Grandma Shirley’s Cheesy Potatoes
Leading Lady Spotlight: Grandma Shirley is an inspiration. At 90 years old (in 2025), her life story reads more like an adventure novel than that of a 1950s matriarch.
Every summer, she drives cross-country to visit family and makes her annual pilgrimage to Colorado to go fly-fishing, a pastime she once shared with my late grandfather and still cherishes to this day. She never misses a birthday, always sends a handwritten thank-you note (even if it’s just for coffee on a random Tuesday), and has embraced texting, Amazon, and technology in ways most 90-year-olds wouldn’t dream of. She enjoys her daily glass of red wine, still rocks a two-piece bathing suit, and somehow manages to make it all look effortless.
Her life story reads like an adventure novel. In the 1960s, she and my grandpa flew their own planes to places like Costa Rica, where once their plane was seized by local mafia and they had to figure out another way home. Whenever the wind shifted just right, they would set sail off the Florida coast, chasing the horizon to wherever the compass pointed. Together, they “raised” luxury cars that became award-winners—rumor has it, one of their Jaguars even appeared in a James Bond movie. She traveled across Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa before cell phones and GPS existed, documenting it all on film (which I have in my possession!) and later in the handwritten memoir she gifted me, one of my most treasured keepsakes.
As a child, I remember spending summer nights at her house, listening to her play the piano (the theme song to Out of Africa was her favorite), and catching fireflies in the yard and tucking them into glass jars poked with holes, their glow serving as nightlights while we drifted off to sleep. Those simple, magical moments still feel like home.
Knowing her is one of the greatest pleasures of my life. She is fearless, funny, endlessly fascinating. A woman who has truly lived. And lucky for us, she’s still living boldly, every single day. While she’s known for many other things in life, she is also well known by her grandchildren for her decadent and delicious cheesy hash brown casserole. This dish somehow appeared at every family meal and has become a tradition in its own right. As kids, we begged my mom to recreate them when we came home from Grandma’s. Recently, I stumbled upon a handwritten copy of the recipe, and I couldn’t resist sharing it here.
These potatoes will forever remind me of her zest for life, her warmth, and her way of making every gathering special. Enjoy!
Downloadable Recipe Card: Here.
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 50 mins
What You’ll Need
2 pounds frozen hash browns
½ cup melted margarine
2 cups sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
½ cup chopped onion
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 cups corn flakes, with ½ cup melted margarine over the top
How to Make
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, combine hash browns, ½ cup melted margarine, sour cream, mushroom soup, onion, cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper.
Spread mixture into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan.
In a small bowl, mix corn flakes with ½ cup melted margarine. Sprinkle evenly over the potato mixture.
Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove foil and bake an additional 20 minutes, until bubbly and golden on top.
Enjoy!
