I get a lot of emails asking about recipes that are possibly lost. When I can help bring back a comfort food or touch on a memory it is a great feeling, so I’m going to try something new here. Readers are invited to comment on this page with recipe requests, questions about old cooking techniques, substitutions for old fashioned food items, etc., and if someone out there has the answer I hope they will comment back with the recipe.
If this works we can build a network of more Gram’s recipes and we all benefit!
Gram's Recipe Box 
Hi, I was asked to inter my question, with the hope someone out there might be able to help.I have a recipe for Bread and Butter pickles of my Mother’s ( It’s a 1959 recipes ) Every thing has changed since I last made this recipe it calls for 3 days of boiling water bath Then you boil the spices to add etc I bought the Ball spices for bread and butter pickles but everything is different and I have no idea how much to add. The recipes on the can is totally different .Help Jayne
LikeLike
I’ve got a stumper for any Danish bakers out there, although any Scandinavian baker might suffice. My girlfriend grandmother had a recipe for what translates into Vanilla Crown cookies. They are a cookie press style cookie. She has the recipe, but it’s in Danish. I’ve had friends translate it, but some of the ingredients are not American standards. I’ve guessed at equivalents based on similar cookie recipes, but it’s still not quite right. Her grandmother made it for years in America so I know it can be done with modern ingredients. Aluminum bicarbonate can be replaced with sodium bicarbonate (aka baking soda) but does anyone have equivalent measurements? I think baking soda is stronger so you use less. Also, what on earth are vanilla tablets or vanilla pills? That’s the biggest mystery ingredient. Any thoughts?
LikeLike
Hi, Diane — is this the rough equivalent of ingredients in your recipe? http://www.robertsdairy.com/recipes/danish-vanilla-cookies (I suspect the “crown” portion refers to the shape of the plate in the press rather than a style of cookie or an ingredient.)
I’m not too familiar with aluminum bicarb, but I suspect your hunch is right on; you might check out Howard McGee’s food science books, as they contain great information on leaveners. As for vanilla tablets, I’ve seen vanilla sugar in the Scandinavian aisle of international grocery stores, so I’m guessing that’s a match. Tablets sound to me like a tidy, pre-measured form that require crushing before use. I think you’d be fine to use vanilla extract instead, and if you’re concerned about the dough being too soft as a result, chilling the dough will remedy that.
I’m no expert, but I’ve been baking & cooking for over 25 years, have done some baking professionally, and I do a lot of reading about food traditions in other countries. You might track down Beatrice Ojakangas’ baking books about Scandinavian traditions; she’s an incredible resource.
LikeLike
And Jayne — canning guidelines have changed over the years so that any possibility of food-borne illness is as minimalized as possible. Plus, there are so many recipes out there that it may be impossible to find an exact match for your mother’s formulation. Can you buy specific spices or does her recipe simply list “bread & butter pickle spice”?
You might try these websites for solid guidelines: http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html
http://www.freshpreserving.com/recipes.aspx
Trial & error in finding something that tastes just like your mom’s pickles takes more time and effort than it would in finding a duplicate cookie recipe, for instance. I hope you find the answers sooner than later.
LikeLike
I remember having the “sliced iced cream” for ice cream sandwiches but cannot find (to buy or make) the waffle type sandwiches we used to put them on. They were not a soft waffle. They were purchased in packages and on the hard side. Please Help. Thank you, Carole
LikeLike
Hi ! I’m searching for an Old World Style black forest cake recipe..anyone?
LikeLike
I am searching for a Pickle recipe…even the pickle’s name. My grandmother who made them was from Brooklyn, NY and married an Alabama man, so I am not sure if it’s a southern recipe or not. She didn’t have a name for them except holiday pickles. She started calling them “Margo’s pickles” since I liked them so much. She would dye them red or dark green. They were spears but not seeded like dill spears. They were a really spicy sweet pickle (maybe with some ginger in it?), not bread and butter but that’s the closest I can compare them too. I would love to make them myself! When she died, no one knew where the recipe was…so it was lost with her. I am hoping it was a common recipe years ago…She was born in 1918 if that is any help… Thanks!
LikeLike
added: The pickles did not have the peel/skin on and were very crisp
LikeLike
I am looking for a recipe for cobblers that had a bottom crust lots of juice and the top crust in pieces on top of the liquid but not one piece toplots of crunchy crust intermixed with the cobbler. it was so delishes!!
LikeLike
I am looking for an old receipe from the 50’s. My Aunt would make these jam squares with what looked like a basic dough. She would roll out the dough, add the jam, and then add another layer of dough. After she baked them in a jelly roll pan, should would cut across the pan similar to a brownie. The dough was very thin but somehow she made them so perfectly that the jam never oozed out and burnt like you would think it would. She may have used Cisco, I am not sure though. I would be thrilled if someone could come up with Auntie’s receipe for these yummy jam squares. By that way, sometime she would alternate her technique and roll the with peanut butter. My mouth is watering just thinking about them. Thanks…happy baking to all who enjoy it as much I do.
LikeLike
I have a cook book with a meatloaf recipe fron 1914. It calls for 25 cents round steak and 15 cent pork-how much in pounds would that be today? Also calls for lemon rind-would love to try this. Thanks!!!
LikeLike
While researching your request, I found a great site called the Historical Text Archive. Since the 1990s they have been providing historical text content that is in the public domain for free. One of the tidbits they have is a listing of food prices!
http://historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php?action=read&artid=418
One pound of sirloin in 1913 cost just under 25 cents. Pork chops were 22 cents per pound. My guess would be 1 pound beef, 1/2 pound pork.
LikeLike
I need to know how to can green beans from my garden
LikeLike
Doesn’t look like you got an answer. Try searching for Ball canning book on Amazon.
LikeLike
My mother and grandmother made this desert every Christmas. Both have passed since but never had the recipe. I saw your grams recipe and this is it! Could I please get the recipe from you? I see the ingredients but no discription. Thank you for your time
LikeLike
I inherited a set of Mary Margaret McBride Encyclopedias of Cooking. They were printed in 1958. Their recipe for BnB pickle spices are: turmeric, mustard seed, celery seed, and cassia buds. Do any of those sound familiar?
LikeLike
All of them are familiar to me. You can get all except cassia buds at your local market. For those look to online retailers of quality herbs and spices.
LikeLike
I am looking for the original recipes for Mayonnaise Cake, Candied Watermelon Pickles, and Chicken & Dumplings that you don’t roll out and cut but actually dump the dough into the chicken & broth. Can you help me? Thanks much.
LikeLike
Do you have a recipe for Apie cookies that take sour cream?
LikeLike