From My Mother’s Recipe Box: Rice and Cheese Casserole

Anyone who grew up when processed food was all the rage has most certainly eaten a casserole. They vary from lasagna to macaroni & cheese to tuna casserole, with the main ingredients ranging from some form of carbohydrate plus a meat or dairy component, and some vegetables thrown in. From the French word for saucepan, it’s basically a meal in a pot or pan.

For some, casseroles are comfort food. For others, it’s a reminder of the harried lifestyle they lived, running from school to sports events to theater practice. To me, moms and casseroles go hand-in-hand. So this year for Mother’s Day, I’m featuring one from My Mother’s Recipe Box: Rice and Cheese Casserole.

From My Mother’s Recipe Box: Bible Cake

I like what Auntie Bowman wrote on the back of this recipe card to my mother: “Have fun figuring this out some stormy day.” Perhaps it’s a good exercise for family gatherings over Easter weekend, too (storm or no storm!). If you look closely, my mother wrote the answer for each ingredient riddle in red pencil, but there are a few I can’t even read on the original version. If you own a Bible, it’s time to get it out and solve the riddles from My Mother’s Recipe Box!

From My Mother’s Recipe Box: Sweets for the Sweet

Looking for something new to make for Valentine’s Day this year? I found two recipes in My Mother’s Recipe Box that look easy, fun, and delicious. The first, called Yum Yum Gems, is from my great-aunt Lily. These are actually cupcakes that you could eat with or without icing. The second is called Torte Dessert, which you make in a jelly roll pan. Enjoy the sweetness of Valentine’s Day!

From My Mother’s Recipe Box: Three Recipes for Dates

I’m not sure why dates remind me of the holidays. Is it because they come from palm trees, which are prevalent in the Middle East, where some major holidays originated?

Turns out, my mother was apparently fond of them. I found these three recipes for dates in My Mother’s Recipe Box: Date Nut Bread, Date Loaf (which is actually candy), and Date Pudding. They look like yummy choices for holiday sweets this December!

From My Mother’s Recipe Box: Two Apple Desserts

It’s fall! Time for soup, chili, and warm desserts. If you love apples, here are a couple of recipes from My Mother’s Recipe Box you may want to try while apples are in season: Applesauce Cake (“easy to make”) and Dutch Apple Cake.

From My Mother’s Recipe Box: Breakfast Treats for Mother’s Day

Getting ready to treat your mom for Mother’s Day? I’ve got two yummy vintage breakfast recipes from My Mother’s Recipe Box you might want to try: Old-fashioned Crumb Cake and my Aunt Lily’s Chocolate Eclairs. Why not serve her breakfast in bed?

From My Mother’s Recipe Box: Passover Sponge Cake

It seems that several people were interested in the Sponge Cake recipe I posted from My Mother’s Recipe Box in 2010, so I thought I’d share this one, specifically designated for Passover, as the holiday begins.

Lots of eggs! ‘Tis the season for them!

From My Mother’s Recipe Box: Never Fail Chocolate Cake

Valentine’s Day is approaching and you know what that means: chocolate! I wondered how chocolate became a part of this holiday tradition so I did a little research. Turns out Casanova ate chocolate to make him virile. Physicians in the 1800′s recommended chocolate for patients “pining for lost love.” And the first box of chocolates produced for Valentine’s Day was made by Richard Cadbury in the late 1800′s.

Bill and I don’t use Valentine’s Day as an excuse to eat chocolate since we enjoy a couple squares of Green & Black’s organic dark chocolate after dinner almost every night. We think it’s pretty healthy, and so does the Cleveland Clinic.

But if you’re looking for a chocolate recipe to make this year on February 14, try Ethel Hoadley’s Never Fail  Chocolate Cake from My Mother’s Recipe Box. It looks pretty easy….just like recipes used to be!

From My Mother’s Recipe Box: Pecan Dainties

I started this week of holiday baking with Aunt Vivian Morrison’s  Fudge Candy recipe from My Mother’s Recipe Box. So I thought it would be appropriate to finish the week with a recipe from another relative, Aunt Irlene Morrison.

Pecan Dainties are more like candy than cookies, but at the holidays, it’s all about sweets! Here’s wishing you and your loved ones a peaceful holiday season and new year.

From My Mother’s Recipe Box: Thumbprint Cookies

Who hasn’t eaten a thumbprint cookie, especially at the holidays? There’s so much variety in what to put in the crater made by your thumb before baking: Hershey’s chocolate kisses, jams or jellies, fruit, etc. I’m sure there are many variations. I remember making a version of this recipe from My Mother’s Recipe Box for “stained glass” cookies:  each one has a Lifesaver candy in the center that melts when baked to look like a stained glass window.

What’s your favorite?