Boomers: back in the day, what food did you parents rely on (canned, boxed, etc.) (55, inherit)
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My mom worked full-time and then some to support our family. My dad was a drunk. My mom made casseroles on the weekend for our weekday dinners, always the same ones: Mac&Cheese with ground beef, Turkey&Broccoli, and Tuna Noodle Casserole. Wednesday nights we went through a little mom&pop drive thru that had great tacos, my mom had night school on Wednesday nights so that was the fast food night. (We loved Wednesdays.) The rest of the eating was mostly canned and frozen prepared foods.
I think the brands were generally Chef-boy-r-dee, Campbell soups, pork & beans, I remember some canned enchiladas that were pretty good but don't remember the brand, Swanson frozen foods, canned fruits and the like. Mostly I remember the casseroles.
She'd put Pillsbury breakfast rolls in the oven in the morning for breakfast. They'd come out, she'd put them on the kitchen counter, re-set the oven timer so when it dinged we knew it was time to walk up to the bus stop, and she'd leave for work.
We basically raised ourselves, but she was really a hero given the responsibilities she bore.
My parents grew and canned their own vegetables but they also both worked FT. I don't remember having Spaghettio's or Chef Boyardee for dinner but we had that often for lunch. We had boxes of sugary cereal and flavored sugary oatmeal for breakfast. On weekends, Mom sometimes cooked up a can of corned beef hash for breakfast.
Pork and beans, Rice a Roni, instant mashed potatoes were occasional dinner sides. Breaded fish sticks with frozen french fries, La Choy, boxed Pizza kit were always a treat.
We ate a lot of fresh meat, fish and vegetables, too, it wasn't all canned/boxed/processed but it wasn't all fresh from scratch, either.
That's neat they canned things. Recently, about 2 weeks ago there was a huge run on canning goods at my grocery store. I couldn't believe how many people were buying it. Not nearly as many people where Im from do any canning.
One of my best meals and memories came from visiting a distant relative in Peoria, IL in 1974. I still remember that meal she cooked. Real mashed potatoes and gravy from scratch, corn from the garden and the most incredible canned beef from her stash in her basement that she had canned herself after getting the meat from her relative, a cattle farmer.
That's neat they canned things. Recently, about 2 weeks ago there was a huge run on canning goods at my grocery store. I couldn't believe how many people were buying it. Not nearly as many people where Im from do any canning.
One of my best meals and memories came from visiting a distant relative in Peoria, IL in 1974. I still remember that meal she cooked. Real mashed potatoes and gravy from scratch, corn from the garden and the most incredible canned beef from her stash in her basement that she had canned herself after getting the meat from her relative, a cattle farmer.
Realistically, you have to be a decent gardener first to have anything worth canning. I do not have the green thumb that my father had so I haven't put much effort into learning how to can. I do fish, though. So if the SHTF I would be living off of whatever I could catch along with berries that grow like weeds anyway. I'd freeze the berries for the winter.
Last edited by springfieldva; 07-01-2022 at 01:10 PM..
My mother worked full time so we were expected to cook for ourselves or reheat food she had prepared the night before. Some canned foods mixed with fresh produce and meats, sandwiches , cheese on toast.
My friend down the street had a neat mom who made us tuna sandwcihes on white bread which was totally novel for me. My mother insisted on whole wheat bread, which wasn't bad, it's just that I never got white bread at home. My friend's mom made us milk shakes too. I never knew that she was from a very wealthy family in Southern Oregon, and had graduated from Stanford University. I found out during a conversation with her shortly before she died. I had found her on the internet and we had a great chat. She was always a housewife, but I guess her family expected their children to get a good education.
One of our favorites was a 'pizza in a box' product.
There was a can of sauce, a can of grated parmesan and a bag of 'just add water' dough mix.
You had to add your own mushrooms and pepperoni.
Yes! My mom made that, too, and I remember it being so good.
I also remember rare occasions when we would have a TV dinner night. My parents would take us on their weekly Sunday morning trip to the grocery store and we would each pick out a frozen t.v. dinner to have on a Friday night, for instance. I remember really studying all of the choices - there were so many! Back then we used to heat them up in the oven. It was sort of our version of "eating out".
Now frozen dinners are nothing special. I grab some when they go on sale to have something on hand for quick lunches.
But back in the day, TV dinners were a real treat. At least in my house.
If it weren't for my father's preference for a familiar menu of bland moderately priced dishes, she probably would have been a more adventurous cook. He had a sensitive gut (or had convinced himself he did) and was paranoid about pepper, spices, onions, many other greens, and unfamiliar ethnic cuisines. He was a classic meat-and-potatoes type. She didn't make everything from scratch all the time as there were other things she enjoyed more than cooking, but she was conscientious about preparing healthier meals in general. She bought fresh ingredients if available and was an early convert to the frozen foods (over boxed, dried, canned) that were becoming more available. We hardly ever ate "convenience" type food and rarely ate out. A special treat for the kids were TV dinners (and permission to eat them in front of the TV) on the rare night my parents went to a party. Another rare treat was takeout Chinese. My sisters and I weren't privy to our parents' conversations about family meals but I'm sure they had many...we just saw the outcome. Only one sister was as fussy about food as our dad. I've always been pretty easy going about food. If someone else cooks it, it won't cause chemical burns, and its reasonably healthy, I'm happy.
Last edited by Parnassia; 07-01-2022 at 01:36 PM..
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