For those who were fortunate enough to know their grandmothers and now are perhaps grandmothers themselves, you can perhaps relate to my  recent re-discoveries.

The daughter emailed me looking for some family apple pie recipes as she had just done some baking of short break cookies and wrote “i got, from my aunt, a recipe for my granny's shortbread cookies. I don't think that i have had some of those since before she died, about 5 years ago. they are amazing!!! ” http://www.dreamingovertheocean.blogspot.com

Pulling out a  storage box from the cold room, I discovered a small steel box probably from the mid 80’s, in which I collected  3 x 5 “ cards of recipes and categories from beverages, main dishes, desserts etc. What amazed me was not only the time spent obviously literally cutting, pasting and gluing onto cards or handwriting, but some of the additional comments written.

An example is:

Apple Sauce Spice Cookies  “ Great for upcoming parties. Just put in the freezer until needed. Bring out one hour before guests arrive. May substitute raisins, nuts, chocolate chips to equal value, of course! “

All the measurements are imperial and no concern for calories or amount of sugar or type of fat.

Then the recipes from my mother in law. I have memories of one daughter at 14 with the kitchen filled with flour making 8 apple pies as Christmas gifts using…

Granny's “No Fail” Pastry

Put one egg, 3T lemon juice and enough water to make one cup...mix and set aside in fridge. Sift together 1/2 t. baking soda, 5 cups flour, 2T sugar, 2 t. salt. slowly add 1 lb. of Tender Leaf lard, cutting into a consistency of oatmeal.  Add egg mixture, mix lightly, form into a ball.  Chill and use as needed. Makes 3 double pie crusts and extra dough can be frozen.
© Olga Payne

Granny's Shortbread Cookies.

1 pound butter
1/2 cup white sugar (berry sugar if you have it),
1/2 cup brown sugar, well packed OR
1 1/4 cups icing sugar
4 cups of flour
Pinch of salt
4 T cornstarch
1/2 t. vanilla
Cream butter slowly adding sugar
Add vanilla, mix sifted flour, cornstarch & salt to above
Roll out, cut, Bake 20-25 minutes @ 300 degrees F.
© Olga Payne

But one on the most interesting discoveries was the perception of 6 year olds of how their moms and grandmothers prepare dishes they like.

Spaghetti

Ingredients: 1 can of tomato soup,1 half of hamburger, 2 handfuls of Spaghetti
Put the Spaghetti in a pot and then mix in tomato soup and hamburger. Makes 4 servings

Sarah

Peanut butter and Jam Sandwich
Ingredients: First you need 2 slices of bread, a knife full of peanut butter and spread it on 1 slice of bread and then you need a knife full of jam and then you spread the jam on another slice of bread and then you put both of the 2 pieces of bread together and you are done!

Donovan

Quiche
Ingredients: 3 eggs, 3 ounces of milk, chop half of bacon, buy pie crust

Heat oven to 400 degreese. Crack eggs in bowl and pour milk. Shape crust ( any shape ) and put tin toil on top. To keep down use rice or kidney beans over it. Take out rice or kidney beans and then pour the milk and egg mixture into the crust. Cook at 400.

Anon.

Chocolate pudding
My grandmother makes the best chocolate pudding. You need a chocolate pudding mix and blender. Put in and churn.

Damien

Muffins
Ingredients: 2 eggs, 1 glass of milk, 1 bowl of bran

Butter the pan and put the ingrents together. Put in the oven for 15 minutes at 10 degrees.

Rebecca