Food & Drink Discussions

After my parents got divorced and Dad had to cook for two kids he would make Steak - Um's a few times a week.  My Mom never made us red meat so it was a fun treat!  I find myself thinking of them at times but I won't let myself buy them because I'm afraid that I won't like them as much as I remember.

Steak-Ums RULE! I used to eat them all the time as a kid and loved them. Now I want to buy some! My mother had the ability to make everything she cooked taste really good. I miss her chicken, biscuits, and gravy meal with dumplings she made often. I didn't really like it then (I didn't like ANY food as a kid) but now I wish I knew how she made it taste so good.

Once in a while I get an urge for "pigs in a blanket" - hamburger (or lamb but I never ate the lamb type) and rice rolled up inside cabbage leaves or grape leaves, in a thin tomato sauce. My mother would make two kinds - the cabbage type and ones in grape leaves from the yard. I rarely ate the outside of either kind (cabbage wasn't a fave nor were leaves!) but the stuff inside in the sauce tasted good. I haven't had anything like that since my mom got sick and passed away.

My favorite stuff though as a kid was "penny candy". I would go and buy 15 or 20 pieces of it and love every sugary piece of Kits, licorice whips, those coconut candies that look like bacon (pink, white, and brown. No idea what they are really called), Red Hot Dollars, Mary Janes, candy dots on paper, BB Bats, etc. Some of that stuff is still around but it just isn't the same unless you buy it for a penny and it's all put into a little white bag.

I fondly remember these donuts my mom would keep in the freezer and then we would have to deep fry them.  They were always in the freezer and we only got them every so often as a treat.

I remember Steak-Ums!  I haven't thought of them in years. 

lilsquibb said…
I fondly remember these donuts my mom would keep in the freezer and then we would have to deep fry them.  They were always in the freezer and we only got them every so often as a treat.

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Hmmm.  Were they yeast donuts? [like a fried dough]  Sounds yummy.

My Grandmother's homemade chicken soup, pierogies, and stuffed cabbage.  I followed her recipes but it just isn't the same.   She and my Grandfather would spend hours preparing these dishes for us....I guess it was the love they put into it that made them so good! 

I don't eat meat and having in 30 years but once in awhile I think about the lambchops my mom used to make me and the spareribs at Chinese restaurants..

LOL  - Steak-ums. I have a pack the freezor. The boys love them. Well, I do too.

When I was a kid, we had them a few times. My brother who is a math/computer whiz did the math and told my Mom that they cost more than premium steak per pound. The other brother was really mad. He was the Steak-Um lover. I don't much remember having them after that.

I really don't have them on hand all the time. They were on sale - buy one pack and get one free a couple of weeks ago. So, I got a blast from the past and still think they are great with onions, peppers and served on big, hearty sandwich rolls.

I miss my Grandma's homemade fried apple pies and fried cabbage with lunchmeat. I also miss my Granny's canned ravioli--she would go to the trouble to make crabcakes from scratch and I'd ask for Chef Boyardee!

Actually I miss a LOT of foods with gluten (wheat, rye, barley), milk, nuts, eggs, corn and all the other stuff we're avoiding because it causes the girls so many problems. I'm really wishing that some day they will grow out of it, but I'd probably immediately gain 50 pounds in making up for lost time.

Katrena said…

Actually I miss a LOT of foods with gluten (wheat, rye, barley), milk, nuts, eggs, corn and all the other stuff we're avoiding because it causes the girls so many problems. I'm really wishing that some day they will grow out of it, but I'd probably immediately gain 50 pounds in making up for lost time.

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Me too. I hate having Celiac Disease (no wheat or gluten foods). I also can't have milk products. All the good food I can't eat anymore. The food I miss the most is bread. The bread that you can make or buy that is Wheat-Free and Gluten-Free does not taste really good. I lost 20 pounds in a few months after cutting out wheat, gluten, and milk.   

Oh when I was little I absolutely loved Marie Callendars Butterscotch Pie.  They don't make it anymore and I still think about it and Marie Callendars says they'll bake any pie if you give them advance warning.  But I'm afraid it was actually made out of butterscotch pudding (like in the box) and I'll taint the memory forever.

krislynn said…

Katrena said…

Actually I miss a LOT of foods with gluten (wheat, rye, barley), milk, nuts, eggs, corn and all the other stuff we're avoiding because it causes the girls so many problems. I'm really wishing that some day they will grow out of it, but I'd probably immediately gain 50 pounds in making up for lost time.

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Me too. I hate having Celiac Disease (no wheat or gluten foods). I also can't have milk products. All the good food I can't eat anymore. The food I miss the most is bread. The bread that you can make or buy that is Wheat-Free and Gluten-Free does not taste really good. I lost 20 pounds in a few months after cutting out wheat, gluten, and milk.   

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I actually developed a pretty good and easy gluten free recipe for white yeast bread. It almost always comes out pretty well, and I'd love to share it with anyone who would like to make it:

2 cups rice flour
1 cup potato starch flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups rice milk (I use Rice Dream with calcium) or soy milk (I've used Soy--plain)
2 Tablespoons unsweetened applesauce (in place of 2 Tbsp butter)
3 large eggs (I use egg replacer instead)
1 packet yeast (NOT rapid rise--I use Fleishman's)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Combine the three types of flour, sugar, xanthan gum, salt, eggs (or replacer) and applesauce in a large mixing bowl.
3. Slightly warm rice milk or soy milk in microwave and then add yeast to it and add to flour mixture.
4. Mix until dough resembles thick cake batter.
5. Pour dough into two greased loaf pans. (In place of grease, I use waxed paper--Blue Bonnet light margarine sticks are gluten free and casein free in case you prefer to use that.)
6. TURN THE OVEN OFF and place the pans in the oven. Let the dough rise until doubled, about 60 minutes. (Or if you are cooking other things in the oven and/or on top of the stove, you can place the pans on top of the stove and cover with a slightly dampened towel and let rise until doubled.)
7. Turn oven on (with bread still in it) to 375 degrees and bake for approx. 40 minutes until loaves are golden and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. (You may need to cover the loaves with foil halfway through bake time to prevent over-browning.)
8. Remove loaves from oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
9. ENJOY! I've served this at birthday parties and people have told me it's as good as "regular" yeast bread. I've never had enough left to freeze, so I'm not sure how well it would hold up if frozen and thawed. Use within 2-3 days or it will begin to mold.
   

Thanks again Katrena for sharing this gluten-free bread recipe. I can't wait to try it.

krislynn said…

Thanks again Katrena for sharing this gluten-free bread recipe. I can't wait to try it.

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Let me know how it turns out!

My momma used to make homemade buttermilk biscuits every morning to go with other breakfast foods, but on Saturday she would make Roast Beef Gravy to go with those biscuits along with grits. It was the BEST!! I can make homemade biscuits, but the ready-made frozen ones are more convenient. I try to make the Roast Beef Gravy taste like what she used to make and it's close, but it's still not like what momma made. Every time my family gets together they beg me to cook it for them. It just brings back fond memories of the many, many times that she would make it for us as we were growing up.

Nice thread, and topic!

Let's see. Well, when I was a young boy I loved to eat watermelon. I know theres something I'm missing......Ummm......frozen push-ups (yummy!). I guess I was into the frozen treats more than anything because the only thing left that comes to mind is cherry snow-cones! I miss them cones like crazy!

PERRYEASTEP said…

Nice thread, and topic!

Let's see. Well, when I was a young boy I loved to eat watermelon. I know theres something I'm missing......Ummm......frozen push-ups (yummy!). I guess I was into the frozen treats more than anything because the only thing left that comes to mind is cherry snow-cones! I miss them cones like crazy!

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My kids liked the Flintstones Frozen Push-ups.  They had swirls of sherbet in them.

Hopefully you are still reading this thread because there is a really great bread out now. It is available in some places in the northeast like NJ and PA and it is made in Maine. It is called "Against the Grain" It is a tapioca based bread that is fantastic! Comes in round rolls like kaisers and long ones like baguettes. They also do bagels but they arent NY style bagels, they are flatter and breadier and taste more like pita. I use the bagels for dipping into stuff. The rolls and baguettes are almost exactly like the real thing.

Non GF people even like them. I've done garlic bread, meatball parm, cold cut heros, sausage and pepper etc etc. Infact we ate them straight almost every meal for a week after we found them. They are chewy with a golden crust and oh so yummy. Maybe they can ship them to you.

http://www.againstthegraingourmet.com/

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Good luck and don't gain too much weight back, lol we did.

My brother and I love the "school pizza" which is what we call it. When we were in elementary and junior high, we grew up on loving that pizza. When I was in junior high, I helped out, working in the cafeteria and learned that they had also sent out food to the elementary school I used to go. I once asked the helper if she could give me the receipe for the pizza but she said in a low voice that the cook didn't like to give out her receipes or something like that but she went on telling me what the ingredients are. "Tomato sauce, tomato paste, garlic..."

She might as well give me the receipe, lol!

Reviewer11 said…
My brother and I love the "school pizza" which is what we call it. When we were in elementary and junior high, we grew up on loving that pizza. When I was in junior high, I helped out, working in the cafeteria and learned that they had also sent out food to the elementary school I used to go. I once asked the helper if she could give me the receipe for the pizza but she said in a low voice that the cook didn't like to give out her receipes or something like that but she went on telling me what the ingredients are. "Tomato sauce, tomato paste, garlic..."

She might as well give me the receipe, lol!

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Cute story!  I am not sure anyone from my school would be writing a favorable review about any of our cafeteria food.  Pure grease.

Meri said…

Reviewer11 said…
My brother and I love the "school pizza" which is what we call it. When we were in elementary and junior high, we grew up on loving that pizza. When I was in junior high, I helped out, working in the cafeteria and learned that they had also sent out food to the elementary school I used to go. I once asked the helper if she could give me the receipe for the pizza but she said in a low voice that the cook didn't like to give out her receipes or something like that but she went on telling me what the ingredients are. "Tomato sauce, tomato paste, garlic..."

She might as well give me the receipe, lol!

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Cute story!  I am not sure anyone from my school would be writing a favorable review about any of our cafeteria food.  Pure grease.

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Thank you :D

lol, eww pure grease? **shudders**

When I was a little girl one of my grandfathers made homemade eclairs and cream puffs. No bakery ever matched them. One of my grandmother's made a Canadian chicken dish she called fricasee - chicken stew in athick creamy gravy. My other grandmother made vanilla cookies and homemade breads. And my adopted grandmother would make me buttermilk cookies anytime I had an extra special report card.  They each included a special ingredient : love!

Okay, I am a very picky eater so it will probably surprise people when I mention some the things I really miss.

My elementary school made "beatle hats"--this was a scoop of mashed potatoes placed on a slice of fried bologna and topped with grated cheese.  Me and my siblings loved them.  Sometimes when my father was out of town my mother would let us make them and I always remember her saying she couldn't believe the cafeteria staff could take enough time to make them.

My mother made awesome chicken-n-dumplin's.  She made homemade doughballs.  My Daddy wouldn't eat them either so that was also a treat saved for when he was out of town.

My mother would make wonderful creamed peas because that was the only way she could get my brother Jimmy to eat them.

My mother also made homemade meat and vegetable pitas before we knew what they were and Daddy made individual pizzas with all the fixin's with one twist.  His crust was toasted bread :+)

Finally, I had an "uncle" who would take plain yellow or white cake batter and pour a pack of Kool-Aid powder in it.  We just loved having purple or pink cake and some of the flavor remained too!

Re: Steak Ums.  My Daddy wouldn't allow them, corndogs, tacos or real pizza in the house because he thought it was a waste of money.  He was a drill sargeant in the Marines and believed a meal had to have a meat, veg., rice/potato/or pasta and a slice of bread.

My mother had a stroke five years ago and now she is fully dependent on my father.  He does all the cooking so the days of Mom's wonderful meals are definitely behind me. 
 

GigiandAdonai said…

Okay, I am a very picky eater so it will probably surprise people when I mention some the things I really miss.

My elementary school made "beatle hats"--this was a scoop of mashed potatoes placed on a slice of fried bologna and topped with grated cheese.  Me and my siblings loved them.  Sometimes when my father was out of town my mother would let us make them and I always remember her saying she couldn't believe the cafeteria staff could take enough time to make them.

My mother made awesome chicken-n-dumplin's.  She made homemade doughballs.  My Daddy wouldn't eat them either so that was also a treat saved for when he was out of town.

My mother would make wonderful creamed peas because that was the only way she could get my brother Jimmy to eat them.

My mother also made homemade meat and vegetable pitas before we knew what they were and Daddy made individual pizzas with all the fixin's with one twist.  His crust was toasted bread :+)

Finally, I had an "uncle" who would take plain yellow or white cake batter and pour a pack of Kool-Aid powder in it.  We just loved having purple or pink cake and some of the flavor remained too!

Re: Steak Ums.  My Daddy wouldn't allow them, corndogs, tacos or real pizza in the house because he thought it was a waste of money.  He was a drill sargeant in the Marines and believed a meal had to have a meat, veg., rice/potato/or pasta and a slice of bread.

My mother had a stroke five years ago and now she is fully dependent on my father.  He does all the cooking so the days of Mom's wonderful meals are definitely behind me. 
 

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Why did they call them "beatle hats" ?

I have an aunt who did the same thing with Kool-aid and cake mix. I forgot about that. Thanks.

I'm not sure where the name beatle hats came from.  Maybe from a cafeteria worker.  They were a hit with the students.  And for the workers; they were able to serve meat, vegetable and dairy product all in one dish. 

I am learning a lot about food here.  Beatle Hats? Cake mix and Kool-aid?  hmmm 
It is interesting how much we remember about food from our childhood though.  With the holidays approaching I bet we will think of more foods.  When I was little we lived in Germany.  On Christmas Eve we would put our shoes outside the door for the Krist Kind [Christ Child] to fill them with nuts and chocolates and maybe an orange.

I remember that tradition. Our first grade teacher wanted us to do this. It was a project about different countries Christmas traditions. I remember nuts, a candy cane and one of those foil covered chocolate santas. Did you still hang stockings?

Really want to know?  Petcha.  It's an old world dish that my grandmother used to make.  I won't even mention what it is or how it's made.

Our family did hang stockings.  My Mother was from the south [one line in Virginia goes back to the 1600s], my Father's Mom was Czech.  I never have figured out which traditions came from which side.