I’ve had community members hide recipes for their “secret” garam masala. It made sense when they were making and selling the Masala, not so much when they wouldn’t tell their own grandson the recipe! It’s how so many of our recipes (as a tiny community of 100,000 globally) have gotten lost.
I went to Mount Holyoke, too! I had family style dinners not the cafe. Also remember Deacon Porter’s hat. I bake constantly sometimes advertising for purchase. Thank you for the brownie recipe!
I have a “friend” who leaves out ingredients but that’s her way. For years, I have been marking every new recipe I get from a friend with their name and the date I received it. It is so much fun giving credit and the date I received it when people compliment me on a dish. Occasionally I’ll text the giver that I’m making their recipe and it gives them a thrill to be remembered so fondly. It’s the little things.
I do that, too! I have recipes dating back to high school (Hi, Liz Hutchinson if you're out there! Thanks for the lemon-cream cheese cookie recipe!). When my mom died a few years ago, a friend made me a zucchini dish her aunt was famous for because she thought her aunt reminded her of what she'd heard about my mom. It was truly the sweetest gesture.
I went to Smith for a year in 1980-81 (before my parents rudely moved back to the south and decided it was too far away) and we had family style dinners as well. Each house had its own kitchen and the food was wonderful. It was my first exposure to fresh steamed broccoli and London broil. So delicious.
My friend gave me her grandmother’s rhubarb cake recipe, handwritten on a card by her grandmother. I make it year round with rhubarb from my garden and always think of Grandmother Alma, who worked in a creamery wrapping butter in MN during WW2.
It's moderately heavy, uses brown sugar and buttermilk (i use skim + vinegar), not overly sweet. Works well with other kinds of fruit as well. I love family recipes and have several from my mom, aunts and grandmother that I've modified and made lighter.
I'm always happy to share recipes. If you have any that use rhubarb, I'd love to see them. I've developed quite a little rhubarb plantation. Thanks for all you do, Melissa!
Sharing recipes is sharing love. I’ve never understood why some people keep them a secret. Favorite college dorm food? Frosted Flakes, but that’s probably not what you had in mind.
How about a favorite high school food recipe? It was essentially a bowl of mashed potatoes (real or Hungry Jack.... who knows?) covered in shredded turkey and gravy. It was a bowl of warm comfort. If I could have finished with a spoon-scoopable brownie then any high school day would have been tolerable.
P.S. My cats claim to have no hidden classified docs, either.
Marissa, I finally made these brownies yesterday and they are The Best Brownies Ever! We’re gluten-free so I used King Arthur GF all-purpose flour. I added semisweet chocolate chips, 60% chocolate chips, and walnuts. Delicious warm with vanilla ice cream. Also with bourbon cream. Thank you!
I went to college in the 80s at Purdue and there are not a lot of food experiences that stand out for being tasty. I do remember making grilled cheese with aluminum foil and an iron on Sunday nights when there was no dorm food.
After this challenging week of much sadness, symptoms and suffering (no, I am not a teacher or school librarian) I thought to myself - what does Marissa have for me that can truly palliate? Oh my - brownies. They are in the oven now and even the aroma is euphoria producing. Thanks Marissa!!!
And no, you do not look frumpy in your sweater. You look like all of us. ❤️
Yes, good brownies are incredibly quick and easy to make! This is very close to the recipe for brownies I used in the 1990s when my son was a tween and teen. Now, I prefer to increase the unsweetened chocolate to 4 and leave out the chocolate chips. Makes very chocolatey and fudgy brownies.
Thank you for being upfront about the documents. You obviously like to ride fences and push envelopes. Its a small step from envelopes to larger papers.
My grandmother's brownie recipe is this one, only doubled and in a rectangular pan. Absolutely delicious. She had to hide rhem when grandchildren visited. She lived in the Boston area so maybe got the recipe from a Mount Holyoke alumna.
What a very pleasant surprise to see the discussion of Mount Holyoke. My daughter graduated from Smith as an undergraduate and took a couple of classes at Mount Holyoke. She's completing her graduate degree at Smith this coming summer. I loved the concept of the Seven Sisters and the college towns in MA. I couldn't afford to live on campus 100 years ago when I attended college so I was thrilled to learn first-hand how it all worked. I also worked with a Mount Holyoke past president, Lynn Pasquerella (2010-2016) when she was Provost at a university where I was a faculty member and Associate Dean in the business school. I downloaded the recipe and have it in my "bake this" list.
A friend of my mom’s for years would not give a caviar appetizer recipe to my mom. It was always a secret. She knew I loved the dish so when I turned 18 - I guess the appropriate age for caviar appetizer cocktail party fare - the friend Dorita - gave me a 3x5 card with the recipe. As she handed it to me she asked me to swear I would not share it with my mother! 🤓 It is a ridiculously simple recipe, but like all things simple every step is crucial to its perfection!
I’ve had community members hide recipes for their “secret” garam masala. It made sense when they were making and selling the Masala, not so much when they wouldn’t tell their own grandson the recipe! It’s how so many of our recipes (as a tiny community of 100,000 globally) have gotten lost.
That's the part that hurts! When a recipe dies like that.
ps: I just subscribed to your substack and look forward to reading and cooking from it!
I went to Mount Holyoke, too! I had family style dinners not the cafe. Also remember Deacon Porter’s hat. I bake constantly sometimes advertising for purchase. Thank you for the brownie recipe!
Mary Lyon lives on! Always glad to meet other alums. Having my daugh there has made me sentimental about the place.
I have a “friend” who leaves out ingredients but that’s her way. For years, I have been marking every new recipe I get from a friend with their name and the date I received it. It is so much fun giving credit and the date I received it when people compliment me on a dish. Occasionally I’ll text the giver that I’m making their recipe and it gives them a thrill to be remembered so fondly. It’s the little things.
I do that, too! I have recipes dating back to high school (Hi, Liz Hutchinson if you're out there! Thanks for the lemon-cream cheese cookie recipe!). When my mom died a few years ago, a friend made me a zucchini dish her aunt was famous for because she thought her aunt reminded her of what she'd heard about my mom. It was truly the sweetest gesture.
I would love to see that lemon cookie recipe! (Im mot mentioning that dairy ingredient-- it’ll be our little secret!)
I went to Smith for a year in 1980-81 (before my parents rudely moved back to the south and decided it was too far away) and we had family style dinners as well. Each house had its own kitchen and the food was wonderful. It was my first exposure to fresh steamed broccoli and London broil. So delicious.
My friend gave me her grandmother’s rhubarb cake recipe, handwritten on a card by her grandmother. I make it year round with rhubarb from my garden and always think of Grandmother Alma, who worked in a creamery wrapping butter in MN during WW2.
That is a wonderful story. Love the detail of her job during WWII. What is the rhubarb cake like?
It's moderately heavy, uses brown sugar and buttermilk (i use skim + vinegar), not overly sweet. Works well with other kinds of fruit as well. I love family recipes and have several from my mom, aunts and grandmother that I've modified and made lighter.
I'm always happy to share recipes. If you have any that use rhubarb, I'd love to see them. I've developed quite a little rhubarb plantation. Thanks for all you do, Melissa!
Would you share the recipe!!!?
For rhubarb cake
Of course!
Alma's Rhubarb Cake
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. oil
1 egg
1 c. buttermilk (I use 1 cup skim milk + 1 T apple cider vinegar)
2 1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 c. coconut or nuts ( I use 1/2 c. of each)
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups rhubarb (cut up)
When nearly done, sprinkle top with sugar and cinnamon
Bake in Bundt pan @ 375 for 35-40 minutes
I have experimented with pan types and baking temperatures. This works well for my oven and climate (Western Oregon).
I'd love to know how you like it!
Sharing recipes is sharing love. I’ve never understood why some people keep them a secret. Favorite college dorm food? Frosted Flakes, but that’s probably not what you had in mind.
Hey, if Frosted Flakes made you happy...
How about a favorite high school food recipe? It was essentially a bowl of mashed potatoes (real or Hungry Jack.... who knows?) covered in shredded turkey and gravy. It was a bowl of warm comfort. If I could have finished with a spoon-scoopable brownie then any high school day would have been tolerable.
P.S. My cats claim to have no hidden classified docs, either.
Marissa, I finally made these brownies yesterday and they are The Best Brownies Ever! We’re gluten-free so I used King Arthur GF all-purpose flour. I added semisweet chocolate chips, 60% chocolate chips, and walnuts. Delicious warm with vanilla ice cream. Also with bourbon cream. Thank you!
I went to college in the 80s at Purdue and there are not a lot of food experiences that stand out for being tasty. I do remember making grilled cheese with aluminum foil and an iron on Sunday nights when there was no dorm food.
After this challenging week of much sadness, symptoms and suffering (no, I am not a teacher or school librarian) I thought to myself - what does Marissa have for me that can truly palliate? Oh my - brownies. They are in the oven now and even the aroma is euphoria producing. Thanks Marissa!!!
And no, you do not look frumpy in your sweater. You look like all of us. ❤️
These are yum! Light but rich. Whoa, amazing
Love this recipe but knew it as Katherine Hepburn brownies. Have been making it for over a decade and it’s a winner every time!
Yes, good brownies are incredibly quick and easy to make! This is very close to the recipe for brownies I used in the 1990s when my son was a tween and teen. Now, I prefer to increase the unsweetened chocolate to 4 and leave out the chocolate chips. Makes very chocolatey and fudgy brownies.
Thank you for being upfront about the documents. You obviously like to ride fences and push envelopes. Its a small step from envelopes to larger papers.
My grandmother's brownie recipe is this one, only doubled and in a rectangular pan. Absolutely delicious. She had to hide rhem when grandchildren visited. She lived in the Boston area so maybe got the recipe from a Mount Holyoke alumna.
What a very pleasant surprise to see the discussion of Mount Holyoke. My daughter graduated from Smith as an undergraduate and took a couple of classes at Mount Holyoke. She's completing her graduate degree at Smith this coming summer. I loved the concept of the Seven Sisters and the college towns in MA. I couldn't afford to live on campus 100 years ago when I attended college so I was thrilled to learn first-hand how it all worked. I also worked with a Mount Holyoke past president, Lynn Pasquerella (2010-2016) when she was Provost at a university where I was a faculty member and Associate Dean in the business school. I downloaded the recipe and have it in my "bake this" list.
A friend of my mom’s for years would not give a caviar appetizer recipe to my mom. It was always a secret. She knew I loved the dish so when I turned 18 - I guess the appropriate age for caviar appetizer cocktail party fare - the friend Dorita - gave me a 3x5 card with the recipe. As she handed it to me she asked me to swear I would not share it with my mother! 🤓 It is a ridiculously simple recipe, but like all things simple every step is crucial to its perfection!
Thanks for your recipes!