For Christmas, Mom and Dad gave each of my sisters and me a note with a pan of frozen lasagna. The note read:
During the year of 2022 you will receive a Mama’s Recipe (cook’s choice) delivered to your door one time monthly by Papa’s Food Truck.” (The “food truck” is just my mom and dad delivering food to my sisters and me—not an actual business.)
Part of the gift includes the container the food comes in.
The list for each month is below. You’ll also find recipes (where available) and links to the containers.
PS: If you click and buy through these links, Her View From Home will receive a small commission—which should go back to Mom. Ha! Thanks friends!
The 3-tiered serving tray was made out of antique plates (found at local thrift shops) and the top bowl is a jelly dish Mom and Dad received as a wedding gift in 1967. Dad made the serving tray by drilling a hole in the center of each tray (use a diamond bit, he says) and Mom ordered the three tiered dessert tray stem online.
Skroodle Salad, Garlic Bread, Pepper plant + Flip Lid Salad on Ice (container)
Skroodle Salad
Ingredients
1 cup salad oil
1 1/4 c ketchup
1/2tsp salt
1 1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 Tblsp lemon juice
8 oz Rotini Noodles—cooked
2 medium tomatoes chopped
1 medium cucumber seeded and chopped
4-5 stalks celery chopped
2 medium green peppers chopped
1 medium onion chopped
In a deep large bowl, mix dressing ingredients for at least 5 minutes. Do not mix in a blender. Add dressing, veggies and Rotini. Mix well. Refrigerate overnight, stirring occasionally.
Mom’s notes:
Cut the dressing in half or double the recipe.
Add chunks of your favorite cheese and hard salami or pepperoni to make a heartier meal.
Veggies can be added to your own imagination (zucchini, olive, blanched asparagus pieces)
1 cup diced chicken or tuna or shrimp (Mom used 1/2 rotisserie chicken)
1 cup diced celery
1 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup diced onion
1 cup mayonnaise
Prepared mustard to taste (Dijon)
1/2 cup slivered almonds
Mix together and refrigerate. When ready to serve, top with shoestring potatoes.
Mom served on lettuce and added the almonds/shoestring potatoes on top but you can mix those in if you like. We’ve also served on croissants (which is delicious). Serve with fruit to round out the meal.
(Disposable containers this month as we just moved into a new home)
Creamy Chicken Breasts
4 whole boneless chicken breasts—skinned, halved
8 slices processed Swiss cheese (can also use shredded)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 cups crumbly style herbed flavored stuffing
1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted
Heat over to 350. Grease 13 x 9 baking pan. Place one slice of cheese on each breast in pan. Combine wine and soup. Pour over chicken. Sprinkle with stuffing, drizzle with margarine. Bake 50-60 minutes
Recipes lends itself to larger quantities with longer cooking times.
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place ribs in large pan. Add salt. Cover with tinfoil. Cook for two hours, covered.
Remove from oven. Add 3/4 BBQ sauce + rum and cook for another 1.5 hours, covered.
Add remaining sauce, cook for 30 minutes. Serve.
Cheesy Cornflake Potatoes
2 pound bag Frozen Hash Browns, thawed
2 teaspoons minced onion OR 1 whole onion, finally chopped
1 to 2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cups shredded American cheese
1 pint sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 cups Corn Flakes, crushed
Mix all the ingredients except 1/4 cup of the melted margarine and the Corn Flakes. Pour into buttered plan (9×13). Top with crushed Corn Flakes mixed with 1/4 cup melted butter. Bake 45-60 minutes at 350 degrees.
“Meatloaf recipe I grew up with as scavenged from Mom’s head”
2 lbs ground beef
1 cup ketchup
1 tsp salt
1 diced medium sweet onion (about 1 cup)
1 sleeve saltine crackers, crushed
3 eggs
Mix above ingredients together. I use my heavy duty mixer but you can use your hands to mix.
Top meatloaf with following glaze before baking in 350 degree oven for 1 hour. I’ve given you amounts for glaze ingredients but I actually just eyeball it and taste when I think it looks good.
Glaze
4 T Ketchup
1 T mustard
1/3 cup brown sugar
Good Enough for Church Potluck Bundt Cake
1 chocolate cake mix
1 brownie mix
4 eggs
1 cup oil
1 1/4 cup water
Mix together in bowl. Spray bundt pan (can also use 9×13 pan). Cook at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes.
Line a 15x10x1-in. baking pan with heavy-duty foil; grease lightly. Place salmon skin side down on foil. Sprinkle with lemon pepper and onion salt. Top with onion and lemon. Dot with butter. Fold foil around salmon; seal tightly.
Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Open foil carefully, allowing steam to escape. Broil 4-6 in. from the heat for 3-5 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
Meanwhile, combine the sauce ingredients until smooth. Serve with salmon.
Mom’s Pumpkin Pie
1 9-inch unbaked pie shell
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
2 cups pumpkin
1 ½ (12 oz) evaporated milk
Directions
Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs lightly in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes in preheated 425-degree oven. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.
Pie Crust
3 cups flour
1 1 /4 lard or shortening
1 beaten egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vinegar
5-6 tablespoons very cold water
Cut shortening/lard into flour and salt until resembles small peas. Mix egg, vinegar, and water together. Add to the flour, salt and shortening mixture.
Mix the wet ingredients gently into the dry ingredients using a fork to stir. Overmixing cause a tough crust. Roll out dough on a floured surface (the shape of your pie pan).
December
Christmas Brunch
The french toast is one of our favorites and Mom said she’s been making the biscuits for years.
And Dad says “Be careful” instead of uttering the words.
Maybe it’s a generational thing? A product of being born in the late ’40s. Tough love and all that jazz?
For whatever reason, I love you is much easier for me to say out loud.
I say it on the end of phone calls, and when we talk, and apparently, I write it for the world to read.
“I love you.”
That’s how I tell my loved ones how I feel.
But my parents? They show me—with a batch of potato soup.
Let’s back up.
For Christmas 2021, Mom and Dad gave each of my sisters and me a note with a pan of frozen lasagna. The note read:
“During the year of 2022 you will receive a Mama’s Recipe (cook’s choice) delivered to your door one time monthly by Papa’s Food Truck.”
She went on to explain how to prepare January’s frozen lasagna, and signed the letter “Mom and Dad.”
No love in front of it, of course.
You should know something about my mother—she is an excellent cook. Growing up, we didn’t eat fast food, as it simply wasn’t an option for a kid who lived in the country. But I’m also pretty sure Mom didn’t want us to eat that anyway.
She cooked every meal from scratch. And it was delicious.
So, my sisters and I were thrilled to receive this gift from Mom and Dad.
Who wouldn’t want a night off from cooking each month? Bonus points that the food was made by my mama.
“Your Dad helped too,” Mom told me as she dropped off the soup. “He cut all those potatoes into small squares. Here are the instructions. Make sure you add some broth as it will be thick.”
Then I opened a box of her favorite crackers.
“Your dad and I love these crackers,” she said. “We eat them at our favorite restaurant—so I searched the internet for them and ordered some for you. These don’t get soggy in your soup,” she added.
I offered her a cup of coffee, but she had to get back on the road to deliver the rest of the soup to each of my sisters. We all live in different towns across Nebraska—the trip would take her all morning.
Leslie is the founder and owner of Her View From Home.com. She is also a former news anchor, published children’s book author, weekly columnist, and has several published short stories as well.
She is married to a very patient man. Together they have three fantastic kids.
When she’s not sharing too much personal information online and in the newspaper – you’ll find Leslie somewhere in Nebraska hanging out with family and friends. There’s also a 75% chance at any given time, you’ll spot her in the aisles at Target.
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