Favorite Family Recipies

#1
Is there a recipe your family makes that you absolutely love? Share your wonderful food (and maybe some stories behind it) here!

My family has a cookbook we made for my Great-Grandmother's 90th birthday (December 1999). It's filled with her recipes, stories, and memories of her from everybody in my huge family. She was very secretive about her recipes, so a lot of them don't have measurements or specific directions. It was a "you had to be there" to know exactly how she made it sort of thing. Here's some of my favorites!

This one is from the Great Depression, so it's pretty simple.
Thin Pancakes (Crepes)
6 eggs
6 tsp vanilla
6 Tbsp sugar
18 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 cup milk

Mix eggs, vanilla, sugar, and milk. Add to flour, mixing thoroughly with wire whisk. Heat pans over medium low heat. Pour enough batter in pan to cover bottom. Cook until sides separate from edge of pan. Flip, cook a few seconds, remove from heat. Roll.... pancake may be filled if desired.

Pumpkin Pie
1 1/2 cups pumpkin (1 large 15 oz can)
1 cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs (slightly beaten)
1 Tbsp melted butter

Mix together. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake 425oF for 15 minutes. reduce to 375oF for 45 minutes - cover edges (or until knife inserted in center comes out clean). Makes 4 pies.

Here are some Christmas Cookie Favorites!
Star Pressed Cookies
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 1/2 oz cream cheese

Cream butter and cream cheese. Add sugar and cream well. Add vanilla. Slowly add flour, mix well. Fill cookie press and form on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375oF for 8-10 minutes. A small piece of maraschino cherry may be added to center for decoration. (Double batch makes 4 1/2 dozen).

Pizzelles
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp lemon rind

Beat eggs until lemon-colored. Add sugar gradually. Add oil, lemon juice, and lemon rind. Beat well. Chill batter until cooking time. Grease plates of Pizzelle Iron. Spoon one tablespoon of batter onto center of iron. Cook 3-5 minutes. Roll while still hot. Fill cooled pizzelles with sweetened whipped cream or sour cream flavored with fruit juice. Note: Lemon juice can be substituted with 1 tsp vanilla.

Snowball Cookies
Makes 4 dozen

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sifted flour
2 Tbsp sugar

1 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp vanilla

Mix butter, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in flour and nuts. Chill. Shape into balls. Bake on greased cookie sheet at 350oF for 15 minutes. DO NOT BROWN! Roll in powdered sugar, cool, and roll in powdered sugar again.

And now for the greatest cookies on Earth imo. I could eat these all the time. :squee:
Christmas Cut-Out Cookies
Makes 5 dozen
6 1/2 cups flour
2 cups Crisco shortening
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup milk
3 tsp vanilla

Mix flour, shortening, and sugar in large bowl. Mix egg yolks, milk, and vanilla together. Add wet mixture to dry mixture. Mix thoroughly. Chill. Roll dough out (small sections at a time). Cut into shapes. Bake at 375oF for 12 minutes. Cool and ice.
Christmas Cut-Out Icing
2 Tbsp butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2-4 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix powdered sugar, vanilla, milk, and butter together. Add food coloring of your choice and "paint" cooled cookies.
 
Last edited:

Katharine

Well-Known Member
#6
I'm fortunate to have a few Pennsylvania Dutch recipes in my family.

Buttermilk Cookies (Soft Sugar Cookies)
Ingredients
4 cups (560 g) all purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup (225 g or 2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups (400 g) white granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk or soured milk (see note above)
2 or 3 tablespoons of vanilla sugar (see note above) or regular granulated white sugar

Directions
1. Preheat an oven to 375˚F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper. Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Take a balloon whisk and vigorously stir until the thoroughly combined.

2. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about three minutes. Take the vanilla bean and using a sharp knife, scrape the seeds out of the pod into the batter. Reserve the vanilla pod for another use (see note above). Add the vanilla extract and then beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and add one egg. Beat until incorporated and scrape down the sides again. Repeat with the other two eggs, pausing to scrape down the sides between additions.

3. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the batter and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides and add 1/3 of the buttermilk. Repeat, alternating with the flour and buttermilk, 1/3 each, remembering to scrape down the sides between each addition. Drop tablespoons of the dough about 3 inches apart from each other (the cookies will spread). Sprinkle the top of each mound of dough with granulated sugar. Bake until the cookies have spread, risen and turned lightly golden, about 13 to 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes and then remove them with a spatula to a wire cooling rack to cool further.

Makes about 60 cookies.
Sandtarts
INGREDIENTS
½ pound butter, softened (no substitutes)
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs, separated
3 cups all-purpose flour

Topping
¼ cup sugar mixed with ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg beaten
4 cups whole pecans (although I didn't use that many)

Directions
  1. If using a kitchen aid, beat the egg whites stiff first and transfer to another bowl.
  2. In the mixing bowl, beat butter until very softened. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add salt, and vanilla. Beat egg yolks and add.
  3. Fold in the egg whites, but not totally. You should still be able to see some of the white patches.
  4. Add in flour 1½ cups at a time.
  5. Chill overnight.
  6. Bake the next day at 350 degrees.
  7. Roll out a quarter at a time, keeping dough in refrigerator.
  8. Roll very thin and use a 2 inch scalloped cookie cutter to form or use any Christmas cutter you desire.
  9. Brush with beaten egg, top, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and top with pecan.
  10. Bake 9-10 minutes, not allowing cookie to get too brown.
  11. Cool thoroughly on wire racks.
  12. Pack in tins.

Both of these recipes are from the internet as I am currently away from home and unable to gather the recipes that we use around the holidays. There are many pictures of these cookies online as well with additional information.
 
#9
My Mom's to Die for Chicken Pepperoncini
*Can't give exact measurements but I'll be close as I can!

She starts by taking plain ole thin sliced chicken b's and breads them/fry's them on the stove. Use as many chicken b's as you would like. We like it so much that she makes at least two large pans of it.

Then she greases up two pans and spreads the chicken out on it.

Next (and this is what makes the dish special) she takes a large jar or possibly two small jars of pepperoncini's. Usually, she buys the hottest one's she can get. Note pepperoncini's can have some heat but nothing crazy that'll end up burning your mouth. It's as simple as opening up the jar and emptying the whole thing into the pan, juices and all. Put some foil over the pans and stick it in the oven.

She bakes it at 350 for I believe 30 minutes or so. Near the last 5 minutes she takes the dish out of the oven and places large slices of provolone or swiss cheese (take your pick) on top of the chicken and then puts it back in the oven. The cheese will melt and get all gooey which is amazing.

Once done take it out and let it sit for a few minutes to cool.

She tends to make a large bowl of rice to go alongside of it with some form of vegetable. Once again your pick!

It doesn't seem like much but let me tell you it is one of the best dishes in the ENTIRE world! I've had friends come over just when I tell them she is making it.

Let me know what you think! :bbq:
 

Marissa

black lives matter
#10
We put stuffing in our meatloaf. Our spaghetti is "pretty bomb" an outsider once told us.
 
#12
Sweet n' Sugary Sugar Cookies
Makes 5 dozen
8 cups flour
1 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 egg yolks
1 cup milk
4 tsp vanilla
(optional) 2 cups sprinkles :for decoration:


Mix egg yolks, milk, and vanilla. Mix flour, shortening, sugar, and sprinkles. Mix two wet ingredients into dry. Mix until into soft dough. Bake at 350oF for 15mins. Take out and let cool for 5mins. Use cookie cutters for cute little shapes <3

I hope yall' enjoy this recipe as much as i did with my grandma! <3
 
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