What's Your Favorite Nostalgic Recipe/Foods You Grew Up With

[mish]

Does anyone have a favorite regional recipe to share? What were your favorite foods growing up? Any grandma recipes handed down thru the generations?

Growing up in New York City, I have many fond memories of the foods I grew up with i.e. Coney Island Hot Dogs, Nathan's in Brooklyn NY (dishes like chow mein on a bun), the Automat in NYC (their mac n cheese, & the window compartments where you could see a dish, & drop a few coins in the slot, reach in to get your dish), NY Italian Cheesecake, etc. Another favorite was called Chock Full O Nuts, serving coffee, little sandwiches on date nut bread w cream cheese, & little brownies. Does anyone remember Egg Creams (a choclate or vanilla soda w foam on top)?

Another favorite was liverwurst, sweet red peppers, onions, & mayo on white bread.

Anyone have any recollection of the great foods you grew up with & have a recipe to share? Maybe a Philly Cheesesteak, Mom's meatloaf, chocolate cream pie...all the stuff that brings back memories of your area that you'd like to share with us?

 

[buckytom]

hi mish,
so you're a new yorker too, huh? we rule!!!!!!!!! btw, did you get my private message?

one dish i doubt many people have heard of here that i was raised on is lob skaus (or labskaus, not sure of spelling). it's kinda like corned beef hash served with little fish fillets on the side and a fried egg on top. it's rib stickin kinda food from the north sea; norway, germany, and the like.

i'm gonna see if i can find a recipe to post.

 

[Juliev]

hiya Mish! Things I had a lot of growing up were swedish meatballs, Korv (beef/pork/potato sausage), and Koldormar (stuffed cabbage). I posted the swedish meatball recipe somewhere under Bang's meatball topic. I have the Koldormar one, but i will have to go find it. My aunt makes it alot, and it's soooo gooood. I'll call my grandma and see if she won't give me the Korv recipe.. she makes it every Christmas.

Foods that I ate a lot growing up .. Kraft mac-n-cheese, campbell's chicken/tomato soup, fluff-n-nutter sandwiches, McD's happy meals, smores, Jiffy popcorn, Oscar Mayer bologna sammiches, my mom's spaghetti... I could go on.. lol

 

[choclatechef]

My favorite is chitterlings! Does anybody want me to post the recipe?

 

[middie]

NO!!! lol

a favorite of mine was my grandmother's apple/cranberry
and apple/cherry pies. never got her recipe though *sigh*

 

[jkath]

I used to love when mom cooked creamed chipped beef and served it on toast. I especially loved it, cause my sister hated it, so I'd get more
Bangbang (I believe) recently posted the recipe - I was so happy to see it!

I also used to love Sunday evenings, watching The Wonderful World of Disney, and eating homemade tomato soup and having mom's "zebra" sandwiches (Like a grilled cheese, only you use cheddar and jack. You cut them in slices, about 1" wide. Lay down the first piece of bread, then lay out slices, so you have horizontal stripes. Top with other bread, and cook like a grilled cheese. When serving, you cut the bread vertically, like finger sandwiches. Voila! You have a striped sandwich.)

Mom is just like Martha Stewart, without the uppity attitude, hard to find ingreds and jail time.

 

[GB]

Mich I LOVE egg creams!!! I grew up in MA, but spend a huge chunk of time in NY and NJ. My favorites would have to be good NY bagels loaded with smoked whitefish and sable and lox plus tons of veggies, cheeses and lox spread.

I also will always have a special place in my heart for my moms brisket. Oh and her mandlbrot too.

 

[Juliev]

Okay.. got the Korv recipe from my Grandma. This is one is made with parchment or wax paper.. traditional is made with hog casings, I guess. She has done both.

Swedish Korv:

2 lbs lean ground pork
2 lbs lean ground beef
6 med uncooked shredded potatoes
3 tsp salt
2 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp pepper
1 chopped onion

Mix all ingredients well together. Form into rolls about 4 inches long, 2 inches in diameter. Cut waxed paper or parchment paper into 6-inch lengths and wrap sausage well, tying both ends tightly with string. Prick waxed paper with a fork (do not prick parchment) and place in kettle of simmering salted water. Cook slowly for about 45 minutes. She said that some people prefer slightly more seasoning, if so add alittle more pepper. She also said that if you like the "fried" taste, stick them in a large skillet with alittle butter, after the 45 min, to give them that nice brown color/coating.

I found the Koldolmar recipe in my swedish cookbook, but it's half in swedish.. I'll have to call my Aunt Debbie to get the proper english recipe.

 

[SizzlininIN]

Oh you all would of absolutely loved my mom's cooking.....everyone did.....I sure do miss her. She did write down several of her recipes for me several Christmas' ago but she's not one to really measure so I can never get it exactly right.

I miss her:
-Sage Dressing and Oyster Dressing
-Chop Suey
-Wilted Lettuce
-Kidney Bean Salad
-Veg. Soup

When she'd fix these she'd make extra and call me. I'd bring it home and tuck it away in the back of the frige where no one would find themor sometimes it would only make it to the table before I'd eat it all ...... . I was suppose to share but never did......she'd always remind me before I took it that I was suppose to but she knew I didn't and she always smiled about it.

 

[mish]

You guys are terrific...what great memories. By all means, call your moms, grandmas, relatives, write em down, pass em on to your loved ones, & please, please post those treasured recipes. To me, that's what cooking is all about, remembering good times, good friends, & good food. Who could ask for anything more.

Wow, do I remember bagels on a Sunday morning with white fish, lox, onions, cream cheese & jelly donuts...with the Sunday NY Times spread out on the floor, while working the crossword puzzle. Better yet, was grandma's rugalach (spelling?), wish I'd written the recipe down (cookie, with nuts, cinnamin, raisins, all made from scratch). I can't wait to hear all those great comfort food recipes. Thanks so much for responding.

 

[chesterchippy]

You guys are terrific...what great memories.

No, YOU'RE terrific for the memories. I grew up in NYC from 1950-1973 - in the same apartment building! I remember everything you mentioned. I gotta add black & white cookies to your list. I make egg creams for my 12 yr. old stepson now. What I missed for years are bailys. This summer when my Mom visited me she brought a dozen (she lives in B'klyn now). I still have a few in my freezer. On Sunday mornings my dad used to fry up kippered herring. The whole building reeked of it. Then there was downtown, smelling from vendors' roasted chestnuts and huge salted pretzels.

 

[auntdot]

Grew up in Brooklyn also.

Loved the seafood, particularly in Sheepshead Bay. McGinnis and Ross, Lundy's, and I know I have forgotten a few (can sort of remember where they were located but heck if I can recall the names). The mussels and clams, raw and cooked, and the fish, crabs, and lobster, none were better.

Loved all the food sold at Italian festivals.

And scungilli (conch) with any type of gravy. Have not found that stuff anywhere outside of NYC.

And Weiss' in Broad Channel Queens. That place sold everything from hamburgers (in the best tasting caramelized onions) and hot dogs, to clams, to fried almost anything, and a dynamite lobster bisque. The place was an adventure in eating. Too bad it has been gone for many years.

And the Kosher delis. As teens we would buy their hot dogs with the great kraut and knishes on Christmas Eve, to be eaten before we decorated the tree.

And I would be greatly remiss if I did not mention Fox's Ubet (chocolate syrup), without which an egg cream could not exist.

Thanks folks for allowing me to dig up some very special memories.

 

[chesterchippy]

And I would be greatly remiss if I did not mention Fox's Ubet (chocolate syrup), without which an egg cream could not exist

Bingo!

 

[Juliev]

I have never had an egg cream.. but you all make it sound so good. They don't have anything like that around here in western ny.

 

[Bangbang]

Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast(all time favorite)
Chicken Gizzard and Rice Soup
Mince Meat Tarts
English Pancakes

 

[GB]

I have not had Ubet in years. A while ago a supermarket here in MA had it in stock. We bought them out. we had cases of the stuff in our garage. Man I miss that stuff!

 

[mudbug]

Pretty much everything mom made I would eat. If she made dog food I would probably have eaten that. Dad would have eaten squirrel brains if mom made them.

 

[cafeandy]

pineapple upside down cake...my mother made it for me all the time.

 

[chesterchippy]

I have never had an egg cream.. but you all make it sound so good. They don't have anything like that around here in western ny.

Take a large glass and mix a couple of tablespoons of chocolate syrup with about 1/4 cup of milk. While stirring, add seltzer until if froths and fills the glass. Grab a straw and enjoy.

 

[auntdot]

GB, I Googled Fox's Ubet and apparently you can get the stuff through the web.

Hope this helps.