friday thread: what dinners did your parents cook growing up?

[JustinCharge 2,397]

gogog

[Bier Meister 1,513]

Mom was not a wonderful cook.  she did a few things pretty well:

chicken/veal parm

she made a peach chicken

poached salmon.

french toast

[the newb 23]

Fried pork chops

Lots of Italian 

oregano chicken (baked)

those stick out

[fandandy 3,311]

My mom wasn't much for cooking.  She would make a pepper steak with green peppers in the pressure cooker.  That was pretty good.  Most everything else she cooked turned out dry unless she would make like hamburgers in a can of mushroom gravy.  She didn't mess that one up too bad.  She's not exactly June Cleaver. 

[Djgb13 2,338]

My dad was the one who did the cooking. Subsequently, I learned how to cook from him. But he cooked a variety of things. Stewed squash and onions, mashed potatoes with giblet gravy, stuffing, rice, cornbread, corn, cabbage, collards, rice, peas, beans, okra, ribs, steaks, country fried chicken/steak, fish, chicken casserole and brown rice, fried pork chops, fried/baked turkey, fried/baked chicken, bbq chicken, anything on the grill, stewed beef and rice, beef stew, catfish stew, etc. There’s SO much he cooked I honestly can’t list it all. But he’s an amazing cook. So much so that my sister pays him to go to her house twice a week to cook. And to also teach her how to cook a few things. 

[shorepatrol 1,737]

 Dad cooked nothing but sh!t cheap meat POORLY. 

[nzoner 936]

mama nzoner worked at one of the first Dairy Queens for 30+ years so other than chili dogs and chocolate malts my main memories are goulash and SOS

[Cloaca du jour 2,064]

2 hours ago, the newb said:

Fried pork chops

Lots of Italian 

oregano chicken (baked)

those stick out

I think our moms were related...so much damn oregano chicken...

[MDC 5,890]

Pretty typical stuff - meatballs and spaghetti, meat loaf, breaded chicken cutlets. Every now and then we’d have pancakes and bacon for dinner. That was awesome. Mom also used to make pepper steak, one of my faves.

[Hardcore troubadour 12,626]

My mother grew up dirt poor. Not American style poor, but real poor, like hunger pangs poor. So she ended up being a fantastic cook. Could have cooked in a high class restaurant.  Wasted nothing and made no mistakes.  It's not like we had money to waste either. And soda was a rare treat, and the good humor man didn't bother slowing down in front of our house despite there being 5 kids there. 

[nzoner 936]

35 minutes ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

  Wasted nothing and made no mistakes. 

Mama nzoner used to make potato cakes out of leftover mashed potatoes,I didn't much care for them but nothing was going to waste.

[Frozenbeernuts 1,652]

My mom wasn't much of a cook until later in life. Now she makes some good meals. My grandma did 99% of the cooking while growing up. She was fantastic. She wasn't Italian, but my grandfather was 100% Sicilian, so she learned how to make the family sauce and meatballs. That was a regular meal on many Sundays

Pasta Fazool

American style sauce on spaghetti

Pork chops with mashed potatoes

Chicken soup

Beef tips. One with red sauce and noodles, one with more of a juice with rice.

Nadias

Fried potatoes

Green peppers, eggs and baked beans with dego bread.

Mg grandma has basically vowed to never cook again because she cooked so often. I miss it. 

[nzoner 936]

1 minute ago, Frozenbeernuts said:

Green peppers, eggs and baked beans with dego bread.

 

Was this mixed together?

[Frozenbeernuts 1,652]

When I was living with my step dad though, hamburger helper. Bologna. Frozen pizza. Sometimes nothing to eat at all. 

[Big Guy 1,400]

I grew up in a Family of 7 kids.

My Mom would make the best home made Pizza, she'd often make 3 full cookie sheets ( rectangle ) When there wasn't pepperoni they often contained ground beef and green olives. Seriously, it was so good that neighbors would get upset if there wasn't enough to share.

Also, I still make this today, but Meatloaf, Baked Beans & Baked Potatoes was an absolute fave.

oooh, forgot to add....

Stuffed Peppers ( Rice & Ground Beef, tomato sauce in Bell Peppers )

[Frozenbeernuts 1,652]

1 minute ago, nzoner said:

Was this mixed together?

She sautéed the green peppers on low until they were soft. Seasoned them. Then she added the eggs over the top. She cooked the beans separately. It all went on the plate, but the bread was dipped in the olive oil, the peppers and eggs put on top and then bean juices and beans kind of scooped onto that. It's a great combo. 

[nzoner 936]

1 minute ago, Frozenbeernuts said:

She sautéed the green peppers on low until they were soft. Seasoned them. Then she added the eggs over the top. She cooked the beans separately. It all went on the plate, but the bread was dipped in the olive oil, the peppers and eggs put on top and then bean juices and beans kind of scooped onto that. It's a great combo. 

Not a big fan of green pepper but it definitely sounds like something I'd like to give a try.

[Frozenbeernuts 1,652]

2 minutes ago, nzoner said:

Not a big fan of green pepper but it definitely sounds like something I'd like to give a try.

If you did make sure to use a decent amount of olive oil, salt and garlic. Don't drown the food in oil, but a little too much is better than not enough. I know I didn't like green peppers as a kid and I still liked this meal

[t.j. booker 206]

oh the usual stuff like hamburgers and French fries, fried chicken, chicken fried steak, baked ziti, bacon Mac and cheese. And if I was a good boy that day I got an ice cream sundae with hot fudge whipped cream sprinkles and three cherries on top.  

I miss you mom.  

[vuduchile 1,941]

My dad had terrible taste when it came to food, so we ended up eating all the same stupid stuff he did.  The worst were the boiled, mushy vegetables.  Boiled cabbage, brussel sprouts, spinach, etc.   I hated all that sh!t with a passion.  He would also eat hamburger patties plain.  No bun, no cheese, nothing. So a typical dinner would be a hamburger patty, some boiled cabbage and maybe some frozen corn. 

Maybe once a week we would have something really good.  My mom's specialties were spaghetti, goulash, fried chicken and pork chops.  

When my parents split, my dad would bring home a can of Dinty Moore Beef Stew every night and throw it on the stove for us to all share. 

[Hardcore troubadour 12,626]

19 minutes ago, vuduchile said:

My dad had terrible taste when it came to food, so we ended up eating all the same stupid stuff he did.  The worst were the boiled, mushy vegetables.  Boiled cabbage, brussel sprouts, spinach, etc.   I hated all that sh!t with a passion.  He would also eat hamburger patties plain.  No bun, no cheese, nothing. So a typical dinner would be a hamburger patty, some boiled cabbage and maybe some frozen corn. 

Maybe once a week we would have something really good.  My mom's specialties were spaghetti, goulash, fried chicken and pork chops.  

When my parents split, my dad would bring home a can of Dinty Moore Beef Stew every night and throw it on the stove for us to all share. 

Did he give you a carton of Marlboro reds for Christmas and tell you to  smoke up? 

[JustinCharge 2,397]

49 minutes ago, Frozenbeernuts said:

My mom wasn't much of a cook until later in life. Now she makes some good meals. My grandma did 99% of the cooking while growing up. She was fantastic. She wasn't Italian, but my grandfather was 100% Sicilian, so she learned how to make the family sauce and meatballs. That was a regular meal on many Sundays

Pasta Fazool

American style sauce on spaghetti

Pork chops with mashed potatoes

Chicken soup

Beef tips. One with red sauce and noodles, one with more of a juice with rice.

Nadias

Fried potatoes

Green peppers, eggs and baked beans with dego bread.

Mg grandma has basically vowed to never cook again because she cooked so often. I miss it. 

What's the recipe for your family sauce and meatballs?

[Frozenbeernuts 1,652]

2 hours ago, riversco said:

What's the recipe for your family sauce and meatballs?

I do not know, but I could possibly find out. I have never learned to make it, but I really should. It's is hands down the best sauce I have ever had

[taco breath 419]

my mom wasnt much of a cook.

ground beef patty, baked potato and green beans were the highlight.

[Cruzer 1,992]

Cheese enchiladas....not from a can, the real stuff.

Chicken caldo.

[Masshole 642]

Chicken,  lots and lots of chicken.     Not sure why (easy & cheap?).

My dad had a running joke.   He'd get home from work and ask my mom;  "so what kind of chicken are we having for dinner tonight?"

Traditions go on.   Mostly because I am a lazy fuk and chicken is easy to grill, fry, etc - we have some kind of chicken like 4 out of 7 nights a week.   

[vuduchile 1,941]

On 11/16/2019 at 1:01 PM, riversco said:

What's the recipe for your family sauce and meatballs?

I'll give you mine if you want:

Sauce:  (if you can get some good canned stuff from an Italian store, it will be better than the regular grocery store stuff)

3 cans tomato sauce

2 cans tomato paste

1 can diced tomatoes

1 cup tomato juice

1 cup red wine

1 stick of butter

1 chopped onion

fresh basil

fresh garlic

salt and pepper

1 lb of Italian sausage. - Cut into bite size pieces

Get butter, onions, and sausage going.  Throw in garlic once the onions are carmelized and the sausage is browned.  Cook that for a couple minutes, then add everything else. 

Meatballs

2 parts ground beef, 1 part ground veal, 1 part ground pork

Bread crumbs

1 Egg

Garlic

Oregano

Parmesan chesse

Salt and Pepper

Brown them in Olive Oil then let them finish cooking in the sauce.  

Simmer the sauce for at least 3 hours.  

Serve over whatever fresh pasta you can get your hands on.  

 

 

 

 

 

[Alias Detective 1,179]

Moms brother was a butcher at the local grocery store.  Any meat that was past date would go int a box.  Guess who got the box?  We did.

 

So yes, we had steak all the time, but it wasn’t the best cuts and they were on their way to turn8ng Bree.

[jerryskids 5,191]

My mom wasn't a good cook, but after reading the crap some of you grew up with, I can't easily complain.  Mostly it was a lack of variety; she made maybe 10 things total and the only spice was salt we put on ourselves.  Her mom was a good cook so I don't know why the apple fell far from the tree. 

Dad grilled burgers or hot dogs every Monday, that is the only thing I remember him cooking.  

[IGotWorms 3,310]

My mom is/was a pretty good cook though she doesn’t season quite enough. She does seafood and pasta dishes very well. She always wanted meat cooked well done so steak and pork chops were not great. Very good with chicken and turkey though and she’s got the sides mastered. If she cooked meat a little less aggressively and seasoned a bit more she would be great, but I got no complaints. We always ate well growing up and I still look forward to holiday meals at their place.

My dad got into cooking a little later in life and he kinda sucked at it for a while, but now he’s getting good at the meat and potatoes type basics.

Now my in-laws, on the other hand, cannot cook to save their lives. They also just don’t eat that much. I hate going to visit as I feel like I’m starving there.

[titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745]

Growing up, lots of chicken. Casseroles. Italian. Meatloaf.

Later in her life, she went to cooking classes a lot and got much fancier.

[TBayXXXVII 2,114]

On Friday night?  My mom and/or grandmother cooked every night.

[RLLD 3,455]

Mostly what we grew.

Lot's of rabbit. I would hunt for them, kill one and could skin it in less than 15 minutes. We grew chickens so there was lots of that.  Had some geese and goats and such, would periodically kill one of those. Sometimes we would invest in a portion of a cow, that was usually for Christmas.