23 of Mom’s Best All-Time Recipes
Updated: Apr. 15, 2021Nothing says comfort food like a home cooked meal from Mom. Here, readers share their favorite family recipe.
Mom’s Maple-Apple Pie
Mom’s apple pie might be a cliché, but others have tried and failed to rival my mom’s recipe. My siblings and I panic when anyone else takes the holiday apple pie assignment, but we make sure Mom is making hers, too. —Rebecca Little, Park Ridge, Illinois
Hot Milk Cake
This simple, old-fashioned cake tastes so good it will surprise you. As I remember my mom’s delicious meals, this dessert was always the perfect ending. Mom always used “a dash of this and dab of that” to come up with what we thought was “the best!” —Rosemary Pryor, Pasadena, Maryland
Mom’s Meat Loaf
Mom made this scrumptious main dish frequently when I was growing up. When I first met my husband, he wasn’t fond of meat loaf. This is the first meal I prepared for him, and now he requests it often. —Michelle Beran, Claflin, Kansas
Peach Crisp
A hearty serving of this sweet and tart treat is a mouthwatering way to end one of Mom’s meals. With the comforting crust, fruit filling, and crunchy topping, this dessert is as lovely as it is delicious.—Dianne Esposite, New Middletown, Ohio
Beef Lasagna
This recipe is one of my mom’s specialties. It’s a hearty main dish that gets requested time and time again. The from-scratch sauce makes each cheesy slice extra flavorful and softer-textured than other versions. —Kim Orr, West Grove, Pennsylvania
Mom’s Italian Bread
I think Mom used to bake at least four of these tender loaves at once, and they never lasted long. She served the bread with every Italian meal. I love it toasted, too. —Linda Harrington, Windham, New Hampshire
Mom’s Chicken Noodle Soup
My mother was a pastor’s wife, and she did a lot of cooking for potlucks. This recipe’s one she created herself. I serve it frequently to my husband and to our four children. Every one of them is a hearty eater! —Marlene Doolittle, Story City, Iowa
Nikki’s Perfect Pastitsio
My mother used to work so hard in the kitchen to make this classic Greek dish, and the results were always well worth her effort. My recipe for pastitsio is easier, a bit lighter, and every bit as great as Mom’s.—Nikki Tsangaris, Westfield, Indiana
My Mother’s Mac and Cheese
I remember my mother sending me to the store for “15¢ worth of store cheese.” The butcher would cut off a slice from a gigantic round of cheese covered with a wax-coated cloth. Mother would then blend that cheese into this tasty dish. Today, the memory of Mother’s cooking is like food for my soul. —Phyllis Burkland, Portland, Oregon
Strawberries & Cream Torte
This festive strawberry summer treat is one of my mom’s favorites. It wows guests every time yet is simple to make. —Cathy Branciaroli, Wilmington, Delaware
Mom’s Soft Raisin Cookies
With four sons in service during World War II, my mother sent these favorite cookies as a taste from home to “her boys” in different parts of the world. These days, my 11 grandchildren are enjoying them as we did, along with my stories of long ago. —Pearl Cochenour, Williamsport, Ohio
Mom’s Garlic Pork Roast
Mom cooked for 11 children, so her menus usually featured basic, simple foods. But on holidays, she always treated us to this special pork roast. All of us kids agree this was our mom’s best meal! —Ruby Williams, Bogalusa, Louisiana
Sausage Cheese Crescents
My mother says that my grandmother made the best butterhorns. I never tasted hers, but my Mom’s were delicious and grandma, of course, taught her. Through the years, my Mom filled butter horns with everything, from fruit, to seafood, to meats and all sorts of nuts and raisins. I always got a kick out of trying to guess what was in them. This recipe is ideal for brunch or lunch. —Paula Marchesi, Lenhartsville, Pennsylvania
Mom’s Soft Sugar Cookies
This delicious sugar cookie recipe has been passed down in our family for 75 years. Try it and you’ll see why it remains our very favorite cookie! —Arnita Schroeder, Hoagland, Indiana
Frozen Hawaiian Pie
Cool summer pies are one of Mom’s specialties. This version offers pineapple, maraschino cherries, and walnuts that are folded into a fluffy filling. It’s an easy yet tempting no-bake dessert. —Jennifer Mcquillan, Jacksonville, Florida
Cherry Spice Cake
At least four generations of women in my family have been baking this Cherry Spice Cake. It’s always my mom’s pick for her birthday. I like to use cream cheese frosting, but when my mother was growing up, my grandma frosted the cake with butter cream. —Laurie Sanders, Manchester, Michigan
Mocha Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
Childhood food memories always bring me back to a special time. This is one of my mom’s outstanding desserts, which she often served. —Cara Langer, Overland Park, Kansas
