When I was a little girl we would drive ‘down east’ (which is actually up but that is another discussion) to visit my mother’s parents. Nanny would sit me on her knee and teach me how to play cards. Yup WebAdmin was a card shark from the ripe old age of seven.
So what does that have to do with cooking and recipes? Nothing, except that before and after cards (and occasionally during) there was always wonderful food such as my mother didn’t cook on a regular basis. Now don’t get me wrong, my Mom cooks better than any Mom but Nanny rocked the kitchen in a different way. Such are the memories of my childhood, it was so wonderful returning to them with Grandmother’s Cookbook.
When you open the pages you will immediately feel as if you are reading recipes written just for you by your own grandmother. The handwritten look of each recipe, the wonderful original watercolours and the personal notes make this more than just a great collection of old recipes.
Many of us likely have a church bazaar recipe book of favourites around somewhere but this collection is much more detailed, coherent and in a far more interesting format. The chapter ‘A Family Love Letter’ is well worth the read.
One caution I would make is that the recipes should be read through thoroughly before beginning. Most recipes don’t follow the current standard of ingredients first, directions following but are instead written in paragraph form. Reading the recipe through first will help make sure you know how to do everything and have all of the necessary ingredients.
Grandmother’s Cookbook is spiral bound to lie flat during use and has laminated full color soft covers and divider pages. Recipe sections include Soups, Breads, Dumplings and Noodles, Appetizers and Salads, Meats and Vegetables, Desserts and Christmas Specialties.
Two sample recipes are below:
Hungarian Goulash
Put 1 tablespoon oil in a pan. Finely slice 1 large onion and fry in oil until golden brown. Add 3 teaspoons paprika. Stir it around and add the meat. You can use about a pound of chicken, beef or veal. We always like breast and shank of veal. Add a piece of green pepper, a stalk of celery, a tomato (fresh or canned), 1 bay leaf and 2 cloves. Salt and pepper to taste. Steam the meat until it draws juice. Then sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour on the meat. Add 1 or 2 cups of water and simmer until tender. This usually takes about 2 hours. Add 1 or 2 diced potatoes for the last 1/2 hour. I like to serve this with rice, noodles or bread dumplings. This is a simple but very delicious meal!
Bread Dumplings
Toast 2 slices of bread and cut into small cubes. Take 1 cup flour, 1 egg, pinch of salt and enough water to make a soft dough. Mix in a small bowl. When smooth, stir in the bread cubes and mix well. Have a pot of boiling water ready to which you have added a teaspoon of salt. Use a tablespoon to cut spoonfuls of dough and drop into the boiling water. Cook until the dumplings float and are done. Take them out of the water with a slotted spoon and drain. Pour a little melted butter over them (about 1/4 cup). Delicious served with goulash, beef stew or pot roast. Serves 4. This recipe may be doubled.
Enjoy!
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About the Reviewer:
Chris Sadler is Owner and WebAdmin of The RecipesNow.com
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