Recipes

In an earlier post, I mentioned I fixed ham and funeral potatoes for Easter. It's kind of a tradition for me. Ham just makes sense as an Easter meal and the potatoes just go so well with it. And it was the "real" ham, bone-in spiral sliced. Great for leftover ham sandwiches or potato soup! Someone had asked why we called them funeral potatoes and why we couldn't use a more "positive" name. It got me thinking.

First of all, they were named by my dear cousin Kate. And she called them that because they were the potatoes served at all the funeral dinners we attended as kids. And while we may have been mourning the loss of our loved ones at the time, those potatoes do signify a lot of positive things for me. 

Growing up in a small town, and in a large, close-knit family on both sides, we did experience quite a bit of death. But, at the same time, we were surrounded by a lot of loving and caring people who came forward during that time of loss. Somehow that particular potato casserole recipe became a staple in our house-probably because they taste so darn good! I remember they would arrive at many other family holidays and dinners. 

One weekend when Kate and I were in college, we drove home to her family's house. When we asked what was for dinner and my aunt announced funeral potatoes, we both cheered. At the end of the weekend, I remember requesting to take the leftovers back to the dorm. We could just never get enough. 

When I fix those potatoes for my family, I am always flooded with memories of growing up, hanging out with the cousins, visiting my grandparents. So many happy, positive thoughts.

So while the recipe is pretty basic and you can probably find it in many cookbooks named something else, this potato casserole will be forever be known to me and my family as...

Funeral Potatoes (recipe given to me by my Mom who got if from our friend Bernice. She was like another grandma to my siblings and me.)

1 large pkg frozen hash browns, thawed (have used cubed, shredded and O'Brien*)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 can cream of chicken soup  (cream of mushroom or celery also works)

8 oz. sour cream

2 cups grated cheddar

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups corn flakes

Mix all but corn flakes, put in greased 9X13 pan, sprinkle with corn flakes. Bake uncovered 1 hour at 350 degrees. You can also freeze this (w/o cornflakes, then add right before baking). *If I use O'Brien hashbrowns with the peppers and onions, I use green onions instead of white.

Isn't it interesting how food can have such an emotional effect on us? There are many recipes my mom always makes that I have started making for my family and they just always remind me of home. I also love starting new traditions with my own children. Emily at everydayMom talks about food nostalgia at this post.

Another recipe I have started making for Easter and some other occasions is Peanut Butter Corn Flake Cookies. MJ already thinks of it as an Easter tradition and I've only made them a few years! Plus, the potatoes and cookies kind of go together because they both use the cornflakes. If I make a batch of these quick, no bake cookies, then I use the leftover cereal for the casserole. 

Normally, I follow this recipe to the t. But I had to improvise this year because I had underestimated the amount of corn syrup I had left in the bottle, so after mixing them up, they were quite dry. Not one to give up on a recipe, I grabbed a half a bag of marshmallows from the cabinet and quickly melted them with some butter to make more stuff to hold the cereal together. Although, I only used a 1/4 of the half bag that was left-still not enough. So, I then poured the rest of the marshmallows in and repeated the process. They were still a little dry, but the flavor was there. Josh's brother loves these cookies and didn't notice a bit, so I guess they were a hit even it was a little crazy trying to make them. I promise, if you have the correct amount of the ingredients they are quite easy to prepare. So without any more rambling food thoughts from me, here is the recipe...

Peanut Butter Corn Flake Cookies

8 cups cornflakes

1 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup peanut butter

Grease 9X13 pan. Pour measured cereal into large mixing bowl. Heat syrup and sugar over medium heat. Stir constantly, just to boiling. Remove from heat, add peanut butter and mix until smooth. Pour over cereal and mix until coated. Press firmly into pan. Let cool. Cut into squares and enjoy! 

Thinking back, I think I probably only had about 1/4 cup of syrup. No wonder they were so dry to begin with!!