We Were Happier Then
- 9 hours ago
- 5 min read
By Bonnie Fishman / San Francisco Bay Area
The 1950s and ‘60s were great decades to grow up in especially in Oak Park, Mich., a quiet new suburb of Detroit. We were carefree, our parents sent us out to play and told us, “Be back when the streetlights go on.” We didn’t worry about strangers snatching us off the street, we could ring someone’s doorbell and ask to use the bathroom or the phone and some of us didn’t even lock our doors. (I never had a key!)
One of the best parts of that era is that we ate whatever we wanted with reckless abandon. Did it have enough protein? Did it have too many carbs or sugar? Did it have plenty of fiber and vitamins? We had no clue about any of this, because that was not the focus of anyone’s life. We were happier then.
Now we have to be concerned with not eating too much sugar, fat, carbs, or preservatives. We make sure we consume the proper number of grams of protein a day. If we had bread for lunch, maybe we had better skip it at dinner.
Those of you who were born before 1965–true Baby Boomers–know what I’m talking about. We had a worry-free mentality about eating. We didn’t even think twice. Younger readers, buckle up because our childhoods were way more happy-go-lucky than what we all are dealing with today.
I remember that in high school, I never ate the hot meals. Instead, every day I would have tuna fish on white bread, 2 Hostess cupcakes, and chocolate milk. Then I would go home and eat more before dinner. Did I count calories or think about the fact that it was too much sugar for lunch? Heck no! We ate. We were relaxed. We didn’t fret.
A red-letter day in my life came in September 1964 when Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts came on the market. It was life changing! That became my go-to breakfast. They were great snacks too. We had a “Pop-Tart” cabinet above the broom closet. All our friends would hit that spot when they came over after school. My mom baked from scratch almost daily but somehow the allure of this treat was intoxicating. I personally enjoyed blueberry without frosting.
Closely following Pop-Tarts for breakfast came Carnation’s Instant Breakfast drink. This was the precursor to smoothies, except these had not a shred of good qualities. I did love the chocolate, however.
How did we survive these culinary atrocities?
Going down the candy aisle was a real adventure. We had Pixy Stix (straws filled with flavored sugar), Candy Buttons (colored dots of sugar stuck to a sheet of paper) and small wax bottles with sugar water inside. (We ate the wax afterwards!) But we did have real chocolate. Nowadays, if a candy bar says “chocolate candy,” there may only be a morsel of cocoa butter in it.
We can’t have this conversation without discussing ready-to-eat meals. They were offered in the freezer section of the supermarket. Our household never had TV dinners, but we did indulge in Swanson Chicken Pot Pies. (They cost a whopping 29 cents in the ‘60s.) On occasion, we even ate Mrs. Paul’s Fish Sticks. Oh, the shame of it all! As far as snack food goes, when Pringles came on the market in 1968, they were all the rage in that red cylinder tube. Guess what? They’re not even potato chips but made out of potato flour.
Our mothers also cooked with an uncanny amount of Campbell’s soup, a highly processed food. Who knows what were in those cans anyway? The Cream of Mushroom was a particular favorite of mine. I loved the tuna noodle and green bean casseroles made with it. I’ve been able to recreate these two dishes using real ingredients. I’ll share the recipes another time!
What we ate began to shift in the '70s when health concerns became important. Yogurt grew in popularity, especially when fruit on the bottom was born. We watched various food trends emerge over the coming decades, some of which are still with us–gluten-free, high protein, low-carb. It can be quite stressful to navigate them. Like I said before, we were happier then!
Today’s recipe is a throwback to the good old days. This time I’m making homemade Pop-Tarts. When I was at the grocery store today, I happened to read the label on the present-day Pop-Tarts label. Don’t ask!
Feel free to substitute strawberries, raspberries, or cherries for the blueberries. I happen to prefer frozen fruit (a rare occurrence) due to the fact that the berries have a consistently sweet, full taste. Sometimes I buy fresh blueberries, and find they’re just not that flavorful. When I heat up these delicacies in the toaster oven (they don’t fit in a regular toaster), and I close my eyes as I’m eating, I’m a little kid again!
Bonnie’s Homemade Pop-Tarts
Yield: 9 pastries
Dough:
4 oz. butter or margarine, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. full-fat Greek yogurt
1 lg. egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 2/3 c. flour
Filling:
1 c. blueberries, raspberries, or sliced strawberries (frozen or fresh)
1/4 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Icing:
1 c. confectioners’ sugar
1+ Tbsp. milk
1/4 tsp. vanilla
Make dough:
In a stationary mixer with a paddle, or in a bowl with a wooden spoon, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in the baking powder and salt.
Beat in the yogurt, egg, and vanilla. Add the flour. Stir until just combined.
Divide the dough into 2 balls. Flatten into discs.. Wrap each in cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Make filling:
Put the berries in a small saucepan over moderate heat. Cook for about 2 minutes, mashing the fruit with the back of a spoon. Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Blend into the berries. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture gets bub-bly, translucent and thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice. Transfer to a small bowl. Refrigerate until cooled completely, at least a half an hour.
Assembly:
Roll out one of the discs on a floured surface into a large rectangle, about an 1/8” thick. Using a ruler as a guide, cut into a 12” x 9” rectangle. Cut the dough into 9 4”x 3” pieces. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Preheat oven to 375°. Using a pastry brush dipped in water, brush the edges of the dough pieces. Evenly divide the berry filling among the rectangles. Spread out filling leaving a 1/2” border.
Roll the second disc in the same manner as the first. Place a rectangle on top of each pastry. Using a fork, press all edges together to seal. Prick the tops with the fork going down the center four times. Bake for @ 15 minutes, until the edges are slightly brown and the bottoms are light brown.
Icing:
In a small bowl using a fork, whisk together the confectioner sugar, milk, and vanilla. You want a consistency that is loose enough to drizzle on the pastry. You may need to add a little more milk. Drizzle on the icing with the fork in a cross-hatch pattern. Allow the icing to set.
Bonnie Fishman attended the Cordon Bleu Cookery School in London. Later, she owned and operated Bonnie’s Patisserie in Southfield, Mich. and Bonnie’s Kitchen and Catering in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. She has taught cooking for over 35 years and created hundreds of recipes. She is now living in Northern California.
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