Secret Family Recipes

I don't very often sign up for recipe swaps, but my dear friend Deej was hostessing one, so I couldn't resist. The idea for her swap was to take a family recipe - one that's stood the test of time - and create a 6 X 6" recipe card layout with it.

Never one to shirk from some fun, I signed up for three spots.

The first recipe I chose is my Great Grandmother's recipe for Burnt Sugar Cake. Grandma Nelson, my Dad's Mom, died when he was a teenager, but he fondly remembered many of her delicious dishes, not the recipes, mind you, just the scrumptious food. Grandma Nelson was a pastry chef and an incredible cook. A number of years later, my parents met and married and my Mom began the process of searching for Grandma Nelson's recipes, which were often non-existent. This recipe for Burnt Sugar Cake was one of the recipes she found. The first time my Mom made it, my Dad said, it was good, but not like his Mom's. The recipe was right, but my health-conscious Mom had substituted margarine for butter. Now she knows better... and makes this cake often for my Dad and the rest of the family.

The second recipe I chose was for Crescent Rolls. To be quite honest, I'm not sure who in my family first made these wonderful rolls (it may have been my sister), but my Mom makes them quite often and they are so yummy! I make them for special occasions with my own immediate family and they are so easy to make! We like them served warm with honey butter.

The third recipe I chose for the swap is my Mother-in-law's recipe for meatloaf (with some of my own adaptations). A number of years ago we began the process of losing my Mother-in-law to Alzheimer's. While she was still able to be at home, she was no longer able to care for the house and the cooking. So I would go regularly and stay a week or two and provide some loving care to her and my Father-in-law. I know how much my Father-in-law loves meatloaf, so when I found her recipe for meatloaf, I was excited to try it out. My Father-in-law seemed so pleased. To be quite honest, I was not a meatloaf fan prior to this, but discovered that I like meatloaf. Since that first meatloaf, I've tweaked the recipe just a bit, but it is still fondly referred to as Lois' Meatloaf Recipe. She now resides in a care center and my Father-in-law lives in an apartment near her. I miss seeing them as regularly as I used to, but still look forward to cooking a meal or two for my Father-in-law when we go to visit. Meatloaf will be one of the dishes I prepare on our next visit.