Graceful Little Honey Bee

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers & Sides
    • Breads
    • Breakfasts
    • Main Dishes
    • Slow Cooker
    • Instant Pot
    • Freezer Cooking
    • Desserts
    • Snacks
    • DIY Mixes
    • Preserving Food
    • Cooking Tips & Tricks
    • Meal Plans
  • Frugal Living
  • Simple Living
    • gardening
    • Preserving Food
    • Natural Remedies & Recipes
    • chickens
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

25 Old-Fashioned Recipes Your Grandma Knew By Heart

May 16, 2016 by Missy Rakes 101 Comments

  • Yummly
  • Share

See how to make 25 Old-Fashioned Recipes Your Grandma Knew by Heart including biscuits, pie crust, fried apples and more on gracefullittlehoneybee.com © Dollar Photo Club

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, we will make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See our Disclosure Policy for more information.

 

25 Old Fashioned Recipes Your Grandma (probably) Knew by Heart

My grandma grew up cooking from scratch. It’s all she knew because convenience foods weren’t an option.

She learned how to cook from her mother by handfuls and pinches instead of cups and tablespoons. She cooked by memory and by feel.

I bet your grandma or someone you know is the same way. These women carried around a vast amount of knowledge with them that is sadly becoming lost in today’s culture.

Convenience foods are great, but when all you do to prepare dinner day in and day out is open a package, something important is lost.

Food is appreciated more and tastes better when it’s cooked from scratch and made with love. When you touch the dough and smell the yeast it truly feeds the soul.

I want us to get back to hands on cooking and that’s why I’m sharing with you a list of my favorite from scratch recipes. Some of these recipes have been adapted for modern cooking (hello slow cooker!), but I don’t think grandma would mind.

Are You Looking for More Old-Fashioned Tips? Try these articles!

How to Build an Old-Fashioned Frugal Pantry
6 Powerful Life Lessons from My Thrifty Grandma
40 Groceries to Stop Buying and Start Making to Save Money
30 Old-Fashioned Frugal Tips from Grandma
Frugal Lessons from the Amish Lifestyle

Follow Graceful Little Honey Bee on:
Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

25 Old-Fashioned Recipes Your Grandma Knew By Heart

 

Homemade Bread

Homemade Biscuits

Pumpkin Biscuits

Yeast Rolls

Pie Crust

How to Cook Dried Beans

Chicken Broth

Tomato Sauce

Sautéed Cabbage

Ham Bone Soup

Corn & Potato Chowder

Beef & Vegetable Soup

Sourdough Starter

Elderberry Syrup

Apple Pie

Pecan Pie

Butternut Squash Pie

Sweet Potato Casserole

Cranberry Sauce

Dehydrated Apple Rings

Pumpkin Puree

Apple Butter

Sweet Potato Bread

Red Hot Cinnamon Apples

Pan Fried Apples

I hope you enjoyed this list of old fashioned recipes. If you want even more old fashioned tips and tricks then you may want to check out Frugal Cooking Tips from the Great Depression. Have a great day friends!

 

Baking ingredients and an old enamel flour container.

Please consider sharing:

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • Print
  • Yummly
  • Share

Subscribe and Never Miss a Post!

Filed Under: Cooking Tips & Tricks, Easy Recipes, natural living, Recipes

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Carren Fullington says

    May 18, 2016 at 11:55 pm

    My husband introduced me to pinto beans. His family served them with cornbread, fried potatoes and Wilted Lettuce. YUMMY. I USE ROMAINE CUT SMALL, (use the stem end too, it adds crunch) add CUT GREEN ONIONS, salt well, and pour hot bacon grease over and stir. Serve hot. I get potatoes, beans and lettuce on every spoonful. LOVE IT
    Reply
    • Hazel says

      June 9, 2016 at 2:08 pm

      Can relate to your comment regarding pinto beans, cornbread and "wilted lettuce". I'm originally from Okla, but lived in here in Calif now for 60 years. And when I've mentioned the wilted lettuce salad, they look shocked. LOL I like it.
      Reply
      • Julia says

        May 7, 2017 at 3:52 pm

        Please, please, PLEASE help me find the "Wilted Lettuce" recipe! My mother and her friends loved this dish. I wouldn't even taste it at that time, in the 60s-70s. Mother's gone now but I find I love many of the things she loved. Dishes I turned my nose up at the time. Things like corn bread, beans, turnip greends, cobblers, etc. It was a Southern 'thang' or Arkansas favorite. Julia Young
        Reply
        • Karen says

          June 12, 2017 at 4:00 am

          Love wilted lettuce, but don't have a specific receipe, it's just in my head. Prepare your lettuce. I put chooped onion in the lettuce. Fry about six strips of bacon. Drain and breakup. Leave some of the grease in the pan and add vinegar and a little bit of sugar. I'm going to say about 1/4 cup vinegar and tablespoon of sugar. Heat vinegar, sugar and crumbled bacon. Taste to make sure it's not to sweet. Pour hot mixture over lettuce. That's the best i can tell you. If i find my mo's recipei i willcome back and let you know
          Reply
          • Shari says

            June 25, 2017 at 9:17 am

            I'd love to have your mom's recipe too ;) Yumm
        • Karen says

          June 12, 2017 at 4:08 am

          Found recipe! 2 bunches of leaf lettuce 4 slices of bacon, diced 1/4 cup vinegar 1/3 cup chopped onions Salt, pepper 2 teaspoons sugar Shred lettuce with knife. In large skillet fry bacon until crisp. Add vinegar and sugar. Pour warm dressing over lettuce, toss until lettuce is wilted. Add sal and pepper to taste
          Reply
        • Jean says

          June 12, 2017 at 7:25 am

          Hi Julia! My mother's cooking was "to taste" so you know the amounts are exactly that and no way specific. It really depended on how the garden was producing and how much bacon was left in the freezer. So here goes how I make Mother's Wilted Lettuce Salad. (1.) Harvest desired amount of lettuce and green onions from the garden. Wash, dry (salad spinner) and crisp in refrigerator until time to make salad.. I love to harvest early in morning, then bring the produce in and clean. It is then ready when I am ready to prepare the meal. (2.) Chop finely as many baby green onions as you wish to have in your salad. When you are ready to being the salad, continue with the rest of the recipe. (3.) Put letuce leaves in the bowl first, add chopped onions next and finally, once you have fried the bacon tender crisp, drained and chopped add to the salad bowel. You want everything ready for the dressing when it is finished. (4.) Fry as much bacon as you want tender crisp. Put bacon on paper towel to drain. Decide how much "salad oil", aka bacon drippings, you are using.. A good rule of thumb is start with about a 1/4 cup of bacon drippings, add 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, and 1/8 to 1/4 cup sugar (remember "to taste"). Bring to a hard boil, stirring all the time. (5) Depending on how wilted you want your salad, is how hot the dressing is poured over the salad. I like to let my dressing cool a bit. We don't like real wilted lettuce. (6.) Enjoy!! Hope this will help bring back many wonderful memories of your mother's dinner table and cooking with her. It sure does for me!
          Reply
          • Linda says

            January 18, 2018 at 3:04 pm

            Wilted lettuce was made with dandelion greens when I was little. We would go out in the spring and pick the greens and wash them.Then make the sweet/sour bacon dressing. YUM!!!!! My mother didn't waste anything.....
    • Donna e says

      April 3, 2018 at 2:43 pm

      I chop up lettuce real fine,add chopped eggs, onions,,sh cheese,cook bacon crumble ,with amount of grease, cook vinegar,sugar to taste pour over good!
      Reply
  2. Billie says

    May 19, 2016 at 3:42 pm

    My friend use to make a cake , a Friendship cake you can share starter. Would love recipe.
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      May 19, 2016 at 7:24 pm

      I would search Pinterest. I've seen several Amish friendship breads recipes on there and there could be a cake recipe too!
      Reply
    • Razz Reid says

      May 22, 2016 at 9:07 pm

      http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/cake/friendship-cake-30-day-cake.html Is this the recipe you are looking for?
      Reply
      • Missy Rakes says

        May 22, 2016 at 10:58 pm

        Looks good. Thanks for posting it! :)
        Reply
    • Karen Bartlett says

      May 22, 2016 at 10:52 pm

      Are you looking for the one made with the fruit...peach, pineapple, cherries?
      Reply
    • Arvemia Wilburn says

      May 27, 2017 at 10:31 pm

      I have the recipe for the Friendship cake and starter.
      Reply
  3. Karen McLendon says

    May 20, 2016 at 10:48 am

    I love your recipes...my grandmother had a cake recipe that had many layers with icing that was more of a glaze that icing with raisins and pecans in it....the layers were very thin and she would stack it high. Have you heard of a cake like that? I would love to make it for my family.
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      May 20, 2016 at 9:32 pm

      Have you looked on Pinterest? I bet you could find something similar.
      Reply
    • Brittani says

      May 22, 2016 at 9:44 am

      It's called baklava!! There are really easy ways to make it now! I have used egg roll wrappers for the many layers of crust and the icing you are talking about is basically sugar water poured over it. It's a great dessert!
      Reply
      • Missy Rakes says

        May 22, 2016 at 10:56 pm

        Thanks for sharing!
        Reply
        • Cindy says

          April 13, 2018 at 1:38 am

          I'M LOOKING FOR AN OLD RECIPE IT'S CALLED POOR MAN'S CAKE I WANT TO REMEMBER IS IT TAKES FLOWER CAN YOU MAKE THREE HOLES IN THE FLOWER YOU BREAK ONE EGG AND EACH HOLE AND ADD A TEASPOON OF CHOCOLATE POWDER TO IT AND THAT'S ALL THAT I CAN REMEMBER IF YOU CAN FIND IT I WOULD APPRECIATE IT BUT IT WAS CALLED POOR MAN'S CAKE
          Reply
      • Jill says

        May 25, 2016 at 7:10 pm

        Baklava is made with phylo, honey & nuts. It is not stacked very high. I don't think that is what the poster is looking for. Delicious as it is!
        Reply
    • Twins mom says

      May 29, 2016 at 9:34 pm

      I believe you may be referring to a stack cake. My grandmother used to make them. Not too long ago, Southern Living magazine had the cake on the cover.
      Reply
    • Angie says

      June 10, 2016 at 11:55 am

      Appalachian Stack Cake Recipe is on Pinterest
      Reply
  4. Helen says

    May 20, 2016 at 9:45 pm

    I love this
    Reply
  5. Brenda Thompson says

    May 22, 2016 at 8:00 pm

    Raised on that meal. Mom always added a little vinegar to bacon grease before pouring over salad.
    Reply
  6. Melissa says

    May 23, 2016 at 12:28 pm

    I am so glad I came upon your post. I love the name of your blog. I instantly knew the meaning! Seeing your name brought it back to me that I regret at 12 yrs old voicing my opinion that I would not be called Missy and my name is Melissa. Perhaps it was my middle named combined "Missy Gay" . Lately I've been reflecting it has the southern charm I was raised with! Blessings to you and your family
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      May 23, 2016 at 12:59 pm

      Thanks for the comment! Yes, my first name "Melissa" means Honey Bee, my middle "Anne" means grace and my maiden name was "Little" so that is where my blog name came from. :)
      Reply
  7. Melody says

    May 24, 2016 at 9:55 pm

    I was pleasantly surprised as I read through your list to see that I already know how to make most of them, if not from memory, then at least from my mother's cookbooks. I was blessed to grow up on a farm where convenience foods were too expensive and everything was made from scratch every single day. I have fond memories of coming home from school on Friday and smelling bread baking for the coming week. Mother taught me by having me help her in the kitchen from the time I was big enough to stand on a step stool and stir whatever was in the bowl. I began cooking meals when I was about 10 and still enjoy cooking. I am nearly 50 and sometimes I feel like I belong in a bygone era, but I am trying to engage my children in the kitchen and they are all learning to cook by about 5 years old, with supervision, of course!
    Reply
  8. Chalotte Hill says

    May 31, 2016 at 1:52 pm

    Great site .
    Reply
  9. loyda coulombe says

    June 1, 2016 at 8:02 am

    Great list ! Both my Parents and Gparents are from NM, so our list is soooo very different from your ! I think the one that is the same is pinto beans ! I really should make a list tho. Green chile, red chile, tortillas, etc..............
    Reply
    • Liz says

      June 13, 2016 at 5:07 pm

      Would love to see some of your grandma & mom recipes!
      Reply
  10. Janet Backe says

    June 3, 2016 at 2:12 am

    The simple cooking methods used by my parents, grandmother & so forth were the coolest science experiments when I was a child. When I used those recipes, I thought that it couldn't be that simple. The recipes worked beautifully. I am excited to try some of these recipes this summer. Thank you.
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      June 3, 2016 at 8:42 am

      I agree. It's so amazing how you can mix water, flour, etc. to make so many things!
      Reply
  11. Saundra says

    August 26, 2016 at 12:59 am

    Thank you love it?
    Reply
  12. Kdcinch says

    October 22, 2016 at 9:07 pm

    The second you "adapt" them, they are no longer "old fashioned" and much of the natural flavors and textures are gone. I came for the scratch recipes, not the "openacana" recipes.
    Reply
  13. Geneva says

    November 20, 2016 at 10:48 pm

    My parents were from OK. We ate pinto beans cornbread & wilted salad. This is the first time I have seen someone who knows what it is.
    Reply
  14. Muthoni W says

    December 9, 2016 at 6:57 am

    I grew up on farm food. Never had a processed meal (even basic flour and sugar) until I was ten. And it was the best decision my mother ever made. I have always had a clean bill of health. Thank you for this compiled list.
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      December 21, 2016 at 7:42 am

      That's amazing!
      Reply
  15. Phyllis says

    March 11, 2017 at 7:25 pm

    Love your blog and recipes. It reminds me of my early days as a mother of three. You are such a smart wife, mother and cook! Your frugal habits will stay with you for all of your days, and you and your husband will see the payoff. Thank you for sharing. I hope more smart wives/mothers will pay attention to your tips.
    Reply
  16. Barbara Whitney says

    April 16, 2017 at 1:37 pm

    Thanks for sharing, I really like this. My sons always love the Chicken Broth. I do enjoy seeing frugal recipes and finding inspiration from your blog :-) Hope all is well with you and your loved ones.
    Reply
  17. Lori says

    May 17, 2017 at 11:01 am

    Our wilted lettuce recipe was lettuce, romaine or red leaf, green onions, BACON. The dressing was bacon grease with a tsp of sugar and 2 or 3 TBS of vinegar. So the grease isnt real hot but warm so it mixes with the vinegar. Love it.
    Reply
  18. Joni says

    May 26, 2017 at 6:16 pm

    OMGosh, thanks for sharing, I know a lot of these recipes by heart also, but I'm a grandma. Lol My Mom had known so many recipes I don't know if I ever seen her open a cookbook & she always had a secret ingredient or special way of cooking. Thank you for the memories.
    Reply
  19. Cheryl says

    June 19, 2017 at 11:11 pm

    Does anyone remember fried okra?
    Reply
  20. Lucy says

    July 3, 2017 at 5:59 pm

    I swear not a week goes by when I'm not calling my Nan to see how to make something :)
    Reply
  21. Caitlyn says

    August 15, 2017 at 6:23 pm

    I love finding other woman who have the back to basics ideology I use with my cooking. Frugality and Whole Foods. Love looking through all you recipes and blog posts!
    Reply
  22. Helene says

    September 28, 2017 at 2:30 pm

    I love this site! Thank you for sharing....
    Reply
  23. Barry says

    October 2, 2017 at 3:37 pm

    It's me again. I think I owe everyone an apology for that remark about not knowing how to cook beans. You can't know anything until you learn it, whether somebody teaches you are not or learn it on your own. I am extremely pleased to see so many young cooks learning the old recipes. So many of you who grew up eating pre-made, boxed, processed foods are discovering that food can be cooked at home and is so much better than the over salted, over soyed, over high fructosed corn syrup foods that food manufacturers are selling you. Missy, you have a nice site and keep up the good work with the good food makings.
    Reply
  24. Peggy Taylor says

    October 15, 2017 at 12:49 am

    Love recipes that grandmothers made. They are always,so good.
    Reply
  25. Glenda says

    January 11, 2018 at 12:26 am

    Love this blog . I still cook this way and always have . I have passed it on to my daughter . Being raised in the South ......being a good cook is genetic! Lol. I just had a pot of beans , cornbread and streaked meat for supper ! So yummy !
    Reply
  26. Tammy says

    January 11, 2018 at 6:23 pm

    Oh my goodness. I just found your site. Love it. Your alls wilted lettuce is called hot slaw here in KY. And our wilted lettuce is made up of iceberg lettuce (chopped), bacon bits, cheddar cheese, and then you place milk, sugar, mayo in a jar and shake it up then pour on your lettuce and give it a stir. Fattening but Delicious.
    Reply
  27. Laura says

    April 8, 2018 at 2:38 pm

    I love the 25 recipes grandma knew by heart.
    Reply
  28. Juleen Dickins says

    April 27, 2018 at 3:13 am

    I'm a touch, feel and smell cook! I often grab a few bottles of herbs and spices and smell my way through a recipe! I love all of your recipes thanks for posting them
    Reply
  29. myrna Female pritchett says

    May 12, 2018 at 9:50 am

    like your website
    Reply
  30. Jackie says

    May 23, 2018 at 7:10 pm

    You have several recipes I would love to make and try but unfortunately I go into anaphylactic shock when I even take a small taste of sweet potatoes. My youngest son would love to make them but I don't know what handling the potatoes would do if I even tried to touch them after 63 years of not being around them. I love them (that is how I found out I was allergic to the I ate a huge one when I was 5)
    Reply
Newer Comments »

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Popular Content

Slow Cooker Sausage and Potato Casserole
10 Bible Verses About Trusting God
25 Old-Fashioned Recipes Your Grandma Knew By Heart
The BEST Ham and Swiss Sliders Recipe
30 Easy Ways to Reduce Household Expenses and Save Hundreds
30 Old-Fashioned Frugal Tips From Grandma

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

search

categories

archives

Copyright ©2021, Graceful Little Honey Bee. All Rights Reserved. Custom design by Pixel Me Designs
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.