One thing that often gets passed down in a family is a beloved recipe. With Mother’s Day around the corner, our friends at Middle Tennessee State University shared some personal favorites made by their moms, along with the special stories behind them.
Mama Scott’s Fresh Apple Cake
Courtesy of Cindy Ayers, Instructor, Nutrition and Food Science
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“My grandmother, who was born in 1902, used to take her gaggle of eight children and go to a neighbor’s adjoining farm and apple orchard to help Mrs. Gardner put up apples. They would can some and dry some on the tin roofs of the two houses and, of course, eat some. Obviously, they were trying to use up all the apples, and making a cake was a good way to do so.
A number of years ago, we found the recipe again, and my mom used to make it as a special treat. We surmise the recipe is close to 100 years old. My aunt, the youngest sibling, just turned 75, and she remembers picking the apples as a young child, so we know the recipe is at least 70 years old.” —Cindy Ayers
First batch of ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1½ cups oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- Juice of ½ lemon
Dry ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1¼ teaspoons baking soda
- 1¼ teaspoons nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Fruit
- 3 cups fresh apple, peeled and chopped (preferably Delicious apples)
- 1 cup chopped nuts
- ½ cup chopped dates
- ½ cup Baker’s Angel flake coconut
Mix the first batch of ingredients and beat well. Add dry ingredients and beat. Add fruit and nuts. Stir well. Bake in a 10-inch pan at 325° F for 90 minutes.
For the topping
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 stick margarine
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon Karo dark corn syrup
Bring all ingredients to a boil, and boil for three minutes. Pour over the hot cake before removing from pan.
World War II Victory Cake
Courtesy of Lisa Sheehan-Smith, Director, Didactic Program in Dietetics
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“During World War II, my mom was a sergeant in the British Army. During leave, she and my grandmother would pool their rations to make a favorite cake recipe. They called it World War II Victory Cake. The ingredients often varied because the available rations would determine what they could use and what they felt were more important for other recipes.
Since Mom married my Dad during the war, she was known as a war bride. After the war, she was able to join my Canadian father, who had obtained a job working at the extended University of Toronto campus in Ajax, Ontario. Since this became home to many war brides, they met on a regular basis as a support group and to enjoy old, familiar foods. It was a treat for my four siblings and myself when the ‘war bride parties’ were held at our house because we got to eat many special British foods, including WWII Victory Cake.
I continue to enjoy making this cake, and like my mother and grandmother before me, I too vary the ingredients. During this unsettling time in which we have found ourselves, it helps us to remember our moms, who always had a hug, a smile, and a favorite food to comfort us!” —Lisa Sheehan-Smith
Ingredients
- 1 cup raisins
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons butter, margarine, or oil
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup nuts
Combine raisins, brown sugar, water, butter/margarine, and spices. Bring the mixture to a boil over heat, simmer for two minutes, and let cool. Sift flour with baking soda and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the liquid mixture, along with the nuts. Turn into a greased 8-inch square pan. Bake at 300° F for 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Harissa
Courtesy of Aleen Alnimri, Student, Didactic Program in Dietetics
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“Some of my favorite recipes are the ones that my mother shared with me. One of my absolute favorite desserts is harissa; it reminds me [of] the good times with my family. Harissa is a traditional Middle Eastern sweet cake. It is a very famous dessert in my hometown, Jordan. My mom made these for me often while I was growing up. The recipe is very dear to me. When I want a taste of home, I make this dessert.” —Aleen Alnimri
For the harissa
- 3 cups semolina
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup yogurt
- 1 teaspoon rose water
- 1 cup almonds
- 1 tablespoon tahini
For the syrup
- 2 cups sugar
- 1½ cups water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
To prepare the harissa, mix the butter, semolina, rose water, and sugar together in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix the yogurt and baking powder together, and leave it for 10 minutes. Add the yogurt mixture to the semolina mixture and mix together. Brush the bottom and sides of an 8-by-8-inch pan with tahini. Spread out the dough, then place the almonds on top of the dough. Bake in the oven at 400° F for 30 minutes until the top is golden-brown.
To prepare the syrup, add the water, lemon juice, and sugar together in a pot and let it boil for 15 minutes. Let it cool, and add as much as you like to the harissa.
Mom’s Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
Courtesy of Emma Nelson, Student, Didactic Program in Dietetics
“My mom was the queen of all casserole dishes growing up, but her poppy seed chicken casserole was the family favorite. It made [appearances] at church potlucks, family gatherings, birthdays, and holidays of any kind.
A generous scoopful of this casserole was a complete meal in our household. Mom did not even bother with the sides, because she knew we would want to save room for seconds and thirds.
Something about this casserole always felt like home to me. Maybe it was the smell, the poppy seeds, or the love my mother made it with. All I know is, I have never tried a poppy seed chicken casserole that tasted as good as hers.” —Emma Nelson
Ingredients
- 4-6 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1½ cups sour cream
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 2 sleeves Ritz crackers, crumbled
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Boil chicken and shred. Place the Ritz crackers in a Ziploc bag, and use a rolling pin or your hands to crumble them. Combine the crackers and melted butter in a bowl. Pour half of the mixture into a 9-by-13-inch pan. In another bowl, mix the chicken, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and poppy seeds. Pour the chicken mixture into the pan on top of crackers, then pour the second half of the cracker mixture on top. Bake for 30-40 minutes.