A MEAL FOR THE CHANGING AMERICAN HOME
How a Thanksgiving Dinner Mix-Up Led to the TV Dinner
Would you believe that Thanksgiving dinner — a meal dedicated to home cooking, family time, and, well, being thankful — was directly responsible for the invention of the TV dinner, the ultimate manifestation of the solitary, processed meal? If you are a little suspicious of that fact, you are not alone. But, the connection is real. Those little frozen meals on trays were the result of a Turkey Day mix-up of epic proportions. The year was 1953. That fall, the frozen food company C.A. Swanson & Sons drastically overestimated how many Americans would want a turkey as the centerpiece of their Thanksgiving spread, leaving them with about 260 tons of extra turkey packed into 10 refrigerated railroad cars. They needed a way to sell this surplus quickly because they had to keep running the train cars back and forth between the East Coast and the Midwest to generate the electricity needed to keep the turkey from spoiling. The company sent out a bulletin asking if any of their employees had a solution to the problem. Swanson salesman Gerry Thomas had a winning idea. He suggested they package up the remaining turkey with a few sides as frozen dinners that would be ready to eat after being thawed. The twist? They would be served in compartmentalized aluminum trays, much like airplane meals, which were the inspiration for Thomas’ idea. Additionally, they would be marketed as “TV dinners,” with their packaging designed to look like a television set.
By 1954, roughly half of American households had TVs. Over the next 10 years, that figure jumped to 92%. As the TV rose in prominence in American living rooms, the TV dinner’s popularity increased exponentially. Swanson sold nearly 10 million of them during the first year of production. By 1959, Americans spent half a billion dollars gobbling up TV dinners. Several other phenomena have been linked to the advent of the TVdinner, such as the erosion of the traditional family dinner and a preference for TV entertainment over family conversation during mealtime. It is hard to believe it all happened because of one Thanksgiving Day with too much turkey!
DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BUNDT
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directions
Ingredients
1. Prepare cake: Preheat oven to 350 F. Generously grease 12-cup Bundt pan and dust with 1/4 cup cocoa. Into large
For the cake • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa, divided • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar • 2 tsp baking soda • 1 tsp baking powder • 1 tsp salt • 1 cup buttermilk • 1 cup strong coffee, cold • 2/3 cup vegetable oil • 2 large eggs • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract For the glaze • 3 oz semisweet chocolate, melted • 4 tbsp butter, melted • 1/4 cup powdered sugar • 1/4 cup sour cream • 2 tbsp strong coffee, cold • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract • 1/8 tsp salt
bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and remaining 3/4 cup cocoa.
2. In medium bowl, with mixer on medium speed, beat buttermilk, coffee, oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture into buttermilk mixture and beat until just blended. Transfer to prepared Bundt pan. Bake 45–55 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. 3. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Loosen sides with offset spatula. Invert onto wire rack and remove pan. 4. Prepare glaze: In medium bowl, whisk chocolate and butter. Add powdered sugar, sour cream, coffee, vanilla, and salt. Stir until smooth. Pour over chocolate cake. Let stand at room temperature until set, about 4 hours.
APPLES CALENDULA CANDY HALLOWEEN HORROR MASKS
OPAL POPCORN SCARY SCREAM
TREAT TRICK
Source: Goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/dessert/ a35180/double-chocolate-bundt/
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