By Sarah Fertsch
Staff Writer
We are always looking to feel nostalgia, whether you’re scrolling through old photos or traveling for high school reunions, or tearing up at home videos. One way to pass along traditions and feel warm and fuzzy is to spruce up your mom’s old recipes. Every Christmas season, my Grandma comes over to bake cookies. She grips her mother’s recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies tight and proudly reads aloud the instructions, squinting to interpret my Nana’s cursive. We bake the cookies and taste them, and while oatmeal raisin cookies can’t beat chocolate chip ones in taste, we love envisioning my Nana hunched over her little oven in upstate Pennsylvania, serving them warm to my Grandma and her four younger siblings. I’m sure you have your own heartwarming recipes and traditions, but if you are looking for something comforting, here are five recipes that will make you smile and think of childhood:
Grilled Cheese
and Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
Rye bread, sliced
Gruyere cheese, shredded
Sharp cheddar, shredded
- 3 tbsp of mayonnaise
- 1 can of tomato puree, 28 ounces
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 1 tsp of olive oil
- 2 tbsp of salt
- 1 tsp of pepper
- 1 tsp of garlic powder
- 1 tsp of red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp of rosemary
- 2 tsp of basil, freshly chopped
In a large soup pot, warm up oil over medium heat. After 2 minutes, add onion and garlic. Let soften for 2-3 minutes.
Pour tomatoes into the pot and stir. Add chicken stock and spices, and let simmer for 30 minutes.
Once the soup has thickened, add heavy cream and stir. Ladle into bowls and top with chopped basil.
Spread mayonnaise onto slices of bread. In a frying pan over medium heat, place a slice of bread, shredded cheese (equal parts cheddar and gruyere), and top with the second slice of bread.
After 2-3 minutes, flip the sandwich so that the bread is crispy and golden. Let cook for another minute until the cheese has melted.
Turn off the heat and serve with a yummy tomato dip!
Pancakes
Bananas Foster
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of pancake mix
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup of whole milk
- 1 cup of canola oil
- 4 bananas, sliced
- 1/3 cup of rum
- 1/2 cup of pecans
- 3 tbsp of brown sugar
- 2 tbsp of butter
- 1 tsp of salt
- Whipped cream
- Maple syrup
Whisk together pancake mix, eggs, milk, and oil. Heat 1 tsp of butter over medium heat in a saute pan and ladle batter into the pan. Flip pancakes as they bubble at the edges, cooking for 1-2 minutes on each side.
After the pancakes are done, melt butter in the pan and add bananas, pecans, salt, brown sugar, and rum (be careful of flames). Let cook over medium heat until the bananas are soft and pecans are fragrant.
Spoon bananas foster over pancakes and top with syrup and whipped cream. Delicious!
Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients:
- 6 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
- 2 large yellow onions, diced
- 1 green onion, sliced thin
- 1 package of pasta, fettuccine, or penne
- 5 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 5 carrots, sliced into coins
- 4 stalks of celery, sliced
- 5 cups of chicken stock
- 1 dash of fish sauce
- 1 dash of soy sauce
- 2 tbsp of lemon juice
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tsp of rosemary
- 3 tsp of oregano
- 2 tsp of red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp of salt
- 2 tsp of pepper
- Chopped fresh parsley
- Melted butter
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken thighs on a sheet pan and salt generously. Bake for 45 minutes then let cool. Once cooled, use two forks to shred chicken and place to the side.
In a large soup bowl, add a tab of butter and let it over medium heat. Dump in onion, garlic, celery, and carrots. Let soften for 10 minutes.
Add fish sauce, soy sauce, lemon juice, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, rosemary, and oregano. Pour in chicken stock and let simmer for one hour.
Stir in shredded chicken and ladle into bowls. Garnish with chopped parsley and enjoy on a blustery day!
Espresso Brownies
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup of cocoa powder
- 1 cup of white sugar
- 1/3 cup of espresso powder
- 1 tsp of baking soda
- 1 tsp of salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup of melted butter
- ½ package of dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup of canola oil
Sift flour into a large bowl. Combine espresso powder, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. A place to the side.
Use an electric mixer to stir together sugar, eggs, butter, and oil.
Slowly add dry ingredients into the wet mixture until the batter is well-mixed with no clumps. Mix in chocolate chips.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour batter into a nonstick baking pan and bake for 30 minutes until the brownies are soft and firm.
Time for dessert!
Peanut butter and
Jelly Sandwich
Ingredients:
- 2 slices of bread of choice, preferably potato or brioche
- Peanut butter of choice
- 1 cup of raspberries
- 1 cup of white sugar
- ¼ cup of orange zest
- 1 tbsp of lemon juice
- 1 tbsp of cornstarch
In a small saucepan, cook raspberries, sugar, orange zest, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Muddle raspberries until the mixture becomes thick and jammy, 4-5 minutes.
Toast the bread for 2-3 minutes. Spread peanut butter and jelly thick and top with the second slice of bread. Enjoy!
