It’s Mid-Century Menu Monday again! This week we have a President’s Day dinner for a celebration. Also, it’s almost the end of February! Woot! Here’s a chipper set of menus for 1950s Meal-Plan Monday: February 17-23.
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Mid-Century Menu Monday Dinners for February 17-23
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Monday (President’s Day)
This inviting casserole stars Swedish meatballs, potatoes, cucumbers, and corn baked together in a rich, dill-seasoned sauce, yet each keeps its own special shape and flavor. To make salad topper, blend chopped hard-cooked egg into French dressing. Dessert sponge roll is a companylike treat with a cherry filling and snowy frosting.
- Jellied Fruit Cup
- Scandinavian Ragout
- Toasted Caraway Rye Bread Slices
- Tomato-lettuce Salad with Egg Dressing
- Cherry Log
Oh, my, that casserole. Well, at least there is a cherry dessert for President’s Day! Don’t forget a cunning centerpiece made of a clever little tri-cornered hat in black crepe paper, filled with cherries. And perhaps some powdered wigs made of cotton balls — and knee-breeches!
Tuesday
There’s plenty of good eating in a stewing chicken with its rich broth dividend to turn into creamy gravy. It takes just 20 minutes to steam the parsley-flecked dumplings puffy-light, but be sure chicken and gravy are bubbling before spooning batter on top. And remember: The key to perfect dumplings is no peeking during cooking.
- Dappled Dumpling Fricassee
- Buttered Green Beans
- Buttered Carrots
- Cranberry-apple-raisin Relish
- Steamed Pudding Ambrosia
I love chicken and dumplings! It’s one of my favorite comfort foods. And steamed puddings are just perfect nursery food. At least, I think so!
Wednesday
Fresh pork shoulder is a reliable budget buy, and a large one will give you a bonus meal or two. Our roast here is boned (your meatman will do it for you), then stuffed with a tangy orange dressing, and roasted crusty brown. For dessert, scoop vanilla ice cream into chilled pear halves, then drizzle with warm chocolate sundae sauce.
- Glazed Stuffed Pork Roast with Savory Pork Gravy
- Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Zucchini Scallop
- Old-fashioned Pan Rolls
- Spiced Pineapple Chunks
- Pears Helene
Sadly, the menu did not give me a recipe for the spiced pineapple chunks. So, I plan to use a recipe for spiced, pickled pineapple. Baked sweet potatoes are one of my favorite sides to have in winter meals. I’m always glad to see it as a side dish.
Thursday
Hankering for beef? Try this bountiful platter of thrifty boneless rump, chuck, or round, tenderized then roasted same as gourmet ribs. Its five hearty vegetables cook along with it in the oven–another savings plus. For dessert, flavor sweetened whipped cream with instant coffee, spoon over wedges of store-bought angel food cake.
- Australian Beef Platter
- Red-pepper Relish
- Sesame-seed Sticks
- Green Salad with Grapefruit Sections and French Dressing
- Coffee-Cream Angel Cake
This seems a lot like a variation on a New England boiled dinner — a dish that sadly has fallen from favor. Also, I never buy an angel-food cake. It takes me 15 minutes to make one, and I’ve done it so often, I don’t bother with the recipe anymore.
Friday
Meaty fresh or frozen scallops, dressed with a simple buttery herb sauce, headline this oven-easy meal that cooks with almost no watching. Start the potatoes first, for they take about an hour. Stir up dessert a rich chocolate-cake mix atop a sweet red-cherry sauce–to bake along with the main dish. It’s extra-delicious served oven warm.
- Tomato-bouillon appetizer
- Herb Baked Scallops with Tartare Sauce
- Baked Potatoes
- Creamed Onions and Peas
- Old-fashioned Pan Rolls
- Coleslaw
- Viennese Upside-down Cake
I think that the Viennese upside-down cake is supposed to be a Sacher torte. Still, I will probably just make cocoa brownie batter since I don’t use cake mixes. I don’t eat scallops often. And I’m really not sure about the vintage Tartare sauce. But I like buttery, herbed shellfish, so I expect it’ll be quite good.
Saturday
This go-steady pair makes a perfect short-order choice, for it’s ready in 15 minutes. For a vegetable dish, heat canned potatoes and onions while frozen peas cook, then blend all in a quick, creamy gravy. For dessert, bake gingerbread from a mix, cut in squares while hot, top each with a dollop of cream cheese, then warm applesauce over all.
- Liver and Bacon Saute
- Creamed Vegetables
- Cranberry Sauce
- Corn Relish
- Poppy-Seed Rolls
- Honeydew Slices with Lemon Sherbet
- Ginger-apple Cake
I am not using canned potatoes. I just can’t. Really, for creamed potatoes — just use leftover potatoes! I like the sound of the ginger-apple cake, though.
Sunday
Here’s a meat men order when they eat out. It’s really simple to cook but it does take time to season, so buy beef at least three days ahead of your dinner. Fluffy boiled potatoes and savory cabbage are “musts” with sauerbraten. And to end this feast with rich-as-rich creamy cheesecake is nothing short of pure gourmet dining.
- Chilled Tomato-Sauerkraut Cocktail
- Old-World Sauerbraten
- Boiled Potatoes
- Caraway Cabbage
- Buttered Green Beans
- Dark Rye Bread
- Salad Relish Tray
- Rich-rich Cheesecake
I love German food. I even love 1950s interpretations of German food. This is a marvelous menu — I’m quite looking forward to it!
And that’s my 1950s Meal-Plan Monday for February 17-23. If you would like to see monthly mid-century menus for lunches and breakfasts, you can find them in my resource library when you sign up below. Or, you can check out the rest of my mid-century menus.
