"Hello Neighbor" was a 1960s radio show broadcast by KOA in Denver. The host was Maxine Mulvey, and she published annual cookbooks filled with the recipes sent to her by listeners.



Here are some unusual sandwich filling ideas.

In this first one, I suggest adding the dried cranberries. They didn't exist in 1962 when this cookbook was published.

Spiced Turkey Coconut Spread

2 cups finely chopped turkey
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce
(Dried cranberries)

Combine and chill. Serve as a spread for crisp crackers or a sandwich spread.

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I think the woman who invented this next recipe was desperate for something to feed a bunch of people and didn't have time to get to the store. I like how the instructions tell us how to assemble the sandwiches, and it's interesting that it makes 10 of them - a lot of mileage from a little bit of ingredients, almost biblical.

I would like to see the looks on the diners' faces when she served these up, and how long she could keep up the facade as she sat there beaming as if she'd really come up with something good to eat.

It doesn't sound like there is time for the moisture to draw from the cabbage so it would soften up and take up some flavor. But I haven't tried it, so what do I know. I would say if you were going to make a coleslaw-bacon sandwich, why not add some grated carrot and perhaps some raisins.

Chopped Cabbage and Bacon Sandwich

1 cup very finely chopped cabbage
2 slices crisply broiled bacon - chopped
10 slices buttered bread
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 tsp sugar

Crisp green cabbage is best for sandwich fillings; about 1/6 of a medium head will be required to make 1 cup chopped. Chop, do not shred or grate. Combine with the bacon, salt, mayonnaise, and sugar, mixing well. Spread on half the slices of buttered bread and top with the remaining slices.

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The submitter of this next recipe says "This is especially great for cocktail parties during Lent." That would be those folks who didn't give up boozing for Lent.


Tuna Canape Spread

1 large can tuna (that was when there was a choice in can size)
1 pound Colby or Longhorn cheese
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup mayonnaise

Melt the cheese until smooth in top of a double boiler. Add tuna, Worcestershire, and mayonnaise. Serve on small rye bread pieces.

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Something we don't see much of any more is the idea of heating up something and serving it on toast. Yes, like SOS (Shit on a Shingle), which is creamed dried beef for you young folks out there. I used to work with a woman who, judging from what she talked about regarding each previous night's supper, served something on toast at least five nights a week.

The woman who submitted this recipe to Hello Neighbor claimed it won a prize for her in the 1950s. I wonder what kind of contest it was.

Fast Day Feast

3 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
1 cup diced Longhorn cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup water (to rinse can)
8 slices fresh toast, buttered

Heat mushroom soup, water, and cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Add egg slices. Serve hot over the toast. This makes excellent cheese sauce for asparagus or cauliflower, served on toast.

In other words, put some cooked vegetables on the toast before you pour the heated sauce over it.



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I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for something different to try for potato salad. The only thing different from my usual is the addition of the cucumber and tomato, but it's worth a try. The paprika sprinkled on top is very 60s.


Old Fashioned Potato Salad

2 cups diced cooked potatoes
1/2 cup diced cucumbers
1/4 cup diced sweet pickles
1/4 cup diced celery
2 medium diced tomatoes
1 tsp finely chopped onions
2 hard boiled eggs
Salt and pepper
Mayonnaise
2 hard boiled eggs for garnish
Paprika

Combine the first eight ingredients and mix well. Add mayonnaise and mix well. Place in a nice serving bowl and slice the hard boiled eggs on top for garnish and sprinkle with paprika, and if you wish, a few celery leaves around the edge. Makes a pretty salad and serves 4 to 5.

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There is another recipe where you make a crown roast using sausages that you run a string through (using a giant needle?) and put bread dressing with 1 cup mashed potatoes stirred into it in the middle. You tie it together and roast it for about 40 minutes at 375 degrees. Serve with coleslaw.

This is what a crown roast is supposed to look like:



Maybe I'll try it with hotdogs some time, except lately I'm on this little personal mission, the theme of which is 'hotdogs will kill me, even just one' so I have to wait for that to pass.