When I was a child during my favorite vintage period …
the 1950s and 60s … potato chips were an every-Friday-night treat at our
house. They were served just once a week
with pan fried hamburgers that were deliciously prepared in a big cast iron
skillet. Catsup, mustard, sliced onions
and pickles were always part of the treat, and in season wonderful sliced Big
Boy tomatoes right from Daddy’s garden were heaped on a platter.
We were also treated with a little container of
Prairie Farms French Onion dip. Prairie
Farms was and still is a prominent Dairy in my neck of the woods. Their French Onion dip is still on my grocery
list!
One of my favorite memories of this meal surrounds a
visit from my older sister’s boyfriend (she married him!). At a table filled with four hungry kids, he
set the dip container right beside his plate and proceeded to dip each of his
chips right into the container. I was
six years old and I not so politely told him that at our house we were not
allowed to ‘eat out of the bowls’! We
weren’t and what he was doing was disgusting to me, even at that young age!
At some point, Fritos Corn Chips were added to our
Friday night menu! I loved them and for
me, they didn’t require dip! The Frito
Kid was all over television commercials and later the Frito Bandito arrived on
the scene! The promotions for Fritos
included lots of recipes on the package and in my aunt’s magazines! Still, at our house it was just another chip!
Fritos were invented by C. E. Doolin. Doolin was a follower of Dr. Herbert Shelton
… who was a health educator, pacifist and vegetarian. He was an advocate of cures brought about by
fasting. Shelton promoted some of the
natural hygiene ideas that originated in the 1830s. Doolin was so impressed by Shelton’s
teachings that he donated $50,000 in 1959 to build a training facility.
Charles Elmer Doolin was a foodie! In the 1930s he operated a confectionary in
San Antonio, Texas. A confectionary is a
shop that sells chocolates and other sweet things. Doolin decided that he needed a salty corn
snack available to his customers! Think
how popular chocolate and salt is today!
I think he might have been a man ahead of his times! I’m glad!
While traveling, Doolin met a Mexican man in a gas
station. He was frying little corn chips
he made using masa. These ‘little fried
things’ soon became Fritos and Fritos became a popular household word! That was in 1932!
Doolin and his family were vegetarians and corn chips
fit their menu! He would get chips at
his factory before they were salted because the family didn’t consume
salt. His wife developed recipes for
using Fritos and I plan to share a few of those today! In 1961, Doolin’s Frito Company merged with
the Lays Potato Chip Company. Frito-Lay
was born and marketing exploded for the little corn chips!
My favorite way to eat Fritos is on top of chili or chili mac!
This recipe is really unusual, but it is important to
remember that Doolin’s family believed in purging and fasting as a remedy for
health issues. These ingredients might
have something to do with that notion!
Fritos Prune Whip
1 cup prune pulp
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
Dash of salt
¼ cup crushed Fritos
Whip the cream until stiff. Add the sugar and salt. Add the lemon juice to the prune pulp and
fold it into the cream. Chill and served
with crushed Fritos on top.
This was promoted as a Halloween refreshment! It is a little more standard and sounds appealing!
Fritos Chicken Breasts
Cut the breast of a boiled hen into four servings.
Wrap each portion with a piece of bacon and secure it
with a toothpick.
Dip in milk and egg and roll in crushed Fritos. Fry
until golden brown.
Fritos Veal Roll
¾ cup Fritos
2 ½ slices of bread
2 Tablespoons chopped onion
3 Tablespoons chopped celery
¼ cup stock
½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Soften bread in water.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Salt and pepper the steak. Place
2 cup of the dressing in the center, spread over steak and roll. Tie with string. Place in casserole and add ½ cup of
water. Cover and bake for 1 ½ hours at
325 degrees. Bake remaining dressing in
a greased pan to serve as a garnish.
At first glance, I thought this was a chocolate
brownie! Not!
Fritos Potato Brownie
6 medium baked potatoes
½ cup hot milk
2 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon paprika
½ cup crushed Fritos
Cut the potatoes in half and remove the centers. Mash and combine with other ingredients. Beat until light then fill the potato
shells. Top with the Fritos and place in
350 degree oven until hot. Serve with
a cheese sauce.
1950s Hostess Dip
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
3 tbsp milk
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp horseradish mustard
¾ tsp garlic salt
½ tsp paprika
Whip all the ingredients together and serve with Fritos!
This post is a part of my 2020 Vintage Vegetables project. Click the menu tab to see similar posts. I'm also sharing this with a couple blog parties, so take a look at the list on my side bar and hop on over to see all the partiers!
