From Our Grandmothers' Kitchens

120 old-fashioned recipes rediscovered and foolproofed for a new generation

Whether it is a soul-warming meal your grandmother used to make especially for you, or an Old-World recipe your great-grandparents brought over through Ellis Island, our favorite family recipes are about much more than the food itself - they tell the story of who we are and where we came from.

The editors of Cook's Country magazine set out to rescue the best of these old-fashioned family favorites, and the result is this one-of-a-kind collection.

We asked readers to submit cherished recipes from their mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers. Cookies and pies, casseroles, old-fashioned breads, and even preserves and pickles - came pouring in. We picked the most promising, put them through rigorous testing and tweaking, and collected the very best for this classic American cookbook, including awarding a $25,000 top prize for our favorite recipe (see below for the winning recipe).

This colorful collection features 120 truly "American" recipes in the great tradition known as the world's melting pot. Recipes like Bubbe's Passover Brisket from Poland (dried apricots and plums make this wonderful brisket both sweet and savory), cardamom-spiced Swedish Coffee Bread (a grandmother's perfect breakfast treat), and Old Time Latvian Rolls (brought to Indiana with grandparents who fled the 1940 Soviet invasion). Then there are those recipes that were born closer to home, like Pennsylvania Dutch Shoo-Fly Cake, the blue plate special from Grandma Alpha's Ribs from a tavern in rural Ohio and even Grated Bread and Chocolate Bread Cake. (our $25,000 contest winner!)