I’m beginning to think I should rename these posts My Someday Something, but hey, it’s Thursday somewhere. So today would have been my mom and dad‘s 50th anniversary, had of course they not gotten divorced 33 years ago and dad hadn’t passed almost 20 years ago. Even so, ever year I make sure to wish my mom a Happy Anniversary! Yeah, it’s a little weird, but it’s our little thing.
As a food blogger, it got me thinking, what was the most trendy food in the United States in each decade since my parents first tied the knot? And how could I reinvent these foods for my family? Here's a look at my top choice for each decade and some ideas I'll be trying real soon.
1960's - Beef Wellington
Trend: What could be better than a big honking piece of meat laid atop mushrooms and stuffed inside a crispy, buttery puff pastry? This dish was a meal fit for a king, all in one bite.
Remake: I'll par-cook a burger mixed with bacon and mushrooms, then top it with goat cheese and raspberry bbq sauce, and wrap it in puff pastry for an individual Cheeseburger Wellington.
1970's - Cheese Fondue
Trend: Put a hot pot of steaming, melty cheese in the middle of a table of hungry folks with sides of bread and vegis and you've got the makings of a wild swingers party. Hey, it was the 70's! And thanks to The Melting Pot, this classic dish is still alive and kicking. The swingers parties, not so much.
Remake: I recently started to make my own sourdough bread. So for my remake, let's try a broccoli cheese soup served inside a sourdough bread bowl with crumbled bacon on top.
1980's - Pudding Pops
Trend: These days, you'd be hard pressed to find a single episode of the Cosby Show on TV (for obvious reasons), but back in the 80's, Bill Cosby was the face of JELL-O Pudding Pops. Pudding is delicious enough, but put a stick in it and throw it in the freezer, and kids were losing their minds for these frozen delights.
Ramake: I'll make a modern take on this classic by making s'mores pudding pops. I'll layer into an ice cube tray chocolate pudding, graham cracker crumbs and marshmallow fluff, for a frozen campfire treat.
1990's - Hot Pockets
Trend: By the 90's most households had microwaves, and frozen microwavable snacks where on the rise. There wasn't a tv-watching soul who wasn't walking around with the "Hot Pockets" theme song stuck in their head. In just a few minutes, you could have a pizza in a pocket in your hand and be out the door to play with your friends.
Remake: My kids love their Mac 'n Cheese (check out my earlier blog post My Thursday Thing: Mac or Cheese). So I'm going to make a mac 'n cheese pocket using an egg roll wrapper and bake them until golden and crispy.
2000's - Cupcakes
Trend: In the first decade of the millennium, cupcake shops where all the rage. It seemed like there was a new shop opening on every corner. For the cost of a small house, you could get a cupcake topped with your favorite frosting piled 10 feet high. Oh, the sugar rush you could get.
Remake: I'm going to take another dessert classic, the cookie cake and combine it with the cupcake for a 2-in-1 sugary confection. I'll layer cookie dough in the bottom of a cupcake wrapper, then top with the cupcake batter. And I'll top it off with a cinnamon cookie crumb frosting. I've seen brownies and cookies combined before, but I'm not sure I've seen cupcakes and cookies combined.
2010's - Kale
Trend: Let's look at the trends from all these decades. Now let's play a game of "Which one's not like the others?" Let's look in the mirror people and be real honest with ourselves. This is strictly about trying to say we want to eat healthier. In the decades leading up to this one, we got lazy, we got fat. We supersized everything. Now we want to feel better so we're shoving anything green in a blender and calling it a meal. What else can I say about Kale?
Remake: This seems like the perfect time to reference a Seinfeld episode (which I do often in my life). For today's reference, I draw your attention to episode 86, "The Opposite". In this episode, George decides to do the opposite of his instincts in an attempt to change his luck. So for my remake, I'll just do the opposite of Kale and make a Poutine, using fries cooked in duck fat and smothered in gravy and cheese curds. Seems to be about the least healthiest dish I could make!
I wonder what the 2020's have in store for us! Guess we'll just have to wait 221 days to find out.