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This vintage 1960 ad proudly states: "From Dairyland, U.S.A. - a panorama of fine foods for Foodarama Living." How exciting is that?!
Even better is the side note that you can enjoy your Foodarama in Buttercup Yellow, Bermuda Pink, Surf Turquoise, Aztec Copper, or Classic White. Wow!
Whenever I watch HGTV's House Hunters, I always see these people who look aghast when they enter a kitchen without [horrors] stainless steel appliances. Get over yourselves already. If I could have a fabulous set of Surf Turquoise appliances, I totally would, not to mention the enticing panorama of fine foods.
I will be very glad when the whole stainless steel fad has passed. Bring on the Bermuda Pink please!
I don't use fabric softener in my wash. There. I've said it.
I know I would be a better mother and wife if I listened to the advertisers, and used a fabric softener, but it is all I can do to remember to put a dryer sheet into the dryer when I dry clothes, which is most of the time in winter.
My children, now ages 14 and 17, along with my husband, all do their own laundry. It works really well. I no longer complain that the clothes I have meticulously washed and folded have morphed into a sort of bed covering in the kids rooms, kind of like Neanderthals sleeping under a pile of animal skins. Since they are the ones doing the laundry for themselves, they get to do with their laundry whatever they want.
This ad also claims that using fabric softener will speed up ironing time. Who irons anymore? I know I avoid it as much as possible. And since the four of us together own only a handful of things that ever need ironing, I think we are doing pretty well for a group of slobs.
I love pretty much anything Asian in the way of food. OK, well not anything, as Asians do eat some pretty peculiar things sometimes, but certainly all the mainstream stuff appeals to me.
I found this great recipe for Shrimp Curry in a 1960 Ladies' Home Journal. It looks really yummy. I did not have the occasion to even eat an oriental dish, certainly not curry, until I was in my teens. It was an eye-opening experience, for sure!
This is actually one of the most normal recipes I've found from this era, so I am pleased to share it with you.
Wesson Shrimp Curry
Cook 2 cut onions in 3 Tbl Wesson 5 min. Mix in 2 Tbl flour, 1 tsp curry powder, 3/4 tsp salt, dash pepper, 1 cup water, 1/2 cup raisins, 2 cloves. Stir till thick. Add juice and grated peel of 1/2 lemon, 1 lb cleaned raw shrimp. Cover, cook slowly 15-20 minutes. Serve with rice and garnishes of chopped water chestnuts, shredded cabbage, pimiento, parsley, orange peel. 4 servings, about 480 calories each.
This is a recipe from a 1960 McCall's magazine for a Savory Tuna Roll. I would like to point out that food styling has come a long way since 1960. Seriously, everything I see in these old magazines looks like dog food at best.
People ate a lot of tuna back in the 1960's, or at least there were constant efforts being made to try to get people to eat tuna, as evidenced by the plethora of tuna recipes in the women's magazines. In the intervening years, canned tuna has changed very little. There has been the more recent additions of the tuna in a pouch, and a few flavored tunas, but really, tuna is tuna. It's not a very sexy food, and with recent reports on the rising amount of mercury being found in tuna, it is now considered safe only in very small quantities. Worse yet, albacore tuna has 3 times the mercury of light tuna, and should not be eaten by children at all. My children could feel the effects of those well meaning tuna sandwiches I fed them all these years well into the future. Strike three for mommy.
But back to the issue at hand, that being this tuna roll of questionable visual appeal. Top Chefs, help me here. I feel certain you could do it with some other, less dangerous seafood product. Let's get started.
Savory Tuna Roll by Ann Pillsbury
Savory Tuna Roll Crust
Sift together 1 cup flour and 1/2 tsp salt [Pillsbury All Purpose Flour]
Cut in 1/3 cup lard until the size of small peas
Stir in 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Sprinkle 3-4 Tbl water over the mixture, working with a fork until the dough comes together to hold together.
Refrigerate while you have a drink and make the filling.
Savory Tuna Filling
Saute 2 Tbl onion in 2Tbl butter until tender
Blend in 1 Tbl flour [Pillsbury All Purpose Flour]
Add 1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp marjoram
1/8 tsp thyme
1/16 tsp pepper [Really? Seriously, just grind a little pepper in there.]
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
Stir in 1 can of tuna, 1/3 cup chopped parsley, and 1 slightly beaten egg minus 1 Tbl egg for topping.
Have another drink.
Assembling the Tuna Roll
Roll the pastry on a floured surface into a 12" x 7" rectangle
Spread the filling lengthwise down the center.
Moisten edges. Fold sides around filling to meet.
Seal sides and ends.
Place seam side down on an ungreased baking sheet.
Brush with the reserved egg. Prick the top.
Bake at 400°F for 35 to 45 minutes while you have a few more drinks.
Serve with a hot cheese and vegetable sauce.
As with all our recipes, if you actually try the recipe, and you take a picture and send it to us, we will post it in our Retro Chef Gallery, along with a link to your blog or website of choice.
Cool tool for draining canned tuna Blue Tuna Press, 4 1/2" x 3 1/2" x 1" (Google Affiliate Ad)
First of all, let me apologize for my recent lapses in writing. A combination of tax season and a year's worth of procrastination have sent me once again into the January Quickbooks scramble that always leaves me stressed and more than a little bit cranky.
On account of my slovenly ways, my family has had to endure numerous "on the fly" meals and overcooked crock pot creations. But with the tax stuff nearly behind me, I can start looking toward the big game day and some festive football watching cuisine.
I came across this recipe in a 1960 Ladies' Home Journal for Hunt's Bunburgers. As you can see, these are hamburgers baked right in the bun.
I'm not so sure this is a good idea, especially if you are watching something besides football; something like, oh, calories or saturated fat, perhaps? Nonetheless, you can cast caution to the wind and give these greasy treats a try. A followup of crushed Tums in a gelatin salad might not be a bad idea.
Bunburgers
6 hamburger buns
1 lb. lean ground beef
2 Tbl finely chopped onions
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 - 8oz cans Hunt's Tomato Sauce
Hollow out centers of the buns, leaving bottoms and 1/2" rim. Crumble up the bread you have removed and mix well with meat, onion, salt, pepper, and 1 1/2 cans Hunt's Tomato Sauce. Fill buns. Bake on cookie sheet in moderately hot oven (375° F) for 20 minutes. Spoon remaining sauce over buns. Bake about 5 minutes more, until sauce is hot.
What a great vintage ad. I love this washer and dryer ad from Maytag. It has a number of great touches that were so 1960.
The front door of dryers back then was always very small. I'm not sure why it was that way. My mother's dryer, which she had but never used because it would cost too much in electricity, had a glass door about the size of my laptop. I have no idea why we had it since we didn't use it EVER, but I suppose that is just another of life's mysteries.
I love that everyone in the ad is dressed in white, and that they were kind enough to put the mother in flats. What a relief that must have been. I also like that she is wearing white gloves and pearls. That always makes me think of doing laundry as well. Especially nice is that she is carrying a hat box, which is also white, and probably contains a white hat. I wonder what her motivation was for that?
Also charming is the boy in the white suit on the floor, playing with a red and blue truck that is hauling a yellow banana, or perhaps it is a yellow crane. It's hard to say, but its wonderfully phallic shape and proximity to the boy's crotch must surely mean that he is excited about doing laundry as well.
All this reminds me that I need to do some laundry today as well. Now if I can only remember where I put my gloves and pearls.
I love nuts. My favorites are pecans, but walnuts rank pretty high as well. And now that we have all abandoned our New Year's diets, it's time to splurge on some walnutty goodness.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, cakes with lots of layers were very popular. I am particularly fond of these as I am really just in it for the frosting, and these cakes give you the max in frosting with only enough cake to act as a vehicle.
This walnut recipe bonanza is from Diamond Walnuts and Betty Crocker, published in a 1960 Ladies' Home Journal. There are 4 different walnut recipes here, so you can spend the rest of your week in walnut heaven.
Walnutty Brownie Ribbon Cake
Line a 15 1/2" x 10 1/2" x 1" jelly roll pan with aluminum foil, extending foil 2" on both ends of pan; grease. Prepare Betty Crocker Brownie Mix as directed on package for fudgy brownies, adding 1/2 cup chopped Diamond Walnuts. Spread batter in pan. Bake 15-20 minutes at 350°. Cool in pan 15 minutes. With aid of foil, lift brownies out in one piece. Cut into 5 strips, each 10" x 3". Whip 2 cups of whipping cream with 1/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar. Spread 1/2 cup cream on each brownie. Stack strips, cream sides up; frost with rest of cream. Chill 6 hours or overnight. Top with walnuts. Serves 12.
Walnutty Brownie Cupcakes
Make cake-like brownies as directed on package, adding 1 cup chopped walnuts. Set paper baking cups in 12 muffin cups; fill 3/4 full. Bake 30 to 35 minutes at 350°. Top with whipped creme and walnuts.
Walnutty Brownie Clusters
Follow directions for drop cookies on package, adding 2 cups coarsely broken walnuts. When baked and still warm, frost with your favorite chocolate frosting. Serve topped with walnut quarters.
Walnutty Brownie Pie à la Mode
Make cake-like brownies as directed on package, adding 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. Spread in greased 9" round layer pan. Bake 25-30 minutes at 350°. Serve with ice cream, chocolate syrup, and walnuts.
Try any of our recipes and send us a picture of your creation [and a review of how it tasted] and we will post your picture in the Retro Chef Gallery, and include a link to the G Rated website or blog of your choice. So get crackin'!
Layer cake pans in cool sizes and shapes.
