[MichelleR]

Just what the title says.

My grandmother used to make meat balls in grape jelly and chili sauce. It was actually quite tasty, but try convincing others of that fact.

She also used to make a cucumber Jell-o mold that involved lime Jell-o and mayonnaise. Was not, am not a huge fan of it, but it tastes better than you might think. She doesn't appreciate mention of the Thanksgiving she removed the top of the mold only to find it didn't set -- the best I can describe it is as, "The Jell-o went vlooop." Since this event happened in the late seventies, she feels I should let it go, and that it wasn't that funny to begin with.

My mother used to love Kidney Stew over cornmeal mush which smells, to me, like someone's bladder exploded.

Pepper Streak is my fave meal from childhood, but all right-thinking people should understand that. Served over mashed potatoes instead of rice.

My family dips grilled cheese sandwiches in ketchup, always Heinz, and my husband spreads Miracle Whip on his. Tonight, my grandmother and I used ketchup on the chicken potpie I made, and my husband looked at us like we were demented. This from the man who thinks you shouldn't heat hot and cold things at the same time, because when the cold front meets the warm front you risk a tornado in your stomach.

My husband's family has kielbasa for Christmas -- the other stuff, too. One year, before I was a part of the family, my sister-in-law volunteered to handle it. Everybody loved it, and said they would like seconds. She told them that that was all there was, and it had seemed like plenty. I think some are still carrying a grudge.

edited, because it's grape jelly, not GREAT jelly. Still, I'm told with a name like Smucker's, it has to be good.

 

[kguthrie]

I don't how strange this is, but my sisters use mayo on their fries instead of ketchup.

 

[Meemo]

Just what the title says.

My grandmother used to make meat balls in great jelly and chili sauce. It was actually quite tasty, but try convincing others of that fact.

I make those meatballs! Actually, mine are with grape jelly, ketchup & cranberry sauce. And they're awesome!

My family always makes giblet gravy to go with turkey dinners. We chop up the giblets & neck bone meat and add a chopped boiled egg as well. These days we share Thanksgiving dinner with my daughter's in-laws. Her mother-in-law can't quite wrap her mind around the giblet gravy thing, so there's always two types of gravy.

Speaking of in-laws and turkey dinners, I don't much care for my mother-in-law's dressing (neither of us stuffs a turkey, so we call it dressing), and she doesn't much care for mine. Hers is too mushy for me, mine's too dry for her (and I like a lot more celery and onions in mine than she does).

 

[Thumper]

My mother used to make this weird orange jello thing that was loaded with shredded carrots and crushed canned pineapple... it looks like regurgitated thanksgiving dinner, but it's actually pretty good, once you get past the texture.




(BTW, GREAT jelly made sense to me )

 

[Angela]

My family's (Dad's side of the family) traditional favorite is Homemade Chicken & Dumplings with Red Gravy. The dumplings are rolled thin, sliced and dropped into chicken stock. The dough is made only of flour, chicken broth, salt & pepper.  The Red Gravy is made by cooking garlic and crushed/dried red pepper in hot oil and adding chicken broth. It is thickened by adding a bit of the dumpling dough. The kids in the family never ate the Red Gravy because it was too hot. No one seems to remember just where Red Gravy came from!

My kid's favorite meal was Mac & Cheese, spinach and corn. It was my attempt to get them to eat a veggie! My son would mix the 3 together!  Looks nasty, but he still loves it that way today!

We also would rather have mexican food for holiday meals than the tradition turkey/dressing stuff.

 

[Leslie]

That meatball recipe is a classic that everyone was passing around in the 70s. Here's one version:

Grape Jelly Meatballs
Grape jelly meatballs are a popular appetizer for holiday parties and get-togethers.

Meatballs

* 1 pound ground beef
* 1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
* 1/3 cup onion -- minced
* 1/4 cup milk
* 1 egg -- beaten
* 1 tablespoon fresh parsley -- minced
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
* 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
* 1/4 cup Crisco vegetable shortening -- to brown meatballs

Sauce

* 1 12oz bottle chili sauce
* 1 10oz jar grape jelly
* Meatball Directions

Combine the first 9 ingredients, mixing well. Shape into 1" meatballs. Cook in an electric skillet in hot shortening over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until browned. Cool meatballs by draining on paper towels. Discard grease.

Simmer Sauce Directions

Combine chili sauce and grape jelly in a medium saucepan (or same electric skillet); stir well until jelly is melted. Add meatballs and simmer UNCOVERED on low for 30 minutes (to thicken the sauce), stirring occasionally. Serve hot meatballs with toothpicks out of the skillet or a crockpot or chafing dish set on low to keep warm. Makes about 5 dozen 1" meatballs.

Makes about 4 to 5 dozen meatballs, depending on size.

You can make it even easier by using a bag of frozen meatballs.

We have a family variation on the lime jello salad called "Aunt Cuyler's Lime-Cheese Salad." It involves lime jello, mayonnaise, cottage cheese, and walnuts. I like it about once a year and usually make it for my father on Thanksgiving.

I don't think the giblet gravy is odd. Isn't that how everybody makes gravy? I've never put a hard-boiled egg in it, though.

Mayo with fries is the only way they are served in Belgium. You'll also get fries with every single thing you order, no matter what it is and no matter if it doesn't seem to make sense -- ie, beef stew with fries on the side. I would have preferred some nice crusty bread, but whatever. We went out for Thai food and yes, they served fries.

When my husband and I were first dating, he took me to his parent's house and his mother made me a grilled cheese sandwich with sweet pickle relish and Miracle Whip. I don't hate many foods but I loathe Miracle Whip and sweet pickle relish is a close second. Needless to say, I was unable to eat my sandwich. He ate it for me and we stopped at McDonald's after we left. When we got married, I told him there would never, ever, ever be a jar of Miracle Whip in the frig, and there hasn't been. He doesn't seem to have missed it too much. I also will only use Hellmann's mayonnaise (unless I make my own). And ketchup has to be Heinz.

L

 

[Kindle Convert]

LOL!  Leslie, sounds familiar!  My husband grew up thinking Miracle Whip was mayo!! I set him straight when I introduced him to Hellmann's.  Everything that calls for mayo that is made in my house is made with Hellmann's, if he chooses to add "salad dressing" to his after it hits his plate, he's welcome to do so.  That's how it works in our house.

 

[chynared21]

I don't how strange this is, but my sisters use mayo on their fries instead of ketchup.

Not strange at all...I mentioned in the weird food combos thread that my friend turned me on to french fries with mayo a couple of years ago. Not very good for you but tasty )

My mom loves the grape jelly meatballs and even called me up to tell me about them. I had read about them but haven't tried them yet...what's not to love about grape jelly and chili sauce? I just never thought of putting the two together

 

[LaraAmber]

My mom gets frustrated that Dad and I both think corn bread is a breakfast food.  She would make cornbread and leave it out for making stuffing later, then the next afternoon the pan would be empty.  She complained to me about having to make cornbread again for the stuffing, and my response was "well duh, if you didn't tell dad hands off it's breakfast: corn bread with butter and maple syrup."  I got a huge sigh out of her "you're just like you're father."

My dad was raised on a dairy farm, so let me tell you, margarine does not come near our dining table, and our family can polish off a jug or two of milk in one meal.  He also has ice-cream almost every night for dessert.  (He's an athlete, he burns it off.)  My in-laws use margarine on their table and it just ruins the taste of everything.

The other one people don't get are Teddy Bear sandwiches: grilled PB&J.  The peanut butter gets all melty and the insides are piping hot.  Yum.

Lara Amber

 

[CS]

The other one people don't get are Teddy Bear sandwiches: grilled PB&J. The peanut butter gets all melty and the insides are piping hot. Yum.

I've actually tried this on my Foreman Grill. While it's not bad or anything, I don't think it's anything all that special either.

 

[LaraAmber]

How did you do it on your foreman grill?  Or does it have a griddle surface you can switch out?

I don't even want to think about how many calories are in one between the peanut butter, the jelly, and the butter smeared on the outside.

Lara Amber

 

[Leslie]

My dad was raised on a dairy farm, so let me tell you, margarine does not come near our dining table, and our family can polish off a jug or two of milk in one meal. He also has ice-cream almost every night for dessert. (He's an athlete, he burns it off.) My in-laws use margarine on their table and it just ruins the taste of everything.

After WWII and the Korean War, my parents both swore they would never eat margarine again, and they didn't, so we never had it in the house growing up. Because butter is what I am used to, that's all we ever have in the house, too.

L

 

[Rhiathame]

My dad was raised on a dairy farm, so let me tell you, margarine does not come near our dining table

For a period of time margarin or oleo was illegal in WI.

 

[Kind]

Will have to get my mother to try this recipe cuz I can't cook. 

 

[MichelleR]

LOL! Leslie, sounds familiar! My husband grew up thinking Miracle Whip was mayo!! I set him straight when I introduced him to Hellmann's. Everything that calls for mayo that is made in my house is made with Hellmann's, if he chooses to add "salad dressing" to his after it hits his plate, he's welcome to do so. That's how it works in our house.

Miracle Whip was mayo when I was growing up and Velveeta was cheese. Wonder Bread, or something close, was bread. Margarine was butter.

I made my mom spaghetti a couple times while her appetite was still there, and had to apologize to my husband before hand for what I was about to do to one of his favorite meals -- loads of Velveeta melted into the sauce. But it's in my genes, so I sorta liked it again. He ate a good bit of it, too. Because my grandmother lives with us, we still have Velveeta in the fridge, but all the years before that we never did, and it never occurred to me to buy it.

 

[Leslie]

Miracle Whip was mayo when I was growing up and Velveeta was cheese. Wonder Bread, or something close, was bread. Margarine was butter.

Hellmann's was (and still is) mayo, Kraft American slices was cheese, Pepperidge farm white was bread, and Land o'Lakes butter in 1/4 lb. sticks was butter.

Once in awhile, my mother would buy my sister and I Wonder Bread as a special treat (!). My sister would take the middle of the slice of Wonder Bread out of the crust, then roll it up into a little ball, then eat it. She could easily go through half a loaf doing that.

L

 

[Sailor]

Hellmann's was (and still is) mayo,...

For those who may transplant from the East to the West side of the USA, Hellmann's is called BEST FOOD'S Mayonnaise over here. I wouldn't use anything else.
But not today...<insert green queasy smiley here> ...and yet I still look at the food threads!

Back to my Pepto Bismol and Ginger Ale...

-sailor

 

[Leslie]

For those who may transplant from the East to the West side of the USA, Hellmann's is called BEST FOOD'S Mayonnaise over here. I wouldn't use anything else.
-sailor

I've always seen that on the back of the jar -- and I've always wondered why it has a different name "west of the Rockies." Anyone know?

L

 

[B-Kay 1325]

We used Miracle Whip, Kraft American Cheese and Margarine when I was growing up and still use it to this day.  I like Mayo but just have to have the Miracle Whip on a sandwich, also in potato salad (which I don't make very often).  We also made Giblet Gravy and I didn't know anyone who didn't until I was an adult (we also did not put a hard boiled egg in it and I never heard of that until this thread).  I have never grilled a PB&J sandwich and have also never had meatballs with grape jelly and chili sauce (but I might try the recipe).  My Mom loved cornbread in a glass with ice cold buttermilk (yuk) and would always make sure there was enough left over cornbread from dinner so she could have it that way.  This was pretty hard because I come from a family of 7 kids and my Grandmother & an Aunt and Uncle stayed with us for several months each year, (12 people in a 4 bedroom house, crowded to say the least) Mom spent the day cleaning, doing laundry and cooking every day.

Leslie, I don't know why they use a different name here in the "west" but we also don't have White Castle restaurants here in the west, if we want White Castle burgers we have to buy them from the frozen food section in the grocery store, just not the same.  I can't think of them right now but there are several brands that have different names east vs west.

 

[luvmy4brats]

My mom always made the best bunless chili cheese dogs. Slice the hot dogs into thin "penny" slices. Brown them in a skillet. Add a can or 2 of Chili (I prefer Hormel with beans) and about 1/4 to 1/2 of a block of
Velveeta. Heat until Velveeta is melted. Toss in a handful of diced onions. Spoon into a bowl and eat. (Or over a piece of bread. It does look like a bowl of dog food, but it's SO good.