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I may still have to do some futzing here and there, but the “bones” of the blog are up and running. I also want to say a HUGE thank you to Retro Renovations for the header image. Go over there and be inspired!
I finally found them: Santa Rosa plums. This breed of plums has been around for a little over 100 years. The ones I chose were small and juicy. Perfect! Call me crazy but to my way of thinking, if I want a fruit that tastes like an apple, I’ll eat an apple. The same for an apricot. You may notice a bunch of new posts here that you know you read over at Betty Crocker and Me. You’re not imagining things. I’ve imported the posts because I am re-combining the two blogs. Here is what I wrote on Betty Crocker and Me:
I discovered that I felt disconnected with my cooking and that I had to try out a bunch of new recipes each week simply for the sake of the blog rather than as part of my journey as a 50′s homemaker. So, like before, when I find a recipe that I think is worth sharing, I’ll share it with you. And, I’ll share the recipes that don’t quite work, either. Just as an FYI, the posts that I’ve imported have “Betty Crocker and Me” as the author. It is summertime and that means family vacations! During my childhood, that meant loading up the family station wagon and going camping. Later, after my grandparents bought a camper, we would use that instead. For my husband, he says they went on one family vacation that didn’t turn out so well with four young boys in the back seat of a Plymouth whining and fighting the entire time. Fortunately for us, the Robbins Barstow family of Connecticut loved to camp and take home movies, too, from the early 1950s through the 1961 when they made it their quest to visit “all 48 states” (obviously, their adventure began before Alaska and Hawaii joined the Union). When Mr. Barstow was in his eighties, he decided to edit and narrate their adventures. The movies are too long to post here, but you can find them here and here if you are interested. But their dream vacation happened in 1956 when they won a nationwide contest sponsored by 3M Corporation: A trip for a family of four to Disneyland, which had just opened the year before. They had a family of five, so the movie also shares how they made arrangements so that no one was left behind. What I love about this old home movie is that there is no embarrassment in Mr. Barstow’s voice as he describes how they managed to stretch the $300 vacation budget so that they could ensure that they were having a good time. Modern chuckle at myself: As I was watching the Barstow’s visit my “back yard,” I was amazed that they stayed in Pasadena instead of Anaheim. And then I remembered that at that time, Disneyland was out in the middle of nowhere. Even well into the 1960′s, the Matterhorn was the tallest structure around (aside from Anaheim stadium). They could have stayed at the Disneyland Hotel but it didn’t officially open until late summer in 1956–too late for the Barstow’s visit. My husband and I also got a kick out of the matching jackets that Mrs. Barstow made for each family member. Maybe I’m a bit cynical, but I just can’t imagine a modern family doing it these days. Finally, I remember when entire neighborhoods would get together to send a family off on a “big vacation” like this. Shoot, my parents threw a graduation/bon voyage party for me when I graduated from high school and took a four-week student trip to Europe. Back then, it was a really big deal. Now my students and classmates talk about flying off to Europe for a long weekend! This film is a little over 30 minutes long and worth the time simply for the nostalgic effect. An added bonus for this film is that in December 2008, “Disneyland Dream” was named to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. Click here if the player does not work for you
In his Pyramid of Success, one of Coach Wooden’s building blocks is “Alertness.” He admonishes us to be constantly aware and observing; always seeking to improve ourselves. I’ve interpreted that to mean that I need to pay attention to the details in addition to looking at the big picture. I was recently speaking to a family friend about how we get so used to the things around us that we no longer “see” them. We stop noticing the fraying edges on our linens or the knob that needs to be replaced, etc. because they are part of our everyday existence. But we need to be alert to those very details! We may laugh at the kitchy-ness of a mid-century home, but if we take a step back, a lot of that stuff, down to the seafood fork, was really about paying attention to the details. The details are what created the lifestyle that we are seeking to emulate. For each of us, the lifestyle we want to create will be a little different. But as I’ve been reflecting upon “the details,” it has helped me clarify who my “inner 1950′s homemaker” wants to be and I can feel her starting to confidently emerge.
 Hamburger Press: So Simple, Yet Efficient The more I learn how to eat like my grandmother, the more I am amazed at the portion sizes–and how satisfied I feel eating less food. I was reminded, once again, how little meat we really need to eat while I was making some hamburgers to barbecue on July 4th. I’ve never been very good at forming hamburgers. They always ended up looking like rocks. And they felt like rocks when we tried to bite into them. And then I went through a period where I couldn’t stand touching raw meat/poultry. I don’t know why, but I was just was totally creeped out by it. As a result, The Mister took over the responsibility of forming the hamburger patties on those rare occasions when I would serve him something other than beans and rice. Because we had been away, The Mister was playing catch-up with his projects and had to go the studio to work for a little while on July Fourth. That left me with the task of forming the hamburgers. Now, since I’ve started cooking like my grandmother, I’m not creeped out by raw meat anymore. I’m not afraid to stick my hand into a bowl to mix everything up. But, I was still concerned about forming the hamburgers. And then I remembered it. One of the gadgets I had inherited from my grandparents was a “hamburger press.” It works like a charm! I just filled the press with the hamburger mix, turned the knob and out came a perfectly formed hamburger. Out of curiosity, I decided to weigh a few of the patties individually. They all weighed 4 ounces almost to the T. It was amazing to me. In my grandparents’ day, that would have been considered an enormous hamburger. To put it into perspective, in the olden days of my teenage years, these hamburgers would have been considered McDonald’s largest hamburger–The Quarter Pounder (the Big Mac has two 1.6 ounce hamburgers for a total of 3.2 ounces of meat). McDonalds’ original hamburgers have 1.6 ounces of meat. That’s it. To put even more perspective on it, McDonalds’ smallest hamburger is roughly the daily protein portion recommended by the American Heart Association for a 150 pound person (not the 40 pound children that we feed them to–see the Modern Retro Woman post on the topic of protein requirements). A few years ago, I found a recipe for Deviled Beef Patties in the Better Homes and Gardens 1972 edition of Eat and Stay Slim. I know this cookbook is beyond my 1960 cut-off date, but it belonged to The Mister’s grandmother so I snagged it when I got the chance. I have since seen many recipes called “Deviled Something” and, of course, there are the very popular “deviled eggs.” My unscientific research has led me to believe that anything called “deviled something” means that there is going to be mustard, for sure, and often horseradish, too. If anyone knows the etymology of it, please share it with us. I’m guessing that the mustard (and horseradish) are supposed to make the food spicier and “hotter,” thus the reference to the devil. Because these hamburgers are so moist, be patient when cooking them. If you try to flip them too soon, they will disintegrate. If you are cooking them stovetop, that isn’t necessarily a problem if you don’t mind crumbly hamburgers. But on the barbecue, a good portion of the hamburger will fall between the grill rungs (and, for the sake of my marriage, I will refrained from telling you why I know this to be true…). I make up a double or triple batch, form the patties, wrap the uncooked extras individually in plastic wrap and then wrap a group of them together before freezing them. The plastic wrap aids in separating the frozen patties from each other. I just cook them in the pan from frozen and it takes only a few minutes on each side. Yummy!
Combine 1 pound ground beef, 1 egg, 1/4 cup chili sauce, 1 teaspoon prepared mustard, 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and dash pepper. Mix well. Makes four 4-ounce patties.
“Peter, may I speak to you for a moment?”–Season 3, Episode 13: “Shut the Door. Have a Seat” A few weeks ago, I asked “What Would June Cleaver Do?” Since then, I’ve been thinking about the traits that I want to incorporate into my own life and thinking about who my role models could be. This morning I had an “a-HA!” moment when I realized that the character “Trudy Campbell” from Mad Men has been resonating with me. This realization took me by surprise because I thought my favorite character was “Joan Holloway Harris.” So, who is Trudy and why does she speak to me?
The irony that a modern character is a role model is not lost on me. But, I think her character helps me examine through my modern lens what it was like to be homemaker during that time period. Because Matt Weiner, the creator of Mad Men, is such a stickler for detail, her character provides an interpretation that I can understand. How about you? Has a modern character ever helped you relate or understand your 50′s homemaker-self better?
I’ll admit that the Baby Boomer in me was annoyed by Coach Wooden’s admonition to practice self-control by keeping emotions under control. After all, the whole emotional thing was one of the things that caused a big rift between our generation and our parents’ generation. We wanted to feel our emotions instead of just “sucking it up.” But, as I dug deeper, I realized that he wasn’t telling us to be robots. He was telling us to avoid emotional drama–the peaks and the valleys–so that we can be successful. We can’t always control what happens to us but we can take precautions so that we are prepared when things happen. And, more importantly, we can almost always control how we react to situations. Optimists are generally healthier, happier, and more successful than pessimists. Remember, optimism isn’t “fake happy” but rather an attitude. I used to have friends who were drama queens. There was no middle ground when it came to emotions. Everything was either over-the-top happy or life-isn’t-worth-living-anymore depressing (Note: I’m not talking about those with bi-polar disorder). Drama queens suck the life out of other people with their runaway emotions. When I began disengaging myself from their drama, I discovered that they weren’t really attached to me…just my energy. They found new people to suck into their runaway-drama-filled-emotions. As homemakers, we set the emotional tone for the family. I believe it is important for us to feel our emotions but not let them control us. When our emotions control us, we aren’t able to see a situation clearly and often make poor decisions that we end up regretting (and, believe me, I’ve got my fair share of regrets caused by out of control emotions). By being in charge of our emotions, we can help those around us learn how to cope and deal with negative emotions while also helping them realize that we don’t feel happy, happy, joy, joy all of the time (despite what advertisers would have us believe). This campy little Coronet Educational Film, from 1950, teaches teenagers that they can be in charge of their emotions rather than letting runaway emotions ruin their day. It is based on Behaviorism but, even though I’m in the Cognition camp, I think it holds some valuable gems. Control Your Emotions (13 minutes) Click here if the video player doesn’t work for you
When I look at the big picture, I love being a homemaker. I love exploring what it means and sharing my thoughts with you all. I love the daily rhythm and I love how creating a loving home environment has seemed to deepen my relationship with The Mister even more. Okay, and I’ll admit that there is a part of me that enjoys the fact that his buddies are a bit jealous of him. Anyway, I can “wax enthusiastic” about it all day, if you’d let me. When I lose my big picture perspective, however, I’m not always as enthusiastic. My first reaction to the Coach Wooden’s admonition to be enthusiastic was that he’s never had to clean a bathroom. I know I’m not the only one who doesn’t yell, “Yippee! I get to scrub the toilet today!” But the truth of the matter is, Coach Wooden spent many years cleaning the men’s gym before UCLA finally fulfilled its promise of new facilities. I’m sure he didn’t feel enthusiastic about mopping up his players’ sweat after practice everyday. As I’ve been thinking about “enthusiasm” today, I’ve been thinking that it is really hard to develop that trait if we’re disconnected from our goals for our home and just going through the motions. And when we just go through the motions, we aren’t doing our best. And when we aren’t doing our best, a feeling of futility begins to overtake us because we begin to think “What’s the point? It’s just going to get messy again, anyway.” Or worse, we start beating ourselves up for not being the perfect 1950s housewife. I’ve heard many stories over the years from people describing their mothers singing or humming as they scrubbed floors or engaged in other household tasks. Perhaps the lesson we can take from this is that we can transform our feelings of drudgery into enthusiasm by “whistling while we work?” As you can see, this is still bouncing around in my head. Perhaps we can work through this together. When you think of enthusiasm as it relates to being a “modern retro woman,” what thoughts come to your mind?
Recently, The Mister and I drove up to check in on his folks. My father-in-law had recently been released from the hospital for pneumonia and another family member was staying with them while he recovered from his own illness. Now, even though we live closer and are able to visit them more often, it hadn’t crossed my mind to check for expiration dates of their food during our visits. However, when we were cleaning out my grandfather’s apartment in February after he passed away, we found a lot of food that was expired. He had often complained of stomach aches and, as I was discarding the out-of-date food, I couldn’t help but wonder if his pantry and freezer were the culprits. Because of that experience, and remembering the sour cream incident, The Mister and I decided to check the pantry and freezer at his parent’s house. We ended up discarding a lot of food. Some of it was food they had forgotten about (how could she forget about the chocolate chip cookie dough??) while other food was purchased and never used because they primarily rely on prepared frozen meals. The oldest item had expired two years ago. In my mother-in-law’s defense, her vision is starting to fail her and she could not read the “use by” date. On the Facebook fan page for Modern Retro Woman and Betty Crocker & Me, I encouraged my readers to check for food expiration dates the next time they visit elderly relatives or friends. Reader Lori commented,
Lori also shared with us that they found TONS of stashed food in her father-in-law’s home after he died, despite his fears that he didn’t have any food in the house. He had had a very tough time during The Great Depression and never got over it.
Now, I know there are some faith practices–especially Latter Day Saints– that encourage their members to keep a year’s supply of food and I can understand the rationale from a purely pragmatic point of view. During lean or crazy-busy months, I’ve been grateful for my well-stocked freezer and pantry. It always astounds me that people rush to the supermarket before a big snowstorm to stock up on food. I can see buying milk, bread, and eggs but what I’ve seen is pure panic in action (Do you really need 20 packages of Lunchables? If you’re not going anywhere, you can actually fix a healthy lunch!). That said, we need to help our older family members “rotate” their food so that their food stock doesn’t consist of expired food–which kind of defeats the purpose of stocking up on food staples Finally, if we are going to check expiration dates of food for our elderly family and friends, we also need to go through our own food to make sure it is still good. Condiments, especially, have a habit of expiring on us before we finish the container. So, what if the food doesn’t have an expiration date on it? How do we know how long we can keep it and how it should be stored for maximum shelf life? Fortunately, home economists are still around at university or county extension offices to help us with these sorts of questions. Judie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist at North Dakota State University, has created an easy to read and understand food storage chart. You can read it by clicking here. Renee Boyer and Julie McKinney from Virginia Cooperative Extension also provide tips on how to store food and what to do if the power goes out. Click here to read. As I reviewed the list, I was surprised by how quickly some food spoiled. For example, I need to stop buying the big can of coffee for The Mister. Once opened, the coffee becomes stale after two weeks. I think he’s been working on the same can for several months now. Yikes! This is the time of year where newspapers, at least in the States, are running articles about picnic food safety so people don’t get food poisoning. In the “Your Share” wartime cookbook, “Betty” admonishes us to mind our P’s and Q’s (points and quantities). While we don’t have to worry about P’s anymore, we still need to mind our Q’s and their expiration dates. |
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