Category: Grandma’s Recipes

Southern Sweet Potatoes

Southern Sweet Potatoes

By |

SweetPotatoesThis side dish is based on a recipe from Great Grandma Lena. Grandma was a proper southern lady.  Born 11 August 1901 in Missouri, at three years old her family moved by covered wagon to Dover, Arkansas.  The slow journey took over a week.  At 17, she married Wilmer (Sr).  Grandpa (Jr) was the youngest of their four children.  In 1936, the family moved to Southern California.  They made the trek in a car with a rumble seat. 

Grandma Lena’s recipe for Southern Sweet Potatoes is a Thanksgiving tradition.  The celebration just wouldn’t be the same without them!

INGREDIENTS
4 cups sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
½ cup white sugar
4 eggs beaten
1¼ cubes butter melted
2 cups half-and-half
¾ tsp cinnamon
¾ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp allspice (optional)
2 tsp vanilla (optional)

Topping
4 cups chopped pecans
2 cups light brown sugar packed
1½ cups melted butter

DIRECTIONS
Combine sweet potato ingredients; pour into 9×13 pan and bake for 30 minutes at 375° to 400°. Remove from oven. Combine topping ingredients and spread over sweet potatoes. Return to oven and bake an additional 10 to 12 minutes. Serve hot.

(Revised Dec 2022)

 

Grandma’s Lasagna

Grandma’s Lasagna

By |

In the 1960s and 70s, most of our family parties included the Berg family.  Tom, Evie, and their daughter Donna were always there.  Their son Tommy was serving in the military, so we didn’t see him and his wife Linda as often, but all of the Bergs have always felt like a part of our family.  Grandma’s Lasagna recipe actually came from Donna Berg sometime in the 1970s.  Donna served this at a birthday party and it was such a hit that our family has since used this lasagna recipe exclusively.

I’ve made a few modifications to this recipe over the years. I added the besciamella after living in the home of Bep Lupker in the city of Delft, The Netherlands. Bep’s lasagna included a delicious besciamella—so good that I never forgot about it. Now a lasagna doesn’t seem complete without it. I’ve also made a few modifications to the meat sauce. The original recipe can be found at the end of the post.

INGREDIENTS
Lasagna:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup (8-oz) onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground chuck beef
1 can (28-oz) crushed tomatoes
1 can (15-oz) tomato sauce
1 can (6-oz) tomato paste
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup dry white, or dry red wine (optional)
2 tsp fish sauce (optional)
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried ground fennel
¼ tsp dried thyme leaves
2 whole cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
½ tsp fresh ground pepper (to taste) 
1 tsp salt

Besciamella:
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
2 cups milk
¼ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground fresh pepper
small pinch nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:
Lasagna:
In a Dutch oven over medium heat, heat olive oil until shimmering; add onion and garlic and sauté until onion is translucent and tender.  Add meat and cook until no longer pink. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, chicken broth, wine (optional), and fish sauce (optional); add remaining herbs, spices & seasonings. Simmer covered on low heat for 30 minutes and uncovered for 15 minutes.  Remove bay leaves (sauce is best when made a day more in advance and reheated).

Place enough meat sauce in the bottom of a lasagna pan to thinly coat. Add ⅓ of the cooked lasagna noodles.  Spread ⅓ of the ricotta (and/or cottage cheese), Parmesan, and mozzarella cheese over lasagna,  Cover with ⅓ of the remaining meat sauce.  Repeat for two additional layers. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan.

Bake covered at 325° for 40 minutes and uncovered for 10 minutes, or until warmed through and cheese is slightly browned.

Besciamella:
Thoroughly heat butter and flour.  Whisk in remaining ingredients; cook until thickened.

Slice and serve lasagna topped with besciamella.

ORIGINAL RECIPE

Lasagna:
⅓ cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground chuck beef
1 can (8-oz) tomato sauce
1 can (6-oz) tomato paste
1 cup water
½ tsp oregano
fresh ground pepper to taste
1 tsp salt
½ tsp basil
1 whole clove, crushed
2 cups ricotta or cottage cheese (or 1 cup of each)
½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
8 oz mozzarella cheese, sliced
8 oz lasagna noodles, prepared

Sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender; add meat and brown.  Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, and seasonings and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Place ½ of the cooked lasagna noodles in the bottom of a buttered 9×13 pan.  Spread ½ of the ricotta (and/or cottage cheese), Parmesan, and mozzarella cheese over lasagna,  Cover with ½ of the meat sauce.  Repeat layers.  Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

Apple Cake

Apple Cake

By |

This recipe came from Joyce Updegraff, our neighbor two doors to the west of our home on Tudor Street.  

INGREDIENTS
2 cups apples (chopped)
1 egg, slightly beaten
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 cup flour
1 cup pecans, chopped

DIRECTIONS
Mix together apples and egg. Stir in oil, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Mix in flour.  Add chopped nuts and pour into an 8×8 baking dish.  Bake at 350º for 35 minutes.

Buttermilk Biscuits

Buttermilk Biscuits

By |

INGREDIENTS
Biscuits
4 cups flour
¼ cup baking powder
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1½ cups cold butter, grated
2 lg eggs, beaten
1½ cups buttermilk

Glaze
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp buttermilk

In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.  Cut in butter using a Pasteur blender until the pieces are a consistent size, about the size of peas.  Stir in eggs and once combined add buttermilk and stir until dough comes together.  Rest covered in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Scrape dough out of bowl onto floured work surface.  And flatten to about 1/2” thick.  Cut out biscuits.  Collect scraps and repeat.  Place biscuits on parchment-lined baking sheet with biscuits touching.

In a small bowl, beat together egg and buttermilk.  Brush mixture on top of biscuits.

Place in oven and bake until browned, 15-20 minutes.  Allow the biscuits to cool slightly before removing from baking sheet.  Serve with fried eggs and sausage gravy.

 

Grandma Honey’s Cream Puffs

Grandma Honey’s Cream Puffs

By | | Comments 0 Comment

INGREDIENTS
Pâte à Choux Pastry
1 cup water
½ cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
4 eggs

Custard Filling
½ cup sugar
½ tsp salt
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
4 egg yolks (or 2 eggs), beaten
2 tsp vanilla (or other flavoring)

Chocolate Icing
1 square unsweetened chocolate (1 oz)
1 tsp butter
1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
2 tbsp boiling water

DIRECTIONS
Pâte à Choux Pastry
Preheat oven to 400º.  In saucepan, bring water and butter to a rolling boil.  Add flour in one installment; stir vigorously over medium heat until mixture no longer sticks to the side of the pan and forms a ball (about 1 minute).  Remove from heat.  By hand, beat in eggs, one at a time.  Beat until mixture is smooth and velvety.  Drop from spoon onto an ungreased baking sheet.1  Bake until dry (approximately 45-50 minutes).  Allow to cool slowly.  Makes eight puffs.

Cut cooled pastries, fill with Custard Filling and ice with Chocolate Icing.

Custard Filling
In a saucepan, mix sugar, salt, and flour; stir in milk.  Stir over medium heat until mixture boils; boil 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Stir a little more than half of this mixture into beaten egg yolks.  Blend into hot mixture and bring just to boiling point.  Cool and blend in vanilla.

Chocolate Icing
Over a double boiler, melt together chocolate and butter.  Remove from double boiler; blend in sugar and water.  Stir until smooth but not stiff.

Notes:
1 For Éclairs, place pâte à choux pastry dough in a pastry bag and pipe 12 fingers approximately 1-inch wide and 4-inches long.  Bake as above; fill with custard and frost with chocolate icing.

Cilantro Lime Rice

Cilantro Lime Rice

By | | Comments 1 comment

INGREDIENTS
1 cup basmati rice, rinsed
2 tsp olive oil
1¾ cups chicken broth
1 tbsp butter
Zest of 1 lime
1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS
Place rinsed rice to a hot sauté pan and sauté in olive oil until it begins to brown.  Place rice in rice cooker and combine with chicken broth.  Cook rice; unplug cooker when complete.  Leave rice undisturbed for 5 minutes.  Stir in remaining ingredients.

Tamales

Tamales

By | | Comments 0 Comment

INGREDIENTS
1 lb cornhusks, soaked

Meat
3 lb chicken or pork shoulder, cooked and shredded
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
½ cup flour
½ cup vegetable oil
5 cans (8-oz each) tomato sauce
1 can (28-oz) Los Palmos red enchilada sauce

Masa
2½ lbs yellow corn masa
chili powder
1 tsp salt
2½ tsp baking powder
½ cup Crisco shortening

DIRECTIONS
Soak cornhusks in water.

Place meat in a large pot; add water to cover meat plus about 3 inches.  Add garlic, salt and pepper; boil until meat is tender and fully cooked (olives can also be added).  Remove meat from pot, reserving liquid.

In a large pan, lightly brown flour in oil; add tomato sauce, enchilada sauce, and cooked meat.  Bring to a boil.

Mix masa, salt, baking powder, and enough chili powder to change the color of the masa mixture light pink (2 tbsp).  Melt shortening  and add to masa mixture along with enough of the reserved liquid (approximately 7 to 8 cups) to moisten the mixture.  Masa should be moist enough to stick together when rolled into balls and/or patted out.

Lay out cornhusks.  Place an egg-sized scoop of masa on each cornhusk and pat flat.  Masa should be about ¼” thick.  Place approximately two large tablespoons of meat mixture in the center of the masa; roll cornhusk from the sides until ends of masa touch.  Flatten corn husk and fold up from bottom and in from sides; place in steaming pan.  Steam for approximately 1 hour; check for doneness.

Remove cornhusks and serve with remaining red sauce.

Wheat Waffles

Wheat Waffles

By | | Comments 0 Comment

This, our favorite wheat waffle recipe, comes from Grandma Honey. When our kids wake to the sound of the wheat whirling in the blender they know that Grandma Honey’s wheat waffles will soon be on the table.

INGREDIENTS
3⁄4 cup whole wheat
1 1⁄2 cups milk
2 tbsp corn meal
2 tbsp oat meal
2 tbsp oat bran
2 eggs
1 tbsp raw sugar
1⁄4 cup butter
1 tbsp baking powder

DIRECTIONS
Blend whole wheat and milk in blender for 3 to 4 minutes. While still blending, add corn meal, oat meal, oat bran, eggs, raw sugar and butter. Turn off blender and add baking powder. Blend for 3 to 4 seconds. Cook in waffle iron. If batter rises too much, stir with spoon.

Grandma’s Popcorn Balls

Grandma’s Popcorn Balls

By | | Comments 0 Comment

Halloween is one of our favorite holidays, and our neighborhood on Tudor Street knew how to do Halloween right.  Each year the parents got together to organize a haunted celebration for the kids.  The annual party included a spook alley, games, and traditional neighbor treats–we all have great memories.  Grandma’s homemade popcorn balls were a big hit every year! 

INGREDIENTS
1 cup sugar
⅓ cup white corn syrup
⅓ cup water
¼ lb butter
¾ tsp vanilla
¾ tsp salt
3 to 4 quarts popcorn, popped

DIRECTIONS
Boil until soft ball stage (in cold water); add vanilla and pour over pepped corn and make into balls. Wrap balls in wax paper and put in brown paper bag to store.

Good Chocolate Bundt Box Cake

Good Chocolate Bundt Box Cake

By | | Comments 0 Comment

INGREDIENTS
Cake:
1 pkg chocolate cake
1 pkg instant chocolate pudding
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
½ cup water
½ cup oil
1½ cups chocolate chips

Frosting:
1 pkg (8-oz) cream cheese, softened
¼ cup butter, softened
1½ cups powdered sugar
1-2 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Mix all cake ingredients except chocolate chips.  Stir in chocolate chips and pour into a greased bundt cake pan.   Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes.  Cool in pan for 20 minutes before removing.

Grandma’s Tostadas

Grandma’s Tostadas

By | | Comments 0 Comment

INGREDIENTS
1 lb hamburger
½ onion
Garlic salt
Lawrey’s seasoned salt
1 can (15 oz) Dennison’s Chili Con Carne
100% Corn tortillas
1 can (28 oz) refried beans
Cheese, grated
Lettuce, shredded
1 can slivered beets
1 can slivered green beans
1 can slivered carrots
Avacodo, sliced
Onion, diced
Olives, sliced

DIRECTIONS
In a medium skillet, combine hamburger, onion, garlic salt and Lawrey’s seasoned salt; thoroughly cook. Drain fat. Add chili con carne and heat through. Warm refried beans. Heat vegetable oil and fry corn tortillas individually until hard. Build tortilla beginning with the fried tortilla, refried beans, meat, and other toppings.  Cover with Grandma’s Taco Sauce.

Grandma’s Taco Sauce

Grandma’s Taco Sauce

By | | Comments 1 comment

INGREDIENTS
1 can peeled tomatoes
2 or 3 hot yellow peppers
2 tbsp juice from yellow peppers
1 can Ortega green diced chilies
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
3 or 4 tbsp white vinegar

DIRECTIONS
Drain juice from tomatoes and reserve. Place tomatoes in blender and blend 2 seconds; add to tomato juice. Place hot peppers and juice from peppers in blender with vinegar and blend 2 seconds; add to tomatoes. Add chilies, salt, pepper, vegetable oil and vinegar, one at a time. Best when used at room temperature

Grandma’s Mexican Salad

Grandma’s Mexican Salad

By | | Comments 0 Comment

INGREDIENTS
1 to 2 lbs hamburger
1 yellow onion, chopped.
Lawrey’s seasoned salt
1 can kidney beans
1 can black olives
lettuce
celery
carrot, grated
cucumber, diced
tomato, diced
avocado, diced
½ cup mayonnaise
ketchup
1 bag Fritos

DIRECTIONS
Fry pounds hamburger with chopped onion and Lawrey’s seasoned salt to taste. When cooked, add kidney beans and olives and heat through. Make a green salad with lettuce, celery, carrot, cucumber, tomato and avocado. Mix mayonnaise and a few squirts of catsup and dress the salad. Add cooked meat to salad and last add a bag of Fritos.

Popcorn Balls

Popcorn Balls

By | | Comments 0 Comment

Grandma Honey makes these popcorn balls every Halloween to give to friends and family. Occasionally, friends from the old neighborhood will make the trek to Grandma Honey’s new home on Halloween, knowing that popcorn balls will be there waiting.

4 qt Popcorn, popped
1 cup sugar
1⁄3 cup white corn syrup
1⁄3 cup water
3⁄4 tsp salt
1⁄2 cup margarine
1 tsp vanilla

In a saucepan, melt margarine; add sugar, corn syrup, water and salt. Stir to combine. Once the mixture comes to a boil do not stir. Cook to soft-ball stage. Remove from heat; add vanilla. Pour over popcorn. Mix and form into balls.

Sausage Gravy

Sausage Gravy

By | | Comments 1 comment

Sausage gravy, a Southern staple, has been a Huggins family favorite for generations.  No true Southern breakfast is complete without it.  The sage sausage is in homage to my grandma Lena — a true Southern lady.  I learned to make this, arguably the best of all breakfasts, watching my mom prepare it time and time again in our family kitchen in Southern California.   I may just be superstitious, but I swear the gravy tastes best when it’s made in my favorite cast iron pan!

INGREDIENTS
1 lb sage sausage
1 cube butter
⅓ cup flour (mounded)
½ gallon milk
salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Cook sausage; remove meat from pan and add butter to sausage drippings. Melt butter and stir in flour. Cook for +/- 3 minutes stirring continually. Add just less than ½ gallon of milk. Increase heat to medium and continue stirring until thickened. Adjust thickness with remaining milk if necessary.  Add salt and pepper to taste; stir some of the prepared sausage into gravy (to taste). Serve over buttermilk biscuits and eggs.