My son just asked for Grandma's Chicken Casserole recipe, which reminded me about all the 'old' recipes I've collected over the years. I did find a big folder of them--but to be honest, there's only one that I actually use--word for word. More on that later.
Back to Mike's question, first. I never did find the 'real' recipe! That's because I do a 'quick version'. Grandma (his great grandmother) was a fantastic cook; she even baked and sold everything from pies and cakes to candy! Everyone loved her home cooking. My favorites are many, but to limit the list: made from scratch Red Velvet Cake (before anyone thought to make it a 'box' cake mix) with made-from-scratch frosting, Chocolate Covered Cherries, ham salad, and of course--Chicken Casserole.
Now, Grandma baked a whole chicken, then deboned it. And of course, she made 'noodles' from scratch to go in the casserole. As for me: I used canned chicken and a package of store-bought noodles. I do chop bell pepper and celery, cook them and then put them in the casserole. And I buy a jar or two of 'chicken gravy'. Then I bake it. I think she put onions in hers, but since my family isn't wild about onions, I never bothered with that.
That's the recipe I use most often. But the entire family's very favorite came from my great uncle Vic--one of Grandma's brothers-in-law. Uncle Vic was a cook in the Merchant Marines. His made-from-scratch Spaghetti Sauce is fantastic!! Now, using 7 spices is rather expensive; so this is a 'special' occasion recipe. Naturally, as with all good, old recipes--there's no actual 'measurements'. Oh, the basic: 'about' 2 tablespoons of each spice; but you mainly go by 'taste'. And my mother always simmered hers for 4 or 5 hours. Personally, we prefer not to let it 'cook down' that much. So I only let it simmer an hour or so.
We call this recipe: Italian Spaghetti--probably due to the many spices. And frequently, I will double the recipe and send some leftovers home with my kids, and/or freeze some for later. Some years ago, I started fixing this as our family Thanksgiving dinner--or even for Christmas.
Thinking of Uncle Vic and Aunt Laura reminds me of the one time my immediate family visited them in New Orleans. I was very young, so about all I remember is their Mynah bird and the lovely, lush back yard! The latter might be due to the photos Mom had of that 'garden'. When I got married, they sent me a 'Cookbook for Two'.
Grandma had 12 siblings, but once we moved away from Indiana, I really didn't see any of them. However, I do remember once when my husband and I were visiting Grandma, we drove up to her hometown and had 'Sunday dinner' with one Aunt and Uncle--yeah, it was fried chicken. I think that was a staple--for Sunday dinners, at least for farm families. So yes...thinking about family recipes brings back fond family memories.
