Originally Posted By jonvn Everybody has a few family recipes. Food that is made in your family that has been handed down from mom, and mom before. Everyone is a little different, but with everyone's different ethnic heritage, sometimes there's a predominance of one thing over another. My family has a weird combo of Italian and Jewish foods. I think it's pretty neat. But it makes me curious, what sorts of things do people eat that they have from their parents? There are so many traditions and we are all such a bunch of mixed people in this country. What recipes do you have? What kinds of food do you like that's something you grew up with? I eat matzoh ball soup and baked ziti. What does everyone else have? Recipes would be great! I'd love to know how to make some more Greek food, which is more of my heritage.
Originally Posted By Mr X Lesse... Regular fam is very Northern European. Strictly meat and potatoes. Loved it. My Irish Gram used to make a neat boiled dinner with ham, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, etc... My step-mom's side though. Totally Italian. All the women can make this gravy that is so good I have NEVER found its equal. Yum! Also Sicilian Grandpa would make pizza on Christmas Eve, to die for. Had some just this past Christmas. And, of course, with a Japanese wife I can enjoy a lot of the Asian culinary delights (Japanese food is both sublime and wonderful in its infinite variety...pity I hate fish though lol). Sorry, no recipes to offer. I'm not much of a cook. Here's a super easy and tasty one from my wife though (no worries for Asiaphobes, no weird tastes here, just delicious if a bit on the sweet side)... Buy a large hunk of pork (boneless if possible, though on the bone is okay too, just cook it a bit longer). I imagine you could substitute other meats if you wish, just so long as it's a large roast of some sort... Get a large pot. put in the meat along with a can of coke, an equal amount of soy sauce, and a good amount of sugar (I don't recall exactly how much, probably a tablespoon or two). Cook on low to medium heat, skimming off the stuff that floats to the top over the first few minutes until it's just clear liquid on the top with no scummy stuff. Let it cook one hour. Carve. Serve over a bed of spinach, with rice. It's so easy even *I* was able to make it come out okay! And my Northern European family loved it too, though they were skeptical about a "Japanese" meal. lol. I'd like to hear about some Greek recipes too, LOVE Greek food!
Originally Posted By Mr X Actually darling wife said it's more sugar than that. Maybe half a cup or so (she never uses measurements, being a natural, so it's hard to learn from her!).
Originally Posted By Mr X I should qualify "large" too. Not "American" sized large lol. Enough to feed maybe 6-8 small slices to 3-4 people. If it's more meat than than, obviously you should adjust the cooking time and also maybe the amounts of other ingredients.
Originally Posted By Lady Starlight Mr X, I read your recipe pot and went right out and got all the ingerdients and as of right this minute it is cooking away in my slowcooker! ( I did add a bit of minced garlic toit though as I LOVE garlic.) I tasted the marinade befor addingit to the pork and it was REALLY Good. I can just imagine how good its going to taste when its all done. I'm going to use raw spinach leaves though as I wasn't sure if you had used cooked spinach or not. Plus I prefer to eat raw spinach over cooked. I'll cook the rice just befor the pork is done . Thank you for the recipe.
Originally Posted By Lady Starlight LOL!!! oops on the "pot" I dont know why I stuck that in there .I think I was going to start typing something different. I need to slap my typist again.
Originally Posted By Lady Starlight AND jonvn, I'can hardly believe my eyes at YOU starting this post! I'm so proud of you! you have come quite a ways from cottage cheese and fruitloops. *hugs*(( jonvn ))
Originally Posted By Mrs ElderP My mother's mother is German. So we grew up occasionally eating German specialties like Spatzle and Lentils and a German Soup that I can't pronounce, much less spell, the translation is "little pockets for big mouths". For my husband I'm trying to learn to make a decent Abondigas soup, and I already do a decent Torta.
Originally Posted By Mrs ElderP it's like maltotoxin, but that's not exactly it. The soup is a dumpling type soup. The "dumplings" are like savory cinnamon rolls, dough rolled in a spiral w/seasoned ground beef, veggies and then sliced. Yummy Yummy
Originally Posted By Lady Starlight OMGosh! Mr X, that recipe was really really good! We gobbled it up! I cooked rice and added raw cole slaw mix (washed from the bag) ontop of the rice, put the sliced meat on top of that and a couple table spoons of the juice from the pot that the meat cooked inontop of that. It came out really good and I'll be making it again.
Originally Posted By jonvn "you have come quite a ways from cottage cheese and fruitloops." That is one of my family recipes now. I'm serving it to my mother in law on her next visit.
Originally Posted By Mr X I'm so glad it came out okay! (how much sugar did you use exactly?). It really is easy and yummy, huh!? One of my favorites from Japan! You did the right thing by the way, spooning some of the cooking sauce onto the meat. I forgot to mention that part. Oops! Again, glad you enjoyed it! I'll have to see if FGM has any more easy recipes...this is fun.
Originally Posted By Lady Starlight I used 1/2 cup sugar but it wasn't level. I just scooped up the sugar in my 1/2 cup measuring cup so it was a tiny bit rounded. It really really did come out yummy and I willbe deff doing this recipe again. I scooped up some rice and then added the cabbage slaw on top for the crnchy part and then pulled apart some of the pork and putit on top of that. Then spooned some juice over the entire thing. I'm goingto pass this recipe on as wellif you don't mind as I know some people (*gasp* none LP'rs)who will love this simple recipe. The garlic was good in it too. Thank You again.
Originally Posted By Mr X No problem. The garlic sounds like a good addition (I'll make a note of it if you don't mind), and that sounds about right for the sugar iirc. Sure you can pass it along. Definitely ain't a secret recipe or anything.
Originally Posted By beamerdog My grandmother made the most incredible apple pie with a cookie dough crust. Unfortunately, my mom never learned the recipe from her. You've given me the inspiration to try a couple of dough recipes I've collected through the years. I share in a few days.
Originally Posted By Tinkeroon DH's grandma used to make some really delish stuffed cabbage balls that the whole family loves. I have a similar recipe that I got out of a Campbell's soup cookbook (of all things) and it is also really good. My gramma made the best homemade ravioli (Genovese Italian)and some great antipasto that is nothing like you would get in a restaurant. And the best sweet anise biscotti. My mom makes a really good torta too, Mrs. ElderP! And a great artichoke frittata. And early December there is always the Crab Cioppino! We come from very diverse families and enjoy foods from all different cultures. My BIL's mom makes some yummy pansit (panzit?) and Lumpia. It's so good. I would really love to learn how to make Vietnamese Pho'- a wonderful soup, I could eat it every week. Had it for dinner tonight as a matter of fact..but had to eat out as I have not yet tried to make it. And good ol'Texas Bar-b-que is always a crowd pleaser. Bar-b-que always makes meat taste good though!
Originally Posted By Lady Starlight Tineroon, my mouth is watering form allthe things you mentioned. THANK YOU VERY MUCH! now I have to go pullout allmy hand written family recipes that were passed down to me that I have tuck away. I wanna make some pizzelles( spell?)*flat/round anise cookies made in a special iron. But you are Italian too and we both know what they are yummy!
Originally Posted By Mrs ElderP now you understand I'm talking torta, like the mexican sandwich and not torts, like the european desert, right? I like a simple torta, and the most important part is the bread. The closest I can find to what the mexican street vendors use is ciabatta (and I probably ruined the spelling). You split the bread and toast it in a frying pan, and then, starting from the bottom, mayo, lettuce, tomato, fried egg, cheese (queso blanca), and a shmear of refried beans on the top bun. YUM-O! A common, popular torta is the cubano, which may include the following: refried beans, mayo, melted cheese, jalapeño peppers, lettuce and tomato, avocado, hot sauce, two slices of boiled ham, one split and grilled hot dog, some hand-carved shards of smoked ham, and, finally, a thin, lightly breaded Milanese-style beefsteak. Enjoy!
