Late last month, I was feeling rather nostalgic about the past, and as a result I decided to hold a once-off event celebrating foods tied to events in our past. Having extended this invitation out, I’ve been utterly overwhelmed by the response from food bloggers looking to take part and share some wonderful memories and recipes – thank you to everyone for taking part in this one off event, and for helping me to celebrate the past and the moments and recipes that have brought us to where we are today Now, without further ado, on to the round-up!

Always a wonderful storyteller, Neil from At My Table shares some bittersweet memories of his mum, as well as a scone-making session that took him back to the Sunday night scones with jam and cream that he enjoyed as a child

Pinky over at The Poison Doughnut brings us her mama’s chicken soup to the table, as well as memories of growing up in Papua New Guinea and eating this soup on those tropical nights

Deborah from Play with food shares a very special recipe for Szechwan Chicken Salad, as well as some sweet and sad memories of The Colonel, her beloved father in law

I-Ling, author of Feed Me! I’m Hungry!! brings us the memory of her aunt’s American Salad from her childhood

The marvellous Tanna from My Kitchen in Half Cups reveals a recipe for her cousin Eddie’s Salsa Fresca, as well as sharing the memory of growing up with her older cousins, the surrogate older siblings she never had

Rachel over at Coconut & Lime brings her grandfather’s ground beef gravy to the table, and fondly remembers the extras serves of his dinner that welcomed her back home after school

Ashley from Big Cook, Tiny Kitchen offers up these wonderful Mexican Wedding Cookies, and the memory of them being made by her Aunt Crickett

Mandi at Red Dirt Mummy recalls making this chocolate cake with her Nan, and the many appearances it made during her childhood

Helene from Tartlette reminisces about her grandmother and the rest of her family half a world away, and remembers the past through her gradmother’s rice pudding

Rice puddings must be one of those foods that grandmothers excel at, as Truffle from What’s On My Plate remembers her grandmother with this cardamom rice pudding

Miss Eagle over at Food From Oz introduces us to an uniquely Aussie spin on mash with mashed pumpkin & potato with vegemite, a food that has been part of Australia since the 1920s!

Cindy from Where’s The Beef recalls happy days in her childhood spent playing on her grandparent’s farm, and the ‘smoko’ breaks during which she enjoyed these ‘cowpat cookies‘ (also known as ginger drop biscuits)

These gorgeous cherry currant danishes were created by Brilynn over at Jumbo Empanadas, her efforts spurred by memories of her reluctance to attend services at church as a little tyke

Doodles, one of the three lovely writers from Peanut Butter Etouffee, recalls a childhood memory of the best ever chili she shared with her sister Mooncrazy

This simple-but-sweet sandwich delight is brought to us by Claire from Cooking is Medicine, inspired by the memory of her mother making these for her when see was just a wee’un

This delightful looking stuff is chocolate gravy, an dish born from the mind of Shawna’s grandmother. Head over to Confections of a Foodie Bride to read more about her fond memories of this special woman

The lovely Lis from La Mia Cucina remembers her mother’s chicken & noodles, a kitchen stalwart which has seen her through many moments in her life

This colourful and tasty frittata reminds Susan from Food “Blogga” of the many such dishes she and her mother enjoyed with her grandmother

This beautiful daal dhokli is offered up by Bee from Jugalbandi, as well as memories of her mother and her childhood spent growing up in India

Chris from Mele Cotte recalls growing up in a food-filled Italian household, and the occasional sweet treats like these struffoli that were a part of special occasions

Kitty from My Husband Hates Veggies recalls memories of her Italian-American childhood and her grandmother’s cooking that followed the rule that salt is necessary, especially in this delicious giambotta

These delicious krispy knots with honey and pistachio come to us from the mind of the wonderful Gattina from Kitchen Unplugged, who made them in an effort to recreate some of her childhood from Hong Kong

Ilva, the mastermind behind Lucullian Delights, shares with us some memories of her mother, and the cannelloni alla kia that she made for her as a child

Fellow Australia-based Kazari from I think I have a recipe for that reaches back to her early childhood in Canada, and the different forms of macaroni and cheese that have been a part of her life

Cris over at From Our Home to Yours remembers this condensed milk flan, a favourite from her childhood as made by her mother

These adorable winter biscuits are Joanna from Joanna’s Foods attempt to recreate to her grandmother’s little sweet bites, using quince jam to recall the memory of her and her kitchen

Ulrike from Küchenlatein remembers the comfort she got from her packet mix vanilla pudding with orange sauce, the first dish she cooked herself as a child

Toni from Daily Bread Journal presents her meema’s noodles and cabbage for our consumption, a dish that brings her family together and helps them remember the force of nature that was their grandma

Ronnie at Around the Table gives us a recipe for this delightful rehrÏ‹cken (classic Viennese chocolate cake), a cake that was her mother’s signature dessert and appeared at many a family occasion

This plate of deliciousness is gheea koftey (fried dumplings in gravy), a submission from Richa at As Dear As Salt that remembers the way she and her sister would devour these morsels when her mom made them during their childhood

Fellow Melbournian Melinda from Melbourne Larder brings us her mother’s chocolate rough slices, as well as many memories about different foods and the fondness she has for them all

Zorra over at 1x umrühren bitte recreates a black forest cake, the standard birthday cake that she had as a child, courtesy of her mother’s friend

Though Stephanie from The Elegant Sufficiency really wanted to cook brains for her entry, her butcher’s lack thereof led her to make these devilled kidneys on toast, a favourite breakfast in her mother’s home

Becke from Columbus Foodie bowed out to her husband Paul for this event, giving him a chance to recall the days when dinner was taken with the whole family around the dining table, enjoying dishes like his mother’s salmond noodle casserole

Paul at Writing At The Kitchen Table recalls growing up in the 80s as a little boy, a love of West Side Story and summertime dinners eating outdoors on a picnic table, hopefully with his favourite teriyaki burgers as made by his mom

The last but definetely not least entry for this event has been sent in by Tim Hendshaw, and as he’s not from amongst our food-blogging ranks, his memory and recipe are below

The woman (and the source of the recipe) is my mother. She died in June 2003. A subarachnoid aneurysm ruptured. No notice, no warning. I have brought that recipe to many “orphan Thanksgivings” and since she died, it has become my Christmas responsibility.

As far as a memory goes, I got my hood in May 2003. My folks flew out for the ceremony (boston –>michigan for those in the states). I had my hood over my arm and I was chatting with my major professor as we walked into the auditorium, which held several thousand people. I glanced up at the crowd and the first eyes I saw were my mother’s. For the rest of the weekend my mom relished in this memory of her son picking her out of a many thousand person crowd. I chalked it up to coincidence. I’m glad she had that memory when she died three weeks later.

Tim’s mother’s carrot loaf

Ingredients
2-3 TB shortening
1 ½ c. + 5 TB corn flake crumbs
5 c. (3 lbs.) cooked carrots / pureed in food processor
1 ½ c. milk
3 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. butter, melted
½ c. chopped onion
2 ½ tsp. salt
Black pepper to taste
Dash of red pepper (Tim’s note – a few dashes of red pepper)
1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg
1 TB dried basil or mint
6 eggs
(Tim’s note – a couple cloves garlic)

1. Set oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup mold and sprinkle with 5 TB corn flake crumbs.

2. In large bowl, combine remaining crumbs, milk, cheese, butter, onion, and seasonings. Beat eggs on high for 1 minute; add carrots.

3. Combine everything and pour into mold. This all can be done ahead and allowed to stand at room temperature (covered) for 1 hour.

4. Bake for 1-½ hours uncovered. Cover top and allow to stand for ½ hour. Invert.

Tim’s note: if you want to unmold, make sure the edges are well browned, otherwise, just serve out of casserole)

Once again, thank you to everyone who participated and helped bring this idea of mine to life in a celebration of our past and the memories and people who have been a part of our journey to where we now stand. And of course, the food

[tags] food blog, event, nostalgia, event, recipes[/tags]

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