Vintage comfort food taken to the next level! Inspired by YouTuber Catherine’s Plates, I added an option for an enhanced 1950s experience that relies less on prepared food: the Cook Your Own Pasta Sauce option. The original recipe that uses prepared spaghetti sauce from the supermarket works just fine, but I think that going the […]
Category: Meaty Feasts
Hearty Meat Sauce Casserole
This decadent dish isn’t for the person on a weight loss regimen! Dating back to 1950, an age of blissful dietary innocence before cholesterol became a scary household word and liver was considered health food (and eating liver was a considered sign of being grown up), this kid-pleasing, tongue-coating, pantry-staple recipe will surprise you with […]
Classic Lasagna
Lasagna hasn’t changed much from this 1960 recipe, and this one is fantastic. It calls for a lot of old-fashioned kitchen time, but it’s worth it. You’ll need: 1 lb. ground beefOlive oil2 cloves garlic, finely chopped1 package onion soup mix1 No. 1 can (that’s 8-9 oz.) tomato sauce1 No. ½ can (that’s 6-8 oz.) […]
Company Baked Steak
This tender old-school great will remind you of being eight years old again, walking through your host’s front door and being hit with the delicious aroma of this dish cooking in the oven. This recipe by the late Jackie Olden was featured on Alan Ludden’s Meet the Cook radio spots during the 1970s. You’ll need: […]
Chili Casserole (Enchiladas, really)
This oddly named dish is fun to make with its lots of steps, and tastes good, too. The original 1966 recipe from Favorite Recipes of America called for beans, but I omitted the beans and increased meat to 2 lb. and increased tomato sauce to 15 oz. You will need: You’ll need: 2 lbs. ground […]
Beef Stroganoff
This rendition of the popular vintage dish uses beef stock and relies on uncovered simmering to reduce the sauce to the desired thickness. Served over rice or pasta, its increasingly delicious appearance while simmering is soon accompanied by a savory aroma that will make senior citizens like myself feel ten years old again. You’ll need: […]
Husband’s Delight
With such a delightfully throwback name, this recipe brings back memories of a different time, when a lucky husband might come home to the appetizing aroma of this dinner finishing up in the oven. Substituting heavy cream and citric acid for sour cream makes this fun dish much more delicious. It will surprise you! You’ll […]
Souped-Up Pork Chops and Rice
Adapted from a pastor’s wife’s recipe appearing in the 1969 collection of Assemblies of God Women’s Recipes, this surprisingly good pork chop recipe will bring back fond memories of dinner in the oven. (If you prefer to prepare the exact original recipe, omit the bacon pieces and related steps and lightly grease the skillet instead.) […]