You have to go peek at these great photos from Christmas in the 50s and 60s.

These were a big hit for Christmas last year. One of my daughter’s picked it out as one of the cookies she wanted make. We weren’t too sure about them…but they turned out quite well. I think I would add maybe a bit more coffee and maybe a spoon of instant coffee to the glaze. But, they really are tasty and easy.

Coffee Bonbons

1 cup butter
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules

Chocolate Glaze:

1 tablespoon butter
1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons milk

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla. Combine coffee and flour; stir into creamed mixture and mix well. Chill. Shape into 3/4-in. balls and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 18-20 inutes. For glaze, melt butter and chocolate in a saucepan. Stir in sugar alternately with milk; beat until smooth. Frost cookies while still warm. Yield: 5 dozen.

The classic, the favorite, the retro cookie that everyone loves:

Snickerdoodles

1 cup shortening (part butter or margarine)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp. soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Heat oven to 400. (mod. hot). Mix shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and egg thoroughly. Measure flour by dipping method or by sifting. Blend flour, cream of tartar, soda, and salt; stir in. Shape dough in 1 ” balls. Roll in mixture of 2 tbsp. sugar and cinnamon. Place 2″ apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 min. These cookies puff up at first, then flatten out. Makes 6 doz. cookies.

Note: If you use self-rising flour, omit cream of tartar, soda, and salt.

My father loved Dry Sack sherry. Our neighbors often gave him a new bottle every Christmas. That bottle would last more than the year…my father didn’t drink often. But it always struck me as something so sophisticated. I still have one of those bottles of Dry Sack in my house. My father drank his neat…but the following is a traditional English drink…at least according to the Osterizer Holiday Ideas cookbooklet from 1964. It will certainly be a frugal way to serve alcohol at your next retro party.

Sack Posset

3 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
1/2 cup sherry

Put all ingredients except sherry into OSTERIZER container, cover and process at Lo until well mixed. Pour into a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Add sherry slowly, stirring constantly. Serve warm in mugs or punch cups, or chill before serving. Yield: 8 1/2-cup portions.

This is a super easy classic retro meat loaf. Just what you need during the holiday bustle.

Meatloaf Monday

Meatloaf

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 cup bread crumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 small onion, minced

Sauce
1 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 10 x 13 roasting pan.

In a large bowl, mix all the meatloaf ingredients and shape into a loaf. Place the loaf into a prepared pan, leaving at least 1 1/2 inches on all sides.

Mix all sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

Pour the sauce over the top of the loaf and bake for 1 1/4 hours or until done. Baste the meatloaf as it cooks. Let the loaf sit 10 minutes before serving.

I hope your Thanksgiving is filled with blessings and of course, good, comforting Retro Food!

This is a 1945 MGM cartoon full of classic retro horrifying well…everything…they just don’t make them like that these days.

I love squash casserole. I really love it. I wonder why I have never made it for Thanksgiving, but instead get giddy at potlucks with this retro favorite. As the Southern Living Party cookbook notes…confirmed squash eaters have been known to love it as well.

Squash-Swiss Cheese Casserole

3 to 4 lbs yellow squash
2 medium onions, minced
2 bay leaves
About 6 sprigs parsley
1/2 teaspoon leaf thyme
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
Dash salt
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
Several dashes ground nutmeg
Dash Worcestershire sauce
4 egg yolks, beaten
About 1-1/3 cups shredded Swiss cheese
Cayenne pepper
Buttered bread crumbs

Cut squash into 1/3-inch slices. Place in large saucepan with onion, bay leaves, parsley and thyme. Cover with boiling salted water and cook until squash is barely tender. Drain, remove parsley and bay leaves and set aside. While squash cooks, make cream sauce. In saucepan heat 6 tablespoons butter or margarine; blend in 6 tablespoons flour, then gradually add 3 cups milk and dash of salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.

To the sauce, add seasoned salt, nutmeg, and Worcestershire sauce. Remove from heat; gradually blend in egg yolks by adding a small amount of the hot sauce to yolks beaten in a small bowl, then adding a little more, etc, then returning all back to saucepan.  Stir in 1 cup of the cheese and add cayenne pepper.

Combine squash with sauce, stirring gently; turn into large buttered baking dish about 2 inches deep. Mix remaining cheese with equal amount) or more, if needed) buttered breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over squash and bake at 350 for about 35 minutes, or until top is bubbly and brown. Leftovers freeze well. Yield: 12 servings.

What? You never have tried pumpkin in your Jell-o? And why not? Give this one a try. Orange! Pumpkin-y! Low-fat if you use the light Cool Whip! Retro chic.

Pumpkin Jell-o

3 ounce package lemon Jello
1 cup hot water
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup canned pumpkin; not pie mix
1 small tub Cool Whip
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Dissolve Jello in boiling water; add sugar and spice. Add pumpkin, mixing well. Chill until slightly thickened. Fold in Cool Whip and nuts. Pour into mold or clean bowl and refrigerate until firm

Now, some folks like cornbread dressing for Thanksgiving, in fact they wouldn’t consider anything else. Now, I tend to go a bit wild with the stuffing and make several different types for the holiday, but you could easily stick to just this one.

Cornbread Dressing

4 cups breadcrumbs (leftover biscuits, rolls or loaf bread)
4 cups egg cornbread (use eggs to make, use white meal)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon sage (optional)
3 cups chicken or turkey broth
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1 cup milk

Toast bread for crumbs. Crumble in large bowl. Add onion, celery, and seasonings. Add hot broth to make soft mixture. Mix well. Add butter and milk. Mixture should be very soft to allow for loss of moisture during baking. Add more broth if necessary. Pour into greased pan and bake at 350 for about 1 hour until well browned. (Source: Southern Living Party Cookbook, 1972)