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Old 08-11-2008, 05:31 AM
 
Location: NJ
12,283 posts, read 35,633,913 times
Reputation: 5331

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you know, i grew up lower middle class and i can't remember being fed anything "budgetary" . i never had mcdonalds, BK, boxed mac and cheese,"meat in a can", crap like that until I was a teenager (and I've still never had meat in a can!). My dad was a really good cook (wished i liked food enough back then to appreciate it ) and we always had steak, lamb chops, leg of lamb, eggplant, HOMEMADE mac and cheese, chicken breasts, homemade sauce, apple pie, stuff like that.

but here's a fun site, makes me cry with laughter every time i go there - my mom had these cards too, but i think she only made "normal" meals:

Weight Watchers recipe cards, circa 1974
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Old 08-11-2008, 06:02 AM
 
Location: Here but I spend time There.
1,972 posts, read 5,416,181 times
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a lot of the stuff mentioned here reminds me of college food, cheap pasta, spam, cheap meats, eggs, cereals, yeah....those were the days. and let's not forget the poor man's pizza, any bread w/ ketchup some yellow american cheese and spam or some cold cut on top of it.
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Old 08-11-2008, 08:32 AM
 
Location: Savannah GA/Lk Hopatcong NJ
13,384 posts, read 28,660,475 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Roselvr View Post
I have to say that we must have been spoiled because the only low cost (or what I consider low cost) meal was spaghetti. I'm actually surprised because my parents both came here from Hungary in the 50's, no family, no job, no money. My dad ran Shell stations (worked as a mechanic) in Maplewood & Union, had rent, a house payment & 3 kids. We did have really tough times although I never remember not having some kind of meat. She used to buy a lot, every time she went shopping, she had a certain amount of money to spend & would stock up the freezer and buy extra paper products, laundry soap. I remember my dad yelling that we didn't need all of that, the joke was that she came from a poor family & she was hording stuff; which isn't funny, but the things she horded were funny back then.

Now my hubby can tell stories. He comes from a family of 8, his dad was the principal at a few schools in NJ, out by Freehold. He tells stories about not having milk, they used powdered, no sugar cereals, ate lots of oatmeal. They would go to their grandmothers, where she would take them shopping and buy them what ever cereal they wanted.

My freezer is usually stocked. I watch the sale papers, then when meat goes on sale I buy a lot of it. I refuse to pay over $2 per pound on pork or steak, chicken was usually $1 per pound, now of course with gas/diesel prices those numbers have increased by $1 per pound but I do manage to find great sales still.

Stuffed peppers are better when you use red peppers, and it's all in the time you cook it. Most people over cook them. A treat for us was using my dad's Hungarian yellow peppers, I bet if anyone had my stuffed peppers when dad was alive & had his garden you would think you died and went to heaven. I need to find a Hungarian that can get me some seeds.

My dad Matty in his Phillips 66 uniform Watchung, early 1970's

And I bet you have a kick butt recipe for Ghulash...care to share
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Old 08-11-2008, 08:34 AM
 
Location: Savannah GA/Lk Hopatcong NJ
13,384 posts, read 28,660,475 times
Reputation: 12025
Quote:
Originally Posted by tahiti View Post
you know, i grew up lower middle class and i can't remember being fed anything "budgetary" . i never had mcdonalds, BK, boxed mac and cheese,"meat in a can", crap like that until I was a teenager (and I've still never had meat in a can!). My dad was a really good cook (wished i liked food enough back then to appreciate it ) and we always had steak, lamb chops, leg of lamb, eggplant, HOMEMADE mac and cheese, chicken breasts, homemade sauce, apple pie, stuff like that.

but here's a fun site, makes me cry with laughter every time i go there - my mom had these cards too, but i think she only made "normal" meals:

Weight Watchers recipe cards, circa 1974
That was us..food was never an issue...always on Sundays a big roast be it lamb or beef
Spaghetti was a 2 day ordeal having to smell it cooking, the sause, meatballs & sausage but worth the wait
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Old 08-11-2008, 08:40 AM
 
Location: Savannah GA/Lk Hopatcong NJ
13,384 posts, read 28,660,475 times
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Originally Posted by wileynj View Post

oh that sounds divine but way to much work
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Old 08-11-2008, 09:27 AM
 
Location: NJ
12,283 posts, read 35,633,913 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by njkate View Post
That was us..food was never an issue...always on Sundays a big roast be it lamb or beef
Spaghetti was a 2 day ordeal having to smell it cooking, the sause, meatballs & sausage but worth the wait
YES!

whew - I'm glad I'm not the only one. we were, by no stretch of the imagination rich, but food was never skimped on. dad was a smart shopper who stocked up when stuff was on sale (gee, wonder where i got it from?). my mother never skimped on shoes or clothes either - she had a thing about wearing cheap shoes and my clothes, while not from Bloomies, were from Macy's, and I had a lot of "Health Tex" stuff (remember that brand). lol

maybe they lived beyond their means, LOL.
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Old 08-11-2008, 09:33 AM
 
Location: Savannah GA/Lk Hopatcong NJ
13,384 posts, read 28,660,475 times
Reputation: 12025
Quote:
Originally Posted by tahiti View Post
YES!

whew - I'm glad I'm not the only one. we were, by no stretch of the imagination rich, but food was never skimped on. dad was a smart shopper who stocked up when stuff was on sale (gee, wonder where i got it from?). my mother never skimped on shoes or clothes either - she had a thing about wearing cheap shoes and my clothes, while not from Bloomies, were from Macy's, and I had a lot of "Health Tex" stuff (remember that brand). lol

maybe they lived beyond their means, LOL.
Nor were we, Dad was a teamster truck driver, but food was never skimped on. The only time dinner was blah was on Fridays, couldn't eat meat on any Friday back then, so usually it was Fish cakes from the fish store along with macaroni made with shredded cracker barrel sharp cheese and hunts tomato sauce, which wasn't to bad
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Old 08-11-2008, 12:45 PM
 
Location: NJ, but my heart & soul are in Hawaii
3,273 posts, read 2,964,504 times
Reputation: 8294
Quote:
Originally Posted by wileynj View Post
I can't believe no one mentioned "Spam" yet.. Spamburgers!
I hate the stuff and won't eat it, but the Hawaiians LOVE it. The price of spam is high in Hawaii. Here, it is relatively cheap.
As the saying goes, the demand raises the price.
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Old 08-11-2008, 02:01 PM
 
Location: Stewartsville, NJ
7,577 posts, read 22,575,334 times
Reputation: 1260
Thought of another today... "La Chow makes Chinese food..swing American!" Yup..Chicken Chow Mein!
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Old 08-11-2008, 03:56 PM
 
Location: Lake Norman, NC
8,875 posts, read 13,873,105 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wileynj View Post
Thought of another today... "La Chow makes Chinese food..swing American!" Yup..Chicken Chow Mein!
We're havin' Beef-a-roni!!!
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