No One Makes This Better Than Momma

[Kathleen]

When I get homesick, I miss things that are no longer there. Items such as the Woolsworth lunch counter or the old Sports Center. Even my mother's home-cooking because my mother no longer cooks! I was hoping that people would share (recipes included) their favorite recipe from Mom, Auntie, Grandma/pa, etc. Anyone who makes you feel you are "home."

Banana Pudding

1 box of Nilla wafers
3 or 4 very ripe bananas
2 eggs, separated
1 - large box of regular vanilla pudding (or three cups of homemade vanilla custard)
whole milk
butter

Add milk (whatever it says on the box) and pudding along with two egg yolks. Give it all a good whisking. Cook this stirring constantly over a double boiler until it is thick and smooth. Add around 2 tablespoons of real butter and stir it in. Line a deep, round casserole with Nilla wafers and put a thin layer of pudding mixture. Then a layer of bananas. Then pudding. (If you coat the bananas in pudding each time, they will not discolor!) Put wafers on the sides as well. It's pretty!

Keep layering ending in whatever nilla wafers are left. Use the leftover egg whites and make meringue. (Momma made it with a bit of castor sugar and a pinch of cream of tarter. She beat the egg whites until stiff.) Top the pudding with meringue and toss it in the over at 350% until the meringue browns.

It's totally yummy. The family joke was Uncle Clyde could telepathically link to banana pudding because he would simply show up on days when it was made. And truly, no one makes this better than Momma.

~Kathleen

 

[Constance]

My mom's Aunt Velma always had a tray of these, warm from the oven, waiting in the kitchen when we went to see her.

Aunt Velma's Soft and Puffy Sugar Cookies

1 cup Shortening
1 cup Sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
8 teaspoon milk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 cups plus flour

Cream together shortening and sugar. Beat in eggs. Add vanilla and almond extracts. Mix in dry ingredients. Roll out to 1/2" thickness on a flowered board. Cut in large circles, sprinkle with sugar and bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet in preheated 325 degree oven till just barely golden.

 

[Alix]

I miss my Dad's coleslaw. He took FOREVER to slice the cabbage and onions "just so" and he was ever so particular about the way to do the onions, fresh squeezed lemon juice only, none of the bottled stuff please!

I make it regularly, but it just doesn't taste quite the same as it used to when Dad made it. He's been gone for 5 1/2 years now and I still miss him everyday.

 

[getoutamykitchen]

My mom use to make Dutch Doughnut's called Oly-Bollen. Although they had raisins in them and I thought as a little girl raisins were gross, I use to just pick out the raisins and gobble them up.

OLY-BOLLEN
1/2 C. milk
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 C. warm water (105-115 degrees)
1 Pkg. active dry yeast
1 egg
1 1/2 C. all purpose flour
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 C. raisins
1/4 C. candied orange peel (optional)
Powdered sugar
1 qt. vegetable oil for frying

In a sauce pan, scald milk; stir in brown sugar and salt; cool to luke warm.
Measure warm water into a warm bowl; stir in yeast; stir to dissolve.
Stir in the milk mixture, egg, flour, nutmeg and cinnamon; beat vigorously until batter is elastic and falls in sheets from spoon.
Stir in raisins and orange peel; mix well.
Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees) until doubled in size. About an hour. Once doubled DO NOT STIR DOWN.
Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil to 350 degrees.
Using 2 spoons, shape dough into one inch balls; drop immediately into hot oil. Dip spoons into hot oil each time before shaping dough, draining slightly. Fry about 3 minutes or until golden brown, turning once.
Drian on paper towels or brown paper bags. While still warm dust with powdered sugar.
Makes about 2 dozen.

This is copied word for word from an old recipe card that has been torn, tattered, and taped back together again.

 

[bigdaddy3k]

My mom is not a good cook but that woman can bake. She shared her secret butter cream frosting recipe with me and then went on to share the larger secret that her cakes we BOX cakes and it has been the frosting that makes them into something special.

I have gone on to do slight mods to her recipe for certain situations but proudly go back to the base as it is so good.

Will I share? Come over, I'll bake you a box cake. ;-)

 

[kadesma]

My dad, was fussy and many times I had to start over if he felt tings were not going the way he wanted. Did I mind? no it taught me to be a bit fuzzy myself
My dad when he was wanting something to do on rainy weekends and couldn't work in our yard, made his pinto beans for us. I still make them, my kids love them, but there is something, missing,my dad. He would like it that I share them with any of you who like pintos and bacon.
to 1 lb. of beans,soaked over night, dispose of the water and add several 14.oz cans of beef broth. More can be add if you like more juice.Take 1/2 lb. of bacon and slice, add to beans along with a large yellow diced onion,3 cloves crushed garlic, 1 8 oz can tomato sauce, several dashes Worcestershire, 3 Tab brown sugar,....Cook at a simmer cover with lid tipped slightly for 2-3 hrs or til you are satisfied with thickness of your liquid. Serve with thick slices of warm French bread and a green salad..
Enjoy,
kadesma

 

[Landy]

Banana Pudding ,I want to eat......

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Beef Stew. I could never make it like Mom. If I knew how she made it I would let you know. She gave me her ingredients list but I could never get it to taste just right. It always made me happy, though, when she would say "I can't make my pot roast taste as good as you do". Now that she's gone I make the pot roast when I want a warm-and-fuzzy day. And I don't use a recipe for that!

 

[A cup of tea]

My grandma made killer meatballs, have never been able to make them as good as hers. I guess it takes a couple of years to perfect them.

300 g minced beef
200 g minced pork
1 onion
1 dl bread crumbs
1 1/2 dl milk
1 egg
salt
black pepper

Let the breadcrumbs soak in the milk for at least ten minutes. Chop and fry the onions and mix it with the raw ground meet and egg. Stir and season well. Form the meat into small balls (or into patties) and fry them in butter. Cook the meatballs for 5 minutes or more (depending how big they are) until brown and beautiful. Serve with cooked potatoes, carrots and gravy. So delicious!

 

[mexican mama]

My Dads Embutido and Afritada has been a legend not only in our family but to our friends as well...people keep telling him to do order basis but he cooks it for special occasions only coz it takes a lot of work...

 

[velochic]

My mom couldn't (and can't) cook. She reheated. We ate nothing but processed food growing up. Even spaghetti was the Chef-Boiardi boxed junk that had the pasta in a box, sauce in one can and the processed cheese in another. Nobody could ruin a meal like momma.

However... I would pay anything to have my paternal grandmother back for one day to make her chicken and noodles. Not soup. Chicken and Noodles, the main dish. I have never tasted anything like she made, even though I go to every church chicken-n-noodle dinner I see. I wish I had been more observant. She never used a recipe, so it's probably not even written down anywhere. She's been gone for 20+ years.

 

[CharlieD]

My grandma's meat blintzes. I do not really have a recipe. She would make these incredibly thin crapes that I am simply unable to do. Then she would make a meat stew, grind it, mix with some other things, I think like hardboiled egg and/or rice, just to make it more. Fold the spoon full of the mixture into the crape, almost like an envelope and fry it on both sides. She's been gone for a long time, but I can still taste them.

BTW, we had thread like this already.