This category feature recipes that have been passed down through generations of a family, with stories and anecdotes about the family members who made them.
American Flag Berry Pie (Patriotic Blueberry‑Strawberry Dessert) A Sweet Salute to Independence Day 🇺🇸 Fireworks pop, the grill’s still warm, and the last chorus of “God Bless America” drifts across the backyard. That’s when I bring out the American Flag Berry Pie, and conversation turns to pure applause. Half blueberry, half strawberry, all wrapped in…
No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (Peanut‑Free Option!) Grandma’s 10‑Minute Christmas Classic Every December, while the fudge cooled on the porch, Grandma kept the stove busy with no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies—sweet little haystacks of cocoa‑laced oats that set firm enough to stack in gift tins by the fire. The best part? No oven to monopolize…
Lemon Meringue Pie with Condensed Milk Sunshine on a Plate The very first pie I ever baked solo was a lemon meringue—and I almost torched it. My teenage self cranked the broiler to “volcanic,” walked away, and returned to peaks the color of charcoal briquettes. The kitchen smelled like campfire lemonade for days. Thankfully, Grandma…
Coconut Cream Pie with Mile‑High Meringue A Slice of Sunday‑Dinner Nostalgia There’s something about a coconut cream pie crowned with golden peaks of meringue that turns grown‑ups into giddy kids again. Maybe it’s the way the custard smells like Grandma’s kitchen in mid‑July, or how the first forkful sends toasted coconut snowflakes drifting onto your…
Soft Hungarian Kifli Rolls Easy Crescent‑Shaped Yeast Bread The aroma of soft Hungarian kifli rolls can transport me straight back to my great‑grandma’s tiny Galician kitchen—even though I never actually set foot there. She passed the recipe down to Grandma, Grandma passed the bent‑edge index card to Mom, and last week Mom slid it across…
Easy Sourdough Discard Crackers The first time yeast disappeared from grocery shelves, I stared at my dwindling stash like it was buried treasure. That’s when Jill Winger’s “simple sourdough crackers” (page 179 of The Prairie Homestead Cookbook) rode in like a Kentucky cavalry charge and saved the day. Three days into nurturing my very first starter—still…
Old Fashioned Gingerbread Cookies – Soft & Chewy The aroma of old fashioned gingerbread cookies drifting through the kitchen is my earliest Christmas memory. Mom—now an amazing 101‑and‑a‑half years young—still rolls the sticky dough across wax paper, dusting it with flour while humming Bing Crosby. Last week she invited me over, pressed a well‑worn recipe…
1234 Cake – Old‑Fashioned Butter Cake Recipe If cakes could talk, the 1234 cake would spin stories from the 1920s: 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, 4 eggs—easy enough to memorize before measuring cups were common. My friend’s grandmother baked it for barn dances, and today it’s still my go‑to when I want fuss‑free decadence. Grab…
Homemade Fruitcake Recipe – Step-by-Step with Photos & Tradition If you’ve ever read Truman Capote’s A Christmas Memory, you’ll know why homemade fruitcake holds a special place in so many hearts. I fell in love with the ritual of fruitcake—the zest, the soaking, the careful wrapping—decades ago, inspired by that book and the loving tradition…
Homemade Cough Syrup Recipe with Bourbon (Old-Fashioned, Peppermint & Lemon!) If you’ve ever wanted a truly comforting homemade cough syrup recipe with bourbon, you’re in for a treat—and maybe a bit of nostalgia too. This cozy concoction comes straight from old family kitchens, where a jar of syrup sat in the cupboard all winter, ready…
