Grandma Heather's Old-Fashioned Cookin' November 2009

Everyone knows that Grandma cooks with love. And by love I mean butter, cream, and everything else that clogs up those arteries. Grandmas are famous for their casseroles, pot pies, and fried chicken. I wanted to pick a menu that reminded of us all of that good home-cookin' but adapt it into a more updated, healthy version of the original. (Plus, I had been craving a root beer float!)

Recipes:

Beef and Vegetable Potpie (Courtesy of Cooking Light)

This recipe was relatively easy to construct, using the bread-stick dough. The labor intensive part was just chopping up the veggies. We omitted the mushrooms because I detest them (yeah, I know that means I'm not a true foodie but I can accept that as long as it means never having to eat one of those sluggish, slimy things). This dish turned out good, but not great. It was definitely not your creamy, flaky, buttery pot pie. Still, if you're craving some hearty comfort food but want to watch your calorie intake, this would be a good option.

Iceberg Lettuce Wedges with Creamy Garlic Dressing (Courtesy of All You)

Simple lettuce salad, I know, you're probably thinking B-O-R-I-N-G. Especially, with the nutrition-less iceberg but that's how G-ma would do it, right? Anyway, the dressing was what made the salad. It was deliciously creamy with just the right amount of garlic and I used the leftovers on other salads for weeks after our dinner night.

Split Pea Soup with Rosemary (Courtesy of Allrecipes.com)

This soup was delicious, creamy, and really reminded us of grandma's cookin. The bacon added a smoky flavor while the rosemary's piney flavor was a nice balance. This is very simple to throw together but make sure you give yourself enough time to let the peas cook fully.

Rootbeer Floats

1 can of A&W rootbeer

1 scoop of vanilla ice cream

You can't get anymore old-fashioned or nostalgic than this. Obviously, this isn't a fancy dessert that took a lot of effort but the simplicity of it is what makes it so fun. And delicious. Did I mention delicious? I could go for one right now.