Thursday, September 16, 2010

Baked Bean Pie, Salad, Parsleyed Rye Bread, Lazy Day Grasshopper Pie

Common, vulgar readers! I realize I have been remiss about addressing you, instead only speaking to my gentle readers. Forgive me. This meal is for you! We have here SPAM, beans, and marshmallow fluff. Glorious.

IMG_3817.jpg picture by seshet27

Do you remember Jiffy Cooking [1967]? Yes. It did not disappoint us last time, and it did not disappoint us this time!

Baked Bean Pie
Celery Sticks and Radish Roses OR Tossed Green Salad
Parsleyed Rye Bread
Peppermint Ice Cream (replaced with Lazy Day Grasshopper Pie, because it was more interesting)
Milk

IMG_3810.jpg picture by seshet27

Baked Bean Pie
1 12 oz. can luncheon meat [SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM!]
2 tablespoons maple-flavored syrup
. . .
1 1-pound 5-ounce can pork and beans in tomato sauce, partially drained
2 tablespoons hot dog relish
1 teaspoon instant minced onion
1/4 cup shredded sharp process American cheese

Cut luncheon meat into 8 slices; brush each slice with syrup. Arrange meat slices around inner edge of 9-inch pie late. In saucepan, combine pork and beans, hot dog relish, and onion; bring to boiling. Pour bean mixture into pie plate; sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees F.) 20 minutes or till meat is lightly browned. Serves 3 or 4.

IMG_3823.jpg picture by seshet27

Parsleyed Rye Bread
Spread 4 slices dark rye bread with about 2 tablespoons softened butter or margarine. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons snipped parsley. Place on baking sheet and bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees F.) about 15 minutes, or till toasted. Serve warm. Makes 4 servings.

IMG_3806.jpg picture by seshet27

Lazy Day Grasshopper Pie
A dessert that can be made the night before and forgotten till serving time--

Chocolate wafer cookies
1 1-pint jar marshmallow creme
1/4 cup milk
4 drops peppermint extract
6-7 drops green food coloring
. . .
1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Line bottom of 9-inch pie plate with chocolate wafer cookies, filling in spaces between with pieces of cookie. Line sides of the pie plate with half-cookies.
IMG_3805.jpg picture by seshet27
In mixing bowl, combine marshmallow creme, milk, peppermint extract, and food coloring, whip till fluffy. Fold in whipped cream. Spoon filling into cookie crust. Freeze till firm, 8 hours or overnight. Garnish with dollops of additional whipped cream, if desired. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Verdict:

Baked Bean Pie: Surprisingly good! Husband said he wouldn't mind if it came back again, even. Would I buy the ingredients just to make this again? Probably not. But if these were the things I had on hand, I absolutely would. This might be a good meal for food storage night. I have noticed that in the 50's and 60's cookbooks, there is a lot of emphasis on making food symmetrical, and out of ingredients that are familiar and canned. In that respect, this is absolutely typical of the time.

Parsleyed Rye Bread: It was fine. But I will tell you a thing I learned when buying this bread! Regular American rye bread contains almost no rye. Coloring is added to make it appear darker, healthier, and more rustic, while still tasting almost identical to the ordinary squishy bread you are used to. A triumph of modern science! Hooray!

Lazy Day Grasshopper Pie: Guys. Guys. This pie. It is awesome. I interpreted "chocolate wafer cookies" to mean "Girl Scout Thin Mints." I used an entire box. Guys? In short, this pie contains cookies, marshmallow fluff, and heavy cream. Frozen. How can you go wrong? Answer: you can't. It is great. The unsweetened whipped cream that is folded in cuts the sweetness of the marshmallow cream, as does the freezing, as things taste less sweet when they are frozen. Not hugely though, so don't get silly. I would advise tasting the filling to see if you need to add more peppermint flavoring, though.

ALSO.

Notice the recipe. It says "1-pint jar marshmallow cream." Let us look at the package.

IMG_3804.jpg picture by seshet27

1 pint is 16 ounces. This, the largest container, is 13 ounces. This is something I have noticed a lot using old recipes. Most cans and packages contain sliiiiiiightly less than they did years ago, from Jello to canned vegetables. Do you think they lowered the price when they lowered the amount? You take a guess. ;) And notice, this jar is super pleased that it is still 13 ounces.

Uh huh. And according to Cadbury, "Our eggs haven't gotten smaller, you've just gotten bigger!"

10 comments:

Kathleen said...

I have found that one can substitute 7 minute frosting for marshmallow cream. That is important, for if you have boys in your home, they will eat the marshmallow cream with a spoon and then when you want to make fake fudge, you are SOL. Maybe a batch of that would be 16 oz. maybe. Of course, let's face it, if they ate the marshmallow cream, chances are they ate your girl scout cookies TOO.

Jana said...

As ever, Kathleen, you are as wise as you are fancy!

(Very Fancy Indeed)

Mercury Gray said...

That pie looks delicious. Truly, ma'am, you are to be applauded.

Jana said...

Why, thank you! Such appreciation is balm to my heart.

Nonna said...

As usual, you really tickled my funny bone with this post. Good going on the Jiffy Cooking meal !

I remember going to home shows with my parents during the early '60's and seeing fallout shelters that were fully stocked with everything a family would need to survive after a Nuclear attack. ( until they got radiation sickness and died anyway ) It was a very scary time during the cold war and I think Jiffy Cooking was designed to meet the needs of cooking from canned goods and stored staples in case of that type of emergency.

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, every woman in our neighborhood rushed to the supermarket and cleared off the shelves in a panic buy...my Mom came home with very little and was freaked out. My parents were truthful with me about the whole situation and the fact that the Los Angeles basin was targeted for destruction and we probably wouldn't survive it.

Nice to know how to cook a few meals from canned goods, just in case, even now !!!

Jana said...

Thank you! And that is quite the story. How scary!

Karenlibrarian said...

I always assumed they meant Famous Chocolate Wafers by Nabisco when they specify chocolate wafer cookies. Or you could scrape all the insides out of Oreos. . . okay, now I need to go buy some cookies!!! Sigh.

But I am impressed by your willingness to eat Spam, which frightens me.

Jana said...

That probably IS what the recipe means... but... Girl Scout cookies! ;D And properly fried, I confess I have a fondness for Spam. I think it may be one of those things you have to grow up eating.

Anonymous said...

Oooooeeh! Now I know what to make when I look in the pantry and have a can o' Spam and a can o' baked beans. Love the look of the Baked Bean Pie. Hope I've got some eggs in th' fridge too when I need to cook it! That could become my new comfort food dish. ;)

Jana said...

I hope that if you make it, it will bring you joy.