Retro Dinners

[msmofet]

I miss the old Swanson "TV" Dinners.

I miss all the large variety of Swanson frozen dinners - especially the “ ethnic” dinners - the Mexican enchiladas, Bavarian (spatzle, red cabbage and Sauerbraten). Too many to list. I really miss the old meatloaf with tomato sauce. They had more variety of carbs like rice, noodles, rice, and tater tot’s, more desserts and veggies. My mom liked the baked fish (I think it was haddock).
Also, the Choco-Taco I used to get at Taco Bell.

Do you remember these?

What unavailable food products do you miss?

The chicken looks wonderful (and was for frozen) here, not like now.

And International Dinners

They also had another German-style version of this with Bavarian beans and spätzle.

Continued below.

 

[msmofet]

There was another Mexican version with sweet corn custard.

They also had dinners with soup. "A complete 3 course Meal" LOL

 

[Barriehie]

I occasionally get a TV dinner at Dollar Tree. I can't remember the brand off hand. Sounds like a stop on my way home today.

 

[TastyReuben]

TV dinners of yore were/still are made fun of, but for us growing up, they were a real treat, because Mom rarely bought anything like that.

You know how the human brain is - you could have the best home-cooked food every day of the week, and your brain would see a can of ravioli and tell you, “That’s what you really want!”

I remember seeing Mom buy a couple of boxes of the Banquet fried chicken and thinking, “Oh boy!” - even though she fried chicken from ones we raised and killed ourselves a few times a month. I got my bottom beaten black and blue once because she’d pulled several pieces of that chicken out of the oven to cool and I ate all the skin off every last piece.

One thing I do remember really enjoying was this:

Pinterest

I could easily eat a whole box of that myself.

There are a lot of fast food places that are gone now that I miss - Burger Queen, Burger Chef (and Jeff!), and I miss Taco Bell’s sloppy Joe thingy, the Bell Beefer.

 

[badjak]

I can't remember any ready meal that I missed...
Maybe just the satay from golden wonder. 3 sticks of chicken satay in sauce that you heated in hot water.
I wouldn't want it these days as my tastebuds have matured just a little bit

 

[TastyReuben]

I also miss the Pizza Hut Priazzo and their cavatini pasta dish.

 

[msmofet]

TV dinners of yore were/still are made fun of, but for us growing up, they were a real treat, because Mom rarely bought anything like that.

You know how the human brain is - you could have the best home-cooked food every day of the week, and your brain would see a can of ravioli and tell you, “That’s what you really want!”

I remember seeing Mom buy a couple of boxes of the Banquet fried chicken and thinking, “Oh boy!” - even though she fried chicken from ones we raised and killed ourselves a few times a month. I got my bottom beaten black and blue once because she’d pulled several pieces of that chicken out of the oven to cool and I ate all the skin off every last piece.

One thing I do remember really enjoying was this:

View attachment 141161
Pinterest

I could easily eat a whole box of that myself.

There are a lot of fast food places that are gone now that I miss - Burger Queen, Burger Chef (and Jeff!), and I miss Taco Bell’s sloppy Joe thingy, the Bell Beefer.

White Castle had a limited time sloppy joe for a limited time. Haven’t been in a while maybe they still have them.

 

[rjchurch47]

Didn't get Swanson TV dinners here in the UK. We did get freeze dried meals by Vesta. They had meals such as Beef Curry, Chow Mein, Paella, and Risotto. The Risotto was a favourite of my father's back in the 70s.

 

[TastyReuben]

I also miss these (they’re still available, but like most things, not the same):

View: https://youtu.be/GyPL-Sxdh9Y?si=MgjLagdipvKLHlsg


Another instance of getting my tail whipped by my dad because I’d made one for lunch once and when he walked in the door at 5PM, he said the house smelled “like manure!”

 

[medtran49]

I loved the TV dinner with fried chicken, corn, and a brownie. Might have had mashed potatoes too.

In the small town I lived in, Burger Chef came in before the King or Ronald.

 

[TastyReuben]

Burger Chef

Same here - we had a Burger Chef, a DQ, a Pizza Hut, and a KFC, along with a local McD’s knock-off called Mac’s.

I loved Burger Chef simply because we never got to eat there. They were on High St…no parking lot, just street parking that you had to pay for, so we never went there.