1950s



Serving 100 people 

Helen Reed’s Noodles and Chicken - Mary Masterson

Carrot Pudding - Bonnie Hilker

Luncheon Sandwiches - Grace Garrett

Polynesian Bundle Bake - Alice Harryman

Spritz - Marion Lundblade

Raspberry Cranberry Orange Salad - Kathryn Nystrom

Ribbon Fruit Salad - Dorotha Eagle

Date Duff - Marjorie Jaeger

Rhubarb Crunch Dessert - Ally Moore

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Irene Smith

Chicken Divan - Faye O’Brien

Barbecue Beef - Ethel Linger


Serving 100 People

The 1950s saw regular and well attended church dinners and luncheons at Trinity - usually serving close to 200 people.  This is a list used by the ladies of that time.

2 ½ lbs of coffee

6 gallons milke

18 lbs meat

50 lbs potatoes

15 #2 cans peas

4 gallons soup

3 lbs butter

6 long loaves bread

 1 ¼ lbs olives

25 heads lettuce

50 cantaloupes

100 ribs of beef

50 lbs beef tenderloin

15 lbs boiled boneless ham

20 lbs smoked ham

10 lbs cheese

2 ½ gal ice cream

8 average size cakes

18 average size pies

50 spring chickens, serving ½ fowl each

For chicken pie use 15 chickens

For hash, 12 lbs corned beef

For has 24 lbs potatoes

Helen Reed’s Noodles and Chicken

I spent many years in the 1950’s and 1960’s in the church kitchen, first joining Mrs. Linger.  She amazed me with her happy attitude and great organization in meal preparation.  I wanted to be like her!  Two other great mentors were Helen Reed and Alice Harryman.  I still make home made noodles with chicken “Helen Reed” style.  Fun desserts - tarts, petit fours and apple crisp were creations of Alice Harryman, and I felt privileged to help make them for luncheons she was in charge of.  

Mary Masterson

Serves 50

Chicken stock:

5 chickens

water

3 celery sticks

1 onion

Salt & pepper

Cook 5 chickens until tender.  Remove from kettle; cut up chicken.  Add 3 celery sticks, 1 onion (chopped fine) to chicken stock.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Noodles:

6 egg yolks

3 whole eggs

1 pint half & half

Several cups of flour (to make it sticky)

½ tsp baking powder for each cup of flour

Meanwhile make noodle.  Whisk 6 egg yolks and 3 whole eggs with 1 pint of half and half cream.  Add flour and ½ teaspoon baking powder for each cup to egg mixtures until the mixture is “just beyond sticky.”  Roll out dough on floured surface.  Cut dough into strips and drop into boiling chicken stock.  When noodles are tender, add chicken and simmer.

Carrot Pudding

This is a wonderful recipe my Mother, Jerry Whitmill gave to me when I was married 50 years ago.  Our family has enjoyed it all these years and I would like to share it with you.

Bonnie Hilker

1 cup carrots, shredded

1 cup potatoes, shredded

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup melted butter

1 cup flour

2 cups raisins

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp soda

1 tsp nutmeg

Mix together, wrap in foil and put in double boiler and steam 1 ½ hours with the lid on.  Serve with Lemon Sauce.

Lemon Sauce

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons corn starch

3 tablespoons lemon juice, 

grated rind of 1 lemon, 

2 tablespoons butter, 

¼ teaspoon vanilla

To sugar and cornstarch, add 1 ¼ cup boiling water, stirring constantly until thickened.

Blend in 3 tablespoons lemon juice, grated rind of 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons butter, ¼ teaspoon vanilla

Luncheon Sandwiches

Grace Garrett liked to go “all out” as she put it when entertaining the ladies for lunch.

½ cup ground chicken

¼ cup mayonnaise

1/8 tsp salt

2 tablespoons additional mayonnaise

4 teaspoons chopped toasted almond

1 tablespoon black olives

½ cup ground cooked ham

½ cup finely chopped pecans

2 hard cooked eggs, chopped

2 tablespoons pickle relish

½ teaspoon mustard

6 slices whole wheat bread

12 slices white bread

1 ¼ cup softened sharp cheese spread

5 teaspoons milk

Chicken salad:

Chicken, ¼ cup mayonnaise, almonds, chopped eggs

Ham Salad:

Ham, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, chopped eggs, mustarf

“Frosting”

Cheese spread, milk

Cut two circles out of each slice of bread with ah 2 ½” cutter or coffee pot lid.  Spread half the white circles with chicken salad, top with a wheat circle and spread with ham salad. Top with a white circle, “frost” and sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Polynesian Bundle Bake

3 cups hot cooked rice

¼ cup margarine

1 cup cubed cooked ham

1 cup pineapple chunks

1 cup thinly sliced green pepper

½ cup barbecue sauce

Aluminum foil

Combine rice and margarine, toss lightly.  Add ham, pineapple, green pepper and barbecue sauce.

Mix well.  Place individual servings of rice mixture on six squares of aluminum foil.  Bring corners together and twist.

Grill or bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Alice Harryman

Spritz

Marion Lundblade

2 ½ cups sifted flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 unbeaten egg

1 tsp vanilla

Sift flour with baking powder.  Cream butter and sugar.  Add salt.  Add egg and vanilla and mix well.  Add sifted dry ingredients in small amounts.

Mold with a cookie press or drop teaspoons on an ungreased baking sheet and flatten with a fork.  Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes.

Raspberry Cranberry Orange Salad

Kathryn Nystrom

2 packages raspberry Jello

1 ½ cup boiling water

1 package frozen raspberries

1 jar cranberry orange relish

1 cup ginger ale or 7-up

Dissolve Jello in boiling water.  Add other ingredients and set.

Ribbon Fruit Salad

Dorotha Eagle

Package red jello

Package green jello

#2 ½ can of fruit cocktail, drained, reserve the juice.

1 tablespoon gelatin

Package cream cheese

1 cup mayonnaise

Make on package of red jello in the usual way.  Add ½ of a #2 ½ can of fruit cocktail (drained).  Chill until almost solid.

Moisten 1 tablespoon gelatin in ¼ cup cold water.  Dissolve 3/4 cup hot syrup (juice from fruit cocktail).  Add one package of cream cheese, 1 cup mayonnaise, beat with egg beater until creamy.  Chill until almost solid. (Solidifies faster than Jello layers).

Make on package of green jello, and add the other half of the fruit cocktail.  Chill until almost solid.

This may be made in either a ring mold or a loaf pan.  As soon as the red layer is almost solid, add the almost solid second layer.  As soon as it is set, add the green layer. Unmold and serve on a lettuce leaf.  If a loaf mold is used, slice for individual servings.

Date Duff

Marjorie Jaeger

2 whole eggs

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup walnuts

1 cup stoned dates

Whipped cream

Mix and spread in a shallow pan.  Bake in a slow over (325 degrees). To serve, break in pieces and top with whipped cream.

Rhubarb Crunch Dessert

2 ½ cups diced rhubarb

2/3 cups white sugar

⅓ cup flour

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon nutmeg

Mix together and place in a buttered baking dish.  Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon nutmeg

Topping:

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup oatmeal

3/4 cups flour

3/4 cups margarine

Mix together until crumbly and sprinkle over rhubarb mixture.  Do not press down.  Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons water.

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until bubbly.

Ally Moore

** In the Spring of 1950, the church purchased a new brick parsonage at 456 8th Street.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 ½ cups unsifted all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup butter or margarine

¼ cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 4 oz package Jello instant vanilla pudding

12 oz chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts

Mix flour with baking soda.  Combine butter, the sugars, vanilla and pudding mix in large mixing bowl; beat until smooth and creamy.  Beat in eggs.  Gradually add flour mixture, then stir in chips and nuts.  (Batter will be stiff).  Drop by rounded teaspoons about 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.  Make about 7 dozen.  May use chocolate pudding.  

Irene Smith

**  In the 1950’s membership at Trinity was nearly 1,000 and 10,000 people listened to the Methodist weekly broadcast with Jack Gobble as announcer.

Chicken Divan

A favorite of Faye’s for ladies luncheons.

5 lbs chicken or chicken breasts

2 teaspoons salt

1 onion cut up

Few pieces of celery, cut up

Bay leaf

Allspice cloves

Cook in just enough water to cover with one bay leaf and a few whole allspice.  Bone and cut into large pieces.

Arrange 2  boxes of frozen, cooked broccoli in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish.  Sprinkle with 1 cup Parmesan cheese.  Arrange the chicken on top of the cheese.

To 4 cups medium white sauce add:

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup whipping cream

3 tablespoons sherry wine

1 teaspoon Worchestershire 

Pour sauce over chicken.  Bake at 350 degrees for about ½ hour.

Hint:  If you cook the chicken the day before and refrigerate it in the broth it will be more flavorful.  

Faye O’Brien

Barbecue Beef

2 lbs ground beef

1 cup chopped green pepper

1 cup chopped onion

2 cups chopped celery

1 cup catsup

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce

Salt, pepper and maybe a little garlic

Brown the meat, add the vegetables and other ingredients and cook until the vegetables are done.

Ethel Linger

**  May of 1950 saw the Idaho Conference held in Idaho Falls at Trinity.  There were 150 delegates present.

**  In the 1950’s Trinity’s pastor Henry Haines led a movement to open a second Methodist church in Idaho Falls.  Ethel Clark is credited with naming it St. Paul’s.

Fishermen's Club Memories …   Marv Eld

I was part of the Fishermen’s Club from the late 50’s to the late 60’s.  We met on a Tuesday evening each month right after work.  We had dinner together, prepared by the church ladies.  After dinner about 7:00 p. M., we would pair up with another fellow.  The minister would hand out two or three names of new members or people who just needed a visit.  Each team would return to the church about 8:30, have a treat or dessert, pay for their dinner and report on our visits.  Many nights we would field five to ten teams.  There are still members at Trinity that we called on way back then.

In 1958 a large group of construction workers came to Idaho Falls from Newport News, Virginia.  We had about 20 families of Southern Methodists who expected the Methodist church to center their lives.  They were here for three years, building A1W.  Several of the men were active in the Fishermen’s Club.

During this time, Trinity also had monthly church dinners and Mary Dawson Hall would usually be filled.  For many of us this was the family dining-out night.

During the 60’s and 70’s we had several “Groups of twelve” that met in homes every week.  We had four or five groups going at the same time.

      Trinity United Methodist Church; 237 N. Water Ave. Idaho Falls, ID 83402                   208-522-7921        TrinityUMCIdahoFalls@gmail.com