Retro recipes and memories of the distinguished housewife
The intent of my blog is to reminisce and give tribute to a domestic position that is quickly disappearing from our households. It is that of the beloved “Housewife”. Through older domestic books to provide a glimpse into the history of the mid-20th century home.
This is just a minuscule cross section of time in the long social and culinary evolution of humans, from the time of hunters and gatherers to today’s nuclear family.
I understand women have worked hard and sometimes fought fiercely for equality, rights, and the freedoms we enjoy today. Sometimes in our battles, we lose just little bit of our culture, our tenderness, our innocence.
Once upon a time…. simpler times.
This was the time of the one income family. Mom worked at home, cleaning house, shopping, and cooking. Taking pride in her meals and manners while keeping up her appearance.. Children walked to school, sometimes they came home for lunch, and they always came home hungry looking forward to the after-school snack. Dad came home tired after a long day at work, removed his hat and tie and looked forward to the 5 o’clock martini.
For better or for worse, times change. I would like to take you back to a time where meal planning was essential to the budget, aprons were mandatory, while pearls were mostly optional. Along with the help from some cookbooks these meals became comfort foods and lasting family memories. Other recipes from this time have faded and yet rightly so!!!
Finding so many of these recipes, even if forgotten, continue to be delicious at today’s culinary standard. I would like to highlight some of these, and on some occasions, re create or update some of these recipes adding newer photos with updated instructions and/or ingredients.
These old photos and recipes are not my own. I will accredit these publishings while sharing this beautiful, yet fading domestic art.
I hope to bring some humor, levity and maybe a little insight to days gone by.
I would like to give thanks to the following publications for the beautiful house wife depictions.
