A Freaky Friday from the Fifties!

Just what were they thinking?  These are some 'special' recipes from the 50's that I thought would make some fun reading.  If you prepare them and consume them you just might end up hurting yourself and those you love!  Processed and pre-packaged foods were very much in vogue (see the last recipe) during this time but apparently so was figuring out how to drink even while you were eating!  I found two main dish recipes and what looks like a fruit dessert recipe although I'm not completely sure.  It's for grown ups only...I figured that out.  Enjoy this field trip back to the fifties when eating healthy was a topic that was just not discussed at the table!

Zucchini*

Parboil zucchini
Mix together:

2 eggs
16 oz. ground beef - browned
1/2 cup flavored bread crumbs
1 cup cottage cheese
Shredded mozzarella
garlic powder
dehydrated onion
Spoon into zucchini boats*
Sliced tomatoes on top
Bake 1/2 hour
Serves 4

*I think someone could have come up with a much more creative title than just 'zucchini'.  You don't realize you're making zucchini boats until near the end of the recipe!  Because it includes mozzarella, garlic, onion and tomatoes don't you think a much more exciting title would be 'Zucchini Italiano' or 'Zucchini a la Venice' (for the boat thing).  Did you notice that the recipe called for cottage cheese?  You know that if this were being made today it would be made with ricotta cheese - because.  I know in some parts of the country they still routinely use cottage cheese in lasagna and other Italian recipes.  Stop that.  You can buy ricotta in the stores now.  Try something exotic.  In the fifties (especially the early 50's) Italian cooking had not reached the favorable status it enjoys today.  Remember - at that time period we were still only a decade out from World War II and the Italians were not our allies!  Experimenting with Italian recipes wouldn't become trendy for another 10 years and many Italian ingredients could only be purchased in Italian markets that happened to be located near larger cities with Italian populations.  Now there are aisles in the supermarkets devoted to all kinds of ethnic ingredients!  Cultural diversity in the kitchen is embraced and explored by everyone now!  Read on for something to create that is just...strange.

Frankfurter Crown Casserole 

Close Enough!

2 slices bacon
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt, dash pepper
3 cups sliced boiled potatoes
1 cup cooked, cut green beans
1/2 pound frankfurters, split and cut in half

1.  Cook bacon, drain and crumble - set aside
2.  Cook onion in drippings
3.  Stir in soup, water, salt and pepper
4.  Add potatoes and beans
5.  Pour into 1 and 1/2 quart casserole
6.  Stand up frankfurters around edge

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Top with bacon.

Wow.  That'll kill you!  At least it's like a 'one pot meal' so it's efficient in that all the components of the meal are equally loaded with fat.  Yum.  And the title just reeks of the 1950's - something that sounds terribly fancy and fussy but is probably the precursor to the 'Franks and beans' Friday night dinner from the early 1970's!  But the craziness doesn't stop here!  For dessert, let's have some fruit - send the kids to bed early though.  Really.

Fruits Rafraichis (Dessert)

1 package frozen strawberries
1 package frozen peaches
1 bottle red wine

Thaw the packages of frozen fruit under cold running water until the packages are soft.  Then open and place the fruit in the bowl in which it will be served.  Cover with 2 cupfuls of the red wine*.  Then place in the refrigerator to chill and marinate until time to be served.

The above recipe was a treasure from Vogue magazine.  February 1st 1950.

You can be sure that fruit would have disappeared rather quickly.  Isn't that one of the ways college kids have always employed to get their fruit servings in?  Maybe.

*I'm just guessing that the rest of that bottle of red wine would be consumed by the 1950 'Hostess with the mostest' as she was preparing for her dinner guests.  Maybe.  Here's a 1950 era 'educational video' about food.  Enjoy.

The video below is from 1950 and was shown as an educational video to encourage family dinners during a time of decline.  Who got to be educated by these videos?  Funny stuff.  Remember 'unemotional conversation' only.  It aids digestion.