Until I started researching the year 1946, I did not realize what a "find" the cookbook I bought last weekend was! Check out the happy housewife on the left. The year before this cover was made, she was more than likely working because her husband was fighting in WWII. The war did not end until late 1945. And women across the country were employed, primarily in the "war effort". Technically, the Great Depression ended in 1940. But the effects of it lasted until the end of the war. This cookbook, then, came out at a time of tremendous flux in our nation - a time, not only of the birth of economic recovery, but also when our men were returning home from the front and women were returning to the kitchen.
Before I start preparing and sharing with you recipes from this pivotal year in our country's history, I want to share some facts about 1946 America. The average household salary was $2,500/year. Average home prices were less than $10,000. A gallon of gasoline cost 15 cents a gallon, and you could buy 3 cans of Campbell soup for 25 cents. Spam, which was invented largely to feed our men overseas, was heavily promoted in late 1945 to 1946 as an inexpensive and versatile meat. In fact, the back cover of the May 14, 1946 issue of Time magazine featured a Spam Upside Down Pie. With the introduction of Tupperware in the 1940's jello molds became all the rage. (The Jell-O Company was established in 1923 but was tremendously expanded in the 1940's through 60's). Frugality was essential in one's life choices. Many women were constantly mindful that, just a few years earlier, food was scarce and money, hard to come by. "The Kitchen Collaborator" - the cookbook I will be introducing you to - is a peek into what middle-class American women were cooking in 1946.
With average gas prices at $4.00 a gallon and 43 million Americans out of work, I see us at a time when a peek back at 1946 cooking could be an eye-opening experience. I hope you will tune in and enjoy the journey with me!
Until I started researching the year 1946, I did not realize what a "find" the cookbook I bought last weekend was! Check out the happy housewife on the left. The year before this cover was made, she was more than likely working because her husband was fighting in WWII. The war did not end until late 1945. And women across the country were employed, primarily in the "war effort". Technically, the Great Depression ended in 1940. But the effects of it lasted until the end of the war. This cookbook, then, came out at a time of tremendous flux in our nation - a time, not only of the birth of economic recovery, but also when our men were returning home from the front and women were returning to the kitchen. 
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