Home Cooking Archives - Modern Retro Woman

Christmas Jell-O Salad with Cream Cheese {Vintage Family Recipe}

Dear Dr. Julie-Ann

Now that my parents have FINALLY downsized and moved to a retirement community, I FINALLY get to host the holiday dinners at my house. I am really looking forward to creating an old-fashioned holiday meal filled with family favorites.

My father often talks about a Jell-O salad—and we shall use that word loosely—that had cream cheese that his mother used to make in the 1950s and 60s. I would like to surprise him and make something similar.

Do you have any suggestions?

Signed,

FINALLY Setting Up the Grown-Up Table

Dear FINALLY,

Hosting old-fashioned holiday dinners is one of my favorite things to do! And, I think I have just the recipe for you that will make your father happy: my grandmother’s vintage Christmas Jell-O salad with cream cheese. This salad is such a family favorite that I’m required to make it for every family gathering (I just change the flavors of the Jell-O I use when I make it at other times of the year).

I remember my grandmother making this Christmas Jell-O salad when I was growing up in the 1960’s. Continue Reading

Quick & Easy Vintage Salad Dressing Recipes: Herb • Ranch • Blue Cheese

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If you've only had bottled salad dressing (or the packets of dressing) from the store, you're going to love the three quick and easy vintage recipes for herb, ranch, and blue cheese dressings. The unpronounceable ingredients in bottle or packet dressings are there to extend the shelf life and make it a bit industrial tasting. These three classic salad dressings are so delicious, they don't need preservatives in them because they'll be used up long before they go bad. #HomemadeSaladDressing #EasySaladDressing ModernRetroWoman.com

Dear Dr. Julie-Ann,

We love eating salads but I’m becoming concerned about all the unpronounceable ingredients in the bottles of dressing I buy at the store. Do you have any vintage recipes that you can share with me?

Sincerely,
Undressed

Dear Undressed,

If you’ve only had bottled salad dressing (or the packets of dressing) from the store, you’re going to love the three quick and easy vintage recipes for herb, ranch, and blue cheese dressings I’m going to share with you today. Most of those unpronounceable ingredients in bottle or packet dressings are there to extend the shelf life. To me, they diminish the flavor of the dressing and make it seem a bit industrial tasting. These three classic salad dressings are so delicious, they don’t need preservatives in them because they’ll be used up long before they go bad.

If you love Italian dressing, the herb dressing is for you. The herb dressing recipe relies on dried herbs you probably already have on your spice rack. Play around with the type of oil you use for different undertones. You can also add other herbs or seasonings to it–I sometimes add garlic powder–it is that flexible of dressing. This salad dressing is adapted from an early 1960s Ladies Home Journal Cookbook.

Instant Pot No Soak Chili con Wiener

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Forgot to soak your dried beans for your chili? No problem! This freezer friendly vintage recipe updated for the Instant Pot (with video!) is a chili dog in a bowl. Instant Pot No Soak Chili con Wiener is perfect for feeding a crowd on game day! ModernRetroWoman.com

Dear Friends,

When I was a teenager and began cooking meals for my family, I would make chili using the slow cooker because it was an easy and inexpensive way to feed the 7+ people sitting around the table. I used canned beans, some ground beef, and a packet of chili seasoning.

After The Mister and married, I began making chili using soaked kidney beans. But with my hectic schedule, I’d sometimes forget to soak the beans and I would end up scrambling for something to fix for dinner instead of preparing chili.

Shepherd’s Pie {Planned Overs}

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Dear Friends,

What do you think of when I ask you to think of a midcentury “meat and potatoes” meal? Did you think of a pot roast with a side of mashed potatoes? I hope so. Because this recipe as based on Planned Overs from your roast, potatoes, and gravy.

I used to ask the butcher for the smallest roast when I first started on this homemaking journey. After all, there are only two of us. And the price of a roast can add up quickly, even if it is on sale. Now, however, I understand that a roast can Continue Reading