Tomato Beef Soup

Mom and Grandma always made homemade soup. Grandma was raised in a poor household and soup was something that could be made cheaply. They would boil the meat to make broth, then eat the broth with noodles or macaroni. Then, the boiled meat and vegetables would be used for another meal. This strategy also worked well for Mom with 6 kids to feed. One of our favorites was this Tomato Beef Soup:

Make a beef broth:
In a stock pot, take some soup bones and cover with 2 1/2 quarts of water.
Add big chunks of carrots and celery. You could also throw in some quartered onions if you have them
Season well with salt and pepper.
The "secret" ingredient to all Grandma and Mom's soups is pickling spice. Take about 1 tsp and put in a tea infuser and drop into the pot (don't just sprinkle into the broth, because you'll want to remove before serving.)
Bring to boil; lower to a simmer and allow to simmer for about 3-4 hours.

Prepare to serve:
Boil elbow macaroni to package directions, drain and set aside.
Strain meat and veggies from broth, set aside for another purpose.
Open 1 or 2 large cans of whole tomatoes, mash up well and dump into the broth.

To Serve:
Spoon about 1/2 cup of macaroni into a bowl, ladle the broth over the macroni

Famous Wafer Dessert

Mom made some spectacular desserts at Christmas. Often it was a big trifle or a creamy tiramisu. But for us kids she would make the Famous Wafer Dessert. It is ridiculously simple to make using the recipe on the box: Just make whipped cream using a pint of whipping cream and some vanilla, then put stack the cookies using the whipped cream to hold it together. Lay the "log" of stacked wafers on its side then frost with the remaining whipped cream. Refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve, sprinkle with chocolate shavings and slice diagonally.

Here's an article on the origins of this recipe: Famous Wafer Dessert

Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding

Every year at Christmas, Mom usually made Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding. Sometimes she'd do a Beef Wellington, but we all loved Yorkshire Pudding so much (and weren't fans of pate) and you need to make a roast to make Yorkshire Pudding, so that was the standard. When I moved away from home, I looked in my cookbook to find a recipe for Yorkshire Pudding but there wasn't one. I called Mom, and she gave me instructions over the phone which I scribbled in the front cover of my cook book. To this day, these scribbled instructions are what I follow each Christmas as I make my own Yorkshire Pudding.
















Mom's Standing Rib Roast:
Don't bother getting a roast less than 5 lbs.
Figure 1 lb. per person but get a big one because you can do a lot with the leftovers.
Set oven to 300 degrees.
Set roast in a roasting pan with a rack, season with salt and pepper
Figure 20 minutes per pound, or until the roast reaches 145 degrees.
Remove roast from oven, cover with aluminum foil and let "rest".

While the roast is "resting", do the following:

Mom's Yorkshire Pudding:
Reset the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees.
Beat 3 eggs "to death"
Beat in 1 cup of milk (don't use skim)
Mix 1 cup of flour with 1/2 tsp salt, then beat into milk mixture
Put 1/4 cup roast dripping in a 13 x 9 Pyrex dish, the pour batter on top
Put in the oven for 30 minutes
(If conditions are right, the pudding will rise from pan as above.)

Serve with aspargus and Hollandaise Sauce, red and green pepper jellies, and horseradish cream.

*Dad stepped in to make the asparagus. He didn't cook often but he had a few specialties and he took asparagus very seriously. He used an old coffee perculator because he said the asparagus needed to stand while steaming for best effect.

Ice Cream Cone Christmas Trees

Grandma always used these as decorations at Christmas. She would take sugar cones (not waffle cones) and stand them up. She would cover the cone with piped green frosting (use a stiff, decorating icing for best results). Then she would decorate with gold and silver dragees. She would arrange these "trees" on a bed of quilt batting for "snow".

A Pretty Christmas Table: Sequins, Butter Roses, and Sugar Bells

Grandma made a "butter rose" to grace the table of every special meal. She had a set of old spoons in graduated sizes (demitasse, teaspoon, soup spoon, etc.) that she kept on hand to make these. She would scoop a spoonful of the butter in the spoon, level it with a knife, and then dip the bowl of the spoon in ice water. When it had set a little, she would gently push it out of the spoon onto wax paper. Once she had a full complement of these "petals" she would freeze them. When they were good and solid, she would arrange them on a pretty round plate (salad plate size) in the shape of a flower--small petals in the center and larger ones to the outside.

For the sugar bells, she had an old small silver bell that had lost its clapper. (The bell had been used bedside for those confined to bed to call for her.) She would gently wet some granulated sugar (not too much or it would dissolve) and then she would pack it in the bell. Then she would gently tap it out onto wax paper to dry. After Christmas dinner, a crystal sugar bowl full of these sugar bells would be put on the table with coffee.

The dining table at Grandma and Mom's house was always set the same. They each had cherry dining tables. The table pads went down first, covered with a white table cloth (or in a pinch or in an effort to save the good white linens from small sticky finger--a white sheet). Then, a generous scattering of loose sequins (all shapes and sizes). To top it off and hold the sequins in place, a length of red netting from the fabric store. To finish the effect, a crystal punchbowl full of shiny glass ball ornaments framed with holly garland and red candles in silver candlesticks.

Glazed Carrots

Like many of Mom's recipes, this one has no real measurements. It was also very simple and well-received. She served this at the holidays. It has a lovely color and is a nice complement to turkey, ham, or roast beef.

Julienne a bag of carrots. Put in a saucepan and cover with water. Add equal parts of white granulated sugar and butter (a stick of butter and a 1/2 cup of sugar usually works well). Bring to low boil and allow to boil until the liquid reduces to a glaze. This could take an hour or so, so leave it boiling on the back burner as you prepare the rest of the meal. Watch carefully at the end--it can burn very quickly as it becomes glaze.

Clam Dip

This was a staple appetizer at all our gatherings. Everyone loved it and always thought it was a more complicated recipe than it was. Mom always kept mum on that point and allowed them to think it was a culinary creation.















Drain a small can of minced clams. Mix clams into 1 pint of sour cream. Add a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Resist the urge to add anything else. Chill for several hours.

When time to serve, put in dip bowl in the center of a platter of regular chips (Wise potato chips would be most authentic). Sprinkle dip with a little dried parsley for color.