This retro truck stop and diner classic couldn’t be more evocative of vacations on the road, but isn’t hard to make at home.

Grab yourself some cube steak, or tenderize say a round steak yourself. Mix together some flour, salt and pepper in one bowl. Mix together an egg and milk (1/4-1/2 cup?) in another. Dip the steak in the flour mixture then the egg mixture then again in the flour mixture. Heat 1/4″ to 1/2 inch of melted crisco or oil in a heavy pan. Toss the steak in (not literally toss-geez, the oil will be hot and pop enough as is, be careful!) reduce heat to low and cook 4-6 minutes, turning midway through the time.

When you are done with that, remove the steak to a nice warm plate, pour off all but say 2 tablespoons of the oil, add about 3 tablespoons of leftover dredging flour mix, mix well, brown the flour, then gradually add about 1 cup of milk, stirring to keep the lumps out. Reduce heat and thicken (ala making a white sauce. but this will be really thick, of course you can thin it out a bit if you must) Now, that would be the recipe for the cream gravy which technically should be served on the steak but I tend to mostly just put it on my mashed potatoes.

Roadfood.com might be just the place to go to find somewhere along your route! If you live somewhere (I know you do!), then share your hometown favorites. I know you don’t want to eat at McDonalds and Cracker Barrel across the country;in most places you can do that at home. (if you live along an interstate) Speaking of hometown favorites, where would you tell someone driving through YOUR home town, yes the one you mention when someone asks where you are from…not the one you live in now. If you claim a bunch of home towns, then you just have to ante up more good eats.

Vacation time is here across the country! Vacation means: ROAD FOOD. Ok, it means road food if you take the fab retro vacation of driving somewhere. You do want to take a retro vacation don’t you? Go to some real honest-to-goodness tourist spots right here in the U.S.A. sounds like a blast, right? I know you think so. So, grab your suitcase, some coloring books, load up the Rambler and lets go!

First though: tell me what food you are packing for your car ride. Will the kids be making themselves sick eating bing cherries in the “way back” of your woody station wagon? Do you pack your own nabs or do you pick them up at a Texaco vending machine?

Yet another peanut butter ball recipe. The paraffin makes it definitely retro…but you can just use candy melts or plain chocolate chips to dip them in instead.
1 stick softened butter
2 cups peanut butter
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 cups Rice Krispies
1/3 cake paraffin wax
12 oz. chocolate chips

Mix butter, peanut butter, sugar, and Rice Krispies. Roll into 1 inch balls. Melt wax over low heat. Add and melt chocolate chips. Dip balls into chocolate mixture. Set on wax paper and chill.

Yes, we all know that you can make Rice Krispie treats with cereal. I know you want to do it right now.

Make sure you use margarine to grease the pan. Pam just makes them taste funny. Geez, save calories elsewhere!

This halves easily, doubling of course risks huge mess in your home, so don’t do it.

You might also want to think outside the blue box and mix up your favorite blend of cereals. I am thinking a Captain Crunch and Frosted Flakes blend might be Grrrrrrrrrreaaaaaaaaaaat as Tony might say. So, get retro, have a pajama party and make some treats. (or just make’em and binge quietly standing in your kitchen alone)

Cereal Treats

½ cup margarine
20 oz. large marshmallows (buy the good ones!)
12 C cereal
margarine for greasing 9″x13″ pan & spoonGrease 9″x13″ pan with margarine, set aside. Melt margarine over low heat in very large pot. Add marshmallows, stir to coat with margarine.

Add cereal and mix completely.

Pour into greased pan and spread evenly using a large greased spoon.

Not only did the 7th Day Adventists have a hand in making cereal what it is today, they have come up with great ways to use it. Famously, in their “loafs”, yes, veggie un-meatloaf has cereal. Build your own Adventist style loaf with Jennifershmoo’s Magic Loaf Studio.

You can’t get more retro than meatloaf or cereal in meat loaf and a vegetarian “meat” loaf is even better.

Now presenting: Cereal. Yes, that humble food that you never outgrow, easy source of your whole grains, and favorite of the Trix rabbit! Cereal as we think of it, has not always been around! The history of cereal has its roots in the early healthy food movement and the history of 7th Day Adventists. So, next time you have a bowl of Sugar Smacks (errr…just Smacks these days), know that you aren’t eating junk food…you are eating retro health food.

From The Modern Family Cookbook
¼ teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons XXXX sugar
Dash cayenne pepper
2 egg yolks
¼ cup cider vinegar or lemon juice, chilled
1¾ cups olive or salad oil, chilled

Mix dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Add unbeaten egg yolks and mix well; then add ½ teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice. Add a few drops of oil, beating in with rotary egg beater or electric mixer. Continue adding oil by drops, beating thoroughly after each addition until about 2 tablespoons of oil have been added and the mixture has thickened. Beat in a little vinegar, the continue adding oil by teaspoons until 2 more tablespoons have been used. As mixture thickens, oil may be added in larger quantities, beating well after each addition. Add vinegar to thin the mixture whenever it becomes very stiff. Continue adding oil and vinegar, beating continuously until all has been used. 1 pint.

Note: If oil is added too rapidly at first, mayonnaise will not thicken’ but this thin mixture may be beaten into another egg yolk, a little at a time, and the rest of the oil and vinegar added when the new mixture has thickened up.

To make a quick simple version of Russian dressing, combine 4 parts mayonnaise with 1 part chili sauce, mixing thoroughly.