Grandma’s ‘Egg Surprise’ and 9 More Dishes Families Still Make From Tight-Budget Years

What my grandma called, “egg surprise.” She’d boil an egg and the surprise would be if it was hardboiled, softboiled, or basically raw. It was the only thing she could “cook.”

What’s in it: one egg, boiled for as long as Grandma decided.

“I also made the depression era peanut butter bread!”

I also understand why it is the way it is as well, just having to work with what one might have on hand.

My mother does not believe in measuring things and it kills me lol.

What’s in it: flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, milk, peanut butter.

“Salmon patties” were a family delicacy that it turns out is a can of salmon, a sleeve of saltines, and an egg (plus your seasoning) formed into patties and fried. My dad learned it from nostalgia because his mom made them to feed 8 kids. So now I have it down the chain of nostalgia > nostalgia > poverty

It took me many years before I realized they were basically fish meatball with more filler.

What’s in it: a can of salmon, a sleeve of saltines, an egg

“I decided to make some Great Depression era soup”

My grandma told me about her mom making this during the Great Depression. I believe it’s called Mulligan or Hobo stew. Basically, when you don’t have a lot of money but you need to feed a lot of people. You gather up a bunch of cheap ingredients to make a big pot of soup that can last for days.

This is an 8 qt pot and I filled it to the absolute top. I actually had to take some out because it was overflowing.

I had two full bowls of it tonight and got my meal prep for the entire week.

What’s in it: cabbage, rice, lentils, canned tomatoes, carrots

“Grandma’s Depression Era Chocolate Cake — no eggs, no dairy (except the frosting). Grew up eating it and it’s my favorite cake!”

The cake rises from the reaction of the baking soda and the apple cider vinegar.

I ate this my whole life and was fully in my twenties before I realized it was vegan.

What’s in it: flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, oil, vinegar, water

When my dad was a kid during the depression, his mother never wasted anything. If all they had were chicken feet that’s what they ate.

So she sends him to school with a fried pepper and egg sandwich on stale homemade Italian bread. He’d come home begging for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich like the American kids had.

He’s telling us, a generation raised on PBJ, this story and we’re all, ooooh, peppers and eggs, that sounds delicious!

What’s in it: fried peppers, eggs, stale homemade Italian bread

I was always so excited when mom pulled out the can of cheese soup and saltines! We’d get our own sleeve, and she would add 1 can worth of milk and a can worth water to the soup and when it bubbled, it could feed the 3 of us that were eating (my dad worked 16 hour days and was not home for dinner most nights.

I didn’t recognize until years later that it was usually a Thursday meal. Because Friday was payday.

What’s in it: canned cheese soup, milk, water, a sleeve of saltines each

My mom used to make us “Rock & Tree” dinners. It was sliced potatoes fried up in a skillet then mixed with steamed broccoli served with a little mayo or sour cream dolloped on top.

As a kid I thought the name was hilarious and it was one of my favorite dinners.

It wasn’t until years later that I looked back and realized my dad was going back to school at the time, mom was working part time in a craft store and selling articles as a freelance journalist. With two young kids we were hella broke. Potatoes and broccoli were cheap and plentiful.

What’s in it: potatoes fried in a skillet, steamed broccoli, a little mayo or sour cream

Going to my parents’ friends’ house twice a month for dinner. The mom made incredible lasagna and their family of six and our family of 5 would eat like kings, salad, garlic bread, etc. The adults would play card while the kids watched movies.

Turns out they were pooling their money and ingredients from both houses to make it to have something special because it was so expensive for either family to do on their own. That was our “going out to eat”.

What’s in it: lasagna, salad, garlic bread, and ingredients from two kitchens

When my kids were little, I would get a whole chicken, a bag of potatoes, a bag of carrots, bag of celery.

The first night was roast chicken with potatoes, carrots and celery. The next night was soup with the leftover carcass boiled for broth, adding more veggies to whatever was left over. The next night it gets turned into chicken and dumplings. I used every bit of that small pile of groceries.

My son is 24 now and not that long ago we were talking about how that was one of his favorite meals. He loved chicken week, and I had to tell him it was because we were broke and it was the most food I could make for two preteens who ate like linebackers.

What’s in it: one whole chicken, potatoes, carrots, celery, dumplings