What recipes would you include, and why?I posted my menu for the week yesterday and mentioned I was working on my Family Cookbook this week. Not that I need any more recipes to throw on top of my 'testing' pile, but I was curious about what all you lovely ladies considered the absolute bare basics recipes. It might be things that your mother or grandmother made, sweet or savoury, master mix or elaborate, everyday or special occasion. I'd love to get some suggestions, even if you don't have any specific recipes (though those would be awesome too) Just off the top of my head...
- A good beef casserole/stew recipe. One that actually works and consists of melt-in-the-mouth meat and lovely chunky vegetables (seriously, if anyone has one, swing it over to me. I have never been able to successfully do this. Sigh.)
- Various 'basic' cake batters - chocolate, vanilla, butter cake, etc.
- Pancakes
- Muffins
- Anything marinated which has always received big compliments at barbecues
- Anything kid-friendly, especially something 'whip-up-able'
- Cobblers/Crisps
- The recipe you instantly think of when you receive a potluck invitation
- Any signature dish, including those of your mother or grandmother
- Your own absolute favourite meal in the world (because you've obviously got a recipe for that, so pipe up!)
What I'm not looking for - 'cuisine' rather than 'cookery'. I'm a basics gal. This Family Cookbook project of mine will eventually, I hope, morph into something I can replicate for each of the children upon them moving out of home for the first time. At the moment I'm just collecting recipes, trying them several times, then adding them to the book. Later on, I'll begin taking photos of these meals and baking attempts and hand-writing in comments (I love old cookbooks where someone has scribbled in something like "Aunt Josie said this was just like Gamma used to make!" or "This is Daddy's favourite meal". There is so much history contained within the family kitchen :)
About two weeks ago I was browsing the cookbook section of a local bookstore and marvelling at volume after volume of 'specialist' cookbooks - those devoted solely to a single ingredient, or an exotic cuisine. I love those too but the ones I really get excited about are the good ol' fashioned 'country' recipes. You know, from back in the day when fat grams and kilojoules never mattered because everyone worked off the rib-sticking qualities of the food they ate. The stuff our mothers and grandmothers served up.
Feel free to throw your hat into the ring on this one!
Cheers,
Lizzie
2 comments:
Hi Lizzie, try this plain and simple one. Kid's love it.
NANNA'S SPAGHETTI
1 onion
500gms mince
850ml tin of tomato juice
approx 1/4 packet of dry spaghetti (I add a bit more)
Cook onion until soft then add mincemeat until browned. Add tomato juice and about a quarter packet of dry thin spaghetti. Break this up into smaller pieces when adding. Cook all together until spaghetti is soft and the juice has thickened to a sauce. serve with a little grated cheese on top.
I serve this with vegies to make it go further, but it is perfectly fine on its own with a sprinkling of cheese to your liking.
P.S I use homebrand spaghetti and tomato juice.
Enjoy!
Tania
What a great idea!!!
I don't have a recipe, but I do have a suggestion. Don't forget the 'basics'.
When I moved out, I didn't know how to do anything but use a cake mix and cook some bacon. I had to have a friend help me cook my first real meal. I didn't know to clean my veggies or how to tell if meat was cooked all the way.
One of my goals with my kids is to make sure that they know all the basics before they leave the nest.
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