Recipes from the nifty '50s, '60s and '70s
Regina Murphy
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The decades of the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s are covered in today’s continuation of recipes from Emporia’s past. The recipes and personal notes below were researched and provided by Steve Hanschu of Messiah Lutheran and Brenda Lavington and Linda Keller of the Lyon County Historical Society Archives. If you have unwanted local cookbooks — especially if they have notes written in them — the archive ladies need more, even group books produced by churches, sororities, ladies circles, etc.
Food in the 1950s was very interesting. Swanson developed ready-to-heat dinners in foil trays that you could eat in front of that newfangled invention, the television. Advances in personal refrigeration and freezing meant foods could be preserved in a whole new way, and frozen sides, meats and entrees were the rage.
The interstate system was being built, which meant people could try regional cuisines in Kansas, New York or South Carolina if they liked. Regional foods could be quickly transported to just about anywhere a refrigerated truck could go. If you didn’t feel like driving, the first domestic coast-to-coast jet service was started in 1958. The Diner’s Club credit card was created to facilitate this culinary expansion.
This was the age of the diner and soda shop. Emporia had soda shops like the Crown Drug Store and the Red X Pharmacy, diners like the Mit-Way and Coney Island and more than 20 neighborhood grocery stores. There was even a drive-in movie theater.
The 1960s and ’70s were a fascinating period. There was war in Asia, a space race, the civil rights movement, socialism, communism, McCarthyism, environmentalism, feminism and probably ism-ism. The number of Hispanic Americans tripled in the 60s and lead to the creation of whole new cuisine: Tex-Mex.
Media had an enormous influence on food perception. Hugh Hefner demonstrated the art of the cocktail party. James Bond insisted on the finest vodka with his beluga caviar and could tell the vintage of port by taste. Julia Child showed the nation that French cooking really wasn’t all that hard after all. Maybe everyone else had fish soup, but you served “bouillabaisse.”
Dr. Ando gave us instant ramen noodles, Dr. Cording created instant mashed potato flakes and Dr. Suess gave us green eggs and ham. Colas started showing up in metal cans, other drinks came powdered in envelopes (Tang, Kool-Aid, Hawaiian Punch) and teenagers everywhere celebrated the glorious rise of the American-style pizza. Food was on a roll — literally — once McDonald’s opened in 1954.
The following recipes are from Emporia’s Messiah Lutheran cookbook titled “Our Favorites,” published in 1965.
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Velma Rathke was born in 1907. She was part of a German family named Eason that settled in the Elk area, between Diamond Creek and Middle Creek. Even though she was mainly a stay-at-home mom, she was very active in the schools and once even ran for Chase County clerk.
Velma was Ed Rathke’s stepmother. He says: “Her bread and rolls were absolutely awesome. My sister still makes them — the only one in the family that does them justice.” His sister is Eileen Jenek, and the family always has a batch of Velma’s bread at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Ed’s birth mother died when he was only 11 months old; Velma was widowed (married name “Nienstedt”) with two children, met Ed’s father who was left with four, and they they got married in 1957 and blended the family. Ed says his sister Eileen inherited most of Velma’s cooking talents.
“Velma made a tremendous tuna and noodle casserole, and Swiss steak ... she did a lot of canning and taught me how to, which I still do some today.”
VELMA RATHKE’S
RAISED DOUGHNUTS
1 cake yeast (equiv. of 1 pkg. active dry yeast)
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/4 cups milk, scalded, then cooled to lukewarm
4 1/2 cups sifted flour
3 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, well beaten
1 tsp. nutmeg
Dissolve yeast and 1 Tbsp. sugar in lukewarm milk. Add 1-1/2 cups flour and beat well. Cover and let rise in warm place free from draft (about an hour) until bubbles burst on top. Cream butter and sugar. Add salt, egg and nutmeg. Combine with yeast mixture. Add remaining flour to make moderately soft dough. Knead lightly and place in well greased bowl. Cover and let rise 1-1/2 hours. Turn out on floured board and roll to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with doughnut cutter and place on floured board. Cover with cloth and let rise about 1 hour. Fry in deep fat, 375 degrees, turning only once. Drain, cool and roll in powdered sugar. Makes 3 dozen. V V V
Florine Aschbrenner came to Emporia in 1961 when her husband, the Rev. Arnold R. Aschbrenner, accepted the call as pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church. Florine led an active life during her 20-year stay in Emporia. In addition to being mother to four children, she also was active in the church serving on various committees, participating in the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League and assisting with church secretarial duties. The Aschbrenners moved to Iowa in 1981 and later retired to Wichita.
FLORINE ASCHBRENNER’S NORWEGIAN KRINGLAR
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1 Tbsp. water
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. cream
1 Tbsp. butter
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
3 eggs
2 tsp. almond flavoring
Mix like pie crust: 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup butter and 1 Tbsp. of water. Divide in half: pat each on a cookie sheet, 3 inches wide. Heat to boiling: 1 cup water and 1/2 cup butter; Stir in 1 cup flour until smooth. Then add 3 eggs, one at a time. Beat until smooth. Add 1 tsp. almond flavoring. Spread on first mixture and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Frost after it is baked with 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp. cream and 1 Tbsp. butter and 1 tsp. almond flavoring, creamed together thoroughly. V V V
Barbara Gerriets was the wife of John Gerriets, who was a faculty member of the Emporia State University mathematics department for many years. Barbara was an active wife and mother. She was an excellent teacher and taught Sunday School for many years at Messiah Lutheran Church.
Barbara was also an avid reader and volunteered many hours at the Emporia Public Library. She had three children, John, Julia, Carol — all very musically accomplished. Carol even won the 1974 Lyon County grade school spelling contest. Barbara wrote an article for Reminisce Magazine about the time her father’s diamond stickpin went missing, and they ended up publishing it in the book “When the Banks Closed, We Opened Our Hearts.”
BARBARA GERRIETS’ ANGEL FOOD PUDDING
1 Angel food cake
2 cups scalded milk
3 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 env. unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup cold milk
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup mini-marshmallows
1/3 - 1/2 cup nuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, drained
Bake an angel food recipe (or mix) in a 9-x-13-inch pan or two 8-x-8 pans. Be sure to cool thoroughly upside down.
Combine hot milk, egg yolks, sugar and salt and cook in double boiler for 10 minutes. In the meantime, soak gelatin in the cold milk. Dissolve in hot mixture. Place in refrigerator. When it begins to congeal (an hour to 90 minutes) whip cream and combine. Remove cake from pan and split into two thin layers. Put bottom layer back in pan and spread with half of the filling. Sprinkle with half of the nuts, chopped cherries and miniature marshmallows. Add top layer of cake and cover with remaining filling and sprinkle with more nuts, cherries and marshmallows. Let ripen 24 hours in refrigerator before serving.
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Rose Schmidt was born in 1899 and grew up in the Elmdale area. She was widowed at the age of 37 and moved from McPherson to Elmdale and later to Emporia to be near other family members and to support her own family of three children. One of the jobs she held was that of cook at the Transport Inn. She was a devoted member of Messiah Lutheran Church and many people remember the wonderful fudge and date loaf that she would make and share with others.
Rose SCHMIDT’S
BARBECUED SPARERIBS
3 lbs. spareribs
1 cup water
salt & pepper
1 medium onion, sliced
2 Tbsp. ea. butter, vinegar, brown sugar
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 small bottle catsup
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. mustard
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup water
1 cup tomato juice
1 tsp. paprika
Cut spareribs into pieces for serving and put in baking dish with 1 cup water. Season with salt and pepper. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for about 1 hour until well browned. Brown onion in butter. Add remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste. Cook slowly 20 minutes or until it thickens. Stir as it cooks to prevent sticking. Pour over ribs and continue baking for 1 hour or longer until ribs are well done. Baste several times. Vyrnia Hopkins was the wife of Elton L. Hopkins. She was born at Durham in 1909. She and her husband, who was known to many as “Hoppy,” lived on a farm northeast of Emporia. Mr. Hopkins was a railroad engineer with Santa Fe Railway before he retired. He was born Feb. 12, 1915, in Attica, the son of Robert E. and Flora Belle Jacobs Hopkins. They both enjoyed the outdoors and gardening. Vyrnia was involved with the Rose Circle at Messiah Lutheran Church, the RFD Mixers and the Rosean Community Club. She was a very small lady, but had a very big and generous heart.
The Hopkins had three daughters — Vivian, Ardeith and Betheen — and a son, Elvey, who is a Navy rocket scientist.
VYRNIA HOPKINS’
POTATO SALAD FOR 100
30 lbs. potatoes
3 quarts salad dressing
3 quarts sweet pickles, diced
4 dozen hard boiled eggs
1 pint red pimientos, diced
1 small jar mustard
1 pint sweet pickle juice
4 Tbsp. salt
3 tsp. pepper
1 cup sugar
Cook potatoes in salt water; dice when done. Let cool before adding other ingredients.