topic Re: Mom's Recipes in Kitchen

Mom's Recipes

Mistreatedbycs — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 22:25:10 GMT

As we all age, time goes by so fast and sometimes we forget to do the "little things" and wish I could talk to my grandma and ask her how she made some of those delicious baked goods she made. Her specialty were sponge cake squares with white frosting rolled in coconut and her kolaches which were nothing I tested from recipes off the internet

so...............

no matter how young or old you are and have mom and/or grandma alive, make sure you talk to them, ask them how they made the wonderful things they do.

My mom is up there in age and sure don't want to think back and regret asking her how she made certain things and so many times I thought it was "written" and she would say "oh no, that's not what I do"....what?!!!!!!!! It's all in their head and that doesn't do me any good.

Anyone else do this or have done this?

Re: Mom's Recipes

spix — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 22:39:25 GMT

I know what you mean Nantucket, & then it's too late, been thinking about my kids, I usually cook by "touch" or whatever, should start writing things down for them before it's too late, Thanx for the reminder

Re: Mom's Recipes

Harpa — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 23:32:43 GMT

I share in having regrets.

My Dad, for some reason, was good cook with some things - (passed away when I was 17). His brother & SIL, my uncle & aunt, owned a restaurant, where I worked as a waitress, my 1st job, and I so wish I had their recipes! Everything in the restaurant was home-made! And soooo good!

My Mom, a terrific baker, but even when I do have her recipes, they never taste like hers! I'm a good cook, but my baking skills are lax.

I share recipes w/ DD all the time, and I often get things from her! She's a good cook, too. We're both riots at baking, though!

Re: Mom's Recipes

stilltamn8r — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 00:05:22 GMT

On 4/10/2014 Harpa said:
I share in having regrets.

My Dad, for some reason, was good cook with some things - (passed away when I was 17). His brother & SIL, my uncle & aunt, owned a restaurant, where I worked as a waitress, my 1st job, and I so wish I had their recipes! Everything in the restaurant was home-made! And soooo good!

My Mom, a terrific baker, but even when I do have her recipes, they never taste like hers! I'm a good cook, but my baking skills are lax.

I share recipes w/ DD all the time, and I often get things from her! She's a good cook, too. We're both riots at baking, though!

My dad was a great cook- he came from rural East Texas and I guess watched his mom and sisters- Anyway, he was famous for his Chili- It was the best around, whenever he would make a huge cast iron dutch oven full, friends and family would swarm over (oh and it was HOTTTTT!)

I always watched him, and picked up his tips all my life, and I will never forget, about a month before he died, he wasn't feeling well, so I made some and took it over to him, and I said "Dad, this YOUR chili, I know you aren't up to making it, so I made it for you!"- He took one bite of it, and looked me in the eye and said, "No Tam, MY chili was never THGIS good!"

Lordy I miss that man!

Re: Mom's Recipes

Shogirl — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 00:19:23 GMT

Yes, many moons ago, my dear mom wrote down all of her family recipes and gave them to me. They hold a cherished spot in my recipe cabinet, and in my heart. Next month it'll be a year ago that she passed.

Re: Mom's Recipes

Snowpuppy — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 00:23:47 GMT

It seems the holidays always bring out the requests for what we enjoyed years ago with family members who are no longer with us. Cooking, baking, eating and for me the table has to be set just so in remembrance of my grandmother.

It's work but never a chore but a labor of love.

Don't blame yourself when a recipe doesn't have the same flavors and texture as it once did. Ingredients have changed so much! I recently made a biscuit recipe that I've had great success with only for it to be a flop over and over. I changed the fats I used and omg, what a difference!

The only thing I hated was when I asked "how much of this"? or "how long do I let it bake for"......and the answer was "well, you'll know".

Re: Mom's Recipes

Flo08 — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 00:25:23 GMT

When I was learning to cook it was my Gma as the teacher. Everything she did was in her head but to keep a very young little girl occupied and out of the way I became her helper. She would sit me at the kitchen table and give me little jobs to do while she was cooking. All the time she was telling me things like " we ill have at least 8 people eating dinner tonight so I ordered a 2 pound bag of carrots" or When I put the sugar in this I use my coffee cup with the broken handle filled to the top" She always spoke in packages, bags or large or small whatever. Saying I use two large Onions or 3 med or 4 small for liver & onions. It did not matter how many times she mad something she always told me what she was doing or would quiz me about how many small onions she would need because she did not have large ones.

I learned to think about cooking in the same way. She passed away when I was in 4th grade but by then I could put a few of her dishes on the table and fix dinner for the whole family. Many years later I became the owner of that coffee cup with the broken handle. Turns out that it holds 1 1/2 cups of sugar or flour.

When my parents took over cooking the family dinners I was able to recreate what we call "Grandma's Green Stuff" and have the recipe in my collection. It is typical jello, pineapple, cream cheese and heavy whipping cream Salad/Dessert but is for a very big batch. I have tried to scale it down but it just does not taste the same.

On my Mom's side of the family it is real easy to find the recipes that were passed down to her because I have my Great Grandma's cookbook and only need to look for the stained pages or her notes about changes.

Since I have no family members that are interested in "my" recipes I share them when someone asks for a version of something. I try to include the "history" of the recipe with the information when I post it if there is any.

Re: Mom's Recipes

stilltamn8r — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 00:47:43 GMT

The memories are truly more precious than the food....

Re: Mom's Recipes

Mary Bailey — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 00:49:00 GMT

Luckily I got my paternal grandmother's kuegla recipe from my aunt, and my maternal grandmother's potato pancake recipe while cooking them with my Mom.

I learned my Mom's recipes while cooking for the family when I was in Jr High and high school.

Re: Mom's Recipes

SmokieBear — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 00:56:13 GMT

When I was growing up, we always had a huge garden. My Mother canned and froze enough to last until the next summer. When they retired and moved to Florida in 1975, I stayed in my hometown (for work) and was fortunate enough to have an apartment where I could have a garden. The first year the yield was out of this world. I called Mom and asked her to send me all her recipes she used for canning and freezing. She has been gone for 27 years and I no longer have a garden, but I still love reading the recipes in her hand writing. The simplest things are the best.

Smokie

Re: Mom's Recipes

stilltamn8r — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 01:02:45 GMT

When my mm died, I got all her recipe files and there were plenty-

For every holiday, she had a party-Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Day-Even the Showers she threw for people-

Anyway, she always took a recipe card, and took time to write WHO was there, WHAT was served,, did people like it? was there enough of this, too much of that? would she make it again? Did someone else bring a dish and how was that received?

It was really a walk down memory lane- she had these back at least 30 years...Just remembering the PEOPLE was one thing, but remembering the food was amazing too-I still make many of those same things-

Re: Mom's Recipes

kittymomNC — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 01:11:10 GMT

When I was a little girl, my mother worked and was usually not there when my sister, brother, and I got home from school. But I remember so many winter days when it was my Mom's day off, I would open the door and smell homemade vegetable beef soup, along with two chocolate pies! It's one of my best memories. Mom passed away 27 years ago, and I was the only one in the family who could make her vegetable beef soup - my son didn't particularly care for vegetables, but he would eat that. I almost never made it in the summer, but one day when it was 90 degrees outside and he was in his early twenties, he came in and said, out of the blue, "Mom, if you don't write down how to make Grandmom's soup, nobody will ever be able to make it when you die." It was really funny because that was the last thing on my mind on a hot humid day! Of course, I had learned from her and never measured anything - I just kept tasting and adding until it was just right. I finally managed to get the recipe written down the best I could, so he will have it if I'm not here. But I still make it for him now.

But there is one thing she could make that I cannot exactly duplicate - cole slaw. I've tried everything known to man, and I can't make it taste quite like she did. I know what was in it, I just can't get it right. I've learned to make my own version that I really like, but I remember her making fried chicken, cole slaw, and potato salad with her special touch. My best friend always made sure she was around when that was on the table!

Of course, there are other things that come up occasionally as well, and I so wish that she were here so I could ask her.

Re: Mom's Recipes

BeautybytesbyCC — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 01:14:52 GMT

Well, just yesterday, I took the few Recipies I had and put them on a Pintrest board. I always thought her cook book with tons of handwritten papers in it had everything I needed, but it turns out that wasn't the case. My cousin has a few of the Recipies, that I did get, but not everything . My board only has 15 in it, but at least I'll have it.

Re: Mom's Recipes

Harpa — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 18:43:23 GMT

Reading about all your wonderful memories was a very pleasurable way to drink my cup of tea, especially after a long and grueling morning class!

Thanks!

And thanks, nantucket for the thread!

SnowPuppy, that was a sweet suggestion! I'll use that as an excuse my next, inevitable baking disaster!

Re: Mom's Recipes

Mistreatedbycs — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 21:34:00 GMT

UGH! Mom gave me her recipe (what you can call a recipe) no amounts, made it this morning, delivered some to the healthcare facility where she's at and they didn't taste the same.....back to the drawing board, need to make them again and see if I can perfect them.

Maybe it's my frying pan, it's not hers

Re: Mom's Recipes

Barbarainnc — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 21:58:23 GMT

My momma went through her recipe cards, and typed up all of her favorites and gave a printed copy to my brother and I.

Re: Mom's Recipes

chickenbutt — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 22:06:01 GMT

My 'mother' was an awful cook and I didn't have a grandmother, so all my recipes started, and I guess will end, with me.

I think the heritage of family recipes is a very cool one, though!

Re: Mom's Recipes

curlywhitedog — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 22:08:58 GMT

My grandmother made the absolutely BEST chocolate cake but all my mother remembered about the recipe was that it had sour cream in it. One day I was at a garage sale and there was a Little House on The Prairie book there and in that book was a recipe for Sour Cream Chocolate cake and I bought the book in hopes that the cake would be the same as I remembered my grandmother's cake to be and it was. It might not have had the identical ingredients but it was close enough to bring me back to my childhood. That next holiday I bought my mom a book and asked her to fill it full of her recipes and she did. I treasure that book...nothing brings my mom back to me faster than the smells from her kitchen.

Maria

Re: Mom's Recipes

kitty60 — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 22:55:46 GMT

It's funny. When my son moved out he asked for his favorite recipes. The ones I used all the time were ones I had created and I made them so often I never used recipes. It was time to write them down. My husband is still trying to figure out a lobster salad his gm made. Have gone through his mother's recipe cards, had his cousin look through gm recipes and there is non. I think it was something she just enjoyed and put together with simple ingredients she had on hand. It's so sad that we don't think to write things down.