Melody's Luau Lulu

A super unusual sandwich from 1960!

This last post in my Hawaii inspired series is one of the most unusual sandwiches I've ever eaten. I know the ingredients are probably going to be a bit of a hard sell to some readers - even I was pretty dubious about how it would actually taste! - but trust me, this treat from 1960 is definitely not to be missed. 

But I can't take credit for discovering this unicorn of a sandwich. I was first introduced to it by reading The Mid-Century Menu, one of my favorite historic cooking blogs. If you aren't reading Retro Ruth's stuff, you're really missing out! Check out her post about the Luau Lulu, and read on to see how our version turned out!

Maryellen's Pineapple Jello Rings & Piña Colada Molded Salad

Two gelatin desserts for the price of one!

It just wouldn't be a trip through the 20th Century without at least one recipe spotlighting the ubiquitous gelatin, right? Well, I've got two for you today: one straight out of the 1950's, and one that's a little more modern. Ironically, I liked the older recipe significantly better than the modern one, enough that I'm planning on bringing it along to my friend's 1970's themed house warming party in a few weeks. Can you guess which one is which? 

Both recipes also feature canned pineapple, and while that treat had been enjoyed by Americans since the turn of the 20th Century when James Dole opened his pineapple plantation on Oahu, it really found new life in the 1950's and 60's. Read on to see how this fruity treat could be adapted to pretty much anything your heart desired.

A Trip to the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum's WWII Weekend

Three whole days of living history, air shows, and flea markets!

Three years ago, when my sister was graduating from the University of Pittsburgh, I got my paws on a flyer for an event: World War II Weekend at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania. The flyer boasted that it was a three day event filled with an air show, rides in vintage warbirds, reenactors, a swing dance, and much, much more. 

Anyone who's been reading this blog for more than a few weeks - or who knows me in real life! - knows that my favorite era to study and teach others about is World War II, so of course I immediately wanted to go. Unfortunately, Reading is just far enough away from my parent's house, DC, and where I now live post-grad school that it was always a hard sell to folks to hike out that way with me. Fortunately, my wife is also very into World War II history and doesn't mind long car rides, so this year, we packed up our bags (and Molly and Nanea) to go check out the 29th Annual WWII Weekend!

Molly's Hawaiian Banana Bread

A banana bread recipe from 1943!

It's been a while since we turned to the book that inspired many a childhood fantasy of fancy themed parties with historically accurate games, crafts and food: The American Girl Party Book was something I frequently flipped through to admire all the fun party ideas as a kiddo. My mom and grandma helped organize and throw my really amazing ninth birthday party with lots of ideas straight from this book, and it's still provided a lot of inspiration for posts for the blog... as well as future themed parties once I finally have a living space (and paycheck) big enough to entertain and decorate the way I'd like to. 

One of the Molly parties is themed around Hawaii, offering suggestions for making your own leis, tropical themed drinks and snacks, as well as invitations and games. Just as Samantha's Nutting Party or Felicity's Twelfth Night Party are representative of actual parties people in the past celebrated, Molly's Hawaiian themed party is wholly authentic to the 1940's, and features recipes that are just as "faux Hawaii" as the recipes marketed in home magazines, advertisements, and cookbooks of the period were. Read on to find out more about this trend!

Nanea's Pineapple Nut Cake

Authentically Hawaiian, starring some of the most famous imports to the islands!

If you guessed pineapple after reading my last post, you'd be right! There was no way to avoid the pineapple in this little month long feature I'm running, and really, why would you want to? They're delicious, and extremely versatile in dessert, drinks, and much more. They're a great source of Vitamin C, although if you eat too much of it in one sitting, you can end up burning your mouth thanks to the bromelain enzyme, which digests protein. 

That's right: your pineapple is taking a bite out of you while you eat it! 

This very dense cake also guest stars a second famous "Hawaiian" ingredient, and it comes from my favorite Hawaiian cookbook. I bet some of my readers remember which one that is! Read on to find out how to make it yourself.

Rebecca's Banana Drop Cookies

A perfect way to use up ripe bananas!

Summer is already here in the Mid-Atlantic, which means this month I'm breaking out some appropriately tropics inspired recipes to share with all of you! 

As long time readers know, a lot of my research during my graduate program centered on the tiki bar and tiki culture, the Polynesia inspired craze that swept America in the midcentury and shaped American's perceptions of what life was like in the tropics. You can read some more about my research in last year's post about Crab Rangoon dip. 

But tiki bars weren't the only ways Americans expressed their obsession with Polynesia, as the next several posts on this blog will reveal. Hawaiian inspired recipes were a staple of the 20th Century, from 1960's luau themed parties and countless recipes spotlighting pineapple. This early example of Americans using Hawaii as an inspiration for recipe writing comes from the late 1910's, and results in a fluffy, delicious cookie that's definitely going to be a hit with your friends and family.

Kaya's Smoked Salmon Scrambled Eggs

The star of this Kaya inspired breakfast!

Kaya is one of my favorite historical dolls. That may sound silly because I genuinely love all of AG's historical characters, but Kaya has always had a special place in my heart. Her books are great, and she goes through a real journey, learning how to become less selfish and what makes a good leader. Her collection enchanted me from the second I saw her in the catalog for the first time, especially because I'd had to do a major research project on the Nez Perce a few years before she was released! Seeing so much of what I'd studied come to life in doll form was really exciting, and even though I was starting to feel a little too old for dolls (if only middle school me could see me now!), I asked for her for Christmas. 

But something that's always disappointed me is that despite how well researched and crafted her stories and collections were, she missed out on the neat supplemental material the Pleasant Company produced for their historical characters like craft books... and cook books! I'm still slowly working through making the recipes from the Pleasant Company cook books, but had the idea that I'd try my hand at making a Kaya inspired breakfast the way it might have appeared in an official American Girl cook book. 

The main course? Smoked salmon scrambled eggs, of course!