Family Recipes

Within your family, who’s the keeper of the recipes?  In my family, we all seem to have our own specialty, and the family recipes are spread out among us all.  

For instance, my husband’s grandmother, who was a great cook, didn’t like any of the recipes she had for oatmeal cookies.  So, she made one up.  The resulting cookies were SOOO good and she was constantly being asked for the recipe.  That was to no avail.  She guarded that recipe like it was written in her own blood.  So, it was with no little surprise and honor that I received a copy of the guarded document just a few years before her death.  My family loves those cookies, so I passed the favored recipe on as each child got married.  Great Grandma’s cookies will live on!

A favorite recipe from my mother-in-law was for coleslaw.  Everyone loved it!  She took it to family reunions, church dinners, and any other place where food was required.  It was great coleslaw!  Anytime we were all together, trying to figure out what everyone should bring to the gatherings, Grandma would shout, “Tell Polly to bring her coleslaw!”  Then she would turn to whoever was close and say, “She makes the best coleslaw!”  Grandma went to her grave not knowing the recipe for her daughter-in-law’s favorite dish, though she tried many times to get it.  It has been a humorous family secret for years but one that I think I can now share:  the coleslaw was from one of Polly’s favorite restaurants.  She would bring it home and put it in a nice dish and head off to the gathering.  Grandma never knew!

Mother’s signature dish was fried pies.  Though I love them, I’m sad to say that I have not mastered the art of making good fried pies.  As a child, my favorite flavor was apricot.  Yum.

My youngest granddaughter is a promising baker.  Cakes and cookies are her specialties.  She has not yet identified her favorite but most likely it will be chocolate chip cookies.  That’s what she makes most often.

One of my sons is the best bread maker in the family.  He bakes specialty breads as well as plain ol’ hot rolls.  We are all happy to receive them.  

My husband had two signature dishes.  One was chili.  The other was something he called German Steak.  I have incorporated those recipes into my repertoire and make them often.  Not long ago, I had a group over for a chili supper.  One of my friends took a bite and asked, “Is this Mike’s recipe?”  I nodded and smiled to myself.  He would have enjoyed knowing that his foods were still ‘his’, even these long years after his death.  He always enjoyed cooking for people.

When given a choice, my middle granddaughter will always request Grandpa’s German Steak.  He would have liked that too.

There are many things I like to cook:  manicotti and lasagna, moussaka, apple meatloaf.  But the one thing I’m probably known best for is my Thanksgiving spread.  The turkey, dressing, cranberries, the works.  I think the recipe for the dressing came from my paternal grandmother because Mother always had Daddy help her with it.  There was no recipe.  It is the dressing I make every year.  There is STILL no recipe.  At least not one that is written down.  I suppose I should do that because someday, hopefully, someone will want to know how to make it.  

Not everyone in my family likes to cook.  There are lots of pizzas consumed, as well as take out.  In today’s world, when everyone works long hours, cooking has taken a back seat.  It has come down to convenience.  There is little time when we get home to prepare a meal from scratch.  In the process, we may have lost some family traditions and the favorite recipes that go along with them. 

My suggestion is this: go through your recipes and make copies.  Give them to people who you believe will appreciate and honor them.  Share your traditions and family stories that go along with the recipes.  That keeps them alive and acts as a remembrance of the people who originally made them.  They live through their food.

What is your favorite recipe?  Is there someone in your family who holds the recipe cache?  Or are you like mine with everyone having their own specialty?  If you would like to share a recipe, feel free.  One of my favorites is below.   It is so simple and easy!

Fresh Fruit Salad

Use your favorite fruits, cut into bite-size pieces.  I use strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, plums, oranges, apples, bananas, pineapple, whatever.  Use at least three in whatever amounts you want.  

Add nuts and seeds such as walnuts, pecans, poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, whatever your favorites are.  

Now drizzle with honey.  Not a lot, just enough to lightly coat each piece.  

Sometimes I also add fresh herbs like parsley, rosemary, or mint.  Use these sparingly.  

Mix well and refrigerate.  Enjoy.