Mom’s Favorite Recipes

Motherhood is traditionally known as one of the toughest jobs around, the lowest paid and the most rewarding!  There are no words to express the unique kinship and ties that we have to our moms.

One thing we love about moms is the food they prepare for us and with us.  

What are your favorite recipes and memories that you have with your mom?

One of my family favorite food moments and recipes was watching mom with her sisters making the stuffing the night before Thanksgiving.  They would have all the ingredients set out and each sister would work a portion, whether it was chopping onions and celery or dicing bread.  

The younger family members would be drizzled about in the kitchen listening in on fun conversation and overseeing and catching some of the smells too.  

Isn’t that the way with food and recipes and stories?  They all sort of meld together.  We all have memories of kitchen time, of moms and grandmas in the kitchen, pulling out pots and pans and lots of ingredients, making a big mess and having a wonderful time.  These images often have very fond or family favorite memories attached to them.  Typically, a delicious dish may have a funny story or a particular memory attached. Oftentimes, families have special memories associated with food prepared and served at a family holiday celebration.  For us, it would be Thanksgiving, a beloved family holiday.

At Grandparent Merit Badges™, we just love the bonding, celebrating, cooking, and general being together that always surrounds a mom’s favorite recipes! One of my mom’s favorite recipes was for this beautiful pineapple upside-down cake.

I don’t remember seeing the recipe itself, but my dad loved pineapple upside down cake, so my mom made it once or twice for his birthday when we were young. The cake was so pretty, and it was absolutely delicious.  Even though I can’t recall seeing a recipe, I do know one ingredient, other than pineapple, that was included. LOVE. As we all know, the most important ingredient that goes into any mom’s recipe is LOVE!  Here is a tried-and-true version of the delicious dessert Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Recipe - BettyCrocker.com

As young school children, mom had recipes she made for us as we returned from school.  A popular one was oatmeal raisin muffins.  Mom wanted us to eat healthy and that could be tough sometimes! Like many kids, we wanted to eat sweet things.  Mom would try to find  a middle ground that we could all live with.  

One baking tradition that was passed along to me by my mother is baking muffins and cupcakes.  We love these goodies as they are versatile and easy, and they always bring the desired result.  Are you looking for an excellent way to use up browning bananas?  Browning bananas can be used in almost any muffin recipe and loads of sweet bread recipes too!

What is your family’s favorite muffin recipe?  My mom, of course, made oatmeal raisin muffins.  That was a go-to.  She also made pumpkin muffins, which are scrumptious and easy to make.  As I started making snacks for my own kids, I added chocolate chips.  You simply cannot say ‘no’ to a chocolate chip pumpkin muffin.  They are amazing!

We just made this batch of cranberry orange muffins with white chocolate drizzle, and oh my goodness, they disappeared in the blink of an eye.  It is very possible that one kid had five and another kid got none!  Also, this recipe was made with a few mashed bananas, it just adds a bit more something to it.  This particular muffin recipe came from the Krusteaz brand mix.  Krusteaz offers quick recipes on the go, with nice mix options and they don’t have too much “junk” in them.    

(pause for a snack…)

My children have gotten pretty good about being in the kitchen and enjoying baking.  They have fond memories of Grandma bringing over her big Grandma basket of activities, snacks, mac and cheese, and any odd thing when she would come over to babysit.  It was an exciting basket, a sturdy wicker one that was able to hold many things.  It’s lovely for kids and grandkids to have memories of these simple things, and in this case, Grandma in the kitchen preparing food.  It also helped to instill in our children their own interests in food prep and recipe sharing.  Grandma would also often invite them into the kitchen to help with the food preparation and setting things out at the table.  

At GMB, we love to celebrate with family by preparing food together, sharing recipes, and of course, enjoying the delicious and nourishing foods we get to eat as a result.  It is wonderful to see the young children stepping up and creating platters and recipes on their own.

Two recent very delicious meals put together by our children are this creative sandwich board, the recipe can be found here online by Bella Hadid.  

The second gorgeous board by one of our children is this charcuterie snacking board. The great thing about charcuterie boards is they take so many forms and feed so many different taste buds in a simple, beautiful and inviting way.  Charcuterie encourages groups to enjoy delicious food together and uses our creativity to create and enjoy these delectable snacking boards.  

This Mother’s Day let’s celebrate our gorgeous moms and grandmothers and let them know what an amazing difference they have made in our lives.  Thank them again for the incredible food they have made over the years.  Work with them in the kitchen to prepare food or make their recipe (or one of your own) for them on Thanksgiving.  

We want to thank moms everywhere, near and far, for the endless hours of cooking and recipe sharing that you have bestowed on your loved ones.  We are so thankful!  Not only do we thank you, but our stomachs thank you, and the grandchildren thank you!

Grandparent Merit Badges™ (“GMB”) has a host of beautiful books that celebrate the love of spending time together in so many different ways. Our GMB for Cooking Enthusiasts book is one that encourages loved ones to spend more time together cooking, sharing recipes, and ultimately to create new memories together.  Check it out today and celebrate cooking with the young ones in your life. It’s a spectacular way to Disconnect from the digital™ and reconnect with those who matter most!

Happy Mother’s Day!

P.S. If you are looking for some fun resources to inspire your GMB for Cooking Enthusiasts adventures with your own kiddos, check in with us on Facebook for fun and kid-friendly cooking activities, recipes, crafts, and more!

Facebook @grandparentmeritbadges

We are constantly sharing new ideas every week. It won’t take long for you to find something fun, so once you’ve found what you need, don’t forget to…Disconnect from the digital™ and reconnect with those who matter most.  Now go get cooking!

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