These are the baked oysters I grew up eating from my great-grandmother. Nothing fancy…best with the freshest oysters you can get. So…really not a good choice for a month without an r in the name.

1 qt oysters, cooked in juice.
Saute 3 or 4 stalks celery, parsley, 1 bell pepper, chopped fine, 1 stick butter, 1 large onion (chopped). Toast to light brown 1/2 loaf bread, grated. Pour oysters into vegetables, thicken with bread crumbs. Season with Tabasco, chili powder (lots). Preheat oven to 450. Bake 12-15 minutes or until crumbs on top are toasted and dish is warmed through and bubbly. Serves 6.

I love spinach. I love spinach casserole. Unfortunately, dietary restrictions keep me from my favorite vegetable. My great-grandmother thought this recipe was good-the hard-boiled eggs in casseroles never did anything for me though.

2 pkgs chopped spinach (10 oz pkgs) cooked and drained
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup (or cream of asparagus/cream of celery)
Grated sharp cheese

Mix all together. Top with breadcrumbs and cheese. Bake at 375 until firm.

We do a lot of family sized recipes around here…this one is a nice tuna  just for one. Use cheddar or swiss instead of American. Yes, the cucumber gets cooked.

1 small cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 3 1/4 oz can tuna, drained and flaked
1/4 cup quick cooking rice
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Dash garlic salt
1/4 cup shredded American cheese

In a 12-ounce casserole, combine cucumber, tuna, rice, water, lemon juice and garlic salt. Bake, covered at 350 till rice is cooked-about 25 minutes. Top with cheese. Bake uncovered until cheese melts, 5 or so minutes. Makes 1 serving.

Crunchy and delicious and oh so retro! Very quick and a crowd pleaser-though the recipe only serves 4-5. It probably won’t please your cardiologist though…the salt and fat is outrageous!

Chopstick Tuna

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can chow mein noodles
1 6-9 oz can of tuna
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup salted toasted cashews
1/4 cup chopped onion
Dash pepper

Mix soup with 1/4 cup water. Add 1 cup chow mein noodles and remaining ingredients; toss lightly. Place in ungreased 10x 6 baking dish. Sprinkle remaining noodles on top.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or till heated. Trim with canned mandarin orange slices. Makes 4-5 servings.

Ok, this one is one of those retro recispes that you have to have developed a taste for as a child. Otherwise, it just won’t fly. However, if your mama made it–I bet you have a fondness for it still…or an instinctual gag reflex. It has all the retro standbys-Bisquick, hamburger, instant onion, MSG, mayo and processed cheese! (and yes, the instant minced onion does make 3 appearances in the recipe)

Hamburger Biscuit Bake

1 tablespoon instant minced onion
2/3 cup milk
2 cups packaged biscuit mix
1 lb ground beef
1 tablespoon instant onion
1 cup sharp process cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons snipped parsley
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon instant minced onion

***

Vegetable Sauce

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon monosodium glutamate

Soak 1 tablespoon instant minced onion in 2/3 cup milk. Prepare biscuit mix according to package directions for rolled biscuits, using milk-onion mixture for the liquid. Roll in two 8-inch circles about 1/4 inch thick. Press one circle into well-greased 8-inch  shallow round baking dish.

Brown ground beef in skillet; spoon off excess fat. Stir in 1 tablespoon instant minced onion. Add cheese, mayonnaise and parsley. Spread over biscuit in baking dish. Top with second biscuit. Flute edge.

Bake at 375 15-20 minutes. Drizzle melted butter over top; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon instant minced onion. Bake 2 minutes or until onion is toasty. Cut in wedges. Pass Vegetable sauce. Makes 5 or 6 servings

Vegetable sauce: Mix soup, milk and msg. Heat.

From the Better Homes and Gardens Casserole Cookbook, 1961

A different retro tuna casserole this week…this one with cream cheese and corn flakes!

Cream Cheese Tuna Bake

4 ounces (1 cup) 7-minute macaroni
1 3-ounce package cream cheese
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 9 1/4 oz (1 1/2 cup) can tuna, drained and flaked
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons chopped pimiento
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup corn-flake crumbs

Cook macaroni; drain. Soften cream cheese; blend in shoup, using electric or rotary beater. Stir in tuna, vegetables, mustard, salt, milk and macaroni; turn into 1 1/2 qt casserole. Sprinkle crumbs atop. Bake at 375  20-25 minutes or till bubbly. Serves 4 to 6. Better Homes and Gardens Casserole Cook Book, 1961.

This is as much a retro classic as meatloaf. I rarely ate tuna casserole growing up. My mother had burned out on it long before I was born. This meant neither of my parents would eat tuna. My older sister made it sometimes-she puts peas in hers. Friends parents also made it, so I didn’t grow up totally deprived, and most folks would say I grew up blessed by the lack of tuna casserole in my life. I also never make it. In any case, it is a classic and it is a nice thrifty way to feed a family.

This recipe is from the Better Homes and Gardens Casserole Cook Book, 1961. As usual, I would use real cheddar instead of the processed cheese.

Tuna-Noodle Casserole

6 ounces (about 3 cups) medium noodles
1 6 to 9 oz can tuna, drained
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup diced green pepper
1/4 cup chopped pimiento
1/2 teaspoon salt
…
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 cup milk
1 cup (1/4 pound) shredded sharp process cheese
…
1/2 cup slivered blanched almonds, toasted (optional)

Cook noodles in boiling salted water till tender; drain. Combine noodles, tuna, mayonnaise, vegetables, and salt.

Blend together soup and milk; heat through. Add cheese; heat and stir until cheese melts. Add to noodle mixture.

Turn into ungreased 2-qt casserole. Sprinkle with toasted almonds. Bake uncovered in hot oven (425) about 20 minutes or till bubbly. Makes 6 servings.

From Good Food on a Budget (1971)…I love the intro to this recipe:

Include frankfurters on your list of foods that offer great eating pleasure for little money. They’re flavorful, versatile and don’t contain one bit of waste.

Frank and Potato Bake

1 pound frankfurters
2/3 cup reconstituted nonfat dry milk
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
8 ounces process cheese spread, cut up (2 cups)
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 teaspoons finely snipped parsley
8 medium potatoes, cooked, peeled, and sliced (8 cups)

Reserve 3 franks; slice remaining franks and set aside. In saucepan, stir milk into flour until smooth. Add cheese; cook and stir till thickened and smooth. Add onion, parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; fold cheese mixture into potatoes and sliced franks. Turn into a 2-quart casserole. Bake, covered for 40 minutes. Halve reserved franks; arrange in a pinwheel atop casserole. Bake uncovered, 10 minutes. Top with parsley, if desired. Makes 8 servings.