Oh friends,
My mother just called me laughing so hard she was crying…and then when she finally was able to breathe clearly enough to tell me why, I joined her and it started all over again.
My dad is kind of a pack rat. His dad was even worse! So for the past year or so, my dad, uncle, and aunt have been sorting through books and magazines that their father had still when he passed away years ago. Somehow it took this long for them to get to all these books…but that’s a boring long story that I’ll spare you.
My parents are at the lake where most of these old gems are kept, and Mom found a real doozie today.
Some of the reading material from way back when is really hilarious. Lots of it is offensive, and this one…well i don’t even know what category to put it in since it’s actually both!
So for your delight, and perhaps your dinner in a case of desperation or famine…I bring you from Better Homes and Gardens 1947….
Ham Banana Bake
Ham-Banana Bake
“Firm, whole bananas wrapped in ham, baked in cheese sauce” –
6 bananas
6 thin slices boiled ham
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
2 tablespoons butter or fat
2 tablespoons enriched flour
1 cup milk
1 cup grated American cheese
Peel bananas. Spread ham slices with mustard. Wrap a slice around each banana. Arrange in greased shallow baking dish. Melt butter; add flour; blend. Gradually add milk. Cook over low heat until thick and smooth, stirring constantly. Add cheese. Stir until melted. Pour over ham-banana rolls. Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) 30 minutes. Serves 6. – Mrs. James P. Kelly, Detroit, Michigan. (who actually won an honorable mention for this recipe)
Bringing you love, recipes, and a side of vomit today,
Logan
PS. So, the bigger question is…what would you serve with this tasty entree?! Best idea as decided by myself and my mom, wins this pair of really awesome wood and porcelain earrings that I made today (they’re about 2 1/2″ long)….bring on your ideas! I’ll give you all til 5pm on Tuesday Feb 1 to comment!
*** The winner is Kelli! I have to tell you all…as much as the calf hoof aspic makes me want to wretch, and as much as real sides could potentially salvage a meal like this, the winner of this (my very first contest) goes to Kelli and the hot dog soup. It, like the ham banana bake, reeks of gross Americana and more mortifying to me is that it was shared with Kelli as a real suggestion of a meal. So Kelli, shoot me an email with your address and I’ll mail you your earrings! And just in case you all needed a visual of what appears to be hot dog soup, my sister unearthed one from a book called “Regrettable Foods.”
I do want to add though since Ashlee posted that something similar was made to the Ham-Banana bake on Iron Chef America, I will indeed be testing the recipe. More to come…
Oh Logan…if only I could post a copy of a receipe a friend of mine shared for Hot-Dog Soup…it sounds about like your receipe…Hot Dog Soup and Ham-Banna Bake…wouldn't that be a tasty treat!!
Love your blog, Logan!! This is so funny and reminds me of something my grandmother who loved to entertain would have made. Id suggest Julia Child's calf hoof aspic to accompany such a treasure!
oh man….got some gems going here. Kinda makes me want to wretch just thinking of them all!
I'd go with Cliff Huxtable's (Cosby Show) soup made with cow tongue – for added flavor and cabbage.
Oh thats a tough one… What do you make with that kind of dinner??? If I had to serve that, I would make bisquick biscuits and a side of rice and a nice big Salad full of feta, red peppers, raw broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes and chunks of provolone cheese. Then perhaps I would not have too eat too much of the casserole! Ha!! LOL
I think I would serve it with some broccoli? Who knows what would be good! But you know, someone JUST made something just like this on Iron Chef America last week (battle Gruyere cheese) — too funny and ironic!
My mom was always trying new and different recipes … and usually had excellent instincts. But when she proudly made Ham-Banana Bake for us sometime in the mid-1950s, it immediately shot to the top of a VERY SHORT list of food that none of us children would eat. “Ham & Bananas” became one of the longest-running joke stories in our family. It’s a classic … a gag (literally!) with every bite.
A while back, I searched and found the actual Better Homes & Gardens cookbook page on the web: http://www.flickr.com/photos/84904494@N00/3976048506/in/set-72157622469736190/ , posted by a kind person who put the entire cookbook on Flickr.