When we were young (20’s) my great aunts (nine) got together for weekly cooking classes with the younger generations that wanted to learn their recipes and their mother’s recipes. They make the dish, write out the directions, change the amounts from dash, handful, “looks right”, to measurable amounts and then published it for the rest of the family. They are all gone now but the dishes are still being served.
After my mother passed away, at the age of 91, I came across a journal that my mother had written of many of my Gran’s household tips and a few of her recipes. My Grandmother never used a recipe book. She was the eldest of six siblings and learned to cook and run the household when she was 11 years’ old. Everything she had learned was in her memory. I have early memories of her showing me how to boil potatoes. I had to peel the potatoes, put them in the pot and then put some water in the pot. She was confined to a wheel chair, so I took the pot, potatoes and the water to her and she told me if I had put too much water in them or not. :) I have never forgotten those lessons although I was about 10 years’ old then and I’m 78 now :)
True story: my mom had several signature recipes. She had 3 daughters and the oldest one decided that each of them should learn one recipe, that way they all preserved some of mom’s cooking. Unfortunately, my sister could only think in terms of teaspoons, tablespoons, fractions of cups, etc. So when my mom said “Put in a pinch of this,” or “a little dab of that” it drove her to give up. She couldn’t wrap her head around those kinds of measurements.
Much to my Mother’s dismay, my Grandmother never wrote down a complete recipe. Those she did write down had the basic ingredients but most of the measurements were imprecise – " a dash of …" this and " a pinch of …" that or " bake until done " were often directions used.
No one could make bread and pastries as good as Grandmother. Her Irish Soda Bread, Potato Bread, and Treacle Bread were scrumptious and unrivaled.
Both my Mother and Grandmother were great for saving recipes clipped from newspapers and magazines and then riffing off them, improvising as the mood struck them or by whatever ingredients were at hand.
When I took over some of the Jewish holidays dinners from my mom (my sister took over the rest) I asked my mom for the “secret family recipes” so I could cook the same dishes the same way. She mailed them to me – they were labeled with the company name of whose package she took them from! So much for family recipes.
My husband had his mom teach him her tomato gravy (sauce to you and me) recipe. He then taught it to me. His (younger) sister makes tomato gravy each year for Christmas at her house (and that is the total sum of her cooking for the year). She talks about how it takes hours and hours to cook the same as her mother taught her – hmm, what she taught husband took an hour at most to cook and it is basically dumping cans of tomato products into a pot and adding spices. SIL’s tomato gravy is full of acid and much too much garlic. Either she did not pay attention or MIL gave one of them – probably SIL based on taste – the wrong recipe.
Templo S.U.D. about 3 years ago
sneaky
momofalex7 about 3 years ago
Gracie is smart; she can take notes.
Carl Premium Member about 3 years ago
When we were young (20’s) my great aunts (nine) got together for weekly cooking classes with the younger generations that wanted to learn their recipes and their mother’s recipes. They make the dish, write out the directions, change the amounts from dash, handful, “looks right”, to measurable amounts and then published it for the rest of the family. They are all gone now but the dishes are still being served.
JoanHelen about 3 years ago
After my mother passed away, at the age of 91, I came across a journal that my mother had written of many of my Gran’s household tips and a few of her recipes. My Grandmother never used a recipe book. She was the eldest of six siblings and learned to cook and run the household when she was 11 years’ old. Everything she had learned was in her memory. I have early memories of her showing me how to boil potatoes. I had to peel the potatoes, put them in the pot and then put some water in the pot. She was confined to a wheel chair, so I took the pot, potatoes and the water to her and she told me if I had put too much water in them or not. :) I have never forgotten those lessons although I was about 10 years’ old then and I’m 78 now :)
fuzzbucket Premium Member about 3 years ago
Tia Carmen is training Gracie’s memory, so note cards are unimportant.
Michael G. about 3 years ago
Don’t let this happen to your family! :-0
davidlwashburn about 3 years ago
True story: my mom had several signature recipes. She had 3 daughters and the oldest one decided that each of them should learn one recipe, that way they all preserved some of mom’s cooking. Unfortunately, my sister could only think in terms of teaspoons, tablespoons, fractions of cups, etc. So when my mom said “Put in a pinch of this,” or “a little dab of that” it drove her to give up. She couldn’t wrap her head around those kinds of measurements.
Linguist about 3 years ago
Much to my Mother’s dismay, my Grandmother never wrote down a complete recipe. Those she did write down had the basic ingredients but most of the measurements were imprecise – " a dash of …" this and " a pinch of …" that or " bake until done " were often directions used.
No one could make bread and pastries as good as Grandmother. Her Irish Soda Bread, Potato Bread, and Treacle Bread were scrumptious and unrivaled.
Both my Mother and Grandmother were great for saving recipes clipped from newspapers and magazines and then riffing off them, improvising as the mood struck them or by whatever ingredients were at hand.
Cactus-Pete about 3 years ago
Hopefully it’s early because good pozole can take a while to cook.
raybarb44 about 3 years ago
Bueno….
JPuzzleWhiz about 3 years ago
For anyone who might like to try making it:
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/pozole-5215878
ChukLitl Premium Member about 3 years ago
Write that stuff down. My sister’s lasagna will never be seen again.
Natarose about 3 years ago
MMM! Pozole!
Sailor46 USN 65-95 about 3 years ago
The way to get those recipes in your head is to help Tia Carmen cook them.
Ukko wilko about 3 years ago
I’ve started passing things on to my children… otherwise they would be cremated with me.
mafastore almost 3 years ago
When I took over some of the Jewish holidays dinners from my mom (my sister took over the rest) I asked my mom for the “secret family recipes” so I could cook the same dishes the same way. She mailed them to me – they were labeled with the company name of whose package she took them from! So much for family recipes.
My husband had his mom teach him her tomato gravy (sauce to you and me) recipe. He then taught it to me. His (younger) sister makes tomato gravy each year for Christmas at her house (and that is the total sum of her cooking for the year). She talks about how it takes hours and hours to cook the same as her mother taught her – hmm, what she taught husband took an hour at most to cook and it is basically dumping cans of tomato products into a pot and adding spices. SIL’s tomato gravy is full of acid and much too much garlic. Either she did not pay attention or MIL gave one of them – probably SIL based on taste – the wrong recipe.