s/o Your grandma's cooking

[itsme]

My paternal grandmother makes Puerto Rican food for the holidays. Yummy! She's a good cook.  I haven't asked for recipes but I have a feeling it's all in her head anyway.  My maternal grandmother makes American food but my mom has made some of the food from her mom's country (Ecuador) which is pretty tasty. I don't think maternal gma is much of a cook or at least that's what my moms says.

[Skyesthelimit1212]

My grandparents lived upstairs from us and every Sunday was family dinner. I'd help my grandmother make tomato sauce, meatballs, or lasagna. My grandmother was an awesome cook. When her brother was alive he made homemade sausage, with a table grinder and casings.

[btdt]

My paternal grandmother was a fantastic cook. Her scalloped oysters at Christmas make my mouth water thinking about them. I still use her recipe for a particular kind of Christmas cookie, and am THRILLED to have it in her handwriting.

My maternal grandmother was a good cook, too, but nothing sticks out in my mind as to particulars.

My mom (70+) is a great cook, too, and has raised 3 children (1 boy, 2 girls) who also love to cook and are good at it.

[redwino]

I don't know my paternal grandmother. My maternal grandmother was a good cook. She lived with us and provided dinner promptly at 5:30 every weekday. On weekends she took off so my mom fed us crap like hot dogs on Saturdays and my aunt cooked a big Sunday dinner. Her specialty was sweet potato pie which she made on holidays. She was an old home cook so there was not recipe written down. My mom and aunts attempt to recreate her pies but they're never quite right. I plan to attempt one this Christmas. Time to see if my years "helping" her paid off. I've also been craving her fried pork chops. I haven't had a good pork chop since '99.

[rootbeerfloat]

My paternal grandma didn't cook. But she was an awesome grandma and fed us well (from a drive-thru and her candy jar, lol) on the many occasions she babysat.

My maternal grandma was an amazing cook. I was a fairly picky eater as a child and probably didn't appreciate it as much as I should've, but I loved her homemade bread (often served with gravy, yum).

[oneslybookworm]

My maternal grandparents raised me, so I'm familiar with my grandmother's cooking. She grew up in a very German family, so I grew up on tons of traditional German food. If there was a meat and a potato for every meal, then it wasn't a meal. I never met my paternal grandparents, as I never knew my bio-father. My grandmother is an excellent cook, and can make just about anything (though obviously German is her specialty), but her recipes for Pumpkin Bread, Spatzle, and red cabbage sauerkraut are the BEST.

[StrawberryBlondie]

My dad's mom was an amazing cook. My favorites were her Swedish meatballs, goulash, and cabbage & meatball soup.

I've been missing her a lot lately and have been trying to recreate some things I didn't manage to snag the recipe for but loved. Like these brownies topped with chocolate, peanut butter, rice krispies, and marshmallows. So much yum.

My other grandma was kind of a hot mess in the kitchen.

[AJL]

My grandma Gloria -
Cabbage rolls
Picadillo
Pies (she made all kinds of pies and they were amazing!
Franco Garcia (linguine with a can of Campbell's tomato sauce and a brink of velveeta melted/stirred in.)

My grandma Irene -
Tamales
Corundas
Carne guisada
Tortillas from scratch
Capirotada

DH's Grandma Frieda -
Flanken stew

ETA: My grandma Gloria and Grandpa George (my dad's parents) had a Mexican food restaurant in Plattsburgh, New York for about 8 years in the 70s. It was call the Buena Ventura.

[orangeblossom]

By all accounts, she was a good cook. She died when I was twelve, so I don't remember anything in particular.

I do have her file box of recipes, but haven't made anything yet.

ETA: She always had sloppy joes and tater tots waiting for us, when we would visit. I loved them, and to this day, still make the same or similar when people visit me and get off the road. I cook other stuff for them too, but I like the familiarity of it.

[mouse]

My grandma made lots of jello salad. And some sort of molasses cookie she called Yankee cakes. I honor her memory in many ways, cooking is not one of them.

[alleinesein]

Dec 9, 2014 11:24:51 GMT -5 mich1 said:

My grandmother on my mom's side was a typical midwest cook. The one thing that I remember to this day, and really REALLY wished I had paid more attention to her making was her chicken and noodles (where she made the noodles herself). I think her drying the noodles on cut up brown grocery bags added to the flavor some way!! The noodles and chicken were in a thick gravy that was served over mashed potatoes. I know she used a dozen egg yolks in the noodles because she used the dozen egg whites in the angel food cake that she made with them afterwards.

It was the ultimate in comfort food......

She also made pies, with lard. She fried her chicken in lard too.

My maternal grandparents made this and it is seriously the best dish ever.  It must be a midwest thing because its one of the few recipes that is not in my grandmas recipe box; she probably learned it from my grandpa.

[wawa]

My granny cant cook for beans. Grampsy is the cook in that house. The thing for me that is his forever and ever is coleslaw.

I called him my first thanksgiving away from him to ask how to make it. Second day turkey sandwich isnt the same without grampsyslaw.

He also makes really good omelettes. And mashed potatoes.

[mich1]

Dec 9, 2014 16:43:08 GMT -5 alleinesein said:

Dec 9, 2014 11:24:51 GMT -5 mich1 said:

My grandmother on my mom's side was a typical midwest cook. The one thing that I remember to this day, and really REALLY wished I had paid more attention to her making was her chicken and noodles (where she made the noodles herself). I think her drying the noodles on cut up brown grocery bags added to the flavor some way!! The noodles and chicken were in a thick gravy that was served over mashed potatoes. I know she used a dozen egg yolks in the noodles because she used the dozen egg whites in the angel food cake that she made with them afterwards.

It was the ultimate in comfort food......

She also made pies, with lard. She fried her chicken in lard too.

My maternal grandparents made this and it is seriously the best dish ever.  It must be a midwest thing because its one of the few recipes that is not in my grandmas recipe box; she probably learned it from my grandpa.

Well, shoot!  I was hoping by throwing this out there someone might have the recipe for this!  However, I suspect it is something that is just passed down.  I do want to know how she thickened the gravy that the noodles were in....I suspect just flour, maybe the excess from rolling out and cutting the noodles?

I'm really glad to know that I'm not the only one who likes the occasional carb overload!

[alleinesein]

Dec 9, 2014 17:48:41 GMT -5 mich1 said:

Dec 9, 2014 16:43:08 GMT -5 alleinesein said:

My maternal grandparents made this and it is seriously the best dish ever.  It must be a midwest thing because its one of the few recipes that is not in my grandmas recipe box; she probably learned it from my grandpa.

Well, shoot!  I was hoping by throwing this out there someone might have the recipe for this!  However, I suspect it is something that is just passed down.  I do want to know how she thickened the gravy that the noodles were in....I suspect just flour, maybe the excess from rolling out and cutting the noodles?

I'm really glad to know that I'm not the only one who likes the occasional carb overload!

I'm visiting crankzilla (aka grandpa) tomorrow.  I will see if he can give me the recipe.  He hasnt made it in 10+ years but I hope its one of those dishes that is crazy simple to make.  I will pass it on if I get it

[mmp]

Italian.....before my mother died, she made me watch her make all her recipes so we would have them.
I never had macaroni out of a box until I went to college. Until then, my aunts (in their 90s) made it from scratch for us. Their daughters, now in their 80s, all still do the same.
I would be disowned if I had sauce out of a jar.

[hopecounts]

My paternal grandmother made the best fried chicken, so amazing I have her recipe and make it when I feel like dealing with the mess which isn't often. She also made kick ass dressing for Thanksgiving. She was generally a really good cook but those were her best of the best.

My maternal grandmother was a decent cook and always cooked but it wasn't her greatest skill. Her pne claim to fame was her biscuits and I make those fairly regularly because they are so yummy.

[Brie]

THIS THREAD IS SEXIST.

My grandma didn't cook much but my grandpa was an amazing gardener. He won prizes for his tomatoes and cucumbers every year. All summer long we'd eat sliced veggies in his "dressing" (apple cider or red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic salt, and pepper) straight from the garden. Amazing.

My food memories of my grandma are toaster waffles. She moved to our street when I was in high school and I'd go there for breakfast before class every day. She would have tea and I would have breakfast. Silly but I can't toast a waffle without thinking of her.

[Brie]

Oh, and I have the most incredible recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies from my great-great aunt. Generally I think non-chocolate cookies are a waste but these are amazing. Written in old lady chicken scratch and all. I can PIP if anyone wants.

Dammit, now I want to make cookies.

[bimbi284]

My grandma wasn't like a gourmet cook or anything, but there were a few things that only she could make and can never quite be recreated.

For some reason, the way she made Farina was some sort of magical thing. The perfect combo of milk to cinnamon to vanilla and whatever else. She always put in a cinnamon stick, which I always got in my bowl to lick off the Farina. It was never lumpy or over/under cooked. It was just perfect. I know its something so simple and comforting, and I would always ask for it if I was in PR staying with them or the times they visited us, but I've tried to make it and just can't. I can just hear the spoon stirring in the pot with that perfect rhythm and smell the warm, sweet, cinnamony smell. I had like a system of how I would eat it very carefully. I would let it set a bit, and then eat all around the bowl from the outside in until I hit the cinnamon stick. I was (am) weird, but MMMMM

The other thing I obsessed over that she made was ham. There's this common Puerto Rican ham (Jamon de Pina) (which she made from one of those big canned hams? Yeah...), with cherries, pineapple, and clove. I mean, you can make it with actual ham, like straight from pig, but no. Its really probably the worst thing you could ever consume, but it was SO GOOD. After awhile, she was too far gone to make it anymore, but my grandpa would make it for us. It was pretty good, ALMOST as good as hers, which is saying a lot, but still not quite there. Basically this, but picture it with canned ham.

This was a staple every time we would visit. Smelled SO good with the cloves...mmmm. I actually found a recipe for a vegan version using some mock ham stuff...but, well that stuff kinda scares me, lol. Some day, when I'm ready, I'll try it. 

I miss her.

[bimbi284]

Dec 9, 2014 20:18:32 GMT -5 Brie said:

Oh, and I have the most incredible recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies from my great-great aunt. Generally I think non-chocolate cookies are a waste but these are amazing. Written in old lady chicken scratch and all. I can PIP if anyone wants.

Dammit, now I want to make cookies.

PIP, obvi!

[lauralala]

My mom's mom (born in 1917) was the daughter of German immigrants. She was a great baker, but the rest of her food was pretty bland. She made yeast rolls weekly, and I can remember waking up in her house to the smell of rolls toasting in the oven, butter already brushed on top so that it will get toasty. If I close my eyes I can smell it, and she passed away in 1989. Her cinnamon rolls are the recipe that she was known for, and my mom is the only one that can recreate them. I've tried, but I'm missing something.

My dad's mom (born 1908) was a canned vegetable, canned biscuits kind of cook. She grew up in West Texas when it was basically the frontier and loved the luxury of opening cans, which she probably couldn't afford to do until she was in her 50's. I loved the canned biscuits - we thought they were such a treat, which is so funny. My mom baked bread daily, and we never really appreciated it at the time. But her banana nut cake (like bread, but sweeter, and with an amazing banana nut frosting) was the one thing she made from scratch and every body loved. I haven't thought about that cake in ages. She made it until she was in her early 90's. She passed away the day before her 100th birthday.

[Brie]

Dec 9, 2014 21:27:37 GMT -5 bimbi284 said:

Dec 9, 2014 20:18:32 GMT -5 Brie said:

Oh, and I have the most incredible recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies from my great-great aunt. Generally I think non-chocolate cookies are a waste but these are amazing. Written in old lady chicken scratch and all. I can PIP if anyone wants.

Dammit, now I want to make cookies.

PIP, obvi!

Here you go!

You MUST use golden raisins instead of regular. I'm not sure why but it's a rule. Also the paper got cut off a bit but you're supposed to use the juice left over from simmering the raisins for the 10 T. measurement.

[Deleted]

My grandfather was the cook in our family. He was a cook in the Navy. Favs were Adobo, his f-ing divine rice cake, fried chicken....

My grandma's peach cobbler is beyond delicious. Indian fry bread - love it.

[LoveTrains]

My grandma passed before I was born. My mother is a terrible cook.