Grandma’s Best Recipes Written by Betsy Higgins
Table of Contents Breakfast
7 Granola 9 Banana Bread 11 Quick Sweet Rolls
Main Meals 15 17 19
Crunchy Chicken Salad Black Bean Chicken Chili Brie, Tomato, and Basil Linguine
23 25 27
Peanut Butter Cookies Chocolate Guinness Cake Pumpkin Pecan Pie
Dessert
Breakfast Table manners for eating bread: Bread is broken or cut before it is eaten, depending on the texture (soft or firm), the temperature (hot or cold), and the shape (long and narrow or small and cubed). Table manners for eating soft bread: Bread with a soft texture, such as rolls or muffins, is broken in half with fingers. A bite-size piece is pulled from the broken half, held against the side of the breadand-butter plate, and buttered a bite at a time. Table manners for eating firm bread: Bread with a firm texture, such as a sweet soft pastry or dry toast, is cut in half or quartered. Table manners for eating warm bread: Hot sweet rolls and toast are buttered entirely and held by the sides (rather than laid flat on the palm of the hand).
Granola 14 CUPS ROLLED OATS 3 CUPS CHOPPED NUTS 1½ CUPS PEANUT BUTTER ½ CUP VEGETABLE OIL ¾ CUP MAPLE SYRUP
½ CUP HONEY
2 TSP CINNAMON ½ TSP NUTMEG 2 TBSP VANILLA
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Bake oats for 30 minutes. Bake chopped nuts for 30 minutes. Combine oats and nuts in a large bowl. Heat peanut butter, oil, syrup, and honey in microwave until smooth. Mix in cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Stir into oats until evenly coated. Spread evenly on large rimmed baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.
Breakfast ◌ 7 ◌
Banana Bread 2 BANANAS ¾ CUP SUGAR 2 EGGS 3 TBSP MILK 2 CUPS FLOUR 1 TSP SALT
½ TSP BAKING SODA 1½ TSP BAKING POWDER ½ CUP MELTED BUTTER
1 TSP VANILLA CHOPPED NUTS (OPTIONAL) PINCH OF BROWN SUGAR
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In electric stand mixer, combine bananas and sugar. Beat until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix slowly until just combined. Beat in milk. In a separate bowl, sift flour and stir in salt, soda, and powder. Add slowly to banana mixture and stir gently. Stir in butter, vanilla, and nuts. Coat bread pan with nonstick stray and pour batter in. Sprinkle brown sugar on top and bake for 1 hour. Bread is done when toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on rack in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely. Breakfast ◌ 9 ◌
Quick Sweet Rolls 6 ½ CUPS FLOUR 2 CUPS LUKEWARM WATER ½ CUP SUGAR 2 PACKAGES YEAST (4½ TSP)
1 TSP SALT ⅓ CUP SHORTENING 3 EGGS
Place water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. Add salt and 2 cups flour. Beat well with electric mixer for 2 minutes. Add eggs and melted, cooled shortening. Beat for 1 minute. Gradually add remaining flour. Mix until dough is formed; it should be sticky and loose. Let dough rest for 20 minutes. Roll into form desired and add any additional elements (cinnamon sugar, fillings, caramel pecan sauce, for example). Let rise 40 minutes and bake at 375 degrees until golden brown.
Breakfast ◌ 11 ◌
Main Meals Table manners for eating salad: Main course salads usually complete with pieces of chicken, shellfish, or cheeses and cold cuts are put in the center of the place setting, just as any other entrÊe would be. Table manners for eating soup: Hold the soupspoon by resting the end of the handle on your middle finger, with your thumb on top. If you want a bite of bread while eating your soup, don’t hold the bread in one hand and your soupspoon in the other. Instead, place the spoon on the underplate, then use the same hand to take the bread to your mouth. Table manners for eating pasta: When pasta is served on a plate or in a shallow bowl, such as spaghetti, it is eaten with a fork. Thin noodles are wound around fork tines. Try to pick up two or three strands with each bite to avoid a bite that becomes too large. For leverage, balance the tips of the tines against the side of the plate and wind the strands around them. Inevitably, some pasta strands will still be hanging from your fork. Just quietly suck them into your mouth (this is not improper dining etiquette).
Crunchy Chicken Salad Salad
2 CUPS CHICKEN, CHOPPED ½ HEAD CABBAGE, CHOPPED 2 GREEN ONIONS, SLICED
3 TBSP SLIVERED ALMONDS 2 TBSP SESAME SEEDS 1 PACKAGE OF RAMEN NOODLES
¼ CUP VEGETABLE OIL
2 TBSP SUGAR
Dressing
3 TBSP RICE VINEGAR
To make dressing, mix all ingredients together well. Add flavoring packet from ramen noodles and whisk to combine. For salad, toast almonds and sesame seeds under broiler, then let cool for 5 minutes. Mix chicken, cabbage, onions, and nuts together in large bowl. Pour over dressing mixture and stir to combine. Chill salad for at least 6 hours to let marinate.
Main Meals ◌ 15 ◌
Black Bean Chicken Chili 12 OUNCES DRIED BLACK BEANS 2 TSP OLIVE OIL 1 LB BONELESS CHICKEN THIGHS 2 TSP CUMIN 3 TSP CHILI POWDER 6–8 CUPS CHICKEN BROTH 2 TBSP BUTTER 1 CUP CHOPPED ONION
1 CUP CHOPPED CELERY 1 CUP SHREDDED CARROTS 1 CUP SHREDDED POTATOES 1 CUP DICED GREEN CHILIES 1 BAY LEAF 2 CLOVES GARLIC, MINCED 1 TSP OREGANO BLACK PEPPER
Soak beans in cold water overnight. Drain. Add to stockpot with broth and simmer for 1 hour. In the meantime, heat olive oil in large frying pan. Add chicken and cook until done. Season with cumin and chili powder. Remove chicken from pan and let cool. Shred or chop and add to stockpot. In frying pan, melt butter. Sauté garlic, onion, and celery. When just tender, add to stockpot. Add carrot, potato, oregano, and pepper to stockpot. Simmer for another hour. Remove bay leaf and serve with sour cream or lemons.
Main Meals ◌ 17 ◌
Brie, Tomato, and Basil Linguine 4 LARGE TOMATOES, CHOPPED 1 LB BRIE CHEESE, RIND REMOVED, CUT INTO CHUNKS 1 CUP BASIL LEAVES, TORN INTO SMALL PIECES ⅓ CUP OLIVE OIL
1½ TSP SALT 3 CLOVES GARLIC, MINCED BLACK PEPPER 1½ LBS LINGUINE PARMESAN CHEESE
Combine tomatoes, Brie, olive oil, basil, salt, garlic, and pepper in glass container. Let sit for 2–3 hours in a warm spot, until cheese has become soft and flavors combine. Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and return to pot. Toss with a small amount of olive oil to prevent sticking. Stir tomato mixture into pasta and mix well. Serve with Parmesan and a nice salad.
Main Meals ◌ 19 ◌
Dessert What do you do with a dessert fork and spoon when you find them in your place setting? Depending on what you’re eating, these utensils are often interchangeable. Table manners for eating soft desserts: In general, eat custards and other very soft desserts with a spoon, using the fork for berries or any other garnishes. Cake, pie, or crepes being served ala mode - i.e., with ice cream - may be eaten with either or both of the utensils. Table manners for eating firm desserts: For firmer desserts such as dense cakes or poached pears, switch the utensils - the fork for eating, the spoon for pushing and cutting. Table manners for eating layer cake: When you’re served layer cake with the slice upright, turn it on its side with a dessert fork and spoon or any other utensil that remains at your place. If all of the other utensils have been cleared, then do your best with your fork and the fingers of the other hand.
Peanut Butter Cookies ½ ½ ½ ½
CUP CUP CUP TSP
SHORTENING WHITE SUGAR BROWN SUGAR SALT
1 EGG
½ CUP PEANUT BUTTER 1¼ CUP FLOUR ½ TSP BAKING SODA
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Blend together shortening, sugars, salt, and egg. Add peanut butter. Sift flour and soda together, then stir into peanut butter mixture. Form the dough into balls the size of a small walnut and place on a greased cookie sheet. Press down with a fork in one direction, and then again at a right angle to crosshatch the cookies. Bake for about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly and then transfer to cooling rack.
Dessert ◌ 23 ◌
Chocolate Guinness Cake 1 CUP GUINNESS 8 OUNCES UNSALTED BUTTER ¾ CUP UNSWEETENED COCOA 2 CUPS SUGAR ¾ CUP SOUR CREAM 2 LARGE EGGS
1 TBSP VANILLA 2 CUPS FLOUR 2½ TSP BAKING SODA 8 OUNCES CREAM CHEESE 1¼ CUPS CONFECTIONERS’ SUGAR ½ CUP HEAVY CREAM
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees; butter and line a 9 inch spring-form tin. Pour the Guinness into a large wide saucepan, add the butter and heat until the butter's melted. Whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and then pour into the Guinness mixture and finally whisk in the flour and soda. Pour the cake batter into the greased and lined tin and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Leave to cool completely in the tin on a cooling rack. When the cake's cold, sit it on a flat platter or cake stand. Lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth, sieve over the confectioners' sugar, and then beat them both together. Or do this with a food processor. Add the cream and beat again until it makes a spreadable consistency. Ice the top of the cake. Makes about 12 slices.
Dessert ◌ 25 ◌
Pumpkin Pecan Pie 1 PIE CRUST 1 15½ OUNCE CAN PUMPKIN PURÉE ¾ CUP SUGAR ½ TSP SALT 1 TSP GROUND GINGER ½ TSP GROUND NUTMEG
3 LARGE EGGS CUP + 1 TBSP HEAVY CREAM CUP MILK CUP BOURBON CUP BROWN SUGAR 3 TBSP MELTED BUTTER 1 CUP CHOPPED PECANS
¾ ½ ¼ ⅔
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Bake foil-lined crust until edges are brown. About 15 minutes. In large bowl, combine the pumpkin purée, white sugar, salt, ginger, nutmeg, eggs, 3/4 cup cream, milk, and bourbon; whisk until well combined. Fill pie shell and return to oven. Bake until filling is set around edges but slightly soft in center. Let cool. In small bowl, combine brown sugar, melted butter, 1tbsp cream, and chopped pecans. Sprinkle on top of pie. Broil pie until just starts to bubble on top.
Dessert ◌ 27 ◌