My Grandmother's Recipe Box

The details were sketchy on this recipe which isn't a surprise so I had to just feel my way though it. I started with some beef that  I cubed up in stew sized pieces. Then I coated them with flour and salt and pepper and browned them in some canola oil.  Some farmer's market veggies. Peeled and chopped with a bay leaf.  Added to the stew meat with a cup or so of beef stock and some water. Don't forget the poultry seasoning since there was added wording that this was not a mistake.  Voila - Beef Stew Before serving make some dumpling batter and then serve it up.   And if you are wondering what the ???? mean - I don't know.  So I added a a couple sprigs of thyme.   It seemed to work out.  

Finally, I made a recipe from the box that someone actually remembered Mom making before.    Mom would be what I called my grandmother  not to be confused with my Mom.  I don't know why but it was never confusing as to who I was referring to when I said it to me or to Mom and Mom.  So this recipe is for lemon pie though the recipe for the pie crust and for the meringue was not actually included on the card so I had to do those on my own.                                                                 The lemon custard was very sweet and did not set up like my grandmothers did.   I would probably adjust the recipe if I made it aga...

Today was my grandmother's birthday and she would have been 89.   I really should be making the angel food cake with the birthday person's choice of either chocolate or pink whipped cream.   It was the birthday cake at almost everyone's birthday party (except mine because I did not like it).  But instead I pulled out this recipe for Sour Cream Cherry Coffee Cake.  I remember making a recipe like this one but with cherry pie filling and not preserves so I was curious about the cake.  1 stick unsalted butter 1 cup sugar 2 large eggs 1 cup fat free sour cream 2 cups flour High Altitude ass 2T 1t baking soda 1t baking bpowder 1T lemon zest 1/4 t salt 1T vanilla 1/2 best quality cherry preserves    Preheat oven to 350.  Butter two 8" square pans. In large bowl, beat butter with sugar until well combined.  Add eggs one at a time, beat well.   Add sour cream and mix well.   In small bowl, mix flour, pow...

It has been a little hot for baking lately so there has been a little hiatus in trying recipes from the box.     I got some great honey from the farmers market a couple of weeks ago and had been wondering what I was going to use it in.    Then I saw this recipe in the box for Honey Drops.      I don't recall having these before, but the recipe looks well used so  they must have been made a time or two.          The recipe makes a nice dough that is easy to roll into balls for baking. Though I was not sure that this was the prescribed method since this like many of the recipes listed only ingredients and no directions.    But they baked up just right.  You have to make the balls on the smaller side since you are putting them together in sandwich fashion.   I suppose you could make a giant sandwich cookie, but I prefer the smaller size.   Sin...

This recipe I do remember having on Corliss Ave.  The refrigerator dough allows for fresh cookies for a few days if you just bake a dozen or so at a time       The recipe makes two logs which ends up making about 48 cookies.   However, I think only about 1/2 of the cookies made it to the oven....   since we used to slice them off from the fridge and eat the raw cookie dough before they could be cooked.    I don't remember if we were allowed to do this or if we just snuck a slice of the raw dough.  I am not recommending eating the raw dough since it has eggs in it, but if you are so inclined. The finished product is a chewy yet crisp oatmeal cookie.   I added a touch of cinnamon, vanilla and salt to the recipe. 

I am absolutely positive that these will not taste exactly the same even though I am using the recipe written out in my grandmother's hand.          They will not taste the same because my Papa did not get the little sizzler steaks from the Publix butcher where he worked after my grandparent's retired to Florida.  They will not taste the same because I am not making them on my grandparent's little gas grill.   They will not taste the same because I never found out what "lemon juice (?)" means. They will not taste the same because my grandmother did not make them and my grandfather did not grill them.  They will not taste the same because I can only hear in my mind, my grandmother saying "Well, these turned out pretty good".     And mostly they will not taste the same because I am not eating them at the table with my "Mom and Papa".     But I will have the memories. ...

Here is the 2nd recipe from my grandmother's recipe box.   Some of these must be lost recipes because no one in the family remembered Aunt Grace's Orange Cake.   I also don't recognize the handwriting on this recipe so I wonder who wrote it, but it was in the recipe box. Maraschino cherries in this recipe seems like an interesting choice but the cherries give the batter a nice pink color. This recipe also calls for the icing to be put on the hot cake - seems to be a trend.     This cake/cookie bar definitely has a taste that seems nostalgic. Happy Mother's Day Mom, Grandma, Grandma Dawn, Mom Marinich.