What did your grandmother cook? (Need ideas)

[Sahamamama]

I've been trying to remember what my grandmother (mother's mother) cooked. I don't want to ask my mother, though, because she's coming for a visit soon and I'd like to surprise her with some old-fashioned cooking. ;) Here's what I've remembered so far:

 

Custard Pie (with a graham cracker crust)

 

Baked Beans (in the oven, not a slow-cooker)

 

Pepper Hash (chopped cabbage, chopped green pepper, sweet/sour vinegar dressing)

 

Pot Roast (I remember this, oh yum!)

 

Hot (German?) Potato Salad

 

Jello Mold (sounds appetizing, doesn't it? I said this to my daughters and they all said, "Ew, you used to eat mold?" I'm not sure they even know what Jello is, LOL. I remember plenty of colorful molded jello salads from my childhood).

 

Very simple -- Leaf Lettuce (from the garden, slightly bitter) with a homemade dressing (apple cider vinegar, water, sugar), perhaps sprinkled with salt.

 

If your grandmother was born around 1911, what did she cook?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Erica in OR]

German potato salad (hot), definitely.

 

Her signature dessert was apfel kuchen.

 

She also had a cookie recipe "Jacksonville Crisps," which was really great.

 

Erica in OR

[freesia]

Mine was born in 1916. I remember roast beef most of all. And she usually had egg salad on a bed of lettuce for lunch.

 

She always had bacon in the morning.

 

Small roasted potatoes. Green beans.

 

Wow--you'd think I'd remember more!

[Farrar]

A lot of cakes that seemed to involve leftover rationing mentality instead of butter.

 

Fried everything, biscuits, sweet potato souffle, quick cobblers, deviled eggs, green bean casserole, collard greens, peas peas peas...  cream peas, black eyed peas, crowder peas, pink eyed peas, lady peas...  But this is all Georgia food and my grandmother was born in the 20's.  I wonder if cooking was perhaps more regional then.

 

My other grandmother cooked all very modern seeming food.  She was a very modern woman and always trying new things, regional things, real food, etc.  She would fit right in still in the cooking scene now, I think.

[LostSurprise]

My grandmother didn't really cook much. 

 

I remember pot roasts with potatoes and carrots for Sunday dinner. I remember hamburgers for lunch every day (one of my uncles insisted...both uncles and my grandfather had hot lunches every weekday since they worked for the family business). I don't remember much else, but I was a picky kid. No salad. She always put butter in the corn or peas. 

 

Oh yeah, beef barley soup. There was a lot of boiled meat and vegetables kind of thing. She didn't really make dessert. She always had an angle food cake and a chocolate cake from Piggly Wiggly, and ice cream in the freezer. 

[Sahamamama]

Added to my list:

 

Deviled Eggs

 

Beet-Pickled Eggs (how could I forget those? They were my favorite!)

 

Waldorf Salad (chopped red delicious apples, chopped celery, walnuts, raisins?, some kind of dressing, I think mayonnaise)

 

Mincemeat Pie

 

 

[Sahamamama]

A lot of cakes that seemed to involve leftover rationing mentality instead of butter.

 

Fried everything, biscuits, sweet potato souffle, quick cobblers, deviled eggs, green bean casserole, collard greens, peas peas peas...  cream peas, black eyed peas, crowder peas, pink eyed peas, lady peas...  But this is all Georgia food and my grandmother was born in the 20's.  I wonder if cooking was perhaps more regional then.

 

My other grandmother cooked all very modern seeming food.  She was a very modern woman and always trying new things, regional things, real food, etc.  She would fit right in still in the cooking scene now, I think.

 

Thanks for the reminders, especially:

 

Green Bean Casserole

 

Fruit Cobblers

 

Creamed Peas (not my favorite)

[twoxcell]

Fluffy sugar cookies. :drool: That is about the only edible thing she made for us. Everything else was scary. I have no idea what my dad's mom cooked as I only saw her a couple of times.

[Amira]

Huh.  I don't have any idea. My grandmothers were born in 1912 and 1914, but one died before I knew her and I can remember only one time my other grandmother cooked something I ate even though she only died a few years ago. It was scrambled eggs. 

 

And now I am curious so I've emailed my parents to see what they remember their mothers cooking.

[Baseball mom]

Sadly we lived about 6 hours from her.  So I don't remember anything particular.  Just got old fashion southern cooking  :drool:   :thumbup:

[Sahamamama]

My grandmother cooked a lot of the stuff you listed. 

 

She used to fry carrots until very browned and put them in gravy.  Sounds weird, but it's good.  She liked rhubarb and strawberry pie.  Chicken and rice soup.  She made a very simple thin tomato sauce for spaghetti.  She did a dish with browned ground beef, green peppers, chopped canned peeled tomatoes, garlic, onion over elbow macaroni.

 

Doh, how could I forget that? So sour, made your mouth pucker!

 

And the ground beef dish reminded me of two other dishes she made:

 

Corned Beef Hash (corned beef and diced potatoes)

 

Creamed Chip Beef on Toast (which always looked to me like something the dog barfed up)

 

 

[Carol in Cal.]

Green kale with pinkelwurst

Leg of Lamb with onion slices toothpicked all over it

Prime Rib

Cracked crab

This chocolate dessert involving gelatin and raw eggs that was to die for, that I forget the name of

Swedish pancakes rolled around lingonberry jam with powdered sugar on top

A very dry chocolate cake that her kids loved and I hate

A very pasty turkey stuffing, ditto

 

 

[KungFuPanda]

Mine was born in the twenties. She gardened BIG and canned everything. My childhood is full of her strawberry preserves and green beans. She had fruit trees and a grape arbor. One transparent apple tree still keeps the family in 'cooked apples'. This tart apple is cooked, peeling on, with butter and sugar and is a breakfast favorite. She made dumplings with chicken, and sometimes with squirrel. She made every pie in the world, along with cookies and her pumpkin nut role that we all must have during the holidays.

 

Mamaw is still kicking at 90. Her garden is tiny, and she no longer cans, but she'll still fry some green tomatoes for me or make me some butter beans when I ask. She attributes her longevity to fried potatoes and lots of raw onions

[Mandylubug]

collard greens

biscuits

banana pudding with meringue with stiff, browned peaks on top. Not cool whip NEVER cool whip

yeast rolls

bread or rice pudding

chocolate pie

fried cubed steak, green beans and roasted potatoes

deviled eggs, fried green tomatoes and big bowl of pintos cooked with a ham hock

[Ravin]

Mine was a big fan of TV dinners and wine in a box.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

Sloppy joe on toasted buns
Macaroni and cheese
Baked beans
Potato salad
Cole slaw
Chicken and noodles (homemade egg noodles)
Green beans with bacon and onion
Baked apples with marshmallows
Meatloaf
Saurkraut with hot dog
Pies, pies, pies, pies, pies. Favorites were apple, cherry, pecan, and sugar cream.
Pickled beets.
Potato salad.
Steak (for Grandpa) or hamburger (for the rest of us), home fries, salad of greens and a few garden veg with a dressing of oil, vinegar, sugar
Bean soup, lots of varieties
Vegetable soup, ditto
Potato pancakes
Homemade grape jam on home-baked bread
All vegetables including cabbage for slaw and kraut, grown in the backyard garden
Coffee cake, several styles

This is your standard German American farm menu of the '40s through the '80s.

[Laurie4b]

My grandmothers were big on desserts:

 

Fruit pies: strawberry/rhubard, tart cherry, sweet cherry, apple, blueberry, lemon meringue, strawberry glace

Pumpkin pie

Chocolate pie

Apple dumplings

Cakes: chocolate or vanilla (yellow) with real fudge icing; coconut cake

Apple brown betty

meringues with ice cream and strawberries on top

strawberry short cake

pound cake

sponge cake

cheese cake

 

Ham, roast beef, leg of lamb, turkey (huge hunk of meat at dinner, often 2 kinds on table if holiday)

Fried chicken

Chicken & dumplings

Mashed potatoes & gravy (pretty much any dinner got these)

Parkerhouse rolls (homemade)

veges from the garden: asparagus, green beans, etc. (lots of butter)

Cole slaw

Homemade applesauce

Corn on the cob

Salad: ice berg lettuce (blech) with tomatoes, cukes. Homemade dressing either oil,vinegar, seasonings or "russian" (basically mayo, ketchup, relish, and a little onion powder

hot dogs, hamburgers, steaks on grill

hungarian goulash

shepherd's pie

 

 Breakfasts:

Cinnamon buns aka "sticky" buns (the kind with the caramel on top)

eggs & bacon & toast with butter (lots of butter)

 

lunches: BLT or club sandwiches or grilled cheese

 

Milkshakes (vanilla ice cream, milk, chocolate sauce)

[Mandylubug]

Ah, I forgot some:

 

Maw Maw (born in 1914) loved to make this potato soup... it was peeled white potatoes whole, a white sauce and green peas. That's it. She'd serve it with fresh biscuits. It was a very mild, light flavor.

 

She also made plain beef meatballs, just salt and pepper, fried them and then finished cooking them in a tomato sauce. Didn't taste like spaghetti sauce or marinara, had no herbs. Just salt and pepper. served with macaroni

[Mandylubug]

Grandmother (born in 1904)

 

always talked of years of eating salt fish and biscuits daily

 

she cooked:

roast beef gravy

greasy green beans (like reduced down an entire pound of bacon)

vegetable soup

chicken and dumplings

fried salmon cakes

fried oysters

fried fish

home fries with everything

[Julie Smith]

Pancakes in the shape of balls

http://scandinavianfood.about.com/od/pastryrecipes/r/aebleskiver.htm

 

Frikadellar

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/frikadeller-danish-meatballs/

 

And potatoes ... in the shape of balls. 

 

Good thing she was never a cook on a boat. All the food could have rolled away. :)

 

[Unicorn.]

Fried chicken, potato salad, baked beans with dark molasses, sheet cakes, white hominy(gag me now), collard greens, pinto beans with bacon/onions.

Oh, I had forgotten about collard greens (and turnip greens) Yuck. They were fine, but the grit was awful!

 

Lots of fresh from the garden veggies, fresh fruit, always bacon sausage and egg in the mornings w/ sliced cantaloupe. Fried chicken, yummy stuffing at T-giving, and I don't remember what else.

 

My other grandmother, I don't really remember. Awful cookies that I swear had no sugar at all. She made corn meal mush for the dog every day. Mostly I remember cold meals of sliced dried sausage and butter sandwiches. She made sweet rice for special occasions.

[Wabi Sabi]

Nana was known for her leg of lamb and shepherd's pie that would be made from the leftovers. Yum! 
 

She also made a tuna tetrazzini casserole dish whenever we would visit. There would always be a salad with dinner: lettuce, salt and pepper, maybe some cucumber and tomato, and always her own oil and vinegar dressing.

Lunch was typically a sandwich- tuna salad and deviled ham seemed to be her favorites.  

[Sahamamama]

Other memories:

 

Sanka (a horrible instant coffee my grandmother enjoyed)

 

Some kind of chicory root "coffee" that my grandfather occasionally drank

 

Fried Spam

[Crimson Wife]

My paternal grandma was born in 1911. She was a horrible, horrible cook (Irish cuisine has a bad reputation for a reason) but an awesome baker and soup-maker. I miss her baked goods...

 

My maternal grandma had a full-time housekeeper until my grandfather retired. She then decided to learn to cook all these gourmet meals. I inherited her copies of Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", Martha Stewart's "Entertaining", "Yan Can Cook", and a bunch of others when she passed.

[umsami]

My grandma was born in 1904 or 1905.  She was a great cook.  My Mom couldn't cook to save her life. :)

 

I remember her making wonderful sunny side up eggs fried in butter, with buttered toast, and homemade jam.

 

She would cook hams and roasts in the oven.  One year my Dad bought her a Honeybaked ham, and she washed off all the glaze and redid it her way with orange juice, brown sugar, and I think pineapple. LOL  My grandfather (who died before I was born) was known for baking hams in rye bread.

 

She made ham salad, tuna salad, and egg salad sandwiches.  Always buttered the bread.  Usually cut off the crust.  Only Helmann's mayo.

 

Salad was often a wedge type creation with bacon bits and dressing.  She used to make a dressing that was like oil and vinegar but involved a 3 minute egg.  It was yummy.

 

She did jell-o molds too, with strawberries and bananas or fruit cocktail.

 

She made delicious peach pie.   She made German potato salad and regular potato salad.  

 

She liked a dish of vanilla ice cream with Hershey's syrup on top.

 

She made homemade fudge using Hershey's cocoa powder, butter, sugar, and vanilla.  If the fudge didn't set up, we'd put it on ice cream.

 

She lived until 81.

[TammyinTN]

Growing up I stayed  with my Dad's mother and she cooked for 12 children growing up.  

 

Every morning was hot homemade biscuits -- somedays ham w/ red eye gravy and eggs and apple sauce or fried apples

 

Lunch- fresh corn with hot biscuit with butter and sliced tomatoes

 

Dinner-- a meat-- ham, meatloaf,  green beans with potatoes,  corn

                         -- collard greens, creamed potatoes 

 

She always had a sweet of some sort--chocolate pie, coconut custard, 10 layer chocolate cake, jello salad

 

I sure miss her biscuits! ;)

[sunnyday]

My grandma was born in 1916 and passed away in 2007. She was an orphan though, and without a mom to teach her she taught herself to cook only after she was married, by reading the Fannie Farmer cookbook. :) She made Spicy Franks (hot dogs in a thickened ketchup sauce over egg noodles) and butterscotch Haystacks. :)

[Crimson Wife]

She made Spicy Franks (hot dogs in a thickened ketchup sauce over egg noodles)

Ugh, my paternal grandma made that dish, too! I liked hot dog with ketchup just fine but not in combo with whatever spices were in the dish and definitely not with noodles.

[umsami]

My grandma used to make what she called a swanky-franky…. a hot dog stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon. :)

[MrsBasil]

Ceviche, lasagna, cheesecake, blueberry peach pie, pineapple upside down cake, stuffed pepper, prime rib, steak, orange roughy, salmon, halibut, shark, trout, perch, roast chicken, and Stouffers.  She went to work once her youngest(my dad) was in school and she worked for Stouffers while my Grandpa worked a night shift at the newspaper(Chicago Tribune).  She was a BIG fan of frozen food.  :)

[prairiewindmomma]

Mine specialized in fried chicken, mashed potatoes, whatever veg was in season, and pie. She also made the best cinnamon rolls ever.

[JudoMom]

I'm suddenly very hungry.

I don't recall what my grandmas cooked.  I know they must have, because my bother and I would go spend 2 weeks with them in the summer (we lived in a different state from all our extended family and where my parents grew up).

I do remember my paternal Grandma would make me toast with butter and grape jelly for breakfast.  It was always extra special because she cut the crust off.

[joannqn]

Chicken and dumplings

Pancakes from scratch


And anything required whipping, she used an egg beater.

[Mom in High Heels]

Fried chicken, potato salad, baked beans with dark molasses, sheet cakes, white hominy(gag me now), collard greens, pinto beans with bacon/onions.

 

Did we have the same grandmother? :)

 

My paternal grandmother was born in 1908 in AL, and my maternal grandmother was born in 1927 in PA.  My PA grandmother was from a Pennsylvania Dutch family and her cooking was different in some ways from my AL grandmother, but they both had mad skillz when it came to biscuits.  Sooo good.  My PA grandmother moved to AL, when she married my grandfather, so she learned southern cooking.

 

Things they both made:

 

Biscuits!!!

 

Fried chicken (AL grandmother's was better)

 

Collard greens (blech!)

 

Black eyed peas (double blech!)

 

Fried green tomatoes

 

Hominy (blech!)

 

Succotash (blech!)

 

Chicken and dumplings (my happy place involves chicken and dumplings!)

 

Fried apples and dumplings

 

Cobbler (blackberry was the summer favorite)

 

Fig preserves!  OMG, so good.  My mom learned to make these and I suppose I should learn.  I can eat a whole jar on my own though, so maybe not.

 

Homemade banana pudding.  My PA grandmother made the best banana pudding I've ever tasted.  No one can even come close to hers, even using her recipe.  She added some voodoo magic to it.  We would stand around with spoons in our hands waiting for her it take it out of the oven.  Man, I miss that.  My AL grandmother made it too, but she lacked the voodoo magic.  

 

 

ETA:  

 

Pecan pie

 

Cherry pie

 

Peach pie (YUM!)

 

Apple pie (YUM!  YUM!)

 

Pound cake (that was so good you'd hurt someone to get a slice of it)

 

 

[Greta]

My Granny was born in 1915 and has always been and still is famous for her pies, especially pecan, but also strawberry-rhubarb and apple. She doesn't bake them as often as she used to -- she's 98 so I think we can forgive her for that. :) It's funny - she never eats the pies that she makes. Doesn't really care for dessert (probably part of why she has lived so long!), but makes them for other people. Anyway, I'm getting off track.

 

Other than that, it's pretty basic home cooking: lots of creamed vegetables, roasted meats, fried potatoes, things like that. All really GOOD, but nothing fancy.

 

I am so hungry now.

[Greta]

This is a breakfast thing, and not a dinner thing, but I have the most pleasant memories of my other grandparents making biscuits and gravy. They were both born in the 1920's, and sadly passed away about ten years ago. Whenever I would go and stay with them, they would always make biscuits and gravy, from scratch, for breakfast. My Granny made the biscuits and my Grandad made the gravy. And I would just sit in the kitchen and talk with them while they worked - they wouldn't let me help, not because they didn't want me messing it up or anything like that, but because they wanted to spoil me! :D I miss them so much.

 

Sorry, I know that doesn't really help with what you asked - but I was just suddenly so overwhelmed with happy memories that I had to share.

[OnTheBrink]

My grandmother made mashed potatoes from real potatoes; she also made potato pancakes. She made green beans with bacon grease, meat loaf, and she had her special recipe for chili. It had macaroni in it. She made egg salad a lot, too. 

[JennyD]

My paternal grandmother was not much of a cook -- pot roast was a particularly unfortunate specialty -- but a terrific baker.  Her marble cake was fantastic.  She also made wonderful matzo meal pancakes, which are something of a pain to make well.  She always came and stayed with us during Passover and she would get up early every morning and make those pancakes.  I think of her every time I make them myself.

 

My maternal grandmother was apparently quite a good cook, but by the time I showed up (I am one of the youngest of many grandchildren) my grandfather did all the cooking.  He had been a NYC fireman and learned how to cook at the firehouse, so once he retired he took over in the kitchen.  I don't remember what he cooked, although I'm sure it was in that same general Eastern European tradition as everyone else in their world. (My grandfather himself had immigrated from Russia as a teen.)   Oh wait, I do remember him making blintzes!  What a memory.  Wow, those were good.  

[trulycrabby]

My grandmother wasn't a wonderful cook, so I will talk about my great grandmother: :)

 

Chicken and dumplings

Fried chicken

Fried okra

Fresh green beans from the garden

Sweet potato pie

Biscuits

 

She was a true country cook who lived on a farm all her life.

 

I didn't connect the chicken coop out back with all that yummy fried chicken until I was much older. :o

[AndyJoy]

Creamed Chip Beef on Toast (which always looked to me like something the dog barfed up)

I still make this occasionally for my family; we always ate this at great-grandma's (born in 1902). It was always topped with canned peas and pearl onions and a liberal application of black pepper. Salmon patties with peas was another common meal at her house. Broccoli/cauliflower/carrot/lima beans, sliced tomatoes with salt and pepper, and cantaloupe/honeydew were frequent sides.

[LostSurprise]

I'm enjoying this thread. 

 

It reminded me that my maternal grandmother made popcorn on the stove every night (after you dump it in the bowl you melt the butter in the hot pan), and drank beer in an Irish mug while watching Johnny Carson in her housecoat. Good times. 

 

My other grandmother was born in the late '20s in Chicago. When my dad was growing up they lived in a German/Polish/Italian neighborhood. She always has a ton of food at her house (too much). She makes spaghetti, stuffed peppers, a mean potato salad (very German), various sausage and noodle means, and an odd meal we call tuna and creamettes (boiled elbow pasta, can of tuna, mayo, salt). 

[JennyD]

I'm enjoying this thread. 

 

It reminded me that my maternal grandmother made popcorn on the stove every night (after you dump it in the bowl you melt the butter in the hot pan), and drank beer in an Irish mug while watching Johnny Carson in her housecoat. Good times. 

 

 

LOL.   I remember my grandma buying housecoats at Sears.  

[Ameena]

Neither of my grandmothers were good cooks - one was a drunk & the other could burn water. A lot of what would have been cooked will differ by region, culture, etc.

 

My mom learned to cook working in a cafe at the age of 15 in the early 60's {she was already married}. She went on to cook for a full large harvest crew on their farm in NW OK every year. She taught me all she knew.

 

Chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes & cream gravy with biscuits

 

Creamed peas {I make these every winter - nothing better on a cold day}

 

Cornmeal Mush

 

Chess Pie

 

Blondie Salad {jello powder, cool whip, canned fruit & marshmallows}

 

Potato Soup

 

Refrigerator soup / leftover soup

 

Beef noodle dinner - cooked egg noodles with some cooked beef stew meat on top, covered in brown gravy

 

One Pot - chicken/beef roast with potatoes, carrots, etc all cooked in 1 pot

 

 

Mom also made fried chicken she said, but never taught me that one as it was quite a bit of work

[Ameena]

Creamed Chip Beef on Toast (which always looked to me like something the dog barfed up)

 

This brings back memories! My dad {born in the mid 30's} used to ask for this. He learned to eat it serving in the Korean War - it was called Sh*t on a shingle in the mess hall. Probably was served to WWII soldiers too, as he talked about most of their food supplied being leftover stuff from WWII.

 

It was one of the foods he asked for when he was towards the end & couldn't eat much.

[zoobie]

My granny was born in 1911. She was a great cook! I wish I had been able to learn more from her. Usually it was just the two of us or maybe my mom, so she didn't cook a huge meal. She made fried chicken once a year for the family reunion and it was amazing! Soft crust, similar to KFC original but not filled with nasties. For Christmas Eve, it was roast beef, which was overcooked as hell (gray, seriously) but still tasty and with the best beef gravy. She didn't like anything fussy or time consuming. I got white sort of pound cake cupcakes with a rum cream cheese glaze/frosting for my birthday. Yum!

 

Other "famous" dishes:

Banana bread (mine is as good!)

Salmon patties

Okra and tomatoes

Vegetable soup (the best ever)

Strawberry Jell-o salad with a cream cheese-sour cream layer in the middle and crushed pretzels

 

Mostly her cooking was just fresh vegetables with meat as a side, unless it was a holiday.

[Slartibartfast]

 She made fried chicken once a year for the family reunion and it was amazing! Soft crust, similar to KFC original but not filled with nasties. 

 

My grandmother made that as well. 

 

It's steam that makes that crust. My grandmother fried her chicken in a big pan with a heavy lid. You won't get that crust without a lid on the pot. It has to be a heavy lid with no vents.

[J-rap]

Gosh, I don't remember what my grandma cooked!  She was born in 1899.  I remember her homemade bread, every day.  And chocolate cookies with chocolate frosting.  But, I don't remember her cooking whole meals.  Oh -- rice pudding and Swedish sausage.

[KungFuPanda]

 My grandfather (who died before I was born) was known for baking hams in rye bread.

 

 

Hold the phone. I'm gonna need more details about this. Talk slowly and leave nothing out.

[umsami]

Hold the phone. I'm gonna need more details about this. Talk slowly and leave nothing out.

 

LOL. I wish I knew more.  He was German and ran a bakery. My Mom still talks about it.  I'm assuming it's similar to this   http://www.kitchenproject.com/german/recipes/Pork/SchinkenRoast/HamInPastry/index.htm

[KungFuPanda]

LOL. I wish I knew more.  He was German and ran a bakery. My Mom still talks about it.  I'm assuming it's similar to this   http://www.kitchenproject.com/german/recipes/Pork/SchinkenRoast/HamInPastry/index.htm

Oooooh, I have a German aunt. I'll ask her. She recently made us the best bread for brats and sour kraut. I am intrigued. It's like a ham Wellington!