Pie Lady wrote:
I wasn't crazy about the dough. Next time I think I'll use a basic pate sucrée instead. Or sablée? I always get those confused. This might become a bake sale staple, but without the frosting.

Sucree is the sweeter one, along the lines of sugar cookie dough. I haven't ever sat down and compared proportions of ingredients to see if pate sucree and American sugar cookie dough are the same or just similar. Sable is the more savory one. I was a pastry chef for a time, so if I had chosen a LTH specific user name when I signed up, I probably would have been Queen of Tarts. Unfortunately, between having gained a lot of weight since my pastry days, and having wheat induced inflammation issues, I don't do nearly as much baking and eating of the goodies as I'd like.

I can't think of anything I had growing up that I haven't eaten in years and feel nostalgic about. The good stuff I still eat. The bad stuff I quit eating fairly young. My brother was hugely found of spaghettios well past when I ate them. (I think I quit around 10 or so.). He probably ate them throughout college. He could still eat them now when he's almost 50. He STILL eats Velveeta and Miracle Whip. My brother cracks me up - he calls margarine "food lube".

I was quite fond of my mom's round steak simmered with a can of Campbell's mushroom soup, served with mashed potatoes. I didn't like her stuffed cabbage too much when I was younger, but love it now. I've never made it, though the Stouffer's stuffed peppers is similar except for the obvious peppers vs cabbage differerence.

Ahhh, Campbell's mushroom soup, *the* magic elixir. Mom used it everywhere, but most famously for our Friday tuna fish & noodles, one of my all-time fave kidhood meals. She didn't do the potato chip top, tho', and she used lots of peas. Yummmm!

One of the oddest uses of Campbell's soups was a thing she used to do with hot dogs. She'd make a blanket for the 'pig' from Pillsbury canned biscuits, and then sauce the finished work with either cream of asparagus or cream of celery soup. Put a good hot dog into the mix, and you had something worth eating.

We didn't eat much canned stuff, actually. My folks bought a *huge* Amana upright freezer c. '52, and from then on it was only ever fresh or frozen fruit and vege. I can remember the harvest we changed over from canning peaches to freezing them. Less work, better product.

Geo

My grandmother from Prince Edward Island lived with us during my childhood and did most of the cooking. No, with four boys we didn't hit McDonald's or Burger King much but basically every Saturday night she made 'hamburgs' in the skillet. Freshly ground beef (with a fair amount of fat) from the local butcher molded into squat patties with salt & onion mixed in. After she pulled the 'hamburgs' out, in the remaining juice/grease she sauteed onion, green pepper & mushrooms to be served on top. Right next to that she'd have homemade french fries cooking in hot oil. I still remember using a lot of ketchup & feeling vaguely deprived because we couldn't go out for burgers. What a fool I was...

Today, using a no doubt more lean cut (but probably worse quality overall) of ground beef, I recreate these beauties in a skillet, adding a touch of Worcestershire to the works. In an homage to health, I do oven-roasted Ore-Ida steak fries instead.

OK, I can ask you guys!

My grandmother made a version of "rocks" cookies, and hers had (liquid) coffee in it. Seriously, I have found NO version of rocks cookies with coffee in. You couldn't really taste it much, but it was definitely there.

Help?

like these?

http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Rock-Cookies-MyRecipes

Food Nut wrote:like these?

http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Rock-Cookies-MyRecipes

Wow. I love you!

Speaking of Oven Fresh Bakery, has anyone bought the cookies they used to put out at Easter? 'Twas a soft shortbread cookie topped with some sort of soft stuff that was airbrushed with rainbow colors, and that part was surrounded by chocolate frosting. I would like to know what that soft stuff was. It was pretty thick, like 1/2 inch. I thought I heard it was fondant, and it did have that shiny top, but it was soft in the center like heavy frosting. I'd like to re-create these for mom, since they've departed.

Wow, this is the exact theme of my blog www.thechildrenstable.com that I started when my son was born. I ask everyone I meet from different backgrounds about their nostalgic favorites and have had fun with it. I've always wanted guest contributions but haven't been able to get much. Maybe some of you could post on my blog!

Here's my latest post on Ranch seasoning.

http://thechildrenstable.com/2015/05/01/ode-to-ranch/

Requiem for a hot beef sandwich

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/colu ... story.html