I’m the first to admit that I’m not a very experienced cook. As a late-twenty-something woman living on her own, a lot of my cooking has been trial and error… with a lot more emphasis on the “error” part. Sure there are plenty of easy recipes online that I can follow, plus there are literally thousands of YouTube videos with cooking tips, tricks and advice, but for me there’s only one thing that’s helped me learn how to cook better and that’s my grandmother. No amount of technology can replace the years of cooking and baking experience that my grandma has under her belt.
Whenever I’m frustrated with a dish or start to feel lost in the kitchen, I just pick up the phone and ask her what she would do. There’s something to be said about experience making you a better cook, but I also think timing has a lot to do with it. My grandmother did her peak cooking during the 50s and 60s and back then women (I say women because they were doing most of the cooking in those days) had to rely on themselves, their friends and their trusty cookbooks (passed down from their own mothers) to learn how to make the best dishes.
They had to come up with their own work-arounds when things went wrong in the kitchen; they had to be resourceful, inventive and smart about their cooking. That’s why I place so much stock in the recipes passed down to me from my grandmother. Not only have they stood the test of time, they were also used in a time before shortcuts and quick fixes. These recipes are the real deal.
All this thinking about my grandmother and cooking in the 1950s got me thinking. I decided to embody that resourcefulness that I so admire in my grandmother and seek out some vintage recipes of my own. Below you’ll see what I came up with. I’m very excited to get in my own kitchen and try out these recipes from yesteryear.
Retro Recipes from Yesteryear:
Old-Fashioned Chicken & Dumplings
Sunday Morning Pecan Shortbread, via Kooking in Heels
Grandma Leen’s Mac & Ham Casserole
Grandma’s Peach Pie, via Martha Stalwart
During my “retro recipe” research, I also came across this article from TipNut.com called “Vintage Cookery Tips & Tricks.”
It’s basically a bunch of snipets of cooking advice from the 1940s and 50s taken from old magazines and cookbooks. It’s a really interesting read, so check it out. Here are a few of my favorite pieces of advice:
“To cook a cracked egg, wrap the egg in waxed paper, twist the ends and drop in boiling water.”
“Keep parsley fresh and easy to use in this way: Wash it thoroughly, then shake or pat it dry. Wrap it tightly in a piece of aluminum foil. Whenever you need some, use a sharp knife or scissors to cut off the necessary amount. Return remaining wrapped parsley to refrigerator.”
“Fill a wire basket with fruits or vegetables, submerge it in a tub of hot water, let stand a minute then dip the whole basket in cold water. The peelings are loosened and come off quickly. This eliminates a lot of extra handling during canning season.”
“Add a teaspoon of baking powder to every four eggs when making an omelet (beaten in thoroughly). The omelet will be considerably lighter, more attractive and tasty.”
“If cake becomes dry, wrap it in a damp cloth, and set it in a moderately warm oven until the cloth is dry.”
So there you have it: some great tried-and-true cooking advice that’s still totally helpful for today’s home cooks.
Tell me: What’s your favorite dish that YOUR grandmother used to make?
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I loved my grandmother’s fresh string beans. Back then, it was perfectly acceptable to cook with salt pork and cook the beans till they were “sad”. They would be really limp, which I loved and I would eat the beans with a chunk of her scratch cornbread and a big slice of onion. I didn’t care what else was being served!
Ooooh Yeahhh! I just loved my grandma’s “SAD” great beans w/ fat back, onions & new baby white spuds!! I can still Taste AND Smell them, at the mere thought!!!!! Thanks for bringing up that Very Delicious Memory!!!
-Ginny in Maryland
I forgot the small amount of chopped up raw bacon added to the pot and that her veggies; she grew herself!!! Thanks Grandmom!
My grandmother cooked them with a strip ort two of bacon with chopped onion and a bit of cider vinegar. We called them sour beans at our house.
Our Grandmother used salt, and Crisco only to season her fresh Green Beans, she cooked them till all the liquid was gone, they were delicious, and I wouldn’t cook them any other way 🙂
Thank you Grandmother!
My grandmother made the most perfect pies,with perfect crust. I just don’t have that magic touch with rolling pie crust,although I do with cookies and cakes. My daughters inherited grandmas magic touch for pies even though grandma died when I was only 13.
My mom made the best pies and passed her secret down to me and now me to you. When making the crust, replace the ice cold water with ice cold orange juice. Wow, what a great pie crust. Even better if fresh squeezed, minus the crust.
That should have said minus the pulp. I am working and trying not to get caught browsing cooking sites but since I own the company, who cares?
My Grand Mother made the best banana nut cake with real whipping cream on it some times she would whip the cream too long and we would have vanilla butter loved it wish I could find the recipe for it. The cake was only made for the holidays.
Grandma passed away long ago and lived far away so we couldn’t visit very often. One visit though she had made potato chips on the top of her stove, a large cast iron, wood burning beast. They were thick, crisp, oily and salty. Just perfect!
Loved my Mema’s Floating Island! Rich vanilla custard with “islands” of meringue floating on top of the custard – heavenly! She would place a casserole dish of the floating island on the dinner table and it always looked so magical. I couldn’t wait for her to hand me my bowl – heaven on earth!
Another wonderful memory of Mema is her pulled taffy. She’d come over to our home and I remember standing in the kitchen pulling taffy with her – longs, slow, easy pulls of the wonderful buttery candy. Mema was a wonderful cook. She was born Juoly 4, 1880 and died Nov 14, 1969. When she was 5 yrs old her family went into town down in Pensacola, FL to see Geronimo being brought into town on a wagon – she told us he had long white hair and was in chains. She always regaled us with her wonderful childhood stories. Miss her terribly Her creole steak and also her crème de menthe parfaits were to die for!
Speaking of Green Beans…. my (late) mother-in-law (who was German) made a delicious Green Bean side dish. She started out with several cans of cooked & drained Green Beans. She then added in a generous amount of crispy cooked (cut-up) Bacon, and some Bacon Fat which she added into to the pot……. some diced Red Onion, and she then stirred in some Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs, a tiny sprinkle of Garlic Powder, and a few flakes of Oregano. This dish is very delicious, and I sometimes still prepare it when our family gets together for special occasions. It’s our tribute to Ruth (my mother-in-law), and to keep her close in our hearts. .
My grandmother made the best apricot pudding and wish I had her recipe. It was always served at Christmas along with her great cookies.
I had WindowsXP and they dropped out , so I had to go to Google. I was receiving your great recipes before, now everyone goes to restricted mail and I can not get them if I’m 2 days later. What can I do to get the great Recipes to come through. Thank you. Bill
Hi Bill!
If you’re using GMail, these instructions may help you: https://support.google.com/mail/answer/9008?hl=en
Thanks for reading!
My paternal Grandmother was from Germany. She died in 1985 and I still crave her homemade potato pancakes and wiener schnitzel. My maternal Grandmother made us our favorite Toll House Cookies.
Potato lefse
I’d love to have the old fashioned receipe for Old Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese ! Love it , haven’t been able to find it ! Thanks, Bev