Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Food from my childhood

I spent some time this morning on Five-Dollar Dinners and Living On A Dime; links to those sites are over on the left-hand side of my blog, not far down the page.

Honestly, I have no problem cooking frugally, but I like to add to my store of recipes once in a while. So I check out those websites for pointers.

As often happens this time of year, I somehow got started on a nostalgia trip back to my childhood. It occurred to me that there are some foods I loved as a kid that nobody fixes these days.

Creamed macaroni, which I recall eating at home and at Grandma's. I loved the stuff! Someone must still make it, because I found a recipe online (although I'm sure my mom never put garlic in hers).

Macaroni and tomatoes. Cliff's Aunt Gertrude is the only person I know who still makes this! Except for her, I know of nobody who fixes this dish these days.

Breaded tomatoes, similar in taste to the above, but with a different texture.

Creamed peas, creamed carrots... or creamed peas AND carrots.

Am I the only person who still makes Harvard beets?

I just realized that all those veggie dishes contain a tiny bit of sugar. No wonder I was crazy about those: my sweet tooth loved them!

When I was growing up, there was no eating out at all, unless we were on a road trip. Why? Because there wasn't any fast food where we lived, in the country or small towns. When we lived in Eagleville at the telephone office, there was a drug store across the road from us, and once in a blue moon we'd have a fountain cherry Coke or a malted milk; that was the extent of our dining out.

My mom was a fantastic cook; I've never tasted fried chicken or mashed potatoes to equal what she made. With cooking like that, who would want to eat out anyhow?

Even when we moved to Kansas City we didn't dine away from home much, although I remember getting ice cream at In-A-Tub sometimes. Once I was visiting my sister and we all went to The Forum Cafeteria, downtown Kansas City. I thought that was some fancy eating!

Oh yeah, and if my mom and I were shopping downtown, we'd have a Hoagie (a meal on a bun) at Kresge's. I think they cost a quarter each.

Hmmm, this entry goes nowhere, but I'll go ahead and hit "publish" anyhow.

Are there any foods you ate as a child that nobody cooks any more?

13 comments:

  1. I had turkey canoes a few times and I know I can't find the recipe. Well, now, I can't say that since i've not looked. They were made by land o' lakes at least the turkey part was.

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  2. My Mom made macaroni & tomatoes all of the time . . we loved it! She also made breaded tomatoes--I'd forgotten all about those. I'm afraid my kids would probably turn up their noses at both . . .but truly, breaded tomatoes would not be very high calorie--I'm gonna make me some!

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  3. I loved harvard beets, and i also cook my veggies with a pinch of sugar, but i was the only child in my fanily that would eat the brussel sprouts.."with a drop of vinegar on each one."
    stil loopy after all these years

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  4. Most of my childhood foods are the same now as they were then. I was just thinking about creamed peas the other day. I'll have to make some. I like to put some potatos in them too and then I have a meal.
    'On Ya'-ma

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  5. Unfortunately, my mom didn't cook a lot. She was an "ok" cook. That's how I am...an "ok" cook. She worked full time and she did enjoy going out. So we had our favorite Mexican restaurant, Chinese restaurant, and Steak House. Oh..and a good burger place!

    If I had a Mom that cooked good like yours did I wouldn't want to go out at all!
    Now I have to try Macaroni and tomatoes. LOL!

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  6. I remember when I was young, my grandma would make Breaded
    Tomatoes but I did not like them one bit. I am pretty sure that as an adult who has a love with carbs that I would devour them.

    Creamed peas and carrots...I make them once in a while on the holidays.

    I also have made creamed macaroni but my kids prefered a box of Kraft so who could agrue with that little time saver. That was a lot of years ago and I don't make macaroni anymore.

    Harvard beets. Yummmmm. I was at least 52 or so before I ever tasted them. Yummmm. I was in NY and they served them in a little diner. I went back every chance I got just to try them. I have found them once in a can and never thought about making them my self. I have a can of beets and guess what I am making for dinner soon?
    Dumplings.......that is the thing that no one makes and everyone loves. I get a lot of requests for them as a birthday meal. Mine are not as yummy as grandmas but no one but me knows that.

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  7. My mom used to make macaroni and tomatoes, and I still make them once in a while, although I'm usually the only one in the house who eats it. I remember going to my best friend's house after school one day, and her mom had macaroni and tomatoes on the stove, and my best friend asked if we could have some before dinner. I was so surprised that they ate them, too, because I had never known anyone but our family who ate them that way.

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  8. Anonymous4:40 PM

    hubby and I love Macroni and Tomatoes..usually it is a winter time..sunday night...meal for us..and breaded tomatoes also..and I can buy Harvard Beets cheaper than I care to make them..but love to eat them..to be perfectly honest...most of our meals were bread, gravy, potatoes, and sometimes chicken...when I say we were dirt poor...I am not exagerating (SP)...LOL..and I still love them today...and fried potatoes...a meal by itself..add some eggs...heavenly LOL..when I was a kid it didn't seem folks cared about calories, carbs, sugar, they just loved country cooking...pinto beans, navy beans, ham bits, cornbread!!! wilted lettuce...never really cared alot for it...but ate it when I would come home..cause my sister Marion made the best...and sauerkraut??? LOL..could eat it out of the jar!!chicken and dumplins were a favorite and still are today...but I don't cook much that way...and we either boil, bake, or grill everything...but I do love my "fried" stuff LOL...corn, green beans, collards, turnip greens, potatoes...rutabagas..(yuk) LOL...to mention a few LOL..good blog Donna...memories are just great!! God Bless...hugs...Ora

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  9. I remember Kresge's. When I was 5 and 6 I remember Mom taking us to eat at Woolworth's if we were downtown. I thought that was fine dining, too!

    Mom used to make beef stroganof and I haven't seen that on the table in many years. It sure tasted good.

    Besides reminding me that there used to be good restaurants in the 5 and dime stores and department stores, you jarred my memory of creamed peas. I haven't even thought about them in many years, but would love some now that I remember them.
    Sam

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  10. baked macaroni and cheese and fried corn NOT cream corn

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  11. MOSIE, I DIDN'T THINK ANYONE KNEW ABOUT MACARONI AND TOMATOES BUT ME AND I GOT IT FROM MY MAMA!!!!! ( ALL WE USE TO PUT IN OURS WAS MACARONI AND TOMATOES, WATER, SALT AND MAYBE A LITTLE BUTTER!)SHE ALSO MADE CREAMED PEAS!
    I LOVED THE OLD PHOTOS OF YOU AND CLIFF...AND IN THE ONE WITH THE CATS EYES GLASSES, YOU LOOK JUST LIKE ONE OF MY DEAREST FRIENDS, SUE WHEN SHE WAS THAT AGE!!! POORCLIFF...IS HE FEELING ANY BETTER AFTER THE HOT TUB? I KNOW THE WATER IS HOT, BUT MY GOODNESS HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR EARS FROM FREEZING OFF??? LOVED THE VIEW FROM THE TUB!!!
    LOVWE YA,
    CARLENE
    PS/ THAT WAS A GREAT FAMILY POITRATE OF YALL...AND YES YOU DO HAVE SOME GOOD LOOKING TEENS IN THAT PHOTO!!!

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  12. ok so I am from Missouri so you know that you and I have eaten alot of the same things...

    Some of my favorites?

    Fried Green Tomatos...they sprung up here in Texas a few years ago like they were a new delicacy or something...lol...been eating em since i was little bitty...

    Dumplings...with chicken or pork...

    Chocolate Gravy and biscuits...- my big mama (great grandma) used to make this for us every time we came to visit...

    FATBACK with eggs and tomatos and gravy poured over all of it... -- YUMMMMM...

    and my 2 FAVORITES?

    HASH...with liver and potatos...

    and WILTED LETTUCE....with green onions...

    I love FRIED CORN....and goodness my husband could eat his weight in macaroni and tomatos...

    Wild onions and eggs...

    OH man...comfort food...lol..I could go on for HOURS...

    oh and I MAKE my family eat greens...turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens....

    and I have 6 jars of grandmas beets in my pantry...lol....

    OK I REALLY AM DONE NOW...and I am hungry again...lol

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  13. Hmm! We had a version of macaroni and tomatoes too. Cooked mararoni mixed with a fist full of shredded cheddar cheese and a can of stewed tomatoes. That was it. Simple, but tasty. I remember my grandma used to make us ketchup and butter sandwiches. My other grandma made a mixed veggie dish she called succatash (or something like that). I remember soft-boiled eggs in my special pink porcelain egg cup with triangles of toast to dip into the runny yolk. You never see that anymore. :)

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