Thank you all so much for your kind words this week. It’s been a difficult time with the passing of my beloved Grandpa and I appreciate all the support. I spoke at his funeral this week and shared some of my favourite memories of him. It was hard to stand up and say goodbye to a man who has been such a big part of my life growing up, but I’m so glad that my brother and sister encouraged me to do so.
Usually for Friday Favourites I talk about things that I like, but in honour of my Grandpa, I’m sharing some of his favourite recipes that I’ve shared on the blog over the years. He had a real sweet tooth, especially for baked goods. He was the kind of person that you loved to bake for because he appreciated it so much. We never went to visit him empty handed and we always had some of his favourites ready for when he’d come see us. They are all classic, good ol’ homecooking recipes that are sure to warm the hearts of the loved ones in your life.
1. Butter Tarts
Everyone knew that Grandpa loved his butter tarts. He had one every day at the coffee shop he went to in the morning. These flaky tart shells filled with a wonderful buttery brown sugar filling are a classic Canadian recipe.
2. Gingersnaps
These soft, spiced gingersnap cookies remind me of the gingerbread recipe we’d make at Christmas – we’d always pack up some extra ones to send back with Grandpa.
3. Pumpkin Pie from Scratch
It’s our family’s tradition to always makes our Thanksgiving pumpkin pie from scratch. Grandpa loved a nice big piece with a generous dollop of freshly whipped cream. He also tried quite a few of the Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filing that my sister made last year and thought they were pretty great too.
4. Nana’s Fantastic Oatmeal Cookies
These Oatmeal Cookies have been a family favourite for years. We’d bring some for Grandpa to restock his cookie jar almost every time we visited. I remember sneaking into the kitchen to sneak one from the jar as a kid.
5. Family Christmas Carrot Pudding
We serve this steamed Christmas Carrot Pudding every year at Christmas. I make it with my Great Aunt a couple of weeks beforehand and we steam it after our Christmas Eve dinner. No matter how full he was, Grandpa could always manage a sliver of this delicious holiday treat. But his real favourite was my Grandma’s pudding that my Aunt Trisha still makes every year. It is darker and richer – and he loved it. He and my Dad will often have both!
Saying goodbye to my Grandpa is hard, but I’d like to think that us grandchildren made his last 30 years pretty good. He loved us and we loved him back.
these all look so good. like really delicious.