on: Share Your Mom’s Best Recipes!

By: Carol J George

Carol J George — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:06:01 +0000

I just registered today and while exploring I discovered the Mom’s Best recipes. I have read about 12 of the recipes and have enjoyed the personal notes with them. Great feature! Thanks

By: Linda C

Linda C — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 18:28:39 +0000

The most dazzling, strong, kindest creature w/sharp mind & sweetest soul, aka: my Mommy. She passed away 2 years ago. Poor baby was an Alzheimer’s/Parkinson’s victim. Mom is Polish & married Daddy who is Italian. She never cooked anything Italian. Said “you never compete w/your mother in law.”-Mom was wise! I do make Italian foods, learned from Dad’s sister. Dad died 37 years ago but she kept her grief from us kids to focus on us. Wish I was that strong. She always made Polish ham w/pineapples&cherries, baked mac&chesse, asparagus, baked candied yams, peas w/pearl onions, fresh baked bread & best ever sour cream coffee cake, lemon meringue pie for Easter. All from scratch! I learned cooking/baking from her & am told I rock at both. Thanks, Mom!
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Beat 1/4 lb margarine or butter and 1 cup sugar.
Add 2 eggs, beat.
1/2 pint sour cream & 1 tsp vanilla, beat.
Sift 2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda.
Add to watery mixture.
Spoon 1/2 of this mix into greased tube pan.
Sprinkle 3/4 of: 1/4 cup sugar & 1 tsp cinnamon.
Add remaining batter.
Sprinkle with remaining sugar/cinnamon.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

I hope this makes sense because my sister wrote Mom’s recipe on a card – her handwriting not the best, sorry! BTW: back then we greased pans with Crisco. I believe it makes cakes/pies taste better.

By: Catherine Dougherty

Catherine Dougherty — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 21:50:35 +0000

This bread is a traditional bread passed on by previous generations of “Catherine’s” from Ireland. It’s a coveted favorite at occasions. Make one for Mom for her early morning breakfast or snack in the afternoon. She’ll love it!
-Submitted by Catherine Dougherty (A fine Irish lass…) 3/13/2009

Irish Soda Bread

4 cups sifted flour (I personally just use Bread flour)
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp caraway seeds
¼ cup butter or margarine
2 cups raisins
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1 egg, unbeaten
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

Start heating oven at 375. Grease 2-quart casserole.
Into mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder. Stir in caraway seeds. With pastry blender, or two butter knives, scissor-fashion, cut in butter till it is like coarse corn meal. Stir in raisins. Combine buttermilk, egg, soda. Stir into flour mixture until just moistened. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface, and knead lightly till smooth. Shape into ball. Place in casserole. With sharp knife, make 4” cross, ¼ inch deep in center. Brush the top with a beaten egg yolk. Bake 1 hour 10 minutes or until done (knife inserted in center comes out clean) Cool in pan 10 minutes, remove.
Note: This unleavened (no yeast) bread tends to become stiff very quickly. So, as soon as you can cover the loaf in heavy duty foil while it is still warm to retain a softer consistency, for ease of cutting. Use a serrated edged knife. Microwaving or heating in the toaster oven makes this bread a tasty addition to that cup of coffee.

Special note: We (the 4 of us kids when we were youngsters) would get up early especially if there was an Irish Soda Bread in the kitchen, and get a second piece before it runs out! We have been passing this recipe on since 4 generations of “Catherine’s” ago in Ireland.

By: Rachel Riezman

Rachel Riezman — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 17:26:45 +0000

I often greeted my mother each night with the common question “what’s for dinner?” Her response was usually “I don’t know yet”, but without fail there was a delicious meal on the table within an hour. My mother was ahead of her time, emphasizing fresh and healthy food long before it was trendy or expected. She instituted a weekly vegetarian night to ensure that her children “remained flexible and open to new things”.

A favorite at our family dinner table was my mom’s Sesame Broccoli. It should be a quick and simple staple in all households.

1 Head Broccoli
1T Toasted Sesame Oil
3T Sesame Seeds

Cut broccoli into bite sized pieces. Put broccoli in a microwave safe bowl with a splash of water. Cover and microwave for 3-5 minutes, until broccoli is cooked, but still has a crunch to it. Toast sesame seeds in toaster oven being careful not to burn. Drizzle broccoli with sesame oil, and top with sesame seeds.

By: Jean Denham, CC

Jean Denham, CC — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:41:52 +0000

What wonderful timing – I just completed a book about our family’s recipes and their nuturing my love of cooking. My mother (and grandmothers also) was a wonderful cook and it’s hard to choose just one, but since I have to….her Macaroni and Cheese. And for those who think Velveeta is not something they would ever eat, just give it a try – you’ll be hooked. To go with the mac and cheese the family favorite is ham cooked with a baste of 1/2 maple syrup/1/2 orange juice. when serving, be sure to drizzle some of the baste over the mac and cheese. Died and gone to heaven!

Mom’s Macaroni & Cheese

6 T. butter
6 T. flour
3 cups milk
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash of white pepper
1 lb. Velveeta cheese
16 oz. elbow macaroni
2 T. butter, cold
1/2 cup crushed saltines

Preheat oven to 350°F.

For the sauce: Melt the 6 T. of butter in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add the 6 T. of flour and blend together, whisking constantly for 2 minutes. Add the milk and continue whisking until the sauce thickens and is very smooth. Add the salt and pepper.

At this point, start adding chunks (about 1” squares) of the Velveeta cheese, a little at a time, incorporating all before adding more cheese. The one pound of cheese called for is arbitrary ~ after about 8-10 oz. begin tasting and if it’s cheesy enough for you, stop adding. We love ours very cheesy so we add the entire pound! When all the cheese is melted and blended in, remove from heat.

Cook the macaroni according to pkg. directions; drain. If the pan you made your cheese sauce in is big enough, add the macaroni to that pot, if not combine the sauce and pasta in a large bowl.

Butter the bottom and sides of a 9X13” baking dish; pour in the mac and cheese; sprinkle with the crushed soda crackers and top with slivers of the
2 T. cold butter.

Bake for 1 hour or until bubbly and top is nicely browning. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

By: Ronelle wuerch

Ronelle wuerch — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 06:12:36 +0000

This is actually my grandmother’s recipe. Before I left home, it was the only kind of sphaghetti I had ever had, and is still my favorite. I make it often, especially when I get homesick. It is so simple, but everyone raves about it. A little history: My grandmother came from Germany at age 16, alone, speaking no English, she arrived in the US and somehow found her way to Wisconsin, where she married and settled. She later became the head chef at a famous hotel in Milwaukee. This is her recipe for “German Spaghetti.”
Ingredients:
1 lb bacon (or turkey bacon), cut into about 2-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
1 large can of tomatoes, I use diced, it’s easier.
1 small can of tomato paste; when empty, fill and add water
In frying pan, cook the bacon and set aside. Retain some of the bacon fat and in it, brown the onion. When done, return bacon to pan and add the can of tomatoes and the paste. When the pasta is done, add all ingredients together. It is best if you can put this in the oven for about 45 minutes on low to crisp the top layer. That’s it! The hardest part is making a large enough batch to have leftovers the next day! Enjoy!

By: Judy Pokras

Judy Pokras — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:53:56 +0000

My mother is a great cook, and loves to entertain. She’s also very creative, and I got at least half of my creativity and love of food from her (and the other half from my father).

Here’s a delicious salad recipe (Diner’s Salad) my mother back-engineered from a Verona, NJ diner called The Claremont, that served this free to all customers, who would find a bowl of it on their table. The Claremont got the recipe from The Weequahic Diner in Newark, NJ.

http://secretsfrommykitchen.blogspot.com/2005/05/delicious-diners-salad.html

By: D. Watson

D. Watson — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 19:25:21 +0000

My Grand(mom) was raised on a farm during the depression and she didn’t have much in the way of treats, but, she used to fix this recipe on special occasions for her brothers and sisters and then her kids…and then grandkids (me)! The sugar content is high, but it is “oh, SO good!)

SUGAR PIE
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1/3 cup flour
1 t. vanilla
2 cups light cream (coffee cream works well)
dash of cinnamon
1/4 stick of butter
1 unbaked pie shell (she made her own…I am not as ambitious!)

Combine the sugars and flour. Stir in cream and vanilla until creamy. Take half of the butter and crumble into the unbaked pie shell. Pour the mixture into the shell. Sprinkle a little extra brown sugar on top of the mixture. Dot with the remaining butter and sprinkle on the cinnamon. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until slightly brown. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. Be careful not to burn! Remove and cool. Filling will thicken.
Serve a thin slice with fresh fruit and, for the adults, plenty of strong coffee! (It’s very rich!)

By: Carrie Shreck

Carrie Shreck — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:54:42 +0000

We always called my grandmother MOM. She had a wonderful apricot orchard where we played long hours as children. We always enjoyed this simple desert in the summer when staying with her.
Summer Cobbler
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 self rising flour
1 cup milk
1 stick butter or margerine
2 cup fresh fruit such as blackberries, apricots or peaches mixed with 1/2 cup sugar.

Melt butter and pour into 9×13 baking dish. Mix first three ingredients together and pour into dish. Spoon fruit over batter and bake at 350degrees until browned. (Approx. 45 min)
Serve hot with a couple tablespoons of 1/2 and 1/2 drizzled over it.

By: Peggy Harp

Peggy Harp — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:47:42 +0000

My mom made a dish called CITY CHICKEN. It is not chicken but veal and pork roast cut into bite size chunks and skewered on a wooden stick. As kids we enjoyed eating something off a stick and the flavor is comforting and down home. The story behind the name is that during the depression folks in the city could not get chicken like their rural relatives so they made this which resembled a drumstick. As a child, I thought everyone ate City Chicken but found out when I left Detroit in the early 1980’s most people had never heard of the dish. It is so easy and so good that it was the first dinner I served to my then future in-laws. They loved it.
1/2 lb. pork
1/2 lb. veal
1 egg, beaten with a little milk or water (maybe 1/4 cup)
1 med yellow onion sliced thick
Bread crumbs (seasoned if you want)
Vegetable oil
wooden skewer

Cut the pork and veal into 2 inch cubes. Skew alternately onto woonen stick. Dip into the egg and milk mixture and then coat in the breadcrumbs. Brown in a cast iron pan with an inch of oil making sure to get all sides. Put a few slices of onion on the bottom of covered roasting pot and place skewer on top then put remaing onions on top. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes.

My mom always served City Chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans. There were never any leftovers. Thanks mom for loving me with delicious and fun food.