Dad's Dishes

Hey fellas! I know it seems like most of the recipes we feature here on the Retro WW Experiment are geared towards the lady folks.

But today - I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite "manly meals".

If you want to keep dad "legal" for Father's Day, check out this delicious recipe any guy would love. It's like a day at the ballpark all rolled up in a Pyrex pie plate!

Frankfurter Pie

Or, if you really want to impress dad, why not make him a special gelatin mold? But, not just any mold for Heaven's sakes. Make him a man-sized DOUBLE DECKER tuna and lemon gelatin mold!

Tuna Lemon Veggie Double Decker Mold

And - If you want to serve dad a refreshing "legal" cocktail, try a Sober Ox on the Rocks. It's a beefy brew that'll put hair on both of your chests.

Hope everyone has a great Father's Day! I'll be celebrating the day with my super-cool Daddy-O...

Jersey Shore, early 1970's

We've always made such a great team!

The Second Annual Retro WW Guest Post Challenge!

I'm looking for a few brave souls. AGAIN...

Last year, I held a little guest blogging challenge for anyone who wanted to try their hand at Retro WW cooking, and thirteen wonderful (and a little wacky) folks stepped up to the plate. I have to admit it was a blast. We all lived to tell about it, and made some new friends in the process. So we're doing it again!  

Are you a Retro WW fan? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to whip up a gag-tastic Retro WW recipe and serve it up to your horrified friends and family?

Well now is your chance to officially join the Retro WW movement...

Here's the skinny:

1. Email or Tweet me and let me know you'd like to give it a whirl. I'll need your email address!
2. Let me know what type of recipe you'd like to try--be it snack, dessert, soup, main dish, mocktail, etc. -- I'll try to find and provide one to suit you.
3. Get the goods, get in the kitchen and get to work!

When it's done, just send me a short post (and a pic or two) and I'll add your Retro WW experiment to the bunch! I'll also be sure to link back to your blog (if applicable) if you link to mine. Blog pimping is highly encouraged, but non-bloggers are also welcome to participate!

Ladies and Gents--let's get ready to mold, roast, poach, whip and spread the Retro WW Love. I can't wait to see what we come up with this time.

Hold on to your girdles! It's gonna get crazy!

Wednesday Weirdness

This week, I revisited a creepy little chapter in the 1972 Revised WW Program Cookbook called "Unusual Fruit Salads".

If you've been a long-time follower of the Retro WW Experiment, you will probably recall the last time we entered this shameful chapter. It didn't turn out very well. There was lettuce. And cocktail sauce. And a banana. Glurp.

This time around, I concocted a different "Unusual Fruit Salad". I combined a teaspoon of gelatin and a 1/4 cup of bouillon - then added a diced apple. And a chopped dill pickle. Then I poured it all into a coffee mug, and chilled until set.

Hold up.

Did she say a dill pickle? And an apple? In a chicken bouillon jello mold? Yep. You betcha.

This salad has no name. It makes only one serving. It packs a hardcore pickle/chicken/apple flavor punch. And it looks kinda like a freaky little alien from the planet Jell-o. It also scared the bejesus out of my poor cat.

Can we be serious for a minute?

I am begging you. Please don't make this. Ever.

Now go hug your loved ones and be thankful you will never have to eat this.

It's Not About Cakes

About a year ago, the word "Caker" entered my vocabulary. From that day on, my life has never been the same.

I remember visiting the Caker Cooking blog for the first time. I fell in love. I saw rainbows. Karen Carpenter began to sing in my head. We've only just begun...

It would become my dream that one day, Caker Cooking and The Retro WW Experiment would be sharing horizons that are new to us. You know. Watching the signs along the way. Talking it over just the two of us. Anyway. You get the point. I really dig this blog, and I couldn't wait to team up.

So I recently stumbled upon a very "Cakerish" Retro WW recipe circa early 1980's, sent it along to my friend Brian at Caker Cooking, and dared him to give it a whirl.

Well guess what?

That's right. The Caker Cooking and Retro Weight Watchers worlds have collided in a scary union of Peanut Butter and Rice Krispy debauchery. So get over to the Caker Cooking blog right now and check out the renegade "Peanut Butter Cup Pie" Retro WW Recipe that is so "illegal", it was too scandalous to be published here.

Why? Because we don't use Peanut Butter on the 1972 Weight Watchers program, dear. I do believe you will get your ass thoroughly kicked by Jean Nidetch for that, my friend. 

On that note--I'll see you right back here later this week for a healthy dose of 1972 Retro WW gelatin, apple, pickle and chicken goodness. Totally legal.

Oh and  -Thanks Brian. You had me at Tomato Soup Cake. 

The Breakfast of Champions

Most mornings, I start my day with a strong cup of coffee. But when Summer arrives, and I get a chance to take a break from the daily grind - I like to greet the morning with a refreshingly festive Bloody Mary.

Now, I know this recipe has absolutely nothing to do with alcohol or Bloody Marys or anything enjoyable whatsoever. But it's my day off, it's a holiday weekend and I took many liberties with this one. So cut me some slack.

All Hail the 1974 Weight Watchers Recipe Cards

In an attempt to make the Jellied Tomato Refresher slightly more enticing, I adapted the ingredients just a bit. First of all, I ditched the tomato juice and used a zesty Bloody Mary mix. I also left out the beef bouillon cube and just spruced it up with some jazzy spices like chili powder and paprika. Oh--and instead of dehydrated green pepper flakes, I chopped some fresh green pepper and dropped it in right at the moment of final gel.

Did I add vodka? I'll never tell.

Yes, it is chunky. Yes, it tastes like a glass of curdled, cold tomato soup. No, there is absolutely no way to look classy while consuming this. Let's face it - it is basically a big ol' Bloody Mary jell-o shot.

But off I go, Jellied Tomato Refresher in hand, to be fabulous in my lounge chair.

Jealous?

Cornball Cake

During my days as a Retro Weight Watchers Gal -- I have made "cookies", "candy", "ice cream" and one time I even almost made a "pie". But the other day I realized that there is one dessert dish I have never made in the classic Retro Weight Watcher "Quotation Mark" style...

CAKE! Or as we like to call it: "CAKE".

So I found a wonderful cake recipe in my 1978 WW Hot Stuff Recipe Pamphlet, and got to work on it right away.

Strawberry Corny "Cake"

1 cup skim milk

2 tbsp artificial sweetener

1 ounce cornmeal

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

1 cup strawberries

Heat milk & sweetener and bring just to a boil in saucepan. Sprinkle cornmeal into milk gradually, and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat and cool. Stir in vanilla and egg. Fold in strawberries and turn into a baking dish. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes.

Here's a tip: don't bother pulling out your 9x13 pan. This cake is just a tad bit smaller than that. Luckily, I had a very teeny, tiny cake pan (thank you, Pyrex). For reference, here is a picture of the entire cake (before I baked it) sitting next to my cell phone. 

The good news is - you get to eat the entire thing! Yep. It is only one serving. Yeeehaw!

Ladies and gentlemen. Every so often, I stumble upon a Retro WW recipe that truly blows me away. It is so good, it makes me want to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. A recipe like this spans the generations and brings us all together! Modern day Weight Watchers girls can enjoy this entire cake for a mere 6 PointsPlus! Retro WW gals can rest assured that this is a perfectly legal way to eat cake. We can all hold hands and rejoice.

Cake is good. Cake is corny. Cake is our friend.

The Fellowship of the Pin

Funny story.

I was at work yesterday, having a casual conversation with one of my co-workers. We'll call her Peggy. She was telling me a story about her family, and we were chatting about life in general. You know. No big whoop.

At some point during our discussion, I noticed something shiny on her shirt. It was a pretty round brooch. It had gold swirlies with a tiny chip of diamond in the center. Upon further inspection, I realized it was the 1972 Weight Watchers 16-week award.

Holy. Flipping. Crap.

My eyes fixated on that thing like a fighter jet pilot locked on his target.

As Peggy told me a story about her grandson, I found myself staring at the pin and bursting with excitement. Where did she get it? Was she aware of its powers? Could I touch it???

So I waited for Peggy to pause from her story, and I jumped right in.

"Peggy." I said. Trying to sound calm. "Is that a 1972 Weight Watchers Pin? And if so, can I take a picture of it?"

The Precious

Luckily, she agreed. We laughed and shared some fun Retro WW stories. Turns out Peggy was a WW member as a teenager. She loved tuna, but never ate the liver, though. She joined with her mom and her sister back in the 1970's, and they all lost weight together. 

Peggy's story gave me a warm feeling inside as I thought about all the daughters and moms out there who have made Weight Watchers a "family affair". With Mother's Day approaching, I can't think of a better way to celebrate the female bond than to salute all of the women who have been inspired by their moms, daughters, sisters, aunts and best friends to get healthy and change their lives.

My mom has always been my role model. She's also my best friend and Weight Watchers buddy. We stick together through thick and thin. Then thick again and thin again. But mostly thin.

And there's nobody else I'd rather hang out with and share a carton of low fat cottage cheese.

Have a Happy & Healthy Mother's Day