Grandma's Kitchen – Recipes and Anecdotes
Cranberry Salad. Perfect party food for the holiday season!
A staple side for holiday parties. Colorful, sweet and the only leftover is an empty bowl. A dirty recipe card never lies. Thanks to Jan Shollin for one of my grandmother’s favorite recipes!
Bon Appetit.
This dressing recipe was used at Thanksgiving sometimes, but the small serving size lent itself better as a side with a small Sunday dinner. It makes Four 1/2 C servings and is a very quick whip-up.
This dressing recipe was used at Thanksgiving some years, but the small serving size lent itself better as a side with a small Sunday dinner. It makes Four 1/2 C servings and is a very quick whip-up.
Bon Appetit!
My Grandmother’s family recipe for Thanksgiving mashed potatoes, since the last mid-century. Solid flavor on it’s own, yet a perfect vehicle for gravy, adding flavoring or cheeses.
My Grandmother’s recipe for Thanksgiving mashed potatoes, since the last mid-century. Solid flavor on it’s own, yet a perfect vehicle for gravy, adding flavoring or cheeses.
Equipment: Potato peeler, stock pot, paring knife, cutting board and potato masher. Serving: 10 Cups total.
-12 large russet Potatoes, peeled. Don’t need to be perfectly peeled.
-1/4C chicken flavoring – powder/bouillon
-1 stick Butter
-1 C Heavy Cream
-Salt n Pepper to Taste
Fill a large stockpot 2/3 full with water, set to boil. Cut the peeled potatoes into large chunks, into generally even sizes so the taters cook through at around the same time. Once the water is at a slow boil, add the chicken flavoring and the peeled potatoes. Boil for 15 minutes, then check doneness of the potato by seeing if a fork goes through the center/fork tender. Set aside a cup of the flavored potato water. Drain potatoes, lightly. Throw the butter into the bottom of the stockpot on the stove, place drained potatoes back into the stockpot. Begin to mash. Halfway mashed, add the heavy cream. Continue to mash. The potatoes should be mostly mashed, but with small chunks remaining. These are not watery pudding mashed potatoes. Taste. Add salt and pepper, mix and add more til at the desired doneness. If the potatoes are too thick for you, add back the chicken stock until it’s to the desired consistency. Serve warm.
I eat mine with my gravy. Feel free to mix in cheese or other flavorings.
Bon Appetit.
NOTE: No specific measurement for salt as both chicken flavoring/bouillon and butter have different amounts of salt depending on brand. Recipe needs to be salt -to-taste to avoid over salting.
Looking back, it was too basic, too bland. Yet Grandma’s Thanksgiving dinner was exactly what the family wanted. There is something special about having too many choices, a buffet of family favorites. There aren’t many dishes I carry over from those Thanksgivings to mine, but for the time the meal was perfectly amazing.
Upper Midwest Thanksgiving. Dining room table moved to the living room, set in front of the huge window. This window overlooked the sloping backyard, a mature Mountain Ash near the window and two 80 foot tall pine trees at the bottom of the sloped back yard. The base of the two trees, the widest swath of branches, created a natural pine fence completely blocking the view to the neighbors yard. The window was always a bit cold in winter, I’d always press my warm cheeks against the thick glass and allow the chill to wake me.
The turkey was always slightly dry, yet I had no idea until I learned to make my own turkey, decades later. Sometimes we had a pheasant, shot by my Grandpa or my Uncle. Always the warning to look for the shot that might be left in the meat. The warning was wasted on me, as I turned my nose at it. I still don’t appreciate pheasant as a dish. The bird itself is quite pretty, and common as you always see them dart across a back prairie road, or in the ditch, running next to the sedan for a moment. A flash before the bird heads for the safety of the crisp wind stripped corn stalks.
I loved my Grandma’s potatoes. They were always made from fresh potatoes, and not the soupy potato flakes so many in my family preferred. I do my Grandmother one better now, I leave the skins on. I will mix in a bit of milk or cream with the butter, just like she did, but you could never pour her potatoes, just as it should be.
Green bean casserole, the kind made from the recipe off the back of the mushroom soup can. Always bland, always loved. Corn, from a can or frozen, adorned with butter. A pumpkin pie, purchased from HyVee usually by an aunt or uncle. Sometimes an apple pie too. Rolls, the white heat and serve favorites of mine still today. Yams, from the can, with marshmallows on top. A green lettuce salad some years. Iceberg with croutons and carrots and radish.
Looking back, it was too basic, too bland. Yet Grandma’s Thanksgiving dinner was exactly what the family wanted. There is something special about having too many choices, a buffet of family favorites. There aren’t many dishes I carry over from those Thanksgivings to mine, but for the time the meal was perfectly amazing.
The End
