Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Hayduke Bomgarte

(1,965 posts)
Wed Jun 15, 2016, 10:01 AM Jun 2016

Craving childhood dishes

I'm going to take a chance that it is appropriate to ask this here, and I apologize in advance if not.

Lately I've found myself craving different dishes from when I was a little kid. Sauerkraut and spare ribs, Swiss Steak, both of which I managed to track down passable recipes for, and make.

There are two, presently, I just can't seem to find.

When I was 5-6-7, my Grandma used to take me downtown to movies and such, on the bus. Usually being early, we'd go to a department store or drugstore lunch counter, for egg salad sandwiches. I remember that they all tasted pretty much alike from one place to another, with minor differences such as one having, maybe, celery or onion bits and others not. Yellow, of course, creamy, chewy. Delicious. Anyone old enough to remember those lunch counter days, late 60s for me, and maybe have a recipe that's close?

The other, my Mom used to make from left over mashed potatoes and creamed corn, If I remember correctly. She just called them corn patties. Mixed together with whatever else, I can't imagine, maybe a little milk, pattied and fried to a golden brown and served lightly salted and peppered, which as I recall, played wonderfully against the sweetness of the creamed corn. Anyone else ever have these? Have a recipe? I'm actually not 100% positive that it was creamed corn, being that I was really young. Sometimes, it seems now, that we'd have those after having had a big pile of corn on the cob.

I wish I'd had the presence of mind to ask my Mom about these things before the Alzheimer's got too bad.


19 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies

Arkansas Granny

(31,484 posts)
1. As with so many of my "recipes", I have a list of ingredients, but not exact measurements.
Wed Jun 15, 2016, 10:28 AM
Jun 2016

For egg salad, I mash hard boiled eggs, add enough mayonnaise to make them spreadable, a little mustard, salt & pepper to taste. I usually add some finely diced onion, a little pickle relish, celery seed and sometimes a little dash of horseradish. This is pretty much the way my mother made them.

As far as the potato and corn patties, maybe you could adapt this recipe by adding some corn:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/223597/old-fashioned-potato-cakes/

I've made mashed potato patties before, but never with corn. I'll have to try that.

Hayduke Bomgarte

(1,965 posts)
4. That egg salad recipe, minus
Wed Jun 15, 2016, 11:15 AM
Jun 2016

the onion, relish, celery and horseradish sounds very much like my wifes deviled egg mix, which is quite a bit more tart than what I remember the egg salad being. Of course I'm relying on memories from when I was 6 from nearly a half century ago.

Maybe next time the wife devils eggs, I'll take the leftover mix and try to tone it down a little. Maybe that's it.

Thanks!

surrealAmerican

(11,340 posts)
2. Egg salad is one of those things with a lot of regional ...
Wed Jun 15, 2016, 10:47 AM
Jun 2016

... and ethnic variation. You might want to take that route while researching a recipe to match your memory.

The fritters could well have been improvised, and will probably take a bit of trial and error to figure out.

Hayduke Bomgarte

(1,965 posts)
3. I tried the fritters, once
Wed Jun 15, 2016, 11:10 AM
Jun 2016

A few years ago. I used leftover mashed potatoes with a can of creamed corn It came out too thin to patty and was more like pancakes. Didn't taste quite right either, though it wasn't terrible. Perhaps I'll give it another shot with just plain corn and maybe a splash of milk. Trial and error, in any case. I just hate the idea, though, of whipping up a batch of inedible crud.

I hadn't considered the regional aspect for the egg salad. The region was central Illinois.

Major Nikon

(36,814 posts)
5. I suspect if you add some prepared yellow corn grits to the recipe it would probably firm them up
Wed Jun 15, 2016, 11:34 AM
Jun 2016

You'll want to cook them first. Be sure to use regular stone ground yellow corn grits and not any of the instant varieties. You can make them in the microwave.

http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes/how-to-make/basic-preparation-instructions-for-corn-grits/

Warpy

(110,913 posts)
7. Since the fritters held their shape so well
Wed Jun 15, 2016, 01:32 PM
Jun 2016

I would imagine that flour and egg were added to the mix. I'd also be tempted to put in a little onion. Using corn cut off the cob will probably work better, also, since it sounds that's what your mother did.

I can't imagine a combination of corn and mashed potatoes would ever turn into inedible crud unless you added some pretty unfriendly ingredients like maybe blueberries and liver.

mopinko

(69,809 posts)
6. try to find some fresh eggs for your egg salad.
Wed Jun 15, 2016, 01:08 PM
Jun 2016

i have free range chickens and the difference between my eggs and store bought eggs is astounding. i suspect this is part of the difference you are tasting. store eggs today are horrid.

trof

(54,255 posts)
8. Things my mom used to make
Wed Jun 15, 2016, 03:42 PM
Jun 2016

Cooked elbow macaroni with Pet evaporated milk (not the sweetened condensed stuff) and salt and pepper.
Cooked spinach drizzled with olive oil.
Weird.

Hayduke Bomgarte

(1,965 posts)
9. Your mention of elbow macaroni
Wed Jun 15, 2016, 03:56 PM
Jun 2016

Reminds me of another childhood dish I just loved.

My Mom called it Goulash. Seems like it was ground beef, elbow macaroni and maybe canned diced tomatoes or paste. Or both. The recipes,for it, I've looked at on Food.com all have more ingredients than what I think she used, and maybe many weren't even available off the shelf in the late 60s.

surrealAmerican

(11,340 posts)
11. We had something similar to that macaroni dish ...
Wed Jun 15, 2016, 05:49 PM
Jun 2016

... that we called "macaroni and beef" (as opposed to "macaroni and cheese" I assume). It may have been based off of some sort of TV-dinner-type of product.

There was also a similar dish with macaroni, kidney beans, onions, and canned tomatoes that I inexplicably loved as a kid.

Worried senior

(1,328 posts)
10. My mother made a
Wed Jun 15, 2016, 05:26 PM
Jun 2016

great tuna salad with shell macaroni.

I asked while she was still alive but she didn't remember how she did it. I do know it didn't have peas in it but once in a while I get a real craving.

dem in texas

(2,672 posts)
12. Probably didn't have creamed corn
Wed Jun 15, 2016, 09:09 PM
Jun 2016

This was a thrifty dish, using leftovers and maybe your mom just threw in some leftover corn, not the creamed kind.

My mother used to make potato cakes from leftover mashed potatoes. She'd add a beaten egg, some chopped onion and a little flour. She'd then shape them into small flat cakes, dust with flour and fry in hot grease.

My childhood egg salad was chopped boiled eggs, grated raw carrots mixed with a little mayo and a dab of sweet pickle relish, spread on Mrs. Baird's whole wheat bread. Still love this!

My mother made a tuna macaroni salad and I still make it today. My grandmother was from Sweden and she was the original maker of this salad, but she used canned salmon, Somewhere along the way, tuna got substituted for the salmon. I like to make it with small sized elbow macaroni, good quality tuna, chopped onion, dill pickles, hard boiled eggs and celery. A little chopped green bell pepper is good too. Mix with Mayo, a little lemon juice and fresh ground pepper. This is a perfect summer lunch dish, with some slices of ripe tomatoes and potato chips on the side.

 

SheilaT

(23,156 posts)
13. I used to make mashed potato cakes
Wed Jun 15, 2016, 10:27 PM
Jun 2016

from leftover mashed potatoes when my sons were young. I'd also add egg, salt, pepper, maybe a little onion. Fry up. They loved them.

 

MichiganVote

(21,086 posts)
16. The key to good potato patties is the mash
Fri Jun 17, 2016, 06:20 PM
Jun 2016

You cannot make decent patties with mashed potatoes that are more than a day or so old, or a mash that is too dry or too soft. If you choose to add eggs and all the other stuff people seem to be adding, your consistency has to be firm but not dry. You can add whatever you want, corn or other vege's if you have them. Medium heat in a heavier pan oiled with something that won't smoke. Brown both sides, they should flip easily and hold their shape. Brown and crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside. We just use salt and pepper but will often place an over easy fried egg on top.

PennyK

(2,300 posts)
18. My mother also made mashed potato pancakes
Sat Jun 18, 2016, 03:23 PM
Jun 2016

We're Jewish, and she added some matzo meal to the mixture. Sometimes, if she had leftover, she would mix in spinach, and it was good!

Latest Discussions»Culture Forums»Cooking & Baking»Craving childhood dishes