My Great-Aunt Matilda taught all of us this recipe when we were children! Apparently it’s something she brought over from the “Old Country”, as they say. She brought over a slim leatherbound volume of recipes she learned from her mother on that crowded ship across the Pacific, and almost dropped it in the ocean as they neared the Statue of Liberty! But fortunately a kind young man helped grab it, and–decades and decades later–they’re still happily married!
This recipe uses a technique that I’ve found generally useful in cooking, and it’s really helped me up my game when it comes to both entrees and desserts. Apparently, it was popular throughout much of both Texas and Minnesota during the Great Depression, due to the small number of humble ingredients. I feel so connected to the people and the land whenever I make this recipe, and I plan to teach it to my daughter when she gets a little older.
My husband loves this recipe! I actually made it on one of our first dates, and clearly it works to snag a man! It’s really sweet and comforting to know that it’s helped multiple generations of women in my family. It helps me feel that all of us are bound together. I still cook it for him every anniversary. They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and that’s certainly proved true for my man!
My kids also love this recipe. My older son even helps me make it sometimes! I joke about him becoming a pro chef in the future. My regular little Gordon Ramsay. Maybe I should get him a chef hat.
My younger son isn’t the biggest fan, but he’s just generally a picky eater. He only wants to eat plain noodles. Can you believe it? At least I’ve gotten him to start eating them with butter on them.
Ever since we moved into our current (very nice!) house after my hubby got promoted, it’s been a little harder to find the ingredients we used to use in stores nearby, but I’ve found it doesn’t do too much harm to make a few substitutions! And I feel like such a good wife when I use our nice new kitchen with the marble counters and the island! I really love our open concept design. All those hours of watching HGTV really paid off I guess, haha!
Anyway, I think this recipe is really something special. I hope you share it with your family the way I have with mine, and who knows? Maybe it’ll even become a new tradition.
Ice Cream Sundae (3 ingredients; 5 minutes)
Scoop vanilla ice cream into a bowl
Add a swirl of chocolate syrup
Top with chopped nuts (Optional)
