Forgotten Childhood Favorites?

[Holly S]

Reading this BB has made me think a great deal about my childhood food. We were raised in one of those homes where you ate what was put in front of you, NO MATTER WHAT! But my mother never had to force me to eat Lima Beans, go figure, and I haven't had them in probably 20 years. Anyone else have food they loved as a child but never eat anymore, or have never made for themselves as an adult?

AAAAAAA I am a memeber now, how exciting..Think I need an new hobby?

[This message has been edited by Holly S (edited 08-29-2000).]

[sneezles]

Holly
My family was the same way but you can have all my lima beans. My mother never served spinach because she didn't like it, I love it any way it can be served and in anything.
Won't eat brussel sprouts, either!

[lindrusso]

I had several childhood favorites. One I only made just recently - shake and bake pork chops! Easy, pretty low fat and the kids will eat them. I guess it's having kids that made me go back to that one. I was sort of embarassed, but they tasted as good as I remembered!

Last night I made my other favorite - I've probably only made a handful of times since leaving home. Beef Stroganoff. A great comfort food.

The other favorite I'm not sure if I've ever made - Wild Rice & Sherry Chicken Casserole -yummy. I might have to try that one this winter.

I'm sure there's more, but that's what I can think of off the top of my head...

Oh and Holly - my husband also had to eat everything on his plate and HATED lima beans. He used to cut them into quarters and swallow them like a pill!!!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[This message has been edited by lindrusso (edited 08-29-2000).]

[Beth H]

I just loved mac and cheese with hot dogs cut up in it.

[JodiL]

I used to eat mashed potatoes with cut up hot dogs in it all the way through college! Lucky for my husband, I discovered a cooking hobby http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Kristilyn1]

My favorite as a kid was something we called Pizza Things.

They were english muffin pizzas. We would mix tomato paste with mozzarella cheese and cold butter. Add basil and salt and pepper. Mix and spread on english muffins and toast. I think I have made them this particular way once as a grownup.

Kristi

[valeriek]

I know this is going to sound really disgusting, and I can't even imagine eating it now, but my favorite food as a kid was fried balogna (did I spell that right?). My mom used to make it for lunch and I would smother it with ketsup.

[andrea]

i have 2 childhood favorites... one i still love and one i wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole today. guess which is which http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/tongue.gif

1. ham, cheese, and cauliflower casserole
2. braunshweiger, velveeta, and mayo on white bread

[helene]

Interesting thread,

1- I used to eat mashed potatoes between 2 pieces of buttered white bread. Yummy.

2- Plain chips in a ham sandwich. Really good and crunchy.

Of course I stay away from those now.

Have a great day,

Hélène

[helene]

Interesting thread,

1- I used to eat mashed potatoes between 2 pieces of buttered white bread. Yummy.

2- Plain chips in a ham sandwich. Really good and crunchy.

Of course I stay away from those now.

Have a great day,

Hélène

[nanadee]

My mother would scramble a few eggs & add to left over noodles. We would mix in ketchup and I loved it. I made it for my girls when they were little and they have served it to their children. A yucky family tradition.

[Grace]

There are a few things my Mom made for us as kids that I ate happily, but wouldn't touch today!

Blood & Tongue sandwiches
Smoked Butt
Corned Beef Hash from a can

Eeeeewwww - what was she trying to do to us??!!! (She made plenty of good things, too!)

[Holly S]

Nanadee....I thought my husband was the only person who at noodles and eggs!!!! I had never had it, and apparently this is something his mother made for him all of the time. Now he makes it as soon as we have ANY left over pasta. Heck sometimes he even makes pasta to have it. AND ValerieK, my mother made fried bologna too. She used to make that and put it on buttered toast with yellow mustard. Eewwwwwww, did I really used to eat that? I remember at the time thinking it was great, but now???? Oh well, I guess a mom will do anything to get a child to eat...

[Zinnia]

My favorite comfort-foods are the ones my Mom made, and I still to this day have never been able to duplicate. When I make them they never taste the way I remember them; isn't it weird how much our tastes change as we get older?
Comforts: Crockpot Pepper-Steak over egg noodles; Braciole over pasta; Pizza Things http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif
Ewwwws: Spam in any way, shape or form; Liver & Onions; Corned Beef & Cabbage-(my friends said our house used to stink when we had that for dinner-embarassing! Lol!
http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif Zinnia

[MrsReber]

Before I went off for afternoon kindergarten, my mom used to make me cream cheese and jelly sandwiches. I loved them, but don't ever make them for myself. She can also make a killer lentil soup with spaghetti in it that we loved and pasta fagioli (how is is spelled?) with a tomato base. When I ask her how to make it, I get "a little bit of this, some of that". Ahh! But I can remember the feel of the cold fall nghts after school started whenever I think of eating either of those.

[Danielle]

I loved Kraft Mac and Cheese when I was a kid, and my dad always fried Spam to go with it. I won't make Spam now, though my husband wishes I did.

I also loved my mom's tuna noodle casserole, fried pork chops, and smelt.

[Kristilyn1]

I still eat fried bologna!! It's delicious.

I use Pam in the pan now and low fat bologna. I like it with a slice of american cheese.

Nothing to be ashamed of!

Kristi

[phantomcg]

What a wonderful topic!!
I have wonderful memories of Smelt fishing with my Dad -- being out on the lake, catching smelt by the net-ful, and cooking them over a roaring beach fire. I've made smelt a couple of times for myself, but, it's just not the same anymore.
Other childhood favorites: corned beef & cabbage, "refried" spagetti, and Mom's cheesecake.

[Kathy]

Isn't bologna basically a thin hotdog? Taste the same to me!

[sunbrie]

I used to eat cream cheese and jelly sandwiches as a kid, too. Then when I was pregnant with my first child I came home from work and made myself one. My husband thought it was one of those "weird" food cravings! I thought everyone ate those sandwiches.... guess no.

[JJ40]

One of my childhood favourites is something my mom called, "super supper sandwiches." It was peanut butter and jelly between two pieces of bread that was then dipped in eggs and cooked like French toast. Yum!

Julie http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[ElinorC]

We used to love baked bean sandwiches which were baked beans mixed with mayo, and onion and them mashed. Spread on wheat bread -- as soon as it gets colder I'm going to bake some beans! I can hardly wait!

[andrea]

Originally posted by Grace:

Blood & Tongue sandwiches
Smoked Butt

grace--
tongue and butt? you'd have done well on survivor island! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/tongue.gif


[This message has been edited by andrea (edited 08-30-2000).]

[karen w]

Sunbrie, I love cream cheese and jelly sandwiches. I never thought they were that strange, either. My husband likes cream cheese and peanut butter sandwiches. I also like jelly omelets.

JJ40, the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches you mentioned sound familiar. My dad was famous for his "fried" PB & J's. We called them sicky-grossies(?spelling), because they were so sticky, gooey, and rich.

One of my favorites from childhood I have not eaten for a long time(one of those things that only tastes good if mom makes it) was salami and scrambled eggs and eggs in the hole(we called them hobo eggs).

[comabri]

Definitely tuna noodle casserole,
mac and cheese baked in the oven so it had that brown crusty layer on the top,
mashed potatoes with ketchup,
and hot chocolate she would make in a sauce pan (What? Sauce pan? No Hershey's syrup or powdered mix?)

My favorite was her Thanksgiving stuffing - she would use the giblets of the Turkey - I never knew there was any other way to make stuffing until I was in college. Mmmmm.

[Beth L]

My mom always fixed liverwurst sandwiches, I loved them as a kid. When I was pregnant I craved liverwurst- haven't had it since.

[greta]

oh the memories!

tuna casserole (w/ potato chips on top)
peanut butter and fluff sandwiches
cream cheese and jelly sandwiches
sloppy joes
steak-um sandwiches
dough boys (family breakfast recipe)
congo bars (family cookie recipe)

i'm sure i'm forgetting plenty of good ones.

[valeriek]

phantomcg - Do you have a pierogi recipe? I went to Poland in March and have never tasted anything so wonderful as the Pierogi's I had at this little bed & breakfast type place. I heard they take all day to prepare, and I know this is off the topic of the thread (I seem to have a bad habit of doing that), but I would love to learn how to make traditional pierogi's!

P.S. I also had tuna noodle casserole, and my mom would make French Toast balls on Sunday mornings. I'm not sure how she did it, but they were made in a cast iron pan that almost looked like a muffin pan. We could then eat the French Toast with our fingers, dipping it in jelly or anything else she put out. I haven't thought about those in years!

[TraceyK]

I believe these "French Toast Balls" are called Ableskiver (a traditional Danish recipe). Is there Scandinavian blood in your family?

My mother has made these for years (ever since my Danish Sunday School teacher, a Danish woman, taught her how). They are so unique! My mother bought an Ableskiver cast iron pan for me and now my in-laws ask for them all the time!

[BeckyM]

There are several things I loved as a kid and NEVER eat now, mostly because they're not particularly good for me (and my tastes have changed -- thank goodness):

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
McDonalds Hamburgers & Quarter Pounders
Omelets with Pizza Quick Sauce
Peanut Butter Sandwiches with Bananas
Cinnamon Toast

Since I have never been pregnant, I don't know whether I'll develop a craving for these then or not, but it seems to be a trend with other people on this board. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

[Abby]

I loved bologna sandwiches and cheetoes (together), vienna sausage sandwiches (ugh!), spaghettios, and fruit cocktail!!! I don't eat any of these things anymore except for when i get the occasional cheeto craving.

[phantomcg]

Valeriek - I'll dig up some of the recipes I have and post them in the next day or 2. I'll start a new thread so that they are easy for you to find. Unfortunatly Grandma and Dad were a lot alike and never cooked from a recipe (in their words, "the recipe is in my head") but I did some looking awhile back and came up with a number of recipes that I'll be happy to share.

Cheryl

[Beth Y]

Being southern, as you all know by now, banana sandwiches were a staple. Eating one now takes me way back. Something I don't miss is that canned Chung King chow mein. Wow, we thought we were being exotic. I also miss real fried chicken. People just don't fry their own anymore. I remember that the wallpaper beside our stove had a perpetual grease spot from all that chicken frying. Mmmmmmm. However, that memory alone keeps me from frying my own. I have a hard enough time keeping my kitchen clean!

[Laura]

I grew up as the youngest in a family of 5 girls. When I was in grade school money was tight because my parents were putting my sisters through college. Anyway, we didn't buy Oreos, HoHos or whatever the popular treat was back then. My mom would make a cake and always made extra frosting and then we would put that on Graham crackers. Man I loved that! I must have had a thing for graham crackers though because I loved them with lemonade when I was sick. That and plain mayonaisse (sic?) sandwiches. I wouldn't touch the latter now, but I could definitely go for the graham crackers with icing!

[CLustik]

Wow, I can't believe there are 2 previous comments about smelt. Love it, along with any fish, pan or larger.

The things my mom made that I wasn't crazy about were liver and onions or tongue.

But my favorite was a potatoe, ground beef casserole with peas, carrots and cream of mushroom soup. I still make this comfort food about once a year.

[TamiK]

My mom wasn't much of a cook, so we learned to treasure whatever was actually put in front of us that didn't come from a paper container. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif She used to make white gravy with tuna and serve it over toast. Sounds gross, but it was food for the soul when I was a kid.

Sometimes she made "Jack Mackeral" patties. Ick. Hated fish then. Hate fish now. Wonder if there's a connection?

[phantomcg]

I thought about a couple of other childhood favorites --
Pierogies: We (Mom, Grandmom, aunts & I) would spend an entire day making them and then have a huge dinner of fresh boiled pierogies. The frozen ones that I've bought in the store aren't anywhere close!!

My Dad's potatoe pancakes.

It's funny, but if I really think about it, most of my "food related" memories are of my Dad even though my Mom did most of the cooking. Dad was an excellant cook, but he never followed a recipe, so recreating his dishes is pretty hard.

[SueK]

I remember making a sandwich that was gobs of egg salad slapped on white bread. Then I'd put lots of Fritos on top of the egg salad, then put the other piece of bread on top. Yum! I can just feel my arteries clog as I'm typing this, but it was my favorite as a kid!

[Star]

Horay for cream cheese and jelly sandwiches!! My mom used to make them for me and I don't know anyone else who eats them! I am probably one of the younger CL fans (20), perhaps that's why! I also grew up on peanut butter and jelly and peanut butter and honey sandwiches!! YUM

[CrystalB]

I actually use to eat Spagettios cold out of the can!!! Even better if it was the meatball kind!! Ughhh!!! The thought of it makes me sick now!!!

[Wendy w]

Crystal,

If you think cold, straight out of the can spaghetti is disgusting, I think I can top you! I used to love cold (straight from the fridge)hot dogs. I don't touch the stuff now! Also, one of my friends made me a syrup sandwich-I loved it! I tried to duplicate it at home but my Mom wouldn't allow it.

[Kristilyn1]

I still eat cold hot dogs. Already cooked--uncooked. Whatever. It's pretty much bologna anyway.

Kristi

[kendra]

Holly S and Nanadee,
Eggs and noodles are not all that weird - in fact they are the basis for frittatas! ValerieK, there were light versions of pierogies in cooking light in the last year or so. I've never tried them. Maybe someone else has and can post the recipe?
Interesting thread...I don't think I ate anything too weird as a kid...the standard pb and j, chips on sandwiches, spam, liverwurst, fried bologna, etc. - many of the things mentioned here, so we can't be all that weird. But never pork butt! I've also never eaten liver and onions, something my husband ate a lot as a child and he thinks it odd that i never ate.

[Gussie]

Speaking of weird sandwiches, I remember that one of my childhood favorites was a few chocolate chips poked into lettuce on white bread. Hmm. I suppose that's not a bad way to integrate one's greens and dessert.

[valeriek]

Kendra,

I remember seeing the pierogi issue, but that was before I went to Poland and I thought I would never make them, so I didn't keep the recipes. That will teach me a lesson!

Cold hot dogs - you have got to be kidding me!!!

[phantomcg]

I posted a couple of recipes for pierogies in a new thread and one of them is the CL recipe.

Cheryl

[phantomcg]

I posted a couple of recipes for pierogies in a new thread and one of them is the CL recipe.

Cheryl

[phantomcg]

My computer is acting up, so forgive me if this shows up twice.
I posted a couple of pierogi recipes in a new thread and one of them is the CL recipe from 1998.

Cheryl

[bijoux22]

Great topic! We used to have fish sticks, onion rings and french fries on Friday nights (no meat on fridays then) hotdogs, beans and brown bread every Saturday night. Have not had them in many years, but they are truly great memories.
Oops I forgot a sandwich that a friend and I used to eat (only at her house, not allowed in mine) White bread with butter and sugar sprinkled on the top - Loved it then, grossed out now!

[This message has been edited by bijoux22 (edited 08-31-2000).]

[Jen]

I've already posted about my Dad's mushroom soup on toast that we had almost every weekend...sounds gross but tastes yummy! My Mom also makes great tuna casserole (in the microwave, with those crunchy Chinese noodles that are kind of orangey)...I still love it but never make it myself because it's pretty unhealthy! I also loved alphagetti and Chef Boyardee. We also used to have "wafflewiches" - basically grilled cheese sandwiches, but cooked in the waffle maker. Really tasty (and great for kids!) Ah, those were the days when I could actually eat all that yummy, yet unhealthy stuff! (Sigh).

[Beth]

Originally posted by TraceyK:
I believe these "French Toast Balls" are called Ableskiver (a traditional Danish recipe). Is there Scandinavian blood in your family?

My mother has made these for years (ever since my Danish Sunday School teacher, a Danish woman, taught her how). They are so unique! My mother bought an Ableskiver cast iron pan for me and now my in-laws ask for them all the time!

Can you make them without a special pan? Would you post your recipe? I cut my kid's French toast into strips, but another variation would be fun.

[Vickie]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Kristilyn1:
[B] Pizza Things.

Boy did you cause a "blast from the past" with the Pizza Things! I used to make something like that most EVERY Friday night during high school. Instead of English Muffins, though, I used raw biscuit dough, smashing the 8 biscuits flat on a cookie sheet and adding marinara sauce, lots of cheese, and whatever meat we had in the fridge. Bake according to biscuit directions, 10-12 minutes. Voila! 8 yummy individual pizzas!
I haven't thought about those in years!

[Holly S]

I started this post and I forgot one of my favorites, until last night that is...I even got in trouble from my husband for it....I bought the jar of fluff for the ooey gooey brownies, but after my condensed milk disaster, I haven't gotten to the store. SO last night I am looking for something to eat and there is the jar of fluff just staring me in the face http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif , RIGHT NEXT TO THE PEANUT BUTTER...So I just HAD to make a Fluffer Nutter, and my husband just looked at me and said, "You are eating the fluff aren't you? You couldn't just make your brownies and be done with it?" I had to laugh, he was in bed, and STILL knew what I was eating. I guess after ten years he knows my weaknesses, and I just HAD to have that sandwich. I don't think I have had one of those since I was about 10.

[SandyDee]

Like I said before, I have been gone from the boards for awhile and missed this one entirely. So better late than never. Tongue and Butt how intriguing. In my childhood as I mentioned awhile back in a different post my mother would make tongue and heart, but we kids never ate them. Least I sure don't remember eating them. Could really have been something I chose to forget. We used to eat bologna on white bread with mayo and potato chips inside the sandwich, we loved them. Haven't done that since forever. I have to admit that I still like grilled or fried bologna (thick cut!!)
We also used to eat soda crackers or graham crackers in milk. The thought of that turns my stomach now (all soggy and mushy!) but my mother still eats them. We also used to take our dish of vanilla ice cream, pour chocolate syrup on it and sprinkle it with peanuts. Though in and of itself that is not unusual we would then let it melt a little and then stir it up till it looked like a chocolate shake with peanuts in it and then eat it. I also recall that every now and then we would get a pecan roll (the kind with the sticky gooey carmel type topping and I wouldn't eat the roll I would cut the topping off and eat that but wouldn't eat the roll part. Now, unfortunately, I love the whole thing. I was a really picky eater as a child so I can't say that there was much of anything that I ate then that I wouldn't eat now. It is much more the other way around.

[JJeannette]

What an interesting thread! I though my family must be the only ones to eat beef tongue! To this day that is a special treat when we are all together. Even my pickiest sister still likes it. Of course, considering the price of it these days, it really is a "treat"! Tongue with Miracle Whip on white bread---yummy--okay now that we're older, a little horseradish sauce is even better.

[karen]

Okay, here are a few that were my favorite and some still are.
Mashed potatoes and pork-n-beans mixed together, banana and mayonnaise sandwiches, and cheddar cheese and mayonnaise sandwiches.

Karen

[CathyS]

Does anyone remember hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls? Other childhood favorites - leftover frosting on saltines and Totino's frozen sausage pizza, and rootbeer floats!!! I also used to love peanut butter and butter sandwiches (yuk!!)

[marshalynne]

[This message has been edited by marshalynne (edited 09-06-2000).]

[This message has been edited by marshalynne (edited 09-06-2000).]

[marshalynne]

Want to hear an oh so bad for you one? Canned frosting on graham crackers...yummy. I haven't had that one since I was about 7. We also used to love bananas with sprinkles and my mom's cabbage rolls. My great grandmother used to make what she called "Johnny Cake" which was cornbread with maple syrup and apple dumplings. Boy do I miss those! Also loved her chicken n dumplings.

[shoefling]

I am new to this BB, but the topic got me to thinking. Two of my favorites were grilled cheese sandwhiches with hot chocolate or pork-and-beans with cut up hot dogs.

[SandyDee]

Marshalynne, We used to eat the canned frosting on graham crackers, too. We would even dip pretzels in canned frosting. We also did the pork n beans with hot dogs cut up in it and I forgot all about the hot dogs wrapped in cresent rolls. Amazing the things we forget.