🍲 Beans & Cornbread (Depression-era staple)
Why people swore by it:
Super cheap, super filling, and you could feed a whole family with a pot of beans.
Ingredients (basic version)
1 lb dried pinto beans (or any dried beans)
Water
Salt & pepper
Optional: onion, garlic, bay leaf, a little oil
Cornbread (boxed mix or homemade)
How to make it
Soak beans overnight (or quick-boil 10 minutes, then rest 1 hour).
Drain, add fresh water, bring to a boil.
Simmer 1.5–2 hours until soft.
Salt at the end. Add onion/garlic if you’ve got it.
Serve with cornbread. Some folks crumble the cornbread right into the beans.
🥔 Fried Potatoes & Onions
Why people swore by it:
Potatoes were cheap, filling, and always around.
Ingredients
3–4 potatoes, sliced
1 onion, sliced
Oil or butter
Salt & pepper
How to make it
Heat oil in a pan.
Add potatoes, cook until golden and soft (10–15 min).
Add onions, cook until caramelized.
Salt & pepper.
Optional: crack an egg on top or eat with bread.
🥫 Tuna Casserole (1950s–60s hard-times classic)
Why people swore by it:
Canned tuna + pasta = cheap protein that lasts days.
Ingredients
2 cups cooked pasta
1–2 cans tuna (drained)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
A splash of milk
Optional: peas or corn
Salt & pepper
Optional topping: breadcrumbs or crushed crackers
How to make it
Mix everything together.
Put in a baking dish.
Top with crumbs if you want crunch.
Bake at 180°C / 350°F for ~25 minutes.
If you remember anything specific your grandpa said — like “beans every Sunday,” “potatoes in a skillet,” or “that tuna thing in the oven” — tell me the clue and I’ll dial in the exact recipe he probably meant.
