My dear friend Nancy is one of those women who have done it all: former executive for Target stores in the Midwest; cooking school instructor; private chef; cookbook author and hostess with the mostest. When you receive an invite to a dinner party or cocktail party at Nancy’s, you drop any other commitment and go! Her gatherings are always fun, imaginative and, oh my, the food never anything but fabulous.

In a recent chat, she told me she is not reading or subscribing to any more cooking magazines and not trying any new recipes for a year. She says “I have files and files chockablock full of tried and true recipes that I’ve not made for years and it’s time to pull out some of the oldies but goodies.” She did just that at a dinner party we attended and I was thrilled to see her serving Lipton Onion Soup Roasted Potatoes that were so in vogue in the ‘70s, perhaps? Oh my, what a delicious blast from the past!

I was inspired to do the same as Nancy and spent a glorious rainy day sifting through seven file boxes. It was almost like Christmas, “unwrapping” old recipes all the way back to the ‘60s, many with annotations of who I’d invited to my table, any changes I’d make to the recipe, and what else was on the menu. What a fun walk down a delicious memory lane.

Some weeks I try seven or eight new recipes, some with better results than others, but sometimes, older is better — at least for a change. Today’s column is some of my treasured recipes that I am always happy to serve to family and friends.

Double cinnamon swirl sour cream coffee cake

My long time pal (friends for 43 years!) Chef M-J Bailey used to serve this at her former restaurant, The Stolen Menu Café in York, Maine. It was her late mom’s recipe that she generously shared with me eons ago. Now a slice of this decadent coffee cake and a cup of Joe will definitely start your day off on the right foot.

For the cake:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1-1/2 cups sour cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1-1/2 tsp. salt

For the cinnamon swirl filling:

• 1 cup sugar
• 2-1/2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Cream butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium high speed until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add sour cream and vanilla and blend well. Sift together the dry ingredients and stir into batter mixing just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Spoon half of the batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Set aside.

To prepare filling: Combine sugar, cinnamon and walnuts in a small bowl and stir to blend.

Pour about one third of the cinnamon filling on top of the batter; swirl into the batter with a knife. Pour remaining batter on top and then sprinkle with another third of the cinnamon mixture and swirl with a knife again. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon mixture on top and bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 45-50 minutes or until tester inserted near center comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting. Yield: 12-14 servings.

Triple orange ambrosial salad

My Nana (maternal Grandmother) often made this to go with a roast chicken for Sunday dinner. We loved it as kids because we thought Nana was serving us dessert with the entrée.

• 2 cups boiling liquid from reserved fruit syrups adding enough water to make 2 cups
• 1 pkg. (6 oz.) orange-flavored Jell-O
• 1 pint orange sherbet
• 2 cans (11 oz. each) mandarin orange segments, drained and reserved, divided use
• 1 can (13-1/2 oz.) pineapple chunks, drained and reserved
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1 cup miniature marshmallows
• 1 cup sour cream

Pour boiling liquid over Jell-O in bowl, stirring until fully dissolved. Add orange sherbet; stir until melted. Stir in 1 can of the mandarin orange segments and pour into 6-cup ring mold; chill until firm.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining orange segments, pine­apple, coconut and marshmallows; fold in sour cream. Cover and chill at least 3 hours. To serve, unmold salad onto serving platter and fill center of salad with fruit mixture. Yield: 10 to 12 servings.

Steakhouse creamed spinach

The old Valle’s Steak House in Kittery used to offer creamed spinach as a side to their wonderful steaks. Weird foodie-child that I was, I loved spinach and would always order it. This is as close as I’ve been able to come to their rendition.

For the creamed spinach:

• 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 8 Tbsp. all purpose flour
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely minced
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 24 oz. fresh baby spinach

For the topping (optional):

• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup crushed butter crackers (like Ritz)
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

To prepare the spinach: Place butter in a Dutch oven or other large pot set over medium heat. When melted, sprinkle with flour and whisk to combine. Cook whisking often, for 5 minutes or until pale golden brown. Add onion and garlic and cook and stir 1 minute. Pour in milk in a steady stream, whisking constantly; cook for 5-6 minutes (stir often) or until creamy. Add bay leaf, salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir well. Reduce heat to warm.

Place spinach in a large pan set over high heat and add 3 Tbsp. water; cover and cook 1-2 minutes, just until wilted. Drain well, squeezing water out of the spinach with back of a large spoon. Remove bay leaf from cream sauce and add spinach to the pan, stirring gently to combine. Transfer to a serving dish and keep warm.

To prepare the topping: Heat butter in a small skillet set over medium heat. When melted and bubbling, add cracker crumbs and cook 3-4 minutes or until golden. Stir in parsley. Sprinkle on top of creamed spinach and serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings.

Lipton onion soup roasted potatoes

The “oldie but goodie” that was the impetus for today’s column. Yummy!

• 4 medium all-purpose potatoes, cut into large chunks (about 2 lbs.)
• 1/3 cup safflower oil
• 1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix

Place potatoes in a large bowl and drizzle with oil. Using very clean hands, toss until potatoes are well coated. Shake envelope of soup mix a few times and then open and sprinkle onto potatoes, tossing again to evenly coat potatoes. Place in a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan and roast in a 425 F oven for 30-35 minutes, turning once or twice. Yield: 4 servings.

Swiss steak

Another one of my Mom’s recipes. She had a “deep well” in her Hotpoint stove (I guess the precursor to slow cookers/Crockpots?) and always made this in it. I have the “deep well” pan in my pantry. I never use it, but whenever I see it, I smile and remember all the good things Mom cooked in it. I’ve given instructions for how I make it now — in the slow cooker.

• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 3 lbs. round steak, cut into 3-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided use
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
• 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 celery stalks, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 cans (14-1/2-oz. each) whole canned tomatoes, coarsely chopped (with juices)

Combine flour, salt, pepper, paprika, and dry mustard in a small bowl. Lightly dredge the steak in the flour mixture and set aside. Reserve any leftover flour mixture.

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. When sizzling, add gar­lic, onion, carrot, and celery and sauté 3-4 minutes or just until it begins to brown. Remove veggies and place in slow cooker. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp. oil to the pan and when hot, brown the beef on both sides. Using a slotted spoon, remove meat and add to slow cooker. Stir any leftover flour mixture into pan and cook 1 minute. Add the tomatoes with their juices and bring to a boil, stirring often. Pour into slow cooker with veggies and meat and mix well. Cover and cook on low setting for 6 hours. You can thicken the sauce (I use a little cornstarch mixed with water) when it is all cooked, if you like a heartier “gravy.” (Mom always served over mashed potatoes or noodles.) Yield: 8-10 servings

Fudge pudding cake

I have Mom’s original handwritten recipe for this simple dessert and I wrote on it: “I made this all by myself on November 2, 1957.” Signed, Paula Hodgdon.”

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 5 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder, divided use
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup granulated sugar, divided use
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 2 cups hot water

Mix together flour, salt, 2 Tbsp. cocoa, baking powder and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in 2-quart deep baking dish.

Combine milk, melted butter and vanilla in another bowl and mix well. Pour into dry ingredients in baking dish, beating well with a wooden spoon.

Combine remaining 3 Tbsp. cocoa, remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar and sprinkle over cake batter. Pour hot water over the top and place in a preheated 350 F oven. Bake 30-40 minutes. Let cool a little before serving with vanilla ice cream. Yield: 6-8 servings.