Friends & Family would probably say my Sunday Gravy and my Eggplant Parmasean

Well, if I have one, it would have to be my salsa, it's the single recipe that I started, tweaked, tested, had tested for safety and that is associated with my name, LOL.

However, the item I'm always asked to bring to family functions, office potlucks, etc., is bread. Not very many people want to go to the trouble of making homemade bread, and so whenever we have something that I need to cook for someone will always say wistfully "would you bake bread?".

Annie

Can I pick a whole meal? I didn't think I had one until you said gravy eileen. I would say Christmas brunch. Christmas is my younger sister's birthday. The family always asks me to make specific things like hash brown casserole and sausage gravy and biscuits (boy, you can sure tell we are southern, biscuits and gravy). Now, I make those and then add my own spin on it. Last year was baked french toast and a seafood quiche.

I get interested in a dish and make it a lot, for a while, until friends have had it a couple of times here. So it becomes a sort of signature. Then I get tired of it and don't make it again for a good long time.

Ya, me too.

I guess my real signature dish though, is stuffed grape leaves. It's really my mother's recipe which I tweaked slightly. People do request it but I haven't actually made it in a while.

Within the realm of my family, my signature dish is "mish mosh" aka "May's Deluxe Dinner" which is, by its nature, different every time.

When I was very newly married the first time, I cut out of the Parade Magazine newspaper supplement a recipe for "cheese straws" which were served at Ronald Reagan's (first) innauguration dinner. I made those things TO DEATH!

They were really good, but you know, I didn't really know how to cook a lot of stuff back then so I made them every time I had to bring a dish somewhere. Man, did I get tired of those! Haven't made them in years though, and I'm thinking it might be a good time to resurrect that recipe!

Well, this is sort of sad, but I'm known for my zucchini bread. Given my hubby plants soooo many, I've tried several recipes and they turn out really well, usually. I've added chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, blueberries, pineapple/coconut, an next I'm going to add peanut butter chips. My son loves the chocolate chip and his boss requests it a couple times during the summer (says his raise depends on it.) The neighbor begs for it and when I try to give him just zucchini he politely answers "no thanks, just the bread". So I guess that is my signature dish.

I think it would depend on who you ask whan my signature dish is...there are a couple of friends who say "bread and a salad" when I ask what can I bring.
Then there is my son who always wants my mushroom risotto, and at Easter it's Bunny Buns, and for a birthday it's angelfood cake from real eggs, one grand son would ask for pesto and another for sticky rolls. Another friend is hung up on my liver and onions and still another always wants me to make cream of mushroom soup.
No one asks me to make a cake...unless it's carrot cake or angelfood. My cakes usually lean! LOL!
Linda C

Beans. All kinds of beans but mostly for baked beans. Started working on my beans with a can of Pork & Beans when I was about 11 or 12. It became a staple during my teen years. Switched to Bush's beans when they became available in the area. Switched my spices and sugars around a bit. Probably not settled on perfect beans yet. My potluck dinner assignment at work where they are known as Mike's beans. For work dinners I go heavy on the meat and sugar as we have lots of hungry young people that can take the extra calories.

Basically a 6.6lb can of baked beans, cup of brown sugar, pound of hamburger cooked and drained of fat, and a pound of bacon cooked very crispy (fry then nuke to finish)... and a squirt of maple syrup. Very sweet and high calorie which fits younger people.

Myself I cut the sugar way down and no bacon. Great with bread & butter... glass of milk when some is around. Handful of raw veggies/salad and I have a single person's feast.... about 20 minutes from hungry to eating.

: )
lyra

I have two, at least in our family and circle of friends.
Chicken noodle soup(I make the noodles) and potato salad. Nothing really special about either dish just comfort food.

Now that I think about it I"m the only one I know who makes home made noodles, maybe thats why they think it's special.

Di

I'd have to say my dill pickles are my signature "dish". they are "famous" far and wide! LOL

My cheater baked beans are a dish that is always on our family holiday table , I'd be shot if I didn;t serve them.

Beyond that, I have more meals that are family favourites than truly signature dishes.

I'd say more 'historical' than signature.
Two recipes that are loved at my house, neither of which are originally mine; Cinnamon Rolls and Chicken Enchiladas.

The Cinnamon Rolls are served every Christmas morning BEFORE gifts are opened (maybe that's why they wolf them down????). A recipe clipped from the newspaper when I was young and inexperienced. It uses a yellow cake mix as part of the dry ingredients and has always been a fool-proof recipe.

Chicken Enchiladas always make eyes twinkle and lips curve from my adult children to my mom! Mild, creamy, cheesy comfort food!

Other than that, it's hard to have a signature dish when I rarely make the same thing twice and never follow a recipe exactly. That's my signature I guess.

Deanna

Good question, slowlane,
Like others, not really. I like to cook so many varied cuisines and dishes. But I'm probably best known among friends for my seafood feasts. I don't do them often (Christmas Eve and maybe one or two other times per year), and the exact dishes always vary depending on what's available. But I've been known to do an impromptu feast just because someone will give me calamari caught that morning, and we need a bunch of people over to help eat it.

Hmmmm for me it depends on who is asking me.

One friend always asks me to bring a spinach salad with mango chutney dressing that I clipped from a 1993 Bon Apetit.

Another friend always asks me to bring two pans of Jkom51's BIL's roasted red pepper and feta quiche.

Passover - my father's wife's family wants me to bring a diary free mashed potato dish which I've perfected.

OK dgkritch, those cinnamon rolls from cake mix have me curious. How about the recipe please?

Signature dish for me? Hardly. But I used to make a great (at least to me) macaroni hotdish based on what my mother would make and, yes, school lunch. Also chili and sloppy joes for a while. But now, I'd probably say that ribs are my best dish, either baby backs or country style.

That's funny Deanna, because those are two of mine! My grandmother's cinnamon rolls and enchiladas. I also always get asked to bring dessert, since I enjoy baking. (People always love my cakes and I love to make them.) Another signature dish would be Bierocks, Pizza, Dinner Rolls or Pork Roast with home-made noodles. (My dad used to love those.)

When I think of signature dish, I think of something that I created that did not exist before (to my knowledge). The first recipe that I deliberately created was my Texas Bean Dip, which I first made in Austin in 1987. When I first made it, I just thought of all the ingredients I wanted to use and then adjusted them to taste. One of the reasons I made it was to make a low fat recipe, and so I used no oil or fat in it and compensated by using herbs and spices. It was not based on any previously existing recipe that I had seen.

My grandmother's signature dish was dinner rolls, which she always made with potato water (left over from boiling potatoes) instead of regular water. She always saved the water from cooking anything and reused it, and I have a tendency to do the same.

Lars

What interesting answers!

Like Lars, I'd tend to think I was "cheating" somehow if I claimed a non-original dish as a signature dish. But, like many of you who responded, I tend to experiment far more often than not. That means that, even when something is really good, it's unlikely I'll ever make it the same way again.

And I notice that even those of you who claim a signature dish generally claim more than one. Maybe we're just too busy cooking, perfecting, experimenting, and finding new recipes to have signature dishes, and maybe that's ok :)

Slowlane, I guess I claimed more than one, as they're usually the things no one else wants to make! I also think I have more interest in making...slow food...than a lot of people I know. I do find most of my ''dishes'' tend to be hybrid recipes that take something from several, even if they are not entirely original.

If I am taking a meal to the field it would probably be fried pies or chocolate or coconut cream pies.

At home it would be dinner rolls, chocolate cream pie or homemade ice cream!

My chile verde pork is probably mine......last year I had tomatillos and chiles from the garden so it tasted even better.
And I love making soups when I clean out the freezer or refrigerator in the winter.

Passover - my father's wife's family wants me to bring a diary free mashed potato dish which I've perfected.
Jessy, would you mind posting that recipe? I'd love to have it, especially since you've perfected it! :)

Regarding the definition of "signature dish".... well, I interpreted it to mean a dish which you make a lot, which is known to your circle (family and/or friends), and which people like and request. I didn't interpret it to mean that it had to be original and made up by the cook. Although I can see that being a reasonable definition.

OP defined it as such, "To us, this doesn't just mean a dish people expect us to make, but it's more a dish we love to make and know we will make well, something that, like a signature, says something about who we are, at least as cooks."

The dishes I listed above definitely fall into that definition. However, aside from the "mish-mosh" dishes I cook for my family which are generally a mixture of whatever I have on hand, are original, and are unduplicatable, the "signature dishes" I listed are not my own original recipes.

LOL sure thing May. The secret is lots of margarine and salt in the form of flavored chicken powder!

- 5 lbs. Potatoes - Yukon Golds preferred.
- 3 sticks of margarine (kosher for passover as needed)
- Good amount of pareve (meat and dairy free) chicken flavored powder/bouillion - I use the Israeli brands.

Peel, cube and boil the taters, but don't drain, you'll need the water.

While the taters are boiling I prepare my work area - a large serving/roasting pan, a ladle, whisk, and my potato ricer.

In the bottom of the pan I spread out three sticks of margarine (kosher for passover if needed) and sprinkle some of the bouillion powder over it. I add the powder as I go so I can control how much/little, tasting here and there. With a new spoon each time, LOL!

When the potatoes are done, I rice them directly over the three sticks so they start melting. Intermittently I will spread and mix the riced potatoes over the sticks to help them melt. If the mix looks too dry, add the potato water with the ladle. I use the whisk to gently fold everything as I go so it doesn't get gluey and keeps it.... fluffy.

Taste as you go - adjust seasonings, add pepper, etc.

Cover and bring to your hosts!

I would interpret the term "Signature Dish" to be something one originated and perfected, start to finish.
I don't have any like that.
Except as lowspark says, the dishes I create using whatever I have on hand.

What is often requested of me?
Apple Pie.
Potato Salad.
Buttermilk Cake.
None are completely original.
But I have 'tweaked' them so they are mine, not just like anyone else's.

I guess that is as close to a 'signature' dish as I can come.
What does it say about me?
Down to earth, all American, nothing fancy.
"What you see's is what you gets".
;>)

Rusty

Thanks Jessy, I'm going to file that for next April. Sounds like it will go very well with brisket!!

I guess I'm like FOAS in that I can follow a recipe pretty good! I dont think I have a signature dish but my friends do ask me to make those chicken enchiladas (marilyn's) for different get togethers.

I also make marmalade meatballs for lots of parties but again, I got the recipe from the internet. Everyone loves them. But I can't claim the recipe as my own.

I dont think I've ever made up a recipe except to put splenda into bottled FF Italian Dressing to make it a sweeter version. My huband loves it.

When nephew was maybe 3-4 yo, I made ooey-gooey sweet potatoes for T-giving. SIL "hates" them though has NEVER tried them?? She says to nephew... you're probably not gonna like that?? What a thing to say to a young kid!! I convinced him they were like candy... and they were... lots of butter and brown sugar. He had 2nds/3rds. He's almost 30 now and jokes that I'm NOT invited to T-giving without them!

Kinda purloined/adapted an appetizer recip-e I had at a place on NJ boardwalk. In Seaside... YES, "Jersey Shore". If I had know how BIG it was gonna be, would have had just the appetizer and a salad. Grill portabello mushroom, toped with thin slice of grilled chicken, slice of roasted red pepper, and mozzarella melted over the top. Have done it with pounded out pork and beef tenderloin medallion... success. Thinking would work with fish that can take the grill without crumbling. Or totally veggie with slice of grilled onion and tomato.

I guess we can interpret the word "signature" in different ways.

To me it means a dish I am well known for. May be my original recipe, a tweaked one, or copied from here or a cookbook. However it came about, when someone says " Sharon's xyz" then its a signature dish....IMHO.

Refrigerator Dill pickles - won a Blue Ribbon at the MN State Fair 100 years go. I emailed the recipe to Barnmom so she can give her opinion on them when she makes them. I think they must be pretty good because at the request of the firemen in Waconia, I dropped off two gallons today.

Bread & Butter Pickle Chips - another Blue Ribbon - this one about 110 years ago.

Salsa - Alexa can give you her opinion on it. I sent her some a couple of years ago. It is actually a mixture of dehydrated peppers and chilies, cilantro, cumin, garlic and salt. You mix it into fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes or sour cream. I am mailing some to Barnmom this weekend. She'll let us know if she will remember me or want to forget me when she makes it.

Teresa

I have really had to think about this one since Ive been cooking for more than a half a century and have had many "signature dishes" over the years. Three that have stood the test of time for that long have been a spinach and mushroom salad with a light lemon dressing, a variety of flavored butters (including Tomato-Basil Butter that CF'ers seemed to like), and fruit pies with a flaky crust and crumb topping.

During my college years, it was venison roasts marinated in and baked in Coca-Cola (although at the time, that was the secret ingredient). Since we both came from families of avid hunters, my roommate and I used to cook game dinners almost every night during hunting season and the following months. We used to insensitively joke that Bambis mom paid for our textbooks.

Later in my EE (Extravagant Entertaining) period, my signature dish was Roasted Surf n Turf a chateaubriand cut of filet stuffed with whole lobster tails. Later, my childrens friends gobbled up all kinds of homemade soups. My signature one was chicken, leek and rice, which we still have every year on Christmas night. One of our familys signature non-meals for generations has been Christmas dinner. We dont make the day about cooking and have a make-ahead brunch for most of the day and a soup, salad and dessert meal that evening.

That only leaves one more "signature dish" the da*ned Coconut Cake. It didnt start out as the da*ned Coconut Cake. Originally, it was DHs favorite aunts orange - coconut cake. Shed given me the recipe around 30 years ago and I hadnt made it because it started with a boxed cake mix and contained Cool Whip in the frosting and neither was in my repertoire at the time. But the year when she was terminally ill, I decided to make it and photograph it to cheer her up. I was supposed to bring a cake to balance all the pies to a Thanksgiving dinner for my mothers side of the family so I timed it to take it along.

Well, the relatives fell in love with it and for about the next five years, it was requested that I make and bring that cake for EVERY Thanksgiving, Easter, wedding and baby shower, birthdays and even when somebody died. Slowly but insidiously, Aunt Doriss orange coconut cake tuned into that da*ned Coconut Cake. It was actually not a bad cake three layers, not too sweet and it could be made and frozen ahead of time and would defrost on its way to its destination.

I tried, really I did. I made a luscious orange and lemon marble chiffon cake one time and a totally from scratch four-layer white coconut cake another time. They unleashed a spate of subtle whining and on the next occasion, I took the da*ned Coconut Cake again.

About two weeks ago, my last surviving uncle had died and what did my aunt ask me to make for dinner after his memorial service, even though it was catered? The da*ned Coconut Cake. So many distant relatives asked for the recipe that now I hope I can e-mail them the recipe and finally retire that particular signature dish.

Through the years a couple of my efforts have been well received and were things other people didn't also make. One is my stuffed grape leaves which I used to take to potlucks in years past. I also make several kinds of biscotti that a few people I care for really enjoy. My kids think my Thanksgiving dinners are the bomb. :)

Probably my signature, (defining the term as what I am known for and asked to bring most often,) would be my spinach brownies and my sour cherry or sour cream peach pies. I also do a spinach salad that is asked for a lot.
Other than that, I just make a whole bunch of different things.
Sherry

Ruthanna, would you share the recipe for the da*ned coconut cake? Sounds delightful to me! And yes, I do prefer cakes from scratch, but I also have a few good recipes (like the Pig Pickin' cake) that spring from the cake mix/cool whip era.

Teresa

Theresa, what's a Pig Pickin' cake?

ORANGE COCONUT CAKE

1 box Duncan Hines golden butter cake mix
1 can mandarin oranges, including any liquid in the can (11-oz.)
4 eggs
1/ 2 cup cooking oil like Crisco oil

Mix together in a large bowl and beat with mixer until oranges have broken up and are distributed through batter, about 4-5 minutes, scraping sides of bowl. Divide batter evenly into 3 greased round cake pans and bake at 325 degrees 20-35 minutes or until done. Remove from oven and set aside on racks to cool.

1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple with juice
1 small package INSTANT lemon pudding mix
1 (7 oz.) package sweetened flaked coconut
1 (8-10 oz.) container of Cool Whip (can use low fat but not the fat free)

Mix pineapple and pudding mix until smooth in large bowl. Add coconut and mix. Blend in cool whip gently but thoroughly.

Assemble cake, spreading a lot of cool whip mixture between layers. Frost sides and top. Chill overnight in the refrigerator. Notes: finished cake can be frozen and then defrosted in the refrigerator. You can also bake it in two pans; just increase the cooking time.

Sherry - are you sure that is spinach you are putting in those brownies???

Just kidding :-)

Teresa

spinach brownies? Okay, Lucy, 'splain!

For me, it's the Gellchom family vegetable soup, apple pie, challa, and meat-stuffed baked potatoes (kids like that one).

Isn't that funny. I think of myself as such an adventurous cook, especially lately with all the Thai and Vietnamese stuff I've been making -- but these are the main ones I'm asked for.

Oh, wait, then there's the yellow cake martinis! A friend served them at her 50th birthday party the other day, and very nicely credited me on the drink menu over the bar (she first had it at my 50th, 3 years ago). She improved it, though -- optional chocolate frosting garnish on the rim of the glass, and a birthday candle "swizzle stick." Isn't she clever? The frosting was a gimmick, but it was actually good. Who would have thought that chocolate frosting would be good on a cocktail!

And lately the peach sangria is getting a lot of requests ... probably less because it's my "signature" dish than that it's been so hot!

Spinach brownies....

Spinach Brownies -- sheshebop
1 pkg. (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
16 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
4 T. butter, melted
1 cup milk
I also added 1/8 tsp nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350. Spray 8 x 12 baking pan with cooking spray.
Drain spinach in colander and squeeze out excess moisture. Combine cheese, spinach, and onion in large bowl. Mix. Stir salt and baking powder into flour and mix with the spinach. Mix eggs, butter, milk and stir into other ingredients. Pour into pan. Bake for 30 minutes
Cool slightly and cut into squares.

I guess it's Chinese. Every time family comes in they want me to do Shrimp Fried Rice, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Egg Rolls, Egg Foo Yung. I only do it about once a year because it takes all day.

Moosemac, Do you make your flatbread? If so, can I have the recipe???? Then do you top it with something???

Lakemayor

I am validating Sherry's Signature Dish--Spinach Brownies! Or sometimes I make Spinach Mini-Muffins, Sherry said it was okay to do that.

I have to confess that since Sherry shared this recipe with me at her house long time ago, they have become "Cathy, can you bring your spinach muffins?".

Oh yes - those spinach things absolutely define Sheshebop to me.

I don't think I have a signature dish, though I have several that are requested over and over again. The first one is Jambalaya. I make it for Derby Day and several times during the fall for Football Open House and everyone still asks for it for other events. Another often requested one is my Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Cake. Seems I make that several times over the winter months for various parties and events. Another is the Lobster Triangles which are little phyllo wonders that are filled with a lobster and cream combination that is sublime. There are others, but those come to mind as a few of the most requested ones.

Alexa

Oh yeah, gell, those yellow cake martinis are great. I'm pretty sure I got the recipe here (somewhere on GW). I've started a quasi-tradition of having a martini party every so often. I've done two now in the last ~3 years. I serve 4-5 different kinds plus hors d'oeuvres. Both times the yellow cake has won the vote for the best martini of the night.

I love the idea of putting chocolate frosting around the rim and using a birthday candle as a swizzle stick. I'm definitely going to incorporate that next party.

Sherry, I'd forgotten about those Spinach Brownies. I love them, and I have eggs, although I will admit that I use whatever greens are currently available in my garden, right now it's collards.

The brownies kind of remind me of a spanakopita that we got in a greek resstaurant in Ann Arbor, it wasn't the little triangles, it was a pie with phyllo dough, or that spinach pie tht my mother always likes to order at Olga's, but without crust.

Annie

I've been giving this some thought and I finally came to the conclusion that I do not have one particular dish that I would label my signature dish. I have many recipes that are requested. Different friends have different favourites. Moe and Matthew each have their own as well.

Matt and Dana are coming for dinner tonight and they both requested my Hungarian Goulash with all the sides.

Ann

Annie, I had never thought to use other greens. What a great idea. Hmmm. Interesting thread. Tells a lot about a person I guess.
Well, I guess I had better go watch our Netflix movie..."Mean Girls" I think it is.

I've made the famed Spinach Brownies! I was told later by Sherry I should have used a sharp cheddar which isn't stated in the recipe as I copied it. So I'll mention that here.

I want to try using chard wilted with some minced garlic in place of spinach. What do you think Sherry?

Eileen, I'm not Sherry, but I think it sounds yummy. Of course, I've seldom met a green that I didn't like.

Annie

Eileen, I think it is a great idea! Yummy. I might try with the garlic as well. Sounds like a good idea to me.

Eileen, I have a spinach square recipe that is similar but different from Sherry's. It contains more eggs, herbs and lots of garlic, but no flour.

Ann

Ann,
your spinach square recipe sounds similar to one I've been making for years from Bon Appetit. No flour, but lots of butter, cheese, garlic and stuffing mix.

I am not sure what would be my signature dish. Perhaps it is the summer torte I posted last year. My daughter would say my thai chicken, my son would claim risotto with shrimp, and my dh would probably opt for mushroom lasagne.
My other son loves the way I heat up microwave waffles :)

Oh, lowspark, thanks for saying that! You made my day. I'm glad your friends like the yellow cakes. Give them two, and they'll think it's the most wonderful thing they ever had.

They are stronger than they taste.

hic!

Oh, don't worry, gell, there's no limits at my parties! You can have as much as you want. Actually my signature cocktail is a cosmopolitan, which I served as one of the martinis at my first martini party. The second one, the only martinis I repeated were the yellow cake (because everyone liked it so much!) and the chocoalatinis which IMO are de rigeur.