Are You Sure This Isn’t Hawaiian?

Episode Transcript for Macaroni Ham Salad

In the 1970s, there was one ingredient that automatically meant that the recipe would be called Hawaiian. Oh, I know. It's pineapple. Yep. Slap a pineapple ring on a hamburger and it is instantly a Hawaiian hamburger. Throw some pineapple tidbits on fish sticks and all of a sudden you have Hawaiian fish sticks. You got it. Basically, it was a great way to just warn people that you have taken a random dish that should never include pineapple and have added some anyway. Oh. So, are you telling me we're making something Hawaiian today? Nope. But they should have given us fair warning. Oh, great.

Welcome to Mom's Wooden Spoon, where the recipes are retro, and so are your hosts. You can say that again.

Hey everybody, welcome to Mom's Wooden Spoon. Don't say that, Carrie. Today's recipe comes from a cookbook that I think came in a bag from Grandma Honey. Okay. But Grandma Honey is from Chicago. She is. And this cookbook is from St. Michael's Church in Defiance. Well, do you think her daughter gave it to her? I mean, that's a possibility. Maybe. Our stepmom did not remember that. Okay. So, anyway, pretty exciting. It's from 1975, but it actually says 1861 to 1975. Oh, cuz the church was built in 1861. I'm assuming. So, because it says 1975, it's perfect for this podcast. And it has recipes in it. It does. Actually, we originally wanted to do a Jell-O salad dish from it, but the one we chose had so many steps, we didn't think that we could get all the different layers chilled in one day. Yes, that's right. I remember. I think it was called like applesauce salad, and you had to mix applesauce in with Jell-O and then chill different layers. And we're like, ain't nobody got time for that. No. So, we decided to do a different salad. Yes. Cuz while we like each other spending that much time together, there might have been fighting on the podcast. Too much. Too much. Yeah. So, we decided to make macaroni ham salad with an extra special 1970s twist. Okay. Pineapple tidbits, of course, cuz why didn't they call it Hawaiian? I know, but they didn't. Just macaroni ham salad. It is by Diana Steffel and the ingredients are relatively simple. Since it's macaroni ham salad, there's ham, cubed up American cheese. That sounds delicious to me. Let's see. Some celery, some pimentos, so 70s, right? Some a tiny bit of chopped up onions. And then it has, of course, the pineapple tidbits. And there was something else that was concerning to me. Oh, I know. Here it goes. I've talked about this ad nauseum behind the scenes here. Yes. The second I got here, the first words out of her mouth was Have you read this recipe and seen the pickles? It has a half a cup of chopped sweet pickles. Yes. That's a That's a lot. You've mentioned Yeah. We've discussed very concerned. We've discussed do you do relish versus chopped pickles? But then if we do the relish, a half a cup of relish is a heck of a lot of relish. Kristen has done the math and the volume, she's pretty sure of a half a cup of pickle relish is far greater than the volume of a half a cup of chopped pickles. That's right. And we were recently in Defiance and my son wanted to have a party in which all of the treats were from Ohio. Mmhmm. So, we got Amish Sugar Cookies. We got Ballreich potato chips. We got Buckeyes. And he bought Tony Packo's bread and butter pickles. So, what better sweet pickle to add to this than Tony Packos. Perfect. Our pasta's ready. We know this because she's eating it. They're delicious. Uh-huh. And now she's going to pour off all the water. She got large elbow macaroni. Elbow macaroni. Oh, yeah. Okay. So, we're going to put that in there and let that chill a little bit. And I made a little extra in case there's too much pickles. She's real concerned about the pickles. I will say this has been a progression. Yeah. At first she's like, "You know what? I think maybe we'll just make it as it calls for except for the pineapple, right? We'll just add that in the end." And I'm like, "No, no, we make what's written." And then I get here today, well, these pickles, I don't think we should add as many pickles as it's calling for. And Carrie's like, "No, we make it as is." Yes. Well, then Carrie, there is one little optional part of this recipe. I saw that. And I think it might actually make it better. So, I think we try option A. Okay. And don't have it. All right. And then option B and do have it. Well, why don't you tell everybody what it is? Curry. It is curry powder. I think that might actually be good with the fruitiness. I I don't know. It sounds horrible to me. But I make a curry chicken salad that is delicious. And it has almonds and grapes. It does. I don't always put the almonds, but yeah, grapes for sure. It has almonds if you make it good. Oh, apparently I don't. Right. Which is par for the course. Okay. Well, I'm going to go ahead and start chopping the celery while Carrie just talks. Yes. My favorite part. No, no, no. But I have something I wanted to say first. No. Yeah. And I'm going to chop and talk cuz I am capable of that. Wow. And so Carrie, what I wanted to tell you, I'm going to chop a lot and say one word. And what was really fun is I looked through this cookbook from St. Michael's Church and it had a bunch of advertisements from 1970s Defiance, Ohio. Oh, how awesome. was so fun. The first one was for something that is very familiar to you and is still there. Ken's Furniture. Oh my goodness. Yes. Yes. They've moved locations apparently. Oh, really? I don't ever remember them being anywhere other than their current location. Nope. They have moved since the 70s. There was another one. Frisch's Big Boy. Yes. You were with me over Christmas when I forced my boy child to at 22 years old to stand in front of the big boy and have his picture taken. Yeah. He's now taller than the super giant big boy. Way taller than the super giant big boy. But every year we would take his picture at Christmas standing in front of the big boy statue out there at Frisch's. And so I was like, "Come on, we haven't done this in years." And he was a good sport and he let me He was And then he almost got caught. Yeah, we almost got caught by some people. and humiliation flared. Yeah, he got a little red cheeked. He did just It could have been the -5 degree windchill factor. Well, that's true. It was pretty daggone chilly this Christmas at Defiance, Ohio. And then my favorite ad that was in there was Arps. The ad said, "See the little Dutchman." And so I thought that must be like a little statue from like Dutch Boy Paints. Sure Yeah. And I called Dad. I said, "So what's the little Dutchman at Arps?" And he said, "It's a person." Really? They called Hank Arps, the owner of Arps Hardware, the Little Dutchman. And so the ad said, "Come on in and see the Little Dutchman." I'll be doggone. Yeah. So, Dad said he was a real character that he even had his old World War II airplane hanging in his store. Oh my goodness. Or at least his old airplane. And apparently he was a World War II hero. He was actually inducted into the Defiance City Hall of Fame of in May of this past year, 2025. Oh my goodness. Yep. How cool. Isn't that really cool? And so one story about him that I found online is that one day he was so upset with a city council decision. In those days, the council met in the municipal court chambers above the police department. Okay. So Hank rode one of his lawnmowers downtown into the police station onto the elevator and up into the council chambers to dispute the action. Oh snap. That's hilarious. Look out for the Little Dutchman is all I got to say. And why the riding mower? I mean could have walked faster. It made a freaking statement. Yeah, that's true. Riding that up the elevator. That is true. Yep. And then the last ad which I thought was absolutely perfect for you. You can probably guess who this was on their sign. They have a flower, a carnation. Got it. Who is it? Kirchers. Kirchers. And didn't you pick melons for the Belau family who owned that in 1975? I did. One summer I picked melons. I think the Belau's still might own it, but Bob and Carol Belau owned it in 1975. Okay. I did not work for them in 1975. Child labor laws prohibited it as well as my inability to walk. I I do believe that they were still the owners when you were picking the melons. Yes. Yes, they were. Cuz Bob drove the tractor. No way. Yeah. That we walked behind. And then you tossed the melons up out of the field into the tractor or something. No, they had it had a chute and so you put them the there was a big long chute that came out and so you'd walk behind the tractor, pick the melons and put them in the chute. Wow. Again, sorry for the a very noisy celery. Celery is a loud chop. It really is. So when you said Arps, I thought you meant dairy. Oh, Arps Dairy. Also in Defiance, but no, obviously you meant Okay, so I thought all Ace Hardware stores were as amazing as the Arps Ace Hardware is in Defiance, Ohio. I mean, it is so cool. It's very old and it has nooks and crannies and weird cool stuff in it. More stuff than you could ever imagine. And some of that stuff is so coated in dust that you are convinced it has been there since 1975. Oh yeah, it probably hasn't. The store is probably just dusty. No, I bet it was bought by the Little Dutchman. I when I first moved down here, what I wanted desperately was a little teeny tiny hanging towel bar to put on the cabinet door under my sink in my kitchen. Oh yeah. Okay. I went to the Walmart and I went everywhere. I went to the Ace Hardware here. Yeah. I looked on the interwebs. I could not find one. Wow. Mom went down to Arps Hardware and picked it up for me for like $9.99 covered in dust and exactly what I needed. Yeah. They're just They have everything. Everything. They have flowers for gravestones. I mean, like everything. What more could you want? I not there is nothing other than food. And then there's Arps that has the food. And sadly Arps Dairy stopped making their beloved cottage cheese and French onion dip. I really nearly shed some tears over that. Yeah. It was the end of an era. Aww such a sad sad day in my life. The day the music died. Totally. Yeah. Yep. I mean there was no music ever. No. And uh it maybe wasn't as tragic as the day the music died. The day the dairy died. The day the dairy died, which for some people is good cuz they're lactose intolerant. Uh it's never good for me though Carrie. But not for us. Nope nope just sad. Very sad. Very sad. Yeah. So I thought those were really fun ads. I thought that you would get a kick out of thinking about picking the melons and that I thought that you probably had never heard of. Uh the Little Dutchman. No. Well, no, I sure had not. We probably met the Little Dutchman and didn't realize. Well, right. You know, when we were kids. We were not introduced to him as the Little Dutchman, right? Probably not introduced to him. I'm so curious as to the reason for his nickname. I know. I asked dad and he did not quite know how he got that nickname. Sure Well, you know, I mean, obviously as a World War II hero and apparently a pilot in my reading of cheesy romance novels, people in the service give each other nicknames all the time. Well, what type of cheesy romance novels are you reading, Carrie? Oh, I have favorites. Biplanes included or? No. So, I I read a lot that are set in Old England and Scotland. Okay. I knew about that. Man in a kilt. Always a good choice. Always. But what about the uh the airplanes Carrie? I read a lot of them that the handsome hero is a pilot. Well, in the armed service typically like a a Seal, a Navy Seal. Oh my Carrie Something along those lines. Okay. You'll be happy to know. Nobody can save a damsel in distress better than a pilot. And a Navy Seal. And I'm sure that there are I know that they're Green Berets and other people that are in other areas of the service. I don't know what they are. So that's all I got. Okay. Navy Seal. And you'll be very very happy. I'm on my last thing of celery. Oh, I am. Yeah. So I have a story from our father. Well, I did too. This is kind of fun. Yeah. So one of the ingredients as Kristen mentioned in this very ' 70s. Yes. Pimento And so I went down a rabbit hole of pimento. Oh my. Oh yeah. I got history. I got all kinds of stuff. Yeah. So I'm going to start simple. Okay. Pimentos, also known as cherry peppers. They are in fact a pepper all of itself. They are not bell peppers. Okay. They are just a pepper. They are typically sweet, not spicy. Though there are some in their family that can give you a little kick. Oh, really? They're heart-shaped and red and there oh how cute is that perfect for Valentine's Day. Absolutely nice. All right. So, when our dad visited us recently, Yeah. he and our stepsister told us a story. I believe they saw like I don't know a PBS special. Yeah. I don't know. Something was about how olives get stuffed. And as we all know, olives are often stuffed with pimentos. Yes. And the two of them told the story of how olives were stuffed, and it was hilarious. It was a great story. And so I actually found a little video online. Um, so I shall tell you how olives are stuffed please do. So they go down a little machine. There's like holes and they just keep rolling down the machine and then dropping into a hole. Yeah. Based on how big they are. So, we're sizing our olives small, medium, large. Yeah. Great. Then they go down another belt and the belt shakes. And this was my stepsister's favorite part. She really had the shake down. Oh Wow. She would shimmy that real good to give you an example. shimmy shimmy shimmy Oh, yeah. The shimmy nice. So, we get all those olives lined up. And then they go through this little automated machine that pops the um Oh, the pit out. The pit. Thank you. Right out of the olive. And that's why olives have like a little plus on one side. That's the de-pitter machine. The deep pitter. Yes. And then, and this is where it gets wild and crazy, they continue to go down a belt until they get to the people. The people. And the people stuff the olive by hand. By hand. What? Yeah. And then they dump all the olives on this big belt filled with glass jars. And they kind of just wiggle the olives around until they fall inside the glass jars. Stuff them in there real good. They get the brine dipped in and then sealed. And that's just So that part is very by hand. Wow. So the pitter is automated, the stuffing is not. And I thought that just I mean there's no way. I have purchased a bottle of green olives. Yeah. For like, you know, two bucks. Yeah. They're they're not that expensive for the amount of work that goes into them. Come to find out. Yeah. That up until the 1960s, they were all hand stuffed. But since then, they have mechanized with quite a few companies. Oh. So the cheap olives that you get with that little pimento like folded up in the olive, it's pimento paste. What? They make a pimento paste. They make it into strips. They stuff that little strip automatically into the olives. So those are not hand stuffed. That makes more sense. Well, like maybe the garlic stuffed ones are stuffed by hand. Yes. And certainly what pimentos are, but real live pimentos. Okay. Not the pasty ones. the pasties, the cheapies are all done. And so I read that for comparison, it would take 20 workers all day stuffing by hand to equal the number of olives a machine can stuff in one hour. Oh my gosh. Yeah. So obviously when you have the ability to mechanize it, they did. So Carrie, how long do you think that it takes one Kristen to chop all of the celery by herself? All of the onion, an entire half pound of unsliced American cheese, and Tony Packo's bread and butter pickles, a half a cup. How long do you think it might take a Kristen to do that? I don't know. I'll let you know when you're done. Since I didn't even give you a cutting board. I know. And you know what? I didn't even ask this time. You didn't. You asked last episode and I said, "Don't worry about it, Carrie." You didn't say it in a nice loving manner like that. Oh, I did. I did. I remember that distinctly. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I got to wondering. Oh, did you? I did. Okay. Green olives Yeah. always have something in them. That's right. And black olives do not. They do not. Why, Kristen? That's what I would like to know. Carrie, do you have any guess that you can hazard? Um, well, the first thing I do know is that black olives are supposed to be ripe olives, but they're not necessarily always ripe olives. Sometimes they just dye them black. Yes, that's what I found out. I was horrified. Horrification. But yes, so theoretically a green olive is picked early. A black olive should stay on the vine for a month or two more or the tree. Ripen. Oh yeah, the tree. Because they grow on trees. That's right. When I was in Greece just a couple of months ago, name drop it girl, everybody knew I was going. I walked by so many olive trees. I just wanted to pick one off and eat it. And then I was like, I don't think that they probably taste good right off the tree. They don't. I read that they do not. That they need to be like fermented or brined or pickled. Thank you for taking all of the things I was going to talk about. You're welcome. Okay. Bye. Yep. And we're done. Just start cutting again. Okay. And stop ruining this podcast, Kristen. Sorry. with your knowledge and craft. Knowledge and craft. How about if I pop one of these uh pieces of American cheese in my mouth? You could do that. Okay, if it will shut you up for a minute. Perfect. So good. It didn't shut her up. Nope. So, yeah. So, the black olives theoretically stay on the tree longer. But Kristen is right. There's a chemical that turns green olives black. Oh, that a lot of the black olives that you get, particularly if they all look to be exactly the same color. Yeah. They have been um dyed. That's so weird. Yeah. They're just green olives. But the internet postulated, okay, that the reason black olives are not stuffed is because if they were in fact left on the tree longer, they would be softer. Oh, and harder to stuff and therefore harder to stuff. They would break down a little bit That makes sense. Okay. Yep. I'm going to add the ham now. Trying to add cold stuff to the macaroni to kind of cool it down a little bit, but not the cheese yet. I think you're doing great. Oh, thanks. Yeah. Yeah. since I'm making all the decisions and doing all the work. Yeah. Well, I I applaud you for that. Thank you. Keep telling us more stories that I've ruined. Well, what I love the most is that you're not bitter or upset that I didn't help in an opportunity that I was not given. Not one bit, Carrie. And I'm sorry about the rustling. I don't want all the ham juice to go in.-So, and we appreciate that. Sticking my hand. You know how I mentioned if we had done the Jell-O we probably would have gotten in an argument. Yeah. Turns out if we just did the macaroni salad, that could happen, too. I don't see any argument at all. I don't know what you talking about girl. Perfect in every way. I mean, yeah. So, I started thinking about what else do you think of with pimento? Oh, is that what you started thinking about Carrie? I did. Do you have something that food that you come up with with I mean everything 1970s had pimento in it. Everything. But there's something that you find frequently on sandwiches. Oh, yeah. Pimento cheese. Pimento cheese. That is very delicioso. Yes. So, how the heck did pimento cheese come about, you ask? I wasn't asking, but okay. Yeah. Well, I'm going to tell you. Please do. And I thought this was really interesting. And since obviously we grew up in Ohio, we now live in Georgia, I took a direct quote. Most Southerners have fond memories of a loving aunt mixing up a batch for a church gathering. Oh. while northerners haven't the foggiest idea what pimento cheese even is. I I was like, is that true? Cuz obviously I know what pimento cheese is. But did I learn it once I moved down here? I'm pretty sure I learned it when I moved down here. But it's a totally different world now with the internet. Yeah, that's true. You know, so I mean I think they put like pimento cheese on burgers everywhere now, don't they? I don't know. Or is it just a supple thing? I don't know. I do not know either Carrie. I don't know. So, pimento Cheese has some nicknames. Carolina caviar. And southern pate. Oh, my so apparently it's fancy. It is so fancy. Yeah, like caviar and pate. Or it tastes nasty. No, I'm kidding. Okay, so to make pimento cheese, you take some mayonnaise, some cheddar, and some pimentos. Boom. Well, other than the American, we're actually making pimento cheese up on in this ham salad. We are. Yeah. Plus then ham and a bunch of other stuff. That's right. And you know what? As I'm chopping this onion, it is one teaspoon only of diced onion. Holy moly. One teaspoon. That's nothing That ain't nothing. Don't measure. Just throw that in there. Oh, okay. Yeah. Just go crazy. We're going to say this is too oniony probably. We probably are. Pimento cheese wouldn't have this onion in it. That's what we're going to say. That's what we're gonna say. Okay. While Carrie continues to talk, I want to let you know real quickly that I have the cooked macaroni. I have the ham, the celery, the onion, and I'm getting ready to dump in all of the pimentos because it called for a crap ton of pimentos, too. I'm looking to see how much. And it is a half of a No, a third of a cup of diced pimentos. You think that's that whole jar? Probably. Probably. I'll measure it out just in case, oh ok good thinking. Yeah. So, let me open this. We don't want it to taste too much like pimento. Nope. I cannot get the jar open. Can you? I don't know. I always slap the bottom of it. I banged it on the counter. I heard. No. Rut row. Oh, cannot. Rut Row. Can you get hot water? How many mom's wooden spoon podcasters does it take to open a jar of pimentos? And I'm draining off the liquid. It doesn't say to, but ew. Yeah, nobody wants that. Uh-uh. Okay. Okay. All right. So, here we have the history of pimento cheese. Let's hear it, Carrie. In the 1800s, late 1800s, cream cheese was a big thing in the north. Okay. And in New York, shipping had become a really big thing. And so, they were getting goods from lots of places around the world, including pimentos from Spain. Okay. Yeah. So in New York, somebody combined cream cheese and pimentos. That was the first pimento cheese. Okay. Yeah. And it continued to be seen in northern restaurants as, you know, an offering for quite a while. And so really it was a northern thing first. Yes. Wow. And then there was a farmer in Georgia who found that pimentos are very expensive because the only way you could get them was from Spain. Spain. Right. And so he started growing them. Oh. And then as they started growing here in the US, instead of being spelled pimiento, that's right they dropped the second I and started calling them pimentos. I wondered why they had two different spellings. I thought that was really kind of interesting. I thought maybe it was like a 1970s thing cuz in the 70s a lot of these recipes that called for pimentos were spelled pimientos. Yeah. So, I don't know if the 70s were just being snobbish because they didn't get them. I don't know. Maybe people don't still sell them, make grow them. Let me try all of the sell them, grow them, make them, cook them, bake them. Let me try all the verbs we have in one sentence. Oh my gosh. Um, so anyway, so now we have this southern farmer growing pimentos. Yeah. And so, Southern Home Cooks got a hold of this recipe and jazzed it up. They're like, "Uh, we need something with a little more flavor flave than cream cheese. Let's add on some shredded cheddar." And yes, and the deliciousness that is pimento cheese was born. Well, Carrie, I have some really interesting things that I wanted to tell you about the history of macaroni salad and the history of macaroni itself. Well, I have something interesting about the history of just pasta in general. Wow. So listeners, which would you prefer to hear? Carrie! Go ahead and call in and let us know. Call in. Brrring, Carrie!

I think they said mmm almost said mom. I think they said mom. They didn't say Kristen. Oh, dang it. All right, I'm going first anyway. I want you to take a guess. Can I cut some pickles while you tell your little story Sure. I want you to take a guess at who you think was credited with bringing macaroni to America. Think founding fathers. I am going to say Ben Franklin. Good guess. Thomas Jefferson. It was Thomas Jefferson. He tried it in Naples, Italy, and in Paris, France, and loved it so much that he brought a pasta making machine back to the States so he could have his own macaroni. I almost said Thomas Jefferson the first time because I am a big fan of the Hamilton and I thought he returned to France and sang to everybody in the US. What did I miss? Oh, okay. Thank you, Carrie. Apparently, it was macaroni, right? And then historians believe that macaroni salad was created when people wanted to make a creamy potato salad, but potatoes were scarce. What? Yep. Guess where macaroni salad became so incredibly popular that it is a meal staple to this day. Ohio, Hawaii. That makes sense then why I have a macaroni salad recipe that I found to be unique and interesting. Well, let's see if it's like this traditional Hawaiian one. Let's compare. Traditional Hawaiian macaroni salad does not have pineapple like this one. Okay. It is very basic with practically overcooked macaroni, lots of mayo, shredded carrots, and a hint of sugar and vinegar. No, but I could get behind that. Yeah, sounds pretty good to me. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, so what is yours, Carrie? Okay, so obviously given the location of Hawaii. Yes, it is near kind of some Asian countries. Yeah. And I found a Filipino macaroni salad recipe. Ooh. Yeah. Well, I found it because I was Googling macaroni salad with pineapple and like cheddar cheese in it because I thought that was so odd. Yeah, it is kind of odd. Yeah. And so what I found is this Filipino macaroni salad, which people love. Yeah. And this is what it has in it. Macaroni. Shocker. Chicken. Ham. Oh. Cheddar cheese. Carrots. Pineapple. Uhhuh. Raisins. Oh my. Condensed milk. Very sweet. Yeah. So, it is condensed milk, but usually then they also have a apple vinegar. Is all condensed milk sweetened. It is a sweet and condensed milk. Is it sweetened condensed milk that they use? Yeah. But I thought that the ingredients were very similar. Yes. To you know, so they have carrots for crunch and color, right? Like we have celery, right? Did you say vinegar? I know Hawaii has the vinegar in it. Yeah. The sweet pickles make sense, this is very similar to like a combo between Hawaiian and Filipino. Yeah. And so, while we're on the topic of interesting things in macaroni salad. Oh, yes. Our last episode, we actually talked about the weird one that I found that somebody had brought to a potluck and it was the one that had mayo fruit cocktail and mini marshmallows in it. Right. But I found some others that were atrocious basically. Okay, great. Okay, so here's one. Bow tie pasta with Nesquick powder, marshmallows, walnuts, and cream cheese. Somebody say that on Reddit. They did three years ago. All right, your turn. Which one was yours? Let's see. My grandma put mayonnaise, cooked chicken, peas, and canned oranges in her pasta salad. Oh, that's interesting. Not your grandma. No, no, no, no. This was rando. Okay, here's one. I was making macaroni salad and had flashbacks to a time when I was at a Fourth of July party and took a huge bite of macaroni salad, but some jag off added canned tuna to it. No. And someone responded and said, "Straight to jail." Jag off. I found someone who commented about the Filipino macaroni salad. Yeah. And uh she says she loves it, but probably because she grew up with it. Um, she says it also in addition to ham, it would often have hard-boiled eggs, relish, yeah, mayonnaise and condensed milk, and then says, "Listing the ingredients, it's hard to imagine it tastes good, but if you can get it made by an auntie who can cook, you've got yourself a sweet and savory bowl of yum." I bet you do. One of them I found said that sometimes they put Velveeta chunks in it. Oh, yeah. And so that would make sense with our American cheese, our little chunks of American cheese. I think we're probably making a northwestern Ohio Filipino/Hawaiian macaroni salad. I I really think that we are. I was I had no idea such a thing existed as Filipino macaroni salad. Isn't that so fun the things we learn on this podcast? I mean, I Kristen already knew them all as evidenced. I mean, obvy, right, by the olive conversation, but for those of us that didn't know all the things, it is interesting. It is very interesting. Can I finish my discussion of all things pimento? Oh, yes. I am so sorry that I interrupted you. No, no, no. I just have one more. Okay. And it comes with such a great reference. To a 1985 film that I really, really, really want to make sure I I get in. Okay. You do that and I'll add the mayo, the half a cup of mayo. Okay. Okay. So, um, something that also came to mind in in addition to the pimento cheese, pimento loaf [sploosh sound]

The second she said that, I dropped a big blob of mayo on the counter And the timing was comedic gold was pimento loaf. Wait, pickle pimento loaf. Yeah. So, it turns out there's all different kinds. They have Oh, she dropped more. A pimento. I dropped a pimento. They have olive loaf. Oh, yes. I've had that. Pickle loaf. Oh, yeah. Pimento loaf. pickled pimento loaf. Wow There's all different kinds. So, I focused on pimento loaf and like why? Wait, wait, tell people what it is because I know what pickle pimento is, but yeah, it's basically a bologna. Yeah, like a deli meat type of thing. It is 100% a deli meat and it is like a bologna that they zhuzhed up by adding in olives or pimentos or pickles. It's kind of pretty looking actually. They are. And to give it some color and some oomph. So the reason they did this because my thought was why? Yeah. The reason they did this is because uh sandwiches was one of the most common lunches post World War II. Oh. And so they started marketing olive loaf and pickle loaf and all these things to middle and working class families as an affordable lunch bottle option. That makes sense. Yes. So, one of the things in the 70s that they rolled out, Oscar Meyer had luxury loaf. What? Luxury loaf. They had a whole line. Oh my goodness. Luxury loaf. Now, they did have one specifically called luxury loaf. It was called luxury loaf. Yes. And then they had this uh like family pack where there's a piece of luxury loaf which is just different colors of meat all combined marbled in one. Oh wow. Marbled. It had the pickle pimento loaf in one. I don't know what the other two but Kristen as soon as I saw the picture. Yes. Our dad bought that and ate that. You remember luxury loaf? I totally remember the the multi pack with the four different I remember luxury loaf. Okay. So, now let's come to my 1985 film. Okay. If you remember the movie The Breakfast Club. Yeah. Okay. Ali Sheedy's character, Allison Reynolds. Yes. When they're in detention, they have to eat lunch. Yes. And everybody remembers that she has bread. She puts Captain Crunch and Pixie Sticks and crunches it all together. What I didn't recall was before that she opened her sandwich, took out the pimento loaf, flung it, and it stuck right to the pillar in the library. I forgot all about that. That is hilarious. So, if you want to see pickle pimento loaf in action, yeah, just watch The Breakfast Club. Oh my gosh, that is so perfect because that kind of goes over into something I wanted to talk about, Carrie. And that's really what matters the most. It is. I was thinking about some things in the 80s and 70s that I remembered that we haven't talked about on the podcast. And one of them was the smiley face alarm clock that I had when I was a little girl. Do you remember that? It was one of those old alarm clocks that had the bells on the top with the clapper that goes back and forth and it had a smiley face on it and it also said, "Have a nice day." on it  Cuz who would have a nice day after that thing went off? I mean, so scary. It would scare the heck out of you. I ended up having to get rid of it and I'm sad I did because I would love to have it now. But too scary to wake you up in the morning. It's so loud. So loud. So that's probably why I don't have it anymore. Yeah. But it got me thinking that there were a lot of toys that were either scary or hurt you in the 1970s. Okay. Um, I was thinking about just something as simple as the slip and slide. I was always afraid to do the slip and slide. That was a combo of both. I mean, I was always too scared because there was always stuff under the slip and slide that you'd get rolling down it on your belly and your belly would hit a rock or a knob or a tree root and you get all bruised up. It hurt. It did hurt. Just the flopping on your belly to go sliding hurt. I was a wuss. It did. And sometimes if you hadn't gotten it wet enough, you'd you'd come to a screeching halt. Skin on rubber. Yeah. That get like a rug burn. And then speaking of water toys, they had this toy. I think we had it called the Whammo water wiggle. Oh yeah. Do you remember that? Those things hurt. If you got slapped by one of those hoses going all you'd run inside and you'd have all the cut grass stuck to your legs and a welt and you'd be, "Mom, I'm got hurt." She'd be get outside. You have grass all over your legs and feet. And you're having fun, stupid. Yeah. Traumatic childhood memories. Yes. Yep. Yep. Those are bad. you had to jump really high on those. Yeah, you did. You inevitably got hit by one of those. And then there were just the panic inducing games like Operation. Oh my gosh. And Perfection. Yes. I wouldn't play to this day. I won't play it. Scary. I'm the jumpiest human being you have ever met and I do not need any game that is gonna pop at me unexpectedly. You know, I wonder if it all started with Jack in the Boxes cuz those were scary as f. I mean, there are definitely kids that you put that in their crib and they cry. They're like, "Let's not put the creepy clown that's going to jump out at me randomly, unexpected, and call it fun." Thank you. Did not like those. Nope. Scary toys. Absolutely not. Scary toys. That's hilarious. Yep. Mhm. Okay. So, shall we taste it as is and then add the curry powder? Yeah. It's looking beautiful. It doesn't look like there's too much of the pickles at all. It  made a boat load. Yeah, it did. Oh, potato salad. So, this macaroni salad, too. You know, if we're low on potatoes, if potatoes were scarce, we could totally make this. You know what else we could do? What? Throw in some tuna. Ooh. Straight to jail. Yes. Do we have to share the same fork. No, I was gonna get you one. It really is beautiful. Like I could see taking this to a picnic or Kristen is surprised. The right amount of pickles. Mhm. That's fantastic I want to see if I can ask her some more questions that she can't answer because her mouth is chock full of food. I took such a big bite because I wanted some cheese and some ham and some pineapple and everything. M. It's really good. I'll be darned. I was really worried about the pineapple, but it is not overly sweet. Oh wow. I enjoy the heck out of this. It's crunchy. It's savory. There's just a tiny bit of the sweet from the sweet pickle. I'm so glad we cut up those Tony Packo pickles. That's very good. The little tang from the pineapple juice. Yeah, that's a meal. Really It's very hearty with the ham and the cheese. And as we chill it, I think it's going to get even yummier it is kind of gross slightly warm. It is slightly warm. But now the question is, do we add the optional curry powder? Okay. So, this is what I suggest. Let's take a small serving out. Yeah. Into a little bowl and just put a small amount in there because I didn't hate that the way it was. I loved it the way it was. But I'd love to try the curry because I like curry chicken salad. I do too, but I I have my doubts I don't know that I want any changes cuz it was so delicious. It was shockingly tasty. It says one teaspoon of curry powder. So, I'm thinking like a little dashy dash. Yeah. Does that look good? And then mix it up. Yeah. It's not super mayonnaisey. No, it's bland, but it's bland. I think in a nice way. It is. I mean, you get all the You get the flavor of the ham and the flavor of the cheese and the crunch of the cele-. I like my macaroni salad kind of bland. I like it salty and bland. Yeah. You know, the only thing that would be better, what? Hard-boiled egg. Oh, I was thinking the same thing. That would make it better. So, I've mixed some curry in. Let's give this a taste. Carrie's going first. And let's see what she thinks. It's a little crunchy. What do you think of the curry? Does it need more? Maybe. You try it. Okay. It's not super curry-ish. I only sprinkled in a tiny bit. I don't know if I like it or not. No. Mm- I don't think I care for it with the curry as much as I did without it. I think it ruins kind of the subtlety of the flavors. Instead of getting like that pineapple juice coming through, you don't get all of that subtlety. You just taste curry and ham and cheese. Yeah, I think that's kind of true. I mean, there's nothing wrong with it. I wouldn't turn my nose up at it and say go to jail, right? It's no tuna. That's for sure. It's no tuna. Mhm. Yeah. Should we add more mayo to it? It is kind of dry. It is. I think it could do with just a little more mayo. And that could be my fault because I did a lot of macaroni. I think I probably cooked more than we needed just cuz I was worried. Yes. About it. Is it okay if I add a little more mayo? Yeah, totally fine. We could have done more pickles. Honestly, we could have done more pickles. I would not be opposed to cutting up some more pickles. You want to? Yeah. It actually was delightful. I think we should add a little more pineapple. All of the ingredients I think that I thought were going to be the worst. Yes. Really kind of give it its tastiness. It is delicious. It is unique. Yes. And delicious and beautiful. I mean, it is so colorful and fun. I can't believe we are adding more pickles. I mean people, I did not want to overstate the amount of pickle conversation that we have had today. State pickle, but it was a lot. Like I am still walking in the door, my arms are laden with groceries. And Kristen has this look of horror on her face and is prepared to discuss pickles. Yeah. And and then continued to bring it up repeatedly throughout the day. I did. I'll be honest. I did. She did. And now we're adding more pickles. Kristen, that's shocker. You know, as we were talking about all those funny old toys, a woman on TikTok was saying that she was really flattered when somebody thought she was really young, but that actually she was a Cabbage Patch Kid. Rainbow bright etch sketch old. And I was wondering what would we say? I might be like um a pet rock cereal box toy wind up alarm clock old. How old would you be, Carrie? Oh man, What would you say I am telephone your sister in the room next door via a string magical musical thing. Oh yeah, that's right. Strawberry shortcake doll. Strawberry shortcake album with a picture on it old Oh yeah, baby. Yes. Oh, that is so much better. The pickle and the pineapple give you kind of this tang. That I bet is exactly what you get in that Filipino macaroni salad. You are right. I want to try that now, too. Me, too. That sounds so good. Now that we've tried it, we know it is delicious. Yes. Wow. Let me see. Diana Steffle. Thank you, Diana. Wow, that was a good one. This is a delicious one. All right, on that note, that's it for this episode. So, we can hit stop on the recording and I can eat the rest of this bowl of macaroni salad. Not kidding. She's like, "See you guys. I'm out. I'm out of here." Thank you for joining us. We got to go. Be sure to mark your calendars for our next episode on April 6th because we're going to be making a delicious regional specialty from St. Louis. Oh. Oh, yeah. I don't think you guys are going to want to miss this one. It's going to be a good Is it going to be better than macaroni salad? I don't know about that. I can't imagine. Neither can I. We'll see.

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