Do you have any signature recipes that your entire family loves? As anyone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen knows, cooking is a family affair. Coming together to enjoy a meal with the family is an experience unlike any other, and much of food culture gets dictated by what stands the tests of time and what doesn’t. While we all have our own innovations in the kitchen, somehow it always seems like our grandparents are able to cook a little bit better than we can. Still, it’s never too late to learn from the masters. With that in mind, here are 10 old-fashioned recipes that your grandmother would approve of.
1. Amish Scrapple
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups of chicken broth
1 3/4 cups of milk
1 cup of cornmeal
1 teaspoon of ground poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
3 tablespoons of butter
Steps:
2. Get out a skillet and cook your sausage over medium-high heat, stirring throughout. Cook for five to seven minutes and drain the excess fat.
3. Add your broth and milk and bring everything up to a boil.
4. Stir in the rest of your ingredients as well except for the butter and cook everything until it thickens.
5. Turn the heat down low, cover it and cook everything for 10 more minutes. Stir occasionally throughout.
6. When it’s done, pour the sausage mix into a loaf pan and let it cool.
7. Refrigerate it for two hours.
8. After that, turn it out onto a cutting board and cut it into one-inch pieces.
9. Finally, melt your butter in the skillet and fry the slices for eight to 10 minutes per side.
10. As a bonus step, keep the fat drippings, add flour and milk and make a gravy to serve with the slices!
2. Salisbury Steak
Ingredients:
1 pound of ground beef
1/3 cup of dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup of chopped onions
1 beaten egg
2 teaspoons of chopped parsley
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1/4 cup of milk
1 1/2 cups of mushrooms, sliced
Steps:
2. When it’s well-mixed, press the mixture into small patties.
3. Spray down a skillet and bring it up to a medium-high heat, cooking the patties until they brown on each side.
4. Take them out of the skillet and drain the extra fat.
5. Next, mix the rest of your soup, milk and mushrooms in the same skillet.
6. Add the patties back in as well, turn the heat down, cover it and cook everything for 20 minutes. Turn the patties over occasionally to make sure they’re cooked through.
7. When they’re all done, add parsley and serve.
3. Potato Soup
Ingredients:
1/4 cup of butter
4 cups of diced potatoes
1 grated carrot
2 cups of water
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1 teaspoon of dried dillweed
3 cups of milk
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
1/4 cup of potato flakes
Steps:
2. Add your potatoes, carrot, water, salt, pepper and dillweed as well.
3. Cook everything on low heat until the potatoes turn creamy (for about 45 minutes).
4. Stir in the milk and parsley and keep cooking until everything is heated through.
5. At the end, stir in your potato flakes and serve.
4. Corn Chowder
Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 sweet red pepper, chopped
2 cans of cream-style corn
1 1/2 cups of chopped chicken, cooked
1 can of evaporated milk
1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
Steps:
2. Add your onion, celery and red pepper and cook everything for six to eight minutes until everything turns tender.
3. Stir in your corn, chicken, milk, bouillon and pepper and heat everything through. Stir occasionally and don’t bring it to a boil.
4. Top everything with crumbled bacon and serve.
5. Old Fashioned Biscuits
Ingredients:
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1/3 cup of shortening
2/3 cup of milk
1 egg, beaten
Steps:
2. In a large bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Cut in the shortening until the mixture turns the texture of coarse crumbs.
4. Add your milk and stir until everything is just moistened.
5. When it’s ready, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it eight to 10 times. Pat it down into a 10 by four inch rectangle.
6. Cut the rectangle in half and crossways to make 10 squares.
7. Put your squares one inch apart on a baking sheet, brushing the top of each one with butter.
8. Bake everything for eight to 10 minutes until they turn golden brown and serve.
6. Southern Johnny Cakes
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of self-rising flour
2 teaspoons of sugar
1/3 cup of buttermilk
1 egg
1/3 cup of water
2 tablespoons of melted fat or bacon grease
butter
Steps:
2. Gradually add in your buttermilk before mixing in the egg.
3. Add water and fat and stir everything up again. By the end, the texture should be like thick soup.
4. Get out a skillet or griddle and heat it to medium-high, greasing it up with butter.
5. Fry your batter in it in two-tablespoon dollops. Fry them until they bubble and flip over, cooking to your liking.
6. Dry them off on paper towels and serve.
7. Hot Milk Cake
Ingredients:
1 cup of milk
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
4 eggs
2 cups of sugar
2 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
powdered sugar
Steps:
2. Melt your butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in milk and vanilla until small bubbles form around the edge of the pan.
3. In an electric mixer with a whisk attached, combine your eggs and sugar on medium-high for five minutes.
4. In a side bowl, sift together your flour, baking powder and salt.
5. When the eggs and sugar have tripled in volume, gradually add your hot milk mix, mixing on low.
6. Add your dry ingredients as well in two parts, mixing after each pour.
7. Pour the resulting batter into the Bundt pan and bake it for an hour, checking five minutes before the time is up. Be sure not to overcook!
8. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out to cool all the way. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.
8. Twice Baked Potato Casserole
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of salt
3/4 pound of bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 cups of shredded cheddar
3/4 cup of mayonnaise
3/4 cup of sour cream
5-6 green onions, sliced
salt
pepper
Steps:
2. Rub your potatoes with olive oil and salt before putting them on a baking sheet.
3. Bake them for 45 to 60 minutes, flipping them halfway through. They’re ready when they’re soft after being poked with a fork.
4. Cool them for 15 minutes before turning your oven down to 350.
5. Cut your potatoes into small chunks and put them in a bowl.
6. Stir in your mayonnaise and sour cream.
7. Set aside a third cup of cheese, three tablespoons of bacon and two tablespoons of sliced green onions. Once that’s done, stir the rest of your ingredients together.
8. Spoon everything into a greased baking dish and top it off with the ingredients you set aside.
9. Cover the dish with foil and bake it for 30 minutes, taking the foil off for the last 10 minutes.
10. Top it with green onions when it’s done and serve.
9. Depression Era Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
2 cups of cane sugar
1 teaspoon of sea salt
6 tablespoons of cocoa powder
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
12 tablespoons of coconut oil
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of coffee
2 cups of room temperature water
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
Steps:
2. Combine your flour, sugar, salt, cocoa powder, baking soda and ginger in a mixing bowl, stirring everything up.
3. Add your melted coconut oil along with vanilla and lukewarm water, stirring everything up.
4. Add your coffee and apple cider vinegar, stirring it up to break up any lumps.
5. Pour the batter into the cake pans and bake them for 25 minutes.
6. Do the toothpick test when they’re done and enjoy! Add frosting as you wish.
10. Ham and Bean Soup
Ingredients:
4 cups of chicken stock
4 cups of water
1-2 pound ham hock or ham bone
1-2 pound ham shank
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of butter
1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
5 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 stalks of celery, sliced
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
1 teaspoon of dry mustard
1-2 teaspoons of black pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
3 bay leaves
4-6 bacon strips
hot sauce (optional)
chopped parsley or cilantro (optional)
corn bread (optional)
Steps:
2. Add your carrots, onions and celery and cook until tender.
3. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
4. Add everything else except the beans and bring it all to a boil.
5. Turn the temperature down to low and simmer it for an hour, stirring throughout.
6. Add your beans as well and bring everything to a boil.
7. Next, bring it down to low again and simmer it for two hours, stirring occasionally.
8. Take the meat off the bones and get rid of the bones. Add the meat back to the stock pot.
9. When you’re ready to serve, take out the bacon strips and bay leaves and top with cilantro, parsley or hot sauce!
11. Sweet Potato Biscuits
Ingredients:
1/3 cup of shortening
1 can of drained sweet potatoes
3/4 cup of whole milk
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
Steps:
2. Cut in your shortening until the texture turns to thick, rough crumbs.
3. In another bowl, mash your sweet potatoes and milk together before adding the crumb mixture until it’s slightly incorporated.
4. Turn everything out onto a floured surface and knead it about eight to 10 times.
5. Next, roll the dough out to about a half-inch thickness and cut it round biscuit cutter.
6. Put the biscuits on ungreased baking sheets and bake them at 425 degrees for eight to 10 minutes.
7. Take them out when they’re golden brown and let them cool on wire racks. Enjoy!
12. Dutch Baby Pancakes
Ingredients:
1/3 cup of granulated sugar
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
2 cups of fresh berries
1 1/4 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
2/3 tablespoon of whole milk
1/8 teaspoon of salt
Steps:
2. Mix together your sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon in a bowl.
3. In another mixing bowl, beat your eggs for three to five minutes until they turn frothy and light.
4. Beat in your milk, flour, salt and the rest of the cinnamon as well to make a very thin batter.
5. Next, put a 10-inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat and melt your butter in it.
6. Take the skillet off the heat and pour in your batter before putting the whole thing in the oven for 20 minutes.
7. In the meantime, add some cinnamon sugar to the fresh berries and stir it all up in a side bowl.
8. Finally, take the pancake out when it’s done and sprinkle it with the rest of the cinnamon sugar. Add the berries on top and serve!
13. Apricot Chicken
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of sweetened, condensed milk
1/4 cup of melted butter
1 1/2 cups of plain breadcrumbs
1 cup of coconut flakes
1/4 cup of apricot preserves
1 tablespoon of honey
3 tablespoons of dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
1/2 tablespoon of apple cider or white vinegar
Steps:
2. In a side bowl, mix your condensed milk with two tablespoons of dijon mustard.
3. In another bowl, mix your breadcrumbs, coconut flakes, salt and paprika together.
4. Dip your chicken tenders in the milk before dredging them through the breadcrumbs, rolling them until they’re coated.
5. Place the breaded strips on a prepared cooking sheet and drizzle them with butter.
6. Bake them uncovered for 20 minutes.
7. In the meantime, mix your apricot preserves, honey, vinegar and the last tablespoon of dijon in a side bowl.
8. When the tenders are done, flip them over and glaze them with the apricot mixture.
9. Bake the tenders for another 10 to 15 minutes and enjoy!