Out of Helen's Kitchen - wives

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Published on Saturday, August 26, 2017

During the 1950s the housewife was urged to keep her house clean, feed her family properly and have meals on time, ask her husband about his day, but never complain about hers, change into a pretty dress, brush her hair and refresh her makeup before her husband cams home, clean the children up as well and have them play quietly, always be cheerful and ready for anything he may suggest. The goal was to make your home a place of peace and quiet so hubby can relax when he comes home! 

The food companies helped the little women out with new and easy to prepare items to lighten the housewife’s work. In 1950 Minute Rice (General Foods) came on the scene; in 1951, Duncan Hinds introduced cake mixes; in 1952, dipping would never be the same again with Lipton’s onion soup mix; in 1953, Cheese Whiz was marketed; in 1954, Swanson unveiled the first frozen TV dinner; in 1955, Special K breakfast food (Kellogg’s) appeared on shelves; in 1956, Certs came to help out; in 1957, Pam vegetable cooking spray was patented; in 1958, along came Tang to make breakfast easier; in 1959, Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream was introduced for our sweet tooth.
In the 1950s canned soup reigned supreme as a great combination of convenience and versatility, thus naming the ‘50s as the casserole decade. The list of casseroles is endless: tuna noodle casserole, green bean bake, hamburger stroganoff and Hawaiian chicken to name a few. Companies promoted their products by offering recipes with simple instructions. These dishes were based on only several ingredient recipes that required minimal effort and be cost efficient. In 1958 The Arden United Church Women compiled a Cook Book of Favorite Recipes. I will share their casserole recipes with you.

Hamburger Porcupines- Mrs. E. McGorman

1 lb. hamburger
1 cup uncooked rice
salt and pepper to taste
1 medium sized onion chopped fine
1 can tomato soup
Mix all ingredients but the tomato soup and form into balls. Place into casserole and pour tomato soup and 1 can of water over them. Simmer until tender. 

Mushroom meat patties- Mrs. D. Foreman

1 can mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup fine dry crumbs
1 egg beaten
1 tsp. salt
Sprinkle of pepper
3 Tbsp. minced onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
Dilute mushroom soup with water. Blend until smooth. Combine ground beef with crumbs, egg, 1 1/3 cup soup mixture, salt, pepper, onion and celery. Shape into patties about 1 inch thick and brown both sides in hot fat. Cover with remaining soup mixture and bake in covered baking dish, 25 minutes in moderate oven.

Meat loaf- Mrs. Jim Dixon

1 lb. hamburger
1 cup oatmeal
1 medium onion
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 cup milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 can tomato soup
Mix all ingredients. Place in a greased loaf pan and bake in slow oven for 1 hour. Serve hot or cold.