Peanut butter fudge. The recipe comes from a cookbook my great-grandmother used when my grandmother was a child during the Depression. The cookbook has been passed down since then and is currently in my kitchen.
Post by Captain Catnip on Oct 29, 2017 8:32:04 GMT -5
Easter - "pea salad" It's really just macaroni salad but with canned peas and spam (we do not eat these items ever otherwise...my grandparents made this every Easter though.)
It's actually kind of disgusting. It's some pistachio jello concoction that has cottage cheese and pineapple it it. My grandma always makes it and we always give her crap about it and now it's basically a family joke. No holiday would ever be the same without it. And it doesn't go to waste - there are a few family members that actually enjoy it and eat it.
H's grandfather came up with a marinade for chicken. It's kind of sweet and tart at the same time. We MUST have it on the turkey for Thanksgiving. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Post by cabbagecabbage on Oct 29, 2017 8:47:40 GMT -5
DH's grandma is self-proclaimed famous for deviled eggs and insists they are requested every time. They are totally decent deviled eggs but I think she has invented her own claim to fame. I've never heard anyone else rave on them.
She does make an exceptional pineapple upstairs down cake that includes mayonnaise. It's the best I've had.
My claim to fame is baked Brie or potato salad. I've started to get requests. Also the pillsbury sopapilla cheesecake that is crescent rolls, cream cheese, and gobs of butter and cinnamon sugar. It's almost embarrassing to tell people the "recipe" but I'm midwestern so no shame.
On my mom's side of the family, it's boob jello. My wonderful yet ditzy aunt once brought a molded jello that was a soft pink. She topped it with a touch of whipped cream and a cherry. It looked just like a naked breast, and we've insisted she bring it for every holiday now. For my immediate family it's mom's home made honey wheat dinner rolls. I always make my apple/onion/sage/bacon stuffing (can be vegan without bacon.) I can't do without it and DH's family always requests it.
My grandma's (now my mom's) cranberry salad - it has tons of fresh cranberries ground up in a mixture of Jell-O, a shit-ton of sugar, some chopped walnuts, it's a holiday must.
Ham balls.
Butter dips, which are basically a short dough bread cut into strips and baked with enough butter to cause a heart attack. They are delicious.
Red velvet cake. My grandma claims to have the original recipe from the Waldorf Astoria Hotel and makes it every Christmas. I never eat it any other time because it feels like I'm cheating on grandma and no other red velvet cake tastes as good.
My grandmother's "Scramble" -- which is what we call her Chex Mix recipe. I don't know if she made it every Christmas season, but my dad does, and he has my whole life. It's not properly Christmastime if the house doesn't smell like roasting Scramble.
Also, my other grandmother's barley recipe. My mom's side of the family usually has a fancy Christmas celebration a week or so after Christmas day and the barley is one of the side dishes. I believe typically a double or maybe even triple recipe is made, and it doesn't tend to last long.
For us, it's my spicy vinegar green beans -at least 2lbs of fresh green beans -onion -at least 1.5 of bacon (I like applewood or pepper) -butter -Tony's seasoning -white vinegar -chicken broth
Cook the bacon, remove strips when fully cooked, cook the onions in the bacon drippings. Season the onions with some Tony's. Add the green beans and chicken broth and simmer. Add some more Tony's. Throw half a stick of butter in and 1-2 tbs on vinegar. Continue to simmer. Add more Tony's, butter, or vinegar to taste. The longer it simmers the better it is.
My Mom always makes the giblet gravy, even if I am cooking, she comes early to do this. Otherwise, my family is not very culinary, she always makes the lemon meringue pie on the Jello box lol.
Post by Captain Catnip on Oct 29, 2017 9:26:41 GMT -5
Also my great grandmother's recipe for dinner rolls/crescent rolls. My mom makes them every holiday and on the rare occasion I host the ILs I make them. EVERYONE loves them. My paternal family requests them, too, and there has been a year or two where my parents don't go to my (paternal) cousin's for the holidays so my mom makes an extra batch to send over to her. Paternal Gma wasn't too thrilled though since no one cares for her rolls (they are more like sandwich buns, though, NOT dinner rolls --- everyone ate them with leftovers for the evening meal.)
For us, it's my spicy vinegar green beans -at least 2lbs of fresh green beans -onion -at least 1.5 of bacon (I like applewood or pepper) -butter -Tony's seasoning -white vinegar -chicken broth
Cook the bacon, remove strips when fully cooked, cook the onions in the bacon drippings. Season the onions with some Tony's. Add the green beans and chicken broth and simmer. Add some more Tony's. Throw half a stick of butter in and 1-2 tbs on vinegar. Continue to simmer. Add more Tony's, butter, or vinegar to taste. The longer it simmers the better it is.
I had never heard of Tony’s seasoning, this sound SO good. Move over green bean casserole!
My grandma’s sausage stuffing and DH’s grandmas cheese ball are our two must haves. A newer one (only been the last 7 years or so but is now a must have) is challah French toast on thanksgiving and Christmas morning.
Post by lolalolalola on Oct 29, 2017 9:33:09 GMT -5
It’s not a family recipe but I’m from Newfoundland and no holiday is complete without a Jiggs dinner. Our stuffing is also completely amazing and different than any other stuffing.
Post by whitemerlot on Oct 29, 2017 9:39:27 GMT -5
Au Gratin Potatoes. The recipe was my grandmas. It’s not even a special recipe, but it’s made with whole milk, lots of butter and lots of good quality sharp cheddar cheese.
I’m also curious if people have secret recipes. That drives me crazy for some reason. LOL!
Christmas cookies (cut-outs). It's a Hungarian recipe that's a variation of Queen Anne's cookies, rolled out thick and slathered in buttercream frosting. I'm always disappointed at other people's events when someone else says, oh, I'll bring Christmas cookies! It's not the same, people.
We have some fantastic cooks in my family, but if I had to name a dish we view as famous in my family it's my grandmother's "famous" canned corn in a crockpot and assortment of yeast rolls stolen from various restaurants over the year and defrosted at Christmas. They never fail to make my cousins giggle.
Post by goldengirlz on Oct 29, 2017 9:55:02 GMT -5
Mine are going to be very Jewish:
-my mom’s matzoh ball soup is the BEST -my grandmother (when she was alive) made homemade gefilte fish and my mom still uses her recipe -my dad makes matzoh brie on Passover mornings -on DH’s side, my FIL makes noodle kugel for, like, every major holiday and gathering ... oh, and latkes
Potato Filling. We are PA Dutch and it isn't stuffing. It's filling. Here's a close recipe but it should be stiff not pudding consistency. I don't have the actual recipe, my mom says when I hit 40 I may receive it. It's been passed down but there's no written recipe.