Bena Mae’s Kitchen: One giant leap for my family

One giant leap for my family

Ladies of my generation may remember that one of the most popular TV commercials in the 1950’s was read by a blonde actress named Betty Furness who advertised Westinghouse refrigerators.

It is said that she opened and closed 49 refrigerator doors during both the Republican and Democratic conventions in 1952. The public came to know her well, this lady with the soft voice and housewifely appeal.

After reading the article, I had an instant flashback to my family’s first refrigerator.

It was a momentous day when my father announced that we were getting an electric refrigerator that would replace the old icebox that sat on the back porch. Our excitement was akin to the way we felt when Neil Armstrong made his first step on the moon.

Gone would be the days when we hit the panic button when the block of ice melted down to the size of a small cabbage head and the temperature was in the nineties- and the ice man was not due for another 2 or 3 days.

No longer would we have to rush to the drug store for ice cream for dinner because we had no way to keep it frozen.
Never again would we have to watch the milk sour, the butter melt, the lettuce wilt when the ice melted. Yes, it was a momentous day.

The brand of the refrigerator was Norge, and it had a freezer compartment that was not as large as a shoe box, but it had room for two ice trays.

The down side was that it had to be defrosted regularly to prevent the ice build up, and this was a dreadful job. But worth the effort.

But the worst of the down side was very personal and sad for me. Part of the fun of growing up was chasing after the ice truck that delivered the large block of ice to the house and treating ourselves to the chips that had fallen away. What a refreshing treat on a hot summer day.

Cuban Sliders

Ham, Swiss cheese, dill pickles on slider buns topped with a Dijon mustard spread!
 
Ingredients
24 pack of Hawaiian rolls
1 package of sliced ham lunch meat
1 package of 8 slices of Swiss cheese
Dill pickles
Dijon Spread
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 stick of melted butter
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Grease 9×13 baking pan
Cut the Hawaiian rolls in half removing the top and placing the bottom of the rolls in the baking pan. Layer the meat, cheese, and pickles. Place the top of the rolls on top.

Dijon Spread
Whisk together the butter and the Dijon mustard. Add in the minced onion and stir. With a spoon pour the Dijon spread over the top of the rolls.
Cover the sliders with foil and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the foil and continue to bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the rolls are a toasted brown.
Cut the sliders and remove from the baking pan. Enjoy!

Serves: 12