A couple of days ago my grandmother sent out an email to our family suggesting that we start compiling our favorite recipes to make a family cookbook. My sister jumped on it and offered to illustrate it and have it bound. We’re so excited to get all of our favorites down for our family. Of course, I’m not sure which recipes I’ll be able to contribute to our family cookbook, since most of our favorites ‘belong’ to someone else. And, I am not a very creative cook. But, in the spirit of passing along recipes, I want to share a few of our family favorites!
PawPaw’s Famous Egg Nog Waffles
(Historically made only on Christmas Morning, they now are made for extra special occasion’s as well. We all love them, and PawPaw has used the same old school waffle maker for years. In fact, my husband searched for YEARS to find the exact same model. He had to do a major refurb on it, but now it works like a charm.)
2 Cups Bisquick
2/3 Cup Milk
2/3 Cup Eggnog
1 Egg
2 T. Oil
Mix all ingredients together with whisk or hand mixer, until well blended. Pour into the center of hot waffle iron. Top with chopped pecans, if desired. (We always do this, since PawPaw picks up, literally, hundreds of pounds of pecans each year.) Bake in waffle iron until the steaming stops. Serve with your favorite breakfast sides and warmed syrup. YUM!
PawPaw’s Bloody Mary Mix
(Another family favorite – usually made for holiday get togethers and parties. It makes a TON of mix. You could half it, if you prefer. I used to drink the mix, even as a kid. Loved it!)
2 – 46oz. Tomato Juice (not V8)
1 – 16oz. V8
2 – 6oz. cans of Frozen Orange Juice
6 – 6oz. cans of water
½ Cup Worcestershire Sauce
2 tsp. Horseradish
Juice of 2 Fresh Lemons (Be sure to strain seeds!)
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Celery Salt
2 tsp. Tabasco Sauce (You can add more later to taste.)
2 tsp. Garlic Powder
Mix it all up in a gigantic container. Let ‘season’ overnight. Keep refrigerated. Serve over ice with a celery or olive garnish. And, of course, a shot of your favorite vodka.
“Cheater” Chicken Noodle Casserole
(I make this anytime we need a super fast, simple meal. It is ridiculously easy, not exactly the healthiest, but I always seem to have the ingredients on hand, and everyone in the family loves it. You could sub tuna for the chicken, if you prefer.)
1 lb. of dry pasta (whatever you have; spaghetti, rotini, elbow noodles – doesn’t matter.)
1 Can of cooked chicken breast in water (told you this was a cheater recipe)
1 large can of Cream of Chicken Soup
Shredded Cheese (optional)
Cook your pasta according to the package directions. Drain leaving about ½ cup of the pasta water in the noodles. Drain the canned chicken, then add to the noodles. Add in the whole can of Cream of Chicken Soup. (If you like a less rich/saucy casserole, only use about ¾ of the can. Mix it all up. Now, my kids (and husband) will eat it just like this out of the pot. That whole process takes an additional 3 minutes after cooking the pasta. Super fast. Super Simple. However – if you want to fancy it up a little bit, transfer the casserole mixture into an 9×11 casserole dish. Top with shredded cheese, and, if you’re feeling really fancy (and have no allergies), add some slivered almonds. Throw it in the oven, at 350 degrees, for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Serve it up with a veg of your choice. Every single person in our family eats the you-know-what out of this.
Let me know if you try any of our favorites- what are some of yours??
