Secret family recipes: the new rules
Published by Becky S November 15th, 2005 in miscellaneous fluff, food
It’s time to discuss family values and how they’ve disintegrated during the past fifty years. Take, for example, the matter of secret family recipes. There was a time when people respected secret family recipes and waited until marriage—a sacred institution that unites the culinary heritage of two families—to give them away.
But in these immoral times, anything goes. I know someone who shacked up with her significant other and gave his family her grandmother’s secret gingersnap recipe. Gave it away. Just like that, like it was nothing. The relationship eventually ended, and she’s probably roaming the streets even as I type this, handing out the gingersnap recipe to sketchy men.
Am I too old-fashioned? Is there a “three date rule” for secret family recipes? In an attempt to be more modern, I shall now reveal the S secret family recipe:
1. Cook a hotdog and slice it vertically.
2. Make some mashed potatoes and put them in the hotdog.3. Melt a slice of American cheese on top of the potatoes.
To get the full effect, use instant mashed potatoes. Also, soy dogs can be substituted for regular hotdogs. And stop making faces; this recipe is better than it sounds, and your kids will love it.
One more thing: a hypothetical question. How long do you have to date someone before you get his secret chili recipe?
cheese cooking food miscellaneous fluff
Becky..is nothing sacred anymore??!! The hot dog recipe posted for just anyone to read! And I thought I could trust you to keep the family secrets. And you have to admit the gingersnaps are awesome. It’s okay if the secrets are coming our way. You really must study the rules a little more.
I’m sorry, but chili recipes are only freely exchanged within the fellowship of men… usually when we’re drunk and preferably on the hollowed ground of a football stadium parking lot. That is scandalous business, suggesting that one may use her feminine wiles to usurp a secret chili recipe… hypothetical or not.
Igmar, Igmar, Igmar. Never underestimate the power of the feminine wile. Hypothetically speaking, of course.
Sorry, Mrs. Moon Pappy. Just trying to make sure the S family keeps up with modern times. Oh, and guess what? You got a mention in The Phillyist.
Sounds yummy!
I too am old fashioned on the secret recipe thing. If I never have a daughter I think the family recipes will die with me.
Friends have tried, unsuccessfully, to get them from me. I have even prepared these dishes before their eyes (while they were slightly distracted)…but they will never get the secret ingredients out of me, never!! *evil laugh while she disappears behind a cloud of flour*
So when exactly does a recipe become a secret family recipe? Do you have to register it somewhere? How do you know what you can and cannot share?
Secret schmecret. I have never understood withholding culinary knowledge (unless you are a professional chef or baker)–sharing means there is a high chance your friend will make something you know you already like so you don’t have to. And hypothetically, it is interesting that Type E has been silent on this post. Maybe it’s time to have a blog contest for best chili recipe.
The one problem I have with chili recipe contests is that I never make quite the same batch of chili twice. Each batch gets the old “a little of this a little of that” treatment. It’s always good, but there’s no stable RECIPE to speak of….
Clair, use your own judgement (I know it’s hard, but try).
Sassy, who said anything about Type E? Remember, for blog purposes, this is a hypothetical scenario.
I can’t find the link anymore, but my favorite chili competition story is one where somebody went around the contest with a big bowl and put in one spoonful of each contestant’s chili (which was out for sampling). This person entered the bowl of mixed up chili and got the best chili award (he ‘fessed up).
So do you put the hot dogs on a roll or eat them as is? What if you use potato rolls, would that be too much?
I have a killer chili recipe and it extremely easy to make! I like to call it Chunky Chili with Beans Roadhouse style….
Seriously, the Chunky chili are that bad. As Sherri said above, sometimes the homemade chili does not come out quite the same every time. Don’t tell my wife that however…
How long do you have to date somebody? Too long!
For a top notch, public domain alternative, ATK’s Beef Chili with Bacon and Black Beans is freaking awesome! Oh wait, there might be meat in that one…for vegetarian chili, you can’t beat this. Well, maybe you can, but I’d have to kill you if I told you….
Why no cookie talk? You sucked me in with the chocolate chip cookie photo, and then, no cookies.
What’s the world coming to?
SSC Dan, that veggie chili looks amazing. I also know of a few super secret recipe sites that I can check out
Howard, didn’t you read the post? It was about a woman and her gingersnap cookie recipe. Sheesh. Also, my pictures aren’t as on topic lately since the camera is kaput and I have to rely on Microsoft clipart (which is sorely lacking in the chili category).
Gingersnaps and chocolate chip cookies are hardly the same. I’m just disappointed…
Also, I must point out that the cookies in this picture aren’t very tantalizing. They’re kind of flat and brown around the edges. My chocolate chip cookies look much better.
And that last comment reminds me that it’s time to make some chocolate chunk gingernaps, which is a kick-ass recipe courtesy of friend J Bubbles. These things rule.
Oh, and Clair, it pains me to say this, but a potato roll probably isn’t a good idea for the hot dog recipe. The mashed potatoes would ooze out if you used a roll.