Wednesday, July 7, 2010

COOKING LIKE A VINTAGE HOUSEWIFE

I am in awe of the 50's housewife. She seemed to be like Super Woman. Her day was never ending with cooking, cleaning, washing, ironing, shopping, taking care of the children and her husband.

Plus she did it all while wearing a dress, having her hair and make up done and a pretty smile on her face.

I just don't know how she did it!



Perhaps it was little ideas from cook books and pamphlets like these.



Inside they are full of great new ideas on how to mix things up and make old items taste new again.



They are often just a few pages but they are packed full of ideas and recipes.



I love making jam and this year I want to expand my canning to include other items. This booklet will give me the help I need.



Maybe I'll try to make my own pickles.



I love to collect these little bits of 50's history. While I admit I have never tried any of the recipes I have day dreamed a lot about what life was like back then for the average stay at home mother/housewife.



Eating out was a treat. For a special occasion. Not like today when we "drive thru" to pick up a meal or make reservations because we are to tired to cook.

Keeping the meals exciting and changing was important back then and most housewives enjoyed finding new recipes to try.



Making special treats and snacks to keep her family happy and fed well was a thing to be proud of back then.



Today, we can find these little booklets pretty easy at flea markets and antique stores. They are only a few dollars yet they do provide a peak into how different things were back then.

Food has come a long way. So have portion sizes.



I enjoy the menu ideas these little booklets often have. Three meals a day and all three meals are homemade.



In the 1950's you rarely had store bought cookies. No way! The vintage housewife would bake up a batch of her favorite recipe and the cookie jar would be full of home baked goodness.



Reminders of eating the right kinds of foods to keep her family healthy were everywhere.

I think we need to get back to eating and cooking more homemade meals, snacks and treats.

Today it seems like people are so impressed when someone bakes something from scratch, cans her own food or the family sits down and eats meals together.

We seem to have gotten so busy that our families often suffer. Why is this? Is there really anything more important then family? Of course not.

So, I would like to challenge all you women to get back to the basics and try for one month to cook more at home, sit down and enjoy meals together, try new and different recipes and be like the 1950's Housewife was.

If she could do it, we can too. Don't you agree?

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4 comments:

Anita Diaz said...

Oh I am so with you on this one!!! Lovely post. I am fascinated with trying to recreate this in my own home. I use my vintage Watkins Cookbook regularly, and some of the other recipe booklets from the 40s. My mom used the Rumford Cookbook a lot also. My mom is the gardner and canner, though, I've not gotten there yet. My grandmother was a master at taking something ordinary and making it fabulous. There were actually "home agents" who traveled around through here who would meet with a group of women and show them how to make things nice. Thank you for this lovely post:-)

Herbgirl said...

I have ended up collecting these 1950-1960 cookbooks lately too. I love to read them and dream about that simpler time. Oh how I would love to live that way.....not possible with a full-time job!
Hugs N Herbal Blessings, Mandy

FrenchGardenHouse said...

What a sweet post! I love those vintage cookbooks, and have a little collection. Donna Reed and the Leave it to Beaver Mom, they DID always look so beeautiful in their dresses and aprons, with their hair done just right!

Of course, they didn't work! Thanks so much for being part of the FrenchGardenHouse GIVEAWAY! ~Lidy

Tales From My Empty Nest said...

What an awesome post! I love those old cookbooks. That is one of my weaknesses. I love to read cookbooks. I grew up in the 50's and my Mom was just like that. We always had a wonderful meal with homemade bread, desserts, meat, vegetables.... everything made from scratch. My Mom still makes all her cookies, pies, cakes, etc. from scratch. That is where I got my love for cooking/baking. I love to cook, it is just that I do not have the time to cook as much as I would like to, since I work full time. To go along with my love of cooking, I love old aprons too. Love & blessings from NC!