Foods from the 50's and 60's: your favorite recipes and memories

RECIPE FORUM General Chat
1

Let’s discuss our childhood food memories and contribute recipes, if you have them. This is also a good place to request recipes to re-create your childhood favorites.

I was born in 1960, and I remember very well how excited we were with the space program, and the foods that came out that were astronaut-related. We loved Space Food Sticks. Astronaut John Glenn conducted eating experiments in space, and Tang was on the menu for some early NASA flights and Gemini flights as well.

My brothers and I played astronaut, and we packed Tang and Space Food Sticks for our “flights.”

The creator of Tang also invented Pop Rocks and Cool Whip.

We lived near Neil Armstrong’s home town, and since he was the first man to walk on the moon it was very exciting there. There was a special soda called Moon Juice that was popular in Ohio for years. I don’t know if it was a regional product or if it was sold in other states as well. I remember that it was bright green, and sold in 8-pack returnable bottles. My parents wouldn’t allow us children to drink soda, but the Moon Walk was a special occasion and we all drank Moon Juice.

3

Remember all the recipes that were invented in the 60’s when convenience foods started to gain popularity? Dump a can of this and a can of that along with a box of this and top with a package of that and bake in a greased casserole dish?

My mom actually made a chicken and rice casserole that was surprisingly good out of several cans, a box of rice, a sleeve of crackers and some chicken. I can’t remember all the ingredients, but I do know the recipe called for one can each of Campbells cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, and cream of celery soup along with maybe one or two cups of uncooked rice. The canned soups and uncooked rice was mixed together with milk (a can of evaporated milk, maybe?) and then spread into a greased baking dish, probably 9 x 13. Then the soup/rice mixture was topped with several pieces of chicken and then sprinkled with some type of cheese and finally crumbs of some kind, maybe Ritz cracker.

It made a really good chicken and rice casserole, and you would never guess that it was just a bunch of convenience foods combined.