Ideas for a Retro Party

[Amuse Bouche]

Having a housewarming party soon and I was thinking it would be fun to do a "retro" theme, since all that 50's stuff is so big right now. I don't bow to absolute authenticity, so my mom's suggestion of lime jello with cottage cheese is out, but I will make a jello mold (Gin and Tonic flavored -- I tried it last year for a housewarming party and it melted so I want to make another attempt with more gelatin). I'm also thinking -- pigs in a blanket, onion dip and veggies and chips, brownies, maybe some sort of teriyaki chicken pineapple skewers? What should we serve as a "theme" drink? Any other ideas for food or drinks?

[Carolyn Tillie]

Consider serving Rumaki - grilled chicken livers with a waterchestnut, wrapped in bacon. Oh, so 50s! And little meatballs on plastic swords. ChexMix also came into vogue then as well as Lipton Onion Soup mix made into dip. Casseroles were HUGE.

Beverage wise? Well first, you have to haunt your local thrift stores for a punch bowl. Alcoholic punch with fruit juice.

And Martinis or a whole bar for mixing one's own drink.

[Marlene]

I asked my mother what she drank in the 50's. She replied "Manhattan". I'm not sure if she meant she drank the city dry, or if she preferred the drink

[foodie52]

We had a 50's party just a couple of months ago.

It was potluck: here is what I remember seeing:

Spam chunks, pineapple chunks, and marshmallows, skewered and then broiled and stuck in grapefruit.

Spam casserole ( like tuna casserole, only better )

Barbie doll cake

Pineapple upside down cake

More casseroles, this time with peas and tuna and cream of mushroom soup.

Green beans with cream of mushroom soup and French's fried onions

Aspic: tomato jello with shredded cabbage. Truly disgusting, even 50 years later.

Jello mold containing cherry jello, a can of crushed pineapple and a jar of applesauce, with melted redhots in it, too. I actually found that recipe on line...

Gagging yet?

[Marlene]

meatloaf was very big in the 50's. Ugh. Beef Stroganoff with noodles. Baked ham or Roast beef, Sunday dinner. Stews. Potato Salad. Pot roasts were huge.

Try this What shall I cook tonight?

or 1950's recipes

[pnapoli]

i understand why you wrote "here's what i remember seeing" rather than "here's what i remember eating"

i hope for everyone's sake there was plenty of liqour at this party.

[Beto]

I thought you wanted people to enjoy themselves?

[Amuse Bouche]

LOL. That's why I decided to veer away from truly authentic into the "cool and retro but still tastes good" category. Maybe I'll make mini meatloafs (I make a mean meatloaf). But I also need to do some stuff for vegetarians/fish eaters. Definitely rumaki, though I might switch them for bacon wrapped dates stuffed with almonds, because those are some of my favorites. Keep the ideas coming!

[ned]

Check out this book:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...167363?v=glance

James Beard's Hors D'Oeuvre and Canapes.

[FistFullaRoux]

I've seen TV dinner trays for sale, but I don't remember where. That may be a cool way to serve dinner, even though it's home cooked. Plop it on the aluminum tray, and give them one of those anodized aluminum glasses for their beverage of choice.

As a side note, I love those glasses. there's nothing quite like holding onto a metal container full of cold liquid on a hot day. And a can does not count.

Edited to add - If you are going to do soft drinks, they have to be in the old fashioned bottles. The 8oz curved green Coke bottle, or the longneck Pepsi/Dr Pepper bottles. Preferably iced down to within an inch of their lives.

Edited April 6, 2004 by FistFullaRoux (log)

[Marlene]

I've seen TV dinner trays for sale

I have a set of these. It was the first thing my mother gave me when I moved to my first apartment

[Mabelline]

For drinks, Tom Collins, too. My mama never drank much, but she'd do a Collins. Manhattans,Highballs, cocktails were very namecentric then. Sidecars. Singapore Slings. Grasshoppers. Salty Dogs. Greyhounds. Planter's Punch. And so on...you ought to be able to find something you can do in volume and save the prep time...the 50's were all about modern convenience for everyone!

[ludja]

Stingers for after dinner drinks.

(1 oz creme de menthe and 1 3/4 oz brandy; shake/stir with ice and strain)

[Pezchef]

Wiskey Sours sound kind of 50's ish.

I would make Chicken Tetrazzini or Chicken Divan or Maybe a potroast. Perhaps a chicken pot pie.

Peach Melba for dessert? or Baked Alaska?

[paul mitchell]

1) Jello mold

2) Twister

3) ..........big salad bowl for keys.

[hollywood]

Maybe you could go totally Tiki themed. Mai Tais, pu pu platters, all things Polynesian.

[Beto]

This keeps reminding me of that "Cooking with Dr. Pepper!" thread.

My dad's idea of entertaining is so 50's-ish. Think mini-wieners in BBQ sauce, velveeta fondue, cocktail onions and olives, and pigs in a blanket. The only thing missing is Esquivel and Herb Alpert on the HiFi.

Edited April 6, 2004 by Beto (log)

[pnapoli]

...the 50's were all about modern convenience for everyone!

that's right...a fine example being the shot dispenser. nothing screams good old fashioned fun like it. fill with your hard alcohol of choice, and you've got a party.

Edited April 7, 2004 by pnapoli (log)

[Mabelline]

Yep, at family do's we had a shot dispenser. His name was Uncle Paul.

[foodie52]

Haha: I like that about your uncle!

Hey: the Spam with pineapple and marshmallows tasted pretty darn good ! Don't knock it til you've tried it.

My advice: don't try to "gourmetize" this party. Enjoy it for what it is: retro , to a time where food was really, really weird....

Your guests will enjoy it.

And yes, I DID eat plenty at the party! If you only eat that stuff once a year, it tastes pretty good!!!

[auntdot]

How about a Welsh Rarebit?

Put the Rarebit in a chafing dish (really of the era) or heck, how about a slow cooker.

Put out toast, or a toaster for guests to do their own, and then have some sliced olives in a plate, sliced pickles, or other additives (pimentoes, crumbled bacon pieces, diced onions, or whatever seems intriguing).

Very, very retro.

And it doesn't taste bad and feeds a bunch of folk.

Just an idea.

[reesek]

cheese fondue! very retro, vegetarian and damn sexy...

[beans]

Think "Atomic Age."

Not sure to the accuracy/reliabilty factor here, but hopefully some of this will be fun to try out:

http://www.in-the-spirit.co.uk/50sClassicCocktails.html

http://www.in-the-spirit.co.uk/50sCocktailHour.html

http://www.in-the-spirit.co.uk/50sGlamour.html

[Mabelline]

Oh, yes fondue, for cheaps and tasty. I looked in my favorite 50's cookbook, and another couple of 50's things were Hawaian (not yet a state) and Smorgasbord.

If you do a themed open house, may I suggest the Oriental Trading Company for decor? It's downright cheap, and they have cool shit. Since I am too stoopid to provide a link, just go to that name. And have a good time! I think you will find that if you set a 50's mood, people will fall right into place with that ever-optimistic view we all had. Enjoy!!

[PopsicleToze]

Grilling was really fashionable.

You can serve your dishes in Tupperware

Definitely the Jell-o, and I liked someone's earlier suggestion about serving individual plates in the tin-TV-dinner compartment things. Swanson still makes them.

Tang, but that was the 60's I think