434257 Thu Aug 23 12:02:18 -0700 2007 138 31 Home Cooking 0 2874286 I am going to a party and need to bring a dish from the Sixties (1963 specifically). As I'm only in my early thirties, I'm having trouble deciding what to make. I'd like it to be delicious as well as true to the theme. Here's what I've brainstormed with my mom so far: Chex Mix Stuffed mushrooms (? were those 60's-ish?) A gherkin inside a cream-cheese slathered slice of salami then sliced and held together with a toothpick Cherry tomatoes stuffed with tuna salad Spinach dip Any other ideas? Thanks! Thu Aug 23 12:02:18 -0700 2007 10922 Fig Newton 1 2874319 Wow... this could be scary. But definitely check out the Gallery of Regrettable Food at: http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/ which has (annotated) recipes from period cookbooks. These might not qualify as "delicious" though. Thu Aug 23 12:10:44 -0700 2007 2874286 21815 jmasek 2 2897149 That's the first thing I thought of too! :) Thu Aug 30 11:58:13 -0700 2007 2874319 102571 mordacity 2 2897773 Please, please just bring the book for everyone to look at it -- and bring some good food to eat. Thu Aug 30 13:50:37 -0700 2007 2874319 120945 ccferg 1 2874355 The French Chef first aired in 1963. Maybe a Julia recipe from that series? Thu Aug 23 12:18:17 -0700 2007 2874286 56278 xena 1 2874366 I love 60s appetizers! They're so delightfully tacky and kitsch. Some more ideas for you: * Devils on horseback (prunes wrapped in bacon and then broiled until crisp) * Rumaki (water chestnut and chicken liver wrapped in bacon, marinated in soy and then broiled until crisp) * Cocktail weiners, either plain or wrapped in puff pastry (pigs in blankets) * Pimento cheese spread with Ritz crackers ...and don't forget... * JELLO SALAD!! Thu Aug 23 12:20:33 -0700 2007 2874286 111113 tartiflette 2 2874819 Rumaki certainly were all the rage before the 60's....I remember them from the mid-late 50's because they were popularized by Trader Vick's Restaurants on their "Pu Pu Platter". The 60's I remember would have every kind of food imaginable due to the "munchies" craze due to I dare not say what. Thu Aug 23 13:47:43 -0700 2007 2874366 10245 oakjoan 2 2883153 I remember devils on horseback as oysters wrapped in bacon, but maybe thats because Im from arster country Sun Aug 26 13:03:34 -0700 2007 2874366 49606 tartuffe 3 2908619 Oysters in bacon were always called "angels on horseback" in my house. I assume this is because prunes are black and oysters are white (well, more like beige-ish)... so devils = black and angels = light. Tue Sep 04 08:23:10 -0700 2007 2883153 111113 tartiflette 1 2874384 any of the above pinned to a whole pineapple with toothpicks - truly tacky and 60's Thu Aug 23 12:23:52 -0700 2007 2874286 57890 KaimukiMan 2 2874524 Does that mean that you take a whole pineapple, stick the food (whatever it is) with a toothpick, and then stick it to the pineapple? Hilarious. I've never seen that so I'm trying to envision it. Thu Aug 23 12:50:11 -0700 2007 2874384 10922 Fig Newton 3 2874570 For another riff on the Jello Salad, you could always do an Ambrosia Salad (be sure to make it pink - did you see "Edward Scissorhands"?) ! Thu Aug 23 12:56:44 -0700 2007 2874524 78611 aurora50 3 2875669 exactly..and yes, it is as bizzare as you are envisioning. sort of a fruity porcupine. i had forgotten them until one of my friends did one for a party a couple of years ago. pimento olives on a piece of cheese on a piece of salami, cheese and cold cuts rolled up, rumaki, almost anything wrapped in bacon, stuffed cherry tomatoes (has to be a "thick" stuffing), cream cheese or peanut butter stuffed celery, fresh fruit chunks (of course including pineapple)... it can be quite colorful. Be sure to get a pineapple with a healthy looking crown. Thu Aug 23 17:03:57 -0700 2007 2874524 57890 KaimukiMan 3 4928070 I was going to suggest thi!. Think of it as antipasto on a stick. You could use good olives and cheeses- 40 years ago people used canned black and pimento stuffed green olives and cracker barrel for cheese. And cubes of ham and pineapple often completed the Hawaian theme And antipasto was big in Boston- the traditional kind with marinated mushrooms, pepperocini, salami, provolone. cherry tomatoes etc.on a bed of lettuce. Of course 40 years ago we didn't have Trader Joe's or we would have done a lot better! Sat Aug 08 04:09:31 -0700 2009 2874524 66281 ginnyhw 1 2874409 See if you can find a copy of James Beard's Fireside Cookbook - actually I think from the late '50s, but there was no sharp transition as far as cocktail-swilling grownups were concerned. He got his start as a caterer in New York, and was always the go-to guy for party snacks. He also did a book entirely on party food, Menus For Entertaining, that has pages and pages of hors d'oeuvres and canapes. We threw a party on the theme of Your Parents' Cocktail Party, based almost entirely on these two books - we even used an illustration from the Fireside book on the invitation! Thu Aug 23 12:28:12 -0700 2007 2874286 11478 Will Owen 2 2874700 Brilliant! I do believe I've found the theme for my next dinner party. :) Thu Aug 23 13:20:34 -0700 2007 2874409 111113 tartiflette 1 2874413 I remember my mom got a fondue pot in the sixties and that was all the rage! Also the grape jelly meatballs were one of her favorites for parties. Thu Aug 23 12:29:14 -0700 2007 2874286 80937 danhole 2 2874447 The best (and easiest) hot buffet item using grape jelly is cocktail weenies in a chafing dish (fondue pot will do) in a 50-50 mixture of Heinz Chili Sauce and grape jelly, with a good supply of toothpicks alongside. Still a perennial favorite at old-money Nashville parties. You could of course buy a bag of the frozen meatballs and use those instead. Thu Aug 23 12:36:36 -0700 2007 2874413 11478 Will Owen 3 2874837 I had this dish with vienna sausages dipped into a hideous concoction of grape jelly and yellow mustard. Faughhhhh! Thu Aug 23 13:51:38 -0700 2007 2874447 10245 oakjoan 4 2875681 Oh, thank you SO much for putting that into my imagination! Do you suppose someone was just trying to remember the recipe and thought "mustard" instead of "ketchup"? Because you can in fact just use ketchup, although it's less interesting that way. Mustard, I dare say, would be excessively interesting. Thu Aug 23 17:08:20 -0700 2007 2874837 11478 Will Owen 5 2878911 It was no mistake, it is an old Sunset recipe from the sixties. As written it is a jar of mustard and a jar of red current jelly over cocktail wieners. It actually tastes pretty good. Fri Aug 24 14:43:57 -0700 2007 2875681 36159 suzannajoy 6 2881917 Oh, goodie! I can recreate this! Actually, it was the vienna sausages (the texture alone can transport me into a paroxysm of disgust) that put the dish over the top. Sat Aug 25 21:17:49 -0700 2007 2878911 10245 oakjoan 3 2877893 similar--meatballs with sauce of cranberry sauce and chili sauce. Actually not terrible Fri Aug 24 10:46:15 -0700 2007 2874447 109573 coney with everything 4 2881921 Now the meatballs sound pretty good. Sort of Swedish. Sat Aug 25 21:18:18 -0700 2007 2877893 10245 oakjoan 3 2878761 <The best (and easiest) hot buffet item using grape jelly is cocktail weenies in a chafing dish (fondue pot will do) in a 50-50 mixture of Heinz Chili Sauce and grape jelly, > My mom did that with meat balls. There were never any left! Fri Aug 24 13:55:59 -0700 2007 2874447 52499 ChefJune 2 2874832 Cheese fondue was popular, but in the late 60's came the craze for meat dipped into a common pot and then served with dipping sauces. Also that was the first time I ever had Chinese "Hot Pot". (Huo Kuo?) I ditto the Julia Child's suggestions. We cooked a LOT from her first book. I also keep noticing that this 60's thread is leaving out a huge segment of the population - hippies and students. Their food was verrrry different from what's on this list. Diet for a Small Planet was very popular in the late 60's. Also Alice B. Toklas cookbook Thu Aug 23 13:50:46 -0700 2007 2874413 10245 oakjoan 3 2887075 1963 would be pre-hippie. Mon Aug 27 15:34:42 -0700 2007 2874832 71215 mlgb 4 2887158 That's right. But the late 50's and early 60's had the Beatniks, anyone remember? Mon Aug 27 15:58:00 -0700 2007 2887075 78611 aurora50 5 2893240 Don't recall that there was any special cuisine attached to the beatniks, other than jugs of Dago Red. They were probably going to those amazingly generous family-style Italian places in North Beach, and slurping up cheap noodles a little way down Grant Ave. in Chinatown. Wed Aug 29 11:36:01 -0700 2007 2887158 13619 Sharuf 6 2893589 Don't forget, the Beatniks were among the first to popularize espresso! Wed Aug 29 12:44:07 -0700 2007 2893240 11388 Marsha 7 2893686 Yeah. Coffeehouses for hangouts, a lot of coffee, and a LOT of (non-food related) cigarettes. Wed Aug 29 13:04:25 -0700 2007 2893589 78611 aurora50 1 2874462 This reminded my of the movie with Cher in it! Mermaids!.....The mother only made party food. Everything was on a stick. Hey, how about fondue! Thu Aug 23 12:39:40 -0700 2007 2874286 90146 Jen_in_NJ 1 2874467 My mother used to take a slice of salami and put a slice of provolone on top (same size). Then she'd put on a plop of prepared tuna salad (no celery) in the middle, then lay an anchovy across it, roll it up and put a toothpick in the whole thing. Then she'd throw back a Grasshopper or a Pink Flamingo, throw on her Doris Day wig and call it a party. Thu Aug 23 12:40:20 -0700 2007 2874286 116638 southernitalian 1 2874718 was quiche 60s or 70s? Fondue was but not easy to bring. Pinneapple and cheddar sticks. devilled eggs. dips. Thu Aug 23 13:25:06 -0700 2007 2874286 22559 smartie 2 2882496 Quiche was 70s or even later. Sun Aug 26 08:23:16 -0700 2007 2874718 120466 slofood 1 2874744 is the class green bean/mushroom casserole with the canned crispy onions on top from the 60s? Thu Aug 23 13:31:18 -0700 2007 2874286 23415 pescatarian 2 2874779 No, the green bean casserole was invented by the Campbell Soup Company in 1955. Thu Aug 23 13:39:26 -0700 2007 2874744 120511 GloriaSwansonsTVdinner 3 2874792 It was created in 1955 but not served at dinner parties in the 60s a few years later? Thu Aug 23 13:42:06 -0700 2007 2874779 23415 pescatarian 4 2874900 This brings up a good point that I was discussing with friends the other night. Just because a dish was in Gourmet magazine, say, in 1963, doesn't mean that it wasn't cooked for a long time after that. Thu Aug 23 14:03:15 -0700 2007 2874792 10922 Fig Newton 5 2875010 I thought you were looking for foods invented IN THE YEAR 1963, not BY THE YEAR 1963. Lots of edible things were invented by 1963. I know this for a fact. I was there. I did some googling and found this site: http://www.foodtimeline.org/fooddecades.html#1960s Maybe it will give you some ideas. I say take something really delicious and lie and say it was from 1963. (Also be sure to do a little visual aid on a cardboard easel to set next to your dish. A collage with food facts, etc.) Is there a prize for this endeavor? Good luck! Thu Aug 23 14:23:44 -0700 2007 2874900 120511 GloriaSwansonsTVdinner 3 2876535 I first encountered the green bean casserole in about 1960. Fri Aug 24 01:00:35 -0700 2007 2874779 13619 Sharuf 1 2874925 Hash brownies were always popular among my set. Thu Aug 23 14:07:58 -0700 2007 2874286 13003 whs 2 2875024 Glad SOMEbody finally came out and said it! Thu Aug 23 14:26:55 -0700 2007 2874925 76480 ozhead 3 2875038 Swedish meatballs. Pigs in a blanket. Cheese cubes with toothpicks that have the multi-colored ruffled cellophane ends. Pimento cheese with Triscuits. Celery sticks with cream cheese. Quiche is more 70s, and I think rumaki might be, too. Thu Aug 23 14:29:43 -0700 2007 2875024 83766 brendastarlet 3 2878860 HA! I misread it and thought it said hash BROWNS. Fri Aug 24 14:27:53 -0700 2007 2875024 107725 bards4 2 2883254 Yay! Hash Brownies! ; ) Sun Aug 26 13:51:35 -0700 2007 2874925 113872 diablo 1 2875079 Sauce Pans and the Single Girl was published in 65. I still have my copy. It was reissued last year in paperback. You'll find plenty of good ideas in there. An old favorite for us was sausage balls. Just take a couple pounds of bulk breakfast sausage and roll into bite size meatballs. In a kettle combine about a qt. of catsup with an equal amount of beer. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and drop in the meatballs simmer until the sauce is thickened. Crabbies were popular then too. A hot crab salad with cheese on toasted english muffins and broild and then quartered. Thu Aug 23 14:38:45 -0700 2007 2874286 10285 Candy 2 2875093 Cheez whiz? has anyone said anything with cheez whiz yet? Thu Aug 23 14:42:06 -0700 2007 2875079 29709 alltummy 3 2875165 Beef bourginonne. Anything made with Campell's mushroom soup as the "sauce." Or am I also in the wrong decade? Thu Aug 23 14:57:15 -0700 2007 2875093 54833 ClaireWalter 3 2875216 didn't the crabbies use Cheez Whiz? http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,161,159177-227203,00.html I just googled for a recipe and it is cheez whiz or Kraft Old English Thu Aug 23 15:09:07 -0700 2007 2875093 10285 Candy 4 2876653 Sophisticates used the Kraft Old English. Fri Aug 24 05:15:25 -0700 2007 2875216 120945 ccferg 1 2875749 Olives with Bleu Cheese Cheese Straws Cheez whiz on celery boats Deviled Eggs Thu Aug 23 17:27:42 -0700 2007 2874286 50431 chef chicklet 2 2943556 My Mom made olives that had a dough around them and then were browned and baked... And we had oysters on the half shell too. Sometimes with a sauce, and sometimes just lemon and tobasco. Fri Sep 14 22:31:35 -0700 2007 2875749 50431 chef chicklet 1 2875753 1. Pitted olives forming a belt around some julienned carrots. 2. Celery sticks filled with peanut butter. 3. Eggplant casserole using Campbell's Cream of Mushroom with crumbled potato chip topping. 4. Chicken fried steak. Thu Aug 23 17:29:05 -0700 2007 2874286 36661 Sam Fujisaka 2 2875806 Eggplant was around in the '60's??? Thu Aug 23 17:51:25 -0700 2007 2875753 10877 Sarah 3 2875842 Hilarious! Thu Aug 23 18:34:45 -0700 2007 2875806 36661 Sam Fujisaka 4 2875915 Swedish meatballs served in a 60's chafing dish Lobster Newberg on toast points Thu Aug 23 19:01:06 -0700 2007 2875842 13791 Marilyn 4 2878753 Yeah Sam, when did they invent eggplant? We used to get served a dish called Chicken Chip - it had some canned soup in it (of course) and also a potato chip topping. Yech. One good appetizer from the sixties is shrimp stuffed with blue cheese. Slit cold boiled shrimp almost all the way through lengthwise. Fill with a mixture of blue cheese and cream cheese. Top the cream cheese with chopped parsley. Fri Aug 24 13:53:13 -0700 2007 2875842 85539 lupaglupa 1 2875904 I saw a recipe in a vintage cookbook of a mock pineapple- made of liverwurst, decorated with sliced olives, and topped with, I think, a real pineapple crown. The picture looked so awful I had to buy the cookbook. (I was at a yard sale.) Thu Aug 23 18:57:17 -0700 2007 2874286 101402 rat under paper 2 2876536 Tamale pie is very 1950s and into the '60s. Fri Aug 24 01:03:20 -0700 2007 2875904 13619 Sharuf 1 2876591 Seven layer bars aka Hello Dolly Bars Fri Aug 24 03:54:24 -0700 2007 2874286 66281 ginnyhw 1 2876631 I have a number of my mother's old cookbooks from the 60s. A Cook Book for Entertaining from Sunset magazine is organized by the type of party and they get pretty elaborate on their menus. Now, my favorite 60s thing from my childhood (that I still make because it's tasty) is a pear salad which is a leaf of lettuce on which you place a canned pear half. Top with a small spoonful of mayo and then shredded sharp cheddar cheese. It's pretty tasty. I culled some of the appetizers from the book: Fondue Mushrooms a la Greque Prosciutto-wrapped melon Shrimp toasts Ham-filled mushrooms caps "Hawaiian Meat Sticks" which are essentially beef sate Stuffed eggs Cheese balls (this one combined cream, Roquefort and cheddar and was covered in pomegranate seeds and served with Melba Toast) Scandanavien liver pate with pumpernickel Grapefruit and avocado salad There are also recipes for aoli, tamales to be made by the guests, sushi, shabu shabu, abalone ceviche - Most of the menus have at least some things that are foodie by today's standards as well. Now, if you want to go gross, a cocktail weenie skewered with a piece of canned pineapple is the way to go. Fri Aug 24 04:56:25 -0700 2007 2874286 71196 dalaimama 1 2876646 Tomato aspic or salmon mousse....yuck! Fri Aug 24 05:11:32 -0700 2007 2874286 109812 crosby_p 1 2876699 And don't forget American chop suey if you have to bring an entree. We could expect to eat that once a week until Julia changed my mother's life (and her family's) in the mid-60s. My mother's American chop suey was just a mix of cooked hamburger (seasoned with a little salt and pepper), canned tomatoes, cooked macaroni and some cheese baked in a casserole dish. Fri Aug 24 05:50:30 -0700 2007 2874286 120945 ccferg 2 2878999 I have also heard of this called goulash although it has nothing to do with Hungarian goulash. Fri Aug 24 15:13:56 -0700 2007 2876699 31211 kdbroussa 3 2879014 It's pretty close to what they called goulash. I think my mother added sour cream to the mix when she called it that. Fri Aug 24 15:17:35 -0700 2007 2878999 120945 ccferg 3 2887232 My mother cooked this dish a LOT when I was a kid. I have a name for it too, but it is unprintable here. Mon Aug 27 16:17:08 -0700 2007 2878999 102895 Cheflambo 2 2887167 Australian Chop Suey of the 60's was dodgy mince, browned, add a diced onion, some jullienned carrots, lots and LOTS of sliced cabbage, a splash of soy sauce and a packet of chicken noodle soup. A staple in my Mum's 60's repertoire Mon Aug 27 16:00:03 -0700 2007 2876699 86137 purple goddess 1 2876717 My mom was a 'creative cook'. She used to make flaming dishes (yes, for our family dinners on a random Tuesday night.) She also liked to make crepes. As a kid, I used to beg for fondue and jell-o salad (layers of red jello, whipped cream, berries, usually red/white/blue.) Fri Aug 24 05:57:58 -0700 2007 2874286 26917 JojoSF 2 2876784 Oh, yes, flaming dishes. Remember steak diane? I think in the right hands that can be a respectable dish, but my mother would take cubed steaks, saute them in butter and then add alcohol (and fire) and bring it triumphantly to the table. Fri Aug 24 06:25:50 -0700 2007 2876717 120945 ccferg 1 2876829 You could do fluffernutter sandwiches. That's marshmallow fluff and peanut butter on Wonder Bread. Cut off the crusts and cut the sandwich to make triangle tea sandwiches. http://www.marshmallowfluff.com/pages/fluffernutter.html Although we never ate fluffernutter sandwiches in our house -- we had friends who ate them a lot! I also think S'mores might be a thing from the Sixties. Very popular in my brownie troop. Fri Aug 24 06:42:21 -0700 2007 2874286 99738 Jill Brazil 2 2877418 smores go back a long way before the 60's. My grandmother liked to talk about how many smore's my mom used to eat when she was a little girl (that's about when mom went for the second glass of wine and then smiled sweetly at her mom) Fri Aug 24 08:56:56 -0700 2007 2876829 57890 KaimukiMan 2 2887262 the fluffernutter is still a big hit around my house. Mon Aug 27 16:27:27 -0700 2007 2876829 121659 versp1 1 2877903 I remember "California Dip" (aka Lipton onion soup mix dip) being big in the 60s Fri Aug 24 10:48:39 -0700 2007 2874286 109573 coney with everything 2 2881933 Omigod! I used to LOVE that onion soup/cream cheese dip. My sister and I could eat whole bowls of it. What about chopped olives and green onions mixed with cream cheese? Sat Aug 25 21:23:13 -0700 2007 2877903 10245 oakjoan 3 2886931 Don't forget clam dip either, scoop it up with potato chips or pretzels Mon Aug 27 15:00:05 -0700 2007 2881933 10285 Candy 4 2901208 ....and don't forget to use RIPPLE potato chips with that clam or onion dip! Rice a Roni--perfect when served in Melmac (melamine-ware plates). Target has some nice retro ones now. Minute Rice casseroles using chicken parts and cream of chicken soup Anything (like mini meatballs, etc cooked and SERVED from an electric skillet--remember those? Cruise your local thrift stores for great kitchy serveware and linens. Fri Aug 31 13:32:45 -0700 2007 2886931 11234 toodie jane 1 2878510 Great thread... I use to assume all this food was from the 50's and thought of the '60s more as the Hippie Food, Chinese, Indian, Sushi & Fondue Fri Aug 24 13:02:45 -0700 2007 2874286 42572 Eat_Nopal 2 2898381 The first five years of the 60s were the 50s. Look at the high school year books. Thu Aug 30 16:38:02 -0700 2007 2878510 120945 ccferg 3 2909162 Sirts were shorter and hair was bigger in the first 5 years of the 60s than the last five years of the 50s. Tue Sep 04 11:03:33 -0700 2007 2898381 10133 wally 1 2878701 I remember Velveeta as a popular ingredient in dips. Fri Aug 24 13:43:23 -0700 2007 2874286 39796 Remoulade 2 2879127 eeewww....velveeta, I had forgotten about that nuclear sludge haha Fri Aug 24 16:01:29 -0700 2007 2878701 106157 FunLovingFoodie 2 2886935 Velveeta and Ro-Tel! Yum. Still good today. Mon Aug 27 15:01:02 -0700 2007 2878701 10285 Candy 1 2878930 First, the early 60s were actually more like the late 50s. There was not a sudden change in our culture in 1960. What most people think of as the 60s with the hippies, mini-skirts, and ultra-modern decor occurred after 1965 and into the early 70s. So, 1963 was a transition period between the 50s and the hippie, counter-culture, anti-establishment generation of the late 60s and early 70s. 1963 had more characteristics of the late 50s. Stuffed celery was very popular in the late 50s and early 60s, as some have mentioned. In addition to peanut butter or cream cheese, I remember celery stuffed with pimiento cheese or Kraft Old English or cheddar with bacon cheese spreads. These now come in a jar in the supermarket. Just wash the celery well and cut into 2"-3" pieces. Fill with the cheese spreads. A nice presentation is to serve some stuffed with pimiento cheese, some stuffed with Kraft Old English cheese spread, and some stuffed with Kraft cheddar and bacon cheese spread. The American Movie Classics (AMC) network's series Mad Men takes place in 1960 and is authentic to the period. In one episode, one of the wives was stuffing celery as an hors d'oeuvre for a party. Also, I remember dips being very popular for home entertaining. In fact I have my mother's dip tray from the period. One dip in particular which I remember was made of sour cream, potted meat, and diced dill pickles. If I remember correctly, use 8 ounces of sour cream, one to two cans of potted meat depening on how meaty you want the dip, and 4-5 dill pickles (not the big ones) diced. Mix well and serve with Fritos for dipping. Also, as someone already mentioned, fondue served in one of those metal electric fondue pots that came in various colors, was also popular. Casseroles made with Campbell's condensed cream of mushroom, celery, chicken, etc soups were still popular through the early 60s. Just remember that all of the health-conscious, low-fat, low-carb foods we have today were not in vogue during the late 50s and early 60s. Fri Aug 24 14:49:53 -0700 2007 2874286 31211 kdbroussa 2 2879090 You're absolutely right-on (get it?) about your time periods. I was there, too. The early 60's were all about "innocent sophistication", housewives staying at home, entertaining, cocktail parties, "Moon River", all pastels, you get the picture. All very fine and twee. The mid-60's and 70's were almost a complete turnaround from that - a "Revolution", if you will. Colors, food, clothes, music, and attitude all changed drastically. That's when all the long hair, hard rock, and psychadelic colors came in. And it was all reflected in the food we ate. Fri Aug 24 15:43:52 -0700 2007 2878930 78611 aurora50 3 2879126 Yeah, my mother discovered Julia Child. And my hippie friends discovered the color brown. I had to go with my mother on this one. Fri Aug 24 16:01:23 -0700 2007 2879090 120945 ccferg 3 2879393 In the late 60s and early 70s, my first wife and I ate with our fellow tribesmen and women when called upon: near tasteless veggie dishes, brown bread the weight of the combat boots the women wore, carob this and that, brown rice as crunchy as gravel, herbal teas... Fortunately, the two of us cooked and ate well at home. Fri Aug 24 17:29:53 -0700 2007 2879090 36661 Sam Fujisaka 4 2879773 Carob - I had forgotten about that. Wow, what a great (NOT really) memory. We should not bring it back. Totally tasteless. Fri Aug 24 20:17:11 -0700 2007 2879393 31211 kdbroussa 5 2881577 NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Not Carob!!!! I still have childhood trauma from packing my own carob ship cookies to birthday parties. Sat Aug 25 18:12:38 -0700 2007 2879773 67706 WCchopper 4 2886967 Being the child of foodie parents and being pretty well traveled and having spent a great deal of my HS years on the east coast, north and south I was and mainly pretty preppy. The carob stuff and combat boots etc. never was on my radar. I knew there were people out there that bought in to that stuff. I liked my triple creme cheeses and the like to ever consider that sort of thing. Mon Aug 27 15:07:07 -0700 2007 2879393 10285 Candy 2 2880906 Stuffed celery was the height of class growing up in my house. Just make sure whatever you serve, it is sprinkled with paprika. I think that, and curly parsley, was the universal food topper. I think my mom still has a jar from 1963 in her pantry. Sat Aug 25 12:45:23 -0700 2007 2878930 103777 elayne5 2 2883336 What is potted meat? I would like to nominate baked ziti to this thread. Sun Aug 26 14:22:37 -0700 2007 2878930 89944 JOJOGIRL 3 2883690 Speaking of baked ziti, I actually liked my mother's macaroni and cheese the way she made it in the 60s (but she's in a dementia unit now and can't remember how she did it.) She didn't start with a cheese sauce the way they do it now. I believe she just took cooked ziti, chunks of cheese and poured in some milk or half and half. Then she'd bake the hell out of it. It would brown just beautifully along the sides of the glass casserole. We all begged for "the sides." And it had more texture than today's mac and cheese. Sun Aug 26 16:45:25 -0700 2007 2883336 120945 ccferg 4 2935308 Yes - my mother made macaroni and cheese this way (and I still do). She used a can of condensed milk and the sharpest cheddar cheese, cubed (and lots of it), she could find. My future kids aren't going to know what the Kraft box thing is about. But then, there are a lot of things I plan to not expose my kids to, surely paving the way for taunts and ridicule... Wed Sep 12 13:32:13 -0700 2007 2883690 118276 happyincofornow 5 2935773 Hah, it'll make them better people (says the voice of experience) Wed Sep 12 15:26:06 -0700 2007 2935308 67706 WCchopper 4 3789019 Mac-n-cheese, my Mom's way, from the 60's. I am glad I learned it from her when young because she doesn't remember how to make it now, either. The basic technique here is the same, however, I also have updated the seasonings to suit my own family now. This gets rave reviews from anyone who eats it, so try it out! Here goes - cook pasta very al dente (not Mom's term!), drain. While mac is cooking, melt butter, then add milk, white Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt and pepper, and heat in microwave until warm. In a large mixing bowl, toss mac with bags of shredded white cheddar cheese. Pam spray a 13 X 9 cake pan, put mac/cheese mixture in. Pour milk mixture over until liquid is visible from the top view. Spread top with panko bread crumbs mixed with Italian bread crumbs, then respray with Pam. Bake until top is nice and crusty, yummmy! Tue Jun 17 16:26:35 -0700 2008 2883690 201657 smileanor 3 2897849 Potting meat is a means of preserving it (or more often a meat mixture using very cheap cuts) by cooking it to death and then canning it. Before the canning process was invented it was put into an earthenware pot with a covering of fat to keep the air out, hence the name. The consistency ends up being a kind of paste. Spam is actually a variety of potted meat, but there are many others. Thu Aug 30 14:09:41 -0700 2007 2883336 14386 BobB 4 2898061 Another form of potted meat that you may recognize, is Deviled Ham. (Got a can of it in my pantry right now ) - Thu Aug 30 15:01:16 -0700 2007 2897849 78611 aurora50 5 2898197 My mother sent me to school with deviled ham sandwiches three times a week. The other days she made sandwiches out of something called "sandwich spread," which I believe is supposed to be used as a condiment. Thu Aug 30 15:41:06 -0700 2007 2898061 120945 ccferg 5 2900726 I have 2 cans in my pantry. Pikawicca probably does too. it was something readily available in our commissaries over seas and we sort of grew up with it. Fri Aug 31 11:22:23 -0700 2007 2898061 10285 Candy 4 2902584 Sounds like confit is a high-falutin' form of potted meat. Sat Sep 01 05:50:05 -0700 2007 2897849 13619 Sharuf 1 2879119 LOL wasn't spam from the 60's? Now that's "Class" haha. I agree on the piggies in a blanket, they are always gone no matter what age or dress code you are serving them to. Fri Aug 24 15:59:21 -0700 2007 2874286 106157 FunLovingFoodie 2 2879176 Actually, I believe Spam was first used in the 40's as food for the soldiers in World War II. It was canned and could last in the field, that was why it was used. But it also became popular later. Fri Aug 24 16:21:59 -0700 2007 2879119 78611 aurora50 3 2879464 The "I Hate to Cookbook" by Peg Bracken was an early sixties classic. It was funny and full of quick recipes including Stayabed Stew, Hurry Curry and Saturday Chicken. I still use some of these recipes today when I have a hankering for comfort foods from a simpler time http://www.adriennechristy.com/sites/cook/book.asp?section=1&subsection=recipe&R=StaS Fri Aug 24 18:00:37 -0700 2007 2879176 75930 cookiez 3 2882778 according to the spam website, spam came out in 1937 (70 years this year). Sun Aug 26 10:27:21 -0700 2007 2879176 57890 KaimukiMan 1 2880979 Tuna noodle casserole, topped with crushed potato chips. (Box of Kraft Mac 'n Cheese, can of tuna, can of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup, Lays chips.) Sat Aug 25 13:19:44 -0700 2007 2874286 50494 pattisue 1 2881084 I remember eating lots of jello cut up in cubes and tossed in gobs of cool whip, served on a leaf of iceberg lettuce. Can I have another serving of that "salad", mom! I also seem to remember frozen desserts with layers of rainbow colored sherbet and more cool whip of course. Sat Aug 25 14:01:33 -0700 2007 2874286 115851 donali 2 2882796 ate plenty of that myself....but cool whip is a little later than the OP's 1963 date, it came out in 1967 (missed it by that much) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_Whip Sun Aug 26 10:34:51 -0700 2007 2881084 57890 KaimukiMan 1 2881390 One dish that hasn't been mentioned was baked chicken pieces slathered in a mixture of apricot jam, onion soup mix and another ingredient I can't quite recall - maybe mayonnaise? Sat Aug 25 16:13:05 -0700 2007 2874286 11146 EllenMM 2 2881423 Ellen, could it have been bottled Russian salad dressing? I have an old recipe for a dish called "Hawaiian Chicken" that lists Wishbone Russian Dressing, Lipton Onion Soup Mix, and a choice of apricot jam or pineapple preserves. Sat Aug 25 16:30:01 -0700 2007 2881390 50494 pattisue 3 2881507 Yep - that's it. Thanks. Strangely, I have no desire to recreate this gooey mess. When I was newly married, in 1969, it seemed soooo exotic, but then, so did my first husband!!!!! Sat Aug 25 17:26:48 -0700 2007 2881423 11146 EllenMM 1 2881661 Watercress salad was a big ta-da thing at parties then says Colin Cowie and I remember my grandmother making it for her many fabulous dinner parties. So how about watercress salad with green goddess dressing...ha! Can you make something that you finish in the stove after you get there? If so you could really wow 'em with Baked Alaska. Imagine the oohs and aaahs. Sat Aug 25 18:54:10 -0700 2007 2874286 27075 SugarFrosted 2 2882102 Wow, what a classic! Green goddess dressing; I have not had that in years! That is very retro. Sun Aug 26 00:23:13 -0700 2007 2881661 31211 kdbroussa 1 2882171 There used to be a show on the Style Channel called the "Brini Maxwell Show." It was a witty play on Martha Stewart with a drag queen host demonstrating retro-DIY projects. They often featured recipies from the 50's and 60's to go with themed coctkail parties. http://www.brinimaxwell.com/show_main.php Sun Aug 26 04:08:59 -0700 2007 2874286 11701 MrsT 2 2882197 My mom grew up in this era, and meat was still very popular in EVERYTHING because people could remember shortages during the 1940s when they were little kids. Also what about date nut bread and cream cheese finger sandwiches--very popular because of the automat, it was a common coffee shop staple. Don't forget marichino cherries in the Jello salad, in cocktails, and also on toothpicks with chunks of pineapple! Pineapple and cottage cheese salad with melba toast. Forget hash brownies--according to my mom, the biggest difference between today and then is the predominance of highly caloric, highly alcoholic beverages back then like martinis, Rob Roys, etc. Remember "Bewitched"--pour me a drink, Sam? White bread Sun Aug 26 05:11:48 -0700 2007 2882171 95065 veganish 2 2887255 OMG! Brini! I had almost forgotten. She was, indeed. stuck in the 60s with the go-go boots and Marimekko prints. Groovy! Hard to believe that show is not in syndication somewhere. Mon Aug 27 16:25:24 -0700 2007 2882171 102895 Cheflambo 1 2882445 Emeril did a show on the "Swinging Sixties" on the food network. Beef Wellington and Lobster Thermidor are included. Here are the recipe links: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_em/episode/0,1976,FOOD_9959_15661,00.html Sun Aug 26 08:02:27 -0700 2007 2874286 99738 Jill Brazil 1 2882535 Tuna noodle Casserole Spagetti bean Casserole(canned franco american spagetti & red kidney beans) Cheese fondue Sun Aug 26 08:41:40 -0700 2007 2874286 12130 malibumike 1 2882545 This has been a fun thread. I'm remembering chicken tetrazzini, chicken a la king, beef stroganoff, and liverwurst sandwiches made with Wonder bread. Oh, and city chicken. Some kind of meat on a wooden stick, veal maybe? Breaded and deep fried. And chiffon pie. Sun Aug 26 08:45:03 -0700 2007 2874286 120466 slofood 2 2882974 City chicken! Now, there's an oldie. It was alternating cubes of veal and pork. My mother could get them already skewered at the butcher shop. She just browned ours and braised them. I think the premise was that city folks didn't have chickens running around in the backyard, so this was made to look like a chicken leg. Also, a more upscale meat for Sunday dinner, more "citified." Sun Aug 26 11:46:59 -0700 2007 2882545 84890 nemo 1 2883142 We recently had a 60's party along with retro-inspired food. I also wanted to steer away from the kitschy foods that would would be funny be also terrible tasting. That seemed like too much money and effort for a laugh. Our line-up included: Swedish meatballs (frozen from Ikea, warmed in a crockpot) Lil' Smokies in BBQ sauce (this was gone very quickly) Ritz crackers with cans of cheese Bugles and Ruffles chips with onion dip Cheese fondue Deviled eggs For cocktails, we had vodka gimlets. Sun Aug 26 12:57:50 -0700 2007 2874286 121215 wendella 1 2883265 My mom always made some kind of wacky mold with flavored Jello. I would tell you what was in it, but I don't think she ever made it the same way twice. She just referred to it as "Jello Mold". The stuff in it was a testament to why I would never try it. Olives and orange flavored Jello just are not right. Sun Aug 26 13:56:47 -0700 2007 2874286 113872 diablo 2 2887260 Red jello with bananas. Its third grade all over again (1963) .... am I really that old? Mon Aug 27 16:27:24 -0700 2007 2883265 102895 Cheflambo 1 2883440 Reading through some of this, makes me realize that I still like some of that retro food! Sun Aug 26 15:03:38 -0700 2007 2874286 71851 jinet12 1 2883596 I have had laughs reading. Cannot believe no one has mentioned pimento stuffed olives wrapped in Old English cheese,butter and flour. I make them all the time but also serve them to 60's someones. Sun Aug 26 16:08:06 -0700 2007 2874286 12290 mgebs 2 2883808 mqebs, please tell me that you cooked the olives after wrapping them in cheese, butter, and flour. Please. Sun Aug 26 17:32:46 -0700 2007 2883596 11388 Marsha 3 2883836 Yes, Marsha, 1 C flour 1 stick soft butter 1 jar Old English Roll into balls and bake 400' 10 -12 min. My husband learned to like olives after I had made these for 30 years and he finally tried them. Sun Aug 26 17:39:50 -0700 2007 2883808 12290 mgebs 4 2883936 I don't think I can resist these. Thanks. Sun Aug 26 18:18:04 -0700 2007 2883836 11388 Marsha 1 2887177 We had a potluck themed "food you ate in the 1960's" Meatloaf with ketchup on top Tuna casserole (the potato chip one) Tater Tot Casserole (disgusting with cheese sourcream and butter) Baloney sandwiches (on white bread) Big Hit Bob's Big Boy hamburgers and shakes Fish sticks "Golden Glow" jello salad orange jello and carrots Mashed sweet potatoes topped with mini marshmallows Chocolate Icebox Cake Assortment of Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Snowballs,etc Hawaiian Punch Mon Aug 27 16:02:35 -0700 2007 2874286 71215 mlgb 1 2887264 Frito Pie, anyone? http://www.texascooking.com/recipes/Fritopie.htm Mon Aug 27 16:29:02 -0700 2007 2874286 121659 versp1 1 2893982 This is not terribly helpful, but I get the impression that a lot of this food is just "food you grew up with" and is largely independent of decade. I missed growing up in '63 by 20 years, but I still ate a lot of these foods when I was a kid at adult parties or in the school cafeteria. Red jello with bananas Jello in general with fruit cocktail Pigs in a blanket Meatballs/vienna sausages in grape jelly+ketchup Fluffernutters California Dip A lot of them I still eat and still see at parties. I guess a lot of these things began in the 60's and just haven't died (and probably never will). My actual contribution: food irradiation was approved by the FDA in 1963. You could do a platter of foods which would otherwise be unavailable in the US if it hadn't been approved. (Mangosteens pop immediately to mind...I'm sure there are others, hopefully cheaper) And no, I don't usually know useless facts like that off the top of my head, but I was just reading an article about food preservation tech and the date stuck just long enough for me to share it with you. Aren't y'all lucky? ;) Wed Aug 29 14:02:20 -0700 2007 2874286 58274 wawajb 2 2895389 In the same vein, I think changes in American eating habits have moved through the regions at different times. I also missed that decade, and never ate any of the foods mentioned because (a) we ate a pretty nuts and berrys diet and (b) I grew up in the south where people have tended to stay with pretty traditional regional food for longer than other areas. I'm not asserting this as fact, it just seems like.... Wed Aug 29 22:25:09 -0700 2007 2893982 67706 WCchopper 1 2900698 Back in the Sixties, my kid sister and I would serve canapés to my parents dinner party guests. I remember: Poached shrimp with cocktail sauce (chili sauce, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire) Cheese ball and crackers (8 oz. cream cheese blended with 8 oz. blue cheese, 1 stick butter, form into a ball or log, roll in chopped pecans) Port wine cheese (cheddar spread with streaks of red) and crackers Block of cream cheese with a jar of caviar poured over, with toast triangles Whiskey sours (Yes, my sister and I polished off THOSE leftovers, too!) Fri Aug 31 11:18:37 -0700 2007 2874286 122319 WendyBinCT 1 2910207 The photos from the party look fabulous!! And delicious!! Cucumber mousse - BRILLIANT! and beautiful. And... the wooden pineapple thingy with toothpicks and smoked oysters. I have one of those things - that's a perfect way to serve smoked oysters!! Pure genius. http://becksposhnosh.blogspot.com/2007/08/1963-retro-buffet-in-marin.html Tue Sep 04 15:17:22 -0700 2007 2874286 120511 GloriaSwansonsTVdinner 2 2935924 the cream cheese /bologna thing reminds me of cream cheese/salami rollups that my mom always made for us. still love them. ate them pregant when everything else made me sick. but that was the late 70s early 80s (the first time - just pregnant in the 00s)... Wed Sep 12 16:08:17 -0700 2007 2910207 99136 AMFM 3 2936037 Ah, yes, tasty canapés of salami spread with softened cream cheese, rolled up, cut in half and held with toothpicks. My mom wrapped hers around a sliver of pickle. Didn't think of those as Sixties fare, because I still love 'em and make 'em for parties... but now I use cornichons in the middle. Wed Sep 12 16:48:38 -0700 2007 2935924 122319 WendyBinCT 1 2943931 I just found one of my old cook books. It's a mighty fine collection of home recipes that are from the 60s and 70s. While looking at it it jogged memories of being at friends, relatives and my own house and some of the food things. My parents and friends either brought over or my mom and dad made. I was young so I probably would not of eaten it but I remember a dip made with gelatin and mushroom soup with crab. It was usually made in a Jello Tupperware (greeen) mold. Remember? The other was something called "Fancy Sandwich Loaf" - a whole loaf of white bread sliced lengthwise. Chicken Spread, beef spread, ham spread, egg salad and cream cheese to frost the entire thing and not to forget the ever decorative spice paprika.Then sliced showing the different layers. The olives were Hot Olive Cheese Puffs" wrapping stuffed olives with cheese dough and baking them. Impossible Pie, the apple pie (sort of an impostor) made with Ritz Crackers. Wacky Cake and Crazy Cake (same thing) Bisquick and Ritz Crackers were around during that time so any appetizer made with those would work as well. What fun it was to go back and read these recipes. Actually I see hope for some of them! Sat Sep 15 07:50:12 -0700 2007 2874286 50431 chef chicklet 2 2943959 I don't know. Most of the foods my mother prepared in the 50s-60s and what my first wife and I prepared in the 70s are still respectable and not weird today. Sat Sep 15 08:09:48 -0700 2007 2943931 36661 Sam Fujisaka 2 2944066 I actually have no complaints, in fact, the only off thing which today would probably be considered "daring and innovative" would be the beautiful crab cocktails (served in sauce like a shrimp cocktail) in a beautiful wine glass. Left for me and my brother after school to enjoy as a before dinner snack from our Dad. We were quite happy until I spent about a half an hour trying to figure out why there was a tiny fish bone in my cocktail. My Dad hugely disliked Trout, and he had caught some that day, deciding to not waste it, made an appetizer. I swear it tasted just like crab. Sat Sep 15 09:04:40 -0700 2007 2943931 50431 chef chicklet