This is an ad from the WWII era, the points referred to are the ration points that you had to stretch and make go as far as possible. Actually we really like SPAM, fried and baked and with leftover dressing and veggies this would make a very tasty meal.
I remember Spam only too clearly. We seemed to have it every meal time in one form or another. I'm with Jane when she says she'd prefer the toothpick. It certainly had a taste all of its own and to this day I can't say that it ever tasted of pork to me.
Quote "to this day I can't say that it ever tasted of pork to me." Me neither Eileen but the coupons went a lot further for Spam than for fresh meat. Memory wandering, I can remember getting large tins of dried egg distributed at school and gifted from America.......a belated thanks to our friends across the pond.
I remember the days of extreme frugality but SPAM was never among them. Salted yellow fish was and I figure eating that equated to SPAM But an interesting flashback of what was.
I was born in '46, so missed most of the rationing. We had a very large garden, tended by my grandparents and daddy (and me, when they thought I'd do more good than damage), and we lived in a town surrounded by farms. Swapping, trading, and getting foodstuffs from farms was the norm, rationing or no rationing. I do remember Mama saying that sugar was hard to come by, and that Daddy had a special stamp to get tires for his car, since he had an "essential position." He was foreman in a factory that made tank parts. I don't remember Spam, but I do remember a lot of imaginative dishes, dreamed up of what was available. I still make my mama's version of goulash occasionally--basically hamburger, ketchup, bell peppers, and some elbow macaroni. I know, it wasn't goulash, but it filled us up and tasted pretty good. Raddang, if the gift of dried eggs helped us have members like you, we should have sent more!
My boyfriend recently bought some cans of Spam. Straight from the can it smells, looks, and tastes like dog food. But once it's heated, it's actually pretty good.
We like it ..... sliced thin and pan fried in an ungreased frying pan until a little crunchy but not hard as a board..... slice (but not all the way through), place in a baking dish, spreading the slices out like a fan and cover with a mixture of either catchup and brown sugar or mustard and brown sugar and bake until hot. Bip, what are you doing eating dog food?????
Trust me... it is edible if you are hungry enough. My MIL made a version of this though... it was thin sliced turkey lunch meat stuffed with stuffing covered in canned chicken soup... oh the sodium. isn't there a puke button here somewhere?
How about scalloped potatoes with 1/2 can diced spam? The other half mixed in with boxed macaroni and cheese the next day? 2 meals from 1 can!
Ooooh, I wish, the scalloped potatoes and Spam sound good, but hubby doesn't eat carbs any more so spuds and noodles are off the grocery list......but if I fix some for me and fry up a burger pattie for him then we could both enjoy ourselves.
I still do the goulash too but slightly different recipe. I use tomato sauce and chili powder in mine. I still love it. I call myself the queen of frugal cooking. Yes I still use Spam in several things. Toni you cook similar to the way I do. Try grating the Spam into a bowl and add minced onion, relish boiled egg and Miracle Whip for ham salad sandwiches or stuff it into half a fresh tomato shell for a salad or put the halves in a casserole dish, top with your favorite cheese and bake for 20 minutes, Makes a nice lunch. Spam and potato casserole similar to scalloped potatoes ,, line a casserole dish with sliced cooked potatoes add chopped onion and diced spam. mix one can of cream of mushroom soup with half can of water, add a half cup of sour cream and mix,,pour over potatoes and spam, top with Panko bread crumbs and Monterrey Jack and cheddar cheese or your favorite and bake til hot and top is crisp and bubbly. Adjust the sauce to the amount you want to make. You do not want it drowning in sauce so if making a casserole for two use maybe half that amount. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with just a side salad.
That is a really nice comment MG, thank you. I was between 5 and 11 through WWII. We had a USAF base nearby and we would collect the cigarette packets from the servicemen. These had friendly and enemy aircraft identification silhouettes on them and we could identify any aircraft in the sky. We had a superfortress crash land not too far away and..........I had better stop there......memories,,,,
The post about the special stamp for tires reminded me of my Grandparent's entrepreneurial spirit. They were very active during WW2. Mostly in the black market. Tires were scarce in the Big City, but plentiful in sparcely populated areas thanks to the efficiency of Federal distribution. My Grandfather would drive to the little towns in west Texas and buy tires (they had plenty and a couple of extra dollars bypassed the need for those pesky ration stamps) and haul them back to Dallas. He sold them there for a tidy profit. Since my Grandparents lived on a farm, they had plenty of milk (which soon became butter), eggs, and meat (both beef and pork). My Grandnother would take their bounty to town and trade for flour, coffee, sugar, and other staples. My Grandparents probably ate, and lived, better than most during the war.
