...This is the title of an article in this months Autralian Womens Weekly.
It's a bunch of celebrities talking about the specialties of their Mothers, Grandmothers and/or Great Grandmothers.
So in remembrance of our Mothers, I thought we might do the same.
Mum was mostly a good plain cook. We remember Mum for many dishes but my personal favourite was Baked Rice Pudding. It was also a favourite of her Grandchildren.
But there were also some failures which we constantly ribbed her about. Fruit cake was one. Mum was always in a hurry to do everything, too much to do. Even in later years when she wasn't so busy, she still couldn't get that fruit cake right. She always had the oven too hot, you see. I can still picture her cutting off the burnt bit on top of the cake.
What's your memories of your Mum's cooking?
-- Edited by Beth54 on Sunday 29th of April 2012 10:16:49 AM
bill12 said
02:05 PM Apr 29, 2012
My mum used to bake fresh bread. I can remember walking into the house and This great smell of freshly baked bread was something I will remember always. Also, being English, Sunday diner was usually a baked dish , Yourshire pudding, or roast lamb,with apple pie,and cream for desert.I love baked diners. She would bake one for the family, and one for me.....Those were the days.
-- Edited by bill12 on Sunday 29th of April 2012 02:06:02 PM
jonathan said
05:25 PM Apr 29, 2012
.. nothing quite like her Bread & Butter pudding enhanced with raspberries !
Beth54 said
05:37 PM Apr 29, 2012
jonathan wrote:
.. nothing quite like her Bread & Butter pudding enhanced with raspberries !
Yep, that was one of Mum's too, without the rasberries...no rasberries in SEQ. Our berry was mulberries. Picked from over the back fence of Aunties place at Morningside. They never made it into a dish though, we'd just eat them straight from the tree! What a mess we'd make!
Dougwe said
05:51 PM Apr 29, 2012
I agree with bread and butter pudding, I still make it on the odd occasion, I also liked mum's vermicelli baked pudding, we used to call it worm pudding and I still do.
Mum used to cook Loin Pork Chops in a fry pan with rice, she would put sliced tomato, sliced onion and a slice of pineapple on top of each chop, then add the secret liquid mixture to the pan so the rice would cook, very yummy. I do that also quite often.
A rich dark fruit cake was her "Signature" dish. I don't even attempt that one.
barina said
06:15 PM Apr 29, 2012
Sunday night to sit and watch Disneyland..... home made sausage rolls, pastry and and all....... also pastie slice long before tiddly oggies came about.........
Beth54 said
06:29 PM Apr 29, 2012
barina wrote:
Sunday night to sit and watch Disneyland..... home made sausage rolls, pastry and and all....... also pastie slice long before tiddly oggies came about.........
What the heck is a tiddly oggie?
barina said
06:32 PM Apr 29, 2012
lol lo ..a ferguson plarre pastie slice.........only Victorians would probably know them......
gillyb said
06:54 PM Apr 29, 2012
My mum made the best sponge cakes with homemade jam and tons of fresh cream in the middle, if strawberries were in season (Dad grew them in the back yard......I was brought up in the uk) there would be cream on top also topped with strawberries yummmm but best of all and never been matched was my grandmas freshly baked apple pie with double whipped cream and sprinkled with sugar......ahh nostalgia lol
Rip and Rosie said
06:56 PM Apr 29, 2012
My mum was a great cook. I have been trying for years to get the baked potatoes to turn out like hers, and mine are never crunchy.
I remember when I first tried the christmas pudding recipe after she died. Found her handwritten recipe book, gather all the stuff. Christmas day the pudding nearly blew the top of heads off ! "What one earth did you do to it? " everyone asked me.
Well, the recipe said älmost half a bottle of brandy, so that's what I put in, not realising that my mother would NEVER have meant a regular bottle, but one of those little ones they sell around christmas for puddings.
Was a great pudding that year, but no one wanted to drive home, just in case.
Jaytee said
07:12 PM Apr 29, 2012
Judy, mum used to put just a pinch of Keen's mustard powder in the dressing, she never measured just knew by sight and taste when it was right.
-- Edited by Jaytee on Sunday 29th of April 2012 07:13:20 PM
Beth54 said
07:18 PM Apr 29, 2012
Love it Rip & Rosie!
Mum always made the Xmas pud too,,,she managed that without burning it...but my sister improved on Mum's recipe and makes it every year now.
Barina, I'll have to ask my Victorian/Qld d-i-l about that one.
Gillyb, you reminded me of the fresh cream we had...we had our own cow, so fresh cream spread on bread with jam or sugar was a favourite after school snack.
These days I can't eat cream or cows milk.
Happywanderer said
07:22 PM Apr 29, 2012
barina wrote:
lol lo ..a ferguson plarre pastie slice.........only Victorians would probably know them......
What on earth is a ferguson plarre pastie slice?? Been a long tim in Victoria, never heard of it.
gillyb said
07:29 PM Apr 29, 2012
There's a ferguson plarre at chadstone shopping centre but have never tried the pastie slice but will definately have a look next time I'm there.
Sadly I'm like you Beth and can no longer have the cream and milk, soy milk only these days but sometimes I'm a bit naughty and will buy a cream cake to take home and suffer the consequenses
Beth54 said
07:56 PM Apr 29, 2012
gillyb wrote:
There's a ferguson plarre at chadstone shopping centre but have never tried the pastie slice but will definately have a look next time I'm there.
Sadly I'm like you Beth and can no longer have the cream and milk, soy milk only these days but sometimes I'm a bit naughty and will buy a cream cake to take home and suffer the consequenses
Yep, soy for me too. I don't miss the cream, but sometimes I have ice cream and suffer.
I have a theory that it's what they do to the cream & milk these days. I went to an organic dairy on the Atherton Tablelands, had coffee and scones, with cream, and no after effects.
Landfall said
08:01 PM Apr 29, 2012
Baked rice pudding, apple pie and custard tart.
When I got married, my wife, who is an excellent cook, could not cook a custard tart without the pastry rising to the top.
After many attempts, my mother said she would give my wife some help. Well, they both mixed the ingredients together, placed the results in the same oven and waited.
Yep, my mothers came out perfect.
My wifes? A perfect upside down custard tart.
Never seen another attempt in forty two years.
Dusty
barina said
08:24 PM Apr 29, 2012
Ferguson Plarre is a franchise bake shop, cakes, pies, pasties...........in shopping centres and shopping strips...........tiddly oggies used to be called pastie slice.......................I think the cornish pastie in UK is maybe where the name originated
golivers travels said
08:40 PM Apr 29, 2012
My mum use to make the best Ginger Fluff, as light as a feather. Have never been able to replicate it.
Glenda
03_troopy said
09:05 PM Apr 29, 2012
Lumpy custard with skin on top
Pejay said
09:33 PM Apr 29, 2012
My Mum's specialty was desserts made with alcohol in them, and she was always trying out new recipes on us, so we got used to 'being guinea pigs again'!
But Grandma's vege soup was to die for, it was made on the old coal stove and just left to simmer away on the side. Some years ago, I managed to get 'close' to her recipe, with my Dad telling me it was nearly as good as his mother's! Now that's a compliment for you. I have decided that I am reverting to recipes from grandma's time - good old fashioned cooking, can't beat it!
Travel Bug said
11:19 PM Apr 29, 2012
My mum's roast lamb dinner's were amazing, served with her home made mint sauce. She made a great steak and kidney pie and her light as a feather sponges with fresh cream and passionfruit from our garden were sheer heaven.
My mother in law's roasted duckling. It was always moist and yummy. Also, apple and rhubarb with custard.
My paternal grandmother's banana cake. I have never tasted another one as good as it. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. She also made strawberry cordial when we had a glut of strawberries in the garden.
My maternal grandmother's delicious braised steak and potatoes. Also baked rice custard.
All of these women were great cooks and they were all very dear to me. I fancy myself as a pretty fair cook...but when I cook the dishes listed above, they are never as good as the originals.
-- Edited by Travel Bug on Sunday 29th of April 2012 11:20:41 PM
Beth54 said
11:28 PM Apr 29, 2012
Girdle scones on a Sunday night, with lashings of golden syrup.
Many years later I read about griddle scones in an English Recipe Book, so I figure our 'girdle' scones were an Aussie derivative.
My sister and I spent our teenage weekends on Macleay Island, in Moreton Bay. We'd bring home a bunch of boys (not necessarily boyfriends) on a Sunday night, and that's how Mum would fill them up.
Jaytee said
11:43 PM Apr 29, 2012
My mum is most remembered in our family for her baked dinners, so full of flavour and with the veges lovely and crunchy, I have never been able to do a baked dinner as good as hers in my 42 years of marriage.
Mum described herself as a "plain" cook, she enjoyed cooking and always had some sort of cake, biscuit or slice ready to share.
Mum also used to make a delicious mayonnaise or "dressing" as she called it, the ingredients were condensed milk, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper (I think) and it was always made in the same little jug, everyone loved it on their lettuce.
Beth54 said
11:53 PM Apr 29, 2012
Jaytee wrote:
My mum is most remembered in our family for her baked dinners, so full of flavour and with the veges lovely and crunchy, I have never been able to do a baked dinner as good as hers in my 42 years of marriage.
Mum described herself as a "plain" cook, she enjoyed cooking and always had some sort of cake, biscuit or slice ready to share.
Mum also used to make a delicious mayonnaise or "dressing" as she called it, the ingredients were condensed milk, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper (I think) and it was always made in the same little jug, everyone loved it on their lettuce.
Mum always made this one too. I still have the recipe, but it's a bit wicked with all that sugar.
Rip and Rosie said
12:20 AM Apr 30, 2012
I still do mum's soup recipe- smoked hock or bacon bones, turnip, swede, potato, pumkin, celery, onions, carrots, plus generous amount of split peas and barley. Bring to the boil, and then simmer for a few hours. Nice straight away, but the next day is its best.........nice and thick.
Was talking to my sister the other day and mentioned I have done the groceries and was planning a bit pot of soup. Without hestiation (or invitation) she announced she was coming for dinner.
fireheart said
12:43 AM Apr 30, 2012
My Mum's baked potatoes, so crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. She also did her lamb chops in a special way, they were just done in the frypan but oh so crunchy and I can never get them the same. Bannana custard, and pasta salad as my boys would ask Nanna to make her snails and now it is a family thing. We have snails instead of pasta salad. After a roast with the left over lamb, she would make pancakes with the leftover meat, to die for. And also mock fish, which was grated potato, egg, flour and they were a firm favourite on a Sunday night in front of the fire. I could never make them the same and when my boys moved out of home they would ring Nanna so she could step them through the pancakes and the mock fish. The Christmas pudding, superb. Nothing like Mum's cooking.
Dougwe said
01:05 AM Apr 30, 2012
I dust potatoes in plain flour then into the baking dish, turn half way through cooking, the result....crunchy roast tatties.
I don't actually do it much these days.
barina said
01:43 AM Apr 30, 2012
Beth54 wrote:
Jaytee wrote:
My mum is most remembered in our family for her baked dinners, so full of flavour and with the veges lovely and crunchy, I have never been able to do a baked dinner as good as hers in my 42 years of marriage.
Mum described herself as a "plain" cook, she enjoyed cooking and always had some sort of cake, biscuit or slice ready to share.
Mum also used to make a delicious mayonnaise or "dressing" as she called it, the ingredients were condensed milk, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper (I think) and it was always made in the same little jug, everyone loved it on their lettuce.
Mum always made this one too. I still have the recipe, but it's a bit wicked with all that sugar.
I also make this dressing now, it was my job as a kid to make it with brown vinegar and condensed milk...not sure I ever used mustard....but yummy all the same....will try the mustard now
Beth54 said
03:08 AM Apr 30, 2012
Jaytee wrote:
Judy, mum used to put just a pinch of Keen's mustard powder in the dressing, she never measured just knew by sight and taste when it was right.
-- Edited by Jaytee on Sunday 29th of April 2012 07:13:20 PM
I think my recipe says 1 teaspoon, but I guess it's really 'to taste'.
grill n chill said
03:21 AM Apr 30, 2012
Every birthday i was allowed to select my dinner menu and always i ordered spaghetti with chocolate pudding.desert. Mum did not use mince in the spaghetti but instead finely cut up steak. Delicious and to this day never have i been able to come close to duplicating it. The choc pudding was with cream and ice cream.
Desert was served every single night. Five kids and so organized, how on earth did she do it?
...This is the title of an article in this months Autralian Womens Weekly.
It's a bunch of celebrities talking about the specialties of their Mothers, Grandmothers and/or Great Grandmothers.
So in remembrance of our Mothers, I thought we might do the same.
Mum was mostly a good plain cook. We remember Mum for many dishes but my personal favourite was Baked Rice Pudding. It was also a favourite of her Grandchildren.
But there were also some failures which we constantly ribbed her about. Fruit cake was one. Mum was always in a hurry to do everything, too much to do. Even in later years when she wasn't so busy, she still couldn't get that fruit cake right. She always had the oven too hot, you see. I can still picture her cutting off the burnt bit on top of the cake.
What's your memories of your Mum's cooking?
-- Edited by Beth54 on Sunday 29th of April 2012 10:16:49 AM
My mum used to bake fresh bread. I can remember walking into the house and This great smell of freshly baked bread was something I will remember always. Also, being English, Sunday diner was usually a baked dish , Yourshire pudding, or roast lamb,with apple pie,and cream for desert.I love baked diners. She would bake one for the family, and one for me.....Those were the days.
-- Edited by bill12 on Sunday 29th of April 2012 02:06:02 PM
.. nothing quite like her Bread & Butter pudding enhanced with raspberries !
Yep, that was one of Mum's too, without the rasberries...no rasberries in SEQ. Our berry was mulberries. Picked from over the back fence of Aunties place at Morningside. They never made it into a dish though, we'd just eat them straight from the tree! What a mess we'd make!
I agree with bread and butter pudding, I still make it on the odd occasion, I also liked mum's vermicelli baked pudding, we used to call it worm pudding and I still do.
Mum used to cook Loin Pork Chops in a fry pan with rice, she would put sliced tomato, sliced onion and a slice of pineapple on top of each chop, then add the secret liquid mixture to the pan so the rice would cook, very yummy. I do that also quite often.
A rich dark fruit cake was her "Signature" dish. I don't even attempt that one.
home made sausage rolls, pastry and and all....... also pastie slice long before tiddly oggies came about.........
What the heck is a tiddly oggie?
My mum made the best sponge cakes with homemade jam and tons of fresh cream in the middle, if strawberries were in season (Dad grew them in the back yard......I was brought up in the uk) there would be cream on top also topped with strawberries yummmm but best of all and never been matched was my grandmas freshly baked apple pie with double whipped cream and sprinkled with sugar......ahh nostalgia lol
I remember when I first tried the christmas pudding recipe after she died. Found her handwritten recipe book, gather all the stuff. Christmas day the pudding nearly blew the top of heads off ! "What one earth did you do to it? " everyone asked me.
Well, the recipe said älmost half a bottle of brandy, so that's what I put in, not realising that my mother would NEVER have meant a regular bottle, but one of those little ones they sell around christmas for puddings.
Was a great pudding that year, but no one wanted to drive home, just in case.
Judy, mum used to put just a pinch of Keen's mustard powder in the dressing, she never measured just knew by sight and taste when it was right.
-- Edited by Jaytee on Sunday 29th of April 2012 07:13:20 PM
Mum always made the Xmas pud too,,,she managed that without burning it...but my sister improved on Mum's recipe and makes it every year now.
Barina, I'll have to ask my Victorian/Qld d-i-l about that one.
Gillyb, you reminded me of the fresh cream we had...we had our own cow, so fresh cream spread on bread with jam or sugar was a favourite after school snack.
These days I can't eat cream or cows milk.
What on earth is a ferguson plarre pastie slice?? Been a long tim in Victoria, never heard of it.
There's a ferguson plarre at chadstone shopping centre but have never tried the pastie slice but will definately have a look next time I'm there.
Sadly I'm like you Beth and can no longer have the cream and milk, soy milk only these days but sometimes I'm a bit naughty and will buy a cream cake to take home and suffer the consequenses
Yep, soy for me too. I don't miss the cream, but sometimes I have ice cream and suffer.
I have a theory that it's what they do to the cream & milk these days. I went to an organic dairy on the Atherton Tablelands, had coffee and scones, with cream, and no after effects.
Baked rice pudding, apple pie and custard tart.
When I got married, my wife, who is an excellent cook, could not cook a custard tart without the pastry rising to the top.
After many attempts, my mother said she would give my wife some help. Well, they both mixed the ingredients together, placed the results in the same oven and waited.
Yep, my mothers came out perfect.
My wifes? A perfect upside down custard tart.
Never seen another attempt in forty two years.
Dusty
But Grandma's vege soup was to die for, it was made on the old coal stove and just left to simmer away on the side. Some years ago, I managed to get 'close' to her recipe, with my Dad telling me it was nearly as good as his mother's! Now that's a compliment for you. I have decided that I am reverting to recipes from grandma's time - good old fashioned cooking, can't beat it!
My mum's roast lamb dinner's were amazing, served with her home made mint sauce.
She made a great steak and kidney pie and her light as a feather sponges with fresh cream and passionfruit from our garden were sheer heaven.
My mother in law's roasted duckling. It was always moist and yummy. Also, apple and rhubarb with custard.
My paternal grandmother's banana cake. I have never tasted another one as good as it. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. She also made strawberry cordial when we had a glut of strawberries in the garden.
My maternal grandmother's delicious braised steak and potatoes. Also baked rice custard.
All of these women were great cooks and they were all very dear to me.
I fancy myself as a pretty fair cook...but when I cook the dishes listed above, they are never as good as the originals.
-- Edited by Travel Bug on Sunday 29th of April 2012 11:20:41 PM
Girdle scones on a Sunday night, with lashings of golden syrup.
Many years later I read about griddle scones in an English Recipe Book, so I figure our 'girdle' scones were an Aussie derivative.
My sister and I spent our teenage weekends on Macleay Island, in Moreton Bay. We'd bring home a bunch of boys (not necessarily boyfriends) on a Sunday night, and that's how Mum would fill them up.
Mum described herself as a "plain" cook, she enjoyed cooking and always had some sort of cake, biscuit or slice ready to share.
Mum also used to make a delicious mayonnaise or "dressing" as she called it, the ingredients were condensed milk, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper (I think) and it was always made in the same little jug, everyone loved it on their lettuce.
Mum always made this one too. I still have the recipe, but it's a bit wicked with all that sugar.
Nice straight away, but the next day is its best.........nice and thick.
Was talking to my sister the other day and mentioned I have done the groceries and was planning a bit pot of soup. Without hestiation (or invitation) she announced she was coming for dinner.
I dust potatoes in plain flour then into the baking dish, turn half way through cooking, the result....crunchy roast tatties.
I don't actually do it much these days.
I also make this dressing now, it was my job as a kid to make it with brown vinegar and condensed milk...not sure I ever used mustard....but yummy all the same....will try the mustard now
I think my recipe says 1 teaspoon, but I guess it's really 'to taste'.