Hey, my mom used to make that!

Retro Comfort: Baked Macaroni & Cheese

You know that saying about sex and pizza?

When it's good, it's really good. When it's not so good, it's still pretty darn good.

It applies to macaroni and cheese, too. 

From the orange-y Kraft classic to the microwaveable stuff to the sublime homemade version, macaroni and cheese is always worth having.

That said, if you've never made the baked homemade kind, you haven't lived.

Baked Tenderoni and Cheese

Cook 1 (6-oz.) package Tenderoni as directed on the package. Mix with: 1 cup milk, 1 tbsp. grated onion (optional) and 1 cup grated American cheese. Turn into a greased casserole. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup buttered, toasted bread crumbs. Bake in a moderate oven (350˚F) 40 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

It's me again. Instead of buttered bread crumbs, I use buttered crushed Corn Flakes to top my mac & cheese. It makes an amazingly crispy crust. 

Click here for a retro recipe for Tuna Macaroni Bake.

Retro Dinner: 7-Layer Casserole

Pretty much the only work involved in making this one-dish meal is chopping onion and pepper, and opening some cans. It does require a total of one and a half hours of baking time, so it's probably not a good option for dinner after a long workday.

This recipe is from the 1950s.

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Then layer these ingredients in a 2-qt. baking dish with a tight-fitting lid:

• 1 cup rice, uncooked
• 1 cup canned whole kernel corn, drained
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour 1 8-oz. can Hunt's Tomato Sauce and 1/2 can water over first two layers.
• 1/2 cup each finely chopped onion and green pepper
• 3/4 lb. uncooked ground beef, seasoned with salt and pepper
• Pour second can of Hunt's Tomato Sauce and 1/4 can of water over everything
• Cover with four strips of bacon that have been cut in half

Cover the dish and bake at 350˚F for 1 hour. Uncover and bake about 30 more minutes. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Click here for another one-dish meal recipe from the 1950s.

Via Kitchen Historic

Retro Recipe: Sunburst Yam Bake

This recipe has three of the hallmarks of white trash cooking. First, it calls for just a few ingredients. Second, all of them are either processed or canned. And third, it's pretty much a casserole.

Here's the recipe.

2 1-lb. 1-oz. cans Royal Prince Yams (sweet potatoes), drained
1 13-1/4-oz.can pineapple tidbits, drained
1/4 cup Kraft Pure Orange Marmalade
1 cup Kraft Miniature Marshmallows or 10 Jet-Puffed Marshmallows

Arrange yams in a circle in 9-inch pie plate. Place pineapple in center. Dot yams and pineapple with marmalade. Bake at 350˚, 30 minutes. Top with marshmallows. Broil until lightly browned. Makes 6 servings. 

 Click here for another retro side dish recipe.

Via Shelf Life Taste Test

Retro Tuna Macaroni Bake

Tuna casserole. An all-American meal if ever there was one.

Here's Star-Kist's 1955 recipe for Tuna Macaroni Bake.

2 eggs, well-beaten
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup water
3/4 tsp. dry mustard
1 tbsp. grated onion
3/4 tsp. salt
3 cups cooked macaroni
1 1/2 cups grated American cheese
1/2 can Star-Kist tuna

Mix all ingredients together and turn into greased baking dish, 6 x 10 inches. Bake in 375˚F oven until firm and light brown, about 1 hour. Cut into squares and top each with catsup or chili sauce. Serves 6.

Click here for a retro recipe for veggie burgers.

Via tikitacky

Retro Recipe: Veg-All Tuna Upside Down Bake

Here's Veg-All's recipe for Tuna Upside Down Bake.

1 1-lb. can Veg-All
1 7-oz. can tuna fish
1/4 c. milk
3 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
1 c. grated milk cheese
1 tsp. Worcestshire sauce
2 c. commercial or homemade biscuit mix
2/3 c. milk

Drain Veg-All. Save liquid. Flake tuna. Heat Veg-All liquid with 1/4 c. milk. Melt butter; add flour, salt, pepper, paprika. Stir 'til smooth. Add hot liquid slowly, stirring. Cook over medium heat, stirring until thick. Add cheese, Worchestshire sauce; stir over low heat until smooth. Mix half Veg-All and all tuna. Spread rest of Veg-All in greased 9 x 9-in. baking pan. Add creamed mixture. Add 2/3 c. milk to biscuit mix; blend. Knead 10 times. Roll between waxed paper to size 9 x 9 square 1/4-in. thick. Place on mixture in pan. Bake 25 min. at 350˚ F. Turn upside down on plate. 

Click here for a contemporary Veg-All recipe.

Via The Mid-Century Menu

Two retro soup-er suppers

You can't beat Campbell's Soup recipes. They're easy, fast, economical and they taste good.

Chicken Noodle Casserole

In a 1 1/2-quart casserole, blend 1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup with 1/2 cup milk. Add 1 cup cooked cubed chicken (or 5-oz. can of Swanson's Boned Chicken), 1 cup each cooked medium noodles and cooked green beans, 1 tsp. minced onion, top with buttered bread crumbs. Bake at 400˚ F about 25 min. Makes 4 servings. If desired, cover casserole with a tomato slive before baking.

Souper Mushroom Scramble

Stir one can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup until smooth; blend with 8 slightly beaten eggs, dask black pepper. Melt 2 tbsp. shortening in skillet; pour in egg mixture. Cook slowly until eggs are set, stirring now and then. Makes 4 servings. Garnish top with sprinkle of shredded cheese or chopped parsley.

 Click here to see another retro soupe-er supper recipe.

                                                                            Via Chronically Vintage

Retro Shock and Awe: Frankfurter Crown Casserole

You know you want to make it.

2 slices of bacon
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
3 cups sliced cooked potatoes
1 cup cooked green beans
1/2 pound frankfurters, split and cut in half

1. In skillet, cook bacon. Remove and crumble. 2. Cook onion in drippings. 3. Stir in soup, water, salt, pepper. 4. Add potatoes, beans. 5. Pour into 1 1/2-qt. casserole. 6. Stand up franks around edge. Bake at 350˚F 30 minutes. 7. Top with bacon. Makes 4 servings.

For German-style seasonings: just add 1 to 2 tbsp. vinegar to soup.

 Click here for another soup-er supper recipe.

Via Shelf Life Taste Test

Retro Autumn: Apple Mallow Yam Bake

Going apple picking? Here's what to do with some of your haul.

This recipe for for Apple Mallow Yam Bake is from the 1970s.

2 apples sliced
1/3 cup pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 17-oz. cans Royal Prince or Princella yams, drained
1/4 cup Parkay margarine
2 cups Kraft mimi marshmallows

Toss apples and nuts with combined brown sugar and cinnamon. Alternate layers of apples and yams in 1 1/2-quart casserole. Dot with margarine. Sprinkle marshmallows over yams and apples. Broil until lightly browned. Makes 6 to 8 servings. 

Click here for another retro recipe that uses apples.

Via Eudaemonius

Retro Scalloped Potatoes, Part 2

Dropping temperatures are the perfect excuse to treat yourself to some serious comfort food.

Here's the retro recipe for Scalloped Potatoes.

1/3 cup butter or Parkay Margarine
1/3 cup flour
2 cups milk
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1, 8-oz. pkg. Cracker Barrel Old Natural Cheddar Cheese, shredded
2 tbsp. chopped pimento
2 tbsp. minced onion
6 cups sliced cooked potatoes

Make cream sauce with butter or margarine, flour, milk, salt, pepper. Add shredded Cracker Barrel; stir until it's melted. Add pimento and onion. Place alternate layers of potatoes and cheese sauce in greased, 1 1/2-quart casserole. Optional: sprinkle on more shredded cheese. Bake in moderate oven, 350˚, 20 minutes.

This is the second recipe for scalloped potatoes I've posted. Click here to see the other retro recipe for Scalloped Potatoes.

Via Shelf Life Taste Test

Ultimate white trash casserole

Don't let the fancy name fool you. This is a saltine and Velveeta casserole.

Here's the recipe for the Hot, Hardy Golden Puff.

Cover the bottom of a 12" x 8" baking dish with half a "stack pack" of crisp Premium Crackers. Cover the crackers with 3/4 lb. of sliced Kraft Velveeta Cheese. Top with 2 tbsp. chopped onions and the remaining crackers. Over this pour a mixture of 4 beaten eggs, 2 1/2 cups milk, 1/2 tsp. dry mustard, dash of pepper. Set the casserole aside for one hour; then pop it into a 350˚ oven for 40 minutes. Sprinkle with paprika and serve at once.

Variations: Cover Velveeta with a 12.-oz. can of corn; or 2 tbsp. chopped pimento; or 1 cup chopped ham; or 1 cup cut-up shrimps; or 1 1/2 cups flaked crab meat. Add 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce to liquid, top with Premiums, then follow regular recipe.

Click here for a pork chop casserole recipe.

Via Shelf Life Taste Test