1950s LUNCHES 🥪 Easy lunch ideas from Betty Crocker recipes!

[@jackiehoward7300]

My husband and I celebrated our 23rd anniversary this weekend. Since he’s a fan of your channel, I got him a bundle of vintage cookbooks. He’s extremely pleased with them. Thank for the gift idea!

[@MaryHughes-ko4fj]

Congratulations!

[@jewels498]

Happy anniversary! My husband and I celebrated our 23rd in November ❤

[@gianni_descalzo]

So cute! Congratulations!

[@glorianelson9538]

@@MaryHughes-ko4fj How fun! Happy anniversary!

[@nannag5801]

Happy anniversary!

[@kathleenbriggs8791]

My grandmother used to say for lunch... soup, salad, sandwich... Choose two.

[@Trjlal]

Can’t believe how much I love that!! I wanna be like your grandmother 💕

[@cantstopsinging]

I added celery seed to the salmon mac salad..:)

[@merriemisfit8406]

Potato soup made with instant potato flakes was EXACTLY what I used as one of my valuable partners to help me pull through pneumonia over the last few months. There were slight ingredient variations over the run of the potato soup binge, but some of the things I really appreciated were (1) how I could squeeze some important extra calories into it (because I had no appetite and was barely eating any solid food) with margarine and half-and-half, (2) how I could squeeze some important extra nutrition into it by adding vegetables already on hand (including some delicious canned saag), and (3) how I could soothe my flaming sore throat (those tonsils were working extra hard processing all that trouble from the lungs) by putting a fine sprinkle of salt on top of the finished soup. Several nights some weeks I'd be up at midnight or one in the morning, making a bowl of this instant magic, because it would break up what I called "The Night Terror", when symptoms would crescendo and pummel me like a hurricane. After a big warm bowl, I'd brush my teeth and find a comfortable position to go back to peaceful sleep in. I'm much better this week. 😊

[@jenniferw1570]

Hello! Some peas could be a tasty addition to the first recipe. As much as american cheese is maligned, I like it and in my opinion, there are cases where it really works. The potato soup also looks super economical, and if you had leftover cooked bacon, crumble some on top along with croutons you could toast from leftover bread, maybe add some finely chopped broccoli in the beginning, if you had a piece hanging around. Another enjoyable video, my favorite is when you share details from the cookbooks at the end.

[@linnealemon3088]

Salmon Pasta salad comes together easily. The Cucumber crunch with the salmon was a nice combo.

[@beautifulvictory9683]

Open Face Sandwich: Very Scandinavian! Potato Soup: Could add diced canned potatoes for quick texture and...a little diced extra crispy bacon and/or shredded cheddar! 😊

[@auntyjulez9819]

I did not feel like cooking tonight so I made the potato soup. Easy and yummy! I doubled the potato flakes to make it a bit thicker and added some bacon bits and cheese.

[@yoohootube]

"I apologize for the thunder" - Anna in a toga holding a thunderbolt

[@cooking_the_books]

😂

[@bettywales6874]

Totally with you on the mug. Nothing more comforting when I'm sick than chicken soup sipped from a mug.

[@keriezy]

I really enjoy sipping a tomato basil soup!

[@serenatwilite4005]

I like the old Lipton Cream of Chicken soup mix in a mug. I remember it from my childhood in the 70's. It has a distinctly different, more homemade taste than any canned Cream of Chicken. So glad they're still making it after all these years, always makes me feel like I'm back in the 70's again.

[@imapip6313]

I love the idea cookbooks that have some stains and little remarks. To me it shows that it was used and enjoyed 😊

[@Georgina-lv9bt]

I've known about using mashed potato flakes for potato soup for years, the secret is in putting the right amount of flakes, too little makes it too thin, too much and it does thicken up too much. But once you find that balance you never go back, its my go to when its cold and I am seeking something warm and comforting.

[@glorianelson9538]

Anna, I have the 1974 version of this book and I can't begin to tell you how many recipes I made as a newlywed who had no idea whatsoever about cooking. I seem to remember making the potatoe flake soup and my husband didn't like it very much. I still have the book and I look back at my favorite recipes at the time, with fondness. Love your channel!

[@amyburl3826]

You’re so comforting to watch. Brings back my youth.

[@HeatherGemmen]

Anna, the use of one extra color besides black is called "spot color" in printing. It is/was a lot cheaper than four-color printing, which is used when including photographs. It took a lot of artistry on the part of the page designers to decide where to add spot color. Most especially in bound books, not the binder-style book here. Anyway, I agree with what you've said here in this video.

[@bandini22221]

I just discovered you and already love your channel.

[@cooking_the_books]

Hello and WELCOME! Glad you're here. ❤

[@biolbd]

Omg, I was given that cookbook as a wedding present (in 1983) from a very nice old lady. I love some of the recipes in that book! The Good Brown Stew is delicious!

[@biolbd]

Mine is the 1954 version, just like yours, but pretty beat up.

[@Katy32344]

I think I would use Swiss cheese on the sandwich. I think I would add some canned corn to the soup (and celery!)

[@AtomicChanteuse]

Can we chat a sec about your t-shirt with the teeny strawberries?? ADORABLE!!

[@cooking_the_books]

I found it at Old Navy last summer! They had a pink one printed with oranges too. Kinda kicking myself for not picking that one up as well. 😂

[@jacquelinebates7776]

I'm so happy to have discovered your channel. I grew up with these recipes and love the memories (also, plan to try them again). I'm so tired of some other channels where the hosts are always so astonished by the fact that we ate these foods AND lived to talk about them! There are still a lot of us who grew up in the 40's, 50's, and 60's! Keep up the good work!

[@mikesworldtv]

I just got this cookbook and I made the chicken fruit salad it came out really good in my opinion

[@dadyarusski4594]

Yay, that’s my book❤ Betty Crocker is very tasty☕️💕

[@kelligagnon8569]

The salmon salad would be really delicious with either dill, or Trader Joe’s Green Goddess seasoning added! 😋

[@cooking_the_books]

TJs Green Goddess seasoning is my fav! 😀

[@madcitywendy]

I can remember my mom going through an open-faced sandwich craze in the early-mid 70’s!

[@rebeccao8895]

My dear husband was born in 1954 and is STILL working. What about a luncheon series about lunch for taking to work? My husband is getting tired of PB & J and bologna.

[@thomasvee5021]

I like this idea as well. I pack my lunch everyday for work - I find that my diet is better managed by doing that. But I run out of ideas.

[@barbiec4312]

Ha ha. This sounds like you pack him PB&J and then give him “bologna”. 😂❤

[@abunchahooey]

Please don’t wait for Anna to possibly make a work lunch video, find and prepare some different lunch ideas for your poor husband before he retires! 😂

[@cooking_the_books]

I do have 'Lunchbox Ideas' on my list of videos I'd like to create!

[@leslieyancey5084]

Man, watching your videos makes me feel like I’m spending time with a good friend! It feels warm and comforting, cozy and intimate. I just love your energy, and that we share the same passion for vintage cookbooks!

[@cooking_the_books]

Thank you! So glad you enjoy my videos. ☺

[@paulandbenny]

I grew up eating macaroni salad this way. Tuna instead of salmon, celery, onion, boiled egg and mayo. Served chilled. Lots of Paprika and black pepper on top. Still one of my favorite foods.

[@draggonsgate]

My Mom used to make that macaroni salad using shrimp. She would use celery salt in place of regular salt because she liked the taste but not the stringy crunch. For the soup, I think if you add more flakes you can adjust the thickness to your own liking. My go to "quick" potato soup in winter... 1 box of scalloped potatoes made according to stove top directions plus 1 extra cup of milk,1/2 pkg diced ham (wallyworld) and 1/2 tsp pepper... run thru a blender or food processor, then run thru strainer if you want it extra smooth.

[@serenatwilite4005]

Thanks for telling about your quick potato soup recipe, sounds delicious!

[@brilliant5126]

I love your take on the self care and that quick soup. I also love your new green bowl. I acquired the large yellow Pyrex mixing bowl from my local thrift shop this week. I've been looking for that one for a long time in a shop. It reminds me of my dad. Every weekend, he used to make popcorn and fill that big bowl and sit and enjoy popcorn and sports on tv. He is gone now, and I never knew what happened to that bowl, but now I have one just like it! ❤

[@hollyaliyev6503]

When I took all my moms cook books apart to put in binders i did them so you can still see the photos, drawings, and advertisements, they are always so pretty or cool to see.

[@darlys1962]

The music you have chosen today is so cute and reminds me of TV shows like "What's My Line!" I, too, enjoy all the graphics design in the older cookbooks. Such treasures. Sure enjoyed the recipes today!

[@cooking_the_books]

I have so much fun choosing the music for my videos! 😂 Glad you enjoy it.

[@susanmccoy1992]

That cookbook came out the year I was born, and I can attest that I am no longer in pristine condition either 🙂 I'm definitely going to make the open-faced sandwich, and mulling over the salmon pasta salad. Thanks for the new video.

[@GingerSnapKitchen]

Anna, these recipes make me long for a time machine! I love what you’re doing over here! ❤

[@cooking_the_books]

Thank you Stephanie! Hope you have a great week. 🙂

[@MommaMakesCents]

I love your channel so much! (Even if my husband tells me NO MORE COOKBOOKS! every time I watch it.) I collect old cookbooks myself and get such joy watching you go through them also.

[@cooking_the_books]

Thank you! Glad you're enjoying my videos. ❤

[@cristywyndham-shaw5111]

The potato soup reminded me of cream of chicken Lipton Cup-a-Soup I used to make for myself when I came home from school. They didn't look great but tasted oh-so-good on a cold day. 😋

[@cooking_the_books]

I have that very soup in my pantry! 😂 I like to keep that one, the Spring Vegetable, and Chicken Noodle on hand for sipping.

[@cristywyndham-shaw5111]

@@cooking_the_books 😊🍵😊

[@CDForney]

My mom had that cookbook!! I think she still has it 🫣

[@kelvinh8327]

On a Sunday evening, with hymns playing on the radio, my mother used to grill open tomato sandwichs garnished with salt, cracked black pepper with a light sprinkling of white sugar. Delicious! 😊

[@cooking_the_books]

What a nice memory! ❤

[@dominique8233]

Anna you probably know but others may not but the design of the spatula that you were stirring the macaroni salad with in the first recipe is in two parts, usually. Most people don't realise the two parts come apart. Warning though, you will be shocked at the state of the spatula when you take it apart if it is a used one. I have replaced all my two part spatulas with designs that have one solid piece. But if they are pretty like your one you may need to include a bleaching session in your kitchen cleaning routine.

[@deyaneria]

I love your new green bowl.

[@abunchahooey]

I covet her cookware and dishes 😂

[@deyaneria]

@@abunchahooey I found I have a few of the same ones she does. I scour yardsales for old pyrex and corningware as well as old tupperware. But that green one is really eye catching!

[@janemartin229]

Your open-faced sandwich reminds me of an appetizer my M-I-L made years ago and we still like it. Take Ritz crackers, top with a slice of Roma tomato (it fits) and a thin square of cheese (I like cheddar) cut to fit. Stick it in the toaster oven until the cheese melts. Actually, I bet it would be even better with bacon!

[@cooking_the_books]

Sounds wonderful! 😋

[@deepthinker-k4m]

I have heard of using potato flakes as a quickie way to make potato soup. I saw this video the other day, and decided to give it a whirl, and it was delicious. I didn’t have any onion, but I did have butter and garlic and milk and I just made a huge batch of chicken broth that I wanted to use. I added a little cream cheese and American cheese and sour cream. This would be great topped with bacon and cheddar cheese, or green onion, too!. So much easier doing it this way than having to chop and peel and cook the potatoes. You have to have a lot of patience when you do potato soup with real potatoes.this is just so convenient and delicious and comforting. Thanks for sharing the recipe!. Also, I had one of those mini boxes of hashbrowns from the dollar tree, and after I dried them out after letting them soak in water, per instructions on the box, I sautéed them in a skillet for a little bit and then added them to the soup in addition to the potato flags. That will make it a little bit more substantial. They are all potato flakes, just dehydrated, potatoes, and the flakes and the shredded hashbrowns make it more substantial. I always try to personalize recipes that I see or watch.

[@rebeccajustis8826]

That potato soup was something i never considered, even though I've used potato flakes to thicken soups and stews. I always look at the other recipes on the page also.

[@DavidSmith-fv1jf]

mom had the '54 book. Have not seen it in almost 50 years! Thank you! Your work/shows are all enjoyable and relatable since we're from the mid-west.

[@LDFine]

Anna, your wonderful videos are beautiful additions to my Sundays! I hope you have a great week!

[@cooking_the_books]

Thank you! ❤ Hope you also have a great week.

[@risasklutteredkitchen1293]

If I am going to make lunch at home I go either with egg salad, deli sliced meats and cheese or leftovers microwaved. The Mac salad looked really good and yes, bacon, tomato and cheese is a fabulous combination. I always roast off a pound of bacon at one time. I refrigerate half and freeze half.

[@melaniefisher8823]

Alwaaaays enjoy your videos 😊

[@dianaw.571]

Never thought of adding salmon to a pasta salad. Sounds delicious with the cucumber. This cookbook was one of my first purchases with Betty Crocker coupons many years ago. Wish I still had it.

[@nuithlotte7840]

Personally, I haven't - yet - met a "cooled-down, lunchable carb" that did'nt go well with a bit of leftover/precooked salmon! *heart-eyes* #fish-lovers_unite!

[@cooking_the_books]

There are facsimile copies out there! amzn.to/4coEQou Might be worth checking out.

[@juliatepe5760]

Hi, I love salmon. Did you use fresh or canned? Thanks for your fun videos😊

[@adigmon]

I always look in recipe boxes and thumb through cookbooks to see if they have writing or recipes tucked away inside them. I always buy those. You know it was a well used book and such a gem to find someone’s handwritten recipes! I love sipping soup from a mug and I’m definitely making that open faced sandwich…especially when I have tomatoes from the garden! I eat tomato sandwiches every day when they’re in the garden. I love your channel and being reminded of simpler meals.

[@mirandamom1346]

Lunch is usually leftovers from dinner the night before for me, but that menu would certainly make a nice dinner too!

[@angelabyrd2131]

Thank you for this video. I made the salmon-pasta salad for my lunches at work this week. Had to substitute grated carrots for cucumbers and onion powder for the grated onion - use what you have - it is delicious. Took all of 10 minutes to make. Love your videos. I am cooking more recipes out of my vintage cookbooks and it is so enjoyable. I am going to get my grand-daughter involved on the weekends. I think she will love this. I need to find the Cookie Book - that might be more to her liking.

[@leeperkins963]

My grandmother was the queen of open-faced sandwiches. My favourite was always the bacon, tomato and cheese 😊❤

[@serenatwilite4005]

I'm all about more tasty ingredients and less bread, interesting to know there's other folks who feel the same way.

[@Standinthegap4ever]

Maybe a little chopped ham would be good in the soup.

[@GrandmatoRVSGCM]

Just love watching your videos so much! I love your kind of snark about “some of you don’t like…” you know there are people out there who are never happy and have no lives and this is all they have to complain about. I feel sorry for those people but you handle them very well!

[@CPcomments]

The potato soup sounds like one that would travel well in a thermos which is a big plus for me. Enjoyed the video.

[@dawng.8836]

I like that the potato soup flavor would change, depending on what package is used.

[@pamguyton4597]

So awesome you got the bowls so cheap! A set of the primary colored bowls (5 or 6) went for $150 at an aution we we at yesterday. I told my daughter we must cherish our set even though we use 1 bowl daily!

[@ChristopherDucra]

I do really enjoy your channel and these three recipes strike me as something Betty Draper would make for lunch while smoking and on the phone. I see nothing wrong with that.

[@bridgetttaylor2089]

The two-color printing was often cheaper back in the day because it was literally two inks - black and the 'spot' color. Pre-digital printing it was a lot more work to do four-color (full-color) printing. The spot colors were also easier to get consistent. This was a fun video, as always!

[@cherylsmith6953]

That salmon salad looks delicious

[@cooking_the_books]

It was so good! I loved the extra flavor the salmon added.

[@paulabailey9791]

The crunch of that open-faced sandwich! Wow.

[@cooking_the_books]

I still think about this sandwich. I need to make another one soon! 😋

[@gianni_descalzo]

Hey there, I have a cookbook suggestion for you to check out if you're interested! It's called "Where's Mom Now That I Need Her", by Betty Rae Frandsen, from 1983. It's filled with simple, great recipes in one half and adulting advice in the other. It's great for new cooks and new grownups learning to get by. Such a great little book!

[@Katy32344]

That sounds adorable!

[@robylove9190]

I am on a very strict low ( less than 1000 mg per day) sodium diet to try to get my blood pressure under control. Potatoes have no sodium and I like them without salt, so I make potato soup a lot. I make it with whole milk. I add onion and garlic powder and black pepper. I add more potato flakes because I like it thicker.

[@jbridges9574]

My mother ate the open faced sandwich for as long as she could remember (b. 1946) and then made it for us. It’s one of our favorite meals, but she layered it differently. Toast, cheese, tomato, and bacon on top. My mom and I thought my grandmother made these up. She’d be shocked to find out it was from a cookbook.

[@CreativeCrisis-Art]

I love your appreciation of old cookbooks! They are wonderful. 🙂

[@everunspokendreams]

Awesome! People say Betty Crocker wasn't real but honestly who cares! The women that were the makeup of her were real!

[@jessicacaraballo645]

Love the thunder sounds...also love the smiley spoon and new green bowl for st Patricks day 🍀 great recipe picks, never thought about putting instant potatoes in soup

[@dorothyrushforth888]

Oooo, you could add some finely chopped leek to the broth 😮❤

[@Shooshoobella7]

Thanks for the ideas, Anna. I actually love making that type of broiled open-faced sandwich. You can use so many different combinations with your choice of meat, cheese and other toppings and it's almost as good as a grilled panini, but without needing the press. And I do miss those midwestern thunderstorms sometimes.

[@annettefournier9655]

Thanks Anna. That potato soup is fast and definitely sippable. Don't feel like grating an onion? Then can just sub a tbs.of dried chopped chives. 🎉 even faster😃

[@Rhaenspots]

Aw yiss new videos from ya are the best part of Sundays! 😊

[@MizzBethiePage]

My great grandmother would make those tomato bacon sandwiches regularly during the summer because they were quick tasty and didn’t heat up the entire house. Couple differences tho the cheese was on top of the tomato and the bacon was raw and on top to cook. Most people I’ve met have never heard of them never mind tried them lol. So nice to see this recipe brought back wonderful ingredients

[@christinemurphy5118]

Great ideas, especially the soup. I can see myself making that on a rainy afternoon.

[@karenbraschayko6033]

Oh gosh, Anna, you got to me with this one! I had forgotten that I have this cookbook. My beloved great grandfather gave it to me when I was a teenager and becoming obsessed with cooking. It had belonged to my great grandmother, who I did not get to meet. I remember in junior high (in the 90s) my friend and I challenging each other to make recipes from it -- we both loved the butterscotch brownies. I pulled it out this evening after watching your video. Thank you for making this. :)

[@Susan-pu1xj]

I enjoyed this video, especially the potato soup and open face sandwich. You do a great job with the recipes, and I enjoy how you go through the cookbooks at the end. Your toaster oven is adorable.

[@carinknopfer4434]

I bought that lovely book as well too. The 1950s one. Love it

[@kelleykidder7787]

I make a tuna salad like that for lunches. I make it on a Sunday and we each get a couple of lunches to take to work.

[@susangholson960]

All 3 recipes looked great..i enjoy Betty Crocker cookbooks as well. Love your videos & tips.🌷

[@FlickiChicki]

The macaroni salad was common growing up from my dad - but only tuna, never ever salmon.

[@janelleclark4458]

Yes, my MIL made tuna macaroni salad for every summer picnic meal. With celery! I'm going to try the salmon version once we get into warmer weather.

[@sandytesch2029]

Great show today! Such a cute book and I agree how cool it is how the 54 and 62 books kinda of look the same.

[@donnagent6046]

I do the salad with tuna, onion, and shredded carrots.

[@conniethingstad1070]

that's where our family recipe came from! we add tomatoes and do tuna but my mom said they used salmon for years but went to tuna

[@moirad6579]

OMG Love that beautiful green bowl! ❤❤❤

[@brendadrury4414]

I add tuna fish to store bought mac and cheese for a quick lunch or dinner. My mom had made potato and onion soup that was great when we were ill.

[@rosebaby808]

Are you actually grating the onions on a box grader or chopping them finely with a knife? All these recipes look yummy, and I love the way you cook them.❤

[@RobynDavis-sj9tc]

Loved your sense of humor in this one😂love your recipes!

[@mmoretti]

Great choices, you brought it back to basics, showing the roots of what can be the more fussy modern versions of things like the pasta salad. A recipe that can be thrown together from pantry and fridge staples. The open faced sandwich looks great. And that simple easy to throw together potato soup. I agree it would be great in a mug, thrown together when you come home and need something to warm up, and it’s adaptable, use shallot instead of onion, maybe add garlic or a dash of nutmeg. This is an example of why I enjoy your videos so much Anna! Happy St Patrick’s day, by the way!

[@MICHELLE-gu2qc]

The salmon salad will be nice. I enjoy Salmon with mayo sandwiches. A pitch of dill herb and couple drops of lemon juice in the salad would be good too. I love tomatoes and cheese open toasties.

[@MyLifeRefining]

Anna, I’ve JUST discovered your channel and I freaking love it! I always see maaaaany vintage cookbooks while I’m thrifting and even though I LOVE cooking, LOVE vintage anything, and LOVE learning about how people ate before I was born (1981), as I comb through them the recipes often look repulsive and just do NOT make sense in my pretty experienced home cook brain. Your videos are so interesting and entertaining and who knows…maybe next time I’m thrifting I’ll be brave and give one a go. Thanks for your fun, entertaining, interesting channel and for sharing your GREAT personality with us!

[@rivermoon4825]

My mom makes tuna macaroni salad. Different ingredients but we love it.

[@tonytimdanes]

My Mom made the first salad a lot during the 70's and 80's. I always loved it. She used tuna in place of the salmon and used celery in hers. (I know, your favorite! ) Think I will make it this week. It's been awhile.

[@maryjanegibson7743]

Grated parmesan or cheddar would be a great addition to the potato soup. I always add one of them to my potato soups, along with some bacon.

[@Rei.Eatsfoods]

All these recipes sound delicious.I'm from Hawai'i so you mentioning Hawaiian mac salad, it's naturally my fav type of mac salad. I love your sweater btw

[@cooking_the_books]

Thank you!! There were lots of Hawaiian BBQ restaurants nearby when we lived in CA, and I got hooked on that delicious mac salad. 😋

[@adriennef4637]

Hmm, is that a pentagram Betty snuck on the New version? Betty's got a wild side😂

[@ladywytch129]

😂😂😂

[@dmbalsam]

Full color illustrations were very expensive at that time. Even children’s picture books had most illustrations in 2 colors.

[@kathrinekerns8398]

Wow! I love potato soup. I will definitely be trying this one. 😋😋😋

[@algini12]

That Macaroni Salmon salad was a treasure. Many variations, with different small pasta like I did and herbs can be used. I did the veal and it's a keeper and repeater for me. Didn't like the canned Salmon, but will try with fresh Salmon. Simple and easy are watch words for me. Hope to see more of these from you. And I doubt you will disappoint. 😋

[@jmonta21]

I’m always so thrilled to see your videos in my feed!

[@cecoya]

I love the old vintage cookbooks, they have everything in them. They include how to get stains out of things, different ways to do them and how to do them. I am always on the hunt for vintage cookbooks. Funny you mention Panera I was an over night baker there for a decade. Thank you for sharing this and have a wonderful day.

[@raneylee9617]

I just got my mom’s 1950 Betty Crocker original edition and have been cooking up a storm! Everything tastes like my grandma and mom. I love it so much. Just found your channel and been watching. ❤

[@cooking_the_books]

Thank you for watching and WELCOME! Happy to have you here! 😊

[@aprilcarmen2492]

These recipes are good examples of good food can be simple.