Hello to all and midweek wishes for health and safety. Yesterday we woke to a covering of snow - then it was mainly gone by the end of the day. Had nothing to do with temps, but we had sunshine for a bit. It is cold this morning, but no snow here (so far), and not as cold as yesterday's high! Making our way back upwards!
I have had a couple people ask if I saw the brief post from Linda (PP) that Tommy passed. So very sad. I can't help but wonder what she will do now. Such a sad situation.
Yesterday I read an article about nostalgic foods from days gone by, and that they said most don't do today. Hmmmm - I still do some of these. I do remember every single one - and the thing was, we just thought it was all good, we had no idea it was frugal food because we didn't have a lot of money (even though mom did)!
2. Sugar sandwiches - I didn't do this, but I remember hearing that my siblings did once in a while, when money and food was low
3. Fried bologna - I was never a fan of it fried but did and do like bologna sandwiches once in a while in the summer with a big tomato sliced on it! Glen loved fried bologna and so did my dad
4. Peanut butter & syrup - oh golly, I loved this as a kid. It was such a fun treat. Mom would mix the two and I had it with crackers or bread. I thought this was the best thing ever
5. Hotdogs cut up in mac and cheese - remember this and have done it back in the day. It is a great way to extend a little meat and make a simple meal out of what you have
6. Cereal with no milk - LOL - this is the only way I have ever eaten cereal! I do not like my cereal soggy!! I drink milk on the side, but eat cereal more like a snack and it is always dry
7. Powdered milk - Mom may have served us powdered milk - I really do not remember. I have never made it just to drink but have made and used in recipes. I have extended a short gallon with it, but never made it just alone to drink
8. Cinnamon sugar toast - LOVED it and still do this for a snack sometimes. It is easy and quick and so very tasty!!!
9. Buttered noodles - yep, mom did these and I have too many times. I really like buttered noodles - don't have to have fancy gravy or sauce
10. Tuna and crackers - sure enough. I still do this. It may be part of a meal or just a snack. I don't have to have tuna salad - I like plain old tuna
11. Egg sandwiches - of course. Still a staple for me. Easy and fairly cheap and tummy filling
12. Mayo sandwich - I know dad did this once in a while and I think mom did. I have never just had mayo - but have had many a tomato or onion or cucumber sandwich with mayo. A summer treat still today
13. Biscuits and gravy - duh! Not sure why this is on the list. Are there actually people that have never had them? I love biscuits (scones) and gravy. Truly a favorite and comforting meal for me
14. Rice with sugar and butter - I was never a fan - but Glen used to LOVE it. He would ask for this many times as a breakfast meal. I know mom served it a lot for my siblings.
15. (adding this one myself) - Cornbread or crackers crumbled up and eaten in milk. This was a big thing with dad - he loved it. I remember my siblings saying this was a breakfast or lunch many times, when things were tight. My brother still does this but uses buttermilk. Oh, I shudder!!!!! LOL
Do you remember some of the odd ones? Have you had any or all of them in years past? Do you still eat any of them today?
It is always fun to go back and think about the ways food got stretched when the budgets were low and food needed to used up and nothing wasted. People found a way to eat what they had. I know there are people today that would just cringe to think of some of these things. Hey, you ate what you had, so as not to be hungry. Many of these were what we considered 'fast' food!!!!! Quick, easy, cheap and used it up!
Have a great day everyone.
Spring will soon be here!!
This did bring back memories. Soda crackers w/ milk & sugar was a treat as was cinnamon/sugar toast. Even condiments were a luxury so I don't remember having ketchup or mayo 'til I was in my teens. For sure hot dogs in mac & cheese, homemade of course. I made mac & cheese last night w/ tuna & peas. I remember mom extending store bought milk w/ powdered milk after we quit milking cows. Powdered milk is so expensive now. She also made a dish w/ bread & canned tomatoes which is some rustic version of panzanella unknown to her. Fried bologna on toast w/ mustard is a once in awhile treat even now.
ReplyDeleteWe always had homemade (canned ketchup) and mayo was bought more for the summer - for salads and such.
DeleteI like mac and cheese with tuna and peas as well. I make it that way often.
It is neat to look back and remember things that many have never heard of.
Ha, so funny to think of these things we ate as kids. My Dad liked sardines on crackers or bread, peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches. Both of those things I can't get my head around. I do occasionally eat sardines on crackers though. But we ate a lot of the same things that you mentioned.
ReplyDeleteSardines were too fishy for me. Glen liked them with crackers too. I have heard of peanut butter and mayo sandwiches, but never had one. Now peanut butter and banana was good!
DeletePeople just ate differently back in the day.
My mom used to make cinnamon sugar toast for us when we were sick..such a special treat! I still eat tuna sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches, cereal (with milk), and an occasional box of macaroni and cheese (without hot dogs). I’ve never had biscuits and gravy and wonder if it is a regional thing. I do remember my mom making these weird meatballs in which the recipe used a box of rice-a-roni. Jenny
ReplyDeleteI do make cinnamon/sugar toast now and then today. It IS a treat, I agree. Jenny, I am maybe assuming you are not from the U.S. - as biscuits and gravy are a thing all over here. Even most restaurants serve it.
DeleteI have had what we called porcupines, meatballs with rice in them and cooked in a tomato sauce.
A blast from the past! As a child I would often have a mug of crackers and milk in the evening. Don't think we ever used cornbread like that. The Farmer said that a former pastor and his family ate popcorn and milk. Hmm, does not sound good at all. I grew up with Miracle Whip because that's what my mom used. There used to be (in the '50's) a small grocery in Gadsden and my mom and I would buy ring bologna and cheese. Not sure what the cheese was, probably a mild cheddar. We sure enjoyed our little treat. Fried bologna on white trash white bread with yellow mustard was a treat. Who remembers the Omar man? Their products were baked at Omar Baking Company on the southeast corner of E. 16th and Bellefontaine Streets. My brothers told the story of when they were young, the built a small go-kart from odds and ends, and the Omar man syphoned out some gasoline from his truck to put in the little vehicle to see it run. We lived at Ladoga at the time.
ReplyDeleteCool again today but it is temporary. Looking forward to some warmer temps so we can work outdoors.
I hate to say, but crackers, cornbread, bread, popcorn - none of it in milk sounds good to me. I remember buying bologna ends at the butcher and mom even made 'ham' salad with it. I do remember the Omar man.
DeleteWhat a cute story.
Yep, just a dreary day - hope the sun comes out some.
I don't remember eating many of these, but I do remember eating a can of spaghetti o's with a cut up hotdog in it many times and I loved that. Our dinners were mainly veggies and meat or pasta dishes. Lunches were usually fruit, crackers, cheese or some kind of a sandwich.
ReplyDeleteCinnamon sugar toast and egg sandwiches are something we still eat frequently for breakfast.
TBG used to love rice with sugar and butter. I have never tried it.
Neither of us like biscuits and gravy so we never have that.
Sorry to hear about Tommy. I hope Linda is doing OK.
I had to chuckle reading a can of spaghetti with hotdogs - it reminds me of the Big Bang Theory and Sheldon - spaghetti w/hotdogs is his favorite!
DeleteGosh, I can't imagine not liking biscuits and gravy - it sure was and has been a budget stretcher around here. I just love it (any kind of gravy).
I generally had a pbj sandwich for lunch growing up or a bologna sandwich - always got to eat it on the front porch swing during the summers.
I can't say I've had many of these. We ate a lot of potatoes, grew out one and kept throughout the winter. So pasta was something we had rarely and usually Mac and cheese. No hotdogs in it though.
ReplyDeletePeanut butter and honey was a staple, as were bologna and egg salad sandwiches. I remember my mom eating a sliced onion and brown sugar sandwich on occasion. Dad was the one who liked fried bologna and made it for us when mom was away.
I've never eaten biscuits and gravy...
I have to say I am amazed at people never having had biscuits and gravy. It must be a US thing.
DeleteWe ate potatoes, but pasta was so cheap. We always had spaghetti on the menu, and we had macaroni in chili (to stretch it). That is interesting onion and brown sugar - might not be too bad.
Neat to see how folks in different areas ate.
At one little school I went to, they made the school lunch in house. One of the best things ever was their peanut butter with honey on hot biscuits. I can see/smell/taste that treat to this day, 75 years later!
ReplyDeleteMost of what you list is stuff I've had. We had a local butcher shop where my mom liked to get ground beef sometimes, because it was so much better. I remember eating bits of that, raw, on crackers! Never again in this lifetime I'll bet.
Spam with mac&cheese was good too. Biscuits and gravy, and even Gravy Bread. Mmmm. :) My brother loved sardines on soda crackers, and sometimes anchovies. CinnamonSugar on hot buttered toast was a rare treat.
Nothing on your list seems really odd to me. I don't recall powdered milk from my childhood, but I keep some on hand now and use it in cooking. Soda crackers in milk was something we used to get when we were sick.
Today has been a lovely day - coffee with a friend, and then a stop at the local roofer to ask for help with a gutter and a couple of repairs.
I hope Linda (of PP) will be ok. I saw her post about Tommy, and there was nothing but that annoucement.
MaryB
Your school treat sounds wonderful. I love peanut butter and honey , so on hot biscuits - yum.
DeleteLOL- on eating the fresh beef. I like Spam still. I often make gravy and have over toast. I never liked those little fishies! Too smelly and fishy tasting for me.
Glad you have had a good day. I have brunch with a friend tomorrow, so looking forward to that. Glad you can get some help from a local company.
Yes, she has had a lot of problems posting of late - so that may be it.
For years my mom and I each used powdered dry milk on our cereal. We bought Publix brand sold in packages of 10 individual quarts. It is still sold that way and I’ve thought of buying a box for emergencies. When mom and I used to buy it, it got to the point that powdered milk was more expensive than fresh dairy milk.
ReplyDeleteCinnamon toast was a treat growing up. Barbara M.
As far as your crackers and milk, we used to have Royal Lunch Milk Crackers. Yum! I’d love to have some again. Barbara M.
DeletePowdered milk is kind of pricey. fresh is most definitely cheaper - but dry milk is nice for an emergency.
DeleteI have never heard of those crackers. Maybe look online and see if they are still available.
The milk crackers are still sold in New England but not here or online (that I’ve seen).
DeleteWe used to have salad cream sandwiches as kids. Now I am grown up I have mayonnaise instead. Crisp (Chips in the USA) sandwiches were another favourite too and I know that my sister still enjoys them. I do too if nobody is looking! My father liked a mug of beef tea made with a beef Oxo cube and hot water, along with a slice of dry bread to dip into it. He said that sometimes it was all he had to eat as a kid, but he didn't mind as he really liked it. It is too strong for me, but I can see how it would be very comforting on a cold day.
ReplyDeleteI love to put chips of different types of sandwiches. One day I was at a family gathering and they had hamburgers - I added chips and my great niece laughed - she does it too - and had never seen me do that. I like chips with baked beans too.
DeleteThat sounds like what we call bouillon here. I imagine it was comforting and somewhat filling. It sure helped fill his belly during a hard time.
Oh my gosh, what memories you just conjured up! How about saltines and milk. Sorta like cereal. But not.
ReplyDelete