Comfort Food from
the 1950s
Author: Kathy A. Schaeffer
I have always enjoyed
collecting cookbooks. It has been an interesting
study to see if I could detect a pattern of some sort
from the recipes of any particular era. One thing that
was always evident from the 1950s is that it was when
many of today's comfort foods were born and given
popularity.
Pat Boone and Elvis were
crooning on the radio, teens donned leather jackets
and poodle skirts, and mom prepared meals that went on
to evolve into the precious memories of a few
generations. Many of those meals involved casseroles and
rich desserts.
No one living those days
ever suspected that it would be thought of as utopia
five decades later. School and family reunions now talk
about "back in the days when we didn't even need to lock
the doors."
Television producers and
actors had no clue that in the futuristic-sounding
"twenty first century," the children of the 50s and 60s
would be watching syndicated Leave It to Beaver and
Father Knows Best shows with a homesick feeling.
The first Pillsbury
Bake-Off (r) was held in 1949 and all throughout the
50s, apron-clad homemakers waited to find out which
recipes won the contest. Many tables were filled with
delightful goodies after those contests when homemakers
across America duplicated the winners.
If you would enjoy
planning a theme night meal for your family or for
the grandchildren, two of the popular comfort entrees
from the 50s are Tuna Casserole and Fried Chicken that
was made with cereal. Popular side dishes of the era
included potatoes (baked, scalloped, mashed) and a fresh
vegetable. The ending to a perfect 1950s themed meal is
a homemade chocolate cake.
To prepare one of those
retro tuna casseroles, the ingredients you need will be
1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 can tuna, 1 soup can
filled with milk, 1 cup cooked peas, 8 ounces cooked egg
noodles, and 1 cup of crushed potato chips.
Preparation is very
simple. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the soup
and milk. Stir in the flaked tuna, cooked egg noodles,
and cooked peas. Put it into a greased casserole and
bake for 30 to 45 minutes.
There are some options
you can add to make it you own signature recipe. Switch
the potato chips for soft buttered bread crumbs. Add
1/2 cup of sour cream. Mix in a small jar of pimiento.
Use more tuna. Add diced onion and diced celery that you
have softened in butter. Decrease noodles to 6 ounces
for a creamier casserole. Use salt, pepper, and herbs
such as parsley to your liking. The peas can be
deleted. Add a small can of mushrooms.
If your favorite
nostalgic comfort food is fried chicken, try making
the 1950s oven version. Serve with mashed potatoes,
gravy, and peas for dinner (don't forget the chocolate
cake for dessert!) or with potato salad and cole slaw
for a picnic meal (see above concerning same cake!)
Your main ingredient is
a fryer chicken that you have cut up or had the meat
counter cut up. A three pound chicken will be a good
size. To prepare the Oven Fried Cereal Chicken, wash
the chicken and pat it dry with a paper towel. Mix
together two eggs that have been beaten slightly and 4
tablespoons of milk.
In another bowl, mix
2 1/2 cups of crushed cereal flakes (flakes made of corn
are best) with salt and pepper. Break the cereal up
well, but don't crush it into powder. Dip the chicken
pieces into the egg and milk mixture and then into the
cereal crumbs to coat. Put the chicken pieces into a
baking pan that has been greased well.
Drizzle chicken pieces
with 5 tablespoons of butter that you have melted and
bake uncovered in a preheated 350 degree oven for one
hour.
That is all you need
to do to put a nostalgic comfort meal on the table. Pop
in a CD of 1950s music and you will be set for a
memorable evening.
