Weekend Reading 11/20/22

Every weekend, I like to share a curated list of retro & nostalgia-themed articles, stories, and posts that I’ve come across in the last week. It gives you a chance to escape the daily grind, and just sit back and pass the time reading about the good old days. So with that in mind, here are some things I wanted to share with you this week.


                Thanksgiving Stuff

                In the News

                Retro & Nostalgia

                Garfield’s Thanksgiving

                It doesn’t get much better as far as Thanksgiving cartoons go than Garfield’s Thanksgiving. It debuted in 1989 and has been a staple pretty much ever since. I know it is in my house at least. It’s a classic tale of Jon screwing up Thanksgiving dinner and having to call Grandma to come save the day, and poor old Garfield is under the threat of diet for the holiday. Surely you’ve seen it before, but if not, don’t pass up this chance to give it a look. And if you have, watch it again. You know you’ll enjoy it.

                Gold’n Nut Crunch Recipe from 1988

                With us starting to get into the heart of the holiday season, you can expect several snack mix recipes from the past to be highlighted here. Back at Halloween, we covered the Hot’n Devilish Chex Snack Mix, and just last week I presented the recipe for Hot Buttered Cheerios. So like I said, get ready for more snack mix-type recipes from now through Christmas. There will be other recipes though, so don’t worry that it’s all going to be savory snacks.

                Now, on to this Gold’n Nut Crunch recipe. It seems weird that a savory snack mix would include a sweet component like Golden Grahams cereal, but here we are. I must confess that I’ve never tried this recipe myself, but I know some old souls across the internet who swear that it’s delicious. I plan to give it a try myself in the near future, and since I’m going to make it, I thought I would share it with you as well. If you’ve tried it before, let me know in the comments what you think. Or if you’ve never tried it but are now planning on it like me, let me know how it goes for you.

                Weekend Reading 11/13/22

                Every weekend, I like to share a curated list of retro & nostalgia-themed articles, stories, and posts that I’ve come across in the last week. It gives you a chance to escape the daily grind, and just sit back and pass the time reading about the good old days. So with that in mind, here are some things I wanted to share with you this week.


                To start this week’s Weekend Reading selection, I want to direct you to two new things I’ve written over at The Retro Network in the last week. In the first pieces, I wrote about how CBS dismantled their primtime lineup of “rural” shows in the ’70s to make way for the new era in television that they were planning. And in the second piece, I share with everyone my top picks for this year’s crop of retro-inspired ugly Christmas sweaters. Since you’re here at Retro Ramblings, I feel like you’d enjoy both of those features. The links to each is below.

                In the News

                Retro & Nostalgia

                Velveeta Salsa Dip Recipe from 1993

                Going back in time and revisiting these Retro Recipes has been a real treat for me. I used to get excited when I’d be browsing through one of mom’s magazines and come across a tasty-looking treat using items we generally had on hand. Having the items on hand made my argument that much easier when I would start begging mom to make those tasty-looking treats.

                Such was the case with this recipe for Velveeta Salsa dip. I had never had it before, but my eyes instantly stopped on the recipe while flipping through a Kraft insert in one of her books. This one took a little more begging though because although we had Velveeta on hand, my old man wasn’t a cheese eater. And salsa/Picante sauce wasn’t an item we bought either. But mom was a fan of taco dinners and the like, so she was open to trying it. She agreed to make it, but we had to wait until my dad was traveling. But I remember that night, and how I didn’t think anything else could ever top this dip.

                That was almost thirty years ago, and I still make this dip today. Hell, I just made it this past weekend to enjoy while watching football. It’s quite easy to make, and the base recipe is great on its own, but I suggest you try one of the variations listed. I personally like to add in cooked hamburger and onions. It’s delightful. If the weather is already cooling off where you are, this may be just the thing you need to warm yourself up.