If you have the pleasure of knowing someone who loves to cook, you know the feeling of walking into a kitchen and being overwhelmed with the incredible smells of that person’s newest concoction. For me and many others, that person is their grandparent. Grandparents seem to have a unique ability to find and make recipes that turn into the most delicious and memorable meals. For members of our community, three of those dishes are cinnamon rolls, chicken and rice, and blueberry scones.

Every recent Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, Ella Grimes (Class VI) has called her grandfather to beg him to bring his family-favorite cinnamon rolls to their holiday meal. The answer is always yes. Grimes said, “His cinnamon rolls are just so sweet, and my grandpa is the nicest person ever, so they remind me of him.” After making these rolls myself, I can most definitely attest to their homey, sweet nature. The icing is a perfect consistency, and the rolls are surprisingly easy to make! If you’d like to bring a sweet and special recipe to your next family celebration, certainly keep this one in mind.

FOR THE DOUGH:

4⅔ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off, plus more for rolling
½ cup cornstarch
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon instant or rapid-rise yeast (note this is more than 1 packet)
1½ teaspoons salt
1 cup + 2 tablespoons whole milk, lukewarm (about 110°F/43°C)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, sliced into 8 pieces, softened (handwritten note – very soft!)

FOR THE FILLING

1 cup (packed) light brown sugar

 1½ tablespoons ground cinnamon

 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened → (handwritten note – very soft!)

FOR THE FROSTING

4 oz cream cheese, softened

 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

 1 cup confectioners’ sugar → (handwritten note – needs more)

 2 tablespoons milk, plus more if necessary

SEE FULL INSTRUCTIONS AT https://thenoblemanonline.com/11207/news/full-grandparents-recipes-from-115-8/#:~:text=Ella%20Grimes

If you’re hoping to find a recipe that can be made more in a pinch, perhaps for an average family dinner on a weeknight, look no further than the chicken and rice recipe made by the grandmother of Evelyn Hall (Class IV). This recipe is well-tested and well-trusted: Her grandmother, Judy Landry, made it up around 40 years ago and has been making it for her family ever since. I loved trying this recipe on a cold, rainy Saturday night: The chicken’s spices were perfect (I mixed a couple different ones to recreate Salad Supreme, which worked nicely), and the rice’s texture felt almost like a risotto. The onion flavor of the rice paired well with the spicer, deeper flavor of the chicken. I hope you try it yourself — it could easily become a routine family dinner recipe.

8 Boneless Chicken Thighs

1 stick + 3 tbsp butter

Salad Supreme spice (enough to cover the chicken thighs)

1 ½ cup Uncle Ben’s White Rice

3 cups Campbell’s canned chicken broth

½ medium white onion

SEE FULL INSTRUCTIONS AT https://thenoblemanonline.com/11207/news/full-grandparents-recipes-from-115-8/#:~:text=Evelyn%20Hall

Finally, Holly Walls (Class VI) and her grandmother would like to invite you to an English tea with their blueberry scone recipe! Barb Walls makes these scones for Sunday brunch, and she loves them most of all because they remind her of the wonderful British tradition of having tea and scones. I’m writing this while still dreaming of the scone I had for breakfast this morning, thanks to their recipe. The scone and glaze mixed to be just the right level of sweetness, the dough was buttery and soft, and the scone held up perfectly when I reheated it in the microwave (I’m sorry, I know that’s very un-elegant). Think of this recipe the next time you’d like to dream of the British Isles, and don’t forget to put some nice jam and butter on the side!

FOR THE SCONES:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, diced (1/2 cup = 8 Tbsp)

1 large egg, cold, lightly beaten

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, cold, plus 2 Tbsp to brush the tops

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup blueberries

1 Tbsp coarse/raw sugar, or granulated sugar

FOR THE LEMON GLAZE:

2/3 cup powdered sugar

Zest from 1 lemon

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed for desired consistency

SEE FULL INSTRUCTIONS AT https://thenoblemanonline.com/11207/news/full-grandparents-recipes-from-115-8/#:~:text=Holly%20Walls

Each of these recipes has a unique feature, yet they all share the ability to make you feel cozy and nostalgic. I hope these suggestions encourage you to take out some flour and eggs, or, at the very least, spend some time talking with the people in your lives who have beloved recipes. Who knows, they may become a new staple for you, too!