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perfect on a cold or grumpy day, my mom's oatmeal always cheers me up oatmeal- made using package directions- but with milk instead of water, topped with brown sugar, 2% milk, a huge handfull of raisins and some walnuts. simple and awesome.

My mom made this avocado cake not too long ago, so its not exactly a recipe I grew up with, but it is certainly delicious. 3/4 cup Sugar 1/2 cup maple syrup 1/2 cup margerine, i use smart balance margerine 2 Eggs, well beaten 1 cup mashed avocado(about 3-4 avocados) 1/3 cup Buttermilk (milk with a bit of vinegar will do) 1/2 tsp Cinnamon 1/2 tsp Nutmeg 1/2 tsp Allspice 1/2 tsp ginger 1/2 tsp Salt 1 1/2 tsp Baking soda 1 tsp Baking powder 2 cup All purpose, unbleached flour flour 1/2 cup Chopped dates 1/4 cup Golden raisins 1/2 cup Walnut, but Pecans are good too. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar, maple syrup, avacado, and margerine. Add the eggs, and fold in thoroughly. Add buttermilk, and mix well. Add the spices, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and flour. Mix well one by one, adding dry ingredients slowly. Fold in the dates, raisins and walnuts. Pour into a greased 9x9 inch baking dish or cake pans. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. I used a simple butter cream frosting and made a 2-layer cake.

My mother had a large family to feed, 10 people lined both sides of a long table hungry. One of the things I can rember her making is a yummy winter food called Hamburger pin-wheels. HAMBURGER PIN-WHEELS make your favorite biscut mix (bisquick) mom used to make homemade biscuts rollable. In a large skillet brown 1 1/2 hamburger drain, add 1 can tomatoe soup (mom made that too, every year) allow to cool.roll biscut dough out like a jelly roll, place gr.beef mix and spread all over dough,roll up and slice about 1 inch thick.place in baking dish 13x9 greased, bake 1 hr at 350 or untill a tooth pick comes out clean and biscut looks done.in a sauce pan put 1 large can of mushroom soup (again homemade ok mom did), add 1/2 can milk and make a "gravy" heat & serve over pinwheels and serve. use salt&pepper as needed

My mother is a wonderful cook -- always trying new things and serving colorful, healthful plates. She's also great at working in little surprises. These Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars have been a favorite for years. They are a quick bite when you're in a hurry, a welcome hostess gift, and besides, who doesn't want to have chocolate for breakfast now and then? Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 cup light brown sugar 2 eggs 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 cup flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 cup milk 1 1/2 cups oatmeal 1 (6 oz) package semi-sweet chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar in mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Add vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk to egg mixture. Stir in oatmeal and chocolate chips. Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs attached. Cool and cut into squares. Notes: *Mama uses 1/2 regular flour and 1/2 whole wheat. *We like Bob's Red Mill Extra-Thick Rolled Oats. *Go ahead and add 1/2 cup chopped nuts (we like pecans or walnuts) before baking. Protein and crunch! *Feel free to double the recipe and bake in larger pan. (Do check your baking time! If they're spread thinly, they might need only five more minutes.) *These freeze very well (cut them first). This recipe first appeared in a 1978 issue of Women's Day. I know this because my mother is in the admirable habit of recording such things and she did so not only on the card in her recipe box, but also in the recipe book she made for me.

My Mom was a simple cook that made great food without all the fancy gadgets. On a limited budget she was able to combine garden items and things she canned during the season to come up with food for our table. After a long day at work she did not have a long time to spend in the kitchen. Items can be substituted as to what is available. This is her 'Skillet Cabbage' 4 cups shredded cabbage 2 cups diced celery 1 green pepper cut in strips 2 tomatoes chopped 1/4 cup of chopped bacon 2 tbls sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper Combine all ingredients and cook covered on medium until cabbage is tender.

ok so I could'nt go without posting another favorite. I've addded my own mix to the meal as well. My mom is an amazing cook.. everyone and I m ean EVERYONE comes to our house for holidays .. and just dinner because you can smell her cooking a mile away. I love the way she cooks without measuring or writing down. They are just dishes she learned and passed down to her 6 daughters.. and 2 sons! This is another favorite called HOT-WATER Cornbread This dish is great with greens, soups and even pastas beacuse it soaks up whatever you're cooking. 2 cups of organic blue cornmeal (fine) 1/2 cup of slef rising flour 1/3 cup of vegan white sugar 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 1 teaspoon of baking powder 1 egg 1 cup of boling water You mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. You then add the cup of boiling water and mix. Once you've mixed the items to a mushy consistency you add the egg. You get a pan heat the oil on medium to high and scoop out the bread (which is already cooking because of the water) and add it to the oil. The dish is almost like hus puppies I guess but we never made them in balls or baked them. ou kinda make hamburger patties in a way and turn them slightly as they brown on each side. They are AWESOME!... taste great with anything you cook.. it was a staple in our house with fresh chilli beans or collard green.. hmm yum! I use more organic products for this dish, but you can also use the basic white or yellow cornmeal for this recipie.

My fondest memories of my mom, a farmgirl who married a Brooklyn, NY cityboy was the incredible way she could make something absolutely wonderful out of simple ingredients.....which can never quite be duplicated by me, an avid cook. One of my favorites is her Ham, Cabbage, & Potatoes [a boiled dinner] reinvented for 2 extra days. I might add, that she went through the Depression, so this meal would be a hit in these times as well! 1 Callie Ham 1 Lg. Green Cabbage, cut in quarters [leave the core intact so the cabbage stays together] 4 Lg. potatoes, peeled & cut in half 6 Lg. carrots, peeled & cut in half. Put all in a large stock pot, almost cover with water & bring to a boil. Cover,turn heat to simmer, & allow to cook for about 2-3 hours. Reserving the cooking liquid --- the "magical broth", remove the ham to a large platter & flank with the vegetables. Each plate would have slices of ham, a hunk of cabbage, a few carrots, & a potato half mashed on your plate with plenty of butter. Day 2: She would cut the remaining ham off the bone & put in a dutch oven with the bone, some chopped onion,chopped carrots, some garlic & either split peas or dried lima beans. She would use half of the broth from the day before & half water & cook it down, covered until the peas/beans were tender. She'd remove the lid & allow it to thicken up, more so if using the split peas. Day 3: She would use the pot with the remaining original broth, & after roughly chopping up whatever leftover cabbage, & carrots that was in it, right in the pot, she would add 2 cans of Campbell's vegetable beef soup, with maybe one can of water [tasting to check on strength of flavor]. This delicious soup would be served with her warm freshly baked & buttered baking powder biscuits. OMG....thanks for allowing me to reminice.......I will be 59 tomorrow & lost her when I was 27.....it brings my most comforting memories for my birthday! If you decide on my mom, I would gladly hone down the day 2 & 3 recipes for you!

We always called my grandmother MOM. She had a wonderful apricot orchard where we played long hours as children. We always enjoyed this simple desert in the summer when staying with her. Summer Cobbler 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/2 self rising flour 1 cup milk 1 stick butter or margerine 2 cup fresh fruit such as blackberries, apricots or peaches mixed with 1/2 cup sugar. Melt butter and pour into 9x13 baking dish. Mix first three ingredients together and pour into dish. Spoon fruit over batter and bake at 350degrees until browned. (Approx. 45 min) Serve hot with a couple tablespoons of 1/2 and 1/2 drizzled over it.

My mother is a great cook, and loves to entertain. She's also very creative, and I got at least half of my creativity and love of food from her (and the other half from my father). Here's a delicious salad recipe (Diner's Salad) my mother back-engineered from a Verona, NJ diner called The Claremont, that served this free to all customers, who would find a bowl of it on their table. The Claremont got the recipe from The Weequahic Diner in Newark, NJ. http://secretsfrommykitchen.blogspot.com/2005/05/delicious-diners-salad.html

What wonderful timing - I just completed a book about our family's recipes and their nuturing my love of cooking. My mother (and grandmothers also) was a wonderful cook and it's hard to choose just one, but since I have to....her Macaroni and Cheese. And for those who think Velveeta is not something they would ever eat, just give it a try - you'll be hooked. To go with the mac and cheese the family favorite is ham cooked with a baste of 1/2 maple syrup/1/2 orange juice. when serving, be sure to drizzle some of the baste over the mac and cheese. Died and gone to heaven! Mom’s Macaroni & Cheese 6 T. butter 6 T. flour 3 cups milk 1/2 tsp. salt Dash of white pepper 1 lb. Velveeta cheese 16 oz. elbow macaroni 2 T. butter, cold 1/2 cup crushed saltines Preheat oven to 350°F. For the sauce: Melt the 6 T. of butter in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add the 6 T. of flour and blend together, whisking constantly for 2 minutes. Add the milk and continue whisking until the sauce thickens and is very smooth. Add the salt and pepper. At this point, start adding chunks (about 1” squares) of the Velveeta cheese, a little at a time, incorporating all before adding more cheese. The one pound of cheese called for is arbitrary ~ after about 8-10 oz. begin tasting and if it’s cheesy enough for you, stop adding. We love ours very cheesy so we add the entire pound! When all the cheese is melted and blended in, remove from heat. Cook the macaroni according to pkg. directions; drain. If the pan you made your cheese sauce in is big enough, add the macaroni to that pot, if not combine the sauce and pasta in a large bowl. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9X13” baking dish; pour in the mac and cheese; sprinkle with the crushed soda crackers and top with slivers of the 2 T. cold butter. Bake for 1 hour or until bubbly and top is nicely browning. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

This bread is a traditional bread passed on by previous generations of “Catherine’s” from Ireland. It’s a coveted favorite at occasions. Make one for Mom for her early morning breakfast or snack in the afternoon. She'll love it! -Submitted by Catherine Dougherty (A fine Irish lass…) 3/13/2009 Irish Soda Bread 4 cups sifted flour (I personally just use Bread flour) ¼ cup granulated sugar 1 tsp salt 2 tbsp caraway seeds ¼ cup butter or margarine 2 cups raisins 1 1/3 cups buttermilk 1 egg, unbeaten 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder Start heating oven at 375. Grease 2-quart casserole. Into mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder. Stir in caraway seeds. With pastry blender, or two butter knives, scissor-fashion, cut in butter till it is like coarse corn meal. Stir in raisins. Combine buttermilk, egg, soda. Stir into flour mixture until just moistened. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface, and knead lightly till smooth. Shape into ball. Place in casserole. With sharp knife, make 4” cross, ¼ inch deep in center. Brush the top with a beaten egg yolk. Bake 1 hour 10 minutes or until done (knife inserted in center comes out clean) Cool in pan 10 minutes, remove. Note: This unleavened (no yeast) bread tends to become stiff very quickly. So, as soon as you can cover the loaf in heavy duty foil while it is still warm to retain a softer consistency, for ease of cutting. Use a serrated edged knife. Microwaving or heating in the toaster oven makes this bread a tasty addition to that cup of coffee. Special note: We (the 4 of us kids when we were youngsters) would get up early especially if there was an Irish Soda Bread in the kitchen, and get a second piece before it runs out! We have been passing this recipe on since 4 generations of "Catherine's" ago in Ireland.