Stories That Recipes Tell: Old-Time Favorites Passed Down Through Generations
By Emily Bontrager
Recipes that stand the test of time and have been passed down through generations are treasured in my family, and I imagine they are in many other families as well. Small boxes of recipes sit in my family’s baker’s cabinet, each one holding a piece of our own type of culinary history.
Inside these boxes are recipes that have been saved, handwritten, cut out, or copied onto recipe cards. Some come from my grandmother, Alberta York; my great-grandmother, Ione Gilbert; my great-great-great-aunt, Olive Evans; my parents; and even a few from myself from when I used to can food and bake in 4-H.
I have fond memories of my grandmother, Alberta York, making pumpkin bread and pumpkin pies. There is nothing quite like grandma’s pumpkin bread. We are lucky to still have her recipe, especially now that she is no longer with us. That makes it feel even more special.
Alberta York’s Pumpkin Bread:
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 2/3 cup flour
Directions: Combine eggs and sugar. Mix well. Add pumpkin, oil, and water. Blend. Add all dry ingredients. Mix. Bake in soup or vegetable cans, not greased, about one half full. This can also be baked in a
loaf pan, greased. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
It is always a joy to pull out old recipes and make them during the holidays.
My father has a box of recipes from my great-grandmother, Ione Gilbert. One of them was passed down from my great-great-great aunt to her. I’ve heard of this recipe being passed around in other families as well, and it always makes me smile.
“How to Preserve a Husband”:
“Be careful in your selection; do not choose too young and take only such as have been reared in a good moral atmosphere. Some insist on keeping them in a pickle, while others keep them in hot water; this only makes them sour, hard, and sometimes brittle. Even poor varieties may be made sweet, tender, and good by garnishing them with patience, well sweetened with smiles, and flavored with kisses to taste, and then wrap them in a mantle of charity, keep warm with a steady fire of domestic devotion, and serve with peaches and cream. When prepared in this manner, they will keep for years.”
This recipe never fails to make me chuckle.
Another recipe I hope to try this holiday season is Aunt Olive’s Good Sugar Cookies. I haven’t made them yet, but I’m excited to see how this simple recipe turns out. It feels like a small way to connect with family history.
Aunt Olive’s Good Sugar Cookies:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
Directions: Mix, roll out, and bake at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes.
Another recipe I look forward to during the holidays is Ribbon Salad, a colorful and festive dish perfect for Christmas. My father has made it many times before, and it’s one I always enjoy.
Ione Gilbert’s Ribbon Salad:
1 box lime gelatin
1 box lemon gelatin
1 box red gelatin
1 cup whipped cream
1/2 lb mini marshmallows
1 large package cream cheese
1 small can crushed pineapple
Directions: Prepare the Lime Layer (Bottom Layer). Dissolve the lime gelatin in 2 cups of hot water. Cool. Pour the lime gelatin into a 9×13 glass baking dish. Refrigerate until fully set (chilled very firm). Prepare the Lemon Layer (Middle Layer) Dissolve the lemon gelatin in 1 cup of hot water. Add mini marshmallows. Let this lemon mixture cool (do not let it set yet). In a bowl, beat together the whipped cream and cream cheese until smooth. Add the cooled lemon and marshmallow mixture and mix well with an electric mixer. Stir in the drained crushed pineapple last. Cool and pour lemon mixture over the lime layer that is set. Refrigerate again until the lemon layer is fully set. Prepare the Red Layer (Top Layer). Dissolve the red gelatin in 2 cups of hot water. Let it cool. Once cooled and the lemon layer is set, pour the red gelatin over the lemon layer. Refrigerate until fully set. Serve.
There’s something especially comforting about pulling out a handwritten recipe card, the faded ink, the smudges of flour, the little notes added in the margins. They feel like small pieces of the people who wrote them, passed from one set of hands to another. In a world where most recipes live online, these cards remind us of the time and care that went into every dish.
The holidays are the perfect time to share that joy of baking. Whether it’s swapping a favorite recipe with a friend, surprising a neighbor with a plate of cookies, or baking something special for your family, these small gestures bring people together. Food has a way of carrying memories, connecting generations, and making a home feel warm.
So, take the time to try a new recipe, bake an old favorite, or pass along a handwritten card to someone who might cherish it. You may create a new tradition or help keep an old one alive. After all, it’s the simple moments, flour-dusted counters, handwritten notes and shared treats that make the holidays truly special.
