This week is a feast of comfort food, served up in three hearty, stick-to-your-ribs, home-cooked square meals every day. Winter in a chilly climate brings the joy of vintage menus and delightful, snug tablescapes. Ensuring the entire family is not just warm, but well-fed, is a top priority for a 1950s housewife. Step back in time with these mid-century menus for old-fashioned family dinners tailored for the shortest month of winter.
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Mid-Century Meal Plan for the 1st Week of February
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These are meals that I make for my own family.
I make them cost-effective by cooking most of my food from scratch. I also buy a lot of in-season and low-cost produce. I plan for 140 lbs. of vegetables and fruit, 10 gallons of milk, 10 lbs. of butter, 10 lbs. of cheese, 70 lbs. of meat, 8 lbs. of sugar, and 55 lbs. of flour and grains for 10 people. I also buy salt, pepper, spices, tea, coffee, oil, vinegar, and baking supplies.
Although I love to cook 1950s menus, I prefer 1940s and 1930s recipes because they use far fewer prepared foods and are mostly made from scratch.
Monday Menus
Breakfast
- Oatmeal with top milk
- Half grapefruit (broiled)
- Bacon curls (broiled)
- Butterscotch rolls
- Coffee for adults, cocoa for children
Lunch
- Cream of tomato soup
- Grilled cheese sandwiches (for children); hot roast beef sandwiches (for adults)
- Piccalilli (for adults)
- Pear cranberry compote and animal crackers (for children); fruit cup (for adults)
- Coffee for adults, milk for children
Dinner
- Onion soup au gratin
- Braised beef liver with bacon
- Scalloped potatoes
- Buttered Brussels sprouts
- Cabbage and pepper salad
- Parkerhouse rolls
- Tutti-frutti ice cream with wafers
- Coffee for adults, milk for children
Tuesday Menus
Breakfast
- Stewed prunes
- Hot wheat cereal with top milk
- Minced ham
- Scrambled eggs
- Toast with butter
- Jam or marmalade
- Coffee for adults, cocoa for children
Lunch
- Clam chowder
- Lettuce sandwiches (for children); meat salad sandwiches (for adults)
- Carrot pineapple salad (for adults)
- Cherry gelatin
- Coffee for adults, milk for children
Dinner
- Grapefruit halves
- Chicken pot pie with potatoes, carrots, onions, and peas
- Bread and butter
- Sliced cucumbers
- Berry pie
- Coffee for adults, milk for children
Wednesday Menus
Breakfast
- Tomato juice
- Oatmeal with top milk
- Soft-cooked eggs
- Toast with butter
- Sliced bananas
- Coffee for adults, cocoa for children
Lunch
- Cream of potato soup
- Frankfurters in rolls
- Sauerkraut
- Pineapple-marshmallow delight
- Coffee for adults, milk for children
Dinner
- White cherry cocktail
- Beef patties with brown gravy
- French fried potatoes
- Escalloped cabbage
- Toasted rolls
- Pear salad
- Custard pie
- Coffee for adults; milk for children
Thursday Menu
Breakfast
- Grapefruit halves
- Oatmeal with top milk
- Shirred eggs
- Cinnamon toast
- Coffee for adults, cocoa for children
Lunch
- Chicken-noodle soup
- Lettuce sandwiches (for children); liverwurst sandwiches (for adults)
- Green salad (for adults)
- Peach gelatin
- Coffee for adults, milk for children
Dinner
- Fresh vegetable soup
- Baked ham and broccoli casserole
- Baked sweet potatoes
- Rye bread and butter
- Cranberry sauce
- Endive salad
- Apple pie
- Coffee for adults, milk for children
Friday Menu
Breakfast
- Orange juice
- Oatmeal with top milk
- Minced ham
- Scrambled eggs
- Toast with butter
- Sliced bananas
- Coffee for adults, cocoa for children
Lunch
- Hot beef boullion and tomato juice
- Fish cakes and spaghetti
- Raw vegetable sticks (for children); green salad (for adults)
- Tapioca pudding
- Coffee for adults, milk for children
Dinner
- Cream of carrot soup
- Buttered baked fish
- Cottage fried potatoes
- Buttered green beans
- Pickled beets
- Whole-wheat bread and butter
- Tossed salad
- Baked caramel custard with sugar cookies
- Coffee for adults, milk for children
Saturday Menu
Breakfast
- Dates in wheat cereal with top milk
- Fried apples and ham
- Coffee cake
- Coffee for adults; cocoa for children
Lunch
- Split pea soup
- Mac and cheese
- Potato chips
- Creamed spinach
- Bread and butter
- Milkshakes
Dinner
- Olives and cheese stuffed celery
- Italian spaghetti with meatballs
- Buttered broccoli
- Baked garlic bread
- Iceberg wedges with Italian dressing
- Tiramisu
- Coffee for adults, milk for children
Sunday Menu
Breakfast
- Fruit cups
- Dates in wheat cereal with top milk
- Sausage links
- French toast with syrup
- Coffee for adults, cocoa for children
Old-Fashioned Sunday Dinner
- Consomme
- Baked ham with apricot sauce
- Baked sweet potatoes
- Buttered cauliflower
- Cloverleaf rolls
- Cranberry salad
- Red velvet layer cake
- Coffee for adults, milk for children
Sunday Supper
- Creamed meat in patty cases
- Vegetable salad bowl
- Pistachio ice cream
- Cocoa for all
If you would like, you can check out the rest of my mid-century dinner menus. And if you make the menus, share a pic on Instagram and tag me! (Are you following me on Instagram? I share a lot of vintage homemaking quick wins over here!)
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